After being brought home and tied down in the yard... in my sleep. I admit I was rather confused for a moment. I just stared at my surroundings for a while trying to take it all in, the yard I think is actually a courtyard?

I figured the family that bought me was rich, but seriously…? There’s an enormous pond with some trees surrounding it and a large tree with a table and seats underneath. Off in the distance there are walkways that seem to surround the area of what I’m guessing is the main building.

My eyes continue to follow the building until it abruptly stops and there is more yard and an outer fence? It seems pretty tall though I’m pretty sure I can jump over it if I got a bit of a boast. The area I’m in seems rather vast and well maintained so far until my vision is obscured by an… Armored guard…?

I quickly turn the other direction and see another guard… Are they keeping watch on me? I mean, I AM a dragon and all… And I guess they don’t know how I will act, but seriously? They don’t seem to be very aggressive… I wonder…

I slowly start creeping towards each of the guards without making a sound and notice… I can’t reach either of them. These guys are purposely staying out of my reach!

They’re probably more scared of me then they want to let on. After confirming distance I slowly creep back and lay down and take a nap. I’ll do some exploring tonight and find out how to get home. But first… Nap time… It’s not like anything else can go wrong.

Waking up, I can see that night has fallen and the moon…s? Wait… Are there two moons? How have I NOT noticed that there are two moons?! I mean I did grow up in a forest and was too busy surviving to really do some night gazing but really something that huge?

Ah forget about it I have bigger issues to worry about. First things first, I look at my constraints and remember where each of them are placed.

There are shackles on all four of my legs with one chain attached to each and the collar around my neck has two separate chains. Alright, I should be able to recreate this later and change into my human form. This will let me sneak out of here… At least it should have.

The shackles that bound me adjusted to my size and now I’m currently tied up as a human… figures it wouldn’t be that easy. After transforming I was laying on my back and tried to lift my arms and legs but couldn’t… Did these get heavier?

Summoning up all the strength I could muster got me nowhere… I can’t lift these as a human but I can walk around like normal as a dragon? I knew my strength was different but this is too much… Isn’t it? Giving up I revert back and go back to sleep, I’m honestly exhausted from my previous effort.

That night I was dreaming again of a time long ago. My siblings were still young and I was dating my future wife. We used to have Barbeques in the yard and invite the neighbors over and spend the day just hanging out having a beer; grilling up some steaks and burgers. By the end of the day my clothing would reek of smoke and meat,.I honestly quite liked the smell but my little sister hated it.

She wouldn’t let me hug her until I took a long shower and changed my clothing. After I had finished cooking a portion for everyone I get to grill my portion, I love my steaks rare … the aroma is to die for and I take a good whiff before eating. Ah it smells delicious and my stomach rumbles in response…?

I’m awakened by my stomach screaming bloody murder and look around in a daze. I’m not still dreaming am I? I can still smell that steak… like it was right next to me or something… I look around and I see Lila hugging her knees with her chin resting on her knees and head slightly tilted. She had a bright smile on her face as she was staring at me when she noticed I woke up.

(Lila) “Melia! Look, look, Blackie’s awake!”

This little girl is too animated for this time of day, but nonetheless she’s adorable.

(Melia) “Miss, I’m sure she’s famished too please do be careful when feeding her. It’s best to slowly gain an animal’s trust by feeding it.”

Did she just treat me like a dumb animal? I mean yes, I’m just your average giant house lizard. Not like I’m a dragon or anything. Don’t humans know that dragons can understand humans…?

(Lila) “K Melia!”

I then see Lila run off and come back with a plate with what looks like a giant steak on it and places in front of me.

(Lila) “Here you go Blackie! Our Chef made it for you, everything he makes is nummy!”

What the… I must be dreaming there’s no way that a steak that big and delicious looking could appear in front of me. I stare at the steak deep in thought but am rudely interrupted by the maid.

(Melia) “M’lady, it seems this reptile is unable to comprehend what is going on.”

This maid… I REALLY dislike her, what’s her problem anyways!

(Lila) “Mmm… That’s not nice Melia… I’m sure Blackie just isn’t comfortable with us yet.”

I watch as little Lila tilts her head showing a saddened expression on her face, she looks like she’ll start crying at any moment. I quickly try to defuse the situation by taking a bite out of the steak and it just melts in my mouth! I slowly savor the flavor of the meat which reminds me of beef, with the right amount of salt and pepper to bring out the flavor of the meat.

The amount of attention put into its preparation was apparent with how tender the meat was, I lost myself for a moment while eating. I’ve had some great steak in my life… Well, previous life. But none of them compare to this steak here, after all the berries and green foods from Lena and Roy this is a Godsend!

Of course, those guys who captured me and the auction house gave me overcooked meat with no seasoning on it. Unfortunately, my moment of bliss was once again interrupted by a certain maid…

(Melia) “Such an uncouth face this dumb lizard is making, it must be wondering if it’s allowed for such a meal to be wasted on one such as her.”

I take back what I said earlier… I DESPISE this maid! Once I’m no longer restrained you better be prepared, I will troll you every chance I get!

(Lila) “Melia stop being so mean to Blackie… Maybe she was thinking we were trying to poison her and was just careful. I mean we did take her from her home and chained her up. She has no reason to trust us.”

This girl’s an Angel, not only did she stand up for me but she tried to think in my shoes… Wait, why does a girl so young know about something like poisoned food?

No…way… Could there be people out there who is trying to hurt a sweet little girl like Lila? I mean how else would she know that food can be poisoned…? Whoever the scumbag that would make such a young girl have to worry about her food being poisoned... If I find them I swear I’ll bury them up to their necks and leave them to bask in the sun!

I am then hit with a sudden realization. I had eaten the entire steak already… My steak… I then feel like something is wrapped around my neck and look over to see Lila hugging my neck.

(Melia) “M’lady! Please step away from that beast! What if it were to attack you! Guards!”

I hear the sound of metal clanking and two men extend their spears towards me. Do they seriously want to go this route? At that moment I could feel a weight being pushed down on my back?

(Lila) “It’s ok! She’s not a bad girl.”

This little girl… did she jump up on my back? The Guards seeing that I was not attacking lower their weapons and let out a sigh of relief, the maid however was still scowling at me. At least the feeling’s mutual.