A Familiar Tale

(Originally posted on r/WritingPrompts, slightly edited to fit the language style I used for my other works related to the particular D&D character I'm writing about. Inspired by this prompt: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1eqb1rr/wp_yes_im_a_vampires_familiar_no_i_dont_want_to/ )

It's not easy being a pseudodragon. I either get made fun of or preyed upon by nearly every other draconic creature in existence. Sometimes both. The true dragons, the wyverns, the drakes, the faerie dragons, none of them take us seriously. Though to be fair to the faerie dragons, they don't take anything seriously. But still, it's annoying. Exhausting.

Even my fellow pseudodragons ridicule me. Why? Because I have a genetic mutation that makes my scales black. All the other pseudodragons have red scales. I'm an outcast among my own kind.

And of course even beyond the dragons, there's plenty of other creatures out there that wouldn't think twice about preying upon me. Owlbears, crocodiles, snakes, hyenas, dogs, nearly everything's a threat. My tail stinger isn't much of a defense weapon; it's mainly used to incapacitate my prey: mainly rats and mice. And if a house cat's stalking a mouse at the same time as I am, guess who's getting it nine times out of ten? The cat.

With all that being said, it's no wonder why I chose to become a familiar. Almost every wizard has a familiar. And pseudodragons are particularly sought after for their intelligence. We can understand humanoid languages. Speaking them isn't exactly possible; we don't really have the anatomy for it. But still, a pseudodragon is a very coveted creature to have as a familiar. Partially because of our intelligence, and partly because most pseudodragons aren't willing to work for a humanoid. Not to mention we can navigate without the use of sight.

Of course, most wizards don't really understand what I require in return for my services. I have no use for gold. I couldn't care less about gems. And I'm much too small to have any practical use for magical items. Unlike my draconic cousins, I'm not a hoarder.

One fateful night, I encountered a wizard who was... different. The body of an adolescent tiefling girl, but no body heat was coming off of her. Her spellbook must've been either inherited or stolen, judging by the change in handwriting partway through. Her clothes were ragged. Scars covered her body from head to toe. Her eyes were red. Not bloodshot; I mean her irises were literally red. Her skin was pale blue. And on her neck were scars deriving from two small puncture wounds right next to each other.

A vampire. Or more likely, a vampire spawn who'd recently escaped from her master. A very abusive one, judging from the scars. Only the gods knew how old she truly was.

Most of her kind would've tried to drink my blood. After all, I was much smaller and weaker than them. And I wasn't a humanoid; many vampire spawn swear off humanoid blood. A creature like me, however, would be fair game.

But this one was also a wizard. A wizard without a familiar. I suspected that she might be willing to keep me around if I could prove myself useful to her. And given her attire, she likely wouldn't even be able to pay me with impractical things like coins and jewelry. She'd be much more likely to think of something actually useful to pay me with. And even if, by some miniscule chance, she was a full blown vampire, she'd have no way to exert complete control over me. I could still choose to sever the bond between us any time I liked, should I ever feel the job was more trouble than it was worth.

It was for these reasons that I took the risk of showing myself to her.

She jumped upon seeing me, but relaxed slightly as she got a better look at me.

"Gods," she said. "For a moment I thought you were one of my master's pets, sent to track me down."

It hadn't occurred to me, but I supposed it wasn't too hard to imagine someone mistaking me for a bat upon first glance.

"I have never seen a pseudodragon with black scales before," she said, looking at me curiously. "They are as beautiful as the night sky."

Finally, someone who actually recognized what I am instead of thinking I'm just a wyrmling black dragon. And I certainly wouldn't complain about the flattery either.

"Are you running away from something too?"

I nodded. I was nearly always running away from something.

"Maybe we could help each other," she said. "I could use another set of eyes to help me hunt. You eat meat, right?"

I nodded again. Meat was a perfectly acceptable form of payment.

"We could protect each other too. I can keep an eye out for things that might think of you as a snack, and you could keep an eye out for things that might try to bring me back to my master."

I nodded enthusiastically. Payment in the form of both food and protection was especially desirable. Especially when compared to the useless shiny trinkets previous candidates offered.

"My name is Harmony, by the way," she said, the corners of her lips spreading out. I believed the humanoids called it a smile. An expression of happiness, pleasure, or contentment. "I suppose it is not really possible to learn your name, is it?"

Pseudodragons don't really have naming conventions like humanoids do. We identify each other via smell. No two pseudodragons smell exactly alike. But of course, humanoids aren't nearly as good at detecting these minute differences as we are.

"I think I will call you 'Fang', if that is okay with you."

I nodded again. A bit uncreative, but acceptable. I flew towards her, placing my forehead against hers.

At once, our minds intertwined. I could see glimpses into her past. 400 years of enslavement. The thing that traumatized her the most wasn't the pain her master inflicted upon her, but rather the pain she was forced to inflict upon others. And it seemed her master forced her into mating with him too. And here I thought I had it rough. This girl had been taken advantage of before she was even fully grown. Stolen from her family. I felt for her. Every emotion going through her mind, I felt it. The anger. The fear. The guilt. But also, hope. Hope that things would get better.

"You understand me." She looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "Like, not just what I say. But my emotions behind it."

Yes, I do.

"Wait, did you just give me the ability to read your thoughts?"

The ones I choose to send you, yes. I created a telepathic link between the two of us. I can speak to you, and you can speak to me. You can see through my eyes any time you like, and I can see through yours any time you want me to. You can channel your magic through me as well.

"You mean...you just became my familiar?"

I did. I find your company to be pleasant enough. Much more favorable than the many pompous wizards who tried to recruit me in the past.

"I am not sure I have anything to give you in return."

I don't need much. The food and protection you've already offered is payment enough. Though I wouldn't say no to something soft to sleep on as well if you can get access to it.

"You are kinder than most of my peers."

More like I don't really have much use for the shiny trinkets you humanoids like to collect. I find it a bit too cumbersome.

"That is a fair point," she said, nodding. "Suppose you are a lot smaller than my peers."

Indeed I am. Not to mention that you've got two things about you that'll make it difficult for other humanoids to trust you. I can somewhat relate to that, being the only pseudodragon I know of with black scales. I'm an outcast among my own kind.

"I think they are just jealous. You can use that darker color to your advantage. Makes it more difficult for predators to spot you at night. They do not have that luxury."

I suppose I've never thought of it like that before. But it's nice to feel appreciated all the same.

"I think you and I could be an unstoppable team."

I think so too. Between your magic and my ability to remain unseen, we could accomplish anything we set our minds to.

"I look forward to working with you," she said, smiling again. "I will make sure I treat you well. And anything that tries to snack on you will be met with fangs at their throat."