Her eyes flickered open slowly. Her body ached as she attempted to move. Sighing softly and groaning a little she sat up and looked around. Smoke? She sniffed the air, no fire. So why smoke? Slowly looking around herself she realised she was in her cave. Why had she fallen unconscious all of a sudden. She couldn't remember mu... 'THE GIRL' Suddenly everything came rushing back to her memory like a flood gate had just been opened.

She quickly got on her claws and looked around herself. Then she caught a glimpse of her front claws... WHAT?! Looking down at her 'claws' they were a pink fleshy colour! Her large magnificent claws were now mere needles in comparison. She saw a print in her cave and compared her claws to it. 'I'VE SHRUNK AND TURNED PINK! WHERE ARE MY SCALES?!'

She quickly begun breathing heavily. What has happened?! She has turned into food?! She reached up onto her face to feel. Gasping once more. 'MY SNOUT?!' Her 'claws' went further up her head to feel this... stuff on the top of her head... she grabbed some of it and pulled it softly to look at it. 'Purple... fur? Her other claw feeling at her horns, she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt them on her head. She looked over herself more so, realising her tail and wings were still there too... She had been turned into a puny half human thing...

She looked down at her new body disgusted. She had two jiggly pink lumps on her chest now. Her beautiful black and purple scales had all but gone. Her snout... Teeth... Claws. She could cry.

"Y...YOU! YOU HAVE TRIED TO TURN ME INTO MY FOOD?! WHY?!" She bellowed at the red haired girl as she hovered above the ground using her wings, mainly to attempt to appear bigger than what she actually now is. At a mere 5ft6. She used to be the size of buildings! Now she is snack sized!

It had been a month since her final visit to a noble court. After a day of searching for supplies, the mage spent three weeks hiking the highest of mountains to find what she was looking for. Seven days afterwards were spent sneaking into the dragon's abode to prepare for the battle, sketches of small alchemic circles dotting the walls.

Today, she had walked in and challenged it.

Signs of a combat dotted the area, the dragon having struggled to maintain it's divine nature in a hard fought battle. Over sized foot-prints dotted the ground where the mighty beast had stomped, claw marks ran across the wall, and chunks of rock covered the floor of the cave after having been blasted from the ceiling by the mighty beast.

With the assistance of her preparations however, the mage had managed to succeed in the first half of the ceremony: forcing the soon-to-be familiar into mortal form. The second half was far easier, only requiring the press of a hand against the beast's forehead. Smoke still filled the area, providing a temporary pause in the fight.

The flame haired teenager smiled, savoring the victory. From the outside, she would appear calm and collected. In her heart though, she was nervous and excited about what came next, feelings of anticipation running through her veins like ice.

According to her teacher, this was the easy part of forcing a beast into submission so long as you managed to maintain appearances and establish authority from the get go. In a few seconds, her prize would be revealed.

The last wisps of smoke were swept away with time, and the mage suddenly felt disappointment as she looked upon the treasure she believed would save mankind.

The mortal form of a beast usually resembled what they were in their society, and looking at the naked purple haired girl above that was currently bellowing at her ... was she even twenty? There was no way the dragon had been anything more than an adolescent herself.

The black robed mage simply rolled her eyes in response to the dragon's roars, and with a flick of her hand brought a small item out of her bag. An inscribed strip of metal studded in rubies shot towards the dragon's throat faster than the eye could move, attaching itself tightly around the naked girl's neck as a collar.

"Vi Manilla." Using the mana stored within those stones, the mage muttered a pair of words underneath her breath and used the strip of metal as an anchor to force the previously flying creature down to it's knees before it's future master.

Canatrix took a step forward, and after a moment of nervous hesitation lightly pressed the palm of her hand against the dragon's head. Light appeared from where the two touched, the mage's eyes seeming to be filled with power as she did so. A euphoric feeling would fill the pair of them like the feeling of spring sun against skin that had been untouched by it for an entire winter.

No words needed to be spoken however, the world seeming to understand her intent without further instruction. The shared light and feeling stopped after a second, leaving the standing mage and kneeling familiar in the cave leaving no physical sign of their new contract. It was done.

The red haired girl sighed in relief before remembering the words of her teacher. The mage willed herself to regain composure, hand moving itself from the dragon's forehead to beneath the girl's chin and forcing the girl's head up to gaze at her new mistress.

Appearances were important. These few moments would set the tone of their relationship. Dominating words that sounded more assertive than she felt parted from her lips. "As the laws of the universe dictate, I have forced you into submission, beast. My name is Canatrix, although you will respectfully address me as 'Master', 'Mistress', or 'Miss Del Vires'. You WILL obey my orders, you WILL not question them, and you WILL not speak without first asking permission."

The mage finally decided to breathe, trying to keep her breathing under control, the available hand wiping sweat from her own forehead. This was stressful, and the interaction had far too many variables to be able to prepare for it.

Her eyes widened as she saw a flash of silver come her way "NO! I WILL NOT BE COLLARED!" She screamed as it wrapped around her throat nice and snugly. She scraped at her throat, scratching deeply into her skin as she desperately tried to pull off her new piece of jewellery.

As she was brought down to her knees she struggled against the force as much as she could, her hands still on her throat trying so desperately to pull off this collar. As she was on her knees she struggled to attempt to get to her feet. All attempts were futile. The Mage had used some strong magic.

As the Mage spoke to her, in such a disrespecting tone, her fingers stopped scraping at her now bleeding neck. She looked right into the Mages eyes before spitting at her feet bitterly. She would rather die than be this wenches slave. She would do everything in her power to try and escape or die. There was no chance she was going to continue to stay collared.

She continued to stare directly at the woman, her beautiful blue dragon eyes angry and upset. Her new purple locks swaying softly in the breeze as they framed her now human face.

When the dragon seemed to finally calm down and stop attempting to dig through her own neck, the sorceress was a little relieved. It seemed like the creature was finally ready to talk.

The beast spit on one of her shoes instead.

The mage had expected angry or frustrated responses and unconsciously prepared for them before the battle. The teenager had also prepared herself to act in the case that the dragon didn't understand her position and spoke disrespectfully or before asking. They weren't scripted dialogues, but as someone who would work for over a week to sabotage the dragon's lair the red haired girl wasn't exactly one opposed to planning.

Defiant blue eyes stared up towards her own, the reptile filled with what appeared to be anger and disobedience and completely lacked the fear or awe she had been expecting.

Apparently, this was one of those many variables the talented one didn't account for. The fact the dragon was acting so off cue angered her more than the disrespect of the notion. The mage resisted the urge to yell at the beast, but the pent up rage made her shake with energy. The witch took her hand off the dragon's chin then pointed at the spot on her shoe.

"Lick it up." More mana than the teenager intended went into the command in an attempt to force the beast's obedience. If the mage truly thought about her new familiar as a companion, she would have questioned the morality of forcing one to bend to her will and follow her orders. But this was a disobedient thing that needed to learn it's place in the world.

Annabelinda tensed up as she felt more Mana pouring into her. She was not going to lick her own spit off her shoe. What kind of disgusting creature did this red thing think she was?! She felt herself being lowered to the ground, she fought back as mush as she possibly could. Her anger slowly reaching a boiling point before she snapped. Screaming, she threw her head into the air and bit down on her own arm causing herself to bleed. She would rather be in agonising pain or die than do anything this human tells her to. At the very least she will make her use up as much mana as possible.

"Annabelinda does not bow to anyone!" She screamed as she bit down on her arm again and again, causing blood to stream down her arm. The pain surged through her body causing her to become even more angry. Angry at the fact she was in this position, angry that this little girl thinks she could just bend her will so easily. She was a very stubborn and strong willed being, even for a dragon. She was not going to take this laying down.

"You will tell me WHY you have done this to me!" She snarled as she squeezed her arm causing the pain to continue and more blood to come. "I WILL kill myself before I let you control me human!" She screamed at the red head.

The dragon was clearly trying to resist, but soon the beast would learn the power of her magic. A confident smirk crossed the mage's face as she savored her victory in dominating such a powerful beast. It would be very difficult for any creature to ...

A piercing scream ran through her ears, the mage covering them by instinct. The dragon was biting into its arm in order to avoid obeying the command. Blood was everywhere ... pouring from where incisors had torn the flesh. Eyes widened as they watched the horrific scene unfold, the body they were attached to paralyzed with fear.

The beast then loudly screamed its name, declaring itself as 'Annabelinda' and that a dragon would submit to no one, small chunks of flesh landing on the floor as it did so. The mage started to panic a little as she continued to bite on her arm over and over and over again, twisting it ...

There was blood. Lots of blood. The dragon probably didn't realize it, but a mortal form simply didn't have the capacity for absorbing wounds ... Was the beast really that intent on death? Previously the naked creature had only been dragged down by the collar, but did forcing its will to bend push the dragon over the edge?

The mage was hyperventilating at the sight, images of fire and death running through her mind. Her mother deciding fate was to harsh and ending it herself. Canatrix's skin turned whiter than snow, tears starting to fall down her eyes as flashbacks quickly ran through her head. The dragon would be able to see her visibly tremble ...

"STOP!" The real world returned to her eyes as tears continued to stream down. Apparently the dragon had, simply staring up at her. The mage wasn't exactly certain if the beast was simply startled, or if it was doing so because of the enormous amount of mana she had injected into that word.

The woman quickly ran over to where her supplies were, dragging them to where the dragon was kneeling and forming a small pile of things as she tossed them on the floor in a hurry as she searched the backpack, her limbs still shaking. After picking up a few bandages, she contemplated casting a spell.

The witch realized she wasn't nearly composed enough for that after a half hearted attempt, and simply grabbed the dragon's arm and started wrapping cloth around it. If this thing died, the human world could come to an end. The white gradually bled through to a red, and the red headed girl found herself placing several layers on around the left arm until it no longer changed color.

The same treatment was given to the dragon's neck, although the wounds were much more minor. A lack of blood would lead to ...

... seconds later the thing would find itself well bandaged and a thick blanket over it's shoulders, a small chunk of smoked jerky in its hand. The red haired girl seemed to calm down a bit since the blood was gone, and recomposed herself visibly, arms ceasing to shake, eyes returning to normal, and breathing returning to a healthy pace. Forgetting that she was still putting mana into her most recent command, she released it.

Perhaps she should approach this a little differently ... the red haired girl sat down in front of the beast cross legged, their conversation more head to head than before. "Dragon, you a creature of might, something from storybooks and legends. You said Annabelinda, correct? Anna, please ... please don't kill yourself and remove such a rare thing from this world."

At this point, the mage had completely forgotten about the spit, and looking down at it her tone harshened. She wiped it up with her sleeve, some of the dominating gaze returning to her eyes. "I shall forget that transgression, but there is a reality to our relationship. We fought, both of us valiantly, but in the end I was victorious. You are now my familiar, as the gods themselves granted mages that power."

She paused for a few seconds. Maybe she could appeal to the creature's base desires? That was a comment thing with other familiars - cats wanted to be pampered ... "I've heard you creatures are ones filled with honor and pride. Be honorable and know that I have won you. Do not deny me my prize. Be prideful and know that if I defeated you I am strong. Adventuring with me will result in your appearance in a thousand sagas."

After the fighting and the stress of what had occurred afterwards, the mage felt herself begin to tire. Was her magic being exhausted? A yawn escaped her lips as the adrenaline left her body.

She needed to speak quickly while she was still conscious and coherent. "If you wish for me not to control you and maintain your pride, obey me willingly. I shall concede however that you are no mere cat, and that you do not need to request permission to speak unless I instruct you specifically to be silent. So long as you properly address me with the titles I have requested and the respect due for one who has defeated you, I shall answer any questions you have as truthfully as possible." The mage looked the beast in the eyes, waiting.

If the thing attempted something drastic again though, it would feel itself stopped by Canatrix's magic. She wasn't losing her prize that easily.

Annabelinda stared at the mage as she spoke, watching her tears fall down her face. She mainly stopped out of shock at the sudden surge of mana, she could have kept going if she truly wanted to, but she wanted to hear what the human had to say first. Her bloody face not changing from the glare and grimace. Her face was stony and angry still as she fixed her up with bandages, never blinking.

"I shall never bow to a puny human. I would rather be dead. I am mighty and I am strong, the way you defeated me twas not honourable in any which way human. You cheated, because you knew fighting me head on was futile! I care not for your human stories and sagas. I care not about your 'Gods'! I shall address you as human, as that is what you are. I will not stop trying to kill myself unless you free me. I will not obey you and I will resist you as much as I can to drain your mana as much as possible. Know human that even for a dragon I am known for my stubbornness and pride. Being bound to me is going to be very tiresome and draining for you, human."

She spoke in her growly but feminine dragon voice, thankfully her voice hadn't changed. She was just quieter and less boomy. She then looked down at her bandages for the first time. Then in a much softer voice she spoke again. "...Why do you need me human?" She asked, her face softening a little as she looked at her own blood on the floor, mixed with the dirt. She looked more... Sad now. She was once a mighty beast and now she is nothing in her eyes. She wanted to be herself once again.

The sorceress listened as the dragon replied. At first the beast seemed to remain angry, arguing that her victory had been unjust and that it would never submit to one such as herself.

Were familiars supposed to this ... rebellious? Didn't the contract make them naturally more obedient? This opened up two possibilities: the first being that the contract was much less effective on the dragon, the second being that this was the dragon's loyalty AFTER becoming more obedient. Neither of those thoughts inspired confidence in the young mage.

There was a sudden change of appearance, the dragon appeared to calm down. If the beast was capable of feeling sadness, then this is what it would look like. As promised though, Canatrix decided to answer the question.

"If you choose to address me as human because that is what I am, then you should also address me as mistress because that is my position to you." The sorceress threw that reminder in there largely to give herself time to think about a response.

"I'm assuming you know about the demonic invasions from the north. One human kingdom was already overrun and three remain. In about three months the demons are expected to launch their next assault. If they stand together, the kingdoms could easily drive the demonic menace back to where they came." The sorceress's tone suddenly changed from matter-of-fact to something resembling irritation. "I tried going around to each of the courts to convince them to work together. Each one kicked me out or ignored me, knowing why I was there and choosing instead to prey on eachother in these dark times. I figured having a dragon as my familiar would give my words a bit more weight and would allow me to more easily ... convince them to hear me out."

Apparently more was required than being a powerful sorceress to convince others to work together for their own good.

Annabelinda listened carefully as the mage spoke to her. The stubborn dragon shook her head. "To me you are only a human, so human is what you will get. Especially if you need me like you say you do" She said, not in a nasty tone but in a factual tone as she addressed the mistress comment.

She then composed herself as she began to speak about the demons. "You humans and your trivial bickering. You could not have just attempted to speak with me? Instead you had to bind me to you? You humans just think we Dragons as such mindless destructing creatures? We listen and we talk just as you do. You could have simply asked me when I had awoken. Dragons do not simply kill on sight, you humans seem to think we do. Your myths and lore have painted us in such distasteful colours." She shot a glare at the mage as she was peeved she was bound. "And If you try to command me to do anything I do not wish to do I will simply attempt to kill myself once again. So for both of our sakes, let me be" She folded her now bandaged arms as she looked very unimpressed and a little hurt at the humans and their assumptions.

Canatrix realized that her title would probably be debated for some time and there were more important things to fight for at the moment. Perhaps it was simply too complicated for the proud beast to understand.

As the beast countinued though, her mistress laughed. "Ask you? Did you not call us food the moment you viewed your new visage?" To the sorceress asking a dragon for aid was like a rabit hopping into the den of a wolf to have a philosophical debate.

The sorceress contemplated showing the dragon the other various equipment in the 'familiar bag', but decided after a few seconds to keep them as surprises. Instead, the bag rest in her lap. "Do not complain of being bound to me, beast. I like to think of myself as a kind mistress who is not too quick to discipline her familiars. If you are obedient I will permit you to enter your dragon form at times." A hand ran over the bag though as she started to consider using the tools within and a slightly sadistic smile crossed her face.

In reality though, she preferred to settle things through discussion. Looking at the frustrated dragon though, she couldn't resist the urge to tease such a powerful beast. "Besides, that collar looks cute on a pet like you. This suits you."