A Bothersome Follower

Story by ReynartWrites on SoFurry

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BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN~ Well, I hope you have a nice valentine's day alone or not. This will be a story that might see some continuation. I wanted to make a sort of opposite to K'lora and Aidan <3.


A blur of icy blue scales and claws flew low against the treetops of a forest before soaring into the peaks of a snowcapped mountain. It landed upon a perch of stone and ice where the dragon had made its home in a nearby cave. For some time the mountain had been abandoned by the dragon. The few creatures that dared make their home upon the mountain while the beast was away were skittering and scattering to the winds, not wanting to offend the grand beast; all of them except for one, a small creature with off blue scales had been waiting for the dragons return. From the cave leading from the perch it watched, small violet eyes were staring at the grand beast, tail tucked, uncertain of whether or not it should reveal itself; and the dragon, unaware of the tiny presence watching it.

Tyren had just returned from a trip far to the east. He had left his home in hopes to find a vast hoard to call his own, or even for a bit of a thrill. Certainly he had failed in finding himself a sizable hoard to call his own, but adventure was had in spades. Lesser creatures were often so frightened of his form. Not a single glance or irate motion would be cast when he flew too close to castles and settlements of various creatures, and yet he could hear them scream, he could hear them point and see them gawk at his magnificent form. He could understand their fear, almost respect it in a way. Dragons were forces of natures and to the lesser creatures of the world, they were gods. Of course there were times where Tyren had to put the lesser creatures in their place, but it was never Tyren who cast the first stone, certainly not intentionally, he had no reason to. Now though, now that he was back home he was content. Someday he would go out again on a little journey, but he'd never settle anywhere else. His mountain was quiet, it was serene. Not a single creature lived near him, or at the very least dared to approach him, and certainly none made too much noise, and really all he wanted was a nice peaceful existence when he was at home.

It was then that he turned to spot a pair of violet eyes glowing, staring at him from his own cave where he slept and kept what little he had. Eyes narrowing he hissed, claws digging at the rock beneath him, "Show yourself. Are you some sort of mongrel aiming to steal a dragon's hoard?"

Upon closer inspection he could see that the eyes belonged to a kobold, a small creature that he figured only traveled in packs and lived underground. Seeing one around his home and alone he wondered if indeed it had planned to steal something from him, after all the tiny mongrels were prone to taking shiny objects for themselves, like overgrown magpies with scales. As Tyren approached his cave the kobold stepped out into the open and squeaked, "I'm not here to steal from you! I was waiting for you to come back!"

Tyren snorted and began circling the kobold now that it was out in the open, his tail lashing upon the ground occasionally, "Come to wait for me? Why would you do that? Perhaps you're here to slay me? Or maybe you're a kobold looking for a dragon to protect you, to keep you safe and fed."

The kobold hopped a bit as she spoke, "No way! I'm here to protect you! You're a dragon, a great beast and far far blood relative. I worship the ground you stand on!"

Tyren's mouth quirked and he almost fell into laughter, shaking his head for a moment to keep himself calm before answering, "You're a singular kobold, what power could you have to protect me?"

The kobold without hesitation mentioned, "I kept your cave and what stuff you have in there safe from other beasts and even some humans looking for trouble!"

Tyren's eyes narrowed and he lowered himself to stare directly into the kobold's eyes, "Little kobold...you said there were humans on my mountain and in my cave?"

Without looking away from his icy gaze the kobold replied in a near chirp, "There certainly were! And I drove them off. Oh and um, my name is Lumi."

Tyren was in a near rage before she said she had drove them off. He had been about to rain hell upon the lands below and perhaps freeze a forest or two in search for these humans, but she said she had drove them off herself. Kobolds were said to be resourceful creatures, but to think that one had taken up residence in his home and defended it as her own. It meant nothing, it only meant that she was a squatter with some amount of respect. Scoffing he noticed that one of her horns was chipped, a small nick that could have been innocent, but he asked quietly, "Tell me...did you get hurt in this exchange?"

Lumi looked up at the dragon, eyes big before she shook her head, "No. Nothing terrible. Only came close to getting hit, but I never did. The traps did most of the work and I can take care of myself."

Tyren's eyes shut and he let out a great sigh, "and where is your warren? Shouldn't you be putting all of this energy to taking care of your family as most good little kobolds do?"

Lumi's tail seemed to drag on the floor as he mentioned her warren, "My warren is gone. I've been living alone in the forest around the mountain for a bit, it's really peaceful in the forest since you're so well...you, and because of that I've had some peace here...and that is all I really wanted, but I owe you and I want to make you my family."

Tyren snorted and raised a forepaw to touch over her head very gently with a single claw, "Cute...but no, I prefer my peace with solace included, so I'd like you to descend the mountain and never bother me again."

The kobold did the unthinkable. Rather than recoil and flee, she wrapped around his arm and scaled his side, making her way up on to his back where she held on to one of the many glacial spikes upon his back, "Come on! Let me stay! I'm small, I can fit nearly anywhere you stuff me and I can feed myself. I've even improved your cave a little with traps and I can do even more given the material!"

Tyren grumbled, turning to head back into his cave. He had no intention of keeping the damnable thing, but the mention of traps had caused a bit of concern. His home was his own, but with the little squatter's additions to his home he wasn't sure where it was safe to step. Before he could ask what exactly she had done Lumi proudly proclaimed, "All traps are dragon safe and away from any living spots, more towards the paths on the mountain easily accessible to troublemakers. I'm a fine addition to this cave aren't I?"

Tyren hissed, "I have no qualms about ending the life of a kobold." of course he was bluffing, he would rather not get his hands dirty, especially with a creature so obviously innocent.

Almost immediately Lumi slid down off of his back and moved to his front where he could see her grinning, her eyes flashing, "I doubt that or else I think I would have been dead once you knew the traps weren't anywhere dangerous to you...right?"

Tyren winced, feeling the weight of his journey suddenly crash on to his shoulders along with a hot throbbing in his head. Closing his eyes he let out a sigh that shook his body and he laid down to be eye level with the kobold, opening his eyes to face Lumi, "I would rather not have to force you off of my property. I have just come back from a long trip and I don't really care to deal with noise when I'm home. I'd rather sleep."

Lumi nodded, but still continued to speak much to his dismay, "Mhm, and you can sleep. I'll just be around quiet as can be...besides, I think this place needs a kobold's creative touch, and besides...don't you get lonely?"

Tyren noticed that her body seemed to slump at this, her eyes half shut. In truth he enjoyed solitude, he had no concerns of finding a mate or another dragon to be with, in fact many dragons seemed to prefer solitude over noise, but kobolds were different. Lumi must have been alone for a long time for her to risk coming up to roost with a dragon and claim him as family. He could practically feel the desperation coming from her. It still stood that he preferred his solitude, and he could have sent her down the mountain without harming her, but he couldn't find the heart to do it, not with those eyes staring at him so expectedly. With a noise of resignation he set his chin on the ground muttering under his breath, "Just don't make too much noise."

Apparently he hadn't said his piece in a low enough voice. Lumi hugged on to his snout, showering it with little kisses her and there before nuzzling. He could have said something, but her eyes were watery and he'd rather just let her finish her little moment so he could sleep. Eyes closed he wondered just how much of a mistake he had made.

Lumi had essentially taken the role of a devout cultist. She was always around him and asking him if he required anything from her. Every time the answer was no, although the prospect of having a servant was cute, he wasn't too into the idea of using her when she was just a kobold of all things. There wasn't much she could do, but at the same time he couldn't deny her any of her own requests. She had even at one point asked to begin making a tunnel system for herself so she could easily make it down the mountain and back up without a problem. The idea was nonsense, but again he couldn't deny her so he allowed it.

While the idea of having his cave ruined by a kobold was annoying to say the least, he somewhat enjoyed the sight of her working. It was almost relaxing her to watch her take pick to rock. Without his help she had managed to indeed make a small tunnel system within the mountain and had even uncovered some precious metal and stone that she could use for forging, or so she claimed if she had the proper tools. She was a crafty little thing certainly, though, she never stopped talking. Even as she dug out the tunnels he could hear her speaking to him, recounting tales of her previous home and how she had worked so hard to be the best at her crafts. At some point Tyren felt as though he had gone mad, because whenever she was quiet he felt a bit odd, and had even started asking questions of his own involving what exactly her craft was and her reasoning behind continuing it, but slowly she began changing things again.

Lumi began asking questions about him, about his life and travels. He found himself almost embarrassed to speak about his boring antics, flying and collecting what little treasure he could find in the laziest manner possible, but she still seemed intrigued. At the same time he considered the little kobold now to be much more interesting than himself which was odd, considering he was a dragon after all.

The more they spoke the more it became obvious that she had experienced much more than he had despite being a lesser creature, rather, she had been through much more. He had always had his peace and his travels even as a young dragonling. Not much else really, but she had lost her family and had been forced from her lands. At the same time since she had been part of such a large family she had worked hard to perfect her craft to be as useful as possible in mining, tinkering, armor work and weapon crafting. She claimed she could even create armor fit for dragons if given the chance, what a thing that would be to see.

Their nights were spent quietly enough. Occasionally she would work through the night on something or another, small projects that she would frequently drop and pick up again. Once the tunnels were finished, at least the one giving her easier access to the bottom, she began leaving and returning with little extra bits and pieces. Hammers, raw materials and more. He wasn't sure where she was getting them, but to be honest he could care less. He was more interested in seeing her projects and hearing her little stories.

One night she seemed very inactive though, very frustrated. She wasn't talking, wasn't working on anything. She only stared at her tools, her tail flicking from side to side. Finally he had to ask, "Why do you seem so irate tonight? Typically you're brighter than the sun Lumi..."

Lumi sighed, "I just don't have a proper forge so all I can do is salvage and hope I get the right stuff to make what I want. Can't even make weapons...I'll just have to steal if I want anything extra...even the tunnels need more improvements that I can't really provide...I guess I can trade some of these raw materials I've found..."

With a snort Tyren decided it was time to step in, interrupting her, "If this place isn't suitable for you...we can make improvements. We can build a forge I'm sure and collect the necessary pieces...perhaps even bring in another stray kobold or two if you're feeling lonely."

Lumi stopped, looking up to him slowly and cracking a smile just as slowly. She had the impression that her dragon host had finally started to warm up to her. All of her previous frustrations of feeling useless to him and inadequate just seemed to melt away. There was still a long standing loneliness from the fact that she wasn't constantly around her kind, but the fact that Tyren was showing some of his heart finally was warming to say the least. Lumi rushed to give his foreleg a sound squeeze, earning a disgruntled rumble from his throat. She didn't care though. Lumi wasn't being pushed away and the affection was welcome, not only that but, if she played her cards right then she would be able to get herself a shiny forge and maybe some new additions to her family. Then again, she wondered, perhaps they wouldn't need to recruit other kobolds to add more to their family. Dragons and kobolds were compatible. If she wanted to, she could perhaps urge him to mate, after all it seemed as though he hadn't been with another female at all and just maybe she could play on that.

Tyren had become accustomed to the constant hugs and squeezes from the kobold at his feet. He noticed though, that she was staring up at him with a stupid grin, a grin that he had not seen before. She was silent though, that was odd, that didn't bode well usually and so he asked before the silence drove his mind insane, "What? What are you staring at me like that for?"

Lumi planted a soft kiss upon Tyren's snout, "I was just thinking. Thinking about how kobolds and dragons can produce more kobolds...through mating."

Tyren narrowed his eyes and laid on the ground, crossing his forelegs, "Really? You want me to mate with you...to produce children...."

Lumi decided to push her luck and whine leaning against his snout, "Please? We could start our own family instead of picking up strays...an actual family as mates. Wouldn't it be nice?"

Tyren reared his head for a moment causing the kobold to stumble. He then nudged her on to her back with his snout, a satisfying yelp sounding off, "You're a kobold. I'm a dragon. Though I think I could manage the fit, I don't think we should. After all, you're a squatter here."

Lumi tried to recover from her little slip by keeping her legs spread, trying to have some semblance of sex appeal. Tyren watched her with a quirked brow, his eyes locked on hers and slowly dragging down towards the spot between her spread legs. He then closed in, leaning in and opening his maw just a bit. Tyren then blew cold air over her sensitive areas causing her to squeeze her legs shut and squeak, "All right! At least think about it Tyren...I could be your first and it would be nice to have more bodies around that aren't just you and me...think about it, we could make a warren here on the mountain. Well, I know that might not be nice for you actually..."

Tyren closed his eyes and laid his head on the ground, letting out a snort before answering, "Perhaps. Fatherhood was not necessarily what I was expecting to do with my life. It isn't a terrible idea though. I'll think about it Lumi, but do not press me on the matter...but for now shouldn't we think about where we will get the materials for a forge? You're the craftsman here."

Lumi beamed and got up at the mention of building a forge stepping around to lie against his side. The talk of children ended there. Tyren had avoided that catastrophe, just barely. He knew it would come up again and that he would be pressed to give her children, but they weren't mates, not yet at least. Even if she was just a squatter, he had to admit that he felt something odd for the kobold, something more than just simple affection between a master and pet, but it was still something foreign to him. He would have to think about it over a night of good sleep, and perhaps he would be ready in due time to give her that family.

Looking around to his side he could see that she was asleep against his side, silent as can be. She had been so excited to talk about the requirements for the forge, but now she was sound asleep. Closing his eyes he felt a small smile cross his maw. He curled around her, careful not to jostle her too much, laying his head against her legs. Even if he wasn't ready to give her children, he would certainly see to her happiness as best he could, and her safety.