“Hello,” I said mockingly licking around rows of sharp teeth. My best bet was to scare her off. The elf screamed and began scooting herself away from me frantically. I grabbed her ankle keeping my grip loose so she could kick me away and stretched my grin further into unnatural proportions. I wanted to make her run.

“Oh fuck, this is how I’m going to die,” she cried as she backed herself into the wall. Come on, the door is two feet to the right. Stop crying and run.

Through her sobbing, I realized making her faint might be the only way. Then, I could shift and disappear. It wasn’t the best of plans, but there was always the chance she might be dumb enough to try and follow me if I turned into something small and harmless to get away. I couldn’t risk it, not with that damned key around her neck.

I whipped out my tongue wrapping it around her waist and pulling her towards me until she was practically under me. Her screams rose another octave. Gods she was loud. Thankfully it was only us on this level or she would have attracted all sorts of predators lurking about the dungeon. Surely, any second she would collapse in fear. She seemed the damsel type.

I took in one last scent of honeyed sunlight knowing it would probably be the last time.

“Stop!” She screamed. “Get away from me!”

Damn it.

My tongue retracted back into my mouth and my body was sent flying across the room and into the wall. The elf girl stopped crying and a confused look washed over her face.

“Uhm, thank you?” She said.

Groaning and peeling myself from the wall, a bump was already forming at the back of my head. I could feel the imprint of the stone on the blades of my shoulders. That hurt. Wait, had she just thanked me?

“I mean, stay away from me! I am a mighty sorceress!” She said making herself big.

My expression flattened. A wizard she certainly was not.

“You do know I’m not a bear right? That won’t work on me.”

Her eyes darted back and forth keeping her hands above her head. At least she was amusing.

“Fine, we can play that game if you’d like,” I said shifting my body into a grizzly bear. This was my last chance. I had to get her to run before she realized the power she had.

“Ahhhh- What the fuck?” She squealed. Her pitch heightened mid-scream. This was by far the loudest elf that had ever entered the dungeon. After making sure she was in line with the door I ran towards her. Her eyes widened as she quickly turned to run. Finally. I let out a rumbling growl chasing her into the next part of the dungeon. Soon she would be out of my hair.

She was surprisingly quick. Nimbly bouncing off fallen stones as I pursued her. This was unexpectedly fun. Briefly, a smirk made its way across my face. Then, a click came from the floor. The girl went sailing down below. She had activated a trap. It had been so long that I had forgotten there were any left in this room. Panic overtook me and I began racing to the edge of the opening.

Without thinking I shifted back into a falcon and flew down to the bottom of the trap. The elf lay there unconscious. I morphed back into my humanoid form and knelt lifting her upper body to check her pulse. Good, she was still breathing. A sweep of relief came over me. Why should I care? I shouldn’t. If anything this would solve the issue. I wanted her gone. I could simply leave her and let the dungeon claim her like it had all of the other fools before. The thought made my stomach twist. Her eyes fluttered open out of sync.

“Hi, handsome,” she said in a weak voice.