“You must be either really stupid or incredibly brave to come out here alone.” It spoke. In the moonlight, its crimson red scales glistened. The sheer size of it dwarfed the tallest tree in the forest.

The ground beneath George shook as it took a step. The trees unwillingly bending under the monstrous weight of it. Its long neck craned down, now leveled with George. 

The heat coming from its nostrils every time it breathed out was hotter than any furnace George knew. Its snake-like pupils studied every inch of him. The intensity of it all paralyzed George on the spot. His throat grew parched as his chest tightened. Cold beads of sweat dripped down his back, inking patches of sweat on his wool tunic.

“And here I thought you were someone else. Ease up… I wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack.” It said circling around George which wasn’t very hard to do due to their size difference. 

“Aww~ you’re so scared you could hardly move. That’s so cute I — Could — Just — Eat — You — Up~” It continued. Its hot breath on George’s back made his hair stand up, straining against his own skin, sending wave after wave of chills down his soaked back. 

George felt nauseous, sickeningly nauseous to the point he felt as if his body could shut down at any moment. 

The dragon, noticing this, decided to hook George’s wool tunic by his collar with its terrible claws. A glint of mischief in its eyes bored straight into George’s soul. He felt as if a huge rock had lodged itself down his throat. The simple act of swallowing felt impossible. 

George’s stomach turned as he felt his feet leave the ground. Rising higher and higher until he was several feet above the earth. 

It then launched him into the air, its mouth stretched to impossible lengths, ready to swallow him. But hooked his collar as it chomped down on the air mere inches from him which made his heart stop for a second. 

There wasn’t anything he could do. He was just a plaything to this terrible beast. 

A hideous, revolting laughter escaped the dragon’s mouth through gritted fangs. It was sneering at him. Laughing at him. 

The color drained from George’s face as he dangled there hopeless on the thread of fate. 

“I could end you… relieve your neck of your cumbersome head.” The dragon said, which made George’s whole body go limp.

“Please—Please let me go.” He pleaded, his voice shaking and lips trembling. 

“Let you go? Now why would I do that? Why would I let you go little mouse when you so willingly came to me?” It grinned, baring its monstrous fangs with sparks flickering from its nostrils. 

“Please—Please, spare me. My family… I’m the oldest…” George began, his voice growing weak and feeble. Incessantly pleading for his life. Even with dread and despair flooding his brain, he could only think about his responsibilities.

“Your family? Sure, why don’t I come with? I’m dying for company. It's so hard being alone you know?” 

“No—No! You can’t.”

“No? Why not? You don’t want me to meet your family? Little mouse~”

George’s mind immediately snapped back. New found courage pooling in his core.

“Do whatever you want with me but don’t hurt my family!” He declared boldly, forgetting for a moment, the situation he was in. 

“Really? That’s all fun and good but… why — should — I — listen — to — you?” It said, its giant claw brushing against his face just enough to draw a trickle of blood.

It was enjoying this. It was enjoying the torment and helplessness George clearly expressed on his face. 

At that very moment a voice George knew all too well called out to him. 

“George? Son! You there?” 

It was dad. George’s dad came searching for him. 

“George? It’s getting late.” Came his mother.

“George, Snoozers lose. I’ll eat your plate if you don’t come out right now.” Called his younger brother, Ash.

“Honestly George, how hard is gathering firewood?” Added his younger sister, Anna. 

His whole family was here. They were looking for him. 

“Hmm? George? Is that your name? How… ordinary.” The dragon sneered.

“Please, I’m begging you. Leave my family alone. I’ll do anything.”

At those words, the dragon’s eyes widened with evil.

“I’m feeling generous enough for you to serve me as my familiar.” It stated plainly.

“What? No—No! I—I won’t become your servant or familiar or whatever.” George said. What even was a familiar? Family?

“No?” Its voice grew harsh. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not asking. You will do as I say.”

The dragon commanded as if insulted at the very thought of being refused something. 

George’s heart raced. On the one hand, his family will die if he refuses the dragon. On the other… Hero’s aren’t familiars, especially not to a plainly evil monstrous beast such as a dragon. 

The dragon found George’s conflicted face quite amusing. 

“5.” It began to count.

It’s counting? How much more did the dragon want to torment him?

“4.”

He had to choose, he had to choose fast. Give up his family or his dreams. Gah, why does God hate him?

“3.” It continued.

George was panicking, his brain thinking hard, squeezing every bit of brain juice if he had any. 

“2.”

George’s sea green eyes glared defiantly. Staring into the crimson red orbs of malice in front of him.

His clear defiance only added fuel to the dragon’s desire for torment.

Before it finished counting. George declared.

“I’ll do it!”

He had no idea what it entails being a familiar to a malevolent dragon nor if there was any chance of escape but at least his family would be spared. Right?

The dragon’s toothy grin grew wider.  

“I’m glad you’re able to see reason, George. Now… Let’s see about this...” It said as its eyes started glowing. It began to chant in a language, ancient and archaic. The world seemed to bend at every syllable it spoke. Glowing red runes he had never seen before flickered before his eyes, swirling in front of him into an orb before exploding into red sparks. 

Then floating before him were texts written in common that George could somewhat make out. 

[Become Fafnir’s Familiar.]

[Yes/No]

The texts asked him, encased in a red translucent box with intricate details lining the border.

“Well? Go on then… Bless my ever benevolent heart, I even gave you the option to say no.” The dragon grinned. “But you won’t.” The dragon said, taunting George with the choice of freedom or enslavement. The floating texts mocking him with the illusion of freedom.

George gritted his teeth as he stood between the crossroads of fate. 

“Well? What are you waiting for?!” It began, its voice harsh and desperate. As if it was running out of time. 

George hadn’t noticed it before but one of its bat-like wings was clipped while the other was tattered and shredded. One of its great horns was missing. There was a large gash across its scaly, protruding bird-like chest. 

“You’re hurt.” George accidentally blurted out which enraged the dragon Fafnir. 

“Me? Hurt? Hah!” It exclaimed as if the very notion was an insult. “All of this was a result of cowardice. If they didn’t catch me off guard, I would have torn them to shreds! You do not get to feel sorry for me human! I am Fafnir, The Red Maelstrom of Catastrophe!” It declared proudly, strong gusts of winds kicking up as it stretched its wings. 

“You are nothing but an insect! I’m giving you the privilege of serving under me! I could wipe you and your family from the face of this planet and no one would ever find a trace of any of you!!” Sparks flashed and flickered as its nostrils flared. 

George, courage spreading through his entire body stared defiantly. 

“If you could, you’d already done it by now.” He said boldly despite the inkling of doubt still lurking around his heart. 

“Familiar just means family right? So you just wanted to be a part of a family right? I’ll help you only if you promise not to hurt any humans.”

Fafnir, taken aback by this childish statement, looked dumbfounded but grinned, baring its cunning fangs. 

“Alright, why not? I promise I won’t hurt any humans, not one, if you become my familiar.”

“Then it’s a deal.” George said, a juvenile grin on his face. 

“If you wanted help, you should have just said so.” He continued as he foolishly clicked [yes]. 

The floating box of text shimmered out of existence as he felt a strange sensation come over his body. Both him and Fafnir started glowing, only… Fafnir had a wide conceited smile plastered across its face. 

What followed was a sudden jolt that ran up George’s spine accompanied by the most painful head splitting headache which made the world spin round and round. 

George fell to his knees, clutching his head begging it to stop. But he couldn’t hear his voice despite screaming himself hoarse. His throat strained and his chest tightened. Grasping for breath, he keeled over. His hands frantically trying to remove the invisible hand over his throat. 

Then it stopped just as abruptly as it started. 

[Congratulations, George. Your soul has bonded with Fafnir’s]