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Dig, dig, dig. Dig down deep. Find the ore, and dig it out. Swing the pick, tooth and claw, keep on digging down!" The chants of the kobold mining crew repeated over and over again in the dark depths of the Crimson Claw Cavern. All down the line, soot-covered kobolds dressed only in threadbare protection swung in unison as they expanded their warren further down into the depths, in search of new secrets and treasures to claim as their own.

Boss Prakibak scowled as he paced back and forth along the digging crew, his yellow teeth exposed in his snarls. He is a tall, deep-red scaled kobold, with sinuous muscle and imposing frills. Though his horns are small, he makes up for their lack in his sharpened claws and his gnashing teeth "Keep it up, keep it up. You diggers need to move faster. Uplanders are coming down. They trampled our hatchery. Our young, the future of the tribe, damaged beyond repair. We must dig deeper, to escape their greed. All that is hidden from the burning sky fire is ours by right, and now is the time to claim what is ours. We are dragons, the true rulers of this world! Dig, as befits your heritage!"

One of the diggers, a young girl named Tik Tik, struck the earth with her scrawny arms. She lifts the pick, panting heavily before swinging it down again, striking the rock with a pathetic ting.

Prakibak stomped forward and scowled down at Tik Tik. "You call that a swing? What kind of kobold are you if you can't dig!"

Tik Tik held up a finger and replied. "I worked as a trapper's apprentice. I am no brute laborer."

Prakibak snarled, "So, you're responsible for the uplanders getting to our eggs..."

Tik Tik gasped. "Absolutely not! All of my traps were unsprung! They came in from the other side, where Lishnash worked. I was protecting the south by the fairy forest, and-"

Prakibak's claw slammed the wall right beside Tik Tik's face. The pink kobold winced and backed up against the wall.

The larger Kobold leered at her, his teeth filling his muzzle. He snorted, hot air passing over Tik Tik's own heart-shaped nose, causing it to wrinkle up. "Well, if you were any good at yer job, you would have checked all the entrances, wouldn't you have?"

Tik Tik opened one of her blue eyes, her teeth gritted together not in a display of dominance, but in abject fear. "T-that w-was Quiquan's job," she objected.

His other hand slammed on the wall on the other side of her face, effectively pinning her against the rock. "Doesn't matter! We have an egg shortage now because of poor trappers! The breeders are working shroomglow to mushdim adding to the tribe. And what are you all doing? Making ineffective traps and swinging your pathetic, weak, arms at the rock. Maybe I'll have the queen put you on breeder duty, instead. How does that sound, eh? Bet you'd do real good at that. In fact, I'd be happy to give you your first egg."

Tik Tik's face burned as he talked on about that, and as his clawed hand moved from the rock to her cheek, she hissed, grabbing his hand and staring him down. "Do not treat me like a slave! We are working together, Prakibak! And it was the queen who put me here!"

Prakibrak pulled his hand free, an easy task against the smaller, tired, and weakened kobold. He held his arm aloft, hand clenched in a fist, staring down at her with his bright orange eyes filled with fury. His chest rose. His nostrils flared, and he snarled, slamming his fist on the rock wall, right by her head!

Tik Tik sensed it first--a rumble beneath her feet. She curled her toes and whimpered, looking up to Prakibak. His own eyes widened, and, for that moment, she didn't see the stubborn and angry dig boss, but a fellow kobold, one worried about the safety of his people. He turned around and shouted. "Quake! Get out of the tunnel! Go, now!" He grabbed Tik Tik's arm and pulled her away from the wall, her hands resting on his firm, yet soft-scaled chest as he wrapped his arms around her body. The very ground beneath their feet gave way, and she yipped in surprise, holding tighter onto him as the two found themselves slipping off of their feet and falling down the new hole. Suddenly, a loose bit of stone struck the dig boss, causing him to let go of her. She shrieked and he gasped, reaching out to try and grab her again, but he misses, and the two tumble separately down, with the screams of their fellows ringing through their ears.

Tik Tik awoke, her pink scales caked in dust and dirt, and her working clothes torn, with droplets of dried blood on her arms and legs. She groaned and got on her knees, shaking off loose rubble from her head. She poked at her frills and traced a finger over her horns, sighing in relief as they were unharmed. She then tested her tail, flicking it back and forth. Everything seemed alright. She stood and glanced around. The chamber she stood in was natural, devoid of the marks of any sentient races' pickaxe or chisel. She stepped along the darkness, the ground felt as if the floor had been worn by an ancient river. But it had dried up long ago.

A groan caught her attention and she gasped, running up to the trapped kobold. Prakibak's tail and one of his legs was caught underneath a fairly large boulder. Tik Tik dropped to his side, and examined over the rock, frowning.

"Damn quakes!" Prakibak muttered, his claws scraping at the ground. "It'll throw back construction for at least a week, figurin' out the weaknesses in the rock!"

"Do not try to move," Tik Tik said, running her fingers over the stone. "This could shift and crush you."

"I'm already crushed!" He snarled. "Why don't you try something useful and go find some help? Scurry along, like a good little girl."

Tik Tik froze, and then stood up, folding her arms over her chest. Her tail slapped the ground as she narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the once large and impressive kobold, reduced to a barking wyrmling. "You weren't very nice to me up in the mine. You wanted to transfer me to breeding duty."

"Yeah? So? Did you really think you'd be better chipping away at that rock all your life?" He asked. He coughed and groaned. "At least you'd be having fun, and being productive as a breeder."

Tik Tik sighed and tapped the rock. "I'll go find some help. Don't do anything stupid." With that, she walked off down the path of the ancient river. She paused, just as he went out of sight, and looked over her shoulder. "I will only use my body, if I can also stimulate my mind. Tell me how breeding can do that, and I might consider it."

Tik Tik crept along the cave. Being alone and unarmed meant she had little chance of fighting off any monster that lived in the darkness. As a weak little kobold, she had no means of defending herself, so all of her senses were on overdrive. She sniffed the stale air, felt the disturbances in the floor and walls, listened to the creaks and drips echoing from the far off chambers, tasted the mustiness of the air, and finally, saw the light beyond.

She paused. Light meant trouble. Light meant creatures who couldn't see in the dark. Light meant uplanders. Tik Tik leaned forward, her tail raised, squinting as he saw more of the light, and the small tent in which the light source rested. Tik Tik pressed herself to the wall, shimmying her way over, being as slow and as quiet as she could be. Her chin pressed against the wall, impairing her vision as she looked up. Anyone watching her would surely catch her off guard. She made it as far as the edge of the tent, looking out the corner of her eye to examine at the fabric. Small shadows clung to its walls, yet none of them moved, none of them looked organic. Tik Tik raised a toe and poked at the lining of the tent. She pierced through with little resistance. She licked her lips and brought her toe around the edge of the tent, creating a flap. She ducked down and peeked her head in, though she pulled her head right back out and rubbed her eyes. It hurt like the fire in the uplands, and it hurt so much, she hissed in reflex.

Without hesitation, she clapped her hands over her mouth and opened one eye partially, darting her gaze back and forth over the scene. There was nothing at the camp. Just the tent, the nasty light, and the things inside. "Must find help," she spoke to herself. "Must push through." She kept her eyes shut as she wriggled in through the hole. First her head, then her shoulders, and finally she pulled her arms through. Blinded, she knocked over a small stool, which knocked into the lamp and knocked it over. The light immediately disappeared with the sound of a slight hum. Tik Tik paused, surprised by the sudden darkness. When nothing immediately happened, she opened her eyes once more.

The tent was furnished only with a bed roll, a small chest, and the upturned stool and small writing desk next to it. Tik Tik stood, finding it very easy to stand her full height with plenty of head room. Whoever used this shelter must have been much taller than the average kobold. Tik Tik coughed, catching the whiff of dust in the air. She squat down and placed a hand upon the bedroll, and pulled it back to see the shape of her handprint upon it. "Abandoned..." she said. "Long time. How did an uplander get here?" she asked. If there is a way to the uplands, there is a way out for a kobold to find help. Perhaps the mysterious traveler left a map. Even a map not made by expert kobold hands would be enough to orient her. To that end, she investigated the chest. She approached it and licked her lips, rubbing her hands together. She pressed her cheek to the lock and waited a moment--no sound. She then rapped her knuckles on one side, and then the other. Everything sounded consistent. It wasn't trapped. However, the thing was still locked. She frowned and turned to a broken and shattered device lying on the ground. A metal frame with glass fragments all around it. It must be the light source, but it lay broken now. She snaked her tail toward it and hooked the tip over a ring on top of the device. Pulling it in close, she grabbed it and flipped it around, once, twice, three times. Once she had a good handle on the thing, she found the weak point and slammed it against the ground. A small piece of metal broke free, and she tossed the rest of the husk away. With a few twists of the loosened strip, she fashioned a tiny pick, which she inserted into the lock. With a click, the chest opened, and she peered inside.

Within, there were scraps of paper and a curious thing. Bound in leather with designs of gold on the front, this mysterious item intrigued her. She picked it up first. Inside, many pages were glued to the casing. She frowned as she looked it over. What matter of device would this be? Some kind of paper holder? She opened it up, and her eyes widened. Words! Words written in the tongue of dragons, the tongue of the kobold race! She drank in the knowledge held within, sitting back on the bedroll as she did. These words, they were directions on how to speak the true words of power... the words of magic.

Could she use magic? She flipped further in and frowned. Unfamiliar words filled the pages now--words and pictures. She placed a hand over one of those pictures. She recognized the larger horror drawn here. This thing with a maw that could swallow a kobold whole, with many tangled arms. It is a burrower, but the thing underneath was a mystery. Built like a Kobold, it would be much taller, fattier, with fur upon its head, and a flat, tiny snout. But the most intriguing part wasn't the creature itself, but the fact that it was held up by the burrower by its arms and legs, and its legs spread wide, with the burrower's other arms going up between them until they reached--

Prakibak shouted her name and Tik Tik closed the book, holding tightly to it as she scrambled out of the tent.

Tik Tik scurried from the old abandoned campsite. Prakibak had called for her, and she couldn't leave the injured dig boss alone. After all, it is a kobold's duty to see after the well-being of their tribe, and those above a kobold in rank needed to be protected for the good of them all. She arrived at the site and panted, dropping down to her knees beside the injured foreman and looked him over with a frantic concern. "What? What is wrong?"

Prakibak, laying on his back, with the collapsed stone on his leg and tail, looked up to Tik Tik with his once powerful orange eyes. "You... you were taking too long," he admited. "I need a report more often."

Tik Tik blinked, but a smile ran across her face. "Boss... are you scared?"

"No!" he snapped, sneering and showing off his impressive teeth.

"It's alright if you are," Tik Tik said. She reached out, and placed a hand upon one of his impressive frills. The dig boss flinched at her touch, and she frowned. "Dig crew will come to save us," she said. "We can't get out with you like this. Even if I free you, you'll be too hurt to move. So, I'll stay beside you." She sat back, placing the book she found at the campsite upon her lap.

"What's that?" he asked, unable to shift to a comfortable position to properly see it.

She flipped through the pages and stuck to the words she could recognize. "It's a book I found at an abandoned uplander camp"

"Book? Pah. Waste of space. Sheets are much better, and are easy to carry only what you need. No wonder that uplander camp was abandoned if they carried around something so heavy and useless."

"Not useless!" Tik Tik said, stopping on a certain page. "Magic! I think I can ease your pain, Dig Boss!" She stood up, facing the rocks. "If this is correct, all I need to do is speak in dragon tongue to you." She brushed her finger along the page, and recited the incantation that promised the freedom of movement.

"How are you supposed to touch me if you're busy holding that carcass-covered weight?" Prakibak scoffed. You shouldn't waste your ti-"

Tik Tik pressed the sole of her foot upon the Dig Boss's cheek, applying pressure enough to shut him up as she scanned over the page. Prakibak growled at the indignity of it, but as her words filled the air, they both felt the transfer of power issuing out from the book, coursing through Tik Tik's body, and then entering into Prakibak.

With renewed vigor and a sudden feeling of fleet-footedness, Prakibak dug his hands into the dirt floor. Surprisingly, he slid right out from under the rock with a loud "pop." With tail and claw out from under the rocks, the remains of the cave-in settled down, kicking up even more dust around them.

Prakibak growled, sitting up and feeling around his swollen appendage. "Need healer for this," he muttered. "No healing spells in your book, are there?"

Tik Tik shook her head. "Not from what I can read," she said "but you are safe now. We'll wait here for rescue, then see the healer." She sat down next to him this time. "Read with me, to make the time go faster?"

He rolled his eyes. "What else am I going to do?" he asked, leaning back on his hands, draping the tip of his poor, swollen tail over the ankle of his good leg.

Tik Tik flipped the page to the diagram she had left off on, with the burrower mounted upon the strange fleshy creature. Prakibak's eyes grew wide at the sight, and he shut the book, right over Tik Tik's hand. She yelped, and pulled it free, shaking it off.

"Ow! What the hells?"

"That's no good!" he barked. "Throw it away, Tik Tik."

"What's the matter with you?" she asked, scooting away. He grabbed her arm, keeping her from leaving.

"Kobolds should not see such things," he said, his eyes angered, yet his hand trembled.

She placed her hand on his and tilted her head. "What's the matter? What's wrong with the book?"

He licked over his teeth, his lips twitching. "It's... against the need of the tribe," he said. "Relations outside of the tribe, outside of kobold kind, they are no good."

She considered the book once more, and then said "I won't pay attention to that. I'll see if there's anything that can help us, that's all."

He hissed, yet he let go of her. "This will only lead to trouble. I'm only trying to help,"

She held a hand up in front of his face and opened the book once more, scanning page after page as he grumbled quietly to himself.

Some time passed, and Prakibak fell asleep, laying face up on the ground, so as not to roll over onto his injured foot. Tik Tik, meanwhile, kept up her studies. Surely, the fleshy creature under the burrower was a "human," as the book made many references to them. Obviously, a human wrote it, which made some of the entries rather frustrating to decipher. Of course, once the diagrams showed humans interacting with other humans, she finally figured out what the purpose of the tome was. She had walked by the breeding grounds on her way to trap passages before, seeing as the men of the tribe loomed over unclothed females, their legs spread, tails raised, hooking over the male's shoulders. She noticed their expressions, the men forceful and angered, the females bored, squirming masses. Where was the fun in such work? Yet here, as she read about the humans and the forms they took in their rituals, gazing upon the art depicting the faces, strange as they were, in obvious signs of happiness. She leaned in, taking in as much as she could from the work, and, as she did, she felt something rise from within the pit of her being, and a tingle of excitement arose from her mind. These creatures, they were having fun, so much fun, and they could have this fun not just with themselves, but with other beings. Burrowers, creatures like the humans with pointy ears, or shorter ones with furry faces, larger ones twice their size, and...

Her eyes widened, her very core shook at the sight. She pressed her finger against the illustration and swallowed the saliva that had formed in her mouth. There, written in the plainest of draconic, was a guide entitled "Seducing the Dragons."

Prakibak grumbled and groaned, then sat up straight. Tik Tik slammed her book closed, crossing her legs and groaning in annoyance. She shot him a heated glance, but frowned at the sight.

The dig boss panted, cold sweats glistening on his scales. He looked around, his chest rising and falling at an alarming rate. When he saw Tik Tik, he relaxed slightly, and grumbled an apology.

"No need," Tik Tik said. "Is something wrong?"

"Just..." he ran a hand through his frills. "No, it's nothing."

"You're worried, right?" she asked, closing her book. She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder. In the time they spent down here, there had been no sign of predators or uninvited guests. They were well and truly alone. "Maybe I can help you relax," she asked.

He jumped. "What? I'm perfectly fine, I- What are you doing!?"

Tik Tik pulled her ripped work clothes free, exposing her body to him. She folded them neatly and placed them aside, crawling up before him, and placing a hand upon his thigh. "Isn't this what you wanted?" she asked "For me to be useful to the tribe?"

He inhaled deeply through his nose and shook his head. "Tik Tik, this isn't the time. This isn't the breeding grounds-"

"Shh..." she stopped him with a finger pressed to his mouth. She lifted one leg and placed it down on the other side of him, straddling his lap. Her hands ran down along his frills and rested upon his shoulders. "This isn't for breeding. This is for saving my life."

"Saving your life?" He laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"When we fell," she said, narrowing her gaze, leaning in, pressing their foreheads together, "you sought to protect me. I saw it in your eyes, the real you..."

He gulped, his hands twitching on the ground. "Tik Tik, I was just doing my job, my duty."

"Do you ever wonder what it's like to do something for yourself?" she asked "or for someone else, and not for everyone?"

"What you're talking about... it's not something we do, not in the tribe."

She pulled herself up against him, her underbelly pressing against his still clothed chest. She hissed into his ear and whispered "The tribe isn't here. It's just us, and we need to help each other."

A growl rose from the back of his throat, and he grabbed her wrists. Her eyes opened to look at his and he snarled, saying "You're teasing me, Tik Tik. I can't mount you like this."

"I know you want to," Tik Tik said, and she pushed up against him, her hips grinding against his body, against that bulge in his leggings.

He tilted his head back and groaned. "I know I want to, but I'm telling you, I can't!"

"I'm telling you," she breathed out, her hand moving down to his sides, gripping at his tunic. "You don't have to."

"I... what? What are you talking about?" he asked as she lifted his top off.

"Arms up," she commanded, and without really knowing why, he did as he was told. She lifted his shirt off him and tossed it aside, her hand brushing over his underbelly.

He chittered, digging his hand back into the ground, shaking his head "W... what is this? What are you-?"

"Feels good?" she asked, leaning in now. She huffed a breath of hot air through her nostrils, sending shivers up along his spine.

"Aah... I don't... I don't under... wha!?"

Her tongue rolled out, pressing up along his flesh. She tasted the salty brine of sweat and musk, her eyes rolling back as she continued the lick up along him, remembering the diagrams she saw and applying them to her knowledge of kobold anatomy. The erogenous zones of a humanoid tended to fill certain areas of sensitivity; the sensitive underbelly of a Kobold should prove to be a source of pleasure for their kind. By Prakibak's twitching and wide-mouthed state, she could tell her hypothesis was correct. So fascinating!

She licked up to his chin and pulled her tongue back, meeting his eyes once more. "You want more?" she asked.

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "W... what even was that!?"

"Just something I picked up," she admitted, her fingers following the trail of her tongue as her other arm draped over his shoulder. She moved those fingers back down along the path, this time, going down beneath his underbelly to his leggings. The whole while, he shuddered under her, a soft growl emerging from his lips, but he didn't nip her, didn't chastise her. "I'll show you much more of I learned, if you ask."

"If I... I'm your boss!' he gasped. "You can't barter with me!"

Her fingers stopped, and she sighed. "Yes, sorry. Will leave now..." she said, lifting her leg to roll off him

"N-no, wait!" he gasped, his chest heaving, his body slick. He squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, cursing under his breath at the thing he was about to say. She waited, holding her breath, her own eyes widen at the indecisive mess he had become, and all from some simple touch!

He gasped and grabbed her hand, yanking her back against him, the two slapping underbellies together. Their noses touched, and Tik Tik gasped, waiting to see what he meant by this gesture, until...!

He rocked his head back and forth and Tik Tik's eyes welled up. This gruff, mean, horny kobold, who had threatened her previously, was now rubbing noses with her; the ultimate gesture, the most forbidden of things, signs of camaraderie, appreciation, and care. There was no word for it in the Kobold's language, but the meaning was crystal clear.

She wiped her eyes clean, and yipped, saying "Then... let's continue!"

"It's alright. I've read up on it. It should be very simple. Besides, you aren't doing anything with this. I am!" Tik Tik chirps happily, sitting at the foot of the dig boss, her scaled pink body on full display as she sat upon her knees, hands resting right on top of them. "I'll be careful. Don't you worry about that."

"It's not that I'm worried about," he says. "This can't possibly be something a male should do."

"Males do it all the time." she says, leaning forward. Her fingers brushed over his ankles, making sure to keep away from his injured foot. Her claws brushed up along his scales, making her boss shudder from her touch.

"You're... you're reading that right, aren't you?" He asks."Shh..." the female kobold hushes him, sliding up closer onto him, her hands moving to the inside of his legs and spreading him at the knee. She hooks her hand under his injured leg, making sure to lift it, ever so carefully, as she sets it aside, giving him a less pained reception to the motion. Despite this, he does groan slightly, yet the semi-hard mast in front of her face shows her that he is not entirely turned off to the idea. Soon, her face is right there, nose right in front of his burgeoning hardon. The curious kobold sniffs, taking in the natural musk of the dig boss, a mix of kobold sweat and the dust of the earth. Her heart is all aflutter. Only the most active of workers would have the smell of the earth suffused to their very beings. "You smell wonderful, Prakibak," she coos.

"Uh, th-thanks, so... so now you're gonna...?"

She lifts her head slightly, her blue eyes half-lidded as she looks at him, nodding and giving him a delighted "mmmm-hmmm..."

He gulps.

She lifts one hand, bringing up away from him. Her mouth opens, and her tongue rolls out. She presses her finger to it and, with the precision of a trap maker, coats the digit with a thin layer of her saliva, making sure her tongue wraps around the length of her finger, and pushing the thing up into her mouth. She keeps her eyes upon the dig boss, who, according to their agreement, would keep his hands behind his head for the duration of this procedure. She closes her maw around it to get the finger nice and wet, then pulls it out with a "pop" and looks at the film-covered digit. She wiggles it in front of him and says. "I've put this finger in such tiny places, Dig Boss. If this diagram is to be believed, once I put this in the right spot, then you're going to forget all of your troubles."

Prakibak looks upwards, away from the cute kobold in front of him. She lifts her tail, wiggling it back and forth as she hums the worker's tune.

"H... hey!" he says, looking down to her. "This ain't no tunnel dig!" he says.

Her finger presses against him, up against the ring that is his tail hole. "Isn't it?"

He grits his teeth, closing his eyes and hisses. "B... be gentle."

"You're such a hatchling," she coos, swirling her finger over that ring. "Don't worry. This may be my first time, but I'm a quick learner."

"Tell that to the wall you were hacking at!" he teased, but immediately regretted it as he feels the finger penetrate inside of him. His mouth opens wide, and the slightest of gasps escapes from his throat.

"There you go," she whispers, leaning in, puffing out hot air from her nose onto his length. It twitches to attention. "And it looks like you're enjoying it, too."

"I... Is this what it feels like?" he asks, his arms trembling "when I breed a f-female?"

"I doubt that," she says. "According to the book, there's no natural lubrication in the tail hole." She pushes her finger deeper, wriggling it. "Please try to relax, as I could possibly tear it."

He sniffles and whines, "Why didn't you warn me about that sooner?" He asks.

She reaches over with her free hand and turns the page on the book. "I said I was a quick learner, not that I learned everything at once. Oooh, this looks promising."

"W... what does?" Prakibak asks, but he finds himself gasping as she pushes further in. "Nnngh... ho-how deep are you going to go!"

"Just a bit further, but perhaps this will ease your mind?" She says this and rolls out her tongue, letting the tip flick at the head of his kobold cock.

Prakibak hisses in a breath, not in discomfort or strangeness, but in actual delight.

"Ah, I knew you'd like that one. You big strong men, always thinking with this digging tool." She swirls the tongue around the tip and he begins to relax in her actions.

"Wh... what was that...?" he asks, his eyes half-lidded in his stupor.

"Another thing I learned from the book," Tik Tik replies. "I learned so much in such a short time. Imagine how powerful its magic must be."

He blinks, then frowns. "No, wait. That sounds extremely dangero-ooooh!"

She slides the pole up along her tongue, keeping that muscle inside of her snout. She lowers her head down, his tip pressing the roof of her mouth, effectively wrapping it around her draconic maw. She lowers her head more over him, pushing his meat between the more rigid roof and the softer, wet tongue. She pulls back just as his length gets to her throat, keeping herself from choking on it, but pulling back with the same slow intensity as when she pushes down.

Meanwhile, her fingers probe within him, feeling the strange tight cavern, wriggling her finger around within. There had to be something there, something for Tik Tik to find. His groans tell her that he likes what she is doing, yet she doesn't quite feel what the book describes. But then her finger probes at just the right spot at just the right instance and...

Prakibak erupts, shooting white hot streams down into Tik Tik's throat. She pulls her face back, ripping her hand out and holding her neck. She coughs, sitting on her knees as cum dribbles off of her chin.

Prakibak pushes himself up, placing pressure on his injured foot and sending pain shooting up himself. He yowls and falls back down. "I'm sorry. Tik Tik, are you alright!?"

He sees her slowly stand up, facing away from him, and then her head turns, a bright blue eye staring down at him from over her shoulder, her claws itching. Then she spins around, her front glistening from his ejaculate over her, and she yips happily. "That was exciting!"

"Tik Tik," the dig boss whines. "You had me worried. I... I thought I hurt you."

"Oh, don't worry about me!" Tik Tik said, bouncing on her toes. "I read the book, remember? I know what to do and what not to do. I didn't expect you to be so virile, though!"

"Hey!" he growls. "You saying I'm not kobold enough to fill a breeder? I'll have you know I personally fathered many of the dig force... I think."

She giggles, stepping close to him, examining over his body. "We should relax, I think, and conserve our energy."

"You say that after you drink my life force?"

"You say that when you forced it down my throat?"

He grumbled and folded his arms over his chest.

The two sit in silence, looking away from one another. After a few minutes, it is Prakibak who speaks up.

"It, uh, it felt good."

"Thank you," Tik Tik replies curtly.

Silence again.

"So, uh... is there anything you want me to do for you?" Prakibak asks.

Tik Tik shrugs and brings the book to her lap, clicking her toes together as she flips through some pages. "No, I think you've done quite enough exertion for now. Tell me, though, how are you feeling?"

"How am I...?" he starts. "I'm in pain. I have a broken foot and a crushed tail, how do you think I feel?"

"Right, I apologize. I just wish the relief these actions give were more permanent. You're much too exhausted to try something else."

"Exhausted?" Prakibak huffs. He pushes himself up by his elbows, his arms quivering. "I'll show you exhausted. I'm a dig boss, not some lowly wyrmling."

"Is that so?" Tik Tik asked, leaning back now, using her hands to support herself. "Then, why don't you come over here and prove it?" she asks, her legs slightly spreading, showing to the dig boss her glistening moistness. "I'm waiting for you." Her challenge comes to him as a purr from the back of her throat, her eyes lidded in seductive teasing.

Prakibak's own eyes widen at the sight, and he grits his teeth as he rolls onto his stomach. He gets up on his knees, lifting up his injured foot. With a growling determination, he crawls, hand over hand, knee over knee, hissing as his broken toes scrape against the ground. It is an arduous journey, having to turn around to face her, but soon, his hands grab at the lady Kobold's ankles and he hisses in triumph.

Tik Tik just remains how she is, leaning back and tilting her head, humming to herself as she waits.

Prakibak scowls and climbs steadily upward, hand over hand, his grip tight along her scales. Tik Tik can no longer suppress her smile as the dig boss works his way up along her, seeking to get to her once and for all. But, even as his kobold-hood reaches its spear-tipped length, Tik Tik reaches up and places a hand upon the dig boss's frills. Prakibak pauses, looking to her quizzically, before she shoves his face down right into her crotch!

Prakibak reaches up for her wrist, but Tik Tik shoves his face down into her, shaking her head. "No, no... I gave you some fun with my mouth, you have to do the same for me!"

The dig boss snarls, his vibrating lips kissing hers, causing Tik Tik to shudder at the sensation. In his weakened state, he can do nothing about it, and eventually he relents. "You'll regret this," he says. "You can't humiliate me like this."

"It's only humiliation if you want it to be. You're always in charge. How is it that you're letting a weak little girl keep your face down? It can only mean that you're doing it on purpose, that you want me to boss you around, dig boss."

He doesn't respond.

"That's a good Prakibak," she coos. "Now, please, use your tongue..." she strokes a finger over his frills, sending a shiver down to the dig boss's cheeks.

Eagerly, now, the dig boss closes his eyes and shoots his reptilian tongue out of his mouth. The wet muscle dances at Tik Tik's slit, which causes her to respond with a sigh and a coo. She pets him, being gentle, even in her dominance. He presses his tongue to the lips and licks, once, twice, three times, before he decides to try something different and slide it inside of her.

Tik Tik gasps, her legs lifting up over his shoulders now. He is surprised by her flexibility, but he keeps it up, even after the kobold wraps her legs around his head pulling him in. He holds his hands under her thighs as a means of support, going down on her, eagerly tasting at her honey.

The two remain there, enjoying each other's company for a few blissful moments, when, with the speed mustered only by a Kobold search and rescue team, the wall beside them collapses, revealing a set of diggers all peering in.

Prakibak lifts his head, his maw glistening from female love and gulps.

Tik Tik looks over her shoulder, flutters her eyes, and says "Took you long enough."

Tik Tik walks past all of tribe on her way up from the collapsed room. The rescue team who found her and Prakibak would not allow her to dress after they had discovered them in their compromising position. Two of the team carried the confiscated articles, but the one she kept her eyes on is not the one with her clothes, but the one with the book.

She can feel the eyes of all of the tribe on her, passing through the different sections as the rescue team leads her through. They passed the digging crew, the trappers, the breeders, and even the hatchery itself. She stands tall, though, letting them all see her as exposed as she is. She knows very well that they didn't need to pass through all of the tribe lands. They wanted everyone to see her. And, seeing the glances from some of the younger among the rescue squad, it is safe to say they wished to see her, too. The more she exposes herself to the dressed kobolds, the more she strides confidently to her final destination.

The air is awkward between her and the rescue team, as none of them speak to her after separating her from the injured dig boss. Supposedly, the healers were dispatched to work their cures upon him, but she doubts she'll find out any time soon with this parade.

The escort leads her to a narrower corridor, ending in a curtained exit guarded by two kobolds larger and more frightening than Prakibak. Out of all the places they could have taken her, they sent her here--the antechamber to the Queen's Quarters.

The guards eye Tik Tik with stern, growling faces, and she hunches over, shrinking slightly. That confidence and defiance she developed during the trip here suddenly vanishing now that the prying eyes linger and do not disappear into the darkness.

The captain of the rescue, a green kobold by the name of Kishke, raises her fist to signal the company to halt. She bows her head before the guards, and they raise their spears, allowing her to pass through the curtains. She turns to the two team members carrying TIk Tik's things and takes the confiscated goods from them before she finally makes the journey through the portal.

The next few minutes are silent. The chill of the cave brushes over Tik Tik's scales. Leering eyes glance over her body, but she takes a deep breath and holds her head up high. Their looks are just that--looks. They would not dare touch someone destined to stand before the queen.

Kishke returns and locks one good eye on Tik Tik's. She points back to the curtains with her thumb and says "Her majesty will see you now. Rescue Team, dismissed!"

The kobolds all disperse in an unorganized mob, each heading back a different way through the tunnels to return to their regularly scheduled duty. Of course, some leave with one final parting glance before disappearing entirely. Tik TIk narrows her gaze as she meets one, who looks away, scurrying off with renewed purpose.

The Captain passes by the naked kobold and snorts, saying, "I don't know what got into you, but good luck." She claps Tik Tik on the shoulder and smiles. "She said she wished to dispense your punishment herself."

"I'll be fine," Tik Tik says, forcing a smile. "She wouldn't hurt me for such a little thing... right?"

Kishke shrugs and continues on, leaving Tik Tik alone with the guards. They move their spears, spreading the curtain wide enough for her to pass through. But, as she does, her eyes sting.

The room gleams with the glitter of gold. Kobold Engineering worked overtime to establish this bright chamber for the Queen. Miles of tunnels and mirrors worked together to let the bright sun beam down from the sky above all the way to this treasure horde. She recalls working on some of the measurements with her master, who warned her not to look at the apparatus while the cover above was removed. A kobold staring directly at that sky fire would surely lose her sight, but not their queen.

"It's been quite the alarming day, little one," comes the husky voice of their monarch. The voice comes from the other side of the room where she lounges upon the "throne," which is little more than a slab of rock with a banner of a defeated kingdom draped over it as a sheet. Every ounce of gold that the tribe doesn't use for trade with others lies strewn about the throne in piles. Tik Tik must bring her hand up to cover the light in order to even see the shape of the queen.

The queen lounges upon her throne-bed, one hand upon her egg-laying hip and another turning a page from Tik Tik's tome. "You found yourself quite the treasure, dear," she says, a growl in her voice. "But, I hardly think it's appropriate for our tribe to see such things."

Tik Tik takes a step forward, placing her hands on her hips as she barks up. "It is a study of magic. Surely, that could be of help to the tribe."

"Magic!?" the figure draped in light laughs. "Oh, yes, you like this work purely for academic purposes, I'm sure."

Tik Tik frowns. There's no arguing against the queen in that regard. "It helped save Prakibak," she mentions.

"Yes, yes, I know" the queen says. "And how delightful that is, but there really isn't much in here you can learn that will help us out. Such... hm... study is not effective in keeping our tribe thriving. Sure, there are ways to spice up the process of breeding, but really..." she says, slamming the book shut. "It's just a waste of time."

"It's not a waste of time!" Tik Tik yipped. "Prakibak and I, we gained a bond. I care deeper for him now. I want to see him again, to hold him again."

A week has passed since the queen related to Tik Tik her tale, and while there is a slight lump of worry nestled deep within her belly, the little kobold is more burdened with the excitement of the task ahead. The finest armorers of the tribe supplied her with traveling gear that would help her blend in the above world, and she beamed as she looked down over herself dressed in the green shirt and finely tailored traveler's pants. She wiggles her toes, feeling the shin-length foot wraps against her scales, made to keep her feet healthy for long travels ahead. She wraps the dark green cloak around her, hiding her face and running around her little changing room to let the cape billow around.

"You seem to be having a good time." The voice comes from the entrance to her corner.

Tik Tik yelps and wraps her cloak over herself, huddling in embarrassment at the sound of his voice.

Her master, the old and wizened Tikit, strokes his chin as he looks over his pupil with his narrow eyes. "You had such promise, apprentice. Now you throw your place in the tribe away to go dream chasing. It is quite the shame."

Tik Tik lowers her head and says, "I do this for all our sakes, Master. My trap skills were never as good as your other students'. And what Prakibak said about the incursion was right, now that I think about it. I should have checked everything better. I was just being full of myself to suggest otherwise."

"Always with your head in the earth, aren't you, young one? Ever since the day you were brought to me as an apprentice, I knew you were trouble. Though," he shrugs, tThe Queen ordered that you would be my pupil, so too, you in, I did. Just know that where you go, your skills as a trap maker will do you good. For even a terrible trapper is better than most anything the overworlders can cook up." He laughs. "How many brave warriors have we sent to our doom with our hatchlings' inventions, after all?"

Tik Tik smiles slightly and lowers the hood off of her face. "I'll miss you, Master."

"Bah," he waves his gnarled claw. "Sentimentality is a trait of lesser races. Don't grow too attached, or you'll never come back, and remember, succeed or fail, the tribe will prosper without you."

"It will prosper better once I return with my new knowledge."

The old kobold snorts. "If that's what you say. I'm going to go off and make sure Quiquan can properly tune a trap. So, this will be the last you see of me, I'm certain."

She nods. "I understand. May your last days better the tribe."

"And may your fool's errand not be a bother!" He barks back, before heading back out the way he came.

Tik Tik sighs and gathers up her things, a belt to carry her supplies, bags of foodstuffs, gold, and gems, and, finally, her book, which she holds to her chest. With that, she takes her final steps out of the burrow she had once called home.

Kobolds of all ages and colors whisper among themselves as she walks off. Again, she holds her head high, not letting their words get to her. Soon, the upper passages yawn before her, indicating the edge of the Kobold's realm. Standing on either side of the door are Kishke and Prakibak. The later supports himself on a pair of crutches, his foot covered in a splint made of rough roots and a cast of rock and mushroom. Tik Tik smiles upon seeing them and runs up to the male. "Prakibak, you're fine!" She says, her tail slapping the ground as she bobs on her toes.

Prakibak avoids her eyes and says. "I wanted to see you off. It's not like I can do much more right now. Anyone who isn't useful to the tribe is a waste of space."

Tik Tik frowns, looking over to Kishke. "But, shouldn't he be in the hatchery?"

Kishke shrugs. "That's where I picked him up from."

Tik Tik tilts her head and frowns. "Aren't you enjoying yourself there? You get to father so many new young. And you're a strong male!"

He looks up this time to avoid her gaze. "It's not the same... not anymore."

The long pink tongue of the pink kobold licks just under the digboss's chin. He starts back, falling back against the wall with a yelp. "T... Tik Tik?" He gasps.

"Keep yourself strong, Prakibak!" Tik Tik says. "When I return, I will learn many more things to show to you."

Kishke snickers. "There's that glimmer in your eye again, kid." The green guardswoman said. "Haven't seen you like that since you discovered that rare mushroom supply."

The pink kobold giggles and pulls her hood back up. "It's bigger than that. I have a real knack for the magic. I used it to save Prakibak. I'll be a powerful mage, too, and protect us all!"

"Well, then, Tik Tik, off you go. Go to your grand adventure!"

Tik Tik gives her a quick salute, then marches on off into the light of the late afternoon sun.

Kishke and Prakibak watch her as she goes, and then they look to each other with a frown.

"There goes one foolhardy mind," says Prakibak.

Kishke sighs. "It would have been a kinder fate to just exile her than to put her on this meaningless quest..."

The outside world--Tik Tik had never once set foot out here, though the light of the sun is not unknown to her, thanks to the Queen's insistence for sunlight. Even though she was told this time, what they called "twilight," is the waning hours of sunlight, the brightness dazzles the poor reptilian girl. Tik Tik pulls her hood up over her eyes, hissing as she stumbles back towards the darkness of her cavernous home.

"How does anything live up here?" she shouts to no one. She takes her book and places it over her hood, further providing herself with a sun shield. "If I can't see anything during half of the day, what good is traveling in the upworld!?"

So, for the next few hours, Tik Tik stands at the mouth of the cave, frozen like a statue. Aside from the persistent light, her senses are buffeted by a panoply of new experiences. The heat from the sun warms her cloth and tickles her scales, the birdsong fades away, leaving her with a tantalizing chorus of beautiful chirping, and the fesh scent of trees is an alien aroma, stroking her nostrils like a beautiful lover. Everything here is so wondrous and new! But curse that sun for harming her so much. How is she going to enjoy all the sights of the upworld if she can't see a thing!

So she stands there, bobbing on her toes and humming a kobold tune, eagerly awaiting the end of the dreaded "daytime," when her ear picks up something--a soft shifting in the grass.

Tik Tik gasps and pulls her hood off of her. With a hiss, she holds her book over her brow to keep the sun from hitting her face. But she sees just enough to make out just what made the sound.

Towering over her tiny body is a green figure, its body rippling with muscle. Its long nose and jutted chin point almost comically out from its face, except for the sharp and jagged teeth that make up its smile. Its hair is wild and matted, and a shaggy covering of the curly stuff goes over its arms and chest. Down below, it wears nothing to conceal the massive member, big as a kobold and almost dragging to the ground as the creature hunches over her.

The monster's lips pull back even wider than before, the rancid smell of its breath filling her nostrils. Tik Tik steps back, covering up her mouth as she coughs.

It speaks to her, but in no language she can understand, and reaches out for her with a leer in its eye. What sort of monster is this upworlder? She had read that there are species that dwarf the dominant races, yet this thing was not the first kind she would hope to find on her journey. It would rightfully rip her in half! But, she knew she has to take care of herself somehow, even if she doesn't quite like the way this beast looks or smells and she has no idea what its saying. There is a universal language, and she's been learning that quite well.

Tik Tik dashes underneath of the monstrous manbeast, and it grunts in surprise, leaning forward with a grasping hand to get a glimpse at what she is doing. It gasps as her hands place on his flaccid member, lifting the sweaty thing up into her tiny hands. Its quite the feat, given the things weight, but the monster stops groping for her, and instead sits there, watching her, waitng with a curious glance.

Tik Tik looks back up to him, smiling slightly. At least with the shade this creature provides, she can at least see. Her palms brush up and down the warm member, slowly letting her scales tickle along the length. The beastman growls slightly, but soon slumps on the ground, sitting right in front of her, his length rising to life. Again, he says something, but the chuckle in his voice makes her believe that he is enjoying it, so she continues, sliding her palm up and down along the shaft.

And such a strange shaft it is, quite unlike Prakibak's or how she imagines a dragon would look. The tip is hidden under a sleeve of flesh instead of the whole thing resting in a sheathe. The head, as it emerges from this sleeve, is bulbous, almost like a mushroom. She seen such phalluses in her book, yet to see one up close and this large is another thing entirely.

She reaches for her cloak and tugs at it, looking up into the creature's eyes. "I want to take this off and keep it clean, okay?"

The monster man tilts his head, narrows his eyes, but then grunts. Whether he understands her or not, he doesn't seem keen to say, but she takes a step back from his impressive size and unhooks the green cloak. All the while, the green creature sits down on the ground, watching her with a keen eye.

She lays it aside, folding it nicely and then moves onto her shirt, pulling it off to expose her underbelly. After that, the footgear and the pants go next before she is soon as naked as he is. She licks along her maw and takes a deep breath before climbing up onto the thigh of the giant and then hopping onto his meat. She wraps her arms around it and sits upon the bed of his furry groin. But she soon wraps her own legs around the pole, sliding herself up along the shaft. She shudders, feeling the sweat and musk of the creature rub off onto her and goes back to other chapters in the text she looked over. They mentioned how potent the musk of other races could be to someone, but what attacks one individual can be quite different than what attracts another. She presses her snout up against the revealed skin and takes in a deep whiff.

Her head spins in the strong aroma and, soon, she actually falls back against the beings stomach, her body reeling. Perhaps the book should have warned her about the potency of such things. She can hardly even move with her stomach and her brain churning so wildly. She tries to bring herself back up, but the monster pushes himself up, causing her to fall down. But this doesn't last for long, either, as he scoops her up in one hand, holds her close to his chest, and stomps off into the ever-encroaching night...

Tik Tik sits bundled under the arm of the massive man-thing as it marches away from the cave--from her home. Luckily for her, it saw fit to grab her clothing and her supplies before stomping off. Finding the way back home is less important now than it will be later in her journey, for surely a master mage can easily find her way home with the application of proper spells, right?

Sensing no immediate danger from the beast, she mimes in her hands the opening of a book and the turning of pages. The green, hairy beast stops and looks down to her, grunting as it watches her movements. After a moment, it holds up her things, shuffling them around in its massive hand until it dumps the book off into her lap before making its way through the darkness once more. She yips happily and flips through the pages, humming to herself as she does.

Thumbing through the pages detailing all things of humanoid build, she eventually stops upon one section in particular: beings known by the writer as "Giants." Such a strange term, indeed, since most things in this book could be considered "giant" to the kobold. She scans over the words of the introductory chapters written in her tongue and pauses when she reaches a point that gives a few sayings.

"Hello," Tik Tik chirps, using the phonetic translation between dragon and giant tongues.

The giant stops in its tracks with a snort and grumbles once more in response.

She brushes her finger through the lines and then continues. "My name... Tik Tik" she says, placing a hand on her chest, nodding. "Tik Tik. You?"

The giant snorts once more and stomps on through the woods some more "Gramble," he grumbles.

Tik Tik squirms around in his grasp, but Gramble tightens the grip on her, pressing her up against his chest. Luckily, she picked up a few more lines. "Tik Tik... Kobold. Gramble is?"

"Troll..." he grumbles, stopping once more. Tik Tik looks from the corner of her eye to see that just beyond is a valley where a strong stone bridge resides. A rough path cuts into the rock of a small cut in the earth where an ancient river had once traversed. The trail proceeds down to a small indentation and another cave. She frowns at the sight. She wants to remain upworld, not go back into some cave.

"Gramble Troll. Tik Tik Kobold," she says, hoping the draconic name would translate well enough for him. "Tik Tik want learn sex from Gramble."

Gramble's lips curl up into a smile, his breath pungent, yet the musk in his wide chest does much to cover up the stench.

"What Gramble want?" Tik Tik asks.

The troll arrives under the bridge and drops the rest of Tik TIk's things to the side. He tosses her onto a bed of rotted furs.

She coughs and rubs her butt, closing the book and placing it beside her. It was quite the rough landing, but she had a feeling she didn't need the book anymore. After all, Gramble, this... Troll, as he called himself, stands before her with that massive erect cock. Tik Tik gets on her knees and flutters her eyes at him. She yips once more, and licks at her snout, around to the corners of her mouth.

Gramble does the same, his tongue large and green, much like the rest of him. The troll steps forward, wrapping a large clawed hand around the shaft to keep it positioned straight up. He pulls back his foreskin, letting the bulbous head pop out, slightly glistening from the precum that pearls at the tip of the head.

Tik Tik takes a deep breath and shudders. Now this dong is something she'd call "giant," for sure! The kobold has to attack this with care to not harm herself, so she scoots in, some of the fur on the bed breaking off of its flesh as she does. Her blue eyes look up to the black points in the sea of white that is Gramble's and she flicks out her tongue, plunging it into the dollip and pulling back.

She gulps down the sample of his seed, her shoulders shaking as the slimy stuff slips down her throat. She gasps and then blinks, looking up to him again. He just smiles and nods. She then takes a deep breath and flicks once more, this time pushing in deeper. Her pointed tongue darts out so quickly, that it pushes through the mucous membrane of jizz and slips into the troll's urethra.

Gramble gasps at the sensation, falling to his knees. His chest rises and falls at the sensation and he bites his lip, stroking his cock, nodding in exuberance. "M... more!" he coughs.

She quirks her head, but reaches up, placing her palms on either side of the exposed head. She brings her snout closer, pressing nose against it. How lewd they'd say she was for such a thing, but it's the only way to get her tongue in closer. She spreads her mouth and sinks her tongue inside

Gramble's groans come out as broken breaths. His fingers gently stroke up along the bottom of his shaft, not wanting to explode early. The kobold's tongue swishes around in the opening.

How strange it is that so many orifices can lead to such delightful experiences. Will all of her encounters involve her using her tongue? She'll have to make sure to keep good care of it and exercise it daily.

She breathes in the troll's strong musk once more, but this time, it doesn't knock her out. She has grown used, actually delighted, at the sensation. She takes another whiff as her tongue explore deeper, the inside of his cock having an acidic taste that dances on her tongue.

Meanwhile, the troll's massive chest rises and falls as her tongue probes him. His groaning grows louder, causing a rumbling in the small cave that Tik Tik feels in her toes. He rubs his thumb on the underside of his pole, and his groans turn to a strained growl as he shoves his cock forward.

Tik Tik's eyes widen as the member slides forward, shoving her tongue even deeper, but also pushing her mouth wide apart. Tears form in her eyes and she squeals at the pain in her commisures. Her teeth scratch up against flesh, tearing at the Troll's skin. A metallic taste fills her mouth as Gramble roars, pulling his hips back.

Tik Tik sputters as green troll blood dribbles down her chin. She rubs her left cheek as she whimpers, feeling the pain of her mouth stretching too far. She has little time to catch herself, as the recoiling troll sprays the unsuspecting kobold with thick powerful shots of cum. She's knocked flat on her back, the pearly jizz coating her underbelly, then striking her over and over again for a good minute before the troll finally calms down.

Gramble rubs his sore dick, whimpering slightly. Tik TIk pushes herself up, looking to him with a frown. "Are you alright?" she asked, though in Draconic.

He moves his hand away and, to her astonishment, his injuries are all healed. The only signs that there had been damage there before are the stains of blood on the head. Otherwise, he has totally regenerated.

"Fascinating," Tik TIk breathes, sitting up on her knees once more. "You heal instantly from any wound?"

Gramble sniffles, turning from her and wiping his eye with his fingers. Tik Tik giggled a bit and pulls the book out, making sure not to get any troll juice on it as she flips through the pages back to the giant translation. "You unhurt?" she asks. "You surprise Tik Tik. Teeth sharp. Sorry should have warned!"

Gramble turns back toward her, sticking out his chest and standing taller than ever as he looks down to her. His frown doesn't disappear, but his eyes no longer look hurt.

Tik Tik gulps and flips through the phrases. "Sorry hurt. Tik Tik and Gramble still friends?"

Gramble grumbles a single word, then marches past Tik Tik without saying anything else, down past her deeper into his cave. The Kobold shakes her head and grabs one of the old furs and rubs the spunk off from her underbelly. The stuff is quite thick and very smelly. She looks around a moment before brushing her finger over her stomach, taking a dollip of it and raising her hand. She rolls out her tongue as she opens her mouth (gently, of course,) and lets the stuff drip down onto her tongue. Very salty, indeed! Unlike Prakibak's, this tasted of overripeness and a metallic aftertaste, probaly because of the blood. She shudders at that and continues to wipe herself off the old-fashioned way.

Curiosity gets the better of her, though, and she looks through the listing of Giant linguistics, passing over all the different one-word phrases that his grumbling could have meant. Eventually she stops, tapping on the words she heard and brings her finger over toward the translation in draconic.

Her smile disappears as she reads the word "Dinnertime" (With the connotation that YOU are what's for dinner.)

She closes the book ever-so-gently, and then she stands up, tiptoing her way over to her clothing and supplies. Scooping them up, she clears her throat and calls out to her host. "Gramble, uh... did Gramble say 'dinnertime? Tik Tik friend, yes?"

The voice bellows up from the deep below, a dark rumble deeper than he had been previously. "Tik Tik friend and Tik Tik dinnertime. Remember Tik Tik, but hungry."

Tik Tik eeps and bursts out toward the entrance of the cave, but as she does, her foot catches on a rock, and she trips, dropping all of her things, including her book! The poor kobold scrambles past her clothes to grab up the book, but as soon as she has it, the rumbling of footsteps crashing in great succession shakes her to the core. Tik Tik turns out from under the bridge and heads up the dirt path, panting hysterically as her little clawed feet carry her as fast as she can run. But it isn't fast enough. The troll is easily three times her height, at least, and he takes much longer strides than her. Even as she runs up the hill, he simply leans forward and grabs her by the tail, yanking her back so she falls on the ground, hitting her chin.

Dazed, Tik Tik can only watch helplessly as her book tumbles down to the dried up riverbed below. She'd have to climb down far just to get to it. She whimpers as she is lifted up, facing Gramble face-to-face, his smile wide, his teeth like white jagged daggers. The troll breathes hot, putrid breath at her, a sensation much less alluring than his musk. He then opens his mouth, saliva and mucous dribbling down from his teeth and down his tongue as he roll sit out, opening wide to gobble her up.

Tik Tik thrashes around, crying to the great dragon deities that watch over her tribe, but none of them seem to heed a kobold who has left her tribe. She is completely up to the mercy of her Dinnertime friend.

The troll tosses her up in the air and as she spins and tumbles downward towards his jaw, she glances a quick flash of brilliant light. Where did that come from in the middle of the night? She might not find out, as the gate of the troll's mouth closes around her, she's surrounded in the foul, wet mouth of Gramble, her former friend.