Rain pelted the scratched and dingy windshield of the barely functioning 1997 Acura Integra, its cabin silent and musty from the lack of a working air conditioner or radio. Mercifully, the hazard lights still dimly blinked to warn any who passed that the driver who could barely see over the dash was on the verge of panicking in the heavy sleeting weather that left the view ahead nothing more than sloughing water across glass that threatened to shatter at any moment. Said driver whimpered, her little paws dancing on the custom extensions for the gas and brake pedals as lightning speared across the sky followed by thunder that felt as if it would rattle her little shit box apart.

  Yelz Tinker, a kobold who was tiny, scared, and alone, drove as best she could through the hazardous rain as every scale on her four-foot body screamed to turn the car around and drive back home… yet, there was simply no more room in the apartment complex her matriarch owned. There had been a heavy decision to make, and Yelz had been the one to get picked for the good of the warren. Teary eyed, but understanding, the pack, or at least that's what the extensive family called itself, pooled their funds together to get the unwilling exile a vehicle and dump of funds as she drove away into the suburbs outside of the city to strike it out on her own. With her gone, money would be a little less tight, food stretched a little bit farther, and the stress on the work force just a tad bit cooler.

  At least the GPS still worked. It was her only lifeline in this literal storm, as well as her swirling emotions.

  "Just… focus on the line! Y-Yeah, focus on the line and you'll be at your new home!" Yelz promised herself. It was one of many, including a vow to be upbeat and positive, and to do her very best at this new job! She'd killed the phone interview… at least she thought she did, and the work was easy. Just data entry, nothing she hadn't done in the-

  In the warren…

  No! Positivity and new adventures and an apartment all to herself! Her own three-room kingdom! A bedroom, bathroom, and conjoined living room with a kitchen and washroom all in one! It was very efficient, she was sure.

  "Yah!"

  Yelz ducked her head, swerving before she forced the car back onto the road as lightning cracked overhead like an angry celestial whip. On nights like this, the entire warren would gather in one of the larger rooms under the watchful eyes of the Matriarch and her mate as they piled up to sleep in the safety of numbers. It was silly in the modern age… back in the day, kobolds would snooze around the paws of their owner dragons after all, but it still felt good to lounge in piles together, even without the lumbering rumble of a dragon above them. They were a free people and had been for generations, though some instincts were still very much hard wired.

  "Just keep driving, just keep driving, oh who am I kidding? I just learned to drive last month! I should pull over…"

  But that meant staying in the car, that might not start again if she turned it off, in the middle of a storm. The thought of bundling under some covers in her new apartment was much more appealing. So, she just kept driving, her elevated driver's chair creaking as she pushed the gas pedal a bit more with a pink scaled paw.

  "Bravery isn't kobold forte," She echoed her Matriarch's words. "Perseverance is, which in the end, is bravery by any other name… ngh, that still doesn't make any sense…" It wasn't far, thankfully, just a few more miles to the single-story complex her pack had been able to afford that was situated between the suburban residential section and the open outskirts of the city that led to lonely stretches of road and the vast open vagueness of whatever 'rural' was. In truth though… it wasn't the storm that scared her, though it didn't help… no, it was this empty car. It was the ghost of a road. It was this… this…

  Silence.

  Back in the warren, where poles had been installed between floors and doors replaced with hanging beads, there was never quiet. If you were bored or lonely or whatever you could just pad your little paws next door or shimmy up a pole or, even more fun, slide down one and join a brother or sister group. The chirps, chitters, hisses, laughter, and general din of a pack bonded community had meant her ears were never hungry for sound. There was always someone to spend time with, something to do, someone to talk to… Yelz had spent most of her time on the computers crunching numbers of those with jobs or keeping inventory or budgeting for the building's bills under the watchful eye of the matriarch's smartest offspring. Or feeding the hulking few kobolds born and bred to protect the pack, the massive muscle-bound softies… which were only just bigger than humans anyway…

  Silence, though… it was a new problem, and one that was much more loud in a way she didn't understand. It stabbed at her ears in a manner that made her want to press them against her head…

  So when the old Nokia in the cupholder blared to life, Yelz… well, she'd never admit she screamed. Or squeaked, more accurately. Fumbling to press the faded green accept button while still staying on the road, the pink kobold sandwiched the phone between her scaly head and a thin shoulder.

  "H-Hello? Yelz speaking…"

  "Darling, it's Patricia." The voice was older, warm, and with a slight edge of 'I've been there' to it that Yelz recognized as the land lady over the complex she was heading to. "I was just callin' to see if you were okay in this weather. It's cats and dogs out there!"

  "Yes ma'am, just going slower than I like is all… I'm still new to driving."

  "Oh, bless your heart. I scampered over to leave keys under the fake plant by your door so ya don't have to come in the office when ya get here. Get some rest and I'll give ya your pool key and welcome packet when the sky ai'n't fallin'."

  "That's so nice, thank you Mrs. Patricia!"

  "No skin off my old back. Now, ya know we're an older building so if ya come across any issues in there call the number on the fridge that says 'fix it' okay? We've got an offsite maintenance guy who is a wizard with a toolbox."

  "You got it! I'm probably going to curl up under a blanket and sleep this storm off. Leaving the warren i-… well you probably don't care to hear all that." The voice on the other line scoffed, the eye roll practically audible.

  "Oh honey bun, I'm no kobold but I can probably guess leavin' ya people be harder than shoein' a jumpin' jackalope. If y'all need anythin' you just call me. I'm old and live here after all."

  "Thank you so so much Mrs. Patricia that really helps." A crack of lightning raced across the sky, illuminating the very complex that was her destination. Its far side was boxed in with towering pines that swayed in the powerful winds, their leaves turning raindrops into scattering spray that pummeled the rooves of the apartments like a weather-bound artillery blast. Across the street glowed a gas station, its sign bearing a simple Gas and Gaskets a lighthouse in the bleak rain. Several lone pumps rose like sentinels before a squat station conjoined to a liquor store on one side and a hardware shop on the other. It was a nice place actually, Yelz thought, not some tiny thing like she expected out here in the boonies, but nearly a small grocery store! Right across the street too, how very convenient.

  A small growl from the kobold's stomach almost made her turn left instead of right, the thought of a snack tantalizing… but the drooping of her eyelids was stronger than the thought of food. Wheels sliced through water as Yelz pulled in, waving at the older human woman standing under the awning of the office situated at the front entrance. The complex was a horseshoe shape, rooms surrounding a central pool with an office slapped right by the driveway. Overhead lay a connecting arch that turned the ensemble into one big square, reaching from the office, over the road, and to the roof of the first apartment to the right. The kobold in Yelz wanted nothing more than to explore and see what lay on the far side of the office, but a sheet of rain that obscured her vision convinced her otherwise.

  "There ya are! Welcome home, 'lil lady! Ya room is in the back left, number twenty-seven."

  "Thank you thank you thank you!" Yelz bounced in her seat, her innate instincts wired her to please and serve driving her to wear her little beating heart on her sleeve. "I'll see you in the morning? If this weather lets up."

  "I'm an early riser, I'll see ya then 'lil lady." Not even the next peal of thunder, which only seemed to be getting worse, could damped Yelz mood now. She'd talked to someone. Her throat had almost seemed dry from the lack of conversation, the water bottle in the cup holder long since dry. It took far longer than she felt it should take an adult to park, the scales of her face burning with humiliation at the several three point turns it required to settle into the assigned parking spot in front of her new home.

  Home…

  Yelz could hardly believe it… A floating disbelief had hovered across her shoulders ever since she'd stepped paw outside the apartment back in the city, back on the streets of Alysia where her childhood memories gathered like children on the sidewalk. Looking about through the pouring rain that ran in rivers down her windows, she hoped this place would someday do the same. That being said, it was time to get wet. Not that scales didn't dry quick, but clothes got squishy and stuck to her back… even worse, she was of the majority of kobolds that hated shoes, opting for the custom-made sandals that most of her kind wore. Which meant her feet were about to get soaked too, and she'd just painted her claws.

  "Dang it…" Looking down, Yelz regretted wearing her favorite clothes; jean shorts with a hole cut for her tail instead of a more expensive button that would fold over the appendage, and a Five Finger Death Punch T-Shirt she'd gotten when the warren had gone to a concert. It wasn't even the music that made it her favorite article, it was the memories… the band had pointed out that a bunch of four-foot lizards were in the crowd and to watch your boots, so a bunch of fans had lifted the pint-sized metal heads onto their shoulders instead. A warm bloom of contentment spread throughout the little lizard, her eyes shutting as she remembered the human that had carried her around… the view had been amazing from his shoulders and the pack had been much safer up there… she'd gotten the shirt from the kids' section to remember how it had felt for humans and kobolds to just enjoy music together…

  And now it was going to get soaked.

  Reaching back, Yelz little claws wrapped around her overnight bag that held all her toiletries and a spare set of pajamas, dry pajamas, that she could slip into later. Unpacking was future Yelz problem. Today Yelz just wanted to get comfy, text her warren that she'd made it safe, and watch stupid youtube videos on the big TV that was advertised.

  "Hooooh! No one can fight me for the channel to watch some stupid horror let's play instead! This might be… a bummer… but there's pros…" Yelz continued to catalogue the ups and downs of her life and new television as she procrastinated the ten-foot journey to the front door. Yet… she hesitated… the moment that door opened would be the second her journey to this new adventure ended and… and the work started. Gone would be the opportunity to turn tail and run back to her warren, to beg for a storage closet- to take a job herself… to eat less… to not bear eggs… It wasn't just room that was at a premium, no… money was drying up, food was being rationed, couples were finding themselves begging the matriarch for permission to have hatchlings… Growth was both the fate and curse of every warren, one that would normally be rectified with expansion… but employment was hard to find, especially for kobolds nowadays. Not to mention, it wasn't like they could just buy another apartment building. The cost of utilities alone was staggering, something Yelz knew better than most. No, sending an unfortunate few into the world to lighten the load was the best choice… and Yelz was… well, her job didn't bring in revenue for the warren, she worked… yes, but…

  Yelz turned her eyes to the windshield, watching the rain pummel the glass in a staccato beat no drummer could ever match, and let the tune of nature's melancholy drift her away to another time. Not even a month ago things had been… better… tighter sure but… she'd never imagined she'd be here, away from her warren- away from other kobolds where she belonged… what was she even doing out here? Sure, she had a job lined up but what was she going to do? Kobolds worked to the betterment of the warren… yet what warren did she have? The rain held no answers nor solace, no matter how long she stared or wrung her claws. The matriarch would know, she was but a phone call away… but… no… Yelz was on her own now. Yes, this was her adventure. She was the matriarch now! Of a warren with no kobolds… but still!

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  Shaking her head, the pink kobold banished the thoughts with a vengeance. As much as she loved her fellows, such a life was all in the past now. Her future lay in opening that car door. Trilling a sad song, Yelz snapped off her seat belt and hooked her claws beneath the weak plastic handle of the door, pulling gently until she felt the telltale click of the latch release-

  And into the gale force winds of a typhoon.

  At least… that's what it felt like to a four-foot, sixty-pound reptile.

  "Ahhh! Cold cold cold, oh my scales! Freakin' coooold!" Yelz hurriedly leapt from the rust box of a car, ignoring the splash of dirty water that soaked her jean shorts and slammed it shut with a panicked swipe of her tail. Already her overnight bag was soaking through, so with a heave she tossed it bodily towards the yellow painted door emblazed with a bronze twenty-seven, chasing after it with her paws held over her head as if they could ward away the falling raindrops. Freedom from the onslaught seemed at hand before the slick water made its way between the soft paw pads of her left foot and the worn inner surface of her sandal.

  "Gngh!"

  Yelz didn't even have time to properly shout before her chin slammed into the tile walkway lining the path outside the apartments, her small body sliding to a stop at the welcome mat where her overnight bag lie. As if in insult, her tail flopped over onto her head… it had always been longer than she cared for.

  "Owwww… what a crap night…" Crawling to her knees, the poor lizard rubbed her throbbing chin and smiled through the pain. "Just a bump in my adventure! What's… what's a story without some mishaps?" Gathering her bag, the kobold reached up and rubbed at her eyes, spying the fake plant Mrs. Patricia secreted away. Just as the kind old land lady had said, a gleaming aluminum key had been sequestered beneath it. Such a thing would never have flown in the city, but out here… "A high trust society I guess… or the rain is keeping all the goobers in."

  The key slid home with a satisfying click, Yelz having to stretch to the tips of her paws to reach, before pushing open the door to her new home. Dust and stagnant air swirled to greet her with the scent of a space sparsely used, but the entry way seemed clean enough. Thankfully the dust wasn't on the floors or wall, at least not in the entrance. Closing the door behind her, and flicking the deadbolt shut with a relieved sigh, Yelz felt the first fingers of relief grip her since she'd left hom-… since she'd left the warren.

  The apartment was a humble affair with the front door leading directly into the living room with a small table for four and a couch situated in front of the advertised large screen television. To the left sat the open concept kitchen with the washroom bearing the dish and clothes washer as well as dryer. Further along was the door to what she assumed was the bed and bathroom, her very own lair like the dragons of old. A quaint if cozy little space, but perfect for one of her stature. Storage must have been elsewhere on property, as Yelz didn't spy any other doors… A grin spread across her muzzle as she left her sandals at the entrance, her paws appreciating the plush carpet as she explored the apartment with a wiggling nose. This was hers, every inch! The thought was boggling. What would she even do with all this room? Back in the warren, she'd only had about a ten-by-ten square foot nest to call her own. Only the matriarch herself could claim to have something this luxurious!

  Not to mention her very own kitchen to cook whatever she wanted and a widescreen television to watch her shows! It would be like coming home to a personal movie theater ever night.

  "Popcorn is the first thing on the list. I need to start a list. First thing on the list is something to write lists with, actually…"

  That was when the pointy little ears atop Yelz' head perked, the radar dish like appendages swiveling towards the bedroom. Sounds that were outside the norm, anything that broke the pattern, were an ingrained beacon to a kobold that grew up in a warren. Pattern breaks meant something had changed. If something had changed, that meant something was broken. Worry crossed the little reptile's features as she padded across the living room, pushing open the imposing bedroom door that was definitely coming off. Who had doors inside their home? The strange sound grew louder, her sensitive hearing zeroing in on the culprit; a stream of water trickling in from the ceiling.

  "Ah! Oh no! No no no no no! Roof water? Water isn't supposed to come from the roof! Sink! Tub! Faucet! That's where water comes from!" Yelz felt her paws fly to the sides of her head as she quickly paced back and forth. Water was bad in places it wasn't supposed to be. Drywall was called drywall because it was supposed to stay dry! It cost a lot of money if it didn't! "Aksl! Aksl there's wate-" The shout died in her throat, the cry for the warren repair kobold petering out. Aksl wasn't here… he wouldn't be here… "Ahhh stop it roof water! I'm not a fix it kobold, I'm a numbers kobold! Wait, fix it numbers!" As fast as she entered Yelz retreated back into the living room, making a mad dash for the kitchen. Just as Patricia had said, the fridge provided a shining magnetic card of phone numbers! Her phone was free from her still wet shorts and in her claws as she ran down the list. "Medical, sheriff, delivery, maintenance! Yes yes yes!"

  The dial tone felt like the longest wait of Yelz life, her ears seemingly plastered to her head with soul crushing anxiety. Not even ten minutes in her new warren and she'd already broken it… Stars lit in her eyes when the line picked up, a man's gruff voice garbling across as if he'd just awoken.

  "Hel-"

  "Roof water!"

  "Huh."

  "Water! From roof! Help!"

  "Uh… alright… I assume you're from one of the apartments at Patricia's Palace?" Yelz cursed herself for sounding like a hatchling.

  "Agh, y-yes, so so sorry for calling in this weather! I just got in like, ten minutes ago and I'd never call in this rain but I know water damage is super expensive to fix and I thou-"

  "It's alright miss, you did right. If you just got in you must be the new resident of um… one sec…" The sound of shuffling papers had Yelz shifting her weight from paw to paw, her tail curling around her own leg as worry built in her chest. "Unit twenty-seven? Where's the leak?"

  "In the bedroom, f-from the roof."

  "Alright… is it in the center of the room orrrr…" Right, details! Yelz cursed herself, again, she knew this stuff. She was a numbers kobold!

  "It's on the side facing the forest, where the wall meets the roof! S-Sorry, kobolds kinda act funny under stress! Ngh… what do I do?"

  "Kobold? Ah… there's a bucket by your dryer, all units have one. Catch as much as you can to save the carpet. I'm on the way. I'll head to the outside as soon as I get there, I bet I know what's up." Zippers and metal clasps rang across the line as a smile crossed Yelz' muzzle. Whoever this guy was, he was on point! Just like Aksl was… "Name's Andrew by the by, miss."

  "Yelz Tinker! Thank you so so much! I'm sorry again for calling in this storm."

  "Part and parcel of bein' on call maintenance. I'm fifteen minutes out."

  With that, Yelz went to work. She had instructions. For a kobold, that might as well be gold. Joy spread through her limbs as she set to her task with a gusto usually reserved for those who were turning in their winning lottery tickets. First, retrieve the bucket. Andrew had said it was in the laundry room so… right next to her. Thus, the pink kobold undertook a mighty pilgrimage consisting of six steps that took her to the far side of the clothes dryer. There, shoved between the massive appliance and the wall, sat her prize. Blue and plastic, the bucket was the perfect weapon against leaks, the very thing a heroine of her caliber required to vanquish moisture and save innocent carpets.

  That is… if she could actually acquire the thing… the bucket was further back between the wall and dryer than her arms were long.

  "Hhhnnnngggg! No! Andrew… trusted me… with getting the bucket!" Kobold instincts screamed in her little mind, the thought of failing her first task in the new warren leaving her little heart hammering in fear. "No no no, I can't… calm down Yelz this is an adventure. Your adventure! Okay… what would a heroine do?" Casting her gaze about, the kobold searched for an answer, one that came in embarrassingly short order. A broom, one she fished into the abyss to thread the bucket handle with. "Huzzah!" Soon, the bucket was in her claws and back into the bedroom, it's yawning and hungry depths collecting the steadily trickling water like any good bucket should. "I dub thee the sentinel of storms."

  Nodding her victory, Yelz turned to explore the bedroom in earnest now that the immediate threat had been vanquished. Just like the living room, this space was humble yet comfortable. A queen-sized bed, absolutely massive for a kobold, sat centerpiece by a nightstand and dresser holding aloft a single lamp. Across from the massive, and soft looking, surface of said bed, lied the bathroom. That would be her destination after Andrews defeated the leak, oh yes. Showers were amazing but everyone was regulated to no more than ten minutes at a time back at the old warren. This time, Yelz was going to treat herself to twenty. A matriarch could do that, after all!

  The sound of beating on the outside of her wall sent her screaming.

  Yelz dove beneath the bed, smashing her dainty muzzle on a dusty box as she swept her tail under the dark and safe hiding place. What beast was trying to break in? Was it a burglar? A monster from the forest? A murder come to make boots from her hide? Her adventure was at an end. She was the first to die in the horror movie. A defenseless, cute little kobold in the intro scene that couldn't defend herself from the evil, separated as she was from her pack! Leaving was a mistake! This was the en-

  "Miss? It's Andrew." Came a muffled voice from the far side of the wall. "Y'all got cracked siding out here. I'm going to put a temp patch on it and fix it when it ai'n't raining cats and dogs."

  Oh…

  Right…

  The fix it guy…

  The guy she'd called…

  "O-Oh, ahem right!" It wasn't that she called from under the bed. Of course not, she stuck her muzzle from the safety of the dark and tight space at the very least… "T-Thanks a ton! Is it… is it bad?"

  "Bad enough to leak!" The mystery man called from beyond the wall, her faceless savior and banisher of roof water. Slowly, the trickled eased off until the stream vanished all together, elation roaring in Yelz' bosom as she realized that by using her resources, she avoided disaster, just like the matriarch! A smile broke across her maw as she realized that yes, she could do this. The first disaster of her adventure had been conquered, just like the heroines of her story!

  "Um! I've got towels! Do you wanna come in and dry?" She called, looking down at the carpet around the valiant bucket. Maybe she should use some of the towels in her bathroom to sop up the water in the carpet…

  "If you don't mind, I gotta come in and see if y'all need a turbo fan anyway. If ya don't mind, that is?"

  "O-Oh! Please, feel free!" Yelz forced her tail to still. A person, in her new home, meaning even if for a moment, she wouldn't be alone!

  Play it cool girl, you don't want to seem weird. Which meant getting out from under the bed… The silence coming from the wall meant Andrews must be coming around! Oh no she needed to prepare! Paws scampering, Yelz rushed back into the living room to… well… make her overnight bag look presentable? There simply wasn't any more time than that, as the knock that came was short, concise, and firm. Yelz smoothed out her prestigious Five Finger Death Punch shirt and padded over to let her very first guest ever inside.

  When she opened the door… it was to a giant.

  To her at least.

  Andrews was of average height with working man arms that twisted with muscles that only turning wrenches and pushing saws can build. Yelz let her eyes wander from his slightly muddy boots that the man was currently removing, up his faded jeans, to his button up shirt, to the sharp face covered by five o'clock shadow that framed a slightly tanned face topped with a combed over mop of wet brown hair. Sharp green eyes gazed back down at her with the weight of… experience… the same look her matriarch's mate had. Like he'd… been there… A scar ran across the human's chin, parting the stubble like the lightning outside split the sky. Whatever else Yelz might notice was broken as he waved a calloused hand, stepping around her and onto the welcome mat just inside the door.

  "Hey there, miss. Thanks for letting me in."

  "R-Right! No sense in keeping you from your job."

  "Wish some other tenants thought ahead like you. Mind if I…?" Andrews jabbed a thumb at the living room as Yelz gazed outside, looking at the massive utility van parked next to her diminutive sedan.

  "Sure sure, of course!" Obediently, and too eagerly she noticed, Yelz followed after shutting the door. She was a matriarch on an adventure now! She shouldn't be seeking instruction from anyone, much less a stranger… yet she'd already followed Andrews orders once… the seed had been planted. She'd have to be careful… damn kobold biology… Still, it was hard not to bother the human as he pulled this and that from his pockets. The first little doo dad looked like a pen, yet instead of a single head two prongs were brandished as he removed the cap.

  "So you drove through this garbage?" Andrew asked as he jabbed her wall with the strange device, Yelz' ears lying flat as it screeched an awful noise.

  "Yeah, I've been so nervous leaving my warren. I just wanted to get it over with."

  Stab

  Beeeeep

  Stab

  Beeeep

  "I thought kobolds didn't leave their warrens to begin with?"

  "Usually not but… it was getting crowded and food was getting thin and money was tight and… jobs were getting harder to find in Alysia and… ngh, I shouldn't vent to you, you're a guest. Oh, I'm supposed to offer a drink right?"

  "Ha! You're a friendly one. Thanks but I don't think you even have anything in the fridge."

  "Oh… right… sorry."

  Stab

  Beeeeeep

  "Ai'n't nothing to be sorry for, miss. You just got here, yeah? Wouldn't be right to expect the world of you." Yelz found her tail wagging gently. This was a nice human. He was smart and could fix things, and was understanding!

  "What's that thing you're poking the wall with?"

  "Moisture pen," Andrew answered as he poked the wall once more, leaving a trail of small indentions up and down its length from floor to ceiling. "Gives me an idea of how much water is in the wall."

  "Oh, neat. And… how much water is in the wall?" Yelz found herself edging closer to the man, her paws on his jeans as she sought out the touch of another, her kobold instincts seeking body heat and connection. To his credit, the man simply raised an eyebrow at the contact.

  "Enough that I'll need to hit it with a fan… but not enough that I'll need to ruin your first night's sleep over it. You gonna be in here a lot tomorrow?"

  "Nuh-uh, I gotta meet Mrs. Patricia in the morning for my welcome package and then I head over to my job for the new hire tour and then I need groceries."

  "Perfect, I'll set up a fan after you leave. I can get in. Patricia is a good egg, she'll do you right. Where you working?" Andrew stowed the curious little beeping pen, brandishing an actual pen like a noble blade as he made several marks on the wall.

  "I'm gonna be doing data input for Wild Greg's!" Yelz puffed out her chest, pride swelling in her tiny kobold body. Andrew… looked less than enthused however.

  "Gregs? Uh… you be careful in there, it can get a little… hectic. You'll be in the back?"

  "I think so. Why do you ask?" Anxiety swelled in the reptile, her tail curling around itself as she clutched at his pants leg. "Is it dangerous?"

  "It can… get a little, well, wild on the dance floor. And Greg is a bastard, don't let him jerk you around. But you'll be alright as long as you stay in the back, okay?"

  "Yeah! If you say so." Yelz nodded, her worry assuaged. Andrew had said so, after all…

  "Welp, that's all I can do for now. I'm gonna head home and dry off. If anything else falls down around your ears, you know my number. See ya later!"

  "Bye, thank you so so much Andrews!" Waving, the kobold couldn't help but feel that, despite the setbacks, her first foray into the unknown was a success. Scared, alone, and flying by the seat of her tail she may be… but things were looking up. By her scales, tomorrow would be even better! Yelz closed the door behind the retreating human, leaping onto the couch and burying herself beneath the provided blanket. It was time to call the warren and regale them with the tale of her adventure!