Teddy lay down, letting himself sink into his bed with a sigh of contentment. Today had been the best day of his life, and he was exhausted. But the glow of his good fortune made falling asleep difficult. He couldn't stop thinking about what an amazing day it had been. A year's salary in lottery money, a new job, and even a free lunch.

Maybe that hag wasn't a quack after all.

With that thought, Teddy set his good luck charm on his bedside table and his eyes began to fall. Soon he fell into a deep sleep.

Instantly his eyes shot open, but he wasn't in his bedroom. No. Not his room at all. Rough wood flooring pressed into his cheek. His whole body felt sore, and he had an aching headache. The world felt like it was spinning rapidly, despite the fact that he was laying on the floor. His vision faded in and out, shapes swirled in and out of focus, but his hearing worked fine.

“There we go!” A raspy voice said with a cackle.

Teddy tried to raise his head, but that brought on a whole new bout of nausea, so he settled for trying to make out the owner of the voice with his eyes. He didn't need to search. As soon as his vision cleared it was filled with the hideous face of the woman who had sold him the good luck charm.

“Surprised to see me? Hah! I told you where your dream would go didn't I?” she cackled, a wide grin on her face.

This made Teddy's addled brain even more confused.

“Don't worry though, because all you must do tonight is deliver a message to my friend, a court wizard.” The statement did not clear things up.

Teddy's vision cleared a little more he could make out a massive book clutched in the hag's hands. He could also make out what he was laying on. Well, in would be a more accurate word. It was a circle made of glowing red powder.

“Now I just need to add the messenger runes to the circle… there, that should do it. Now let me find that scroll.”

Teddy's vision snapped into focus. In fact, everything seemed perfectly in focus. He could pick out details in the old woman's face he had never even wished to see. His hearing too sharpened massively. All of a sudden he could hear birds chirping and mice scratching around beneath his feet. He also started to float.

“Hey! What's going on?” Teddy exclaimed, attempting to rise to his feet, but when he pushed just slightly on the ground he tumbled into the air.

“I told you already! You're going to deliver a message. Now be patient while I find it.” The woman searched through piles of papers on various desks around the room. All the while Teddy's stomach was doing summersaults.

He was falling, except he wasn't. The ground stayed right beneath him, but he never touched it. His stomach quieted somewhat as he got used to the sensation. However, that wasn't the only odd feeling he had. His torso twisted more than it should have, and his arms and legs felt strange.

Teddy looked down, not down down, but down the length of his body. It was quite a length too. Much longer than it should have been. His arms couldn't even reach his hips. His torso seemed more cylindrical too. Maybe it was just a trick of perspective though.

What certainly wasn't a trick of perspective were the sharp claws growing out of his fingertips. They were further away than he had expected, but they were claws none the less. To inspect them more closely, he couldn't just move his hands up to his face, he also had to move his face to his hands. When he did he noticed not only claws but scales growing from his fingers. The scales were light blue, much like fish scales, but when he touched them they were dry like a snake’s. The claws and scales weren't the only things that were changing about his hands. His fingers had shortened, and his thumb was shifting back away from his fingers.

After a moment watching the scales creep along, the reality set in. He looked up at the witch in horror. “What are you doing to me!?”

“Gah! You extraplanar folk never listen. You're to deliver a message. Would you rather walk all the way to Oar's Rest on foot?” The witch briefly turned to glare at Teddy. “I don't think so. It would take days, and you'd probably die along the way.”

Teddy gulped. He felt the motion travel all the way down his neck, which was a significant distance now.

His pajamas had long since fallen off, having been not properly sized for his serpentine body at all. Speaking of, a glance downwards revealed that his body was completely covered in scales. His body had extended past his legs into a long tail, which tapered down to a point. The tail was just as flexible as his new body, which is to say, very flexible. His legs themselves looked like they had been stapled on, and looked more like the legs of a lizard than the legs of a human.

His feet looked just like his hands, with most of his toes in front, and one in the back. They had lengthened, and now resembled fingers themselves, while his actual foot had turned into more of an extension of his leg than something meant to be stood on. He could grip with them in the same way he could with his hands. Both his hands and feet were more like a cross between the two than one or the other.

But the changes were not over. He realized this when his face began to feel strange. He twisted around, feeling the protrusion with his hands. His mouth was extending, taking his nose with it. As it did he felt his teeth changing inside his mouth. They were becoming sharper, and his canines were growing to dominate the front of his maw. Now he could wrap his paw-hand around the front of his face. When he removed his paw he could easily see the protrusion attached to his head. The whole process was surprisingly painless, with two minor exceptions.

Two sharp pokes from behind his head signaled the growth of two horns, which swept back into sharp points. Although he couldn't see them, he could certainly feel the things.

Teddy looked down at his long sinuous body again. The changes seemed to be over. He definitely wasn't human anymore. If he had to guess, he would say he was an eastern dragon. Which was impossible, because they didn't exist.

“Here we go!” The witch cackled, triumphantly holding up a sheet of paper. “Now get over here.”

Even if he had wanted to, Teddy didn't know how. He was just floating in mid-air. It wasn't like he could just will himself over there.

As if by that thought he slowly started moving towards the witch. It took a few tries to get himself oriented right, but by that time the hag's hand was already wrapped around his torso. The feeling of her hand was not what he had expected. His scales weren't as sensitive as his human skin, with no sense of texture, he could still feel the uncomfortable pressure of her fingers around his stomach though.

Teddy opened his mouth to let out an exclamation, but instead of the “Hey!” he had intended, the noise he made was more of a squeak. The noise sounded like something a kitten would make.

The witch was much larger now, her hand could easily wrap around Teddy's body. Thankfully, she let go, leaving him floating in place while she tied the scroll into his foot. It was a strange knot, which would definitely require proper thumbs to untie.

“Try not to get eaten like my last messenger. I turned him into a pigeon, but one of your lot got him before he could deliver the message,” the witch mused, finishing the knot around his foot.

Teddy shivered. Surely the witch wasn't serious, was she?

“Now, take this to Alaxar. He should be up in his tower in Oar's Rest. If he's not, wait there until he returns,” the witch commanded.

Suddenly he knew exactly where that was, in what direction, and how far. He knew what Alaxar looked like too. Somehow the knowledge had just jumped into his head.

Then, and without further adieu, she tossed him head-over-heels out the open window.

Teddy floated away from the hut, body tumbling and twisting through the air. It took a moment to get his bearings. When he did, he was already above the treeline. The hut shrunk below him. It was located in a small clearing. There was a barn next to the hut, and a small fenced area containing several normal-looking chickens. In the distance light wisps of smoke rose from barely visible chimneys. The tops of the trees glowed green in the afternoon sun. The forest stretched forever. If there was a path beneath the trees, it was invisible from this height.

Teddy wasn't the only thing in the sky. Vultures circled a ways off, and in the distance, a much larger figure was floating above the trees. Even with his enhanced eyesight, he couldn't quite make out what it was. Luckily his destination did not lie in that direction.

Teddy briefly considered disobeying the witch. Why did he have to deliver her letter? He could go anywhere he wanted now. He could fly! But he definitely didn't want to do all that with a letter tied to his foot. Besides, his destination was not very far. Maybe thirty miles at most.

Wait? Thirty miles? That was really far! He would have to go really fast for that to be a short trip. But, he didn't know how fast he could go in this new body. He didn't really know how to make himself go. In the hut he had just thought about going in a direction, maybe that would work here too. He had to try at least.

With a thought the trees beneath him began to slide away, then they started moving faster, and faster until Teddy had to completely straighten his body out or be blown off course by the wind. And still, he went faster. Now everything beneath him was a blur. The air flowed around him, his more arrow dynamic snout splitting the wind.

This was amazing! He was moving as fast as a jet, flying over trees and meadows before he could even get a good look at them. It took a fair amount of effort to keep the speed up, but his body was built for this now. He felt like he could do this forever. He wasn't even near his top speed.

Fifteen minutes later he spotted something different on the horizon. It rose above the trees in a series of towers and turrets. His destination. By the time he had slowed enough to get a proper look at the thing, he was already shooting over farms and fields. It was like coming out of hyperspace. A town surrounded by high stone walls materialized beneath him.

In front of him rose a large castle right out of a fairy tale. Turrets, halls, and great stone walls sprang from the top of a small hill. The tallest tower was much taller than the height he had been flying at. But he didn't want that one. He wanted the third tallest. The third tower was no less grand than the first two, but Teddy knew the wizard was home because thick, purple smoke was billowing from the windows. He snaked towards one of the windows, avoiding the foul-smelling smoke.

There was a loud shout from inside, and the smoke was blasted away from the windows with a strong gust of air. The sharp breeze nearly threw Teddy off course. After the smoke was clear, and no more shouts were forthcoming, Teddy cautiously flew down and grabbed onto the top of the window with his forepaws, using his long neck to peer inside.

In the center of the room bubbled a cauldron full of purple liquid, the exact same color as the smoke in fact. Behind it stood the wizard, who dramatically dropped a tiny leaf into the cauldron. The liquid bubbled and hissed, but didn't do much else.

“Come in little friend. It should be safe now.” The wizard said, stepping away from the pot.

Teddy pushed himself through the window, but as soon as he crossed the threshold gravity reasserted itself, sending him tumbling to the floor.

The old man chuckled, “Your flight magic won't work in here. I have it warded so magical creatures can't just come in and start making a mess of things.”

Teddy untangled himself, standing as best he could on all fours. His body had obviously not been made for this sort of locomotion. It was too long. It took effort to keep his torso from touching the ground. He didn't even bother trying with his tail.

The wizard bent down towards him, “What's this? A message from Agitha? I thought she never wanted to speak to me again! Apparently not! Ha! Now let's get that off of you.”

Before he could react the wizard gave Teddy's head a scratch. It felt surprisingly good, and Teddy found himself leaning into the action. Before he knew it the wizard had removed the scroll from Teddy's leg. Teddy pulled back, slightly embarrassed by his unintentional reaction.

“There we go. Agatha doesn't trust her summons very much.” The wizard tisked, “but what should she expect when she doesn't even give them proper protection spells. Especially intelligent summons like you. Poor thing.”

The wizard stepped over to his desk and placed the letter on top. Teddy followed at a distance. He didn't want to get accidentally stepped on. Everyone was a giant now, and his head was practically touching the floor. At least when he could fly he could stay at eye level.

And did the wizard just call him “poor thing?” Teddy certainly wasn't a thing. Nor was he some animal. Oh, wait. He was an animal now. That was a frustrating fact. Was everybody going to treat him like this now? Being a dragon was cool, but being talked down to like a child or even a dog was just demeaning.

“Here. I make these for all of my summons so you can have one too if you want.” The wizard pulled a ring of leather from a drawer. “It will protect you from all physical harm, and most magic too. It will also help distinguish you from others of your kind.”

It took Teddy a moment to figure out what exactly the thing was. A collar. Nope! Teddy was not going to take that. He scampered back before the wizard could put the thing around his neck.

“Do you not want it? Many of my summons have preferred it placed around an ankle or tail. Would that be more tolerable?” The wizard asked.

Teddy nodded, offering his right paw. There was no way the thing could fit there, but when the wizard placed it around his arm it snapped down tightly around his wrist. The feeling against his scales was tight, but not uncomfortable.

“There. You're all set. Now hurry back to Agatha before she summons you back. I'll give you a ride to the window if you'd like.” The wizard said, offering his hand.

Teddy clambered up onto the outstretched arm, using the wizard's fingers like rungs on a ladder. It was crazy to think he was small enough to be carried in one hand. As soon as he was part-way out the window he started floating again. It felt more natural this time. Teddy wasn't sure if anything had changed, or if he was just more accustomed to his new form.

In any case, Teddy was once again flying through the air at astounding speeds. He gave a wave back in the direction of the wizard's tower, but he was probably too far away already. This flight he was learning to control his movements more finely, weaving between treetops and around boulders. His long body snaked through the air, spiraling when he slowed, and straightening when he accelerated. He was like a ribbon, his head directing the path the rest of his body would take.

Around that tree, over a boulder, and a spin through a log! This was fun! The ground flashed by underneath him. Nothing could stop him when he was in the air. Except for that tree.

Teddy's head slammed into the trunk with a loud crack! Chips of bark flew in all directions. The world spun sideways as Teddy bounced and skidded to a halt on the forest floor.

Around him, the forest slowly spun. Teddy rubbed his head. Strangely it didn't hurt at all. In fact, not a scale was out of place. Further examination revealed absolutely no damage, except to the tree, which had a small crater smashed into the trunk.

Soon Teddy was off again. This time he chose a higher altitude so as to prevent any more trees from suddenly halting him again. It wasn't long before the witch's cottage was in sight.

When the witch saw him glide in through the window she cackled with glee. “You got one!”

Just as she neared her she gave him a sharp tap on the head. Teddy's body went completely straight and instantly stiffened like a board. He couldn't move a muscle!

“That old Alaxar makes one of these collars for all of the creatures which visit him. I never knew how powerful they were until my last messenger came back with one. I accidentally ruined it trying to get it off, but now I know how to get it off properly!” The witch said, selecting a small bottle from a shelf.

She was going to steal the collar!

She wrapped her bony fingers around Teddy's body to hold him still, then placed a few drops of liquid on his arm around where the band was. Although Teddy couldn't see it, he felt the effects of the potion alright. His arm started to burn like it was on fire. His fingers felt like they were melting. They were fusing and combining, merging and mingling. A few moments later the sensation stopped. He could still feel his arm, but now from the elbow down it was just an amorphous blob.

“Perfect,” the witch said, using her bony fingers to squeeze the band of leather off of Teddy's altered appendage. His arm bent around her fingers, never touching them.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Teddy saw the band grow back to normal size in the witch's hands. She then slipped it around her own wrist. “Amazing.” She breathed. “I can feel its power. Why would that old fool waste something like this on a summons?”

But Teddy noticed something off. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a green sheen beginning to spread outwards from the band. It slowly climbed her arm. Then it accelerated. Her hand began to change, but only when webs were beginning to grow from her fingers did she notice.

“What the-! That old bastard tricked me!” The witch exclaimed, fingers scraping at the band in a futile attempt to get it off.

“I'll - I'll -” the next word didn't come out, instead a large croak bellowed from her mouth. Her head was beginning to change as her arm had.

All the while the witch was shrinking. Soon the top of her head passed beneath the table, and in Teddy's petrified state, he couldn't move to get a better look. All he could do was listen to the angry croaks emanating from beneath the table.

However, someone else appeared in the hut. The wizard shook his head, “Karma always gets you in the end, Agatha. I noticed how you treat your summons, so I decided to do something about it. The high council might not care how you treat them, but I certainly do.”

An even angrier croak burst from below the desk.

The wizard pulled out his wand and gave Teddy a tap on the head. Immediately his body unpetrified, allowing him to finally move again. His arm too returned to normal. Well, normal for a dragon that is.

Teddy peeked over the table, spotting a small frog sitting amongst a pile of black robes. The wizard bent down and grabbed the creature.

“That band will protect you, just as it does all other creatures, but only in this form. I'll come back for you in a few years. Until then, enjoy your new life, and try not to get eaten as you've so negligently allowed your summons to be.” With that, he tossed the squirming frog out of the window. Then he turned to Teddy.

“I'm so sorry about her. Unfortunately, your contract with her still stands, so she's the only one who can dismiss you back to your home plane. I doubt she set a time limit, so you might be here for a while.” The wizard explained. “On the bright side, you're a dragon! You'll basically live forever, and with a new band, you'll be safe as can be. In fact, let's go back to my tower and get you a new one.”

Teddy considered asking the wizard to change him back to being human, but in the end, decided not to. It ended up being the right choice. Life as a dragon was much more interesting than life as a human anyway. Besides, in a fantasy land where anything was possible, wouldn't anyone rather be a dragon? In any case, he would have the option of returning to his old life in five years anyway. That choice was for future Teddy though.