You stirred awake, feeling a gentle weight pressed against your legs. When you lifted the blanket, there she was — Elyssa, your red-scaled humanoid snake, her scales glinting faintly in the moonlight. You had adopted her when she was still an egg, and since then, she’s been loyal to a fault. her long tail curled loosely around you as her cheek rubbed affectionately against your lap, she looked up at you with half-lidded eyes and a small, teasing smile.

“Warm… just like I remember,” she murmured, her voice soft and sleepy. “You always make the best pillow…”