Slither

In the world of Latevania, there were legends of anthropomorphic figures, creatures that man couldn't classify as human or animal. These creatures were feared by all who saw them, if only because they couldn't understand their ways. As years passed, these 'things' that were half-man and half-snake disappeared from all of mankind's memory...

Character

Name: Er'end
Age: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Appearance: Similar to this

Character: Margaret Lee
Age: 23
Appearance:
Something like this.

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Margaret scrambled down one of the rocks around the caves. She'd stumbled across the caves a few days before, while exploring the woods a bit. Wedging her foot into a crevice, she tried to carefully climb over a mossy rock. That same moss gave way under her foot, and she slipped awkwardly down to the ground. She brushed her hair out of her face as she looked around. She had no idea how she hadn't known about these caves before, since she'd lived in the area for years, so she intended to explore them.

Er'end the Sly was cleaning out his cave, something he tended to do at least once every lunar cycle. He was still a growing naga, so the shed skin tended to accumulate almost rapidly. He hissed slightly at the fact all his objects were covered in some form of skin and the inner clean freak shuddered at the fact of how filthy he could be when shedding. He paused in his slithering, his ruby red tail wrapping around himself slightly as he heard the noise of someone coming nearby.

He turned around and faced the entrance of the cave, eyes narrowing and claws at the ready. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but this was his home. No one bothered visiting so it couldn't have been anything good heading in his direction. Er'end only hoped that because the cave was so deep with no lighting inside that no one would dare try to explore it. And maybe the excessive snake skin laying just outside would be enough to warn someone to stay away.

Margaret managed to get over the rocks without killing herself, which she was oddly proud of. She wasn't clumsy, but she'd never been particularly graceful, either. Once she was sure she wasn't going to slip again, she got her feet under her and looked around. The entrance to the cave seemed obscured, but she could still see the top of it over the bushes that hid it. She also saw what looked like a huge snake skin outside of it. It was a truly massive shed skin, but it looked a bit old. She had worked with snakes in school, so she knew what a fresh skin looked like. It seemed older, so she wasn't too worried. Still... It meant that there was a massive snake in the area, and she had to wonder how a snake could grow to such size around there. It wasn't like there was much by way of prey big enough for a snake that large... She poked around the area a bit more, stepping lightly out of habit.

Er'end cursed in his snake-tongue when he realized the thing approaching hadn't received the hint the snake skin should have given. He batted some dried skin to the side with the tip of his tail, slithering forward slightly in hope of being able to figure out what exactly was approaching before if noticed him. He took advantage of a large gust of wind that blew into his home and immediately recognized the smell of heat and flesh.

Possibly a human, he thought to himself before recoiling out of habit. He could no longer hear it approaching as well as before, so he was unable to judge exactly how far away the fellow predator was. The Naga darted over to his bed of dried leaves and mussed it up. The more he could make his habitat look more 'natural' like an abnormally large snake lived there and not a Naga the better.

Margaret maintained what she figured was a healthy level of caution as she poked around a little more. There were pieces of shed skins everywhere, and she slipped on a few of them when the light wind blew some underfoot. She was still trying to figure out how a snake could get to such a colossal size in a temperate forest, rather than a tropical area, and she was keeping an eye out for such a snake. She'd rather not get eaten or anything.

The cave she was in front of was completely dark after about a foot or so, so she couldn't see anything inside. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in there, but she wasn't about to go in without a light and some sort of long, sharp stick.

He paused in messing up his bed, his tongue slipping out long enough to get a taste of the air. It was closer, the smell was easier to detect now, and it was undeniably human. He turned towards the opening slitted eyes widening slightly when spotting the shadow blocking the entrance of light. It was undeniable now. Definitely a human.

Er'end withheld the hiss that would have escaped in his natural urge to protect himself. But it would also draw more attention and possibly end in death. He continued to watch and wait, his tail curling about himself quickly but silently, waiting to see what it would do.

Margaret squinted into the darkness for a few more minutes before finally deciding she couldn't go in and explore without some sort of light. Carefully, she climbed back up the rocks. She only slipped a couple of times, which she was proud of. She hadn't broken her neck yet, that was something. She left the cave behind, and headed back towards home. It was late in the day, and it was time for her to get back and settle in for the night.

The next day, though, she went back out to the cave, this time with a flashlight. At least this time, she would be able to get a better look inside the cave. She climbed carefully down the rocks, and squeaked a bit when she slipped near the bottom and fell the rest of the way, knocking her shin on a rock on her way down. That would definitely bruise underneath the scrape. She didn't let it bother her, though. She still intended to take a look inside the cave.

Er'end almost collapsed upon himself in happiness when the figure pulled away from the entrance, slinking back upon his pile of leaves. He was trying to decide whether or not to go through and begin gathering his items now or wait until later. He had no guarantee that the figure out anyone else would come back and try to sneak into the cave, but he also didn't have any guarantee that no one wouldn't. He decided to take the chance and retire for the night. He needed to wake earlier than usual if he planned on eating tomorrow.

The next morning he slunk out of his cave, staff with sharpened rock on the end in hand, slinking through the rocks, and weeds growing wild and untamed. He needed to obtain something nice and large, something that would keep him filled for a long duration of time. Especially if the weather was going to do as it had been doing quite frequently lately, droughts and such that kept the smaller, edible animals away for an extended duration of time.

Margaret somehow got to the cave after its occupant had left, although she didn't know that. She was intent on going in, though, now that she had a flashlight. She wasn't able to find that long, sharp stick that she'd thought about in passing the day before, but that was alright, as long as she didn't poke around in the cave too much. And if she found anything actually living in there, well, she knew the phrase 'poke not the sleeping dragon.' Besides, there were no records of anything big and dangerous living in the area...

When she got to the cave, she clicked on the flashlight and cautiously made her way inside. It seemed to be empty... Still, she didn't relax as she made her way further in.

Er'end was pleased. The bright orb in the sky hadn't even made its way to the center and his hunt for the day was complete. He did end up snapping his weapon in two when the Oleiger (a creature with a thick hide, stripped with greys and browns that stalked around its territory proudly) attempted to tackle the Naga to the ground to gain the upper hand. Er'end just had to remember to make a new one before he left his territory next time.

He dragged the body behind him, frozen stiff with his natural protective venom, just waiting to be digested alive. His crimson ruby scales glistened in the light, and he barely resisted the urge to curl up in a ball beneath the sunlight, his food left behind as he soaked in the heat. Instead he urged himself to hurry, the belt made from animal pelts, claws and teeth clanking slightly as his muscles flexed to increase his speed.

Pausing a feet feet away from the entrance of his den, his tongue flicked out and tasted the air. There was a smell there that hadn't been there this morning. His bright eyes narrowed, having half the mind of ditching his kill to attack whomever was inside, but that wasn't smart. He knew the pathways better than anyone else, he knew the smells the locations of air vents. He knew that with a taste that something (or someone) was inside. Now the question was, what to do?

Margaret kept poking around the inside of the cave. It was far deeper than she had originally thought, and seemed to have some tunnels branching out from the back, leading further underground. And oddly, it seemed to get warmer the further in she walked. She didn't go towards any of the tunnels, however. She knew better than to try to go exploring in there. She knew she'd get lost, and then where would she be?

She had been looking around for a good while before she realized that the whole cave seemed slightly... off. It didn't seem like it was being used by any sort of animal, it actually seemed like it was being used by... a person? At least, something, or someone, intelligent enough to use 'bedding' and keep different areas of the cave separate. The disconnect seemed to get more and more profound as Margaret poked around the cave. Then she froze when she heard something outside. Maybe it was the inhabitant of the cave, coming back? She didn't know, but what she did know was that her escape route was suddenly cut off.

Er'end slithered into his den, still dragging the Oleiger behind him as he moved at a more sedate pace. Pacing at one of the many alcoves that were naturally made in this cavern, he shoved it inside, knowing he still had the greater part of the day before the venom would wear off. Taking another taste of the air, he could smell the presence's closeness, so he peered around the corner, slitted eyes taking in the shape of a human standing so far within his den. He wondered why one would wander so deep without a weapon, without any form of protection, and it put him on the edge. But tasting the air, he could only taste this one human's scent; there was no one else with her.

His muscles flexed and stretched as he crept closer, peering at the human curiously, while remaining out of sight, something very difficult to do with the lower half of his body being the size of an extremely large snake. The closer he got, the more apparent this human was female. Er'end wondered why no one bothered to come with her, for if she was as really as young as she appeared (Er'end himself had over seventy summers, and that was only when he started counting), then she was at the age that needed to be protected. He shoved aside his curiosities and slithered even closer, spotting the odd contraption that seemed to shine light from the very point of it and had the urge to steal it, analyze it, and determine whether or not it could be of use.

Margaret didn't hear him at first. She was more preoccupied with looking around. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that the cave seemed like someone was living in it, someone or something intelligent.

She jumped when she heard a noise behind her, near one wall of the cave, and she swung the light around to try to get a look at what it was. She couldn't see anything, but she knew that it didn't mean nothing was there. She tensed, and slowly tried to make her way back towards the entrance of the cave. If the inhabitant had come back, she didn't want to be cornered by it in its own home, she wouldn't stand a chance.

She crept closer and closer to the exit, and then suddenly slipped on something on the ground and fell. She fell hard on her hip, and accidentally dropped the flashlight on her way down. It clattered to the floor and rolled away.

He had to withhold his hiss of surprise at the loud noise echoing through his cave as the thing that gave off light hit the ground and began rolling away, the light flickering out. It took only mere moments for his eyes to adjust, and he began to trace the wall, knowing the female before him couldn't see him.

He hissed softly, wanting to see her reaction as he slithered passed her, towards the farthest back area of the cave, hoping to eventually goad her into leaving with his threatening hisses. He didn't want to draw attention to him if possible, mentally planning to move away after getting her out of here.

"Leave" his voice was raspy, thick with disuse, and he wondered faintly if he was even speaking in a language she could understand. "We don't want you here."

Margaret jumped with a muffled gasp when she felt something stir the air near her. It felt like something very large had just moved past, towards the back of the cave, and that unnerved her a lot. She couldn't see anything in the darkness of the cave, and her eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the minimal light. She was frozen to the spot in fear, all of her muscles tensing up and trembling. She wasn't sure if she was going to bolt or faint, but she was sure that both were distinctly possible. Whatever was now in the cave with her, it was big, predatory, and angry. She flinched when she heard the low, soft hissing from the direction she thought the thing went in.

Oh yes. It was angry, whatever it was.

She jumped again and had to muffle a shriek when a low, raspy voice came out of the darkness. She couldn't understand it at all, but it was definitely a distinctly male voice. She was still frozen in place, fear being the only thing keeping her there. Her heart was pounding, her limbs were trembling, and she would probably end up jumping hard enough to rupture something if she was startled in any way.

Instinctually, his tongue flicked out to taste the air. Fear was the main thing he could taste, and his eyes could practically spot the increased internal temperature of the girl in her shock. He hissed louder this time, a continuance of his hiss from before, and Er'end tried once more, this time trying another dialect, hoping to his Gorgon ancestors that the intruder would understand him this time.

"Leave this place. You are not welcome here." His voice was slowly becoming less raspy, but the instinctual hiss remained with his words. "We do not want to harm you, but will be forced if you remain."

The sibilant voice came from Margaret's left. She still couldn't understand it, and she was very close to fainting from fear. She wasn't sure if it was that same fear that broke her from her frozen spot, but all of a sudden, she darted back towards the mouth of the cave. Whatever was behind her, clearly it wanted her gone, and she was more than happy to oblige.

Fate had other plans.

In the near-total darkness of the cave, Margaret couldn't see the dip in the floor. Her left foot, however, had no problems getting caught in it. Her knee buckled underneath her, and her ankle twisted sharply to the right, forcing a high-pitched cry of pain past her lips. She hit the floor of the cave hard, scraping her palms as she flung her hands out to catch herself. She tried to scramble back to her feet, but the moment she put any pressure on her left foot, it went out again, pain shooting up her leg. She must have twisted her ankle when she tripped.

Er'end watched her trip and fall with something akin to exasperation. It couldn't be helped, he had to assist her. He could spot the heat flaring around the already swelling joint. He could have left her there in her pain, but then he'd have to listen to her whine and whimper the whole time until she either fought through the pain or until she died of fever or some sort.

Withholding a sigh, a horrible human-like action, he searched through one of the slivers in the cave for a particular herb that grew nearby in deep, dark moist areas. Finding the scratchy leaf, he grabbed a couple and slithered toward the girl. He paused a few feet away. What should he do now? He didn't want her to stay, but he didn't want her to know what he was. And he didn't want to deal with her for too long.

He rubbed the flesh of the leaf, getting the oils to secret before peeling off the fussy layer. With the sticky bit free to the air, the oils seemed to accumulate quicker and thus would be more effective in treating the sprain. He took in the trembling she was doing, and the way she favored it. Careful with his claw-like fingers, he slid the oily side onto her ankle before slithering back quickly. If the girl didn't freak out over the feeling, the numbing would be able to settle in and get rid of a majority of the pain.

Now if only she would talk, so he could try to figure out how to communicate with her.

Margaret tried to scramble backwards when she heard whatever-it-was get closer to her, but all she succeeded in doing was flopping back awkwardly when one of her hands slipped on something on the floor. It was vaguely papery, but she as too afraid to really feel it to see what it was. Her pulse was racing and she could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She jumped when something seemed to touch her ankle. Whatever it was, it stuck to her skin, a sensation that made shivers go up her spine.

In the darkness, she could see a vague figure moving about, but she couldn't make out any more than that. There wasn't enough light for her eyes to use, even though she'd been in the dark cave long enough for them to adjust. She didn't know where her flashlight was; it had gone out when she dropped it earlier. The figure loomed over her, and it seemed closer now than it was before. Whether it was a trick of her eyes or not, she didn't care.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. It was almost involuntary; she knew that if it was an animal, it wouldn't understand her anyways, but she couldn't help it.

The words "Please don't hurt me" had him blinking. It was a form of speech he hadn't heard for many seasons, but once he managed to translate it, he struggled to replicate it.

"We will help your wound and then you will leave. And you won't return. We can't promise you will be safe here." His accent was rough, but he couldn't doubt that she understood. He continued with the leaves remaining in his hand, peeling the fuzz off the one side and slipping them around her ankle.

He was trying his hardest to not touch her at all if he could manage it, worried that she would freak out more and inadvertently injured herself more. Once her ankle was pretty much wrapped in the leaves, he began searching for something to use to carry her out. If he had to pick her up, she could feel his scales, or his claws, or numerous other things of his being. He slithered about his dwelling, easily finding all the tools he could use in the situation, his tail remaining near her form, as if to make sure she didn't move from where he left her.

The voice that spoke to her was surprisingly pleasant to listen to in spite of the thick, unfamiliar accent, and it almost shocked Margaret out of her fear. Almost. She was still trembling, and she flinched every time she felt whoever it was lay another leaf on her ankle. She had to stop herself more than once from scrambling backwards, towards the cave's entrance. The stranger, whoever it was, moved about the cave easily, seeming to know exactly where everything was. Margaret could hear a strange, almost scraping sound, almost like scales on rock. But that couldn't be possible... could it? After a few moments, Margaret realized that the sharp, radiating pain in her ankle was slowly disappearing. She didn't know how or why, but she wasn't going to question it if it was making her ankle feel better.

Er'end placed the bowl made of an old shell beside one of her hands, filled to the brim with multiple medicinal herbs. He pulled back far enough into the cavern that she wouldn't be able to inadvertently brush against his scales. "To your side, you will find herbs that can help your injury. Tell us what you wish to treat, and we'll tell you which plant to use." His voice was slowly becoming less rough with use, but the hiss remained; it was built into his language, it was something he wouldn't be able to get rid of.

And then the smell of the Oleiger hit him, and he recalled the stunned animal left outside. His venom would be lifting soon, and if he wasn't quick enough it would be able to escape. As he moved along the walls towards the entrance, his tail brushed against the fallen flashlight, sending it rolling across the floor once more. However he focused on the Oleiger outside, sustenance was the priority.

Margaret was hesitant to move at all, even to reach for the supposed healing herbs. She couldn't see a damn thing in the darkness, and she'd already fallen twice. She wasn't all that keen on hurting herself again trying to move around. If she could only find the flashlight... She had no idea where she'd dropped it, though, and even if she found it, for all she knew it was broken from being dropped. It had gone out when it fell on the stone floor.

She jumped when she heard whatever-it-was go by her in the darkness. It sounded close, closer than she'd originally thought, and she unconsciously cringed away from the sound. Something told her that the thing was big, and she knew it was intelligent; it had spoken to her. The sound of it moving kept on going in one direction, although it wasn't going back deeper into the cave. It seemed to be going out towards the entrance. Using her hands and her uninjured foot, she scooted over until she found some sort of wall or large rock; she wasn't sure which. Carefully, she hauled herself up until she was standing on her one good foot and leaning against the hard surface. Then she hopped a couple of times towards the entrance, using the wall as support.

It got lighter and lighter as she went closer to the entrance, which was both good and bad; it was good since it meant she could see again and bad because the light was hurting her eyes after being in the dark for so long. She was almost at the mouth of the cave when she slipped again on something on the floor. It sent her sprawling to the ground with a yelp right inside the entrance, and she whimpered when she banged her twisted ankle on a smaller rock near the wall. After a moment, though, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and tried to get a look around. Maybe she could see whatever the thing was that was in the cave with her.

Er'end could hear her stumbling along behind him, which was her decision in the end. He offered her the chance to get her ankle healed, and she chose not to take it. Her decisions however was not going to prevent him from being well-fed. As the Oleiger hadn't completely regained use of its limbs, all he had to do was offer another venomous bite before digging his nails into the excess hide around its midsection and dragged it along behind him.

He tasted the air, turning his gaze to the sky. The hint of storm clouds were on the horizon and he scowled. The Naga refused to sigh, knowing this meant the girl would be with him longer. Well, if her own kind couldn't take care of her, why should he? He felt the skin around his eyes tighten in frustration. This was why he had separated from his siblings: he constantly had the urge to protect and baby the runts of the clutch. And he was finding that urge to protect the silly girl welling up in the back of his mind. He shook his head, the free flowing strands of hair falling somewhat in front of his face, with another scowl he pushed the 'bangs' over his shoulder and felt the tingle of his antler like horns against his scalp. They were going to grow again soon...

Er'end found himself suddenly self-conscious, wondering if he was 'decent'. He had his usual cloth of multiple patterned hides hooked around his waist, just above where his 'skin' turned into 'scales' (when in reality his whole body was covered in scales, some much smaller than the others). His mind then jumped to the question of her eating anything he provided her with. At the moment he doubted she could, but food would probably do her good. He could hear her finally getting close enough to the entrance to see him, if she wished. This would be the deciding factor, he supposed.