Monsters

Training part 3- the snake

I wake up to the smell of metal and meat. I open my eyes to look around. Everything is blue, yellow and red. And the room feels very cold. Something moves in the far corner by the door. The figure moves to stand, and the form looks like a man. I can’t make out if it’s Rex or Uncle Tamar. The person moves to open the door. Next to me something moves, I freeze.

‘Where is Amir? He promised he won’t leave me alone in this!’ I think to myself.

I turn my head slowly to look at the thing that moved next to me. I hope that it was just my imagination. I really hope that it’s Amir.

Before I could turn around completely, I hear Amir’s voice.

“It’s me. I am next to you. No need to be afraid. One of my coils rolled off while I was turning. Sorry if I woke you up.” He tries to explain.

His coils. What is he talking about? Where is Rex and Uncle Tamar? Did I complete my transformation? Did I hurt anyone?

“Amir. What happened?” I ask. My mouth feels odd, but I get the words out. Before he can answer me, I hear footsteps walking towards us.

“Tatania. It’s me. It’s Rex. Can I come closer? I brought some meat if you were hungry.” He says in a low voice. He seems to be trying to move as slow as possible. Why would he try to be so cautious?

“Thank you, Rex. But I’m not hungry.” Right after I said it, I knew it was a lie. I started feeling a hunger so strong. It was twice as bad as before this started.

“Rex. No. please stay back!” I try to tell him.  Before I could think I started moving forward.

“Tatania. Please try to focus. You are a poisonous snake.  Even if you don’t kill him, by biting him or just a graze will inject you poison and that will kill him.” I hear Amir in my mind. What he said snaps me out of the daze.

I move and curl up behind him.

From the door uncle Tamar calls Rex. He drops the meat with a heavy thud and heads for the door.

“Tatania we have a lot to discuss, but first let’s sort that little problem of yours.” Amir tells me while moving towards to door. I follow him out. My whole body feels wrong. My skin is very itchy, and I have a hard time getting used to the blue, yellow and reds hues. It kind of reminds me of what night vision looks like. Suddenly, when I am just out the door, I have a new taste in my mouth. But I don’t lick anything, or did I?

The taste is strange. I imagine it is what night smells like. Damp earth. A light breeze. It rained not long ago.

“Amir, do you taste that?” I ask

“Yesss. It is how we ssmell. We sstick out our tongsss to tasste the air around uss.”  For the first time I notice that his s’s are longer. So, I ask him why.

“Our mouths are not really made for talking sso ssome of the ssoundss do not form properly.” He explains. So simple.

“Now that we are out. I need to explain many thingssss.”  Amir says out loud.

“I will speak in your mind through our animal link. It will just go faster. Do you understand? This way my s’s will be normal.”

“Okay. Did I do that right?” I try to use the link.

“That’s good.” He says

“First of, you can only hunt at night. Because you only have something like night vision. The UV light from the sun hurt our eye. So, hunt at night and sleep during the day. Got that?” He asks. I nod. Still feels odd.

“When we sleep during the day my father normally has my room heated so we can go there. We are cold blooded so when we hunt, we need to do it fast so we can get to heat.” He pauses to see if I am still following. I nod.

“You already know about the tong thing. We can only hear low sounds, but we can hear them from very far.” He pauses again. I nod. My body starts to feel more comfortable. My skin is still very sore and itchy.

“We normally eat rats, eggs, birds, frogs and fish. This forest is very full of small animals as well. You might be able to hunt bigger things because of the poison. Also, we will only need to hunt once or twice a week.” He stops again.

“Wait. How long do we have to stay like this? You are talking like I can’t turn back.” I come to a stop when he does not answer me.

“Amir! How long?!” I yell aloud.

I was a snake for seven months. But I have done research and there are ways that I will apply to your training, to make it go faster. The plan we have set out is to have you back in less than two months.” He explains as I start to calm down.

“I understand why you did not tell me before.” I say still mad.

“Yes, sorry about that. We did think about telling you, but we were not sure if the stuff I found would work as fast so yeah.” He explains. He starts to move again, and I follow not having any other choice.

We go hunting to settle my newfound hunger and then head back to the safe house. Where Uncle Tamar and Rex are waiting for us.

The hunting was like no other feeling. The rush and the feeling of my poison getting injected. The poor animals. I kind of feel a little guilty now. But during the hunting it was the best feeling ever. I wonder if this hunger will be there with all the animals and if the hunting will be this good. I always had some animal instincts as I grew up, but this is out of this world. My skin is still bothering me.

“Amir. Why does my skin fee so tight and itchy? It that normal?” I ask as we come up to the front of the safe house.

“No. that is only supposed to happen after about 3 weeks. How much did you eat? And when did the itching start?” he asks looking as concerned as his snake face can.

“When I woke up, I was already itching.” I tell him.

“This is not good. Let’s get inside.” He says as he moves towards the door. When he reaches the door, I feel that strange magic from him. It is the same as that first day in the training hall but still different as well.

Is he changing back? I think to myself as I still struggle to get up the steps. My coils are heavy from the hunting.

“Can I pick you up?” I hear Amir ask. Not in my mind but aloud. He is standing at the front door naked but in human form.

“How did you do that?” I ask aloud, not sure if the mind link will work if he is not in his snake form.

“I will still teach you. But for now, let’s get you inside and see what’s happening with this skin itching. Bring your coils together so I can pick them all up in one go.”

“No!” I say feeling like I could die from embarrassment.

“Why? Do you want to try figuring out the stairs by yourself? You will freeze.” He looks at me confused.

I stare at his feet. “Clothesss” is all I answer.

He looks down at his body then at me. And laughs so loud it hurts my ears.

“Oo I see.” Before I could say or do anything else I feel him scooping me up. I try to protest but he is so warm. I only then realise how cold I was. It started raining again.

“You better get used to this. You will be seeing a lot of people naked during all of this.” He says still laughing at me.

After he gets dressed, I am on the one couch with a soft, fluffy blanket around all my coils. The fire also helps and the fact that rex sits to my right and Amir to my left. Uncle Tamar sits opposite us on the single couch.

“Tatania we need to tell you what happened during your transformation. But first there seems to be something wrong with your skin. It has the symptoms of shedding but that only happens at around three weeks. This is very strange. Could you tell me how it feels?” he asks

“Pleassse be patient with me. It feelsss very sssimilar to my human ssskin when it getsss too dry. Then I take a bath and add sssome oilsss.” I talk very slow.

“I would like to try something. Amir run a warm bath and add some of her oils.” Uncle Tamar says.

As Amir gets up I can feel the cold settling in on my left. Rex notices my discomfort. He pulls the warm blanket that Amir had over his legs to cover my whole left side and the front as well.

“While we wait for the bath. Tell me. Why does your skin get so dry?” my uncle asks

“My mother ssaid it wasss becaussse of my mermaid ssside that needsss the water.” I talk a little faster getting used to my own mouth.

“Then I think my suspicion might be right. Let’s test the bath and get you ready for bed. We can talk about the rest tomorrow.” He says standing to go check on Amir and the bath.

After the bath my skin feels as good as new and I am in the bedroom with Rex on the bed with me. He refused to let Amir help with keeping me warm. He is so sweet. And so very warm.

The next morning, we are all in the living room again. Me in blankets, a nice warm fire in the fireplace. Rex on my right. They even brought in a heater for me.

It is super unfair the Amir gets to turn back. I will just have to learn fast, I guess.

“So, from what we have picked up, you change was late because of your mental state. My guess is that you were trying so hard to be ready that you simply did not focus enough on yourself.” My uncle explains.

It kind of makes sense. Me over thinking every small thing.

“Pleassse uncle. Tell me what happened.” I plead with him. They have all kind of avoided the discussion.

“Well, first you bite Rex. That is how we know you are poisonous.” My uncles start.

I am so shocked. I turn to Rex. “How are you here?” I ask used to how my mouth feels. From what Amir told me yesterday that I could kill a human with one bite. How is Rex still here. Was I so close to loosing him? And worst of all it would be my own fault.

“Well during some training, I went through, I worked up the resistance to most poisons.” He explains plainly. He does not explain more than that.

“And before you try to say sorry, even if I want to hear you say, s, you did not know, you were not in control. It is not your fault. I am not mad or upset. Don’t even try and go there.” He says looking at me with all the love in the world in his deep blue eyes. I can’t help but nod and snuggle closer to him as best I could.

“What elssse.” I ask looking at Rex as I say else. Knowing a small pleasure of his now.  He just smiles at me.

“Well you tried mating with Amir. And nearly killed him as well. We had so little time to work with you mind that we lost you so fast.” He explains.

“Amir, did you hear that lullaby?” I ask not really listening to my uncle. I can kind of imaging mating with Amir. He is still super-hot.

“I made the lullaby.” Came his answer from on the floor of the living room. It would seem that him and Rex have come to some sort of agreement about being close to me.

I look at him very confused.

“It is one of the things I learned for first time shifters. The lullaby is not really a lullaby at all. It is a combination of magic and something that there is not a word I can use to explain it to you. Not all shifters have it. Some that have do not know how to use it. I took yours and mine to help you. It is something like ancient essence, but not completely. It could be that the magic changes it.” He tells us while he looks off into nothing.

“I guesssss that almost everything relating to me will have that kind of exssplanation. I sigh.

“Mostly yes. But that is what all shifter are like in most cases.” Rex says as he brushes his hand against one of my coils under the blankets.

“Anything elsssse I did?” I ask

“Scream. Yell at us. Not give us a chance to get your dress on you before you tore your clothes during the transformation. Made a dent in the door. Ate most of the meat. I think you vomited twice.” The more my uncle lists things the worse I feel. Like I might vomit again.

“But all those things are very normal.” He ends off.

“With the next changes it will be easier and faster. But hell did you keep us busy for a good 27 hours.” Amir says rubbing his neck

“What!” I yell. Hurting my own ears.

“Oops.” Rex says laughing a little.

“Amir, you deal with her now.” Was all Uncle Tamar said as he got up. “I need a nap.” He says as he walks off.

“Wasss it really that long?” I ask so confused.

“Yes. Just about.” He answers. “But that does not matter. Rest and chill. Tomorrow we start with training to turn back.” He says as he gets up to leave.

“Hasss anyone called my mum or dad yet?” I ask before he starts to leave.

“Yes. I called.” Rex says from next to me.

When I turn to look at him. He has his head kind of turned away, like he is shy to look at me.

“What did they sssay?” I ask

“Well someone told them about us.” He says looking at Amir with anger.

“Your father gave me another speech. And you mum cried. Your sister says she missed you. But is short everyone is very proud and happy you made so far.” He says looking at me kindly.

“Thank you ssso much. Can I ssssleep a little?” I ask.

He nods and moves us with the blankets, so I’m still bundled up, but he is laying with me.

I dose off very fast and have very dark scary dreams.

So so sorry for the long wait had technical difficulties with my laptop.

its all fixed now.

more updates on the way.

princess kisses