章 5: Chapter 5: Merget
Two days after the Devil confrontation…
While resting by a lake watching animals frolic and flora sway in the gentle breeze, Tahmut heard a slithering sound accompanied by muffled hisses and small grunts.
Curious, Tahmut craned his neck over a patch of tall grass in front of him, only to discover a 6ft long black snake writhing on the ground with its tail lodged firmly in its mouth.
Furrowing his brows at the oddity of its actions, Tahmut continued to eat his Dragon apple while keenly observing the snake; the more he watched it, the more intrigued he became.
'Why is it doing this?' Tahmut pondered, his free hand already moving closer to the strange black snake.
His senses were telling him not to do it, but against his better judgement, Tahmut wrapped his claw around the snake and slowly lifted it up, halting its suicide, and causing the snake to look directly at him, its gray eyes boring straight into his blue and green ones.
Slowly removing its tail from its mouth, never once taking its eyes from Tahmut's own, the snake spoke:
"Could you put me down please?" The black snake drearily asked, its voice sounding like a girl Tahmut's age or slightly older.
"Why are you trying to eat yourself?" Tahmut asked, ignoring the snake's request and gender, instead lifting it higher from his chest to arms length in front of him.
Like Tahmut ignored the snake's question, the snake did the same, choosing to coil her way up his arm, and directly in front of his face, her forked tongue flickering only inches away.
"Could you put me down please?" She asked again, constricting tightly around Tahmut's arm as she spoke.
Smiling at the pressure he felt, Tahmut again ignored the black snake and continued on with his questioning:
"What is your name snake?" Tahmut asked, his smile growing as the black snake tightened her hold on his arm.
Seeing its attempts at being released futile, and the young Dragon seemingly enjoying himself, the black snake loosened its hold on Tahmut's arm.
"Merget." She drearily replied.
"Merget huh? So Merget, why were you-"
"Do you not know manners Dragon? I've introduced myself. It's only polite you do the same." She interrupted, a low, indignant hiss coming out of her mouth after she spoke.
"Did you just hiss?" Tahmut asked shocked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.
Another hiss was his only response.
"Hahaha~" Tahmut laughed, admiring the small show of emotion from the otherwise listless snake.
"Your right Merget, it is bad manners, I apologize. My name is Tahmut." He replied between laughs. "So Merg, why were you trying to eat yourself?" He continued.
"It's none of your concern Dragon. Now put me down." Merget hissed, trying and failing to wriggle her way out of Tahmut's grasp.
"Hahaha~ If I let you go, will you answer my question?" Tahmut asked playfully, stroking Merget between her eyes.
Shuddering lightly at Tahmut's touch, Merget moved her head away from his hand and narrowed her eyes before giving him a reluctant nod.
Placing Merget on the ground, Tahmut took a step back and sat on his hind legs, eagerly awaiting her explanation.
"Evolution. I'm evolving Dragon." She replied curtly, much to the ire of Tahmut.
"Doesn't your species shed when evolving? Why eat yourself?" He questioned.
"Is that what you thought? I was attempting to eat myself? No, I was simply digesting the nutrients my body secretes to help in my evolution.
"So... You were eating yourself." Tahmut replied confused, still wrapping his head around Merget eating herself to evolve. 'Snakes are scary.'
"No, I'm digesting nutrients, not eating myself." She replied.
'Eat myself? What type of eight-legged creature does this stupid Dragon think I am?'
"But… Aren't the nutrients that are a part of you… you?" Tahmut asked, taking a bite of another Dragon apple, scratching one of his horns with his nail.
"No. Nutrients are nutrients, and I am me. There's a difference."
"But…"
"No."
"…"
Minutes of silence followed, with both Tahmut and Merget being lost in thought. It was only when Tahmut spoke the silence was broken.
"My apologize," He said, facing the blank faced Merget. "I interrupted an important moment, and so I've decided, I will protect you while you evolve. You'll have nothing to worry about under my watch." He said, smiling widely, and pumping his fist in front of his chest.
Staring briefly at Tahmut, Merget released an exasperated sigh and turned her head away before slithering to her previous spot, and reinserting her tail in her mouth.
"Alright then, I'll be over here. Shout if you need me. Hahaha~" Tahmut laughed at his own joke, making himself comfortable atop a small rock formation with a good view of Merget, a pile of Dragon apples close by.
'Stupid Dragon.' She thought, closing her eyes, and focusing on her evolution.
—
Some hours later…
"Stupid Dragon I'm-"
"What was the point in telling you my name if you won't use it?" Tahmut playfully asked from his position on the rock.
Staring blankly at Tahmut, Merget hissed before continuing:
"Stupid Dragon, I'm finished, you can leave me alone now." Merget said, slithering away in the opposite direction of Tahmut.
"Hey hey…" Lifting off from the rock, Tahmut flew a small distance, and landed in front of Merget. "Did it work? I mean... you don't look any different. Did you evolve?" Tahmut asked genuinely curious, hoping if she didn't succeed it wasn't because of him.
"Yes, I evolved stupid Dragon. Evolution can change many things, not just physical appearance." Merget replied, slithering through Tahmut's legs, and continuing to her destination.
"So something changed internally? What was it?" Tahmut asked following behind Merget, much to her annoyance.
"It's none of your concern." She hissed.
"Hahaha~ I like you. Are you going home? Can I come? I'm coming." Tahmut laughed loudly as he scooped Merget up and wrapped her around his neck. "Now, where do you live?"
—
Tiamat's mountain…
While Tahmut was antagonizing his new friend Merget, and loving every minute of it, deep within Tiamat's mountain, in a cave room that resembles a medieval prison chamber, a Dragon and a Devil were having a conversation.
"I already told you all I know! Please, let me go! I won't tell anyone about this I swear! Please!" Ucail pleaded, bloody tears rolling down his marred cheeks.
Elevated upright against a cave wall by chains attached to his arms and the stubs of his legs, Ucail's body has seen better days. Aside from his earlier injuries given to him by Tahmut, which have yet to fully heal, new wounds have appeared on his body, all given to him by another enraged blue Dragon.
*SLASH*
Another wound appeared, a long cut spreading along his chest.
"AGHH!" Ucail screamed, rattling wildly in his chains.
"WHERE IS DDRAIG?!" Tiamat roared, her voice echoing for miles around the forest.
Breathing heavily, wincing every time he did so, Ucail did his best to speak through the pain.
"I've told you and your servant all I know. I don't know where the Red Dragon is. All I know is they were sealed in Sacred Gears. I don't know the names or who's in possession of them. Please, just let me go." Ucail finished softly, his eyes never once leaving the ground.
"Let you go? You forfeited your right to live the moment you stepped into my territory Devil. Die!"
Opening her mouth, Tiamat produced a stream of bright blue flame that incinerated Ucail instantly, leaving him nothing but a smal pile of white ash.
"Haah~ That was a waste." Tiamat said frustratedly, clouds of smoke coming from her mouth and nose as she spoke.
"Since the Biblical God created them for humans, why not attempt to sense if one has his aura? I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult." Luna suggested, standing beside the seated Tiamat.
"I'll wait. Once there's word about such a being, if there is one, then I will act, for now Tahmut's growth is what matters." She replied, getting up and moving toward the cave entrance.
"He will leave in some days, will you miss him? Luna asked following closely behind Tiamat.
"I will." She answered honestly. "He is my first hatchling, my only hatchling. Of course I'll be affected by his absence; but, it's for the best." Tiamat said softly, before lifting off and flying toward her cave, the wind from her launch blowing what remained of Ucail away.
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