FSE

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(this may be the first chapter in a small book i would like to write. i have moved on, and completed a few chapters now. before i go back and edit what i have already written, and complete the story, i wanted to post this first bit here on sofurry, to see if anyone else had any interest in this story. no since in finishing a book, if every one thinks its crap -chuckles- so please, feel free to give some constructive criticism. any feed back is helpful)

A slow rising sun peeked over the tree line, drying up the morning dew. It was early winter, and the normally cold mountain air was surprisingly warm in this area. A geothermal hot spring caused the ground to stay warm year round, making this mountain top a haven to many species. The landscape was a broad mix of, rocky canyons, and a few patches of green. Snow covered pines sprang up wherever they could, finding holes in the rock face of the mountain. Vents often blasted out hot steam, ponds and mud beds stayed a constant almost boiling. This stone cap stretched nearly fifty square miles, before dropping off into steep cliffs. Remote was an understatement, but for life on the mountain these conditions were near perfect.

Deep winding caves once cut by the lava that formed this mountain, now acted as homes for many species of anthros. The main inhabitance had changed very little over the years, two packs of wolves and many small groups of fox shared the mountain. Primitive compared to life away from the peek, these packs utilized simple wooden and stone tools, had a basic written languish, and spoke common very well. The two packs of wolves had a good balance established, this kept everyone feed, while keeping the amount of non-anthro game plentiful.

Deep in a narrow cave near the center of the peek, a slumbering figure shifted in the dark. Perched atop a pile of old pelts, curled comfortably into a ball, Oona's eyes sprang open. Her long tail uncoiled and slid across the warm stone floor, as her arms reached toward the ceiling. A long yawn escaped her lips, while she stretched and rolled about, trying to wake herself from a deep sleep. The dark scaled Naga awoke three to four times a winter in this very way, and each time she awoke very hungry. Oona took her time getting herself together, slithering around her cave checking to see that everything was in order from the last time she was awake. After completing her morning ritual, Oona made her accent up the winding cavern to the surface.

The bright sun caused the snake to squint, as she reviled her form for the first time in over two weeks. Unlike her many anthro snake cousins to the south, Oona was much smaller, And viewed as very attractive by many of the male wolves. She was roughly 12 feet from waist to tip of the tail, and much thinner than many Naga. Her upper body was very fit, abdominal muscles showed distinctly under her tan belly scales. Oona's head fit her slim but fit look, a short snout concealed her primary weaponry, and an ornate hood lay folded neatly to her neck. Two weeks without food had left Oona feeling weak, but the heat radiating from the ground, kept her from feeling sluggish. The vast majority of snakes need to bask constally to stay active, but Oona relayed on the thermal heat from the earth to warm her cold blood. The still sleepy Naga raised herself onto her tail, a shiny black tongue tested the air. It was quite, only the sound of a nearby bubbling hot spring, this was common for this area in the winter. The snake would have to travel a good ways to find nourishment, with another quick flick of her tongue, she set off.

The anthro inhabitances of the moution knew of Oona's presence, and were well aware of her appitite. At the age of 146, Oona was still considered a young adult among the Naga, and was only in the first quarter of her lifespan. Oona had once lived at one with the packs of the peek, but the wolves that knew her as a friend had all died out generations ago. The newer wolves feared, but respected her as well. Once or twice a year, a wolf would visit Oona at her den, after presenting a gift they would ask her for council or guidance. As the oldest living thing on the mountain she was viewed as wise, but the truth of the matter was, Oona knew very little of life past the steep cliffs of her home. Almost 150 years ago, she simply turned up, her egg brought home by a wolven hunting party. She had no knowledge of her family or people, and no way of knowing where she had come from. But she didn't mind life alone, the rare visit from the wolves was more than enough to keep her from getting lonely.

As Oona moved farther away from her home, she came across a large pond. Steaming and bubbling at its edges, this was a frequently used water hole in the summer, but now it was barren. As she slithered by the shore, her tongue caught the faint smell of fox. There were a few dens close by, but the snake knew better than to invade the anthro's homes. And The fox knew better than to wander to close to Oona's home, wolves were off the menu, but the snake had been know to snatch a few trespassing fox's in her day. But for the most part, She was happy to obey by their rules, as long as she was free to hunt the ferial deer and boar. In no time at all, Oona had reached the far side of the pond, but it was as dead as where she had started. No tracks, no scent to follow, it would appear that winter survival was as tough as ever.

The serpent continued her lap around the pound, and headed back toward her den. This time she passed through a thick pine forest, her long tail and strong muscles easily carried her over and around fallen trees. Quickly heading for the next closest body of water, Oona was making good time. She rounded a bend and slid down a steep rock bank between two groups of pine, when something caught her nose. Sliding to a stop, the Naga took a few hard sniffs, her tongue flicking at the passing breeze. It was a strange odor, and she couldn't put her finger on it. A heavy hint of carbon, meaning the animal was a heavy breather, most likely mammal. The scent also carried a strong musk, whatever it was, it was defiantly male. The strangest part of all, the breeze had come from the left back in the direction of her den. Without wasting a moment, the snake was off, racing toward her home.

As Oona approached the rocky crater that circled her den, she slowed her pace. The scent was stronger now, she was very close. Peeking over a stone ridge, Oona crawled on her belly toward her target. Her keen eyes scanned the area around the mouth of her den, and then she spotted him. Spread out on a rock at the edge of her favorite hot spring. She had never seen anything like him, at first glance it seemed to be a wolf, but the scent was way off, and the fur was way too short. His face and body looked like that of a short furred fox, the muzzle was a bit shorter, and his fur was a dirty gray, he was dressed in leather adventuring gear, with a few black stripes of fur showing on his lower back. Oona was stumped, never before had she seen an anthro like this one, but frankly she didn't care what he was, it's where he was that bothered her. Everyone knew the rules on the peek, and everyone had enough since to stay far away from Oona's spring. The snake watched the stranger for a while, debating with herself on how to pressed. This wasn't a wolf, so as far as she knew, he would go unmissed, and he was trespassing after all. After a while a dull pain in Oona's belly made the decision for her, it was an easy meal right on her door step, how could she pass it up.

Laying on his back staring up at the blue sky, Arden drifted in and out. Tired from his travels, the mongoose couldn't have picked a better spot. Heat flowed from the rock into his sore back, further relaxing him. The Mongoose's eyes closed and he let out a long sigh, as Oona drew near. Only a few yards away the snake's tail nudged a rock, it shifted slightly causing Arden ears to twitch. Oona froze ready to rush forward, but the mongoose didn't move. The Naga stared blankly, 'how stupid' she thought to herself. Very carefully she began to move again, and within seconds she was close enough to strike. The Naga silently shifting onto her tail, a perfect S formed beneath her. Fast as lightning Oona launched forward, her maw open wide, fangs extended, ready to end this quickly. Without even taking the time to open his eyes, Arden rolled forward dodging the attack. Oona snapped at air as a grey blur moved from her reach, reacting quickly the snake's tail lashed forward striking the mongoose in the side. Throwing a quick coil over her prey Oona prepared for a second attack, but before she could movie a muscle Arden had slipped from her grip. The Mongoose stood a few feet away wearing a slight grin, with a loud hiss Oona bared her fangs, and struck again. Once more Arden easily moved to the side, this time he placed a genital paw on the snakes back, feeling her smooth scales as she went past. With a thud the snake hit ground; Oona tried the same tacit as before. Her tail slashed with such force the air whistled around it, but she only grazed fur as Arden vaulted over her swipe. Landing on all fours the mongoose made a mad dash straight toward his attacker. Oona was dumbfounded, never before had she seen a creature move with more agility than herself. Arching her tail into another S ready to counter Arden's charge, but the mongoose dropped to the smooth rock below and slid right under Oona's tail. Regaining his footing a few feet behind her, Arden turned as let out a soft chuckle. He stood with hands on his hips, a big smile pasted to his face. "gonna have to be faster than that"

Over come with anger, Oona continued her attack, for close to fifteen minutes the mongoose avoided her. The serpent had lost kills before, but this was the first time, prey hadn't turned tail and ran away. Arden had barley broken a sweat, but the strange game of tag was beginning to wear Oona out. Winded and a bit sore, the Naga made a last ditch strike. Compared to her normal form, it was very sloppy, but it went just as planned. Quickly faking to the right and then attacking from the left, Oona stretched as far as she could, a full 12 foot striking distance. Nearly a miss, one of the snakes fangs struck Arden in the fore arm. With a slight yelp the mongoose clinched his arm, trapping Oona's fang in the muscle for just a second. He held her just long enough to make his own strike, his free arm made a quick jab at the Naga's neck. Oona let out a soft moan as the mongoose struck a nerve, sending a jolt of pain through her body. The snake went limp, her tail unable to support her for a moment. As she fell to the ground, Arden pressed hard against her left arm, rolling her to her back. The mammal plopped down, sitting on the snakes belly, with his paws one her neck the two locked eyes.

Arden's sky blue eyes faded to a deep black, and like a crack of lighting ripping through Oona's mind, he took hold. The serpent thrashed wildly, but was unable to look away. her tail shifted from side to side, but she couldn't lift it, unable to throw Arden off. Screaming and hissing Oona's body acted completely sprat from her mind. It felt as though she was unable to wake from a dream, all the while the mongoose held his gaze. Slowly the snake began to calm, her moments became more still as Arden sat up. Standing over the newly dazed snake, he tended to his arm. Pumping his fist while he held a paw to the wound, the bleeding was easy enough to stop, but there was little he could do about the red hot venom flowing through him.

Calmly the mongoose walked away, returning to the rock where he sat before Oona had fallen for his trap. He rummaged through a leather back pack, and gathered a few items. Judging from the numbness in his arm, Oona's venom was defiantly a neurotoxin. Similar to that of a mamba or cobra, it caused numbness and paralysis. Luckily for Arden he had a natural immunity to many different types of venom, and had been ingesting small amounts of venoms that he wasn't immune to his whole life. Arden was a researcher and writer; he had come from a long line of snake charmers, and had trained since he was only a pup. Arden had made it his life goal to find, charm, and document every snake spices in the world. He was well on his way to completing his book, Oona would mark his 8th spices this year. In his search Arden had discovered 6 new spices, and charmed over 100 Naga. Oona was an interesting catch, the mongoose couldn't call it yet, but he believed that the snake behind him may be his 7th discovery.

A few feet away, Oona had regained her bearings. She had managed to roll over and curl into a ball, hunched over holding her head, the snake wept quietly. It was the strangest sensation she had ever felt, almost as if she was drunk, or at least very dizzy. She had no since of balance, and keeping herself sitting upright was hard enough, let alone attacking or trying to run away. For the first time in many years, Oona was scared. Unsure of what the Mongoose wanted, she could only fear the worst. The snakes eyes quickly locked onto Arden was he approached her; she attempted to rise to face him, but quickly lost her balance and fell to her side. With notebook in hand Arden jotted a few notes; he looked her over from head to tip of her tail. As the mongoose sketched a quick doddle of Oona's face he noticed her tears, and couldn't help but frown. He would be the first to admit that this method was a little cruel, but it was the easiest way to conduct his studies.

Arden's paw drifted to his side, and from a small pouch he retrieved a flute. Made of bone, and carved by his own hand, he preferred this tool over the traditional pungi. With the instrument placed to his lips, a soft note swept through the air. As the noise passed Oona's ear, the charm instantly lifted. It felt like a weight had been removed from her head, the dizziness was gone, she could think clearly, although she was still extremely confused. Breathing heavily the Naga rose to eye level with the mongoose. Ready to rip this pest to shreds, Oona hissed loudly, baring her fangs. Still calm and collective Arden changed his pitch as he took a step forward. The snakes jaw snapped shut, and she moved backward, keeping the same distance as before. Without giving Oona time to react, the note changed again, this time Arden stepped to the left, and the snake followed. Oona stared blankly at the flute, like a puppet on a string she was drawn to follow its movements. Arden's song repeated, the same four notes, the same four movements, forward, left, right, back. Adding a slight turn, the two danced in circles, repeating the same four steps over and over.

Oona soon lost track of time, at first she tried to look away, but when she did the dizziness returned. It was much more comfortable to not fight, simply go with the flow and remain calm. This feeling was just as strange as the first, but not at all unpleasant. Very calming very relaxing, Oona's mind soon wandered far away from the anger and fear she had felt earlier. Ten minutes passed without any resentence from the Naga, Arden was very pleased with her improvement. When the two circled back to where that had began, the mongoose lowered his flute. With a gentle grin Arden waited for the snake's reaction, and just like he had expected, Oona showed no sign of aggression. The confused but pleased Naga, didn't really know what to do. This creature didn't seem to want to fight, and she would be lying if she said his playing wasn't enjoyable. After a few moments of awkward silence Oona's eyes moved from Arden's face, to his flute. His smile widened and he again brought the flute to his maw, pausing for just a moments, Arden watched the snake closely. Showing no signs of abjection, she allowed a new song to begin. Oona watched closely, the first must have been a warm up, because the second was much more complex. Fingers moving with speed and grace, Arden played a short intro, before moving close to Oona. Tail curled neatly underneath, she carried herself with equal grace, as her movements mirrored the mongoose. The simple dance quickly turned to a fast paced work of art, Oona had fallen completely under his control. Every now and again Arden would change pitch, allowing his partner to regain control for just a moment. Each time a pause in control occurred, Oona hardly noticed, until she was throwing her own moves into the mix. Smiling brightly behind his flute, Arden was overjoyed with the snake's progress. Both lost in the moment, the two danced for nearly an hour.

"you move beautifully" Arden spoke with a soft, yet affirmative voice.

"think you" Without thinking twice Oona had replied, the normal harshness in her voice not present. Seconds after speaking, Oona caught herself, and attempted to reinsert herself as having even the slightest control in this situation. "Who are you?"

"I am Arden" the mongoose extended a paw, as he spoke. "and I'm sure I owe you some explanations."

Staring at the friendly paw, Oona hesitated. In truth she wanted to return the gesture, it was rare that someone so openly and kindly spoke with the snake. Her eyes returned to Arden's as she slowly took his paw into hers. The soft fur, tightly griped Oona's smooth scales. His grip was surprisingly strong, and his strength reflected his agility. Oona's eyes widened, as the mongoose lifted and gently kissed the back of her hand. Blushing slightly she felt like a child again, shyness was just as rare as fear in Oona's spectrum of emotions. Arden released the snake, and shot her a warm grin, as he pointed back to the rock where she had first seen him.

"please have a seat, I will explain my intentions and answer any questions you may have."

Again Oona stood dumbfounded as the mongoose made his way to the rock, and plopped down. He was so strange, yet so charming, and easy to speak too. From the way he acted, you could have never have guessed that he had just been bitten and almost eaten. After staring for a while, Oona made her way toward Arden, she curled tightly around a small stone parallel to Arden's. she received another kind smile, and this time smiled back, before she noticed his blood stained arm.

"you should lay down" Oona spoke with what could have been concern hidden in her voice

After a quick chuckle, the mongoose shock his head "I will be fine"

"I don't think you understand, you need to...."

"im fine" Arden butted in, "really, it's quite tolerable, very potent blend though, very impressive"

Oona head shifted to the side. "Who are you?"

With another wide smile, Arden nodded "yes yes, the explanation we spoke of" quickly clearing his throat, reached into his bag and handed Oona a thick leather bound book.

"my name is Arden Vincer, I'm an explorer, writer, researcher, and snake charmer"

Oona flipped through the pages as the mongoose spoke. Many pages were text, top to bottom; others were dotted with quick doodles, or very detailed sketches. It dawned on Oona just as the words "snake charmer" were spoken. The entire book was packed full of snakes, 100's of different drawings, 1000's of pages of facts. entreged was an understatement, Oona has fascinated. Her whole life the only other Naga she had seen was her refection in the lake. The thought that there were so many different types, and breeds, had never crossed her mind.

Arden chuckled at the child like wonder in Oona's eyes; he gave her a moment, waiting until she rose from the page before continuing. "I travel the world, meeting and charming creatures like yourself. Everything I learn I document; I study and discover many spices, with the hopes to one day write a book, containing every breed that crawls the earth. "

Oona huffed slightly "and everyone you meet, you treat in the same way you treated me? What gives you the right to bewitch everything that crosses your path?"

"The same principle that gives you the right to attack without warning" Argon quickly shot back

The snake's eyes narrowed, the mongoose made a good point, an arsenal of verbal attacks formed in her head, but she held her tongue. "Touché"

Arden didn't want to discuss the logistics of his work, his face returned to a clam and friendly state, as he attempted to change the subject. "I understand if you are weary of my actions, but you have to understand that I acted to save my own life"

Oona shook her head, and raised a hand, as if to hush the mongoose. "You were... are, trespassing and I was hungry. You acted in self defense and neither of us were injured. I don't not want to talk about it any longer"

Arden nodded "I don't believe I got your name"

"I am Oona, and it is very nice to meet you, Arden the snake charmer"

(Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, i know it was a bit long, I hope you enjoyed it. if you have any questions, or would like to give some constructive criticism, i would love to hear it.... if anyone wants to read more, let me know, if enough people want to see more, i will post chapters as i compleat them)