[gremlin]

closed

[Rosekitten]

~reserves~ Information and everything will go here when I get the moment to post it. Name is currently a wip so thus why I can't do too much :P

Played By: Rose
Name: Skar'this of the Stormscales (Skar for short), Pet name is Loki
Race: Naga {Upper half of a human, lower half of a serpent. Eyes and front fangs resemble a snake as well as the forked tongue. On the human half there are ea few noticeable scales that lay around the jawline.}
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Appearance: Olive skin with the lower half of a diamond back (cobra). Hair is a sandy brown in color and hardly is tended to, aside from when it needs to be cut due to length. Eyes are that of a snakes, being a eerie golden yellow. Instead of the normal human ears his upper half has elven like ears that are also tipped in scales similar to the ones along his jaw line. Relaxed height is around 6'0, though similar to common day snakes this can easily change depending on mood, at max the height can be around 6'8 getting close to 7. Normally this is only when cornered, threatened or when a strike is in the near future.
Skills: After so many years being captive he's forgotten most skills that are common to his kind. Some skills that should come back to him in due time are shape-shift (This goes two ways, one to have a full human form and the other to be a full snake, the later is only accomplished by the more skilled Naga), basic combat skills, and control over water and storms (This will be explained as the story progresses).
Bio: Naga use to be beings that held clans, they were deadly hunters. Over the years the race has dwindled to the point that the young are not cared for and the parents pray that their offspring will make it in the world with how the times are. The splitting of the clans is what has kept the Naga alive for this long. Most were either hunter for their skins or captured and kept as pets or put through 'studies'. The gods seemed to turn a blind eye on this one as well as he was caught around the age of 17 and forced into being a gift for a young spoiled girl. Being in captivity for over eight years has forced him to accept that he is not escaping from this current hell. Though it was not from lack of trying or lack of discipline from almost succeeding a few times that forced him into his current state. The Naga use to be proud creatures, though most now keep their profiles low and try to stay well out of sight, to avoid a fate such as this.

[gremlin]

This area had become too familiar for her it was rather odd how quickly she could move throughout this part of the forest. She no longer hesitated afraid of what lived here and she no longer stopped to make sure that she was going the correct way. She had memorized everything by now as she made her way through the forest. Her ears twitched as she heard a few birds above, it was early in the morning. An unusual time for her to be up, she had crept out of her home avoiding any contact with the others. She had a job to complete and had spent weeks waiting for the right moment to go through with her plans. Besides if anyone questioned where she had gone off to she could easily lie and tell them that she had gone off to hunt. Which would not be hard to believe seeing as she brought home most of the meat and herbs.

Nari'Quinn crept silently towards her destination. It was a rather large home with acres of land, land that use to have beautiful trees and creatures until some damn humans tore it all up to settle here. A woman in the clan had approached Nari and had told her of a friend who was being held captive here. It was not hard to believe, the humans always claimed what wasn't theirs as their property. It was not hard to believe that humans were keeping others as pets, especially the rich ones. These humans were rather wealthy. It was hard to over-look their preciously tended lawn, their pristine clothing and their personalities. They even had slaves working on the property and there were other creatures other than the one she was seeking now. Nari did not plan to leave without releasing each and every one of them.

Their entire lifestyle disgusted her and their behavior was absolutely repulsive. It made her curios though, how could they be so cruel to others? How could they hold them captive and treat them so poorly. Especially the little girl, she was so young but she was exactly like her father and mother. It was awful that a child was being raised by such people and being made to believe her behavior was acceptable. Of course... Not all humans are like them but it had always been hard for Nari to find any humans she liked or more like any humans who liked her. She too was hunted, many of her own had been killed for their precious antlers. Which for some odd reason were rather valuable and desirable. It was the reason for why her race was slowly dying off, only three major clans remained... The rest were survivors of older clans with no place to go or they preferred to be left alone.

Nari stopped knowing that she was close enough now, she found a tall enough tree that would also be strong enough to hold her weight. Then she began to climb it slowly and cautiously not wanting to bring any attention to herself. As she reached the top she lifted herself onto a branch then sat down, she flinched when the branches above exploded with birds. Leaves fell down as they flew off, she waited to see if this had caught the attention of anyone. When she could breath against she began to observe the home, of course it perhaps would have been smarter for here to come at night but there was an opportunity that she could not miss today!

The daughter would be left alone, a little girl who appeared to be no older than ten, yes of course there would be some guards left behind to ensure her safety but Nari didn't see a problem with that. She didn't even have to kill them, unless of course she had no choice but she preferred not to get her hands messy. Then she could get rid of the child, of course if the child didn't run off frightened by this unexpected intruder. Releasing the creatures would be easy, she doubted that would be a hassle. Then she could run away from here before the little girl brought back any friends.

It took a little longer than she had suspected but finally the mother and father were leaving the home. Nari perked up, her eyes flickered with interest and she listened carefully to try and pick up their words. They hugged their daughter and gave her kisses, how touching, then went off to a horse drawn carriage. As they pulled away from the home the little girl went off to the stables, perhaps to bother her pets and Nari noticed a bit more guards walking about than she had anticipated. She shrugged a little thinking to herself that it was not a big deal then she slowly stood on the branch, Nari held onto the trunk to balance herself.

Nari scanned the surrounding trees and thought carefully about jumped, then she found a good enough tree and jumped to it. She clawed at the trunk almost afraid that she would not get a good enough grip, then she repeated this until she was closer to the house. Each time she paused for a moment afraid that the tree swaying would attract the attention of the guards. She made one more jump bringing herself to stand on the roof of the home, then she lowered herself crouching. She was happy with her decision to leave her usual weapon at home. Instead she had brought with her a few small knives and a thin, light blade.

Before continuing she checked her weapons to make sure they were alright then she crept across the roof bringing herself to the edge. It was quite a drop but she could do it, hopefully she wouldn't break one of her legs or bother... It was possible and she hated the thought of becoming someone's little toy. Nari prepared herself then she jumped to the ground, though she did not hit the ground as quietly as she had planned to. She groaned a little at the pain that ran up her legs, she should have known better of course. At least she had not broken anything or sprained anything. Though she knew that someone had heard because she could hear footsteps.

There were only five guards, outside anyways, she didn't know if there were any others inside. Though most of the ones that lived in the home seemed to be slaves from what she gathered, they cooked and cleaned. She stood as the guard turned around the corner, she was surprised to see the face of such a young man. No older than eighteen, he looked at her confused then became frightened. Nari tore a knife from her side as he opened his mouth to scream, before he could a knife pierced his throat. She tackled him to the ground as he gurgled, she didn't want him to cry out and was not sure of how deep the knife had gone. She pushed the palm of her hands against his throat driving the knife deeper, his eyes rolled back into his head then his body went limp underneath her.

Nari hissed as she felt the warmth on her hands, she removed her hands from his throat then pulled the knife from his flesh. There was no point in leaving it, it would be a waste of supplies. Before she could lift herself from the dead guard a great force hit her. Nari let out a soft cry then slammed against the ground, for a moment she was confused then she realized that another guard had tackled her. Had he been there the entire time? She was being too damn reckless for such a simple task. She struggled with this man, he was much older and built like an ox. The weight on top of her made her gasp for air, his hands reached out and she knew he was trying to take hold of her neck.

Her mouth closed over the side of his left hand, the man cursed as he felt pain. She jerked her head away taking flesh as she did and she gagged at the taste of blood, then she swung her hand bringing the knife that she still held across his neck. Nari closed her eyes immediately afraid that his blood would temporarily blind her, the last thing that she needed was to not be able to see. She pushed with all of her strength to get him off of her, she waited making sure that he was dead. Then as she stood she carefully scanned the area, there were three of them left and she doubted that these two would not be discovered.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts then she continued to move. However it wasn't long until she was discovered by another guard, was the commotion really that loud? Nari cursed under her breath in her native tongue it seemed that her luck had run out today! She pulled her blade from her side as he swung his own, the sound of their blades meeting made her flinch. Nari's eyes grew wide and her ears went back as she saw another figure. This one held a bow and had it aimed at her, Nari took a step back avoiding the other's blade. The woman with the bow barked at her to remain still though she did the complete opposite of that. Recklessly she swung at the man only leaving a harmless scratch on him, when he laughed at her attempt she growled then struck him again. This time he stumbled back surprised at the wound she had given him, Nari flinched when she heard the woman release an arrow. She ducked barely missing it and felt her braid become loose.

Using all of her strength she pushed aside the man causing him to fall to the ground, then she charged at the woman. She saw the way she held her bow, her hands shook and Nari could guess that she had never held a bow before or perhaps she was frightened of death. Why did it matter if she killed them? They had killed so many of her own anyways... A few human deaths could never add up to the deaths of her own. She wasn't expecting much trouble with this woman and was surprised by her strength. Soon they were on the ground in what seemed to be an endless struggle. Nari managed to bring herself to sit on top of the woman, then she brought her hands to her face and held her down. "No, please!" She cried, Nari wondered how many of her own had begged for mercy.

Suddenly she became angry and drove her thumbs into the woman's eyes, her ears went back as she heard the woman let out a scream. Nari spat out a few words at the woman in her native language, telling her that she hoped her God would show her more mercy. Then she drew back her hands and took hold of her blade, Nari brought it across her throat quickly then stood leaving her to bleed out. She wondered how furious her father would be with her but how many times had these humans killed their own? Nari stood then took a moment to gather her thoughts, she had to make her way to the stables to release all of the creatures. She knew that there was one guard left outside, if others had not come out due to the commotions, so perhaps she would be lucky enough to avoid making any contact with that guard. She doubted it.

[Rosekitten]

The final guard was indeed aware of the commotion going on. But that was not what he worried about. He had heard the struggling and then the silence afterwards. He had another goal in mind. He had to protect the little mistress. Even if he didn't really want to. If something happened to the girl he might as well be dead, so his choices were more or less on how he wished to die. There were worse places to be sent then here, though given the area and where this mansion was built he could take a guess at who or rather what was attacking. He just wasn't expecting it to be one sole warrior.

Grabbing the girl from the stables he forced her outside and towards the mansion telling her to stay there. She huffed a little before storming her way towards the building where a few more guards were located to ensure her safety. In the mean time he made sure that the being that had done all of the killing was focused on him and not the girl. Something told him that the girl might be spared but he wasn't going to risk such a thing either.

Blood was splashed onto the Deerling's clothes as she stood there before him. "Why are you here?!" He barked at her demanding a response and getting none. Not that he expected one. He quickly took that as a sign that this was not going to end peacefully. The deerling seemed to rush forward as he manged to clock her first strike, though it was easy to tell that he was no battle hardened solider either. The family may be rich but they had never dealt with anything like this before so they never thought to invest further into better guards.

The girl was still grumbling to herself as she walked inside and stormed up to her room slamming the door behind her before any of the guards inside the building had a chance to question her as to what was going on. Though there was only three guards inside the house as well, most of the staff that was inside at the moment were slaves and would hardly be in the way or even try to get in the way if something were to enter the building meaning to do the little mistress harm.

The girls room connected to another room that seemed to be similar to a sun room, yet not at the same time. Rich people never knew how to waste their money, but there was a reason behind the glass walls and ceiling of this room... The girls more prizes pet was here. The one she had names Loki and had owned for as long as she could remember. Even from a young age the creature was being prepped to be a gift to her. It was hard to believe he had managed to stay alive this long being trapped in a cage and being cared for by humans.

As the girl entered the room and slammed the other door he never flinched or bothered to see who was entering, no he knew already. It was almost odd seeing one of his kind being so passive, they were cautious creatures and excelled at hunting. Deadly beings when it came to the night hours and he was no different. Except he had been in a cage or on a leash for such a long time that he hardly remembered that life. Coiled as he sat where he was a shell of his former self, the other beasts in the stables knew of his presence due to the few times she had drug him out of the cage.

Most of them questioned why he put up with such treatment, but it was very clear that he had no will left. His soul had been broken long ago during one of his attempts to break out, the markings on his body was the only thing that really remained as a reminder that he was not always someones pet. Such a proud creature to be forced into this state was sicking to most beings of magic. Humans destroyed so much and took what they pleased. Something needed to be done about it.

The girl moved across the room and sat there before she huffed loudly and complained a few things under her breath saying she wasn't done in the stables and all of that. She looked over at her 'pet' that seemed to be paying not the least amount of attention to her. She was use to that, he hardly acted like any of the others, then again he was captured back when he was 17. Her parents had made sure to break him long before he was gifted to their daughter as a gift.

"You'll protect me if that deer comes here won't you?" She smiled a little before crossing her arms. It was true he was broken as far as his will to fight back against what the humans did. But that hardly meant he was as gentle as he seemed to be. There was a few times where he had proven useful to the girl and protected her against break in before her parents had gotten the number of guards around the grounds up.

Though with her comment he merely looked at her before going back to looking blankly at the wall. If it came down to a fight against something that did nothing but struggle day to day he would hardly be a challenge, even he had enough common sense for that. He was guessing as to what was going on but when the girl walked into the room she smelled of blood, like something had been killed recently... probably a guard it smelled human. But there was another sent that had latched onto the girls clothing... one he knew from somewhere but over the years it had been long forgotten to his mind.

[gremlin]

Nari had no time to play with this last guard, even though she was a skilled fighter she too only had so much energy. Dealing with the other four was already exhausting. Yes, she had dealt with them easily but it still took quite a bit of effort to struggle with another who was obviously bigger and in a way stronger than her. Her eyes looked around quickly making sure that there were no others around, well at least for now there weren't. She noticed that the young girl was no longer here, she almost questioned where she had gone off to but kept that question to herself. It didn't matter, she didn't want to deal with the young girl. She was rather pleased that she had run off for whatever reason, well Nari assumed why she had. This made things easier!

When the guard questioned why she was here she threw her shoulders back in a shrug then smiled at him. He didn't need to know, he would be dead shortly so why would such a thing matter? Nari sprinted forward slamming into the guard forcing him to fall back against the ground. She misjudged her decision realizing that this left her in quite the odd position though she was quick and drew her blade then pressed it against his neck. Her ears went back annoyed by the guard, he was spitting our curses at her and rambling like a mad man. When she pressed the blade closer to his throat he began to cry for mercy and pray. Nari titled her head like a curios animal and watched him, when a sob threatened to release from him and screams she slit his throat preventing him from producing any more sound.

She was relieved that she could now do what she had come here to get done. Though this was too easy and she kept herself on guard waiting for others to return at any second. If the young girl had run off then she certainly would have told others about what was happening. Nari made her way to the stables where all of the creatures were kept, as she approached she heard some chatter. Though it was all at once, there was a dozen of them perhaps more, different languages and Nari took a moment to listen. She smashed open the lock on the gate then removed it and opened it. As she stepped into the field she realized that she would have to release them one by one from their chains. Nari did this quickly not bothering to speak to one of them as she did so. She was running out of time and she knew it.

Though as she went to leave one of the creatures, a man who's lower half was of a horse approached her. She looked up at him wondering what it was he wanted but before she could question what he wanted he told her. "There's another in the home, the girl's personal pet..." Nari didn't have to listen to anything else, she nodded a little then broke away from the others. They were already leaving anyways all of them going towards the woods as she headed towards the mansion. When she pushed open the doors to the home she heard screams. The slaves scattered all over afraid of her, she did not pay any attention to them seeing as none of them would be a threat. Though as she approached the stairs she took hold of one and demanded to know where the girl's personal pet was being held. When he managed to stutter out an answer she released him then went up the stairs.

Of course she encountered a few guards on her way to the girl's room though it was a bit more difficult she took care of them one by one and finally made it to the room. Nari opened the door then stepped inside, she was surprised by the creature that was being held in this room. She had never seen one before, they were rare but... She knew what he was and anger grew inside of her at the sight of him being held in a cage. At first she did not see the girl then she felt her, she flinched when she felt sudden weight on her back and the girl's fists slamming against her back. Nari reached behind her clawing at the girl then managed to pry her off of her back. "Stupid!" She hissed at the girl as she tossed her to the floor. "Do you really want to die?"

Nari was a bit surprised by how frightened the girl was, then for the first time she realized that she was covered in the blood of her own guards. "Stay there!" She barked at the girl, she was trying to be firm with her and to make her behave. Then she looked back over at the creature in the cage. She approached the cage cautiously and of course she watched him curiously. Now standing in front of it she pried the lock from the cage then opened it. "Come with me, you will now have the life that you have been deprived of." Then she reached out her hand slowly for him to take it.

[Rosekitten]

Even as the screams outside of the room grew louder he never bothered to look towards the door. The struggle outside of the room of the guards trying to prevent who or whatever from entering the girls room did perk his curiosity a little but he figured whatever was going on was probably either another idiotic kidnapper or someone trying to steal whatever they could. It was common enough the woods housed the animals and magical beings but it was also home to bandits and thugs.

Though what came through the door was something he should know. A deerling.. though his mind couldn't put where or why he felt like he should know what this creature was. Not that it mattered, they were probably here for the girl anyway and he would have to fight the beast. On the same thought of fighting he thought maybe this was his chance to get out of this... he could stop fighting if he was killed right? The struggle to stay alive ... he had no idea why he fought so he had wanted escape from this torment years ago but it never came. He couldn't let himself just die.

His calm thoughts were quickly disrupted as the sudden smell of blood filled the room, a smell he knew of from his previous life. A fresh kill.. it was almost maddening as his thoughts raced recalling that he was suppose to hunt instead of being hand fed every few days. Though his posture and body said nothing as to what thoughts were going on in his mind. No he was acting just as he would naturally, waiting... Waiting for that perfect moment to strike out if he was given the chance.

This would be a short lived remembrance as he stayed still as possible in his cage. The cell he had learned to call home day after day. He never moved even when the girl lashed out at the intruder. It was easy to tell the girl was scared, who wouldn't be seeing so much blood of their own. Though he couldn't do anything about it even as the intruder grew closer to the cage he didn't think she would be stupid or bold enough to unlock the cell door.

Though when she seemed to do just that he stayed where he was for a moment. Was this a joke really? To go up to a Naga covered in freshly spilled blood, let alone one who probably hasn't hunted in years. He was almost torn at what to do when the creature before him told him to come with her. He stayed where he was going over his options before the smell of blood seemed to hit him again as he drew back a little.

He hadn't attacked anyone in so long, anything and now it was all his mind could do to think straight. He wanted to kill the thing before him. At the moment that was his plans as well as he lunge forward quickly pinning the Deerling to the ground, weight and size alone she hardly stood a chance even if he out of practice of his natural skills.

Holding her there for a few moments the girl still huddled in the corner as she let out a soft sob still scared out of her mind. The one under himd was lucky he was out of practice, if he had really attacked her that she would have been dead in a few mere seconds due to the crushing power that his kind held. But being torn between what he had learned to accept over the years and this sudden urge it was a weak strike at best, but enough to ground her.

Though the urge went away after a few moments and he quickly released her half wanting to return to the cage he had just attacked her from. He looked away from her, probably confused with his own actions after being forced into the status of pet. Though after a moment he nodded weakly agreeing to her terms of following her. He was probably lucky he had caught her off guard or he might have a blade in him by this point.

He still never spoke a word, maybe over the years he had forgotten his kinds tongue or the common language of the area. It was uncertain at the present time, aside from that one strike he seemed beaten well enough. A submissive Naga, that was something probably no one expected.

[gremlin]

Nari was not expecting the other to lunge forward and toss her to the ground like a doll. Her ears went back and her wide eyes full of fear watched the creature. He seemed to be conflicted, confused really and shortly after he had pinned her to the ground he drew back from her and seemed to accept her offer of coming with her. She slowly lifted herself from the ground unsure if this was a trick or if the poor creature was just confused. If he had lived here for very long it was possible that he called this home and accepted the way that he lived. She wondered how long it would take for her to convince him to leave the room, he seemed reluctant to remain outside of the cage for any longer.

When she stood she looked over at the girl still in the corner, she was sobbing now and gasping for air between her sobs. Then she looked back at the creature, she reached out a hand then took one of his own in it. "You poor thing...." she muttered quietly under her breath, though he probably heard what she had said. "Come with me now, you will be safe I promise." Nari hoped that the other would see how sincere she was, he must have because now they were leaving the room.

It was much easier than she had thought to get this creature to come out, though they had struggled with getting down the stairs. Once outside they fled from the mansion and headed towards the forest. Nari had to take her time knowing that the other was still confused and unsure of everything. Once they were deep enough into the forest she stopped to catch her breath. When she finally did she looked at the Naga curiously then spoke. "You don't have to follow me now... You can return to your home." When she saw the other's expression she realized that he may not have a home. "Don't you have a home?" No response came from the other, he seemed to grow distant. "I.... I'm sorry if that hurt you. I didn't mean to be rude."

What the hell was she to do? She could easily leave him here but in his current state he was certainly be captured again. She couldn't bring him back... Well she could but the others would question her actions and she wasn't sure how they would feel about a Naga being there. "Look... I-" Nari paused then bit her lower lip, she would feel too guilty if she left him here. "Come with me, you can stay with my people for now." She wondered what her father's and mother's reactions would be to his daughter coming home, covered in blood, with a Naga.

It was obvious that everyone was watching them as they entered what appeared to be a small village which was concealed by many shrubs and trees. Nari kept the Naga close afraid that one of the others would become a threat. They were all potential threats.... Deerlings don't really like Nagas. There was some history here and there of their disagreements and troubles. And here Nari was bringing one into the village, she knew she would get scolded for this by her father and mother.

"What is the meaning of this?" A male Deerling approached the two, Nari didn't have to look to confirm that it was her father. She knew that it was him just by his voice. "Nari... Why are you covered in blood and why have you brought that-" he looked over at the Naga and squinted. "Into the village? Have you gone mad?" Then he looked back at his daughter expecting an explanation. It took a while to explain everything, once her father knew of what had happened he began to scold his daughter. They argued until her mother came over and cried at the sight of Nari which made Nari force out an apology. Though she had to get one more thing in, telling her father that their peaceful ways would be the death of the clan. It wasn't that she didn't want peace, of course she did! Though her father was too peaceful, if another charged at him with the intention of doing him harm he would stand there and accept it. There were others in the village who were the same, she thought that it was ridiculous.

After some tension died down Nari managed to convince her father and mother to allow the Naga to stay here. She promised that it would only be temporarily and the reason behind this she whispered to him. Her mother wasn't hard to convince, she was more accepting of others despite their differences and her father accepted others too but... When it came to certain species he turned away from them. He looked over at the Naga then back at his daughter, a sigh escaped from him and he told her that it was fine. Nari brought herself back to the Naga and took his hands gently into her own. "Everything will be alright... I'll help you for a while and when you're better you can leave if you'd like." She smiled at him then turned keeping one of his hands in her own. "Here, I'll show you where you can sleep and..." She looked over her shoulder at him. "What is your name?"

[Rosekitten]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Reluctant was a understatement, at first anyway. He was torn from knowing the cage was safe and in the back of his mind he knew that this girl was right... or that he could trust her at least. Everything about her reminded him of home, or at least what he called home back in the day. Nothing was left there now and he knew that. His was one of the last clans to hold together, it wasn't a very large clan but still it was made up of at least 20 or so heads strong.

The day he was captured most of them were slaughtered, the only reason he wasn't is because he was wounded when they found him and the humans needed information.. information he had kept with him all of these years. They had given up on prying such secrets from his scaly hide. With a broken will and no fight left in him he still refused to speak of what they wanted. So instead of the worse fate of being skinned alive he was given to the young girl as a gift.

If he could have brought himself to speak then he might have been a good influence on the poor child. But by this time he hardly had the strength to live from day to day let alone trying to inform a child that what her parents did was wrong. It wasn't the child's fault, not in the least. It was how she was brought up and raised, even though her kind had done this to him not once did he resent the girl. She had done nothing harmful towards him, if anything she had done everything in her young power to keep him as content as she could. Even if she was spoiled.

His tension seemed to grow a bit as they entered the forest. Though he had a right to have such tensions in these woods, they were not ... well rather this section was not where his clan ruled over. Maybe terms of once ruled over, as far as he knew they were all dead maybe minus a handful and they could have died over the years. No this section was home to another clan, even if they were rare it was unwise to let your guard down and to assume you would to run into such a beast.

Being brought out of his thoughts as she seemed to speak. She spoke of him returning home. He drew back from her a little, not because of the fact he probably didn't have one... bu because he wasn't sure what to call home now. His mind was still being torn from fleeing from this girl and returning to the area he knew was safe. Pretty much he had been brainwashed over the years, so long as he listened to what was told or asked of him then he wasn't harmed. The humans had more then the upper hand when he was cornered as he was in the cages.

When she said sorry and that she didn't mean to be rude he shook his head a little to let her know she didn't need to say sorry for it and she wasn't being rude. He figured this was the end of the trip between the two of them though. But it seemed he was wrong as she spoke up offering for him to come along with her. A question was on his mind but he never voiced it, he understood her perfectly but the words didn't seem to want to form when he thought about them. Over eight years of silence had forced him into a mute state. The less he said the better.

As she started walking again he reluctantly followed her to what was probably her village. Everything told him to not do this and that he should just go find a tree stump or rock and call it home for the night. Though at the same time he knew very well that staying out here was asking to be recaptured or worse. At his run of luck worse would happen.

After a while and entering the village he noticed right away the tension in the air, it was a mix of anger and fear. It was easy enough to read this but it made him a bit uneasy. There was no real way he could stand up to a village if they choose to attack.. and all it would take is one starting it. Defending himself or not he would be at a disadvantage. Though his new found savior seemed to catch the way the others were reacting as well as she stayed close to prevent any such mishaps from happening.

As she talked to what seemed to be the head of this village he stayed back a little, he could easily hear and catch any of the glances from the leader but that didn't mean he wasn't ready to try and get out of here if things were not looking well. Fleeing was not something Naga did normally.. but this was a special case and to be honest he'd rather live and take his chances outside of this village then to stay here with how things were going at the moment.

As the talk seemed to come to a closure and the one who had helped him seemed to walk over to him again before speaking. She wanted him to follow her, though he hardly wanted to move. During the period she had been talking to her father he had coiled around himself and seemed to be on the defensive, but he had a right to be. He wasn't poised to strike but he was at least protecting himself or ready to do so if it was needed.

Moving slowly to follow her he stopped when she looked back to him and asked for his name. He had a name... he knew it... besides the damned one that had been his name for the past eight years. What was it? He couldn't remember. Let alone trying to speak was out of the question, it was something he'd have to work on for sure. Though there was a list of things he'd have to relearn or work on for that matter. In his current state anything could pick him off.

Giving up on trying to remember his true name his shoulders sank a little before he moved to catch up to her again. Though he moved to the side of her before taking on of her hands and placing a small piece of metal in it. It was from the collar he had on this whole time, he knew it had writing on it and maybe if he was lucky she could read it seeing as he couldn't provide her with a answer.

[gremlin]

The others would have to get use to this unusual visitor. Nari hoped that over some time he would grow on them, she didn't think that the Naga was a terrible creature. He had been abused for so long, held captive as the young girl's pet, she didn't feel like he would cause any trouble. Before when she spoke to her father she noticed him slowly hiding himself. She wondered if he would ever return to his normal state and who knew how long it would take for that to happen.

Nari flinched when the other took her hand suddenly, she looked up at him confused by this then felt something cold in the palm of her hand. She stopped then lifted her hand to her face and examined the object. Almost immediately she recognized it as a nametag, she looked at it for a moment then looked up at the Naga. "No... I want your real name, unless this is your real name..." Nari lowered her hand then slipped the tag into one of her pant's pockets. "Is it?"

The reaction from the other was hard to read but she could tell that he was struggling to answer her question. "You don't have to answer that, don't worry about it." Nari smiled weakly at the other then began to walk. "So I'll call you Loki from now on..." She said quietly to herself. They walked for a little bit longer before they came to a building that was much larger than the rest. Her father had not told her where the Naga could stay and they had plenty of room in their home, it wouldn't be a real problem if the Naga stayed at their home for a week or so.

As they entered a small child approached Nari and Loki, she bounced as she walked towards them then stood swaying back and forth. "What is that?" She blurted out the question then pointed at the Naga, her eyes were full of curiosity and a wide smile spread on her face. Nari smacked the girl's hand forcing her to stop pointing. "That's rude," she told her, the girl frowned then apologized. "This is Loki, he will be staying here for a while. I expect you to leave him alone... I don't want to catch you bothering him, Danya." The girl pouted, muttered a quiet okay, then crossed her arms over her chest and stormed off.

"Sorry about that," she looked over at the Naga then smiled weakly. "If she bothers you then... uh, let me know. She just asks a lot of questions and is naturally curios, she can be a pain sometimes. That's my sister Danya and I have a few other siblings, if anyone bothers you then let me know, alright?" Beside Danya and herself there were three others. Two brothers Brent and Talis, then another sister Zarah. Nari stood for a moment unsure of what else to say, she showed Loki around the house just letting him know where some rooms where then she brought him to a guest room. She brought him to this particular one because it had a much larger bed for him. "Here this will be your room, if you need me I'm just down the hall in the last room on the right... Do you need anything now?"

She felt terrible every time she asked the other a question, she knew that he didn't speak. Well at least it seemed like he didn't and he always became confused when she asked him questions. "You don't have to worry about answering anything, I don't mean to confuse you... I can tell that you don't speak much." It wasn't surprising, the young girl who had held him captive as a pet probably beat him whenever he did. "I'm not sure what else to say really..." It didn't feel right to leave the other alone, he was still confused and she knew that but it wasn't as if she could babysit him all day. She had to clean herself up she was still covered in blood and she had other business to attend to.

[Rosekitten]

He thought for a moment when she asked for his real name. Truth of it was he couldn't remember, he knew his clans name but his name had long been forgotten. He'd probably remember it in due time or someone would cross him path and know it... but for now Loki was good enough. I was better then any other word he could see these beings coming up with.

He had to admit he felt bad seeing as she was talking so much and he couldn't get himself to say anything. The words were there but where he hadn't bothered to speak in so many years it felt foreign to event bother trying. He would work on it, just not ... now. He was still having the urge to go back the way they came and return to that cage. He knew in his mind that he wasn't suppose to be that way or want to be in a cage but it had been the main form of safety he had grown use to over the years.

Following her still as they came to a larger building he drew back a little as the young girl came towards them and spoke up so suddenly. He didn't mean to be skittish as he was but this wasn't what he was use to. Not in a long time, interaction with anything other then that damned human was pretty much foreign to him.

When the one he had been following spoke again he shook his head, trying to tell her it wasn't something she had to be sorry for. Maybe she understood maybe she didn't. Not that it really mattered after a few days or a week he wasn't planning on staying here any longer, not with how everyone looked at him. Maybe just enough time to get his surroundings down and get use to being free again... then he could go off and be out of her hair.

Once they made it to a room after her tour of the building, not that he planned to leave the room he was being put in, he shook his head again as she seemed to say she had no idea what else to say and asked if he needed anything. He was pretty content, really he was tired more then anything. Today had been stressful to say the least and he wasn't handling it well at all. Though to go from the peaceful life he had to this was a bit to take in all at once.

Once the girl left he quickly moved to a corner of the room and stayed there after he had situated himself to be comfortable. This served two purposes, it kept his back to the wall so he could only be charged at from one direction and it allowed him to have a clear area to strike in if it came down to it. Though he didn't think it would, but at the same time he wasn't sure at all.

He kept going in and out of being awake and in a half sleep state as some thoughts drifted into his mind. He was still trying to recall why these beings looked familiar and why they hated him. Why was it he was hated.. something told him that was normal for one of his kind. But he couldn't remember. To do into details of what the humans had put him through it was probably a blessing he was still alive and able to move as he wished.

He needed to stop thinking though, it was causing his head to hurt and it wasn't getting him anywhere. He was torn with if he wanted to cry or not. He should know these areas he knew this, he should know his name and none of this was coming to him. To survive out here at the moment he'd surely die. Why had he forgotten all of this, he had at one point told himself that there were certain things he could not forget..

One being to do with a tree.. why was that tree important? He shook his head finally before settling back down into the corner still determined to stay there for his own protection. Maybe things would come back to him... it'd probably be a slow process unless something forced him to remember. Though something told him that this area was not safe for him even if he wasn't in this village. Something... a smell that he had picked up on when they were traveling here. This area had some of his kind.. but not ones he would rather cross paths with that was certain.

[gremlin]

Once she made sure that the other did not need anything she quickly left the room. Nari knew that he needed space, he needed to be alone to think over quite a bit. She wondered if in the morning he would be able to speak, perhaps he would feel a little better after a few days and would get use to living outside of that cage. For a moment she tried to imagine what it would feel like to live a life like that. Then she shook her head tossing those thoughts out of her, it wasn't good to think of such things. The thought of living inside such a small cage, being someone's little toy... It caused her to feel sick.

Instead of going directly to her room she went off to a bathroom. She quickly set up the bath and once the water was warm enough she undressed and climbed in. The water was soothing against her skin and she was thankful to be able to bathe. Nari scrubbed furiously at her skin nearly making her skin raw. It wasn't like killing bothered her, it almost felt natural to kill another. She just didn't like the feeling of blood on her skin, another's blood... Another's filth on her. Then again perhaps killing did bother her again but sometimes it was necessary and like hell she would allow herself to die.

After she cleaned herself she wrapped her body in a towel then went off to her room. Nari disposed of her ruined clothes, the stains on them were too deep to be scrubbed out. Then she slipped into a nightgown, braided her hair and then climbed into her bed. She had not been asleep for long when Zarah came into the room, Nari felt the added weight on the bed even though it was not much. She raised her head from her pillow looking over at her, Zarah paused when their eyes met. "What is it?" Nari managed to whisper to her, she was still half asleep and could probably fall asleep without a struggle.

Zarah was silent, she remained still and tried to croak out an answer. "Nightmares?" Nari whispered and she received a nod from the other, she moved herself a bit to the right then patted the empty spot on her bed. Zarah brought herself to lay beside Nari then pressed as close as she could to her sister. "Could you sing me a lullaby?" Zarah asked, Nari wrapped her arms around the small girl she was only six then nodded a little. "Sure..." Nari sang a soft lullaby to her sister until she fell asleep, then shortly after she too fell asleep.

Morning came before she knew it, Nari didn't even remember falling asleep. All she remembered was closing her eyes then they never opened until now. Someone had drawn back her curtains, it was probably her mother or father or maybe even Zarah. She squinted blinded by the light at first then eventually could open her eyes once she got use to it. She wondered how Zarah had slept, the poor girl always had nightmares and ended up keeping her company for the night. Before leaving her bed she rubbed her eyes then stretched. Nari dressed quickly, re-braided her hair then headed towards the kitchen.

Breakfast was rather normal except for the brief ten minutes or so where she was questioned about the Naga. The younger siblings, Zarah , Talis and Danya, and her mother were curious. Though Brent who was the second oldest being twenty and her father were unhappy about their unexpected guest. Nari ignored their comments and her mother gave the two a rather touching speech about equality. Really she had a point, how often had their kind suffered due to their differences? It was certainly unfair to treat the Naga poorly due to his differences. Though of course it wasn't that... Deerling and Naga never got along with each other. There was also quite a history between the two races.

After she finished eating she made a plate for the Naga, before her father could say anything to her she went off to bring the food to him. Loki, that's what he wanted her to call him but she wondered if that was even his real name. It had been placed on a nametag, it could easily be a name that the girl had given him. When she approached the door she hesitated to step in, she knocked first with her free hand then opened the door and stepped inside. "Are you awake?"

Nari looked over at the Naga curled up in the corner, she wondered if he was comfortable like that. She was reluctant to bring herself to him at first but then she finally forced her legs to move but she moved slowly to avoid startling him. "I brought you some food, I thought that you may be hungry." She crouched in front of the other then raised the plate of fruits and meat towards him. "After you eat I was thinking of bringing you along to fish with me, would that be alright?" She didn't yet trust everyone in the village and didn't feel that it would be good to leave Loki here all by himself.

[Rosekitten]

Sleep came in waves, he kept getting thoughts that he should be anywhere but here. It wasn't the village he was in or the ones who lived here. It was like something else was calling to him now that he had found his freedom from that cage and the humans finally. But aside from that feeling he couldn't make out anything else. All the whispers and murmurs in his dream was in a tongue he had long forgotten...

When morning finally came and there was the sound of others moving about the building he gave up on sleep. Flinching a little as he drew back further to keep the corner he had stayed in each time it sounded like someone was drawing near the room. At the least he didn't mind being out of the cage today. It could have been worse, when he had woken he could have bolted from the building and went to seek out this cage the humans had forced him in for so long.

Things about the building seemed to quite down after a little while, probably everyone had left or gathered into a room that was too far away to bother trying to hear what was going on. Though his new found peace was a short lived one as footsteps caught his attention right before the door opened to reveal the girl from the other day. At the least it was just her and not someone else. To be honest he feared the others, not because he couldn't handle himself... but because the tension with them and him being here was already high and he didn't need something to cause the situation to be worse.

She seemed to hesitate at first as she walked into the room. It was easy to tell she was not completely sure of the situation either. Though if she knew anything his pose alone would tell her he wasn't going to attack or had no intentions to do so. It was more of a relaxed pose, well as relaxed as he could be in a place where the village seemed to hate him being here let alone breathing. She might hope that they warm up to him, but his only thought on it was that he didn't plan to stay that long.

After she seemed to get some more nerve as she walked forward and spoke he remained silent. Though it wasn't like he had spent the restless night doing nothing... But he wasn't going to try just yet, not here. Seeing as she had a plan to drag him along with her fishing he'd bother trying then if she was still in what seemed to be her normal talkative mood. Though his name was still something he couldn't give her, not when he didn't remember it himself.

He shook his head a little as she seemed to wait for him to eat something, truth of it was he wasn't hungry. There was a advatange to being part snake. Eating could happen once every few days and be perfectly fine, sure eating everyday might be a better idea but at the moment this room made him feel uneasy and he hoped he could sort some things out in his mind if they went somewhere else.

Though he probably should eat, he had a lot of strength to build back up from being a captive and unable to go about moving as he wished. He was probably more then lucky that Naga were rare now, coming across another one could lead to his death easily. At the least in his current state, his clan was one of the stronger ones ability wise, not that he remembered most of it or had aged enough to train in such things.

But there were different types of Naga, some being constrictors, others relying on venom to do most of their work. Other things came into account like aggressiveness and now they reacted towards situations. Pretty much knowing basic knowledge of snakes helped when dealing with these beings.

After a few moments of the girl not moving he gave up on turning the food down, she wasn't going to leave until he made a effort to eat was she? The only downside to eating was that he'd rather sleep afterwards, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Then again if he didn't eat much then maybe the urge wouldn't be as bad. Either way he did eat a little just to get her to stop looking at him like he was trying to starve himself or something.

After a little while she seemed satisfied with him eating even if it was only a few things. She'd probably ask if he was ready to leave now and he'd nod as a answer to her question. Not like he had anything else to do and he really didn't want to be left here either. At least her he felt like he could trust, the others .. he could see them putting a spear through him at any chance given.

[gremlin]

It was true, she wasn't going to allow him to go through the day without eating. When he finally took the plate and picked at some of the food she was happy. Nari encouraged the other to eat a little bit more before taking the plate from him, then she stood and insisted that he follow her. Most of the others had left for now, other than her mother who always kept herself busy by cleaning and cooking. Her father had left to take care of a few things, they were rebuilding the school after the structure had collapsed earlier in the week and her younger siblings were off with their friends, Brent... He was probably hunting. He was rather angry with her because of what she had done yesterday, she had stepped into precious hunting time and that meant less food for everyone. She would have to find a way to apologize to him for that but really she didn't feel too guilty about her decision.

For once she was lucky! When she entered the kitchen she did not come across her mother, it was better that she was not around. Nari knew that her mother would want to speak to the Naga and she didn't want her to bother him. She put the plate on the counter with the others to be cleaned, made her way to the front door then left with the Naga. It would take some time for her to get use to the others staring at her. She knew that they were mostly interested in the Naga but they were also bewildered by her decision to bring him here. Nari tried to avoid their eyes, but whenever she did lock eyes with another she quickly looked away and walked faster. Though she always checked to make sure that the Naga was close to her, she didn't want anyone to try anything.

Once they were out of the village it was a relief. Nari looked over at the Naga and waved at him to follow her. She cut through some trees then headed downhill a narrow path. Once at the end they came to river that stretched as far as the eye could see. A small dock had been built and a few boats were currently tied to it. Though Nari figured they could settle down on the dock and relax there, she didn't think that any of the small boats could hold her weight and the Naga's combined. Nari walked down the dock then once at the end she took hold of two fishing rods then sat. She looked over at the Naga then patted the spot beside her and smiled at him when he finally brought himself beside her. "Do you know how to fish?" She asked him, she almost felt stupid for asking.

Nari placed one of the fishing rods between them then reached into her bad and took out a small pouch. She untied the ribbon around it then took out some of the bait she had brought with her. "I'm not sure how much we need to catch, well really you don't have to do anything..." Nari looked up at him and her ears fell a little. "I just feel bad if you sit beside me and don't do anything, I don't want to bore you that's all." She checked her fishing rod once more before throwing it back then thrusting it forward to make the bait far enough in the water. "See if you want to fish just do what I did... It's real easy!" She smiled weakly at the other then looked away almost embarrassed, she kept forgetting that the other didn't like to speak.

[Rosekitten]

Stubborn was a good word for her. He'd have to speak up sooner or later or she was going to put him into a coma from eating. Not to admit the thought was such a bad one, it wasn't like any harm would come of it, he'd just be reluctant to move for a while. Either way she seemed to be ready so there was no use in trying to do or say anything about it now.

No for now he was just going to follow her seeing as she seemed to want him to. Probably for the best, it wasn't like the whole village didn't know where he was staying, and being here alone would only encourage someone to try something stupid. Probably more stupid on their part then anything seeing as he could defend himself even in his current state. Though it wasn't something he was willing to try out by far... he'd rather stay his distance from anyone else in this village and he'd rather they do the same.

Once they were outside and away from the village at the least he felt like he could breath again. He had stayed on edge nearly the full night and everything in his body screamed from how tense he had stayed. Though it was for his own good, he'd rather be on guard then be attacked while he was asleep. Not that he figured anyone was bold enough in that village to attack what seemed to be the village leader's home... It wasn't till mid last night he even put two and two together that she was the man's daughter.

He would question why she had done what she did but at the same time it didn't matter, it was done and over with now and she seemed rather content trying to help him. It was odd that she was trying to help him though, what was she to gain from all of this? Maybe she didn't want to gain anything. Though that was a little hard to believe to be honest.

Though he let his thoughts stay in his own mind as she seemed to bring them to what appeared to be a small dock. Right away she went about chattering away. He did forget a number of things... though fishing wasn't one of them. Just his kind didn't fish in this manner. Then again they normally didn't stay in groups so there was little gathering that needed to be done aside from herbs.

He shook his head a little after she seemed to grow quiet, he had half started to tune her out with his own thoughts as bits were coming back to him the more he thought about it. Though he wasn't answering her in the least no he was more or less trying to settle his thoughts. It was hard to think he could recall even half of what he did after so many years of being forced to do as he was told.

After she seemed to settle down and start doing her own thing he moved a little before he bothered to open his mouth. It probably shocked her he could even speak let alone the fact he could speak something she understood. "I never did get your name..." He could have said a number of things but that seemed fitting enough. It was true, sure he had heard what others called her but she had never once bothered to give her name.

Not that he really cared, but he couldn't properly thank her till he got his answer. It was more out of respect then anything. She had ended up saving his life, he would have been stuck there for the rest of his days if it weren't for her. Let alone she was going out of her way to try and help him it seemed. Or at the least to make sure nothing happened to him while he stayed here.

Though seeing as she didn't answer right away he guessed she was in shock that he spoke. This whole time he had stayed silent, not that this was abnormal for his kind. They stayed silent unless forced to talk. Though... he wasn't always like this, oh no for one of his kind he had quite a bit of flair considering. It would just take enough time to get that said spark to emerge again.

[gremlin]

Nari didn't expect the other to speak to her, she saw the way that he moved and the look on his face told her that he was thinking. She was just getting use to him being so quiet and was going to train herself to only have him questions that could be answered with a simple nod or shake of him head. That way it wouldn't be so difficult for them to communicate but here he was speaking to her. It was almost a relief really to know that he had a voice, she wondered how long he had held it in for. It also surprised her but was a relief as well that he was speaking in a language that she could understand.

How odd, she had not realized that she never gave the other her name yet. Even when he had given her something to call him! Her ears fell a little then she looked at the other, it embarrassed her that she had done such a thing. "I'm sorry about that, I never properly introduced myself!" She laughed a little then shook her head. "My name is Nari'Quinn, but everyone calls me Nari or Quinn for short. You can call me whichever one that you prefer." She watched him for a moment wondering if he speak to her from now on. She wanted to ask him a few questions but didn't want to become a nuisance.

It was obvious to tell that she was excited by the other speaking and curiosity filled her eyes. Nari didn't speak to different races much, she often encountered humans but those encounters were always unpleasant and Naga were rare. She knew that and a few other things seeing as her race didn't like them so much. Elves rarely roamed around here, many creatures didn't live here either and she had only ever heard of Dragonkin from legends.

"Is Loki your real name?" She finally asked him, it didn't hurt to ask the other a simple question. She hoped that she wasn't bothering him by asking or confusing him further. If he didn't remember then that was fine or if he told her that he was certain that it was his real name then she wouldn't bother him further. It just seemed odd really, it was such a pet name. She really wasn't sure about it but she believed that it even meant snake.

[Lily]

He never said a word to her when she gave him her name, it didn't matter too much to him what he called her. Sooner or later his plans were to stop being a burden to this girl and to leave the village. Sure over time the others might warm up to him, but something kept telling him he was not meant to be here. Like his home or rather true home was calling to him... He just had no idea where to look.

He was however expecting to answer a few questions, though seeing as they never came he accepted that as well. She or someone else would probably get around to asking some. That was the unavoidable fact. A few questions never hurt anyone though, well maybe they did but the ones that could be asked in his case wouldn't. Though he was curious on how long she could hold back any questions she had, it was easy to tell she was excited to find out he could speak. Then again why wouldn't he be able to? Other then if they had cut his tongue out but he had learned to keep his mouth shut to prevent just that.

Normally he wasn't the silent type, he's remain this way for now but thats mainly because over doing it after all of these years could lead to hurting his weakened voice. It could be worked into, maybe it was possible to return to the way of life he had before that he kept getting glances and visions of... That was a rather large maybe. But until then this might prove informative or at the least entertaining.

After a few moments she seemed to finally find a question she wanted answered, one he was expecting seeing the odd look she had given him back when he had handed her the tag. He shook his head a little to answer her at first. "It's not, in... I think Elven it stands for snake. The humans thought it was cute." He had a hint of distaste for the word and it's meaning when he spoke, as well as the fact the humans had forced it upon him.

"My true name is forgotten for now." He seemed to leave it at that, in truth his own native language was forgotten for now. He only managed to keep up with the humans and this language because of being around humans and then the trips he was forced to go on to the stables. He hated it really, the feeling like something was missing. He had a number of spots in his mind that over the years he had forced out to prevent the humans from getting information from him.