The unexpected occurred, the snake that had kept staring at her, suddenly transformed into his half beast form with the torso of a human and the lower body of a snake.
"Yes, it's for you to eat, help yourself" the snake beastmen man replied
Ava stood up from the grass nest and attempted to step out of it but due to darkness of the cave, she stumbled and almost fell, the snake beastmen man seeing this, went to a corner of the cave, with a powerful sweep of its arm, it lifted a massive rock, and unearthed a something wrapped in a skin hide, and as he unwrapped it, the cave was illuminated by a glowing orb large enough to fit in both of Ava's hands.
Looking away from the glowing ball of light, her eye's meet the enchanting vision of a handsome man, whose lithe muscles are meticulously sculpted through a perfect blend of strength and agility. His physique exudes an ethereal grace that captivates all who lay their eyes upon him.
His long, cascading blue hair, reaching down to his waist, serves as a striking crown that accentuates his unique charm. It flows like a waterfall of shimmering sapphires, gently caressing his shoulders as he moves. The rich hue of his hair is a mesmerizing sight, reflecting a spectrum of blues under different lights, adding to his mystique.
As Ava delved deeper into his visage, she was drawn to his sharp eyebrows, which frame his face like two masterfully crafted arches. They stood out in stark contrast to his hair, forming an intriguing juxtaposition that highlights his cold eyes. His golden irises, like polished sunbeams, inviting you into his soul and allowing you to witness the depths of his spirit.
The snake dropped the ball beside the nest and asked "Aren't you hungry??"
"Am not hungry" she lied, with a fake smile on her face, although she was hungry she currently has no plans to eat raw meat.
The snake beastmen tilted his head sideways and replied " How so? Am sure you haven't had anything to eat this morning."
"What do you mean by that? How do you know I haven't eaten this morning, it's not like you've been following me around throughout this... " Ava's voice trails a suddenly realization dawn's on her
Have you been stalking me secretly..???
The snake remained silent, it picked up something that looked like a well sharpened curved talon, which had a little bit of animal skin wrapped around the base of the talon, it seems to be like a makeshift knife. But wait a minute...!!! Why was it carrying a knife?? Ava unconsciously took a step backwards. The snake moved towards her and stopped. Then he bent down and picked up the dead prey, cut out the hind leg of the beast and handed it to Ava.. "come on, eat, you need to put on some weight" the snake said.
"No, you kidnapped me, and now you expect me to act like nothing happened... Why did you kidnap me, and what did you do to my friend?!" Ava demanded, trying to show no fear as her hands curled into fists.
The snake beastman dropped the meat, giving her a sideways glance, his golden iris emitting a certain coldness. "Little female, your friend is okay. I might have broken a few ribs, but he should recover in a few days," he replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
Ava was shocked. This crazy stalker snake beastman not only stalked and kidnapped her but also injured George. "Well, at least he's not dead. I can't help but feel like a bringer of bad luck. I escaped from a stray beastmen only to be kidnapped by a stalker snake beastman, causing George to get affected by my bad luck... Whatever, I still have to survive. Once I escape, I will find a way to compensate George," Ava inwardly said.
She folded her arms, stood up straight while trying to look confident. "Alright then, why did you kidnap me?" Ava asked the snake beastman.
"Little female, I believe you have something that belongs to me," the snake beastman replied while slowly curling and wrapping its snake tail around Ava. Ava awkwardly laughed. "I don't seem to remember ever borrowing something from you," she decided to deny.
"Little female, are you sure about that? It's a small glowing energy crystal sphere," the snake beastman replied with a smirk. This female dares to evade her responsibility.
Ava was beginning to feel suffocated, not because the snake was wrapped too tightly around her, but because the aura or the atmosphere in the cave was becoming more dangerous. The snake beastman's gaze dared her to deny it.
Ava grinned foolishly as she stammered. "Ah, yes... It... It seems like... there... there was a time I passed by and .... and I happened to pick something up."
"Yes, I bet that's what happened," the snake beastman replied in a sarcastic manner, remembering how his cave was messed up. The atmosphere now returned back to normal.
"Alright, hand over the energy crystal sphere," the snake asked.
Trickles of sweat now ran down Ava's face and neck. "I... I.. don't have it anymore," Ava replied.
The snake beastman sternly replied, "If you don't have it anymore, that means you must compensate me."
Ava was not shocked, though. The moment she had woken up in this same cave she had ransacked before, she knew it would all come down to this. She decided to try and negotiate. "Kind sir, I'm sorry that I used your treasure. I was wounded by stray beastmen, and I happened to pass your cave. I was desperate, so I used it to save myself. I'm really, really sorry for using your stuff without permission, but I promise to repay you back," Ava apologized and begged with tear-soaked eyes.
Seeing the teary-eyed Ava, the snake beastman was a bit moved. How could such a cute female exist? But no... He had to maintain a stoic expression or he might lose this female.
The snake beastman told Ava, "This energy crystal sphere, I originally got it by slaying a colossal beast not too long ago. My aim was to give it to my future mate. But since you have used it and cannot return it, you can repay me by becoming my mate."
(●__●)
"Excuse me??" Ava asked in disbelief.
No freaking way, I just used some object and now I l have to get married, nope, let's find a way to change the topic. Ava suddenly pretended to collapse, except she didn't fall since she was still wrapped up by the snake.
The snake beastman shaked Ava gently "little female, what's wrong?? He asked out of concern
Ava feigning weakness said "I too hungry, I almost fainted, I have to find something to eat"
"There's meat... " The snake was about to say before Ava interrupted "I can't eat raw meat or else I will fall sick, it has to be cooked first, but since am too weak to cook the meat, please take me out to find fruits"
The snake beastman was a bit reluctant. Ava also added in "I also need to drink water, am thirsty"
The snake beastman finally gave in, wrapped up in the snake's coils, Ava was brought out of the cave and through the tunnels, she realized that it was now mid day. She had been unconscious throughout the morning, looking around the tunnel they came out from was different from the one she knew, it brought them to a new location that she has Never been before. Her body was tightly wrapped and dragged around. Ava had no margin to struggle and thus didn't resist, choosing to conserve her energy instead.
The female's obedience pleased the snake beastman. He had to maintain an unyielding attitude towards females, and it was proving to be effective. He wouldn't give his female a chance to escape or even allow her to harbor any thoughts of escaping.
The Snake beast-man brought Ava along for a stretch of the road and discovered that she had shrunk into his body without a single movement.
The Snake beastman turned its head back and called out "little female"
Ava immediately looked at the large, blue snake, her heartbeat quickening once more.
The female's fearful attitude towards him delighted the Snake beast man and he kindheartedly loosened his tail, releasing the female to roam around freely.
The released Ava was a little surprised, and Her heart started pounding with her newfound freedom.
It was beating even more violently than when she woke up in the cave to the snake beastman's gaze.
Ava wanted to flee, she wanted to return to the small tribe and find out what happened to George, the heck, she wanted her freedom! But no,
if she took a wrong step, she would probably find herself in the snake's mouth the next second. There was too much difference between their strengths, and this could be the reason the beastman let her go so casually.
Suppressing her urge to break into a run and flee, her body that had been bound was a little numb. She pretended to casually stretch her limbs but still obediently stood beside the large snake, afraid of taking even half a step away.
The Snake beastman was even more satisfied he had expected her to run, he said " Look at that tree, I've seen some beastmen eating these, do you like them?"
...…
Looking around, Ava's eyes brightened when she bumped into a few fruit trees. However, she did not dare to recklessly run over and pick it.
The Snake beastman had always been paying attention to the female. Seeing her excitement, he gestured her to move towards the direction of the fruit trees.
Ava was incredibly happy, and couldn't help walking to the fruit tree with quicker steps.
The branches were many and the leaves were lush, with plump fruits hanging in the spaces between. The trees were much smaller only if they were compared to the other large, towering trees. In fact, this tree wasn't short, and Ava could only reach the lowest fruit on the tip of her toes.
The yellow fruit was the size of her fist and was very hard when she bit into it. There wasn't much flavor and the taste was somewhat tart, probably because it wasn't ripe yet.
Ava raised her head to look at the fruits at the top of the trees. Pale yellow with a touch of crimson; it
was probably ripe and definitely would be much more delicious than the one in her hands.
Understanding her meaning, the Snake beastman pulled Ava backwards and away from the tree with one hit of his tail the tree violently shook as almost all the fruits fell down. The snake beast man attempted to hit the tree again but was stopped by Ava.
"Stop, if you damage the tree, we won't be able to get any more delicious fruits from it again, '' Ava told him.
As if realizing, the snake nodded in agreement.
"I've been meaning to introduce myself, My name is Ava, what's your name?" Ava asked
The snake beastman turning to face Ava replied "Kael, My name .. is Kael"