Page 12 of The Naga Scavenger’s Precious Mate

She still did not look quite steady when she got up and walked to my side. Such a tiny creature on her slender legs, it seemed so impractical to use two of them instead of a tail or four legs. Then she was next to me and reached up with her hand. I ducked so she could put it against the side of my face. Her skin was warm and so very soft, I liked it when she touched me. I hoped she would offer me another of those sinful kisses. She did, just a quick brush and then she turned away. That wasn’t good enough.

With an impatient growl, I snatched her back, my hand tilting her chin up so I could slick my tongue into her mouth. She tasted so good that I couldn’t get enough of her. A taste uniquely hers combined with the sweet flavors from the morning stew. Her small hands landed against my chest. The bundle of Ayala babies squirmed against my hips, but all I could focus on was how delicious she was. How pleased I was that she had shown me this kind of touching. I was the luckiest male to have gained her permission to do this.

She moaned, the sound like music to my ears. Her scent became stronger, telling me of her heat and desire, and it became next to impossible to untangle myself from around her. I did not want to leave. Then she laughed, her hand on my chest changing to push against me, “Go, Zeidon. Or you’ll never leave and that poor mama is never going to have a nest with babies.”

To emphasize her words, the Ayala babies in my satchel squealed. From the scent of things, one of them had peed too, which definitely made it time to get them where they needed to go. I had wrapped part of my tail around my mate’s legs, a coil raised to push against her soft rear to raise her toward me. Unwinding those loops took a moment and I savored the sensations of my scales sliding along her soft skin.

“Don’t leave the cave,” I warned her, my voice gruffer than I meant it to be. “You’re safe in here. Don’t leave.” When she rolled a shoulder and nodded I turned away and forced myself to get moving. My senses tuned to her movements behind me. Was she steady enough as she walked back to the nest? Did she have enough water? Food?

She was fine. Farah was strong and she was brave, she would be alright for a day without me. There was nothing in the ancestral cave that could harm her and she had Buzz to keep her company. That made me pause and I tilted my head just enough to look over my shoulder without risking a look at my female. “Are you coming, Srazz?” I held my breath as I waited a few heartbeats. Was my companion going to follow me out, or would he choose to stay with my mate?

I did not hear the sound of his claws on the stone after a moment, so I heaved a breath and continued on my way. Fine, Srazz could keep her company too, she’d like that. I did not need him for a hunt anyway, and he would dislike the long swim, even if I would keep him dry.

Then I heard the sound of my female’s melodic voice, followed by the pitter-patter of Srazz’s paws. There he was, huffing as he caught up with me, his spines raised along his back and rump in discontent. I paused so he could catch up, and then I endured the bite of his claws against my scales when he climbed to his favorite perch on my shoulder.

“Glad to have you, buddy,” I said when he was settled. He chirped when I scratched him behind his small round ears. Then he raised his snout to nip with his large yellow front teeth at the pad of my thumb. “Fine, I’m going.”

***

Farah

I stared after the disappearing black and white striped ball of fur. This wasn’t what I’d expected my day to look like when I woke up this morning; not after the kissing, the marvelous cuddling, and other things we’d been up to yesterday. I wanted to pretend that I hadn’t had a panic attack in the water yesterday, and I wanted to forget about all the things I missed from home.

Without Zeidon there to form the perfect, handsome distraction, this feeling of unease started to fill me. Dread coiled in my stomach, my skin broke out in goosebumps, and the fine hairs on the back of my neck raised. Was there someone watching me right now? That’s what it had felt like a few days ago, I had all but forgotten about that little incident.

Buzz was still casually washing himself with his long split tongue. He looked completely unbothered by anything as he focused his efforts on this spot between the toes of one of his hind legs. The sight of such cat-like behavior was soothing and I shook myself out of the strange mood. Fine, there was nothing there; it was all in my head. This time.

I forced myself to forget about Zeidon, weird feelings, and how alone it felt to be left behind. There were more important things to do now that I was starting to feel a little better. My limbs still felt heavy, and the meal had left me a little nauseated today, but I wasn’t sleepy. Which meant I should make more clothes for myself, including underpants. Something I should definitely do now that Zeidon wasn’t watching.

I was no star seamstress but I’d had some lessons from my mom when growing up. I remembered the basics of certain patterns so I set out to measure and cut what I needed. The basket with bone needles and sewing thread was far cruder than what I was used to working with, but I’d make do. Blue pants and tunic first, then I’d cut panties out of the leftover fabric.

With a firm plan in mind, I got to work. My pace was dictated by the frequent rest I was forced to take when my limbs grew too heavy and fatigued to do more. My mind wandered as I worked, and Buzz fluttered around the room or slept at my side.

What was Zeidon doing right now? That last kiss before he left, whew! I had never been kissed as eagerly or possessively as he had done, my body went warm just thinking about it. I didn’t know I liked it so much when someone gripped the back of my neck so firmly to hold me in place, but I really did.

Buzz suddenly lifted his head from his paws, his nose going up in the air as he sniffed. Fear skittered down my spine that I couldn’t explain. Did he hear something? Smell something?

Chapter 9

Zeidon

With the Ayala babies adopted by their new mom, I could finally get started on my hunt. Already, Srazz and I had lost precious hours of daylight, but I was glad my first mission of the day had gone successfully. I had only needed to place the young in the clearing near her burrow and their squealing had brought the female out. She’d dragged them into her nest by the scruff of their necks one by one after only a few sniffs and licks. I could only assume that she thought they were the young she’d lost a few days ago.

Srazz was somewhere in the underbrush to my left, foraging more nuts and berries to stuff his round belly with. The sky was clear, the sun warmed my scales, and I knew my mate was safely tucked away inside my own den. Everything seemed to be going well, but I felt a niggle of worry cling to the back of my mind.

Yesterday, at the lake, we’d been interrupted when Bitter Storm warriors had crossed a little too closely to our location. Since I was deep inside Thunder Rock territory, a Clan of blue-scaled Naga, there shouldn’t be any of the technology-hating Bitter Storm warriors. Something was happening, something big. Or maybe it had already happened.

It was not in my nature, or that of my Clan’s, to care much about the activities of any of the others. Our males went wherever they wanted to go and hunted on any hunting grounds we liked, and the fabrics our females made were welcome for trade at every home. This niggle of worry made me feel like I should care, to protect my female.

Srazz came trundling out of the bushes just as I reached the spot where an underground river exited the mountain. It was close to where I had made my den with my mate, a perfect pathway for me to quickly reach a clearing downhill that the fat six-legged Vakarsa liked to visit. He chortled gleefully at the sight of me, then glared malevolently at the rushing water and issued a warning growl.

His growl made me smile, but that smile faltered when I noticed a broken branch to his left. Once I saw it, I saw more signs. The Naga that had disturbed Farah and me yesterday had passed through here. Their trail told me they headed along the river I had intended to follow. Had their food issues driven them to hunt in the territories of other Clans? Were they going to be a force to worry about?

They posed a threat to Farah; they would kill her if they saw her. Bitter Storm did not tolerate any differences, or any reminders of the past like the bits and pieces of technology I liked to scavenge the skyships and ruins for. Worried about their presence, I started to follow their tracks, much to Srazz’s pleasure as it meant we weren’t swimming just yet.

What I discovered next made me reevaluate all my plans. The Bitter Storm warriors had taken up a spot on high ground to observe a long palisade wall, then they had turned into the woods to head back home. That wall shouldn’t be there, it hadn’t been there the last time I’d come this way.

Far more interesting was the colorful array of Naga males I saw coming and going. There was a camp with a handful of tents and wooden buildings in front of the gate, and beyond the wall rose Ahoshaga Peak, which I’d circled as I tracked the enemy warriors. I could see the entrance to what Thunder Rock considered the most haunted ancestral caves in the territory. Only it didn’t look so haunted now.