Chapter Text
The scale in his hand was the size of his palm. Solid black, fading to translucence where it would connect with a body. In the sunlight that peered through the wet canopy, the scale reflected brilliant reds and oranges and yellows. What the hell did this thing belong to? Hongjoong had never seen a scale so big, could not even begin to imagine the size of the snake it came from. Were there even snakes this big here?
A twig cracked somewhere behind him and the scale fell to the earth with little thought. His feet carried him faster than he thought possible, lungs burning, legs numb. The scale didn't belong to whatever was chasing him, the sound of heavy footsteps thundering across the ground far different to whatever could’ve produced such an intense scale. Branches tore at his arms and legs, wet mossy ground slippery as he peeled through layers of decaying leaves, feet skidding. Muscles strained from bone and joints, chest on fire, though there was no possibility of stopping. It was undeniable in his mind that whatever was chasing him, whatever was behind him, was out to kill him.
For many years this area had been off limits and for good reason. If Hongjoong hadn’t been all but forced to enter the thick, gnarly jungle, he wouldn’t have. No sane person crosses the threshold between the road and this wilderness willingly. If he had the breath to do so, Hongjoong would have cursed. Would have screamed, yelled, cursed, and thrashed. Many responses could have been given to the situation he found himself in, yet none were possible. Certainly if he ran like this for much longer his body would collapse on itself, broken and exhausted. He had to find coverage and fast, though when in the monster’s den it’s hard to gain the upper hand. Here, despite all the foliage and trees, there seemed to be no true hiding spots in sight. All the plantlife was shin-high and the trees limbless and smooth skinned.
Body reacting before brain, his instincts took over as he fell backwards, sliding across the ground as his legs put on the brakes. Something was in front of him, something unfurling from the bushes, something much larger than him. Much scarier than him. The tree canopy was dense, high high high limbs curling against each other in a knitted pattern as they interlocked to block the sky. Whatever thin light made it through them was greyish, watered down and bleached. Against such pale light and the dense, dark background of the scenery, the figure was practically indistinguishable from a shadow. A head, humanoid. A torso, humanoid. They rose from the plants higher, higher, higher, until they could have been a tree themselves or perhaps it was just the angle that Hongjoong’s broken mind registered the creature from. There were no legs beneath the slender waist. Long, long, long. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The texture, the thickness, the height of the trees. This was no human. This was no tree.
The thundering footsteps behind him came crashing through the treeline, skidding to a stop as harsh as his own had been. Hongjoong couldn’t even look to see what had been trailing him, couldn’t bear to take his eyes off the beast that he had awakened.
For a long moment, nothing moved. All that could be heard was the sound of Hongjoong’s heart, thundering in his chest as he attempted to still his wheezing breath. The creature chasing him was the first to break the stillness. A mistake. The second the leaves rustled, the leviathan in front of them locked focus and lunged, faster than the creature could stand. Hongjoong watched in still horror as the body struck past him, long and thin and flashed with red as it wrapped around the creature. There was but one shrill cry of pain before the sound of bones crunching and offputting gurgling came from the knotted mass. Then, uncomfortable, terrifying, silence. Hongjoong slowed his breathing as best he could, body as taut as a corpse as he prayed to any god that would listen that he would survive this.
Seconds felt like minutes as he listened to the sound of muscles creaking and the leaves rustling. When the body of the beast slowly uncurled and started to move towards him, Hongjoong’s eyes clenched shut without him noticing, as if avoiding eye contact would protect him from whatever was about to happen.
A body slid across the damp earth, a dragging, slithering sound of sorts. Languid. Unrushed. This was not a creature that feared the forest, this was a predator borne of the forest. A part of the forest. Here, it had nothing to fear. Hongjoong had heard stories of beasts like these, protectors of the jungle. Half human, half beast.
Hongjoong could feel the presence in front of him, hovering a few arm’s lengths away. A scoff left the creature, gently brushing past Hongjoong’s face, carrying a strangely sweet scent. “You can open your eyes…I don’t hunt prey that’s too small to be worth it.”
A flash of indignation was what opened Hongjoong’s eyes beyond the fear, “Who are you calling small?”
The creatures face was close, very close. Close enough that Hongjoong couldn’t see much of the body and was almost convinced that he had simply crashed into an unusually beautiful human. Wide wet eyes as dark as night stared back at him, melting against the warm sunkissed skin and shaggy black hair. The creature's nostrils flared slightly, unnaturally closing to slits before reopening. Then, a grin stole across its face. Hongjoong would consider it to be a beautiful smile if it was a normal situation, though this close he could see the way this creature’s canines were retractable, the slight bump in its gums where the fangs would extend.
“See something interesting, little human?”
Hongjoong’s voice was gone again, stolen with the final connection between this creature’s identity and the hell he had accidentally stumbled upon. The snake curled its lip slightly, fang lowering slightly. Like this, he could also see the membrane along the side of his lip and cheek that would allow for his jaw to unhinge. On the outside of his face it appeared as thin slits that followed the natural shape of his cheekbones, almost unnoticeable. While his mouth was open, that membrane stretched, getting thinner and thinner as he would open wider. The snake didn’t seem interested in eating him, despite his show. It almost seemed to enjoy teasing him, dark eyes sparkling mirthfully.
“Little human,” The voice was so deep and melodic, wispy and enticing and nothing at all like he would have ever expected, “What are you doing out here so far from the road?”
Hongjoong swallowed thickly, “I’m lost.”
“I can tell.” The snake was smiling again, normal and bordering human. Beautiful and haunting. “Where are you going?”
“I’m not sure.” The words only partially caught in his throat and for that he could only be partially grateful. The tongue that slithered from the snakes mouth was humanish and forked, two identical tips twisting against each other as they tasted the air. The corners of its plush lips pulled upwards slightly. “I’m looking for something…But I don’t think that matters much anymore.”
The snake seemed to appreciate that answer, face softening slightly. There was a second, a long silent second, where the two of them stood together, surrounded by the forest and damp air and the sound of Hongjoong’s heart still crashing against his chest, attempting to escape. It was only when the snake seemed to decide something that the quiet moment was broken. A subtle nod before the snake leaned back into its own space, rising to its full height. At least two heads taller than Hongjoong, the snake had to peer downwards at him.
“Follow me.” It wasn’t a request.
The snake slithered around Hongjoong, tail so long it was still encircling him on the ground as it leaned around him to collect its kill. With one arm it grabbed the large beast by a leg and began to drag it along. Hongjoong’s legs were weak, still shaking slightly, but he urged them to follow as they ventured deeper into the forest. The sight of the dead beast, the open muzzle and bloodshot eyes from constriction, made his stomach clench. Averting his eyes meant staring at the back of the snake, a bubbling sort of fascination taking his mind. A humanoid head, neck, and back. Thin, toned muscles, broad shoulders, narrow waist. Where hips should have been there was simply more muscle, more spine, more scales. The skin did not fade into scales, but it did not abruptly start either. The skin seemed to morph around its waist, going from soft human flesh to silky small scales to the larger, darker ones down its tail. The scales along its waist were the same color as its human flesh, a warm pallor. It was beautiful, in a morbid way.
“Little human,” That deep, wispy voice didn’t echo in the forest, “What were you doing so far out here?”
Hongjoong frowned. Those bastards had marooned him in a monster infested forest, a mutinous end for a disgraced captain. “I’ve been punished by my crew.”
A hum, oddly human and empathetic, was the first response he received. The second, was more curious than accusatory. “A pirate? This far inland?”
“We weren’t originally set to dock here.” Hongjoong watched as the snake effortlessly slid over a large fallen tree, half rotted, half broken. It took him a second of struggling to sling his leg up high enough to sit atop the trunk. So wide he couldn’t straddle it, he had to swing both legs over. A human hand gripped his waist and helped lower him down, his eyes stuck to the approaching ground. His throat closed slightly, the feeling of those fingers pressing into delicate flesh as nervewracking as being pressured into the forest. A hairbreadth from death. Hongjoong’s eyes found the snake’s again. This close, they were glossy, a hint of warmth bleeding from behind the darkness. Its pupils were invisible in this lighting, iris and pupil indistinguishable. The human skin was so smooth, so flawless, every bit of snake was noticeable like it was illuminated. The areas where skin could stretch and bend unnaturally, the elasticity, the sensory slits along its inner nose. Terrifying, beautiful, heartwrenching. Hongjoong couldn’t breathe.
The snake moved back and Hongjoong felt his chest cave in. With its back turned, it became a lot easier to focus on the conversation that was being attempted. Their stroll began again with the story.
“We docked in the port city to find a witch doctor. Some of the crew picked up some cursed treasure somewhere along the way. Everyone on board but me and the first mate caught it. When we found someone who knew the witch, they told us the directions. Off we went through the forest.”
“Ah,” The sound gentle and understanding, “You were separated on your journey. Lost.”
“Not quite.” Hongjoong flinched, “We found the witch doctor.”
“Was the curse removal successful?"
“Almost.” A pause, a frown. The silence was uninterrupted this time, the snake allowing for Hongjoong to think. “There were stipulations I hadn’t heard. A sacrifice, I guess. The person who caused the curse needed to be punished for their greed to satisfy the curse. They blamed me for choosing to dock where they found it.”
“But you were not cursed?” The snake looked over its shoulder to see Hongjoong shake his head. “So you were not involved with the treasure.”
“That’s the thing about pirates,” Hongjoong gave a little laugh, “Not all of them sail on wisdom and loyalty. A lot are desperate, greedy, and out for their own skins. My crew had been stable up until they were desperate. None of them were willing to take the blame and who amongst them is easier to blame than the leader? So, on our way back from the witch doctor, they cornered me. Since none had the gall to end me themselves, they figured the forest would do it for them. The curse would be satisfied and they would be free to roam the seas again.”
The snake hummed, but said nothing more. The two continued in unusually comfortable silence, the sound of the snake shuffling, Hongjoong’s footsteps, and the beasts corpse dragging were the only thing to fill the empty air. It wasn’t unpleasant. Hongjoong was gathering his landlegs again and the snake seemed completely unbothered by the trek through the forest. Nothing bothered them as they continued. Hongjoong suspected it was due to the fact that he was travelling with the apex of the predatory system here. No birds, no rustling animals, nothing chasing them. In an unusual sense, he was as safe as he could be with the snake. Whether it was leading him to a den to devour him later or to keep him as entertainment for a bit, Hongjoong couldn’t find it in him to care any longer. Now that his heart had stopped racing and there was more control in his body, he realized how doomed his situation was regardless.
There were only a few situations possible now and none of them seemed particularly pleasant. The snake could be luring him somewhere just to eat him, he dies. The snake sets him free in the forest, he dies. The snake could keep him as a pet, he’s tortured, he dies. The snake could have a burst of good will and take him to town, where he is caught alone by villagers and hung for piracy without the backing of his crew. Every scenario that played out in his mind ended with his death. Coming to terms with his inevitable end, he no longer felt terrified out of his mind.
“We’re almost there.” The snake spoke again for the first time in a while, voice gentle.
“Where is there, exactly?”
“My home,” The snake answered, “Well, one of them.”
Hongjoong hummed in response, noncommittal but curious. The terrain had shifted slightly, less rocky, less twiggy, and more old growth and moss. Ferns blanketed the ground, hanging moss drooped from trees, and bark with ravines of patterns housed mushrooms and fungi and small insects. The earth was flatter here, less craggy. They had entered a valley of some kind at some point, the ground wetter. It was fresher here, less dense and suffocating, but still as vast and endless.
A break in the trees appeared suddenly in front of the snake. The forest here was so thick that seeing much more than a few paces in front of you was difficult, so the meadow they entered was well hidden by the ancient trees. It was a grassy field, full of moss and wildflowers and small shrubs. Several large boulders were smoothened on top, clearly a sunbathing spot for the snake. In the near distance, a house. It was large and wide and handbuilt. It seemed to sprout from the earth with how natural it looked in the place it was found. The entryway was wide and the soil around it flat and tilled and clearly used for farming. Not far beyond the house was a stream that led to a large pond. The sun shone brightly here, warm and refreshing. It felt like he had walked through a portal, the scenery changing so drastically. It was almost idyllic here.
Hongjoong was stunned for a second, lingering along the edge of the forest taking everything in. His eyes found the snake once again, slithering down a worn path towards the house. In the sunlight, its scales reflected a stunning and harsh warm palette. Reds, oranges, golds. Its skin was warmer here, tanner, glowing. It was gorgeous, it was deceptive. All the most beautiful things in the world were deadly. The dangers of coveting treasure.
The snake turned to look back at him. “Are you coming? Stand there too long and the forest might eat you back up.”
Hongjoong’s feet moved without his consciousness kicking in, self-preservation controlling his body. The snake laughed lightly, the sound gentle and warm. For the first time in hours, Hongjoong felt his shoulders relax.
Upon closer inspection, the house was made of wood and clay and living plants. The snake dropped the carcass outside before easily sliding into the building. Hongjoong lingered awkwardly beside a flowering shrub, watching the weird little insects darting around the little white flowers.
The snake returned after a moment, a large carving block and dagger in hand.
“You may want to sit inside while I butcher this.”
“You butcher your food?” Hongjoong asked instead of heading indoors, still slightly wary of the intentions behind this treatment. “I figured you’d swallow it whole.”
“I can, if you’d like to watch.” There was a pause. Hongjoong’s face heated up, though he couldn’t tell why. “But I figured you would enjoy a meal after such an excursion. What kind of host would I be if I didn’t offer you at least a meal?”
With no response to give, Hongjoong just nodded before heading inside. To get through the door, he had to step over the long tail that was guarding it. Inside was dimly lit from the sunlight leaking in through the open windows, but the general state of everything was rather cozy. The floors were made of moss, thick and plush. Brick walls lined with counter space that housed jars upon jars upon jars of stuff. On the farthest side was a large bedding space that looked to be made of layers of straw and stuffing, covered with blankets made of fine fur. Bookshelves surrounded the bed, a desk with neatly piled work below one window. A stove, a table. It all seemed so normal. Hongjoong looked for a book to enjoy, before taking a seat just beside the bed. It was a novel about the local flora and fauna, handwritten and illustrated. It was a stunning book, bound in leather and stamped with gold titles. Incredibly expensive, with no author listed. The handwriting was sleek and beautiful, curly and even.
He hadn’t realized how absorbed he had gotten until a bloodied human hand that was not his own tapped on the page he was reading. With a jump, he looked up to see the snake leering over him again. There was blood smudged along its cheek where a dirty hand had brushed back its hair.
“I will begin cooking dinner. Would you be willing to assist me?” The snake looked as though it were unused to asking for help, but Hongjoong felt his heartstrings pull at the obvious attempt at a comforting gesture.
“Of course, what do you need?”
“There are root vegetables in the garden. They have curly, puffy tops. When you harvest them, they will be pinkish, possibly peachish. Please bring me a bushel of them. I think they will pair well with the meat.”
Hongjoong nodded and got to his sore legs. The snake took the book back from him, replacing it on the shelf. “Who wrote that, by the way? Their accounts are beautifully done. I want to read more of their work.”
“That would be myself.” The snake answered, following Hongjoong to the door. “I have several journals and logs on the shelves. Help yourself to the works as you see fit.”
The dismissal felt kind, but final, so Hongjoong took his leave. He headed towards the area he was pointed as the snake disappeared into the house. The sun was beginning to set below the treeline now, bathing the area in a purple hued dusk glow. Birds overhead flew to roost and the day insects were retreating as the night ones awoke. Here, the world was slow and quiet.
Hongjoong quickly found the garden patch that the vegetables were in, prying them out of the soil with a little more effort than expected before bringing them inside. “I grabbed nine…I hope that’s enough.”
“That is plenty,” The snake answered from where it stood at the stove, tail curled in a large knot behind it, torso arched slightly unnaturally. The flame underneath made the building hot, but the snake seemed pleased with the temperature, skin flushed healthily and glowing. In this lighting the warmth of its scales were enhanced, flickering with the flames like it breathed the fire to life. “Come. We will eat, then you will bathe. You’re filthy.”
For some odd reason, Hongjoong couldn’t help but feel as though he had been scolded like a cat that had rolled in the dust outside and a little bit of indignation tore at his chest. When the snake turned to look at him, though, with a stern look that left no room for argument, he swallowed the feeling and instead walked to the sink basin to wash the vegetables.
There was no running water, but there was a plumbing system of sorts where the waste water from the sink went out to the garden, bubbling out over the plants. Efficient and easy, allowing for little care to be done out there. At least, that’s how the snake explained it idly as it continued to finish their meal. Hongjoong listened carefully as he rinsed each vegetable and prepared it as instructed. The greens were sliced off and placed in a bowl to feed the wild rabbits, while the skins were kept to be dried. It was comfortable, in a way Hongjoong hadn’t experienced since his childhood home as he stood in the kitchen listening to his grandmother’s cooking instructions. Familiar and distant all the same.
Hongjoong sat back down once he had passed the vegetables off to be seared. He found another bound book, a book of illustrations it seemed, and flipped through it leisurely. Throughout the book there were various creatures that he presumed lived in the forest or had passed through. All hand illustrated, with attention to detail that he couldn’t imagine having after seeing a creature once.
“Dinner is ready, little human.”
The voice was closer than Hongjoong remembered it being, startling him slightly out of his thoughts. The air around them smelled incredible, savory and inviting. He hadn’t had a proper meal in a while, their ship mainly being stocked on dried rations, so the scent of fresh food had his mouth watering with it so close. Hand carved wooden utensils were smooth to the touch, refined and comfortable to hold. The snake settled in a pace away, tail knotted and coiled again as it rested on it like a chair.
After a brief second, the snake nodded at him in encouragement. “Please, eat.”
It was all the permission Hongjoong needed before he began devouring the meal. The meat from the strange creature was tender and slightly salty, but paired nicely with the starchy sweet roots. A gravy was drizzled over it all, keeping the meal moist and warm. It was delicious. They ate in near silence, the only thing breaking it was the sounds of appreciation that slipped out of Hongjoong and the occasional this is delicious, thank you.
It was as the snake took their dishes to the sink that Hongjoong finally plucked the courage from his full belly to ask, “What should I call you?”
The snake paused, back to him as it stood at the sink. Its tail extended across the house, tip curled in a coil near Hongjoong’s feet. The urge to reach out and touch it strong enough that he had to sit on his hands to keep them to himself.
“It’s been many years since anyone has asked me that.” It was melancholic and there were words floating between them that Hongjoong couldn’t grasp, not yet. Perhaps it was similar to his own story, his own tale. Parts too fresh, too old, too healed, too scarred to discuss openly. There was meaning underneath the simple sentence, emotion undefined. He didn’t ask further and the snake continued when it was ready, hands in the sink scrubbing thoughtlessly at the dishes like it needed something to do. “The last name I was given was Seonghwa. So, if you’d like, that can be offered.”
Hongjoong mulled it over for a second, the name given to him. The fragile show of trust between the two, a budding bloom on a desperate plant. Seonghwa. “Seonghwa.”
The snake tensed, back entirely coiled, before every muscle seemed to melt. “Yes, that is the name I last remember.”
Hongjoong couldn’t focus, eyes beginning to droop. “Seonghwa, I think I am going to fall asleep.”
Finally, the snake turned to look at him. Eyes warm in the dim light from the dying stove fire. A gentle smile took his lips as the snake made his way back to him. It was hard to see the snake
as a monster after seeing him in such a light. Part of Hongjoong almost found him beautiful. Almost silently, the snake slithered over. On such dense moss, the sound was muffled well.
Gentle human hands helped the much smaller human to get situated on the side of the bed, tucking a pillow underneath his head. “Tomorrow you will bathe, tonight just rest. You are exhausted.”
Hongjoong couldn’t respond, mouth too heavy, eyes too blurred. His vision darkened as softened black eyes watched him drift off and the scent of the bedding encased his dreams.