Chapter 3

Diya shut her eyes tightly and groaned.

Birds were chirping above her and she could tell she was deep in the forest without opening her eyes.

She was closer to nature now.

She turned her body around and  realized she wasn't on the cold ground, she was ontop of something, probably a body.

Diya opened her eyes to look at the body underneath her only for her to realize she was naked, her clothes laying at her feet in pieces.

She looked around around her as she squinted her eyes making her gasp.

Maybe she was dreaming.

She was sleeping on a snake's tail, a very big snake with extremely long tail.

So this had to be a dream right?.

Because snakes like this are powerful gods, barely seen and not to be messed with.

Her eyes trailed up the snake's body and it landed on a man's torso then she looked up at his handsome face.

The handsomely scaled man had long deep blue hair that cascaded down his shoulders, deep blue piercing eyes, long fangs and extremely sharp claws. He was toned and spotted an eight pack. His muscled long tail was of two colors, the outer layer was shining deep blue and the inner layer was a golden brown.

The mute girl realized she was sleeping on a Naga's tail.

Diya stood up in shock and tried to cover her woman parts.

She wanted to back away but his tail filled the whole floor and she was cold.

"Naga", River said quietly.

"I know".

The Naga stared at Diya intently then wrapped his big coils around her covering her woman parts and giving her instant warmth.

He was careful not to wrap his tail too tightly around her as further pressure could sever her bones.

"I won't hurt you", he said in a sturdy voice.

Diya couldn't avert her eyes from the Naga until something in the shadows began to move towards them.

She held on to the naga's tail out of fear until the thing moving came out of the shadows.

It was another Naga.

He had long black hair. He had fangs and claws just like the other. His tail was mostly brown with patterns of gold, he had beads at the end of his tail and golden nipples.

"She's awake", the Naga said.

"As you can see".

The other Naga moved closer and she shrinked back in fear.

"Careful, she's delicate", the blue haired said gently.

"I'm Akakios", the black haired said making Diya nod her head.

"What's your name?".

Diya looked at the Naga with his coils around her and he loosened his tail making her bend down.

With her finger, she wrote DIYA on the soft and wet ground.

Only then did she realize she was in a cave with glistening water and fresh tall plants acting as chandeliers in the cave giving it more beauty.

The sun shone brightly outside and she wanted to bask in it.

"You can't talk", The blue haired said.

She shook her head and they stared at her again.

Suddenly the Naga uncoiled his tail completely from her and started to glide away.

"I'm going to hunt, take care of her", he said then left.

Akakios stared at her.

"He will be back soon but you need to wash up".

His words made her aware of her naked state and she wrapped her arms around her body.

He chuckled and gently lifted her with his tail out of the cave.

The sun met her skin with delight.

Akakios took her to a river where two other nagas were.

One was on the branch of a tree near the river basking and the other was in the water.

The one in the river had short dreaded curls. Each curl had a pearl-like bead at each tip.

Even though part of his tail was in the water, Diya could tail his tail was mostly black, with little patterns of dark brown. His skin was toned just like the other two and also had an eight pack just like the other two.

Meanwhile, the half snake on the tree was remarkably different. He had blond hair, a blond tail and a fair skin.

Everything about him stood against the other three.

They looked up when they saw Akakios coming. They smiled at Diya as one of them took her from Akakios and set her on the ground.

"Hello", he said.

She waved her fingers and looked at them.

"She doesn't talk".

"I'm Amosis and this is my brother, Gracchus", the one in the river said and pointed to the one on the branch.

The one on the branch got down and came towards her. He used his finger to raise her chin up slowly and smiled.

"Beautiful".

"Her name is Diya, let's give her some space so she can bath".

Gracchus got out of the water but not before splashing some on her, she shivered and he smiled.

Amosis crawled past her and whispered in her ear, "Don't mind him".

"We'll be close by, over by those stones".

She nodded her head as they left.

Diya got into the water slowly, one step at a time.

The water hugged her all around as she submerged into it.

After bathing, she decided to have fun in the river forgetting her problems for a while.

She splashed water all around her and just played.

Gracchus came back with some clothes and dropped them on a stone.

"I brought some clothes".

He sat on a stone and watched her come out of the water.

Diya picked up the simple dress which had a faint flowery smell on it.

She studied it and looked at Gracchus.

"It belonged to some woman we ate few days ago".

She dropped the dress in alarm and he laughed.

"Don't worry, we won't eat you. Amosis and Amyntas already think of you as a little sister and besides, the woman wasn't harmless".

"She wanted to kill us, she brought weapons. She looked so innocent but she had the weapons under her dress".

"So after killing her, we checked the small bag she brought and we found more weapons and some clothes".

So the blue haired one is called Amyntas, Diya thought to herself.

She picked up the dress and put it on.

"Amyntas will soon be back with food".

She knelt at the bank of the river and got a stick.

'Thank you', she wrote on the ground.

"You're welcome".

'Which one of you saved me?', she asked.

"Amyntas did, he saw you falling from the cliff and he caught you before your body hit the water".

"Are you human?", he asked.

'Werewolf'.

"Diya".

Diya looked up and saw Amyntas approaching her with a deer in his mouth, his canines deep in the deer's neck.

Amosis and Akakios were holding some fruits.

Amyntas got the fire started and got to roasting the meat.

Akakios washed the fruits and set them on a large leaf for her.

"Eat up".

She nodded her head and picked up the berries slowly.

She looked at the four Nagas and watched them interact with one another.

Amyntas was the oldest, Amosis and Akakios were twins and Gracchus was the youngest.

They did all the talking and Diya answered all their questions.

Diya had finally concluded,

Maybe life with the Naga brothers isn't such a bad idea.

As the days went by, she started to learn more about them. She'd already be staying with them for months and she couldn't ask for a better life. 

"Nagini".

"Nagini, wake up".

Someone's tail caressed Diya's cheek and she frowned, annoyed to be disturbed in her sleep.

She snuggled closer into someone else's tail until she felt a sudden jerk.

"Wake up", Gracchus said as her butt landed on the floor.

Diya rubbed her sore butt and pouted.

She ignored him and climbed back on Amyntas tail, snuggling close to his body.

Nagas were great body warmers, she concluded. 

Amyntas wrapped his tail around her and she went back to sleep.

She heard Gracchus huff.

"You're spoiling her".

"Maybe you're just jealous because you're not the youngest anymore", Amosis said.

The boys tails were her beds.

Soft, comfy, big and warm.

She avoided Gracchus' tail at all cost.

He moved around a lot and always tickled her in her sleep.

To Diya, Amyntas' tail was the best and her favorite.

He was overly protective though.

Nagini don't touch that, It's dangerous.

Nagini, don't wander off too far.

Nagini don't jump from that tree.

Nagini you're not eating well.

Diya loved the name Nagini.

It meant female Naga.

She had been living with them for seven  months and had to tell them her story.

Actually, she had to show them.

It was mostly yes and no questions but when it got to the part of her dad's death, she had to act it out for them.

Akakios got so angry the river nearby started to flood.

Diya got scared but Amosis assured her saying Nagas can cause floods, It was one of their powers.

They had eaten few humans that kept trying to kill or tame them and the ones who mistakenly walked into their part of the woods, they let the water wash them away.

"Oh well, i was going to take you hunting but looks like I'll have to go alone".

Her eyes snapped open.

Diya loved hunting, It was a thing Gracchus taught her.

Their thing.

Amyntas taught her how to read the stars.

Akakios taught her how to swim and Amosis taught her how to identify poisonous plants.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

'Good morning', she signed with her hands. 

"Oh she's awake".

She turned around and gave Amyntas huge body a hug.

He smiled and kissed her hair.

Gracchus pulled her not so gently from Amyntas.

"Careful, don't break her", Amosis said.

Diya rolled her eyes and stared at him as he understood the look she gave him.

He winked at her and slithered out of the cave.

Akakios was still sleeping.

Gracchus took her towards the direction of the deep woods.

She patted his tail and he looked at her. She looked in direction of the river and he sighed.

"Do you have to bath first?".

She nodded her head as he headed to the river.

He dropped her at the edge and sat down.

Diya took off her few items of clothing and entered the river slowly.

She didn't feel shy standing in front of the boys naked as they've seen her naked several times.

After bathing, she shifted into her wolf.

River wiggled her tail and looked up at Gracchus.

"Hey Tiny", Gracchus greeted.

River growled at him and he laughed.

"Cmon, let's go".

He slithered away and she followed.

"You know i don't understand why you decided to bath if you were just going to shift right after".

Diya ignored him and ran past him when she spotted a rabbit.

They had been hunting for about two hours when Gracchus announced that they should head back but suddenly, Gracchus wrapped his tail around River and pushed her behind him.

He hissed and his tail loosened.

He fell on his back and Diya saw three arrows in his body, he was bleeding.

She shifted into her human form and knelt down next to him.

"Go".

She looked up and saw hunters approaching them fast.

Tears were spilling from her eyes as she stared at him.

"Nagini go".

Diya shook her head as her lips were trembling.

She didn't want to leave him.

"Diya please".

"Get her!".

Diya hugged him and shifted back into her wolf.

Gracchus stood up and tried to fight the hunters as long as he could as she ran away.

Diya ran fast.

She ran blindly following the scent of the cave and the other nagas.

Her heart was pounding.

Gracchus, don't die, she prayed.

When she got back to the cave, she saw the other brothers just laid back enjoying the morning sun.

She shifted and started crying.

"Nagini, what's wrong?".

She pointed in the direction of the woods but they didn't get it.

Diya tried to pull Akakios but they only stared at her.

"Did Gracchus lose you again?".

She shook her head and pulled hard.

 

They wouldn't understand, they believed Gracchus could take care of himself, they would never have guessed that the hunters got him.

Diya realized she needed to do something to make them understand.

It would be too late if she started writing.

There was only way.

"Gracchus was shot by hunters".

She said it so fast she wasn't sure they heard her but the surprised looks on their faces told her they did.

"We have to go".

Amyntas wrapped his tail around her and they all crawled fast into the woods as she led the way.

When they were close, Diya used River's eyes to survey the area.

Gracchus had ropes tied around him, it looked like he wasn't breathing. The hunters were trying to lift his tail and the arrows were still in his body.

Amosis hissed and crawled past Amyntas.

Then it began to get windy and it looked like the ground was shaking.

The hunters looked up.

"Kill them", one of them said.

The wind started to lift them up from the ground as Akakios got Gracchus' body.

Suddenly the wind stopped and the hunters all fell to the ground.

The ground began to tremble again and the earth was beginning to split.

Trees were falling everywhere.

A tree fell on two of them and crushed them immediately. Three of them fell into the open ground and Diya could hear their screams as they were being swallowed by the earth.

The last one stared in horror.

"Monsters".

They're not monsters, Diya thought.

Amyntas crawled forward, gave Diya to Amosis then he ate the last human.

She winced as she heard the sound of bones cracking.

They all went back to the cave and Akakios dropped Gracchus at the river bed.

He removed the arrows and started using his tail to caress his wounds.

Small balls of light were forming around the wounds as Amosis took Diya away.

"He'll be fine", Amyntas said as he followed.

Diya nodded as Amosis sat her down on the ground.

"Now you".

Amyntas used his tail to lift her chin up slowly.

"You can talk".

Diya inhaled sharply. 

Was this the end?.