Chapter 14
A little snake smiled in the bosom of its ancestor.
Every time the ancestor stroked the little snake’s head, it reminded the snake of the narrow burrow among tree stumps where it used to cuddle up with siblings to sleep.
Siblings lost forever due to the two-legged beasts.
The little snake, believing this warmth would never return, fully enjoyed the ancestor’s touch.
“Smooth baldy…”
Though the ancestor’s thoughts were filled with strange words unlike those of its siblings, the little snake was sure they were good ones.
“Meaning… what?”
“Hmm? Sharper hearing than I thought…”
The little snake trusted these thoughts were undoubtedly wonderful, sent with such beautiful eyes and gaze.
“But why am I your ancestor? I’ve never had kids like you. And I don’t even have kin…”
Being an ancestor was just obvious. The little snake didn’t know how to answer such a question.
The little snake quietly replied.
“Ancestor. Naturally.”
“Meh, whatever.”
It wasn’t that there were no thoughts to pass on, but the ancestor couldn’t decide which to share first.
As communication became smoother, ironically, it began to decrease.
“Smooth…”
The ancestor’s endless strokes made the little snake feel like dozing off.
With a squeak, the little snake shook its head to stay awake.
Though enjoyable, the little snake didn’t want to fall asleep yet.
The little snake sent some random thoughts.
The topic was about the recent event when the snake bravely held its ground trusting in the ancestor’s thoughts even in front of the beast.
“Ancestor! Waiting. Thoughts. Following!”
The little snake was proud, secretly hoping for praise.
But the ancestor scolded the snake.
“You foolish tubby snake! Waiting doesn’t mean staying completely still!”
The little snake found the ancestor’s thoughts hard to understand.
Was there another meaning to waiting? As far as the snake knew, there wasn’t.
Its tiny brain could only process so much.
Plop.
Startled by the sudden upward view, the little snake let out a “Peeep!” before realizing why.
The ancestor had picked it up and cradled it close while standing up.
Complaining while flapping their wings, the ancestor said,
“At this rate, my wings will be dyed completely red…”
Since blood wouldn’t stain the ancestor’s noble presence, the little snake wanted to reassure them but swallowed the thought.
Each flutter revealed wings unlike any flying creature the snake had seen.
Quiet cave flyers’ wings, rarely seen since birth, layered under ordinary bird feathers.
Indeed, such complex layers would make cleaning inner wings nearly impossible once stained.
The idea of the ancestor smelling of beast blood was horrifying, so the little snake urged movement.
“Move! Good. Positive!”
“Alright. Where to…?”
Holding the little snake, the ancestor exited the room.
Clomp clomp clomp.
Not far from the room, the ancestor paused, stared blankly at the ceiling, then questioned the snake.
“Tubby snake. A shrine belongs to a deity, right? So if this place is mine, can I just lie down wherever I want?”
“Shrine? Deity? What?”
The little snake didn’t fully grasp the ancestor’s meaning.
Its mother had never taught such words.
Still, thinking the ancestor wouldn’t send frivolous thoughts, the little snake figured good must mean good.
“Positive.”
“Right, no need to go back to that room unnecessarily. It hasn’t felt right since I woke up. I need somewhere quieter and more open. This place is pretty spacious, so with some searching, we should find a decent spot.”
Satisfied with the response, the ancestor scanned the surroundings.
To the little snake, all it saw were walls, floor, and ceiling.
What did the ancestor see?
Curious but not wanting to bother the busy-looking ancestor, the little snake stayed silent.
“Hmm. How about there? It’s small, but no one’s around.”
Pointing with their tail, the ancestor indicated a spot.
To the little snake, it was just a wall.
Confused but assuming the ancestor had a reason, it nodded.
“Positive.”
“And here? There seems to be someone with wild features living here, but we can clean that up later.”
Again, just a wall, but the little snake kept nodding.
“Positive.”
Listening silently to the little snake’s affirmations, the ancestor stretched out their arms holding the snake, elongating its plump body.
Face-to-face, the ancestor asked,
“Tubby snake, you seem to affirm everything I say. You’re a total yes-man. Whatever that means…”
Peeeep?
For a while now, the little snake struggled to understand the ancestor’s odd thoughts.
Still, it affirmed.
“Positive! Ancestor. Correct! All!”
Behind the ancestor’s stunning gaze lay something indescribable.
Even so, the little snake knew the ancestor was incredibly amazing beyond imagination.
Thus, it affirmed.
Such pure intentions couldn’t be false.
“Hehe. Of course, obviously…”
The ancestor’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Tubby snake, I have one question.”
“What…?”
Despite feeling uneasy, the little snake dismissed it, finding no reason to worry.
“What do you think about being dragged to the Dragon Palace? Dragons usually kidnap humans, you know.”
Peeep?! Peeeep??
Confused by the word “kidnap,” the little snake shrugged and nodded.
Unaware of “humans” or “Dragon Palaces,” it simply affirmed.
“Positive.”
The ancestor smirked.
Now more anxious, the little snake trembled.
“You kinda resemble humans since you can handle thoughts, despite your unconventional looks. Right?”
Peeep?! Peeep???
The little snake panicked at the unexpected turn.
So much so, it wriggled to escape the ancestor’s grip.
But the ancestor held firm.
“Seong-Chung was like the nth High Priestess, treating me like a parent. So shouldn’t you do something similar for me?”
Finally sensing mischief, the little snake’s plump body buzzed with hiccups, its tiny heart pounding.
It hesitantly sent weak thoughts while shaking its head.
“No… Negative…?”
“Too late.”
In a flash, the little snake’s view shifted to the ground.
Before it could react with a “Peeep?!”, the ancestor’s form began to change.
Wings and tail shrank and disappeared into their body, horns turned to dust and scattered.
Terrified beyond measure, the little snake thought the ancestor might shrink to nothingness!
Though the ancestor’s size remained unchanged, it felt that way to the snake.
“Ancestor! Disappearing. Unacceptable!”
Desperate thoughts surged.
“Hmm? What nonsense? It’s natural to wear pajamas when resting.”
Whatever stopped the shrinking wasn’t because of the snake’s thoughts, but the little snake was relieved nonetheless.
Relieved enough to forget its earlier anxiety until…
The ancestor’s head mercilessly slammed down on its back.
With a “Boing!” sound, the elastic round body flattened like a boa crushed by an elephant.
“I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you… Hehe. Your heartbeats are so tiny. Fascinating.”
“Suffocating! Negative! Negative!”
A pitiful wail echoed.
Realizing too late it had been tricked, the little snake thrashed uselessly between the ancestor’s head and hand.
“You give up. You’re the perfect pillow.”
Indeed, it was far too late.
Every single thought from the ancestor was undeniably correct.
“Hmm. Just wanted to try lying down, but now I’m really tired. Decent rooms are all too far away, and your heartbeat isn’t bad either… So, I’ll just rest here…”
The ancestor’s continuous thoughts gradually faded.
Accepting defeat, the little snake shed a tear.
A mournful cry filled the air.