494. Radiant day, 9

(Myls)

We spent a few days there. I mostly spent them on my own, scavenging the surrounding areas.

The swamps of blood and sweat that Snake had created after landing have dried up meanwhile. She still hasn’t woken up yet. And Blume isn’t answering much anymore.

The gaping wound, a crater of a hole dug in her neck, has still lush growth, but it’s drying as well, like a crust over the deep wound.

How long should I wait? I can’t really make it on my own to achieve our vengeful ambition. I could make it on my own otherwise, hatred aside.

Also my wish put on Zes by Blume won’t activate until our deed is done. Or if Blume dies.

So I can focus on my vengeance.

The orchid I brought back from the temple is growing and spreading fast around the wasteland I’ve planted it in.

It’s dark purple and smells strongly like vanilla. I have a faint memory of eating ice cream with that perfume as a child that came back.

I’ll keep some dried bulbs and seeds, just in case.

~

A nice day finally rose.

Leaves, dust, spread around in a cloud.

In the distance ahead of me, the giant snake’s head was rising above the land like a whale over sea.

It does look like a snake seen from quite afar and the front. Only the eyes are too small and numerous.

Still I briskly walked toward it. Snake was looking around but also at me getting closer.

The giant neck eventually came back to the ground, for our heads to meet.

Well, my head and its tongue from inside a mouth bigger than me.

Snake licked me upward, so sticky it was making me almost leave the ground for a second. Its tongue is far less gooey than usual. She’s probably dehydrated.

I still got all sticky from its turpentine mucus.

But I cared less about that this day.

I was truly happy to find her back. I plunged my hands inside the soft tongue, massaging the jelly like dough. It tickled Snake.

M - I’m so happy to see you again Snake.

S - ... Myuu...

M - What?

S - Myuu...

M - Is it all you can say?

S - Myuu...

I giggled and kneaded the tongue a little more. Snake’s voice doesn’t come from its monstrous throat. It’s more cute than cavernous. Myuu is a nice start. I’ll probably have to thank Blume for that.

Blume appeared next to me to my surprise. She’s much reduced in size. A human teenager body, some plant like growth covering her back, and that’s all there is. I was used to see her much taller and bigger.

M - Thank you Blume.

B - ...

M - You taught Snake to speak?

B - Not really. But her brains had some time to think while we worked.... I told her everything. She’s grateful to you.

I can feel the tongue trying to swallow me and pull me inside so I had a fair guess she was happy to see me too.

M - Can she fly?

B - That wouldn’t be wise for now.

M - Then... Can she swim?

S - Myuu!

B - I think that means she doesn’t know but is happy to try.

I smirk. I get pulled inside by the tongue and swallowed alive before I get any chance to react.

~

I can feel Snake beginning to move around, with all the weight and volume she has to carry. I know she won’t eat me truly at least so I’m not panicking.

It’s more like her way of hugging me. It’s too soft and warm. I feel rapidly fuzzy.

Then the door opens. The mouth opens itself like a wide door for me, and I’m brought gently to my feet outside by the amorphous tongue.

Outside is the beach and the sea. Snake lets me step outside her mouth. She can actually move on land, using a mix of crawling and walking on her numerous wings as proto-legs.

I walk aside. I feel the quake as I see Snake gradually diving her ginormous body into the sea, soon pair of wings after pair of wings.

It takes a good long minute until all of her segments and limbs get inside, leaving a trench of crushed ground behind her path. Meanwhile, the great leviathan is checking it can swim.

It gives me a handful of pretty pictures as it does, sometimes stretching glittering wings above the sea, or raising its head and its body as much as it can like a great sea snake, and then falling back into the waters like a whale or another sea creature playing.

Blume joins me in the sightseeing, or show watch. I think she was left to walk behind on her own as a punishment. She probably deserved it.

M - Snake looks good.

B - She’s grateful to you. A lot.

M - Feeling smarter now?

B - Well... Yes. The ability to doubt is a great human quality.

M - What do you mean?

B - I’m still obsessed. I wasn’t smart enough to put my choices into question on my own. But I was smart enough to listen to you, thus reconsidering my choice. Thank you for that...

M - Meh... You’re not too bad.

In the distance, Snake is playing with the water merrily.

After a while, it swims in our direction calmly, without splashing anything around anymore.

Its head, her head, gets close to us, rising almost ominously above us as well. Its shadow is covering us and its rains under her.

S - Myuu.

B - Ah ah ah.

M - what did she say?

B - Oh, it’s too cute to tell. Do you know how to swim?

M - ... Zes taught me a little.

B - Then you should swim with her for a while today. She would like that.

The beast so large it eclipses the sun when it stands, wants to play with me in the water. I know Rose would go without the shadow of a doubt. What should I do?

I should go for it as well. I abandon my main clothes to Blume and run into the icy sea where rings rise here and there like scattered great ships.

~

After a short swim, a wing bigger than a truck caught me, and brought me onto Snake’s back. She swam then faster than I expected, away from the shore. Good thing she obviously has a floating body.

She’s oscillating horizontally in amplitude now, against the way she flew. She swims like a real snake.

The wings actually sort of act like fins. I guess she can adjust her slither to the waves thanks to that.

Snake is humming something, but all I can hear is that meowing sound her new born voice can make. She repeats it a lot in the distance, around her head quite a distance from me.

I walk onto her back that doesn’t oscillate up and down like in flight, but following the waves steadily. It’s much easier and somewhat odd as well. As if the sea was solid where I walk only.

She swims, and hums.

The skin and fur below my feet react slightly as I walk. She knows I’m there.

I’m glad that big beast is back... I can still see some marks of burns everywhere around.

S - Myuu!

M - What?

I see the head diving in the distance. I hold on as I’m pulled into the depth along, in a brisk moment.

Darkness and icy depth crush me. But then I feel that she’s rising fast and I’m strongly pulled backward.

Snake jumped out of the water, with quite a strength and height.

I stood above the sea, short of flying for a moment.

Then following the next fall into the sea.

We play.

~

A few hours later maybe, I was lying on her head, exhausted and out of breath.

Though this was fun.

M - Snake... That’s a shit name that bitch gave you...

S - Myuu.

I hear her thought through our faint remaining connection. We’ll think about it. She deserves a better name.

Meanwhile, she floats, very well indeed.

I tell her to take her time to return to shore.

~