Setting down a plates of bacon, sausage, and blueberry waffles, Hazal's mother takes away her phone and sits down.
Watching Hazal scarf down her food, she asks, "Are you gonna give the snake a name?"
Name. Royals only go by Ophidia or Ophidian, and the younger generation just place 'Young' in front. But I have one... a little monk from a temple near where I was trained gave it to me but... what was it? Ugh. How could I forget it? It was very important to me.
Swallowing her waffle, Hazal responds, "Yeah, how about Obsidian?"
I raise my neck and look at her. That's not it.
"Mom I think it likes it."
To this I swing my head right to left.
Hazal's mother blankly answers, "No it doesn't."
"Well what about... Pearl?"
Do I look white? I swing my head again.
"Uhm... Zircon!"
Mhm No.
"Beryl?"
No.
"Citrine?"
No.
"Jasper?"
Not it.
"Fire?"
"Hazal." Hazal's Mother cuts her off, then looks at me. "Do you have a name?"
At this my eyes cloud over as I stare blankly at her, remembering when I met the boy.
I was shipped off to a cathedral as soon as I could keep my human form, to learn divine arts there. I was taught only the blessed were born with divine power but that's not how I saw it. I was born with a blessing , but it isn't necessary to use divine power, so I got curious about what other religions teach. There was an old buddhist temple a few towns over so I shifted into a Mexican Black Kingsnake and snuck over there.
It took awhile to find the temple, it was out of the way, and had a long trail of natural stairs, leading up to a small forest, thriving with life. But just before I could reach the temple, I heard a sniffling boy but... I can't remember anything else.
"Can you tell us?" The Mother's voice snapped me out of my memories.
I paused, then swung my head again.
"Well then," Hazal's lively voice swept me out of my wistful state, "Onyx shall be your name!"
Onyx. Sure, that'll work for now. I drop my head back to her shoulder and flicked my tongue.
"Well, now that that's settled, Hazal, go take a shower."