Sienna went inside Sharchan's grotto. She cuddle up in the blankets inside his nest and stared at the rock sealing, "Eaten too soon? How caring! I will feel touched if he doesn't want to eat me. This is ridiculous! " Sienna closed her eyes and saw the huge spider in her mind. " Well, still better than to be caught by a huge spider, that will be more painful!" she sighed. Sienna threw the blanket off her a bit restless. "I do not want to sleep!" She stood up and walked around the grotto a bit. She looked at her mirror in her little space, its golden frame matched the colour of her hair perfectly.
"Do I look like I want to be eaten? "she asked her reflection in the mirror.
"Not today, not tomorrow, not ever!" her strong tiger-like eyes shone brightly. "I need to think of something fast."Sienna nodded her head. She sat on her silky cushion and play with little pieces of fabric, which were folded neatly near her mirror."What am I going to do next!" she sighed.
Meanwhile, Sharchan was hunting. He caught a deer and bring it to the outer side of his grotto. Then he climbed up a few trees and picked some fruits for Sienna. "Let's feed the little feisty thing," he laughed in his mind. He noticed Sienna is still inside and it kind of made him feel warm. It was like he got someone to come back to suddenly!
He washed the fruit in the river and put it in a huge leaf cone. It kind of looked like a fruit bouquet."Let's see if she likes it!" he bit his lips and came inside. He saw Sienna sitting on the cushion obediently, her long hair spread on her shoulder and she played with little pieces of fabric. She was plaiting it to make a headband.
"I'm back, Sienna," he said in a manly confident voice.
"Ahh, lovely, welcome home, "she smiled a bit sarcastically at him, but he did not mind. It felt so sweet to him!
"I brought you some fruit," he gave her the cone proudly. Sienna peeked at the fruits inside. Mangoes, red grapes, apples."Thank you, "she smiled sweetly.
"What about you?" she asked a bit worriedly.
"I have a deer outside, would you like some?" he said.
"No thank you, I will be fine with these," Sienna said. Her stomach was so trembling at his presence, she hardly had a space for the fruit at all.
Sharchan nodded and left outside. He sensed she is scared of him, and it made him a bit upset inside." How she will like me if she is so scared?" he thought a bit disturbed.
Sienna ate the fruits slowly. They were sweet, fragrant and very tasty. The mango was very juicy and her hands were covered in mango juice. She decided to go outside to wash her hands. She walked to the river quickly and washed her hands and face. Then she stretch up and looked around. The view was serene, beautiful and wild.
But when she looked to the side of the grotto she saw a huge snake eating the dear in one piece. Sienna gulped and ran inside. She hid under the blankets again. "Will it be me next time?" she wondered. Her mood was at the freezing point. She just closed her eyes, breathed deeply and felt low.
Sharchan finished his food and went to digest it, he curled on the tree in front of the grotto and stayed motionless. He drifted into his mind. Sharchan closed his eyes. The legacy of his ancestor was a grizzly one. The snake tribe did not have many females at all. The warriors mostly go around and buy or kidnap women from other tribes. The females which were bought listened quite well, but the ones who were taken had to be scared into submission. They scared kidnapped females so much that in the end, they agreed with anything.
All his ancestors said they will eat them. They made females so stressed and weak, they could not resist any more. He could hear how the females were crying non-stop. They were weak and floppy, they lost all hope. After a week his ancestors made a huge nest and pretended they are going to eat the female in it. They will lick her face and ask her if she wanted to save her life. Then she had to mate with them. All of them agreed... they had no other choice. After that, they live quite peacefully. The snake warriors took care of them, but females were still feeling uneasy and insecure, therefore they die early after a few kids.
Also as the snakes hibernated, the females need to take care of themselves during winter which was very tough. Some braver females used male hibernation to run away and start a new life. Most snakes will hunt them down in the spring after that and bring them back. If females found a stronger male from another tribe, they will kill the snake and free her. If her mates were weaker, she was back with the snake. The females who run away once were put into a chain while the snake was hunting, so their life was quite worse than before.
Sharchan was not quite sure what he will do, this female was looking quite strong. He preferred to play her game rather than to keep her in the cave by force. He did not like crying and noises much anyway. He did not notice Sienna will like him if he stop scaring her, he liked her gaze on him through. " I will need to scare her more,so she will agree to stay with me." he thought. He saw how she refused the Ape Prince, so he needed to show her just how dangerous is the jungle around her!
Sienna calmed down and went outside again, it was nearly sunset. The air was warm and moist and the birds sang happily just before their sleep.
Sienna walked around the grotto, looking at the reddening sky. "I wish to have the wings to fly away!" she sighed.
She looked around and the snake was not visible at all. "He must be sleeping off that deer somewhere!"Sienna said to herself.
She put her hair up and took her clothes off. She went into the water. It was warm from the hot day. Sienna loved to be in the water. It felt a bit like freedom. She had a bath and came out, She was covered in her red fabric, grab the dress and sat to watch the sunset.
"It is quite beautiful here, "she whispered to herself, "Apart from the company, is quite alright!" she nodded her head.
"What is wrong with the company?" the huge snake slithered lazily next to her.
"It is too savage!"Sienna touched his big scaly head gently. It was warm from the sun he was lounging on.
"I'm not savage. "Sharchan changed into his human form."I just look like it! I'm a huge snake!"
"It is not about how you look like, but about how you behave!"Sienna shook her head."I think your snake is beautiful. You are also handsome." she glanced at him."Handsome but savage!" she sighed and watch the sun going down into the water slowly.
Sharchan felt his heart clench. He felt upset inside of him. He crouch next to her and lifted her chin up dominantly."Don't ever call me savage!" he looked at her."Or I might show you the true meaning of it!"
"Sure, "Sienna smiled sadly at him and lowered her eyes behind her long eyelashes.
"Why don't you look at me?"Sharchan let go of her chin still a bit unsettled.
"I don't want to, it just makes me sad."Sienna sighed and stood up."Have a good night Sharchan.You have a pretty name."Sienna said and walked back inside the grotto slowly. She lay in her little space and covered herself in blankets.
Sharchan came shortly after her, he changed into a big snake and watched her as she fell asleep. Her rhythmic breathing was calming his messed up mind as a lullaby. He waited till she is hard asleep, then he changed to a half-man, and took her back to his nest carefully.
"I do not want you to get sick, sleeping in there," he sighed as he covered her up in warm furs and blankets.