The cold morning sun over the tall Snake Castle watched Thyasse in her snake form frantically slithering through the forest and calling loudly for her brothers! Sharchan and S were resting after their hunt, coiled around two sturdy trees. They stared at rushing Thyasse in disbelief.
"What are you doing here by yourself? Where is Marath? "Sharchan hissed.
"What is going on?"S asked with furrowed brows. They did not like to see their sister by herself, even though she was quite a strong snake!
"Marath, he went after Sienna, the bird took her!"Thyasse said panting. She did not exercise for years and this was intense...
"What? A bird?" Sharchan looked at his sister like at a crazy person.
"A Firebird!"Thyasse screamed at him. She was all dishevelled somehow...it was quite surprising she cared for her sister-in-law this much suddenly...
"A Firebird? Here?!"Sharchan furrowed his brows.
Firebirds lived in Chimera Land, they were very wild and tamed by kings only. They did not eat people but were used by Chimera Kings for female snatching! It looked like a huge red eagle mixed with the peacock tail-like bird with golden tips on its feathers! It could sing beautifully to lure females closer to snatch them. Its nesting places looked as if on the fire from the red and gold feathers that is how they got their name...They were not Phoenixes, but very similar to them, so when they crossed from Chimera Land they were hunted immediately for their feathers. Unless they were sent for a mission they stayed in Chimera's Land, where their feathers were considered common.
"Go back now! "Sharchan ordered Thyasse roughly and started to slither wildly in the direction of his castle.
"Let me come with you," S went after him and Thyasse followed as well. Soon she passed through the Snake Castle Gate inside and watched as her brothers disappeared into the horizon.
"You should rather keep Lord Ziran here... brother."S bit his lips as he finally saw a small red dot of the Firebird in the sky, with the weird little dark cloud chasing after it...
"As if you would!"Sharchan hissed."Did not you want to kill him?"
"Yes, "S nodded," But what if that bird will kill her?"
"I think it is taking her to Chimera Land. Most likely she is hunted..." Sharchan noted."Hurry up, brother!"
Sharchan and S slithered wildly through the mountains, following the bird on the ground. Sharchan was raging inside that he couldn't fly.
"I told you to level up so many times, you lazy snake!"Sharchan almost heard Sarcos's voice booming in his head. He bit his lips and hoped the Firebird would land at some point...
The snake brothers were rushing as in a crazy race. They did not even notice that the sun moved for a few hours...
The green forests slowly changed into hard rocks and soft fertile dirt to crunchy dust....Sharchan and S were passing the mountains at the borders of the Snake Country...
The landscape was made of dormant and active volcanoes with bubbling thermal pools and deep treacherous firepits with burning natural gas...
Sharchan with S slithered wildly after the Firebird who seemed to slow down somehow weirdly.
They changed into their half-human form and watched as the black cloud was eloping carefully around it. The big red and golden Firebird was stuck in that black cloud over the top of the huge volcano and Sharchan felt cold shivers all over his body. He was afraid that the huge bird would drop Sienna in!
"Move the bird, Marath!" Sharchan called desperately to the black cloud and slithered fast up close to the volcano edge just to see that the Marath struck the bird! Marath's lean figure appeared from the dark cloud, crushing into the bird's body when the Firebird dropped Sienna suddenly! She was falling in the air into the volcano!!!
"Sienna!" Sharchan felt his heart freeze and the huge half-snake leapt after her without thinking.
"Brother, you will die there with her!"S called after him in horror but it was too late!
S watched in shock how Sharchan coiled falling Sienna and they both kept falling into the walls of fire.
Sienna felt the big heavy snake tail coiling her. She stared into Sharchan's face. "Sharchan!" she called kind of dazed. The cold wind was swishing around her face and half snake was holding her tight. She was kind of happy her Snake King loved her so much, or was he just so crazy?
Sharchan held Sienna and fell as they crashed through the flames. Sienna watched as the flames eloped around them...
Earlier that morning Sienna woke up in an empty room, the sun shining bright outside.
"They must go hunting!" She smiled and got ready. It was quite nice to spend some time entirely by herself! She felt strong and independent and quite happy...
The morning was just so relaxing! She heard a beautiful melodic song of a bird, so she looked out the window curiously but suddenly the huge red claws pulled her out into the air! Sienna shrieked and watched as the Snake Castle under her feet got smaller and farther away in minutes.
"This is not Marco!" the realization struck her. She held onto the bird's red feet covered in bumpy skin. It was warm and strong... "I hope it is a warrior and it will not eat me!" she bit her lips worriedly and closed her eyes for a moment to stop them tearing up in the strong wind.
When she opened them, she saw Marath eloped in the dark cloud, following after them in the air!
"He looks like an evil sorcerer from movies!" Sienna thought but felt grateful that he was there. "Why he is taking so long...?" she was wondering in her mind as the time passed and Marath was still behind them. Then she saw Marath coming closer. Sienna felt the bird stop in the air as if being held by invisible strings...It was moving its wings frantically but could not break free!
"Don't be scared!"Sienna heard Marath's voice. The dark cloud kind of bumped through her. She felt his body around her as a soft wind for a moment and watched as he was attacking the bird quite carefully.
"It seems as if he is afraid of something."Sienna thought and looked down.
"I see now!" she gulped as she watched the deep black hole, with walls of fires lining the steep rocks and going deep down. "Does it have boiling magma in it too?" she whispered fearfully to herself and held onto the bird's legs tighter.
Suddenly she heard Sharchan's voice calling and her heart bounced a little.
" He is here! He came to save me too!" she felt sweet hope elope her body. She saw Sharchan and S at the edge of that scary volcano calling to Marath. Then she glanced at Marath. He was about to crash into the bird. Sienna fell as the bird shook in the air from the hard impact and dropped her down...Sienna shrieked in the air, then she felt heavy coils tightening around her.
And now she was falling down the volcano coiled by a huge half-snake!
"We have no chance..."Sharchan glanced down into the fire and kissed Sienna's lips for the last time. She hugged his upper body tightly and replied to the kiss as they slashed through the flames. Sharchan did not feel a thing, just the ecstasy of holding her in his arms...
"We must died so fast, I didn't even notice.." he thought confused falling through the flames.
Sienna just kissed him. She forgot everything and fell safe in his arms, watching the flames as a distant dream. They fell through countless layers of fire, but Sharchan did not even feel hot."What is going on?" he wondered in his dazed mind.
Sharchan was holding Sienna tight, till they landed on the hard rocks gently...It was as if something held off their fall...
Sharchan felt the hard ground under his tail. He watched in shock." What is this?" he asked confused. He watched Sienna in his arms in unbelief. She was there, alive and well...He looked up and saw the bursting flames, the little droplets of fire falling on them, yet he did not feel them...
"Do you think we are dead?" he asked Sienna carefully.
"I think we live."Sienna smiled at him, holding her hands around his neck.
"So what happened?"Sharchan asked a bit confused.
"I just woke up and that bird took me, then I saw Marath in the black cloud and you down there..."Sienna slipped out of Sharchan's embrace. She looked at her clothes and body. Not even a scratch!
Then she touched something familiar on her chest. "The protective necklace from Marath!" she gulped but said nothing.
"Maybe you will find out tomorrow who loves you more..."Marath's voice echoed in her mind.
Sienna hugged Sharchan." I will not exchange you for anyone.Never."She thought."I love you."She smiled and kissed him deeply.
Sharchan kissed her, drinking her breath...
Suddenly a huge boulder moved and Marath with S came in.
S stared at Sienna and his brother."You live!" he ran to hug them both in relief,
"I told you they will be just fine." Marath chuckled.
"So now you see the difference between real love and chemistry," Marath smirked at S."You will find your mate in time." he smiled.
"Did you test me?" Sharchan furrowed his brows in anger.
"No, your brother." Marath chuckled coldly. "If you listen to your queen more, you could save this trip."
"What about that Firebird?" asked Sharchan thinking. Something did not add up for him.
"That was an accident. You should watch Sienna better." Marath nodded." I saw him fly with her out of the castle as I was on my morning walk with Thyasse, so I just used him as a part of my plan." he noted."I had to make him drop Sienna off at this volcano, so whoever sent him would think she was dead." Marath nodded.
"Thank you, Marath," Sienna smiled."She was just glad they were all ok.
"I know you will be not afraid of falling down the volcano." Marath nodded cheekily.
"You are so sneaky...I knew you were the most cunning man ever!" Sienna smiled at Marath appreciatingly. He was impressive!
"What about me?" Sharchan furrowed his brows.
"You are my crazy Snake King, to jump into flames for me..."Sienna shook her head.
"I would not like to live without you. "Sharchan nodded in a such raspy voice that Sienna felt a chill down her spine...
"Are you obsessed with me?"Sienna asked furrowing her brows.
"Yes. "Sharchan nodded coldly and pressed her hard on his chest...
Earlier that same morning Marath walked with Thyasse clenched into his arm through the garden.
"Marath, look, is it a Firebird!"Thyasse pointed her hand excitedly to the sky.
"Ah, he is going to Sharchan's window. Is he there?" she furrowed her brows. Suddenly they saw the huge Firebird pull Sienna out!
"He must be hunting, Sienna will be in danger. Go, call him!"Marath sent Thyasse off.
"Here, take my necklace, you might need it for her."Thyasse looked at him worriedly.
"Sure! "Marath closed his hand and the black pendant disappeared from Thyasse's neck. She smiled at him and changed into a half-snake slithering wildly into the forest.
Marath closed his fists and the soft black cloud started to seep from his body lifting him into the air. He followed the bird and the cheeky plan started to appear in his mind....