The Invasion:
The sky was drizzling slightly. It had been hours since the clouds had turned gray and started dampening the surface. The soil was soft and muddy and it had soaked up to her knees. The girl ran deeper into the woods. Her flip-flops slapped against the surface. Her face was sweat-soaked and her breathing came out rugged.
She approaches a slender figure, standing by the river. It was unaffected by the bad weather. The prickly drops did not bother it. It had its back towards her, yet Avika could predict the expression and conflicts her queen might be having at the moment.
Sarvayoni was waiting for her.
Even though both of them were prejudicially familiar with the circumstances, their hope lingered on the sentence of confirmation as if it would change anything and chase those werewolves out of the region.
Avika's heart was beating furiously. It was breaking into a million pieces with each step she was taking towards the Queen of Cobras. Her poor Sarvayoni!
Her anklets made soft jingles, battling against the hue and cries in the background.
Ordinarily, Avika would twirl in arrogance. The sound used to accelerate the heartbeats of the males effortlessly. The powerful snakes would turn around to acknowledge her gracing presence. She would squirm in pride when she would spot longingness floating in those dark orbs.
Only it was falling on deaf dead ears. The seduction and happiness were evaporating along with the empire's regime, and so was the hope in Sarvayoni's heart.
'The werewolves have taken over.' Avika panted breathlessly. Her sweat-soaked face was crimson. Her gasps were the only sound audible.
The serpent observed her Queen's rigid posture but slightly fallen shoulders. She had accepted defeat. No matter what Avika says, it will fall on deaf ears and a heart heavy with loss. Still, Avika could not stop herself. She was overwhelmed.
'Those dogs are dancing on the dead bodies. We are homeless. We are street beggars. Everything is gone, Sarva. Everything...they ruin-ruined us. You are a widow. I am a widow now. Our males are killed. Those monsters are brutal. They are taking their heads with them.' The young serpent cried.
Avika fell to her knees and sobbed on the earth. The heavenly fragrance of the earth that used to soothe her and a million other souls of The Sarp-Samrajya was now stinking with the presence of excessive iron in the blood, raw gunpowder, heavy dark smoke, and fire everywhere.
The war was over. The werewolves were the new rulers. Alpha Rudransh is the chief man. The army of snakes had surrendered but Sarvayoni would not.
Avika wanted to gag and vomit. The knot in her stomach was legitimately making her see white spots, but then females like her aren't that fragile. Her queen needed her in that deciding moment of disaster. As a Sakha (head maid), it was her duty to be at Sarvayoni's side. She had taken a blood oath for the effect. She will never let her ancestors down.
Avika was reminded of the great valor of her mother and grandmother and great grandmothers.
Rules and oaths and blood and bonds— are the foundation of their Samrajya. They can take more than they appear. Surely, in front of the mighty werewolf, they are mere reptiles. They lack muscle strength but the snakes can kill. They are venomous. Their lord has blessed them with the deadliest poison available on the face of the earth. They are the best revenge-seekers in the history of civilization.
The serpents do not forgive.
The mythical creatures around the world used to fear their wrath. No one had ever predicted the worst invasion in their territory. None had ever fostered such courage except him...the filthy, douchebag Alpha. Sarvayoni clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. At the moment, she would give every breath of hers to have that dog's head hung in the middle of the square.
'Did Vachaspati-' The small yet sensational voice of the Queen was hesitant. She could not come up to speak it aloud.
The twenty-four-year-old had never anticipated that her eyes would witness such a massacre of her netizens. Ideally, she should have died alongside her husband—following her husband's commands, listening to his orders, ensuring his happiness, and providing him with all the pleasure available in the world. Those were the clauses of THE GOOD WIFE CHARTER that she had read before getting the crown.
She had never given a fuck about it then. How can she now, when he is no more? She is furious, but not because of her husband's demise. It was the destroying force that had enraged the devils.
'They killed them...all of them. K-Ki-King Vachaspati is-is no more. The dogs killed your husband, Sarva. They killed our king.' Avika's voice came out hoarse from all the crying and yelling. She was still weeping over the horrifying scene she had just witnessed.
The scream of agony and help was still echoing in her ears.
She had seen her people dying, children being abducted by brutal creatures who, she thought, might feast on them late at night and guffaw at the crunchy taste of their tails. The snakes were lying all over, like bundles of ropes after they attended the original form.
She had seen females dragged by dogs.
Who knows what those monsters might do to them? Those pitiable females will be raped, tortured, and murdered brutally. They will extract the poison canals out of their bodies and...no! She cannot even imagine it.
Unlike serpents, werewolves crave mating throughout the year. If they find their 'soulmate', there is nothing in between them and the woman. They won't think twice before pinning them on their bed and performing the horizontal dance without consent.
The dogs never bothered about consent. They have no respect for their women who, according to them, are only destined to birth their pups.
They neither seduce nor impress. It was all Avika had learned in her classes about world geography and shared politics. Things were not different in her Samrajya, but the males protected and fed them. They do not bother them about sex until habitation season.
Even during the season, the males would try to seduce the females rather than forcing themselves.
It was all a female serpent would need—respect and a powerful snake to protect them while they lay eggs. The females are most vulnerable while inhabitation.
Unlike werewolves, once pregnant, a female serpent cannot shape-shift. She would have to crawl around and hiss venom in order to protect herself. It is in those times that a powerful mate comes to the rescue.
Now, the shield has been snatched off, they are unprotected from the naked eyes of their predator.
It is something that has been happening for years. It will happen again and again. It happens after each war. How could the war between the serpents and the werewolves be different?
'Did they eat him?' Sarva asked, turning around.
Once again, Avika felt herself in awe at her queen's beauty. Cladded in a knee-length floral night robe, Sarvayoni stands more than five feet tall in all her pride. Her bronze hair was flirting recklessly with the heavy wind while her pale skin had taken a shade of pink. She was not used to being in the open for a long time.
It had been a week since she and Avika had taken refuge in an unknown corner of the city— Hanuman Hill.
Almost seven days when the earth had been shaken by the massive explosion of bombs. The trembling was rapid with tanks approaching the castle, followed by army troops. King Vachaspati had to command an immediate flee. They fought. They lost.
As a princess, Sarvayoni's whole life has been surrounded by comfort. Till fourteen, her father provided her with every ounce of luxury available in her regime. She was pampered, spoiled, and awry of the sorrows of society. Her preaching made her a ruler who would be more concerned over filling up the treasures than fretting over social issues.
It was the first time she had found herself in gruesome trouble.
It was during her fifteenth habitation season, that she lost herself to the courtship of King Vachaspati, the cobra. She was smitten with the copious tongue flicking, nudging, and body rubbing during the party. The male had attempted to dominate and impress her with his large size wrapping around her body like no other. His persistent attempts to convince her had melted her heart that he was a suitable mate to bear offspring.
The cobra dance had gone on for quite some time before she had allowed copulation, which had taken roughly two days.
Her golden eyes were blank at the recollection. The heart-shaped lips whimpered when another explosion echoed in the background, shaking her to the core. The time was her worst nightmare.
'We have to leave now.' Sarvayoni hissed in a venomous voice. Her eyes were zeroed on something ruffling behind Avika in the woods. Maybe the dogs had traced the hidden canal.
There was a troop of soldiers approaching them. None of them could afford to be caught.
Avika's tall frame tensed. She was not expecting her queen to consider fleeing. The bravery wanted her to see the queen fighting till her last breath. She wanted Sarvayoni to wrap her mighty tail around their throat and inject the poisonous venom down their heart.
Her long braided hair wiggles from side to side when she rakes her eyes at the lady who once used to own the whole region, but was now staring at nothingness. Her ocean-blue eyes had moisture of pain and helplessness.
'Do you not want to fight, Sarva? How can we show our backs to the enemies?' Avika asks in bewilderment. Her voice breaks at the edge as it turns desperate in expectations.
'The braves do not act impulsively. Their every action is planned. We were caught off guard in the middle of the night. We are snatched off our land and honor. We will do the same for them. In fact, worse. We are retreating to return, Avika. We will be back to seek revenge from the Alpha. Now is just not the right time.' Sarvayoni explained in a powerful voice.
Her eyes kept flickering back in the wood where smoke could be seen from a distance. She knew they were short on time and any conflict could only result in death. She wouldn't die without making her enemy taste the bitterness of her venom.
'Where are we going?' Avika asked, climbing by the side of her queen. The determined words had restored her faith in her lady. If Sarva said she had plans, she HAD plans.
'Anywhere that takes me away from him. I need to perform penance for my enemy's destruction. From today onwards, my life will be solely spent on seeking revenge on the Alpha who killed my husband.' Sarva hissed.
She turned around, closed her eyes, and took the form of her origin—a long golden King Cobra with a crown on its head. The hissings of the Nagini can be heard even from a distance. It was scary yet beautiful.
Avika follows the queue and shapeshifts into a black snake. Together, they joined the flow of the river. Sarvayoni had decided to let her fate lead her. She had blind faith in her lord, The AnathNath.