A Friend

Lin traveled in the direction he had smelt the peculiar smell. It didn't take long until he reached the source of the smell. Looking around, he noticed something laying under a tree. It was a majestic looking python, curled up. The snake could be seen with coils measuring more than fifteen centimeters in diameter. The shine of her scales, which were as shiny as a diamond, showed that she was not an ambush predator like Lin was.

'I could be wrong,' Lin thought. After all, Lin's scale color wasn't suited for stealth as well, something Lin had always been skeptical about.

The python uncoiled her body, which had a length of over four meters. She sluggishly moved, as if her reaction time was very slow. Yawning, she showed her terrifying reversed razor-sharp teeth. Even though she looked slow, Lin knew that in an instant she could lunge at an enemy and inflict devastating wounds on them. Those teeth and muscular body was not for show.

"Why, everyone? Why did you all leave me?" The python muttered to herself, "You always said you were proud of me!" The python slammed her tail into a tree. Ice quickly spread along the tree, then shattered, obliterating the tree.

While Lin was watching the snake with snake with shock, he noticed that the snake's health seemed to be declining. Her eyes were dull, and her body was scrawny, as if she had not eaten for months. Lin did not know why, but he felt like his heart hurt. He felt like he needed to help the python. It was Lin's first experience with sympathy, something he had never felt before, due having never communicated with intelligent beings. He had only met dangerous humans who would attack him. All the demonic beasts he had ever met were not smart enough to communicate and would only act with their instincts, attacking, and trying to eat him.

'What am I doing,' Lin thought as he slithered down. He tasted the air, finding a weaker demonic beast. Lin took one last look at the snake and took off after the scent of the beast.

Eventually, he caught up to the beast. It was a high 1 star panther, napping in a tree. Usually, Lin wouldn't have gone for it, being too big for him to feed on. However, this time, it wasn't him eating. Trying his best to keep silent, Lin slithered up the tree, staying out of range of the panther's awareness. The panther made a movement, causing Lin to immediately cease his movement. The panther had just made an unconscious movement. Lin snuck up to above the panther, where he hung from a branch.

Just as he was about to strike, a loud noise rang through the forest. It was a scream of a human. The panther was jolted awake and Lin struck at that time, else it would be harder when the panther was fully awake. The panther noticed Lin faster than predicted, due to being half awake, but still couldn't dodge. Lin's fangs punctured the panther's neck. Knowing it would die, the panther made one last movement. It swung it's claws at Lin, catching him unaware and tearing some of Lin's scales, before dying.

'The bigger beasts have more deadly death throes' Lin thought. Lin shivered in pain, still in fear. It was a close one, if it had reached Lin's throat, he probably would've died. Lin sunk his fangs, dragging it across the land, heading back to the python he had found.

He found the python once again. This time coiling around a tree. Lin dragged his offering to in front of the snake and waited behind the food.

"Who are you??" The python asked.

'How does she talk?' Lin thought to himself. He had never gotten this type of knowledge from his bloodline memories. His bloodline only gave him the memories necessary to rank up. Nothing else. Lin pointed his tail at the food, as if inviting her to eat the prey he had caught.

The python looked at Lin questionably, but still ate the food. The python felt warm inside. This was the first time someone had helped her in her life.

Lin watched as the python tore apart the flesh of the panther, finishing the entire thing. *Plop* Blood splattered in front of Lin. It was the heart of the panther. The python looked expectantly at Lin, as if waiting for him to eat it. Lin ate the bloody heart. It tasted unexpectedly good.

The python asked Lin again, "Thank you for the help, my name is Ning, the future cla- What is your name?" Ning felt some feeling of affinity towards this snake she just met.

"…" Lin didn't answer, not knowing how.

"Can you hear me?"

"…" Lin nodded his head.

"Then why are you ignoring me??"

"…" Lin shook his head. 'I'm not ignoring you' Lin thought, wondering what to do.

"What?" Ning asked, "Hey… Are you mute?"

Lin nodded, thinking that she finally understood. He opened his mouth, attempting to imitate how Ning spoke.

"Oh, sorry." Ning felt embarrassed for her outburst and made no attempt to tell him how to speak. She thought Lin was a mute, not that he didn't know how to speak correctly. "It's ok. Some demonic beasts don't have the talent to speak no matter how hard they try" Ning tried to console Lin. "I'll talk for you from now on. Ok, Lil Bro? So you don't need to feel sad anymore"

"…" Lin was speechless. 'What's happening here? Why'd she call me that? Whatever.' Lin, who didn't know what pride was, didn't even care about his new nickname. 'It sucks that I can't speak' Lin thought, having failed to speak by moving his mouth.