Vaslavis Clan: The Past

"Zarya! What did I tell you last time?! It's dangerous to go in the forest alone!" Threya scolded her daughter as she wiped the dirt off of the little girl's limbs.

Zarya, who was only five years old, giggled at the tickling sensation. Threya narrowed her eyes at the girl, making the latter cover her mouth with her hands.

"I always warn you but you never listen! What if something bad happens to you?!"

"Then daddy will come to save me!" The little girl shouted as he lifted her hands in the air.

The woman just smiled at her daughter, sighing at how innocent she was. Threya then procured a set of fresh clothes for Zarya and helped her wear it.

"Next time, tell your dad where you're going. He was nervous when he lost sight of you, dear."

Zarya enthusiastically nodded before running her way outside the house. She immediately saw her group of friends playing by the riverside, so she approached them.

"I'm back! Mommy helped me clean myself up!"

The children of the snake clan had a small tail protruding above their spinetail. The appearance of the tail depended on what species of snake they were. As for Zarya, since she was a milk snake, she had a tail decorated with red, yellow, and white strips.

It would be a few years until they could practice hiding their tails. While they're growing up, the adults of the Vaslavis Snake Clan let the children roam around as freely as they could.

Vaslavis was a clan that never participated in any sort of war. They continued to oppose the goals of the Orschettas who were planning on uniting all of the snake clans under their rule. Because of that, they were ostracized and now living in seclusion.

Despite the repeated attempts of their elders to gain the favor of the Orschettas, nothing about their situation had improved. If anything, the treatment they were getting had only worsened.

Knowing their fate, the adults made sure that the children could utilize the peace for enjoyment. That was the least they could do for the future of their clan.

"My mom told me not to enter the house looking like this," Lorco, the oldest at age seven, said as he looked at his dirtied garment.

"Hmm, what about I lend you some clothes? You can bathe in the river later." Neverio suggested, his eyes fixated on the fishes swimming in the river.

Zarya gave Lorco and Neverio a glance, shaking her head thereafter. She then sat on the ground beside them, oblivious that her mother was watching her.

She stretched her legs out and started digging the dirt. The two boys noticed what she was doing, tilting their heads at what she was planning to do.

"Zarya, what are you doing? Weren't we told not to dig up the dirt near the river? It will muddy the water." Neverio uttered as he stood up.

He dusted the back of his shorts before fetching the three other children in their friend group. Lorco, on the other hand, just observed Zarya's busy hands. He didn't make any attempts to help her for fear of getting scolded by his parents.

As soon as she was done, Zarya got up on her feet and went to the riverside. She proceeded to wash her hands clean and wiped them on her clothes. From afar, her mother heaved a deep sigh as she saw Zarya's clothes get soiled.

Zarya returned to her digging spot and knelt beside it. She took something out of her pocket and put it inside the hole.

"A gold coin?" Lorco asked, "Where did you get that?"

"From the forest! You ran away from me so I just wandered on my own. I found this along the way."

"Where? Did you see more of them?"

"No, I only saw one. Why don't you go there and see for yourself?"

"But…" Lorco muttered under his breath, "My mother will hit me if I go inside the forest again! I don't want to be hit."

At that point, Zarya's eyes glistened mischievously. She inched closer to the boy and whispered in his ear, "Let's go with the others once the lights are out. I didn't see any gold coins, but there are other treasures!"

"Really?! Is that true?" Lorco exclaimed as he looked at Zarya.

"Yes! You should not tell anyb-"

"And what should you not tell anybody, huh, Zarya?" Neverio intervened, crouching down in the middle of Lorco and Zarya, "The two of you are up to something bad again."

Zarya put a finger over her lips and beckoned the three newcomers to take a seat. Together, the six children formed a small circle.

"What?" Erina queried, eyeing Zarya sharply, "Don't say something that will get us in trouble again."

Pouting, Zarya hugged her knees and kept her silence. The older ones sighed as they saw the youngest's mood plunge all of a sudden.

Erina quickly patted Zarya's back, saying, "We'll listen, okay? I'm sorry for saying that."

"But you said Zarya is only trouble. I won't speak." Zarya murmured, the corners of her mouth turning down.

"No, you're not trouble. I promise I'll participate in whatever game you want to play."

At that instant, Zarya brightened up. Her big smile made the others smile as well.

"Alright! I am the leader!"

They all chuckled at her ardor, even encouraging it. Zarya stood up and put her hands over her waist. Following that, she divulged her little plan.

"That gold coin," She said as she pointed at the hole, "I got that from the forest. There are no more gold coins but I saw a lot of strange items. I bet they're treasures! Let's collect them!"

Neverio, who could already see what would happen, drew a breath. He then raised his hand along with a question.

"But what if our parents see us? They will be mad at us. We are going to be grounded again."

Zarya began to laugh, one that sounded evil to her friends. At that point, they couldn't help but regret letting her speak.