The Black Menace

A humongous prickly snake on top of a massive tree. He started at the picture for a moment before getting up and moving further away. Looking at the strange scene, he realizing that something didn't fit. It was like two puzzle pieces that fit, but the picture on them was wrong, distorted.

He stared at it for so long that he had forgotten his surroundings. He had even sat down at some point and started to ponder what was wrong. The tree and the snake fit, but ... he still couldn't understand why he felt that the whole picture was wrong, after a while he started to feel uneasy. A moment later his stomach let him know that he needed to find something to eat. He suddenly remembered how long he had been in this world and he hadn't eaten a single thing while he had been here.

Liam got off the ground and went to where his clothes were drying. His bag was there as well. He unzipped it to pull out some of his rations. He had packed some things to go. After all, he didn't know when he'd find a safe place.

At the moment he considered this place to be very safe, so he didn't open his rations but took out some things he could use to make a fire. The things he didn't need at the moment were shoved uncermouneusly back in the bag and went to look for firewood. Fifteen minutes later he was back with a big pile of broken branches. He put them down near the river, set the wood up, and placed rocks around it. After a moment he picked up the matches. He had placed an old abandoned bird's nest inside and used it as tinder to light the fire. Soon, a big fire was burning at the side of the river.

Liam took the leaf pouch he had made earlier and pulled out a few pieces of meat that broke off when Nio dug inside the corpses.

The meat had stayed out in the warm weather for far too long, but thankfully it didn't smell bad. Just in case he went to the river and washed it. Coming back, he processed the meat by cutting it into equal size strips and hanging them near the fire to cook them. He sprayed a tiny amount of salt on them, just so it wouldn't taste too bland. After that, he took out a small metal pot added water and put the lid on top, placeing it at the side of the fire.

He sat at the side of the fire for a time, sometimes turning the meat, sometimes adjusting the tiny metal pot, or stoaking the fire. At some point the tiny pot started to move. When Liam noticed that, he got up and went sneaking into the forest, looking for certain kinds of plants. Ten minutes later he returned, holding a plant that looked similar to peppermint. He had smelled it to make sure it was the same. It wasn't, but it was similar, only that it had a sweetness to it that the earth plant didn't have. He kind of liked it. After all, he didn't take sugar with him. Sugar wasn't as necessary as salt.

The tiny pot at the side of the fire was now whistling steam, he took a branch and pulled it away letting it cool for some minutes before he pried it open and chucked a few of the peppermint leaves inside. The meat had finally gotten cooked enough to eat. He had never seen this kind of meat so it was his first taste of everything here.

'Hmm, maybe I should have cooked it inside the pot, but I haven't found other ingredients yet. I should plan better for the next meal,' he thought as he was chewing on the meat. The meat looked cooked enough, but somehow it still felt rubbery and raw. 'Hmm, I should try some other cooking methods next time,' finishing this thought and the meat in his hands, he picked up the now cooled tea.

He hummed after sipping it, letting his head fall back as he savored the simple tea he had made. It didn't taste like the simple tea from back home. This tasted much better, it washed the unpleasant taste of the meat away, replacing it with the sweet minty freshness. After a moment he felt that something was wrong, he was feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

The cracking of the fire also dulled his senses as he fell asleep near the warm fire.

* * *

Nio had been looking at Liam's movements, after all, he had found something to be interested in. This world hadn't been this fascinating to him for ages.

He was curiously looking at what he was doing with the plant, he didn't even think to stop him as he was sipping the drink in his hands. He looked and saw him suddenly fall asleep right on the fireside. He wasn't surprised, after all everyone needs to have their lessons in life.

A moment later he saw something curious. A tiny amount of water suddenly hopped to the fire. Making it sizzle slowly. After some time the water hopped again, but just enough to sizzle and not yet put the fire out. The fire also ate the wood up until only ashes remained. The water hopping had stopped when the wood had turned to cinders.

Nio wasn't worried about anything when the fire stopped burning, the sun was coming up and he closed his eyes, to join Liam in his dreamlands.

Barely a moment later, the Black Menace appeared.

This time the snake, Nio, hadn't woken up. She wasn't worried, she just stared at the creature curled up by the bunt wood. She had been present when he had suddenly appeared, she had seen it, felt it with her own energy. She didn't know what it had been, just that this one, this person, was someone very important. So, she followed his movement and saw what he had done for the snake. After that, her curiosity had risen higher.

She had seen the two-legged creature of this place and she hated them. They were cruel and vicious. That was why she liked to hunt them. The two-legged ones would rather watch as the snake would be ripped apart and reap the rewards for themselves. The Tyrant Kings didn't have intelligence and would just eat or fight. What occurred before was a strange event, she hadn't seen something like that before. She was young, she hadn't had her intelligence for more than ten years. But it was evident that she couldn't talk or understand what the others around here were saying.

After she had discovered that the two-legged one could comunicate with the prickly one, her curiosity peaked and she couldn't stay away. So, she had come closer, but she couldn't understand what they were speaking about, she came even closer when they were sleeping but then she was caught by the prickly one. She stayed away until she had seen the two-legged one entering the forest, trying to sneak as the forest was alive again.

She chuckled at his clumsy yet confident steps, to her he looked like the child of an amateur. She had to give it to him, he was much better at sneaking than the two-legged ones living in this place. She knew that he wasn't from here from the moment she had spotted him, it was why she hadn't killed him at first glance.

Now as she looked at the creature curled up, she felt an irresistible urge to lay down beside him or even on top of him. She somehow felt certain that this two-legged one would not hurt her.

She had been alone all her life and she didn't feel like it was wrong. She just felt that she would be happier with someone. She was knowledgeable about breeding and such, but that didn't interest her. She just wanted to be on someone's side that didn't want to take advantage of her and this two-legged one fit the discription.

'Would he be interested?' she thought and found herself already laying beside him, warming his back as she curled up and the plant fumes washed all over the place. Making every creature num to everything.