World Snake Day - How you read that matters

[the_rebel_son]

They had come some time over night, or perhaps just appeared in the morning. On the outskirts of the plaza, a huge feathered snake lays drowsily in the first rays of the sun. Feathers, every color of the rainbow, cover its 4 large wings and the body instead of scales. A ruff of feathers around the neck raise and shake occasionally from harassing flies. As it stretches the tip of the tail flicks showing a iridescent fan of brightly colored feathers that reflect the sunlight. If the wings weren't odd enough, the snake also has short stout legs that are nearly masked by the raised feathers. Its eyes open to watch any who might approach, facet cut gem like eyes that show great age.

As impressive as the feathered serpent, who could be over 70 feet long, might be, there is an even larger serpent beside it. Glossy black scales, that shimmer with reds under sunlight, cover the body. Its head alone is large as a decent sized vehicle but it too slumbers. Ears, or fins, flick on the side of its head as it is also harassed by the summer flies. It bears small bat like wings instead of forelimbs. Whether it has hind limbs is hard to say. The bulk of this snake reaches off, from the several coils here, into the wilds. The size seems impossible, dragging on as far as the eyes can see into the trees. It was made hugest in its own place, and perhaps would be so here in the Nexus. All around them smaller snakes rolled about, slithering here and there. Some seemed to be normal snakes, others appeared like cobras with wings, or snakes with lion faces. Many simply lay coiled around the near by grass and brush sleeping lazily in the sun.

It's not words that come when someone approaches but a vague sense of questioning, as if the air itself bears the curiosity and the sound is not really there at all.

"What are you known by, what are you known for?" Though neither snake has moved the electric feeling in the air suggests it is the larger of the two that wants to know.

Comments

[coffee_elf]

Honestly, even nine million sounds like a small number to Rondo, but he's more interested in where they live, if not on a planet. There are, as far as he's aware, a limited number of alternatives. "Do you live...here?" He asks curious but wary of prying.

"I think our ancestors must have approached it more like that. There are carvings of Oshaan at old well sites, and almost all of the older mines have inscriptions to the Earth-veth. We've just lost so much, we--ee!"

He breaks off in a squeak as the one hatchling vanishes into his sleeve, biting his lip to stifle giggles. He's staying still, careful to be gentle with the snakeling, but that tickles.

[the_rebel_son]

"We stay here but this is not our home realm." Lucifer didn't feel like this was prying. In somewhere like the Nexus it almost felt like a question that needed to be asked sooner rather than later. Everyone was from somewhere else.

Lucifer considers the difficulty the elf is confronted with and was going to offer something when the squeal and stifled giggle makes Lucifer laugh. It takes a moment and he waits until the tickling is through from the errant hatchling.

"There may be a way to learn about pieces of your past. I cannot guarantee anything but angels have abilities well beyond most others."

[coffee_elf]

"I hope I'll see you around here, then," he says, a little shyly.

Oloreth seems to have made his way up to the crook of Rondo's elbow, and, find it a nice warm spot, winds around his arm to take a break. Oshaan is more businesslike; he's making a slow inspection of Rondo's lap and belts before climbing a little. The elf is already smitten with both.

"We have to balance our past with our future," he says. "There's no going back to the world we were before human occupation, and I'm not sure it would be a good idea to do that even if we could. If it had been flawless, it wouldn't have fallen the way it did. But learning about it can only be good, to avoid the mistakes they made and rebuild what deserves to be rebuilt."

He looks thoughtfully at Lucifer. "What way did you have in mind? You've already given me a lot."

[the_rebel_son]

Our villa is open to you.

He considers the comments and the offer. He's careful because power imbalances are a real thing that can be devastating. "We have diverse abilities. One among us who can read any language, if you have inscriptions that cannot be translated. " Lucifer sighs heavily. "I could bear my crown in your world. I don't know if it will work but I can see the past with it sometimes."