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The snake in the tree was dozing. It was cold and wet and there was nothing better to do.
He wasn't alone. A night creature was stalking his park. She was small enough to be a snack, but she smelled too smokey and bitter to be delicious. He got tired of watching her forage and dozed off again, happy to be in her company. She did not shout or throw things, she did not bark noisily at him or relieve herself on his lovely tail. She had moved quietly about his park without causing trouble.
She could stay, for now.
It started to rain again, and the creature brazenly chose the snake's tree to shelter under. Unwise. He was very protective of his tree. He might have chased her away, had she not chosen to perch on his tail and emanate such lovely warmth. He soaked the warmth from her like a bright beam of sunlight shining just for him. He was suddenly becoming rather fond of her.
Naturally, he was deeply saddened when the creature left his tail, sinking to her knees to forage among the leaves. She was probably looking for insects. He wanted to tell her that she should not bother. Those insects were tasteless and crunchy and got stuck in his teeth. Not worth the effort.
He was just about to doze off again when a delicious waft of blood danced along his nostrils. His eyes grew wide and his senses sharpened as every impressive inch of him became alerted to the scent. Perhaps the creature had caught a dog? A nice big one for sharing, he hoped. He had only managed to catch two small ones today and they were more fluff than meat. He was famished.
Coiling carefully down the tree, the snake followed the scent of blood to its source. Alas, his creature companion had no dogs for him, but it just so happened that she was the one issuing that gorgeous blood scent. Such a shame. The company had been nice, but the full meal would be nicer. He tightened his body around the tree and considered angles from which to strike at her.
But his meal was being awfully distracting. She was blinking up at him and making breathy sounds with her voice.
'Y-you're a long way from home, aren't you?' He did not understand her sounds, though the vibrations in her voice were familiar. 'I don't suppose a kiss will turn you into a prince? That'd make you a lot easier to kill.'
He watched the creature take a slow step back and sensed traces of her fear in the air between them. He extended his neck to remind her that she could not escape his range so easily.
'Are you Balekin? Or did you just eat him?'
Balekin.
The snake recognised that sound she made. Balekin. It made him think of gold and purple and violence. He hissed, baring his sharp fangs to convey his offence. That seemed to spook the creature. She yelped and drew out a long spike from her hip. She waved the spike at him and bellowed sounds that she probably thought were very intimidating. He felt sorry for her, and maybe a little scared, because it really was an awfully long spike.
