Snake Boy

2

His fear drained away, but then came another thing. Pain. It swept through his body, and he started crying again. "What's that noise?" Killua gasped, eyes snapping over to a faint voice he'd heard. "H-Hey! Is someone there?" There was rustling. "That sounded like a kid-" another voice said, sounding alarmed. Killua let out a relived shudder. "Help!" The snake was still coiling around his body, but it felt...comforting. There were rapid footsteps, and two adults came into view. "Dixie! Get off him!" a white haired man shouted, running over. Killua shook his head. "N-No it's not, not the snake a-" Killua gasped again as pain shot through his leg. "Roxy looks huge, what did he even eat-"

The white haired man knelt beside him, then his eyes widened in shock and horror as it landed on his leg. "That looks serious" Killua started to shake, and he was gently pried away from the snake and into his arms. "I-I woke up and this bear was dragging me! I was so scared, b-but then there was a hiss and it dropped m-me and stomped on me and then the snake ate it" He sobbed, "Kid, what's your name?" A female voice said, from beside him. "K-Killua...Zoldyck" He felt the man holding him stiffen. "Zoldyck? Fuck." There was some quiet muttering, then the man sighed. "Luce, take Roxy and Dixie back home. I'll handle it"

The man wrapped something around his leg as he was walking, gently soothing him with soft words. Killua however, couldn't stop thinking about that snake. Part of his dislike of animals, was rooted by fear. When he was around half a year old, he'd gotten bitten by one of Milluki's venomous spiders has had to go to the hospital. A few months after that, he'd nearly suffocated when one of the resident foxes sat on him and wouldn't move. no more than 3 weeks after that incident, he'd been knocked into Kalluto's koi pond by one of his father's birds "I...I always hated snakes" He mumbled. The man huffed. "Well...not many people like them. I do though, their fascinating creatures."

Killua was silent for a few moments. "What was...the yellow one?" The man chuckled. "That was Dixie, she's a bermese python. The other one was Roxy, he's an African rock python." They didn't talk much after that for a while, until he felt what he thought was scales curling against his leg. Killua glanced down, then realized there was a small 3 inch snake resting on his leg. The man followed his gaze and sighed, then picked it up. "Sorry, that's Slither. He's...very adventurous"

Killua held out a hand, lips parting slightly. The man blinked, then let the snake slide off his arm and onto Killua's. The man smiled. "he's a baby redbelly snake, you could take him home if you want to" Killua's eyes widened slightly. "R-Really?" He nodded, and Killua rubbed it's head a little. "What...do I feed it?" The man smiled. "insects mostly, small ones" Killua wrinkled his nose. "Ew..." He laughed softly. "they also eat small salamanders, snails, and tiny fish if you don't feel like getting your hands that dirty. Also, make sure to feed him in a separate room every single time."

Killua nodded, listening to the man talk about the care of snakes the entire rest of the walk home. The pain didn't bother him anymore, which was odd. But he'd also gotten a needle injected into his foot so maybe that had a part to play. Killua saw his house come into view, then tucked the small snake into his pocket and zipped it up. The man took a shaky breath. "Hopefully this goes well..." Killua glanced over at the house, then realized something. There were butlers and his family members running around frantically. "W-Wait, what time is it?" The man blinked. "3:45?" Killua gasped. "I've been gone for hours!"

He cupped his hands over his mouth. "MOTHER!" One of the figures paused, then ran into the house and shouted something. His mother came running out, "KILLUA!" The man cleared his throat. "I found him in the woods" He said, as she approached. Killua saw that his mother's face was red like she'd been crying. "M-Mother!" He held his arms out and she scooped him up, then gasped when her eyes landed on his foot. "Kid says a bear dragged him somewhere, his foot got stomped on when it got spooked by one of my snakes" His mother held him close. "Killua I'm sorry, I'm so sorry baby. I f-forgot you were out there" She cried. Killua hugged her back, burying his face into her shoulder.

"I fixed the wound and dressed it, don't think it's broken but you might wanna check anyways. Also injected him with some painkillers, he should need more in a few hours since they weren't very good ones" His mother reached into her pocket and took out a few hundred dollar bills, then held it out to him. "Thank you for bringing my son back home safe" he blinked a few times at the cash, then took it. "Your welcome Ms. Zoldyck" He was about to say something else when she turned and hurried back into the house. "I found him!" She shouted. There was a lot of noise, and he was set down in the medical room where he always went when he got bruises and cuts.

He didn't say a word, but his brain was riveted on one thing. The snake currently in his pocket. He kept wiggling, and Killua was thinking about where to put him. One of the butlers said that the wound actually wasn't that bad, it would heal in a few days. As soon as he was free to go, he locked himself into his room. Killua's eyes shimmered as he slipped the snake out of his pocket and lay him on his nightstand. "I'm gonna name you..." He thought for a moment, then traced a finger along the red scales on it's belly. "Red. Yeah, reddie!" he giggled and stroked it's head. The snake slithered onto his hand and he cupped them, then brought it close to his face. "I'll get a few salamanders from that prey room that mother and father and Illumi use for their pets"

Since they constantly had at least 30 animals in the house at one time, they had to keep a constant supply of food for them. Killua grabbed an opaque container he had and set his snake inside of it, then closed the lid and slid it under his bed. "G'night Reddie!" He whispered, then lay down and pulled the covers over himself with a smile. Maybe...maybe not all of nature is bad...

1116 words

To be continued...