When Eben decides to rob the isolated town nestled deep in the woods, he could never have predicted that he would be forced to atone by serving Adder, the powerful and terrifying gorgon charged with protecting the town of Nǣdre Tor.
However, as Eben...
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As a cold-blooded creature, Adder favors the warmer months of the year, of course. But that doesn't mean he can't appreciate the beauty of fall. The forest surrounds his home on all sides, so each autumn day he awakens to find each tree blazing with thousands of hues of orange, yellow, and red. The beauty of the shifting landscape is enough to make the monster grin with delight.
Really though, if Adder is being honest, he mostly likes autumn for the food. One might guess a monstrous creature like him prefers red meat, but Adder is addicted to anything with apples. Apple cider, apple pie, apple tarts—you make it with apples, and Adder is a very happy gorgon.
So every fall, it has become a tradition for him and Eben to head to the nearby orchard and gather baskets of apples together. The orchard is wild and overgrown, long since abandoned by the family who cultivated it.
Adder keeps his eyes shut in case the villagers wander down here, but in the past few years, they have yet to come across anything besides a few fruit-fattened squirrels. Sometimes he fantasizes about participating in the harvest festival in the village—but he quickly suppresses that thought. He hasn't been into town since Sheppard died; there was no doubt his presence would unnerve and frighten the ones who still remember his fearsome powers.
Adder sighs, shaking off the unpleasant memories as he focuses on his partner. Since they have the egg with them, Adder is resigned to sitting on the picnic blanket, supervising Eben as he picks the ruby-red apples from the fruit-laden trees. Of course, instead of gathering the apples Adder points out, the half-elf decides instead to climb the biggest tree in the orchard.
"Eben, they're all the same! Come down, you're going to break your neck!"
Eben ignores the warnings, plucking a particularly juicy fruit from a branch. He agilely descends from the top, shaking the tree as he lands on a fat limb just above where Adder sits.
"That's not true. The ones at the top taste way better."
"I'll be the judge of that," Adder huffs.
Eben tosses the apple down to his partner, swinging his legs from where he sits on the branch. Adder bites into the fruit, cheeks pinking from the sweetness.
He's about to lie and say it's sour when he tenses, sensing something among the grove of trees. He turns his head to the right—something warm-blooded is hiding behind the trunk of a gnarled apple tree.
Before the gorgon can say anything, the creature darts out from the shadows. Adder tenses as something small and warm lunges for him, arms wrapping around his neck with a giggle.
"Adder!" Kora screams, "boo!"
Eben snorts, watching his partner get assaulted by the petite child. "Kora, it's not very smart to attack a broody gorgon."
Kora sticks her tongue out at Eben, scrunching her face. "Adder knows I'm not gonna hurt the baby."
Adder huffs, pinching a chubby cheek. "Only because my parental instincts are in overdrive. You might not be so welcome if you didn't have that baby face."
