Michael Z. Woodrow

A Typical Morning

WARNING: CONTAINS SOFT SAFE NOMS, A MALE NAGA PRED, AND A GENDERLESS SLIME PREY

"Where are we going today?"

     Those were the first words to break the silence of the early morning. It was very early, indeed. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon; everything was still chilly from the night before. And, yet, a certain shy naga was slithering along through the still very dark woods.

"I-I couldn't sleep..." Michael eventually responded to the question, glancing behind himself, "And, supplies are running low... I-I just figured I should get o-out of bed and do something..."

"Isn't it too cold out for you yet?" asked the voice again, sounding innocently worried.

"I-It's not too bad out here... I-I just can't stay out here for t-too long..." the naga assured.

"Well, okie dokie. I'm gonna go back to sleep!" called the voice, before silence enveloped the area once more. Michael sighed quietly and paused his slithering. Turning his head, he looked down at his tail and just stood there for a moment. After all, he was the only one out there, but he was far from alone. As per usual, Lucian, the little slime person, was with him. Well, within him, anyway. Lucian had indeed taken quite the liking to Michael and began to hang around him more and more.

     As the naga grew used to the little slime's antics and requests, it eventually got to the point where Lucian basically lived inside Michael. The little one just loved it so much, plus it created the perfect environment for them. Lucian thrived in warm, slick, humid areas because of their gelatinous structure. On the other hand, Michael received some benefits from the situation, too. For one, Lucian had a tendency to always want to help. Since Michael often brought sick or injured animals back to his cave to heal them, little Lucian took it upon themselves to bring him tools or whatever he needed during those usually pretty stressful times. Even those times where Michael had to swallow the animals to carry them, Lucian helped out by keeping the animals calm and giving them company during the journey.

     The naga also tended to have a slow digestive process, which occasionally caused him some issues when something didn't digest well or began to rot before it even had a chance to digest. Plus, eating large amounts of food in a short amount of time meant some things went down whole that shouldn't or things that shouldn't be eaten at all were brought in. With that in mind, Lucian often used their indigestible structure to spend time within the young man's tail and help break up the different fruits and vegetables that he had eaten and removing things that could cause the naga harm, which was usually just sharp rocks or thorns.

     Beyond those things, the little slime's very prey-ish nature really helped Michael accept his own natural predatory nature. For a very long time, he denied and even shunned his own feelings in that area, though they were always of a safe, protective, and even playful nature. Being raised by humans, though they kept him safe, warm, and loved, left him with some very conflicting emotions. Since his 'parents' never thought of, let alone condoned, such actions and activities, the young naga grew ashamed of his natural instincts and desires and developed a sort of deep-seated insecurity around them. It truly explained several aspects of why being a predator in any way, shape, or form made him embarrassed and uncomfortable, besides his views on animals as food.

     Overtime, Michael learned to accept himself, at least a little bit. Many people helped out with that. He had gained several friends over the years. Each one helped him some, even if they didn't know it. The one friend that he accredited for helping him the most was the one little being that had created a nearly symbiotic relationship with him. Of course, both of them could survive without the other, but they both benefitted quite a bit from the "relationship." Lucian got the perfect place to live, got to help someone, and got somebody to play nice predator for them. Michael got someone to help them in their daily endeavors, someone to help encourage him when he's feeling down, and someone to play gentle prey to help him accept himself. Between the two of them, they both got a good friend, which is something that they both really needed.

     Smiling to himself as he looked down at his scaled tail, Michael shook his head and turned around, heading on his way down the path again. All of those thoughts ran through his head, allowing him to think about just how grateful he was that Lucian was around. It really allowed him to start opening back up and relax. It was hard to be insecure around someone that was just the epitome of love, kindness, helpfulness, and support.

"I'm glad you decided to stick around those few months ago," the brunette mumbled aloud, "You've helped me so much; more than you'll ever get to realize." Letting out a gentle purr, Michael glanced around the forest as the morning sun began to bathe the area in a warm light.

"I'm glad I stuck around, too!" called Lucian, catching Michael by surprise, "You're so nice to me and give me a nice place to live and things to do and you're such a nice friend, I love being here! Thank you, Mikey!" After the minor surprise subsided, the naga began to laugh lightheartedly and shake his rattle just a little bit.

"You're welcome, Lucian. And, thank you, too."