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The Serpent's Shard (Pt 1)

By Whitepython

Even if Rarriku the wolf was blessed with good vision in the dark and ample experience as theft. The strange sounds coming from the ceiling along with the falling stones along the dark hall made it more than clear that today was not a good day for Rarriku.

This might be the very last of his bad days...

He lifted his right foot paw from the cobbled floor. He stood over the trigger of some sort of trap. It was time to use his experience in escapes and leave this hall at once if he wished to remain alive.

Rarriku was a 1.85 meters tall and 25 years old male wolf. The fur under his muzzle along with the fur on his chest, his inner thighs and the fur along the underside of his tail were of a clear, almost pale brown, which was as brown as the dry leaves that falls from trees. The rest of his muzzle and head, along with his ears, his back, arms, and legs, along with the rest of his tail were of a darker brown, as the bark of an old tree. His hands and his forearms along with the fur on his knees all the way down to his large plantigrade foot paws were of an almost pitch dark brownish color like the soil around a tree after the rain.

His head was covered with an ash gray cloak, but it was a short one that protected his head and kept his face in the shadows along with his shoulders and firm pectorals. He displayed a slim waist and small hips covered under a dark gray loincloth that hung around the level of his knees. The cloth swung side to side as Rarriku escaped the crumbling ceiling.

Strapped behind him, he carried a wooden combat stick. It was 4 centimeters thick, and it was as long as his own height.

The ceiling kept on producing thundering sounds over him. Small pebbles and rocks of the size of his head kept on falling around him as he dashed along the hall.

All of sudden, a stone as large as a caravan cart fell a few meters before him, shaking the ground thanks to its gargantuan weight, rising a layer of dust for a couple of seconds and blocking his escape.

Rarriku stopped at once, he searched in desperation for a way around the heavy boulder to save himself when a loud, monstrous and heavy sound got the wolf's attention. He knew that the whole roof would collapse and crush the life out of him in a few seconds.

But nothing happened...

When Rarriku realized that he was still among the living, he looked up. He noticed that a pair of wooden doors were stuck, and stones about the size of his head kept falling from the edges. Behind him, some other doors had managed to released the massive rocks that would crush any intruder.

The Wolf concluded that the device was too old and rusty and it got stuck, or maybe he didn't stand on the trigger hard enough to activate all the traps.

To add his good luck, he noticed a space on the left side of the boulder and the wall which was enough for him to slip through.

In any case, Rarriku decided it was time to get out of there as fast as possible before lady luck had second thoughts about this.

He removed his gray hood, revealing his clear brown eyes in the pitch darkness that surrounded him. This also showed that he wore a thin metal collar around his neck with symbols engraved along its circular surface that marked him as a slave.

He removed his combat staff and threw it through the tight space between the wall and the boulder to allow himself to slip by with ease.

The lupine squeezed himself through the tight space created by the imposing large stone. As he passed his left shoulder through the constricting space, Rarriku felt a sharp pain around it. His shoulder has been bothering him since his last mission, but he decided to bear the pain and force himself to the other side.

Once he left the heavy stone behind him and strapped his weapon to his back, he squeezed his shoulder for a second. He noticed that the rest of the entranceway was clean from any sort of debris.

Rarriku walked to the end of the hall where a small staircase awaited. He contemplated his good fortune for a moment. But maybe it wouldn't have been that bad if this trap had caught him. He would be where his forefathers and his fallen fellow slaves might be. They must be waiting for him in the great collective of the ancients.

He wouldn't have to return to his dreaded life with the Ashen Cloaks; a band of reptilian thieves and mercenaries who used mammal slaves like Rarriku as pawns to execute their most dangerous and hardest, yet most ambitious raids. Reaping the glory and fame for themselves while the slaves would earn a bowl of meat, some fresh water and a sheltered corner to sleep.

Rarriku tried to not to feel invaded by anger and helplessness. He had to fetch a fancy jewel known as The Angel's Shard which was requested in person by the head of the Ashen Cloaks. The Lord of his masters.

Maybe after this mission, this grand master would be so pleased that he might reward Rarriku with the rank of lap slave and sleep at the feet of his superiors all day long. The wolf smiled to himself. He imagined such experience for a brief moment and felt his tired spirit filled with joy to be free from risking his life every day just to pour more gold into the vaults of the Ashen Cloaks.

The wolf leaned against the border which delineated the end of the hall as he stopped at the feet of the four level staircase. He tried to find joy in his short-lived moment of inner peace that he created in his mind.

Who is he trying to fool? That would never happen.

After returning to his bitter reality, the wolf walked into the antechamber that waited for him at the top of the staircase. Rarriku suspected that he had reached the summit of the keep hidden inside the mountain.

The next section that stretched before the wolf Rarriku was an irregular but almost circular chamber inside a natural formed cave. It was around 20 meters wide, and it had better illumination than the hall he just survived going through. This was possible thanks to a large open section of the ceiling which allowed sunlight to illuminate the place from a distance, but it was around 30 meters tall to be reached through other than using a long rope. Vegetation crawled into the chamber through the natural skylight. Allowing all kind of plants, thick roots and branches to live in the chamber.

Pooled water on the floor and innocuous insects minding their own business adorned the floor. The rocky ground felt cool and humid against the wolf's soles. This sanctuary of nature was reigned by a peaceful silence that was broken at random times by the sound of the animals that lived at the summit along with the noise of the wind as it hissed on its way into the chamber and shook the leaves into life into all directions. This place would be a perfect spot to sit down and meditate.

-Except for the horrible sensation over the wolf's shoulders which told him that he wasn't alone-.

The wolf tried to focus his mind on his task and locate the requested item. The theft thought that he reached a dead end until he spotted a small pile of gold on the far end of the antechamber.

As he approached the golden pile of items, he found before him a pile of debris delineated by the frame of a hall which looked just like the corridor he came through. Perhaps behind the rubble there was another hall and more rooms.

He examined the pile of gold. While he was able to find several precious items, he wasn't able to locate the jewel he was looking for. Rarriku feared that he had to explore this place even deeper.

The Wolf examined the collapsed rocks and found them impossible to move. He imagined that someone was in the middle of taking several trips along this hall when they activated the trap and their remains were still buried under the massive stones.

Rarriku knew that he had to reach the innermost chamber so he could recover the jewel that his master has sent him to fetch. Or else...

The wolf felt his back burning, his tummy tightening and his lips begging for mercy as he remembered the harsh whipping he received the last time he failed his mission.

The brown wolf looked in desperation for a way to access the collapsed passage. After a moment of cold sweating and dread, the wolf felt relief when he spotted a hole in the lower right corner of the collapsed hallway. It was a tight fit, but he might be able to crawl through it.

The Wolf placed his right hand over his left shoulder in a comforting grip. He knew that squeezing himself through the tight tunnel would hurt him just like it did before, but he had to go through that hole or go through the harsh punishment that would be waiting for him at the slave's pens.

He hoped that what he was looking for was waiting for him behind those rocks.

As Rarriku collected his courage, a soft sound called the wolf to return from his inner world. At first, the wolf's short ears couldn't pin what it was. It was a nice sound that tried to get his attention, but it also confirmed the unsettling sensation that he wasn't alone.

"W...who goes there?" Rarriku spoke after holding his large combat staff by the middle with his five fingered and blunt-clawed hands. He expected silence so he could talk to himself out of the uncomfortable emotions.

"No need to get tense my beautiful... jussst relax for a moment."

Rarriku jumped back from the frightening surprise after hearing that someone had just responded to his request. It was a voice with a strong reptilian tone. This made him go on full alert. He held his weapon tighter as he took a battle stance.

"I asked who goes there!" Rarriku expressed in his voice how uncomfortable he was with this sudden interruption.

"My, my... I think you might need a bit of help with getting relaxed. Just my sssssssspecialty..."

The startled wolf looked to all directions for the source of the voice as the fur on his back rose up. When you are a theft for a living -or more like surviving in his case- the last thing you want to do is to sit down and chat with the Guardian of the item you are seeking to steal.

"I heard a mess around here, and this made me curious what sort of delicioussssss little toy has dared to invade my lair."

"I am not here to play with anyone!" the wolf squeezed his staff tighter as his eyes looked in desperation for the source of the strange voice.

A soft hiss filled the empty chamber. He recognized it as the same sound that got his attention a moment ago.

"Last time! Show yourself," the wolf commanded.

"Oh? Inferiors such as you shouldn't be barking orders to their new master."

What was this individual up to? That was nonsense! The last thing Rarriku desired was to be under another master.

"You are not my master..." the wolf replied in frustration.

"Not yet" the voice responded in full confidence, "but for now, the best would be to introduce myself."

Even if the opening in the ceiling illuminated the antechamber, that same light made the roof pitch dark because it worked as a backlight that made it difficult to examine the ceiling.

As the wolf tried to find the source of the voice, his struggle ended when something descended from the roof. But hung half way to the ground.

It was the thick section of a coil which belonged to a large snake. Armor plate-like scales of dark color reflected the light that filled the cave, giving them a glossy look. The coil was also decorated with red stripes in a vertical set up in random patterns, but that was not everything. It was like those red lines had a special glow of their own. Rarriku also felt uneasy about the size of that coil. It was large enough to cover his whole chest in a pair of loops.

The brown wolf reached the conclusion that a Naga theft has also found this place. This meant that he had to fight with the reptile for the piece of treasure that his master has commanded him to fetch.

"The... the Angel's Shard is mine! Don't even think about it..."

The wolf walked backward towards the collapsed hall he examined earlier in a protective attempt to keep the reptile from stealing his treasure. If he crawled through the narrow entrance he spotted first, the Naga wouldn't be able to reach him. It was a small hole. The wolf had doubts about fitting through the hole even with his slim build, but he was sure that the reptile wouldn't be able to slip with such thick coils. As Rarriku moved back, he felt his back bumping into something cold and rough.

Rarriku turned around to spot a flat and triangular serpentine head almost as big as his own chest. With a pair of red orbs placed on the sides of the triangle which observed every curve of his furred self with possessive intentions.

This triangle ended in a fat and round snout with large nostrils and solid lips, and with a hole for the serpent's dark tongue to flick in and out.

There was no way to tell how old this snake was, but he gave a healthy appearance filled with vitality. There was no chest nor arms attached right under his head. This meant that he wasn't facing a naga then. He was facing some sort feral serpent who belonged to whoever was talking to him.

The wolf fell back to get enough room to stay away from the reptile. He ran until he stood a few meters away from the entrance as he kept his eyes on the python.

"Whoever you are, call your snake pet away!" the wolf spoke as he threatened that reptilian face with a snarl and a blunt end of his staff.

"Oh! But the only pet here is yourself my delicious toy."

Rarriku almost dropped everything and ran away from the cave in pure shock when he saw the large feral snake speak to him. Nagas were the ones with ability to speak.

Rarriku wasn't sure what was he facing.

"W...who are you?" the wolf asked in a desperate attempt to make sense out of this.

"We are a curious little toy, aren't we? My name is Vyrsussiks."

The wolf tried to pronounce that name, but it was a complicated task for the lupine. This amazed the snake who released a soft hiss.

"If you can't pronounce my name, don't worry about it. Save yourself from the trouble. Just call me Massssster..."

"I don't want another master" the wolf replied in annoyance "I already have enough with the ones I have and their stupid mission."

"Mission?"

"I am here to retrieve the Angel's Shard."

"Angel's shard?" the serpent sounded perplexed with those responses.

"I haven't seen it myself, but I am told that it is a triangular-like blue and purple stone."

The snake flicked his fat and black tongue before the canine. The wolf felt those big red eyes still locked on him with ravenous intentions.

Rarriku felt like a helpless prey under this examination performed by the powerful reptile. He realized that those coils had the power to slip the breath out of him in a pair of minutes and get swallowed in one piece without problems. The more time he spent under those red eyes, the greater the sensation of weakness grew.

"I am not aware what kind of name have your people given it to it." Vyrsussiks spoke, "But behind that collapsed hall there is a chamber. And that room conceals an item of great power. I have never been able to accessssss it even if I have found ways to take glances into the cave. However; if you are behind that artifact..." the snake released a venomous hiss loaded in annoyance which disturbed the wolf "I am afraid I can't let you take it..."

"What? Why?!" the wolf asked in anguish. The memories of the threats made by his masters if he failed this mission made his whole body scream in pain and his soul twist in fear.

"It is the object that keeps me alive." The large serpent spoke as those red eyes kept on trying to put pressure on the wolf to make him desist "The energies that it emanates from behind those fallen stones are what sustain my life force. If you take it away from me, I will perish."

Even if the snake placed a dead serious tone in his voice, Rarriku tried to find the logic behind that. What he found was the memory in his past experiences which taught him that treasure guardians were prone to lie.

"However..." the snake continued "you are free to take anything else you find here. This cave and everything in it belongs to me. Nobody has ever escaped with anything from this cave after I took posessssssion of it, -not even with a single coin.- The few ones who have tried became quite a filling meal. But for a cute fluffy thing such as you, I will make an exception." the snake flicked his fat and pitch dark forked tongue before the wolf who still sought safety behind his weapon. "As long as you don't go into that other room and take the precious item that produces holy energy, you can take the great shiny golden riches piled up here and return to wherever you came from."

Something inside the theft told him that the snake was forbidding him to take the very same item his masters had sent him to steal. This also confirmed what the wolf feared the most. The angel's shard was hidden behind the destroyed hall, and he had to force himself through the tight path

The Guardian refused to yield his treasure. Instead, he was offering a consolation prize, but the wolf knew that the price of failure was too high to even consider accepting the bargain from the serpent.

"Or maybe, you should just stay here and become part of my collection of beauties. Yessssssss..."

"You are not my master, and you cannot tell me what to do!" the wolf replied to the reptile in a defiant voice of tone.

"Not going to submit under request?" Vyrsussiks tensed his long neck in a large S like shape as his head pulled back. Rarriku shook his head as his hands regained a firm grip on his wooden weapon.

"You make me so sad little sssssstuborn toy. I'll have to bring you into submission then..."

The coils of the snake slid along the thick branches that hung from the ceiling. Massive and shiny dark scales with red stripes moved in all directions above the theft. The guardian of the cave was ready to enter into heavier activity.

The wolf hunched back and tucked his tail between his legs as he held the staff with his right hand. His pointy ears rose up as he followed that flat reptilian head adorned with the pair of ruby-like eyes which locked on his brown furred form. He was prepared to attack the strange snake guardian and to hold onto his decision to steal the angel's shard. Even if he didn't wished to.

"You should just come into my coils. I can help my little toy to forget those silly ideas of rebelionsssssss..." the snake kept on exposing more and more of his long reptilian body before the canine as he spoke "Just think about it. No more masters sending you into dirty and dangerous caves. That will be over once you submit as my pet. I can offer you the protection of darkness -but you must embrace my coils.-"

The tip of the snake's tail appeared. It waved in a slow and sinuous motion in the air in a clear attempt to catch the attention of the wolf before dragging those thoughts towards that reptilian face. The snake painted a broad smile powered in his own sinister intentions once the tail waved under his scaly chin. Those red eyes locked on the wolf with a soft, yet dominant drive on his brown eyes.

Once that tail hooked both glances together, Rarriku felt as if time had stopped to flow. His mind felt like sinking in a soft red colored beam of pleasure while his large canine soles urged him to splash himself into that sea of coils and to submit into the shelter of darkness offered by the strange serpent.

This confused the tensed wolf at first. Vyrsussiks gave to his prey no opportunity to react. He swayed his large head side to side. Rarriku used the tip of his staff to follow the dancing reptile in an attempt to defend himself from any sudden move, but his eyes also followed the two red spots which undulated side to side.

Rarriku's mind merged with those strange evil eyes which soon grew quite familiar. Rarriku wasn't aware that the red light was becoming the world where his thought existed. The silent chamber isolated him from the exterior so Vyrsussiks could become his world. His nose remained hooked to the soft scent of damp earth in the cave. His tensed muscles became numb under the strange power of the serpent. Rarriku craved out of the blue to be held and swayed side to side just like that head did. The lupine grew the wish to sleep and to allow Vyrsussiks to take care of everything.

The snake was so far away up in the ceiling. How could he reach those smooth coils? Rarriku felt compelled to forget about those detail and approach the dark sea that beckoned him forth.

The Wolf allowed the silent, yet powerful invitation of submitting his tired self and shattered soul into the power of the reptile to overtake him. He consented that strange power to permute every corner of his being for a couple of moments.

A low sibilation reached the ears of the lupine. Soft and sweet enough to overlap his fading thoughts, -but there was a hint of evilness in them-.

Rarriku couldn't allow this! He has always dreamt of a life of freedom. He can't surrender to this reptile. He had to recover his thoughts even if the peaceful cave didn't offer any help in redirecting his mind away from the luring power.

After clearing his mind enough to put the subliminal invitation aside, the wolf noticed that somehow his staff fell off of his hands and laid at his feet. He also realized that the treasure guardian was now on the ground. The python was in the way of the collapsed entrance as his tail crawled towards Rarriku in an attempt to take hold of him.

Rarriku hunched down and picked up his combat staff. He ran towards the small hole in the collapsed entrance to the chamber that hid the treasure he came seeking. The wolf saw the snake reacted to the change of pace. The rest of those coils slid fast along the floor. It was evident for Rarriku that the long serpent was set to catch him before he could slip through the small entrance.

Vyrsussiks launched the tip of his tail like a long tendril in a quick thrust. Rarriku's ample experience in escaping maneuvers kicked in. He met the tip of that tail with the end of his combat staff.

The snake wrapped the tip of his tail around it, but the wolf used the speed he accumulated and the tail as a point to fix his staff as a pole vault. He brought his slim and agile body up into a long jump. His bad shoulder screamed at him, but Rarriku endured. He released his staff once he jumped over the guardian and was about to hit the floor. The wolf landed hunched down on his feet after executing that maneuver.

Rarriku knew that he had no time to waste. He ran with the same speed that has saved him countless times. He got down on his belly and wormed his slim self into that tight tunnel.

There was no illumination in the reduced space left by the fallen rocks, but the wolf crawled even if it was hard to fit in. And even if his left art hurt, he demanded effort from his whole body.

Once his lupine eyes got used to the lack of illumination, he found it easy to reach the chamber he sought. For his good luck, the fallen rocks left an almost straight path to the other side where he could be safe from the massive predator.

However, the canine grew paranoid that the rocks could fall on him or that the snake might attempt to slip his tail to catch him and drag him out, so he moved as fast as possible.

Once the wolf came to his feet and dusted off his fur after reaching the chamber, he noticed that he was in a small room with several statues of anthropomorphic lizards carved in stone acting as pillars which supported the ceiling. The stone lizards were surrounded by countless pieces of golden jewelry, coins and other sort trinkets piled on the floor.

Rarriku had never seen so much gold in such a small place, not even in the vault of the Ashen Cloaks. He knew that if somehow he could bring it back, all those reptiles would be so pleased. Or maybe with this gold he could even buy his freedom and the freedom of his beloved wolf pack. -That was the thing he has dreamt of the most during his entire life- But there was no way he could take this out by himself and negotiate his freedom and the freedom of his kin. For now, he had to find the item that it was requested.

Once those dreams left the wolf and a darker and sadder emotion settled in, Rarriku forced himself to return to his mission. After all, to locate the details of the Angel's Shard and the exact location of this mountain keep, the wolf had to pay a high price, but his former theft partner Gerrgyl had to pay the maximum prize.

The wolf squeezed his aching shoulder as his mind remembered that event, but he forced himself to remain focused. He had to locate that jewel first.

After approaching the last of the pillars, the wolf spotted the bust of a Tyrannosaurus Rex: small eyes, long and thick muzzle with small nostrils and sharp fangs in a half open jaw. Around that neck carved in stone, there was the item that concluded his mission.

It was a dark blue and purple lapis lazuli stone with tiny white and yellow dots. It was a beautiful stone which left the impression that the wolf was stealing a slice from the night firmament. It was shaped in the triangular form of a diamond, but it had a small and golden cylinder protruding from the top with a thin and golden chain attached to its upper end.

The wolf removed the jewel from the saurian shaped stone and squeezed the lapis lazuli in his right padded hand with all the frustration and pain that his soul has carried since he started his life as a theft against his will. Almost as if he were blaming the necklace for his suffering.

He wasn't sure what this item was or why his masters had spent so much time and resources on getting their hands on it. But from what he understood, failing this mission would put the grand master of the Ashen Cloaks in a huge problem. And his immediate master would receive a rough punishment. This would cascade in a terrible torture for himself that he would never dare to imagine for a second. Escape was impossible, and the attempt to do so was punishable by death.

The wolf squeezed the stone again after setting the necklace around his own neck. The jewel hung just under his metal collar as he remembered the last time he saw Gerrgyl. The wolf slave who he has felt closest to the most in his entire life.

His mind went back in time just a week ago. Both wolves were just done escaping from infiltrating the restricted area of the royal library of the reptilian empire without incidents. They had just stolen a book that was ordered to be taken. As the two canines made their way to the exit, the book slipped off of Rarriku's robes due to his own ineptitude right before an imperial guard at the common areas of the building. This ensured a chase when Rarriku recovered the tome and refused to handle it back. Even if both canines could run faster than those heavy reptiles. The guards were superior in numbers.

In a desperate attempt after running without a clear direction, Rarriku jumped out through the first window he saw with the hopes that Gerrgyl would follow behind.

For his good fortune, he was one story over the ground. Nonetheless, he landed wrong on his left arm, and it has been the cause of his ache since then. He laid in the tall grass as he waited for his gray furred close companion to appear through the window so both could flee together.

But Gerrgyl never showed up, and he was never to be seen again...

Three days ago, the word reached the Ashen Cloaks that Gerrgyl was executed because nobody claimed ownership on the canine nor took responsibility for the incident before the imperial force.

Rarriku could never understand why the grand master of the Ashen Cloaks refused to do anything to save his partner. He always thought that after the wolf alpha breeders, wolves like himself and Gerrgyl were the most important ones.

Rarriku desired from the depths of his soul to be free. To run like a wild beast in the forests far beyond the jungles where reptilians lived. To sleep safe under a tree with his pack of fellow wolves. To wake up with them and to hunt their own meals as a group. To explore new places. To make new friends...

-To have someone to say 'I love you' before it was too late-.

His one crime was to be born a mammal. And he paid for it by being torn off from his mother's arms when he was a cub and never see her again. To have his freedom stripped away. To never have friends long enough because they were either sold away, killed in action or dispatched as food for the beasts when they were unable to make more coins for their masters. The last one was the fate waiting for him if his masters had learned about his wounded arm. But what hurt Rarriku the most was to never have a fellow wolf close to love.

It was that book written in the language of the reptiles that contained the location of this cave and the description of this item. He couldn't understand the language in the book and his masters limited themselves to take him to the foothills of this mountain and to describe what to fetch inside this cave and send him on his merry way while they waited at the entrance. He was glad that the imperial guards didn't know what he stole or else, this cave would be crowded with more obstacles.

He already had it enough with the snake with the name hard to pronounce.

Drowning in his sad memories, the wolf felt tempted to jump into the coils of the snake and finish with everything. But he forced himself to carry on. His dream to be free and wild along with his pack was greater than the adversities and heartaches he has faced.

The wolf squeezed the blue stone with his hands again as he tried to clear his mind from the heartbreaking memories before he would cry. His throat closed but he squeezed his jaws tight before he managed to calm himself down.

After recovering from the bitter travel to the past, the wolf searched around for anything that he could use to defend himself against the python once he crawled back into the antechamber.

He found among the golden items an ornamented sword. But he had no experience with them. All he was allowed to carry by his masters was his combat staff. Mammal slaves were forbidden from carrying sharp weapons. So in the event of an uprise, they could be put down quick by their reptilian overlords.

And even if he wanted to take the blade, the tunnel that would take him back was too tight, it was a miracle that he made it through. And it would take another streak of luck for him to return to the antechamber.

With a soft sigh of resignation, Rarriku decided to crawl back towards the collapsed hall, ready to face that strange serpent once more, but filled with the hopes to find soon an end to this forced life of thievery and lead his fellow wolves into a life of freedom.

He knew that the reptilian hunter would be waiting for him, ready to drag him into his coils as soon as he appeared. The question wasn't if the reptile was still around, the real issue was when Vyrsussiks would strike.