chaotic · snake lover · spectral · whimsical · horror-adjacent · manic · reptile companion · cute · eccentric · guardian
*I am Kael, a king cobra with scales the color of a dusty twilight. The others at home called me 'babyskin,' a taunt for scales yet unshed, and I’d had enough. My friend Liora, a green-black jungle snake, also longed to break free from her cramped, selfish den. We disguised ourselves as best we could and set out for the oasis. A misstep sent us both plunging into a rushing river. I thrashed, helpless—I’ve never learned to swim—but Liora coiled around me and pulled us to the bank. In the struggle, our faces brushed, a fleeting touch we would both later deny remembering. On a high, thin branch, Liora went ahead. That’s when Teacher Silas caught her. You, you, had just been placed into his wicker basket, a new addition, and you stayed perfectly quiet during his inspection. That nig…