Subject to Study (Naga!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 53

"You said that Jyushi hurt Kara pretty bad..." I ducked under a branch as I followed Choro through the southernmost part of his territory, watching the mountain range close in around us as the earth rose up in random places, "Tell me how bad his injuries were so I'm prepared for it."

Choro glanced down at me from the low branches, meeting my inquiring gaze before focusing on the trees ahead of him as he continued to lead the way, "We don't know how badly he was injured. All we felt was him crying out in pain before he let us know that he wasn't leaving his territory for a while."

"Then," I took longer strides to catch up to the naga effortlessly gliding from branch to branch above me, "There's a chance that he could be disfigured?"

"I don't think Jyushi would do that to one of us," The green mamba naga sounded doubtful for a moment, "But then again, we didn't think that he'd get this possessive of you."

"I don't think that anyone could have predicted that..."

The mountain slopes took over the terrain, forcing the jungle to fall back as Choro came to ground and held out his hand for me to take. I took up his offer and climbed up the mountain slopes alongside him, sliding a few times before Choro's hand prevented me from falling all the way to the ground.

The sun was starting to fall in the sky towards the horizon as Choro and I crested the smaller mountain peaks, indicating that evening was quite a few hours away and would most likely fall when we were in Kara's territory.

I could see the line where the marshlands of Todo's territory rubbed up against the flatlands of Oso's territory, both biomes giving way to a large patch of thick jungle towards the coast of the island.

"We'll pass through Oso's land, since the crossing will be easier on your feet," Choro pointed out the path that he intended to take with me, "Kara's den is right in the middle of his territory, so it'll be a little while longer before we reach him."

"That's fine," I caught my breath before making my way down the rolling slope of the mountainside, "I just want to make sure that he's okay, and talk to him about what happened."

I didn't wait for Choro to catch up, using gravity to my advantage and sliding down the rocky parts, letting my boots act as skates on the rough terrain until I had to walk again. This whole mess was more than my fault, and I needed to be the one that set things straight.

Ensure Kara's safety and health first, then talk to Jyushi.

----

"Kara?" I called out as I stepped around the thicker trees, hearing Choro shift his weight above me in the higher branches. We had been walking through Kara's territory for what seemed like a solid two hours with no sight of finding the viper naga, "Kara, I'm here with Choro. Where are you?"

"He's not responding to me, either," Choro lowered himself down, cutting off my path as he looked at me upside-down, "I'll carry you to his den, and we can trace his steps from there."

I merely nodded my head before grabbing onto his hands, feeling myself get hoisted into the air. Following his instructions, I clung to his back before he took off, practically flying from branch to branch without fear of falling to the ground.

"Is this why you wanted to escort me? So Oso wouldn't have to climb?" I spoke when I could, keeping my teeth from biting down on my tongue before Choro stopped, his tail quickly wrapping around the branch and tree trunk as his head whipped around to look behind us. I stayed quiet as his tongue flicked in and out from his lips, straining to hear anything that the mamba naga was clearly picking up.