Subject to Study (Naga!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 54

"Yeah, mix it just like that," Kara called out as I continued to stir the water over the handmade fire, watching the grooved rock that contained both the heating water and shredded leaves of some kind of herb that Kara had picked. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but Kara gave me plenty of positive feedback and useful corrections whenever I did something incorrectly.

"And this is the same paste that you used?" I barely glanced at him, watching Kara's form disappear into the bushes for a moment before he came back with another handful of leaves that looked different from the ones floating in the water.

"Yep," Kara gave an affirmative nod before laying the leaves next to me, "Just keep stirring until the water is completely gone. After that, we'll take the soaked leaves and mash them up with these."

I watched his movements carefully, his copper eyes catching the light of the fire as he met my gaze. A smile turned up the corners of his lips as he held my focus, "Something I can help you with?"

"Just watching, really," I turned my focus back to the rock, "And wondering where you found this."

"I made it, actually," Kara's voice sounded close, his hand reaching out and gently wrapping around my own as he dictated the speed that the stick needed to be at, "Just kept pounding a harder rock against it until I was satisfied with the depth of the bowl. There, keep going like that."

"We have similar tools," Choro chimed in after he finished his food. He never showed me what it was and I never asked, "Kara frequently visits Ichi's territory for the rocks, though. It's practically the only place that has what falls from the mountains."

The night had settled in the sky and with it came a chill that made me shudder. Kara was the one to suggest making some of the more complicated pastes, since most of them needed to be heated up and advocating that I was the one to stir. It partially made me wonder if he had noticed that I was cold.

"Do you think it's a good idea to talk to Jyushi first thing in the morning?" I let the question hang in the air before looking at both nagas. Choro had a neutral expression resting on his face, his eyes fixed on the little fire, while Kara's lips were pulled taut into a contemplative look. Focusing back on the thickening leaves, I kept stirring, "The reason I ask is because I feel like he's the one that I'm going to have the most problems with on the island. I think he feels that I belong only to him because he found me first, and I kept going to him when I needed comfort when we were at the zoo. There are a few humans that act like he does, but I'm not sure if it's because of what I did or if Jyushi's always been like this."

"Are you asking for advice on how to approach him?" Choro quietly asked as Kara continued to stare at the bowl.

"I think so."

"Then I'll give you my thoughts on the matter," The green mamba naga settled further onto the low hanging branch across from me, his dark green eyes settling on my own as he rested his head on his arms, "I think it's dangerous for you to live in his territory. Jyushi has always been impulsive about things that he finds, taking care of them for the first few days or weeks before completely dropping interest. However, he's never taken notice of living things.

"The fact that he showed you his territory first and you picked somewhere to live in that area may tell him that you're solely his now. Since your heat hit so suddenly after arrival, it may have driven that thought into a drive to keep you safe and away from us, considering we are also interested in you."

I felt my face flush with a mixture of embarrassment and understanding.

"Adding on what Todo did to you may have shoved Jyushi into a corner that he didn't anticipate," Choro continued, "There's a large chance that he doesn't even know that what he's doing is wrong."