anything and everything

A little More Snake

MissAvarice
Not your Snek, my Snake.
~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mom where are we going?" Scilia asked, adjusting the straps of her pack. They'd been traveling the northern desserts of Allelyn for quite some time.

Despite having lived there for all 12 years of her life, Scilia could speak every language she heard. It was part of being a future seer. Scilia had already shown some promise in following her mother's footsteps, or tail trail if you will.

"North. Further." She answered. "We have a better future coming for us there."

"Is this about what I saw?" Scilia asked her mother.

Traveling the desserts wasn't so hard for them. Their scales slid well over the sand and weren't bothered by rocks or cacti hidden under the sand. The sun beating down didn't burn them but rather kept them awake. They had some scales on their human torso as well. Up the sides of their torso to the mid point of thier ribs, most lamia also had patches of scales on their wrists, shoulders, neck, and face. It didn't matter all that much though. To travel faster they stayed low to the ground, there was no reason to hold themselves high where the wind might bother them. All they needed to worry about was water which they had packed plenty of.

"Yes." Her mother answered. She had always been a woman of few words. At least to Scilia. She spoke a lot more when she was working.

"I don't understand what I saw though. What did it mean?" Scilia asked. She'd had a dream, well a vision really, a few days ago. Usually she dreamt events that would happen but instead she had seen flashes of images. She saw scales that looked like her mother's around a woman's waist. A flash of something metal. Then darkness. Not sleep but just black. She didn't understand what she saw.

"It doesn't matter, we're changing out fate." Her mother said.

"But how do you know? My vision could have occured because it knew we would run." Scilia still didn't understand how she could see the future and yet that it could be changed.

"Enough questions. Save your throat. Don't dry your mouth." Her mother silenced her. "We have to cross the border before nightfall."

° ° ° °

Scilia began to make her way back to the palace after she finished cleaning the stables.  She was only 16 but her mother had insisted she start working.

To be more specific, she was 16 as of four months ago and was promptly kicked out of the house by her mother. She and Fro had argued time and time again about what she wanted to make of her life. Fro wanted Scilia to be her. Get married and have a child young.  Make a living off your vision. 

The issue was that Scilia's vision had stopped developing much earlier than her mother's. Scilia struggled to have vision on command. When she could, she had no influence over what time period or event she saw. She had also lost vision in her one eye. That had been deteriorating ever since she was very young. A genetic issue. Her grandmother had been blind in one eye as well.

However working at the palace had about average pay but it came with a room and food. There were lots of hybrids around as well.

Scilia rubbed her hands over her arms. Winter here in the north was far too cold. Sure nights in Allelyn got cold but at night it didn't matter too much. It never dropped low enough she worried for her life as long as she had a fire going.  However she struggled to get through her work today. She'd pressed herself up against one of the horses for a short while to get body heat. It was a good thing that animals liked her for some reason.

Scilia couldn't really feel her movements. She knew the wind was blowing her hair wildly but she only saw it. Her breath made clouds in front of her face but she realizes she couldn't hear her own exhales over the sound of blood rushing in her head.