Kane's Element

Chapter 4 - Promises

Kane kept his eyes on her, conflicted with his own thoughts as he bit his lip, trying to settle his watering mouth but it didn't prevail. Once again, she looked so fragile... Not to mention, he hated seeing her shaking in fear from the audible violent weather outside his den. Plus, he felt a cold breeze from the rainy wind make its way against his scales. But this cold breeze managed to hit Aliyah's small form, causing her to whimper and shiver against his nose. This is where he drew the line.
"Hey, Aliyah?" Kane started, gently pulling her off his nose, very careful as to not accidentally scratch or injure her. He watched as Aliyah looked up at him in confusion as to why she was pulled off.
Seeing his face, Aliyah noticed how deep in thought the giant Naga truely was, not looking her in the eyes anymore as he looked down slightly in thought. Thus made her tilt her head slightly. What was he thinking about..?
"Kane?" She asked, a bit of concern in her tone as she put a hand on his thumb that was in front of her midsection. A loud crack of thunder quickly forced away her concern and she hugged his thumb tightly, trying to drown out the storm as best she could.
Kane couldn't help but sigh at her actions, looking down at her as he rubbed the side of her head with the thumb Aliyah held ever so tightly to herself. Knowing she was going to be even more scared at what he was planning pained him but he knew she would be safer, warmer, and his body would manage to drown the storm out of her mind..
Staying silent, he carefully brought her to his mouth, licking her whole form. Kane felt the teenage girl tense and she let out a confused whimper.
"W-What are you doing..?" Aliyah asked, clutching to his thumb even tighter than before. But Kane was lost to his own mind to even hear her clearly. She was sweet. She had a rather cinnamon taste but the texture of her dry clothes disracted him from fully enjoying it. Licking her again made this a little better as her clothes started to soak in what was left of his mouth watering from earlier.
"K-Kane, whatever your doing, stop! You're just going to make it colder!" She protested, now letting his finger go and trying to get out of his grasp on her small body which shivered from the cold cave and her now soaked clothes.
"I'm sorry for this. But you'll thank me later." Kane put bluntly, sighing as he opened his mouth and placed her inside. But he was careful, especially considering see his mouth, Aliyah started to panic and fight against his hold. Despite this, as soon as he felt she was clear of his sharp teeth, he quickly retracted his hand and closed his maw.
"N-No, Kane, l-let me out!" Aliyah panicked more, trying to pry his teeth open from the inside but it was no use. Heat swarmed her but she was too scared to even care about her body heat at the moment.
Kane somewhat got annoyed with her prying, wrapping his tongue around her and pulling her away from his teeth. He heard her let out a yelp and his heart ached, though he wouldn't admit it. He secretly hated that she was this scared... It turned her sweet cinnamon flavor he loved into one he did not desire much anymore. Yet he continued on, determined to finish what he begun.
Tilting his head back, Aliyah felt herself slip backwards, yelping as she fell down the small cliff like terrian. But she felt it... He gulped and the muscles around her pulled her down against her will, pinning her arms to her sides. Kane placed a hand on his neck gently, feeling her travel down and finally he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in.
Kane felt her travel down, keeping track until he finally felt her enter her final destination. But her silence bothered him. Frowning, he placed a clawed hand on his stomach, thinking before speaking up in a concerned tone.
"You okay, Aliyah..?" He paused as soon as he heard her sniffle. Oh jeez.. Great, he made her cry. Guilt crashed over him and he face palmed slightly. What was he thinking? He thought not explaining would save him this trouble but apparently, it just made it worse...
Meanwhile, Aliyah hugged her legs and sniffled. She just now paid any mind to the warmth around her. While it was nice compared to in the den, she couldn't help but be scared of her surroundings.
"Y-You're seriously asking i-if I'm okay..?" Aliyah whimpered, shaking slightly now only in fear. Kane heard and sighed, leaning back on the den wall behind him, giving a certain spot on his stomach a gentle rub. She felt the soft wall behind her rub against her, making her jump in a startled manner but she soon relaxed back into it while her head still buried in her own legs.
"Shhh... I promise I'll let you back out in the morning, okay? Can.. Can you hear the storm anymore..?" He asked her, not even knowing himself if he could drown it out completely. Aliyah heard and paused, lifting her head. Did he do this just to comfort her? She listened in for sounds of the thunder and lightning outside but all she could hear was Kane's heartbeat and slow breathing. She shook her head and he felt her ease up slowly.
"No actually.." Aliyah thought more before mumbling.
"T-Thank you, Kane..." Even if it was nothing bigger than a mumble, he heard her loud and clear, a amall smile forming on his face as he sighed in relief. Aliyah had to think about this though. Thinking back to all that happened, even though she had been scared, he apparently did all this for her. To make her feel better.. Why? He had been so gentle with something that could've been so rough. But one part of the puzzle, she was still confused at.
"I-Is it safe?" Aliyah asked, curiously placing a hand on the soft wall in front of her. He froze for a second at this. Feeling her small hand place on that wall was both a relief and something he clearly wasn't use to. A low purring noise started up in his chest, being loud and clear for Aliyah who was tucked just below.
"I promise I'll keep you safe..." Kane purred before yawning and curling himself up on the huge pile of fur next to him. As if he was the exhausted one! If he was exhausted, he couldn't imagine how she felt after everything. Rubbing that same spot as before, he smiled a bit and closed his eyes.
"Get some sleep, Ali. I'll let you out as soon as I wake up." Kane promised. Weirdly to her, she felt pretty calm now. Would he really break a promise after being honest with her this far? Deciding she couldn't do anything but trust him, Aliyah yawned and laid back, drifting off to the loud sounds around her. His purrs, his heartbeat, and his slow breathing all continusly luring her into deep sleep...