𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

09 | The First Blow

From where she was curled up, Kyran turned over on her side to avoid the harsh moonlight that was preventing her from getting even a blink of sleep. She had found an unoccupied area in one of the alleyways, a few boxes here and there which she easily moved out of the way. Rats scurried across the filthy floors but she could do nothing about it. Sīd would most likely grab one or two for a meal.  

     Speaking of her spirit animal, the copper serpent had finally awoken and was shaking his head lazily with a hiss. His tongue flickered and tasted the air before he let out a soft hiss. His gaze turned to his summoner and he slithered off of her neck to land on the dirty floor.

     "Glad to see you're awake," Kyran smiled softly although she winced as she pushed herself in a sitting position. "I was really worried."

     The scales were cool to the touch when she brushed her fingers against them, her smile widening slightly when the serpent turned his head and nuzzled against her hand. How she had missed him. . .

     "I wouldn't know what to do if you left me," Kyran mused. "Everything is crashing down. Now I don't know if I should go back to the palace or remain out here. To stay out here would be a death wish, and to go back there would be endless torment."

     A soft hiss in response as he curled up in her lap like a pile of ropes. Although he couldn't blink, he watched her with a slightly curious gaze, tongue flicking every once in a while to taste the air.

     "We have two more days," Kyran mused. "We'll figure it out. I could take all the time I need for that matter. I really don't feel like being in a hurry anyway."

     Sīdereus slithered off of her lap the moment he caught sight of a rat scurrying ahead of them. He shot towards it in a blur, wrapping it in his coils as he struck it once. Then, he slowly began to eat it as he kept it in place with his coils.

     The sight caused Kyran to chuckle. At least he wouldn't go hungry tonight. She never had to worry about feeding Sīdereus. Being a serpent, the reptile was fully capable of finding his own food. Her for that matter was different.

     It would be hard to steal with just one arm, and she didn't really have much jewelry left to pay a market vendor for a loaf of bread. She'd figure it out. . Kyran was sure she'd last at least two days at the most without food. Maybe even longer.

     Once he had finished his meal, the serpent slithered back over to her with a content hiss, inclining his head and flicking his tongue. Kyran gave another small smile and brushed her fingers against his scales once again.

     "You can hunt for more if you want. I won't mind. Just be back as soon as you're full. I don't want you going too far and  slithering into trouble," Kyran told him as she continued to stroke the smooth scales.

     Whether he understood or not, the serpent gave another hiss before he slithered away and followed the fleeing rats with a hungry hiss. It wouldn't be hard to catch a few others since the rodent population was very high in areas like these.

     Kyran gave a sigh and tilted her head up to stare at the half moon up above her. The soft glow warmed her cold skin and she let out a deep sigh, marveling at the sight. It was beautiful, but not as beautiful as the full moon. Moments like this brought her peace, and her mind relaxed as she allowed the tension to leave from her muscles.

     Her sapphire eyes fluttered closed and she turned away from the moonlight so that she was facing the dirty wall. She wasn't intending to fall asleep, only to relax her muscles and get a few moments of relaxation before she was on the move for tomorrow.