Thee Road Less Traveled

The Road Less Traveled 2

-!BETA VERSION!-

"Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited."
No Beta version for now!
Warnings: Content, mature, slash, Yaoi m/m pairing. Violence, The authoress weird humor =^_-=
Special note, I am native German, so please be kind.
Beta; Joe aka humaninfiltrator^_^
Thank you to Beta for me!!! Hugs you, I really are grateful for this!
Thank you^^
Suryallee

Part 2

Walking hurriedly around the corner, just behind Aoras, Kinjou finally reached the others again in the big room from before, what he saw there made the young man freeze in his steps. There stood the others of their group, working to destroy a gigantic statue in the form of a really big, male Naga with snake like features. Somehow he instinctively identified it (instinctively) as the altar statue of the snake god Sheesshkass.

Aoras’ gasp told him that he was right in his assumption.

Kinjou also somehow knew that the others had doomed them all with this deed. On top of the formerly shadow hidden statue hung destroyed fragments of paper of unknown origin. He intuitively knew that it was the trigger Aoras had spoken of before. One of their group must have destroyed it accidentally, Kinjou thought and shuddered. In his arms the Nagaling began crying softly and Cessnal hid his chubby face in the crook of Kinjou’s neck in fear.

The young one felt the danger around him even more than Kinjou did.

In front of him, Aoras shook his head at the sight and simply went cursing over to his pack in the midst of the things the slaves had brought inside, to retrieve his formerly hidden weapons. He gave Kinjou a deadly looking long blade and strapped another one around his left boot. Kinjou looked at the blade confused for a second, and then he shrugged and held it protectively in front of himself and the little Naga. What else could he do?

He just hoped that the angry Nagas would leave the Nagaling in peace and that he would die fast! Finally one of the priests noticed Aoras getting ready for battle. He quirked a brow at this and then stared at them even more, seeing the tall standing Kinjou next to the partially Naga hunter. Before he could ask out loud what had happened to the formerly sickly slave, a sharp and extremely loud hissing sound came suddenly from the statue in the middle of the gigantic temple room.

Instantly the entire room began to fill with the, now very alive looking, Naga warriors from before and a kind of green mist. Aoras didn’t wait or run away from them like the others did, nor did he scream. He swiftly lunged at the nearest Naga and slit his throat with one sure hit. Kinjou took that as his cue to try and find a way out of the altar room too.

However, he never even reached the side walls because suddenly a full, rich, deep voice recited something in a language he had never heard before. Whatever it was the speaker said, it worked instantly and froze all of them in place. Only the priests could avoid getting caught in the Nagapriest’s spell. Kinjou on the other hand could no longer move and was thrown down by a warrior along with the Nagaling in his arms.

He painfully collided with the stone floor.

The warrior’s happiness to have caught the young human slave was short-lived, because Aoras knife soon ended it forever. Then the hunter took a stand above the paralyzed Kinjou and fixed someone across from him and out of Kinjou’s line of sight with his inhuman eyes and an even more inhuman hiss. Everything came to a sudden standstill for several seconds around Kinjou and Aoras. From his position on the floor, Kinjou could see the shining necklace clearly. And so did someone else it seems, because suddenly he heard the deep voice from before tell the others to find the one who wore the necklace’s twin and to bring it to him. With all of his remaining strength of mind Kinjou defied the spell on him for a few seconds. He used the short time to haul his body upwards and grasped at the necklace. His bodyweight ripped it off of Aoras’ neck instantly then the spell won over his willpower again.

Again, silence filled the room. Suddenly Cessnal’s wailing cries broke the silence. He could practically feel the surprised stares that glued themselves to him and the little Nagaling were they lied on the floor under Aoras. Somehow he felt like flushing, he just didn’t know why. Especially so after Cessnal began crying the word, mommy between his sobs and wails. Even Aoras snickered above him at that. Another string of foreign words and he could suddenly move his limbs fully again. Kinjou got back to his feet quickly and secured little Cessnal back into his arms. He still felt sluggish but he didn’t let that stop him. As soon he was on his feet, Aoras grabbed him deftly by the left arm and steered him over to the next wall. There he put Kinjou and Nagaling behind him and fixed his gaze back on the slowly approaching Naga in front of him.

Said Naga suddenly stopped and simply turned their attention over to the reminding Hammer priests who used the confusion to cast a spell of their own. Directly towards the Nagas, Aoras, Kinjou and Cessnal! For a few seconds the boys’ gazes met, and then both ducked down with Cessnal secured between them. The last thing Kinjou knew for a while was a sudden white blinding light around them as soon as the heat and fire hit him and Aoras and the smell of something burning before everything fell into a pain filled silence and then darkness.

He could not see what was going on when he came partially to again, he could hear. Cessnal cried in the background and someone was holding him and the Nagaling; that much he could make out. Aoras’ deep voice hissed and snarled something he couldn’t understand at someone not far away and another voice answered him in the same way. Slowly some of the hisses and snarls turned into understandable words for Kinjou. He was carefully put down on the ground. Someone tried to bandage his wounds he was sure but his mind worried more about Cessnal.

However, he could only slowly put the meanings together.

It was like he was wading through thick water. Suddenly the other voice left and took Cessnal’s crying with it. He tried several times to call out for the little one, even to stand up though someone quickly prevented that before all went black again.

For now, he, Aoras, and the Nagaling lived by the grace of someone called Makshahiarass. Who ever and what ever that may be was his last conscious thought.

He came to again hours later. Much to his surprise he lay on soft cushions in a beautiful room not unlike the one he had seen the diamond Naga in, this one however was in a much better condition. Someone had cleaned him up and he felt fresh for the first time in a long while. They had even washed his hair the youth noticed, amazed. And had cared for his injuries it seemed, Kinjou was a little taken aback by this. Why did someone care for the wellbeing of a slave?

He also had new clothes on. No rags and leftovers from masters or guests, real fine leather clothes to judge from the soft feeling of them on his skin. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light in the room, Kinjou saw that they were indeed expensive soft white leather, stitched with ornaments and even a gem, placed here and there. What he had at first thought to be a shirt or some such, turned out to be bandages around his torso and arms. The stitched pants however, felt heavenly on his abused skin.

A groan stole from his lips when Kinjou tried to stand up. He needed several tries to finally sit up and then to get to his feet. Before he could fall a third time arms suddenly caught him and guided him back down to the bedding. The skin on them was so pale it was almost white. Adorned with white scales…scales?! Instantly Kinjou tried to turn his head sideways to catch a glimpse of his helper behind him. “Careful, human. Your injuries took two days to heal this far. I mean you no harm.” The soft voice behind him almost crooned into his ears and he could hear the slithering sound the tail scales made when the Naga moved.

Within seconds an albino Naga slid in front of him and settled down on the cushions next to Kinjou “My name is Maltaan, I am a healer here and belong to the temple.” The calm voice told the bewildered young man on the cushions watching him warily. His red eyes looked calmly back into storm-grey ones. “Why am I still alive and where are Cessnal and Aoras, please?” The young man on the bedding came out of his shock unexpectedly fast, Maltaan found and he was very polite.

“They are safe and alive; the Naga blood is inside another room. The masters want to keep him as a guard. He has proven worthy of that and is young enough to be taught what he needs to know. The little Sun is fine, without a mark on him; the high priest has him under his care for now and will bring him to you as soon as you’re better.”

Little Sun? Kinjou was confused, why did he call Cessnal that? It must have shown on his face because the Naga gave him a friendly smile, which confused Kinjou even more. “Your friend is coming soon, I told him you would wake before long. He will explain it to you. But listen closely; as long you do what you are told and you don’t try to run or such, no one will harm you. Do you understand that, Keiprassel?” Kinjou gave a wary nod at this and at his questioning look; the Naga told him with a smile that the last word meant something like caretaker or adoptive parent in his language. Kinjou figured it meant what he was for Cessnal and left it at that for the time being.

He had too much on his mind already. A short while later the door to his left opened to his left and Aoras’ voice filled the room. “Good, you are awake. Thank you Maltaan I will fill him in on the rest.” With that the Naga got up and left the room with a short bow to Kinjou…who watched him do so, almost slack jawed. Never before had someone bowed to him!

What the hell was going on here?!?

He asked the sitting down Aoras exactly the same thing whilst trying to sit up to glare at him. The other chuckled softly and pushed some cushions behind the lean youth’s back to help him sit up. The hunter looked stunning, even to Kinjou. The change was so shocking it was almost hurting the eyes and brain. Around his hips Aoras wore a kilt like the warriors’ clothing under it, the youth suspected, the other wore nothing much at all but he didn’t worry himself with that too much right now. Like his pants it was richly stitched and decorated. The long legs wore no shoes, sandals or boots. Around his neck hung jewelry made of topazes as his bracelets.

Now he could easily see that Aoras’ scales went down to his feet along the sides of his body. And the coloring too, black, red and an orange-yellow. It did blend together into complicated pattern, Kinjou knew very well. It was the same marking the desert’s most deadly mambas had on their scales.

The black blood mambas.

He warily asked himself if his friend also had the same poison to his free use. It efficiently killed the victim by clotting the blood together into black clumps in the veins! He had seen some slaves die painfully and slowly due to the bite wounds of these mambas in the past. Aoras let one hand slide through Kinjou’s surprisingly blond tresses. The other had hidden himself well, he thought. Luckily, or else he would have been raped on daily basis from youth onwards.

Aoras knew that all too well. His own father had sold his body around under his friends when needing a quick piece of silver, until he grew too dangerous to try to touch him this way or to subdue him any longer.

“You remember when the priest tried to hit the Naga priest in front of us? With the fire ball?” He asked Kinjou while petting the bewildered youth’s hair. At Kinjou’s slow nod and observation that he hadn’t seen the priest in the crowd before him, Aoras gave a low, amused chuckle. “Of course you didn’t, he was behind the guards, a safe distance from my knifes.” He gave a short laugh. “He was there, trust me. The fire ball didn’t hit us fully, you know. I bet you remember the white light better eh?” At Kinjou’s nod he went on. “It was a barrier. And you will never guess who built it up and saved us all with it.” Kinjou looked thoughtfully at Aoras for a few seconds. “The priest?” He quizzed and got a no from Aoras. “It was little Cessnal…where the hell did you find the little Naga, Kinjou!?”

Now even more mystified than before Kinjou told Aoras the story of the dead Naga female he had discovered in the woods and the egg that he had found concealed under her tail. That was two and a half years ago. She had looked worn out and starved to death, her scales shaved of off the skin. That she had looked worn out and starved to death and that her scales had been shaved of off the skin. She had looked so awful and miserable; Kinjou had vomited right after he found her mangled body. Then, by chance only, he had spotted the yellow-golden egg and taken it with him.

Ten months later the little white Naga had hatched out of the egg, he had kept him warm in his clothes and named him Cessnal. Kinjou had always thought that Cessnal had no scales because he was born under those conditions, but Aoras corrected him about this in the next few minutes. He had a dark look in his slanted eyes when Kinjou told him of the state of the female Naga’s body.

“No, you did nothing wrong, Kinjou. Quite the opposite in fact. You did everything right. You gave him warmth and kept him near to you that are what Nagas do with their offspring for the first three years. That is because the young ones get their first scales after their first skin shredding at the age of 3 or even younger but never under 2 years. Before that, they look like little wormlings. That is exactly what little Cessnal did when he suddenly built up the barrier to protect you and me from the fireball.” Kinjou’s eyes went bigger than saucers when he heard that. “Is he alright? Did he get hurt?” Aoras shook his head and calmed the young man down again. “No he didn’t, the barrier worked fine. Normally Naga have no such powers, very few are known to be born with such gifts from Sheesshkass. And Cessnal is of such a type.

In fact he is even more important than you know. By now, I already know who she was; a missing priestess from a temple of Sheesshkass in the south, hunted down by Hammer’s priests because she was pregnant from Sheesshkass.” He let that sink into the brain of his poor friend who was suddenly very glad to be on the floor already!

“She was … what?” Kinjou squeaked and then he nearly fainted.

Aoras had known that he would react like that and stood to fetch Kinjou some water from a nearby bottle.

“She was one of his chosen to carry his seed this century, but somehow the priests of Hammer found out and hunted her and the others down. First she escaped. All the others are dead now along their unborn offspring. The hunters must have hunted her down for her jewel scales and the egg. She was a jewel Naga. They got the scales, however, the egg she rescued and then she managed to run from them again. She must have breathed her last breath in the forest where you found her, poor thing.” Kinjou tried to stop his head from spinning. It was simply too much to take in at once.

“I guess they will take him from me now, huh?” He asked Aoras much calmer some time later. Again, the former hunter shook his head. “No, they won’t even try to do that. He will be brought here soon; he needs his mother replacement still. And that is you. He is still a little Nagaling, a baby so to speak, to do so would mean his certain death, Kinjou.” He told the bewildered young man. Mother replacement, suddenly Maltaan’s wording made much more sense to Kinjou.

Aoras nodded when he told him that. “It doesn’t surprise me, that one is wise. After you fell unconscious Cessnal suddenly began to shred his old skin and all could see the golden scales of Sheesshkass’s offspring under it come out to shine, that was a great shock, even for me. Until then I always thought these stories where myth, Kinjou!” he gave the startled blond next to him an intense look. “But it explained why I had the need to protect you both so much since the beginning. It was me who told the others that you are ill and so they left you in peace instead of raping you too, dirty or not.” Kinjou paled visibly and Aoras hurried to calm him down once more.

“Thanks to you, he will live now. Sheesshkass’ beloved one, high priest Makshahiarass who is the currently highest ranked priest here has taken him under his care until you’re better. Kinjou, you nearly did die, even with Maltaan healing you right after the attack and confusion. Even with Cessnal’s barrier, you were too close to it. Luckily for us all, you’re a fighter and made it through.” Kinjou’s questioning gaze at the name prompted him to elaborate further. “You know the owner of that name and title; he was the jewel diamond Naga we saw in that room… there are seven of these rare Nagas in the temple, that’s also why it was always Sheesshkass’ most treasured one. They are the only ones left of their breed. Diamond Naga have always been the most powerful priests in our history and the one they sacrificed to ensure the lives of all the others was a painful loss for Sheesshkass and us all.”

“Our history? Aoras?” Kinjou’s soft voiced question brought back the full attention of the Naga blood next to him. Aoras nodded slowly. “I have given up to trying living as a human being, Kinjou. Believe me please, I have tried it over and over…my own family have cast me out in the age of 12 and put me under that cursed necklace spell! My own father put it around my neck with a happy smile and then beat me half to death. Here I am offered a life, free of that and to have a position and a place to work for my own honor…can you understand me, at least a little?”

At Aoras’ pleading look Kinjou couldn’t help but nod. He knew exactly how the other must have suffered from watching others like him over the years. Even being a slave, he sometimes had it better than them in the past! If their families did not accept them and take care of them, the other hunters often hunted them down like animals. “I can understand you, don’t worry. I have seen enough in my short live to understand, trust me in this Aoras. I only worry for Cessnal right now, he is so small and that Naga was so big!”

Aoras laughed happily at his worried question. This promptly earned him a sharp punch to his muscled shoulder from Kinjou. “Don’t fret he will bring Cessnal soon and he would never do him any kind of harm, knowingly or not. That priest treasures this gift to his temple with all his being and would protect Cessnal with his own life if necessary. And a gift he truly is, aye. That little one is the lone survivor of Sheesshkass seed in nearly thousand years! Every 500 years he goes into rut and then he only fathers between 10 and 50 eggs…not one has survived from the last heat and in this one, Cessnal is the only one so far…do you have the slightest idea how much he means to the Naga? Or how they will spoil him rotten if you put not your foot down in time?” He smirked at Kinjou’s horrified expression.

“Yes, exactly, they adore him. All Nagaling’s are spoiled rotten but this one will truly be spoiled by the most powerful of his race. If you let them, that is.” He gave Kinjou another smirk and suddenly got up and bowed into the direction of the door. The door opened at exactly that moment to reveal a tall Naga who held a squirming, golden, something in his arms that constantly tried to escape towards the lone human on the cushions. Barely inside the room, the tall diamond Naga let go of the youth and set him down to the floor with a soft murmur of words. Cessnal didn’t even wait for the end of it and moved over to Kinjou in a flash. Once there he buried his face into the chest of the still injured human and began to softly cry.

All Kinjou could do was hold the changed Nagaling and rock him back and forth until the crying ceased.

Then he studied the new appearance of the little one. Gold. All of little Cessnal was now in that color. The little scales on his chubby little tail; the skin and even the eyes now had a golden tone. Only his underbelly held a fiery red coloring. A memento to his mother, Aoras told him later, who had been a Ruby jewel Naga. The hair was now a deep, sun golden, much as Kinjou’s own hair color, just a little bit brighter in the coloring. The eyes were smoldering amber and the skin held a darker shade of gold, nearly bronze in the color, the little Naga was an eyeful, that much was certain.

Pearly white teeth and nails where smeared with just shortly before consumed candy…this got Cessnal a curved up eyebrow from Kinjou. The little one seemed to know all to well what his parental figure meant with that look, he looked down into his lap. “Have you cleaned your hands and teeth? Cessnal?” A soft shaking of the golden head was his answer. Kinjou nodded to that. “So, you want paining teeth then? “ Cessnal shook his little head hard and looked at Aoras for help; holding up his short arms to be carried to the bathroom. The older one complied, swooped him up, and carried him there. The big Naga watched all this with a certain amusement in his eyes…until Kinjou’s critical gaze moved to rest on him. Suddenly the Naga felt the absurd urge to squirm just like the little one had under that stormy gaze before he finally managed to shrug it off.

Slithering over to the resting place he took his time to find a good spot on the cushions and curl his tail around itself until he could rest his upper body easily against it. “I didn’t mean to bring him harm, human. But I understand that I should take more care when he gets sweets.” He told the bewildered Kinjou after he found a good pose to rest in. The eyes of this stunning being where yellow, like Aoras’ but a deeper color, much like Cessnal’s. A deep smoldering amber. He watched the youth on the bedding with the same curiosity Kinjou gave him.

He was rather surprised that the little human mustered up the courage to look him straight in the eye with only a little amount of fear showing. Makshahiarass was one of Sheesshkass’ oldest and most treasured priests, not simply because he was a diamond Naga, he had made his way to the top with hard work and many sacrifices along the way. Not many dared to openly look him in the eye these days. This human however, did. And not only that, the grey eyes of Cessnal’s caretaker watched him with open curiosity and even admiration. But the most important aspect of the small, slender built man on the cushion’s gaze was the deep respect for him that he could easily read in the storm-grey eyes.

Good, he thought, the human knows his place. Most didn’t and then they annoyed him and his beloved master half to death. Slowly it dawned on him why the little Naga was so easy to get along with. It was the work and care of Kinjou he had to thank for this. Makshahiarass could only marvel at how well Kinjou had managed to fool the humans around him all this time. With that hair and looks he would normally have been sold to a high-ranking brothel, but here he was and relatively unharmed at that. There was a sharp intellect lurking behind the grey eyes of the human, Makshahiarass could tell. All the better for Sheesshkass’ Nagaling he thought. The young one could only benefit from that in the future. And there was knowledge in those eyes, despite the young age, even better for his new little addition to the temple.

This human would do just fine he decided he suddenly leant forward until his gaze was only a few inches from Kinjou’s own. “He told you that the young one needs you to survive I take it?” Kinjou cutely crooked his head to the side and studied the shining Naga for a second, he nodded calmly. “Yes, high priest Makshahiarass, Aoras did. I am just glad Cessnal didn’t get hurt by that spell!” his brows furrowed together and the Naga could see the worry for the little Nagaling shine from grey pools.

It satisfied him to see Kinjou worry about the Nagaling. That he addressed him respectfully, without prompting, was making it that much easier to deal with him for the tall Naga lord. “I see…you gave him a good name, did you know that little one?” Kinjou’s confused look told him that he didn’t Leaning back a little and so out of Kinjou’s personal space the Nagalord explained further. “Without knowing it you gave him a Naga name. Cessnal means Holy Gift in our tongue.” Understanding dawned in the human’s eyes at his explanation. “I didn’t know that, lord, I just gave him the name that came to mind when I saw him for the first time. He made a sound when he hatched; it sounded much like the word, Cessnal…so I named him such. It seemed…right…somehow.” Again the human before Makshahiarass tilted his head to the side to look at him out of a slanted position.

The Naga found that simply too cute.

Shaking the irritating thought off, he watched with Kinjou as Aoras brought the now clean little Naga back to the room. Cessnal was currently petting Aoras’ shiny, black hair. The little one was a sucker for all things shiny. Aoras simply chuckled good naturedly at the attentions of the happy little Nagaling and put him carefully down onto Kinjou’s lap. Here Cessnal curled into a little ball and soon was fast asleep with one hand fisted into the bandages around Kinjou’s torso and the others’ thumb in his mouth.

Adorable was the word that all three minds in the room thought at the same moment without knowing it. Makshahiarass bent down, petted the little sleeping head before he sat back against his tail, and watched the human slowly pull it out of Cessnal’s little mouth. “He will get malformed teeth if he keeps it in his mouth.” Kinjou told the two others without really realizing what he did. Aoras just nodded at that and Makshahiarass watched him with silent musings in his head. Yes, the Naga thought, this one will do well.

Careful to not to startle the young one awake with his movements, he unwound his tail and moved slowly from the bedding. “I will leave you and the young one alone now. Aoras will later bring you two to the holy chamber. We have much to talk about later. Now, rest!” with that the shining Naga vanished out of Kinjou’s door without making a sound. It stunned him how silently the big being could move! Aoras also went out, he had to talk with the high priest, he told Kinjou and so the young human was left alone for the time being. Cuddling up with Cessnal Kinjou tried to find some rest himself. He was sure he would need it later.

Sleep however evaded him, too many thoughts run amuck inside his head. Kinjou knew he would need a long time to adjust to all of this. He also knew that all of this was only marking the beginning of many adjustments in his and Cessnal’s future lives. His thoughts slowly drifted back to the Naga priest. The Naga was truly something to behold! When he still slept his dead sleep, Kinjou had already felt attracted to the strange and wondrous being. Now, seeing Makshahiarass alive and moving around was making it harder for Kinjou to not feel even more attracted to the beautiful beast with the human features.

But he never forgot that he was not only a Naga but also a high priest of Sheesshkass the snake god, who ate living humans, as did many of his subordinates. He knew that Naga mostly paralyzed their victims and then swallowed them alive to digest in their stomachs. When he was still a child of maybe five winters, Kinjou had seen hunters bring the dead body of a gigantic Naga from the forest one day. The day before the son of one of the hunters had gone missing there and they had hunted the entire night to catch the Naga whose tracks they had found at the place where the child had gone missing.

They had hastily opened the stomach only find the child inside, half dead. He never recovered from the shock, fear and the injuries. The boy did die half a year later. He was only 8 winters old. Since then, Kinjou had thought twice before considering running away from the slave traders. There were things more dangerous than humans in the forests.

But here he had nothing to fear as long he obeyed the rules and even had a good place to live with Cessnal. He was fully aware of the fact that he was once again, captured by someone. It was clear to the bright young man already that the temple, and so, Makshahiarass, practically owned him. As long Cessnal needed him, he would have to live here under their protection. The Nagas would never let him go anywhere else.

Yawning widely he finally found his much needed rest, for once not dreaming of Naga monsters that devoured him.

Hope you liked the beta version and that now some things make more sense as before
Suryallee