“May I have a word?” The obsidian snake asked, tongue flicking idly up and down as he regarded the large red lion. He wasn’t sure what he thought about lions. They came across as a little bit arrogant, as if they thought they were so much better than a snake because they were bigger and had legs.
Itzcoatl had come to the conclusion that legs were overrated.
On his belly, he could glide through the sand of the place they called home. Yes, admittedly, the Firekin did fare well too, but not as well as his kind did.
--
“Make it quick then.” Kidondo replied. He was moving slowly across the sand, his great form powerful and strong. He was finally reaching full maturity. Yes, he’d reached his adult height a while ago, before the battle that had divided his kind. However, since then his muscle had been developing and growing stronger. Finally, Kidondo was at the peak of his strength.
He cast a glance down at the snake slithered alongside him, keeping up easily with Kidondo’s easy pace. The lion wasn’t aware how fast the young cobra could move. If he knew, he’d have been surprised.
--
The snake didn’t react to the lion’s blunt speech. To the point, then, very well. He put on an extra burst of speed and came round in front of the lion, blocking his path momentarily. Once there he raised himself up on the coils of his long, shining body until his head was almost level with Kidondo’s own.
“I have a requessst.” He hissed. “And it involvesss your children. Or one of them, at leassst.”
--
“My children?” Kidondo growled, flattening his ears. “What about my children? Stop beating around the sun. Out with it or I’ll walk right over you.”
--
Itzcoatl’s eyes narrowed, but, he said nothing about the rudeness being fired his way. Instead he answered, obedient so as not to cause anymore trouble. After all, what he had to say might not please the lion, best not to make things even more difficult by hissing curses.
“Asss you are aware, your mate, the Dark One, isss my parentsss keeper. You may not be familiar with the term bonded, but that isss what they are.” He swayed slightly. “I, too, wisssh to become a bond to another. To part with the wisssdom my parentsss blessed me with.”
He paused and waited for the light of understanding to shine in the lion’s eyes. As predicted, the Regent understood perfectly what the snake was getting at. But when he made no move to interrupt, the snake continued with his explanation.
“What I wisssh, Sssir, isss to partner myssself with one of your children. It only ssseemsss right. After all, the children of No’sss bonded ssshould follow tradition and, in turn, bond with No’sss own.” He blinked his eyes slowly and said no more.
--
Kidondo’s growl did not falter. It remained throughout the snake’s request as distant thunder, a warning that one wrong move could be devastating. If he was afraid that the cobra might bite him, he certainly didn’t show it. “A bold request.” He spoke, his voice smooth and controlled.
“Why should I, in all sense, grant such a request? I do not know you and I do not trust you, nor your parents either. I will not have you spiriting away one of my own and filling their heads with all your superstitious nonsense.” And he meant it. He would not be moved.
--
The snake let his coils fall until all but his head rested against the sand. He was clearly not pleased but obviously not surprised either. He had expected as much. He didn’t much trust the older lion either. His children, however, would be another matter entirely, especially if he was at their side from the beginning.
“I did not have to asssk your permissssion. You are aware of thisss, aren’t you? You cannot ssstop me. You cannot control me. I am of the Sssimo, but I am not written into it’sss ssstructure. You do not rule me.”
--
“Is that a threat?” Kidondo snapped. “Venom may fill those fangs of yours, but don’t think that will sway my opinion of you or intimidate me in any way. I will not allow you to go anywhere near my children and if I find out that you have, I’ll kill you.”
He made to step around the snake. As far as he was concerned, this conversation was as good as over.
--
“Not a threat. Just the reality of thingsss.” Itzcoatl replied quickly, moving to block Kidondo again. He was losing this battle, he could feel it. “All I asssk isss that you give me the opportunity to follow in my parent’sss footssstepsss. Iss that ssso bad? Ssso wrong?”
Sun dazzled his scales as he moved after Kidondo, moving swiftly along the sand to keep up. “Lisssten to me, Sssir. Do you think I would let harm come to any ssson or daughter that you and the Dark One, created?” He hissed. “I tell you now, my brother may wisssh to follow them too.”
--
“You’re asking the wrong lion.” Kidondo growled. “I hardly knew my mother so I could not follow her – even if I had wanted. And my father? Let’s just say we didn’t exactly see eye to eye. Why do children think they must follow in their parent’s footsteps? Would you not rather craft your own future? Just as No and I have.”
The anger had been tamed in his voice, but it was low and dangerous all the same.
“The same will apply to your brother, too. You may tell him that when you see him.”
--
Itzcoatl ignored him, still persisting. “Your eldessst. I want your eldessst, whether female or male. The sssun alwaysss ssshinesss brightessst upon a firssst born.”
--
Kidondo was on him the moment those words left his mouth, claws pinning the scaly body to the desert. The cobra writhed and – as an automatic reflex – struck out at the lion’s face. Luckily, Kidondo’s head was not lowered enough for the snake to land a strike.
He flexed his claws and felt scales bend and break beneath them.
Then, with a snarl, he flung the snake from him and watched it tumbling through the air, before landing in a heap on the sand.
“Keep away, serpent.” And with an angry sweep of his tail he turned and moved of across the sand.
--
Injured, the snake watched a moment as the lion moved off across the sand, cursing him with every insult that came to mind. Then, with a puff of his throat, he turned and slinked off towards his bathing rocks. Maybe the sun would soothe his battered scales and his pride.
“Ssstupid cat.” He muttered as he went. “You cannot prevent thisss, with wordsss or clawsss.”
