As with all these snippets, the purpose is to get a feel for the story, aesthetic, characters, and mood. All pieces are subject to change. Characters are my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rotag\u01ebll woke to find herself in her home. The fire in the center crackled and a warmth radiated from it beside her. She stared a moment at the thatched roof above, the hole near the top allowing the thick smoke to filter out, but not enough for it not to stain her lips and tickle her lungs. Rotag\u01ebll peered over at the sunset flames dancing in the pit, only for her eye to be drawn to Shiori, who wore oversized furs from Rot\u2019s slim selection of clothing, and found herself stooped beside the cooking pot, stirring it above the flames with a large wooden spoon. One of her snakes noticed Rotag\u01ebll\u2019s yellowed gaze, and poked Shiori\u2019s cheek. The woman looked up, the flames highlighting her soft features. She smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re awake. Thank the gods,\u201d she breathed. \u201cYou had me worried. How are you feeling?\u201d She stood. The knots keeping the thick coat closed in the front had not been made for such a slim woman, and as Shiori moved closer, Rot found herself catching a glimpse of the side of Shiori\u2019s breast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBetter now,\u201d Rot murmured, lifting her gaze to Shiori\u2019s. The woman knelt beside the plank bed and touched Rot\u2019s forehead. The snakes reached forward and peppered Rotag\u01ebll\u2019s face with kisses. Rot couldn\u2019t help but smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, shhh, you all,\u201d Shiori chastised, leaning back. \u201cYou have to give her space.\u201d One of the snakes opened their mouth at Shiori, saying something Rotag\u01ebll could not hear. Shiori huffed. \u201cI did not. Now shush, let me work and don\u2019t bother Rot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite all right,\u201d Rotag\u01ebll said. \u201cThey aren\u2019t bothering me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShush to you, too. You\u2019ll give them all sorts of ideas.\u201d Shiori touched Rot\u2019s forehead again, frowned, then pulled the blanket draped over the norse woman\u2019s body off. Rotag\u01ebll lay there, bare-breasted, with a large wrapping around her stomach. She had half a mind to be startled, but instead found herself smiling a little more. How long had <\/em>she not had a shirt on while Shiori tended to her? Her smile wavered. How long had she been unconscious?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shiori peeled the bandages off, layer by layer, unwrapping Rotag\u01ebll. She glanced up at the woman. \u201cDoes this hurt?\u201d Her brows knit together. One of the snakes licked the air and opened its mouth wide, as if in a smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Rot replied. \u201cI do not remember what occurred.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou came home like this. Your stomach was split open. We were all afraid you wouldn\u2019t make it. Utinsun said the gods had blessed you because you did not die outright.\u201d Shiori let out a shaky breath, looked down at her hands, and her snakes pressed against her cheeks, trying to comfort her. Rot reached over and touched Shiori\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was a lot of blood, Rotag\u01ebll. I\u2026 I really didn\u2019t think you\u2019d survive.\u201d She looked to Rot, tears brimming in those vibrant orange eyes. \u201cMaybe you were right. Maybe you are gifted by the gods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am glad to still be here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did this to you? Do you remember?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rotag\u01ebll frowned. The flash of talons bit into her memory, the screeching of crows, the taste of feathers in her mouth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do not wish to speak on it now,\u201d Rot whispered. \u201cIt would be ill to do so before I have healed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shiori watched her, eyes pleading, before she looked back down at Rot\u2019s stomach. She continued to unwrap it, her touch gentle. \u201cI will be here for you when you are ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMm.\u201d Rot looked up at the ceiling, the fire\u2019s heat warming her breasts. \u201cHow long have I been asleep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwo days,\u201d Shiori murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh. And you took my shirt off when\u2026?\u201d She glanced down, a smirk tugging at her lips. The snakes pressed against Shiori\u2019s cheeks, but this time not for comfort. They tangled themselves, twisting over one another as they pressed against her burning face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was to help you, you know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI assume you never looked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI never <\/em>looked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rot laughed. \u201cYou are a horrid liar, Shiori.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shiori kept herself focused on her work. “You were hurt and I was ensuring you were okay. Nothing more, Rot.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rot smiled. That, at least, did not seem like a lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Shiori reached the final layer of bandages, it became evident that the wrap was bulging. That thick, black hairs were sticking out of the sides. She shared a perplexed glance with Rot before Shiori pulled the wrap free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beneath, where Rotag\u01ebll had once nearly been split in half, thick fur spilled, running the length of where the scar should remain. Rot reached down and touched it, gingerly at first, before she ran her fingers down to the skin beneath. Unbroken. Undamaged. She reached up and touched her left eye, where the fur spilled where the scar once did. The fur was the same. They felt the same. They looked the same. Once more, her life had been saved and she was given parts of another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRotag\u01ebll,\u201d Shiori breathed. She looked to Rot, eyes wide. \u201cYou\u2019re\u2026 you\u2019re not hurt.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rot stared at her stomach, then to Shiori. \u201cIt would appear that I am not.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shiori said something in her native tongue, a phrase that sounded of bitterness and anger and sorrow. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she placed a tender kiss against the fur on Rot\u2019s belly. The sensation sent shivers down Rotag\u01ebll\u2019s spine. Shiori pulled her lips away and rested her forehead against the fur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou scared me so much,\u201d she rasped. \u201cSo much, Rotag\u01ebll.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI did not mean to,\u201d Rot murmured. She reached out, and Shiori\u2019s snakes wrapped around Rot\u2019s hand, their smooth scales warm from the fire\u2019s light. Shiori leaned into Rot\u2019s touch. \u201cI am sorry to have frightened you, Shiori.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shiori closed her eyes and sighed. Rot sat up slowly. She cupped Shiori\u2019s face and leaned down. The snakes pulled back from her hand, pulled back from Shiori\u2019s face, gave Rot plenty of room. Shiori\u2019s eyes fluttered open, glistening with tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you for taking care of me,\u201d Rot murmured. \u201cAnd for making sure my boobs were the right size.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shiori flushed and laughed, reaching up and wiping her tears away. \u201cI am a healer <\/em>and I was doing my job. You <\/em>are horrid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d Rotag\u01ebll leaned forward, her forehead touching Shiori\u2019s. \u201cBut not always.\u201d She pressed her lips to the Empress\u2019, tasted her, and pulled her as close as they could manage. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As with all these snippets, the purpose is to get a feel for the story, aesthetic, characters, and mood. All pieces are subject to change. Characters are my own. Rotag\u01ebll woke to find herself in her home. The fire in the center crackled and a warmth radiated from it beside…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[692],"tags":[613,12,690,691,649,647,688,299,689,652,580],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/pexels-photo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p27tjX-vy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1956"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1968,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1956\/revisions\/1968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winter-publishing.com\/welcome-to-winter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}