Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
The heat was excruciating. Every day it had got worse and every day I found no trace of real vegetation. Not once had I encountered water in this place. Only sparse bushes of dried twigs and spots of dead weed grass greeted me. Animal life was likewise absent from the sandy terrain. It had not taken long for my slithering to slow down to a crawl then to a creep. It was not even midday and I could not find the strength I move an inch. My body was a miss-shape rock that could not roll. I could only lie in place, gasping for breath and waiting for death to claim me.
There was supposed to be a forest on the other side of this arid land, but I had been traveling for nearly three days and had not found it. They snakes I met in the previous forest, those few willing to talk to a stranger, had warned me that thought the area was very small, it was also a maze to one who did not know the way. For one who knew the area, getting across the entire thing took only a full day. However, some snakes wandered for weeks before reaching either side again, if they were so lucky. I, apparently, was not included with those so lucky few. I was certain that as long as I went straight and never turned in any other direction, I would reach the other side.
It was too late to fix things now though. I could not turn back time and what would I have done even if I could? After all, I could not stay where I was before. The snakes were tolerant at first, but before I was even settled, they had me chased away. They would not have a stranger, especially a stranger such as me, in their mist for very long. They feared that I would stay and spread my disease amongst them. Just as all the others had thought before them. Since the way backward was impossible, I had no choice but to forge ahead into this wasteland with only a few rumors to go by. For all I knew, the forest on the other side was a lie created to promote my leaving. A sad thought, but not impossible based on my lovely record of relations with others.
I clenched my hands, grasping hot dirt which leaked through my fingers. Perhaps, I thought despairingly, that this was the fated end for me. After all, no one can travel forever. There comes a time when one must stop. I had given up on ever finding a clan that would take me in. I had accepted my solitary existence and become used to the fact that I would always be alone. Why not stop here and be alone with no judgmental eyes and cruel hisses? Maybe this sort of end was what was for the best in a way.
And yet, I softly cursed the small amount of hope that still clung to me. With my hazed senses, for just a moment, I was sure I smelled something.
The first thing my throbbing head could make sense of is that it was cool. Compared to the intense heat that I felt earlier, it felt freezing. Was I still alive and if so how did I manage not to boil to death? I moaned, attempting to lift myself up, but my weak arms barely lifted me an inch before they caved and I landed back down with a small splash. It was then that my brain registered a second thing: I was lying in very shallow water.
All the sudden, the how and why did not matter in the slightest. Greedily, I began to gulp down as much as I could. The cool water was mercy to my dry tongue and shriveled throat. It was difficult with how low the water level was, but I did not care. All that mattered was finally quenching the thirst that had plagued me for three days.
After quite some time, I was forced to rest as I was nearly choking on the large, airless gulps of water. I gasped, resting my aching head against the ground in the water and stretched out my wet scales. As my breath clamed, I began to pick up scents again. I could smell the dirt, the rocks, the water, meat and…My eyes snapped open, relief being overtaken by a surge of panic. Now, I realized that where ever I was, it was completely dark. Even though I was unable to see even an arm's length in front of myself, through the stillness my keep sense could pick up the smell and the warmth.
There was someone else here.
Heart pounding, I slowly rotated my head till I found the direction where the scent was the strongest. It was to my side. I slowly moved my upper body towards the smell, while, as quietly as I could, pulled my tail closer to myself. I was now facing the correct direction, I was sure of it. Yet, there was no sound of any other movement. I hesitated before finally testing the air. I let out a single, low hiss. What replied to me were a sharp jerk and the scrapping of coils on the earth.
I hissed loudly, the sound hurting my mouth, and coiling together tightly. Now I was sure that my frazzled mind was not playing tricks on me. I lifted myself, vibrating my tail on the ground in promise of a strike. I waited for the stranger to reply likewise with threats. Such aggression never came and I was left on the defensive, despite my aching body. Other than that one jumpy jerk the first time, the stranger had not moved, even in response to my threats. The feeling of the stranger staring at me through the darkness quickly becoming too much.
"…You should drink more. …You're really dehydrated."
I coiled tighter, when the individual spoke. His voice was low and nervous, but strong. My fear increased. He was not on top of me, but the stranger was close, despite not showing any intent to attack. The reason for this, I thought in panic, was probably because there was not anywhere he could go. Now that I was more aware, I could sense that we were surrounded by walls in a small space of some kind. Unable to see the way out, I began to feel terribly claustrophobic.
"Where have you taken me? I want to leave," I growled. My attempts at sounding threatening died with my rough and cracked voice.
"Tomorrow at dawn,…I can take you somewhere cooler…" he gently reasoned to me.
"I want to leave now!" I hissed, lifting myself up and preparing to strike my way through if I had too.
"You can," he insisted back, seemingly trying to convince me to ease myself. Something I was not at all so foolish to do. I remained clenched and ready for any sign that the other was preparing to attack. He did not, but he did continue speaking.
"It's just…it's night now, and we are underground so it's cooler, but tomorrow will come and it will be hot again. It's dangerous at night…"
His words made perfect sense. I had found out firsthand how deadly the day could be in this place. The logic was coupled with the other nagging worry that I was alone with an unknown snake. I did not want to stay cooped up in this tiny space with some stranger, some alpha judging by his scent, I could not even see. For all I knew, I could be an unwanted and unwelcome trespasser in his territory. If there was one snake living out here, then his clan would surely be around too.
"…I can take you to the forest…"
"You know the way out of the desert," I asked cautiously.
"Yes, I live at the edge of it."
I ran the choice over and over again in my mind. I had no choice, but most snakes were not foolish enough to be without a clan. The thought that this one was just stalling till his family arrived so that they could overpower me was just as much of a concern as the thought of roasting in the desert. Even if he was untruthful, there would be no difference in my circumstances. My experience had proved to me that there was very little chance of getting out of the desert on my own.
The stranger had been silent while I was lost in my troubled thoughts, but finally spoke up.
"Drink," he commanded. "And get some sleep. You are unwell and unsuited for any journey."
The stranger said no more, seeming to feel that the matter had been settled regardless of my own decision. I drank more several times during the night, but I just could not bring myself to relax my coils enough to sleep. I stayed in the same rigid position for some time. Despite the darkness, I could feel his watch trained on me, even though he said nothing and moved not a centimeter. At some point, I came to realize that the freezing cold was due to a fever that I had not realized I had. Although every part of my being screamed at me not to fall asleep, helpless, in the presence of an unknown, eventually, the weariness from fatigue and fever claimed me. My eyes closed and I reluctantly drifted off in both the company of the stranger and to the smell of rotting flesh.
Thank you for reading!
Author's Note: Every character in this story is based off of a real snake. Feel free to guess. I will reveal what snakes they are at the end of the story.