The Sample Platter

Chapter 11

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"Hey, Atemu, do you have any stories about your homeland?"

Atemu hummed thoughtfully, body coiled with his mate in between said coils when he had posed the question. "Hmm, I have many stories. What would you like to hear?" Yugi tapped his chin in thought. The two in question were in the center courtyard, supposedly studying but took an extended break instead just to be in good company with each other.

Yugi had long since perfected his hunting skills that he couldn't imagine Atemu needed to teach him anything further. However, having this time privately to themselves, now that Kaoruko was a passing thought, meant they would use this time to just be with each other. Yugi didn't argue and Atemu never complained.

Now, they were just enjoying the glory of the perpetual cherry blossoms when Yugi dropped the question on him. When asked for what he wanted to know, he thought about what he had learned to prepare for his report. There was so much to the naga culture he learned, he couldn't imagine picking one.

Then, his thoughts drifted back to the hunting contest. The fluidity of Atemu's hunt, even if he wasn't an active participant to view him in action, still stuck out to him. The practice it took to perfect hunting, chasing after faster, larger prey that would kick and fight to exhaustion against his coils or even venom if he chose it was necessary. It was one thing in a temperate climate but what about back home? What processes did it take to hunt in the vast deserts of Egypt? Surely the naga didn't hunt alone. All these questions and more had Yugi asking.

"What's it like to hunt back in Egypt?"

"Oh? Curious are we?"

Yugi blushed bashfully. "I am. And thought back to the contest. You had no problem with a solo hunt but there has to be much more when doing the same back home. Can't you share something about it? Give me a little insight in case I have to do it myself." Atemu chuckled, bringing a hand up to place against Yugi's head, pushing him down to rest on his chest.

"Unless I deem it absolutely necessary, I would not subject you to our arid humidity. The climate alone would have you suffering more heat flashes and sickness if I were to put you to work outside. Toiling away on a hunt that is exhausting as it is strenuous would reflect badly on me to send my mate out unprepared."

Yugi frowned. Atemu wasn't wrong but a stubborn part of his brain decided the words sounded like a jab at his survivability. It wasn't meant to be that way as Yugi had to adapt to Egypt first after living in a place with changing seasons and a heat index that would never be anywhere near the desert biome.

"However," Atemu continued, bringing Yugi's head up to look toward him. "I will share with you a tale. One that was one of my hunts out in the wild. One that proved to be a sign to bring me here." Now that caught Yugi's attention, pressing against his chest so he could sit up to listen. Atemu smiled, leaning down to peck lightly at the soft lips of his beloved before starting his tale.

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The day was already beginning to hit the upper indexes of heat and humidity. Father allowed me to lead the hunting party that day. With two of our best trackers and hunters, we left the safety of our nest and began our hunt...

The day was already hot and humid, shade almost nonexistent over the massive stretch of sand. In the midst of it all was a small hunting party. Bodies carved through the sand with ease, muted colored scales blending with the sand except for one. Striking black with cream, chevron lines leading down the body stood out from the scenery around them, a threatening mark of warning. Scarlet eyes glanced around, bow and quiver settled upon his back before motioning for the party to halt.

"How are our companions?"

"We're fine." A voice spoke up from the back of one of the serpents. A young male, no older than twenty, was settled on the back of his partner, a lovely pit viper named Amos. The man in question had come from Greece. Terribly out of place in the arid lands, it was hard for him to acclimate with language barriers and no job. It was Amos that found him alone, hungry and dirty late in the evening and brought him to the nest.

The viper made sure the man was fed and bathed, staying within his personal nest and taught their language for communication. Atemu never understood how they worked prior to it but Amos was happy, having overseen their bonding ceremony with his father once both were ready a hundred years later. The other naga, a racy egyptian cobra, was on Atemu's other side, sharp eyes looking over the terrain. Beside him was a younger woman, small and stout, a woman one would think wasn't adapted to be within the hunting party but her skill was unmatched.

A valued addition, Takki with her husband Nasir proved themselves repeatedly. Atemu nodded, pleased the two were holding up before gazing out to the large expanse. Nothing stuck out worth noting, the air much too dry for their keen senses to pick up anything moving within their immediate vicinity. They were hoping that by the end of it, before the humans collaborating with them succumb to the intense heat of the midday sun, they could bring back a couple gazelle or fowl if the pickings were as slim.

They still had their trade routes, maintained by their companions who go into town and trade wares so food wasn't a dire consequence of a failed hunt but the nest prided themselves in providing their own rations. Atemu let out a breath, glancing once more over the expansive stretch of land before them, speaking softly but firmly.

"No more than two hours. Find what you can to bring back to the nest. If your companion grows dehydrated or tired, return immediately to care for them."

Nasir nodded but Dion looked concerned. "My prince, will you be alright to be left alone?" Atemu turned to him, a small smile. He knew well of his concern. He was without a companion, a partner to call his own. Atemu hadn't chosen from any of the admirers who look fondly upon him and his father tells him more often than not that hunting without a partner could become hazardous.

Dion was a sweet soul. You'd like him, Yugi. He was always on top of my wellbeing. I would call it sweet that he didn't want to see me alone. Amos chose a good one, and won't lie...I was hoping to find something like them one day...

Atemu vouches he would be fine when leading the hunting parties and so far, his word had not been a lie. Dion and Nasir were prominent figures to be chosen and each time, Dion feared something would happen to the prince. "Trust in me, Dion. I'll be fine. I know you worry for me the most but trust in me." Dion had no other choice but to agree, Nasir squeezing his hand in reassurance before they were given their directions.

They split off in three directions spanning the width of their territory around the nest. Atemu, alone, had slowed his pace over a large dune, looking out silently. Dion's words buzzed at the back of his mind. He had been alone for quite some time now. Since hitting maturity, he had been a magnet for suitors both inside the palace and throughout the nest. None, however, were the right one for him.

Luckily for Atemu, his father was a man of choice. That love or affection shouldn't be arranged if the partners aren't compatible. He believed the one would come to him, it was just a matter of waiting.

I will admit that being out in the desert brings out my more despondent thoughts. What will my future bring me? Will I be alone or happy? Will I find the one for me? All these questions and uncertainties burden me yet I didn't let it dissuade my hunt...

Atemu let out a soft sigh, taking in the arid air around him with only the lightest touch of his tongue to sense if anything was near before taking off down the dune. The sun was high as he moved along the hot sand, eyes sharp and focused looking for anything that would be worth bringing home. Atemu searched long through the stretch of land, nothing for miles, not even a small patch of grassland where gazelle would graze.

The prince felt he would return empty handed and it left a bitter taste on his tongue, glaring at the horizon. There had to be something nearby. At the very least he hoped on Wadjet's name that the others were faring better.

An hour in and I've found nothing. Hoping my compatriots were doing better, I continued to press on. I wouldn't be shamed for a failed hunt but knowing me well enough, I can't think of failing any sort of challenge that I put upon myself. It was a stressful hunt and as the second hour was coming up by the position of the sun, I was ready to turn back...

Atemu breathed, looking about the desert one last time. His path was still marked in the sand, a breadcrumb trail to get him back but still felt vexed that he had been on the route to nothing. No fowl, no gazelle, not even a little jerboa. The prince resolved to his loss, ready to turn back when something caught his eye. There, in the distance, was a lone Dorcas. It looked young and hearty, definitely far from greener pastures closer to the Nile yet it wasn't without a minor snack in the few grasses it was close to.

If this was a blessing from the gods after the thoughts of loneliness being out in the desert, he'll take their answer. Perhaps it was even a sign that he won't be alone for long. That somewhere in the vast world that he hasn't seen yet, there is a companion, a partner which to call his own, awaiting him. Taking the bow and quiver from his back, Atemu nocked an arrow unto the bowstring, aiming dutifully.

"If this is your answer, Wadjet, then hopefully my soon to be will feel the shot of love straight to the heart as I will in their presence once I see them..." he whispered, releasing the arrow.

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"And I think Wadjet gave me my answer, meeting you~" Atemu finished, smiling as he looked down to his blushing mate. Yugi worried the edge of his shirt in his grip, heart flipping at Atemu's words despite the clear interest of the hunting process before. It did hurt that Atemu felt so lonely when he was on his own, clearly wanting a partner for his own but options lacked in his mind.

Now, he had found one in Yugi, however long ago it was from that one hunting expedition to the present. He leaned forward, resting against Atemu's chest with a kiss pressed to his collarbone. "Don't get me wrong, it was fascinating to hear how you manage your hunting back home, how you care for the human companions that come with their naga partners while out in the heat. That's sweet of you to make sure they were unharmed. But...knowing how lonely you felt back then, how you wished to find that right one..." Yugi lifted his head, arms coming to wrap around Atemu's neck.

"I feel I couldn't be any happier that fate brought you here to me. Maybe Wadjet knew the one you were looking for wasn't back home but in another part of the world. The opportunity to have fallen in your coils to come here on a transfer program was your best decision yet. Cause it brought you to me. I'm so glad."

Atemu smiled, pressing his nose into the soft mane of hair crowning his beloved's head. "I am too, sugardrop. You don't even know the luck I feel having you here with me."

"I'm sure I do, cause I feel the same."

They both laughed, sakura petals falling around them as they pulled back and indulged in a sweet kiss under the raining petals.