The sun slowly crested the hills to the east of the small grove, the treetops glowing with the morning light as the golden orb rose from its nightly rest. Had a passerby walked through the forest and looked around the ancient circle, they would have seen nothing but broken branches and fallen leaves. Yet, if one happened to turn their gaze upward, a completely different sight would behold them, and a sight it would be that would fill any unlucky adventurer’s heart with fear.

Coiled around the branches of the tremendous trees, shining in the sunlight like jewels on the forest’s crown, were lamia, dozens and dozens of them in all sizes and colors. Yet in the weak heat of the morning, none were moving, save for one.

My emerald gaze watched in awe as the sun rose over the forest my clan called home, the golden light spilling over the canopy as the heat slowly began to warm my scales. I sighed in contentment as I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the life-giving warmth soak into my body as my black and dark blue tail hung about the branches below me. As much as I wanted to have my entire body curled up around the tip of my family’s tree, I knew my weight would be too much for the thin branches to handle if I did so. Thus, I had the lower half of my body curled around the branches near the trunk, roughly ten hooves below my pony half.

Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sapphire Scales, and I’m part of the Shimmerscale Clan, a band of lamia that call the Great Forest home. I’m roughly thirty hooves long from muzzle to tail tip, and my mane is a duo of bright colors that Fama says match my eyes well. Bright lime green and lemon yellow might not be great for camouflage, but it definitely made me proud of my looks when it came to beauty. Then again, most of my kind didn’t really pay attention to our pony halves when it came to looks. For most it was all about the tail, what color combination was it, how well did the pattern mold to the curves, and above all, the length and thickness from waist to tip.

I was a bit unique in that regard. I liked my tail, just as much as any other lamia should, but I preferred my pony half to the cold-blooded scales that made up the majority of my body. It just felt more unique in my eyes to have a mane and hooves that could be so many more combinations of color and shape instead of the same old scales day after day. Yet my opinions were not very well received within the clan, as many of the other younger lamia would tease me or murmur rumors behind my back about my unique tastes. I made it no secret what I found attractive, both within myself and in others. It was just a shame that the less accepting of our kind would feel fit to beat me down for my opinions.

“Sapphire!” A voice called up from below, “You should come down from there, you’re going to get sick to your stomach if you forget to go hunting today. It’s been half a week since your last hunt, so I know you’re going to need food today.”

I rolled my eyes as I turned my pony half towards the ground, “I’ll get on it in a moment, Fama. Just let me enjoy the heat for a bit before I have to get going.”

“Alright, but make sure to get something large enough to last you for a while.” She replied, “The hunting grounds are getting a bit thin right now, so we’ll need to cut off our patrols for a few weeks to let the prey return.”

I rolled my eyes but nodded all the same, “Sure thing, Fama. I’ll be right down.”

I took a moment to enjoy the morning heat for a bit longer before I turned my body around and began working my way through the thicker branches towards where my family usually slept.

Now, I’m certain you’re a bit confused why I called my mother Fama. Well, in lamia culture, we use two different terms to describe our parents, given that in actuality, all lamia are female. The only major difference is that when two lamia want to have a hatchling, one will use her innate magic to grow a temporary organ from her body that acts very similarly to the male reproductive system, only instead of semen it takes one of the female’s eggs and deposits it inside her lover. The two eggs fuse and grow into a hatchling, which is then born about eleven months later. We refer to the one who receives the egg and who carries the hatchling as our Fama, while the one who gives the egg is called our Ohma.

My Fama is a beautiful ruby red mare with bright blue eyes and a deep lavender mane. Her pony half is slim and supple while here tail is marked with the same black diamonds that run along my own spine. She was curled up in the middle section of our tree with her eyes locked on the branches above, watching me with a soft smile as I made my way down to her. My Ohma, as usual, was curled up on the branches near the ground, her loud snoring nearly shaking the tree itself as her black scales rose and fell with each breath. The only thing that could be easily seen when it came to my Ohma was the bright green spots that ran down her spine, along with the single yellow stripe that ran through her navy mane. Other than that, the only other distinguishing trait most lamia noticed upon meeting her were her eyes. They were deep pools of violet that seemed to peer into one’s very soul, but only if you managed to get on her bad side. Most of the time those pools of purple fire were soft and caring, like whenever she would look at me when she wasn’t trying to act cool and tough like how she believed an Ohma should.

“Good morning, my sweet.” Fama said as I made my way down to her, holding my head with her hooves as she nuzzled my cheek with her own, “How was your sunbathing?”

I couldn’t keep the smile from my own lips as I replied, playfully shoving her hooves off of my face, “It was going great until you called me down. I was just getting nice and warm, too.”

She ruffled my mane with one hoof, much to my annoyance, “Then you would have fallen asleep again and I would have had to wake you up, so you could go hunting before the rest of the clan awoke.” She shook her head in mock admonishment, “Oh where did I go wrong to raise such a lazy hatchling?”

I snorted as I rolled my eyes, “You’re calling me lazy when you have that big lump snoring below us as your mate?”

She cast her gaze downward for a moment before sighing, “I suppose you’re right.” Her frown quickly turned back into a smile as she lovingly gazed at my Ohma below, “But that’s part of why I love her so much. She’s always so eager to please that she tires herself out doing everything she can to make our lives better. I can’t fault her for needing to rest now and again.”

“More like every chance she gets.” I muttered under my breath. It was a well-known fact in the clan that my Ohma was one of the laziest lamia in the entire forest, although one should be careful not to ever let her hear it spoken aloud, or else the speaker would most likely find themselves with a broken muzzle or a black eye for their trouble.

Any further conversation was interrupted as my pony stomach gave a loud grumble, followed closely by my larger snake stomach echoing the complaint. I blushed as my Fama hid a smile behind a hoof, her soft giggle making me grumble under my breath in a similar fashion to what my gut had just uttered.

“You’d better get going if you want to beat the rest of us to the hunt.” She stated softly, shooing me with a hoof as she curled her tail back up underneath her pony half and rested her weight on the soft coils, “I’ll be along later, so don’t worry too much if you come back and I’m not here.”

I nodded, feeling the slight surge of energy that came with the anticipation of every hunt, “I’ll be back soon, Fama. Don’t wait up for me.”

She nodded through a yawn as she folded her forelegs under her chest and rested her head on a coil, her smooth breathing indicating that she had fallen back asleep in short order as I made my way down the tree to begin my hunt. I passed by my Ohma as she lay haphazardly about many of the lower branches, her tail in all kinds of crazy loops and curls while her pony half hung completely upside down from one of the thicker limbs, her mane hanging below her head like a flag while her forehooves dangled like limp noodles. I chuckled under my breath as I worked my way through her tangled tail, finally breathing easy once I had made it all the way to the ground.

Here on the forest floor, the warm light of the sun barely reached the soil and grass because of the thick canopy, meaning it would be far easier to stay hidden in the mottled shadows as I made my way through the brush. I opened my mouth and tasted the air for a moment, my long, forked tongue flicking for any signs of prey. There were precious few scents on the wind, so I knew I would probably have to go some ways before I could find anything substantial.

Working my way through the thick foliage, my forehooves carefully moving sticks and other debris from my path as my eyes scanned the brush for food, I was suddenly hit by a very strong and very tantalizing scent. Acting on instinct, I ducked down low to the ground and followed my nose towards the prey, hearing the tell-tale crunching of plants being eaten as I slowly made my way forwards. My eyes and muzzle were the only thing that peered through the brush as I gazed upon my prey, and my mouth watered at the sight of what I had found.

Standing in a small clearing, munching on the grass below its hooves, was a young female deer. It couldn’t have been more than four years old, although given most deer only lived to be twelve to fifteen it was well into its prime.The creature was easily a quarter of my size, although I had taken down larger prey before by myself. This would keep me fed for upwards of a month if I could catch it. Now I only had to wait until the perfect moment to strike.

The doe was completely unaware of my presence, although given it was still young enough to not know it had stumbled into lamia territory was a good thing in my book. It made it all the easier to take down. It slowly worked its way across the clearing in my direction, and I silently bunched my tail below me in preparation for my attack. Just as it got within a few hooves of the bushes I was hiding in, it seemed to sense something was wrong.

As its head came up and its ears snapped to attention, I leaped from the bushes with a loud hiss and tacked the deer with my entire body. The poor doe screamed in instinctive terror as my tail wrapped around its body, immobilizing it in a matter of seconds as my pony half came to rest just above its heaving chest. Its legs thrashed around in my tightening grip, and I wasted no time grabbing its head with my hooves and brining its line of sight up to my own. Bringing down prey this large would be impossible for any normal snake because the prey’s strength would be too much to handle. But lamia like myself had a secret weapon that allowed us to take down larger or more dangerous prey with ease.

As soon as I had the doe’s eyes locked with mine, my eyes began to tingle as my kind’s signature ability kicked into play. Bright pink, purple and red rings erupted from the center of my eyes, barraging the helpless creature’s mind as my hypnotic power overrode its fear and self-preservation instinct. In two seconds, maybe less, the large eyes of the deer were mirroring the swirling pools that were glowing within my own, its struggles falling limp as its mind and body were subverted to my control.

I licked my lips in anticipation as I slowly began to unwind my tail from the deer, knowing now that I had it under my spell, it wasn’t going anywhere. I moved my entire body off of the helpless creature and then beckoned for it to stand, the poor thing almost stumbling over itself to do as I commanded. I ceased the rings in my own eyes, now that the deer was well and truly gone, allowing me to focus as I worked my tail around its hind hooves and up to its haunches. Coil after coil wrapped around the mindless creature, allowing me to lift it up as the back half of its body was encased in my tail’s muscle. I unhinged my jaw as I lifted the deer over my head, opening my mouth impossibly wide as I directed its head into my waiting maw.

I closed my eyes and savored the taste as the deer slowly entered my mouth and throat, the spell over its mind making it think it was being held in a warm embrace as it was slowly fed into my waiting gut. Its forehooves were folded against its body as my jaw worked past its shoulders, my pony stomach letting it pass through without pause as it worked down into my much larger snake stomach. Normally my pony stomach would help to kickstart the digestion process, but with a meal this large, it wouldn’t be able to hold it without risking injury. So, it allowed the large lump in my throat and chest to pass through unhindered as I got my jaws past the halfway point on the deer’s torso.

I allowed my tail to uncoil from the deer’s legs as I worked its hips past my law, letting gravity help me to slide the rest of it in without effort as the large lump slowly traveled down my body until it came to a pleasant stop around the midpoint of my tail. I let out a sigh of relief and pleasure as the gentle wiggles of the deer sent ripples of pleasure up my body, and I curled up around the bulge in my midsection as I gently caressed the shifting mass with a hoof.

“Thank you for being my prey,” I said softly to the bump in my gut, knowing fully well that the prey inside couldn’t understand me.

Still, it was a sign of respect to thank the creatures that gave their lives so we could live, or else we would be no better than the monsters that called the forest home alongside us. We gave our prey a peaceful end, unlike the terrors that awaited our prey should they run into something far less merciful.

Yet, all was not as calm as I had first thought. Something inside my mind suddenly seemed to latch onto something, pulling my attention away from my meal and into the forest beyond our territory borders. My body acted of its own accord and I slithered a few hooves before I was able to wrestle my mind free of whatever had grabbed my attention.

I shook my head to clear it, my thoughts confused as I stared into the unknown, that sixth sense still tugging at my mind like an incessant insect buzzing in my ear. Not certain on what was going on, I made my way back to my family’s tree, my mind full of questions as I slowly made my way back up and into the midsection of the tree. Fama was still there, although the haphazard tangle of my Ohma was dutifully ignored as I gently shook my Fama awake.

She let out a jaw-splitting yawn as she opened her bleary eyes and looked up at me, “Oh, Sapphire, back so soon?” Her gaze traveled down my body to the large lump that hung between two branches, “Ah, I see you got something big on your hunt. Tell me, how was it taking down large prey after so long?”

“Fama,” I said carefully, “I need to ask you something.” She must have noticed my serious expression, because she immediately pushed herself into a more comfortable position and nodded for me to continue.“I finished my hunt without any problems, but then I had this strange feeling come over me, like something was pulling me towards something. I don’t know what it is, but it’s like there’s something in my head, calling for me to come and find it. Do you know what it is?”

Her face lit up like I had just given her the most amazing news ever, “Oh, sweetheart, this is wonderful!” She hugged me and I gagged as she cut off my air with her tight embrace, “My daughter feeling the Mating Pull for the first time.”

Confusion clouded my thoughts as I pulled out of her grip, “Mating Pull? But I thought lamia only felt it once during there lives. Are you saying we can feel it more than once?”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant, sweetie.” She said as she pulled back and smiled at me, “I simply meant that you were feeling the effects of the Mating Pull for the first time because you haven’t shown any interest in the other youngsters up until now.” She leaned in and held her hooved up to her mouth as her eyes sparkled with anticipation, “So, do you know who it is you’re being pulled towards? It is one of the mares that live nearby?”

I shook my head, “That’s just it, Fama, when I first felt the Pull, it was telling me to head away from the clan, not toward it. I think, that my destined mate is somewhere outside of our clan’s hunting grounds.” I paused for a moment as I thought about the direction it had been trying to get me to go, “The thing is, I don’t remember there being any lamia clans to the West of us, or anything else for that matter. All that lies in that direction is uncharted forest and the Great Swamp. I don’t know what’s going on, but for some reason I think that my Mating Pull could be trying to take me to something that isn’t a lamia.”

She held a hoof to her chin as she lowered her gaze in thought, “That could be possible, I mean I’ve heard of the Mating Pull directing others to non-lamia in the past, but it’s just so rare I never really thought it could happen to my own daughter.” She looked up at me and must have noticed my dejected expression, “Oh don’t worry about it too much, honey, I’m certain you’ll be able to find your mate sooner or later. You’ll just need to go searching for a bit longer than most of us have to.”

“But what about the dangers of the forest?” I countered, “What if I run into a manticore or a hydra? I wouldn’t be able to find my mate if I’m dead and eaten.”

I felt my Fama’s hooved gently wrap themselves around me as she held me to her chest, “I know it’s hard to imagine, but your Mating Pull wouldn’t be directing you otherwise unless you were destined to be together. You’ll just need to be strong in the face of such a challenge, and know that no matter what, fate will guide you to where you need to be. After all,” she chuckled as she glanced down at my Ohma, “it’s what brought me and your Ohma together and we’ve been happy ever since.”

I chuckled as I pulled back, “Thanks Fama, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She returned my smile as she hugged me again, “Good luck, my sweet, and always know that we love you. Make sure to say goodbye to your Ohma before you go. She’d be terribly upset with us both if you left without telling her.”

I nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back down the tree, “I love you. I’ll come back and visit once I find my mate and we get things settled between us.”

She waved with a hoof as a single tear ran down her cheek, “I love you too, my little Sapphire. Safe travels, and good luck.”

I wiped my eyes as tears threatened to fall and directed my gaze back down as I climbed through the tangled mess that was my Ohma’s tail. Finally, I made it to where her pony half was hanging free, and I poked her in the muzzle before speaking, “Ohma, it’s Sapphire. Are you awake?”

She grumbled for a moment before opening her eyes, “You had better have a good reason for waking me up, little gem.”

I nodded, “I felt my Mating Pull today. It’s telling me that I need to head West, out of our hunting grounds and into the forest beyond. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I have to go and search for my mate.”

“WHAT?!” She cried, her eyes flying wide open as her tail lost its grip on the branches around us, causing her to fall several lengths before hitting her head on a thicker branch below us. Her tail followed suite and formed a living pile of black and green scales as it all landed on top of her pony half.

I quickly made my way down to her, worried that she might have been hurt, only for her hooves to force their way through her tangled coils as she popped up from her tail like a fern between leaves, “You’re doing what and going where?!”

“Now settle down Obsidian,” Fama said calmly as she joined us with a calm expression on her face, “we knew this day was going to come sooner or later. Now we need to supportive of our daughter and show her we care, not go flying off the canopy with worry.”

“But you heard what she said, Ruby,” Ohma replied with a nervous expression as she pointed at me with one hoof, “she’s going out beyond our hunting grounds looking for who knows what in the middle of the most dangerous part of the forest. You tell me I shouldn’t worry, but I’m asking you why we should not be worried when she could very well get herself killed out there!”

Any further argument was stifled as Fama pressed her lips against Ohma’s pulled back after a moment with a smile still on her face, “Because I trust in fate to lead our daughter to where she needs to be, and I know in my heart that she’ll be just fine on her own.”

Ohma grumbled under her breath but didn’t comment, “Fine, but know this.” She jabbed a hoof in my face as she pierced me with her most serious glare, “You get yourself killed out there, and not even Tartarus itself will be enough to stop me from bringing you back to life just so I can kill you all over again for being a bloody fool.”

Fama and I giggled at her overdramatic bluster, and even Ohma’s hard glare only lasted a second before she wrapped me in a hug and ran her hooves through my mane, “Be careful out there, little gem. I don’t want to lose you just because of some Mating Pull telling you to get yourself into trouble.”

I smiled, feeling fresh tears run down my face and I pulled her even tighter against me, “I will, Ohma. I promise I’ll come back to visit once I find my mate.” We pulled apart enough so I could look her in the eyes, which were also glistening with tears, “You have my word I’ll make you proud. Both of you.”I added as I turned my attention to my Fama.

She joined our group hug and I could feel the love and tenderness of their embrace.It was almost enough to make me not want to leave, but I knew if I was going to find my mate, I had to go.

I pulled back and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek, waving farewell as I made my way back to the forest floor. “I’ll be back soon. I can’t wait to show you my mate and tell you all about my adventures.”

“Stay safe, sweetie.” Fama called as she and Ohma waved from the branches above.

“Yeah,” Ohma added, “and don’t forget to give your mate a big kiss when you meet them. You can only make one first impression and it needs to count.”

I chuckled as Fama bopped Ohma over the head with a hoof, the two of them devolving into a playful argument as I made my way through the brush towards the edge of the clan’s hunting grounds. It took me several hours, and by that point the sun was high overhead as I came up to the blaze marks that carved the clan’s territory border into the bark of the surrounding trees. Beyond those marks lay the great unknown, with only my Mating Pull to guide me and no other plan of action to fall back on. I cast one last look at the familiar forest behind me, and then set my jaw in a resolute line as I slithered past the border and into the wilds beyond. I had just begun a journey that would change my life forever, and I just knew that from this point on, nothing was ever going to be the same.

Author's Note

And thus begins another story. I hope you are all enjoying this book so far, and I hope to hear from you all in the towel section below about what you think is going to happen now that little Sapphire is off on her great adventure. Like, favorite and follow if you so desire. I'll be working on more chapters in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.