04 - Forked Tongue

No matter what tactics I employed, Curtis steadfastly refused to stray from Nivi's side. I was adamant about not letting him get too close to her, so the closest he could manage was to position himself next to me, effectively making me a human barrier between them.

After I treated my minor injuries, my eyelids began to feel heavy, begging me for the final bow so they could finally rest. Yet, the foreign place kept me on edge, especially the occasional flick of Curtis' tongue — not his human-seeming one, but the other, which unnervingly mimicked a snake's. Slender, nimble, and startlingly swift, it darted out in rapid motions, mirroring that of a serpent.

"What are you staring at?" Curtis's voice sliced through my trance.

"Your tongue," I replied, a mix of fascination and apprehension in my voice. "It's... different from mine. Does it... I mean, does having a tongue like that change things for you?"

Curtis, seizing upon the fascination in my eyes, flicked his tongue out once again, almost as if to relish the curiosity sparking within me. "It's highly sensitive," he began, "capable of tasting the air, detecting changes in temperature, and even sensing vibrations to some extent."

Determined to keep the night engaging─and myself awake─I switched from my talking session with Curtis to a playful experiment that would put his serpentine tongue to the test. I gathered a cloth to serve as a blindfold, covering his eyes and nose. With an air of anticipation, I posed the challenge, "Can you sense where my hand is by using just your tongue?"

Curtis, tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips despite the blindfold. "Let's see then."

He paused. Then, his tongue flickered out. "There," he said confidently, his head turning slightly towards the correct direction of my hand.

"Amazing," I couldn't hide my astonishment, moving my hand behind his head. Each time, Curtis's ability to pinpoint the location of my hand with just the subtle cues picked up by his tongue was nothing short of incredible, "So if we were to play hide and seek, I would have no chance of hiding from you?"

With the blindfold still securely in place, Curtis's face moved closer to mine, so close that our noses brushed against each other. The air shifted between us, turning dangerous, "Why would you want to hide from me?" he asked, the slightest touch of his long tongue barely grazing my lips.

The unexpected contact sent a jolt through me, a blend of surprise and an undefinable thrill. Instinctively reacting in self-defense, my body moved on its own, and before I fully grasped the situation, I delivered an uppercut, striking his chin. The action was swift, a reflex born out of surprise more than intent.

Curtis recoiled slightly, the blindfold slipping to reveal a flash of surprise in his eyes, not just at the contact, but perhaps at my strength.

The moment I increased the distance between us, his long thick tail completely enveloped me. Its weight pressed down and restricted my movements, and I felt him draw nearer, his tongue, soft and dangerous, tickled the sensitive skin on the nape of my neck. It darted out, this time brushing along the line of my jaw and cheek.

I swallowed thickly, unsure whether the feeling was pleasant or just odd. Before I could dwell too much on the sensation, my lips we on his, hungry and demanding, almost possessive.

Curtis responded immediately, his tongue sliding into my mouth, coaxing my tongue to play with his. A low growl of pleasure rumbled through him, reverberating deep inside my chest before I sank my teeth into his tongue, hard.

The growl changed into a yelp of surprise. He reeled back, his tail unwrapping and releasing me. Rather than a mere release, it was more akin to him hurling me towards a nearby palm tree. The force of the throw sent me crashing against the trunk.

I sprang back to my feet, my fists balled tightly at my sides, ready to fight him off should he try to retaliate. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, leaving me uncertain if it originated from him, from me, or perhaps a mixture of both.

But there was no subsequent attack, no hissing venom, no flash of anger. He simply stared at me, his mouth half-open, his tongue poking out and dripping with blood.

'Why is his tongue still intact? I'm so sure I just bit it off and spit it back into his mouth.'

"You bit me," he said slowly, disbelief etched across his features as he spit out a thick clog of blood.

"Yeah, I did," I said, my voice sounding oddly small in my own ears.

"You _bit_ me," he repeated.

"I was provoked."

"So, you decided to bite me?!"

"I was trying to protect myself."

"I was not going to harm you."

"I didn't know that!" I said, feeling defensive all of a sudden, "How was I supposed to know what you were trying to do when you have a huge, thick tail wrapped around me?"

How do some snakes kill they preys? Bingo! They choke them to death!

"I was only trying to make sure you would not try to hide from me!" Curtis yelled at me from a safe distance as if afraid I might magically chop off his tongue again.

"Well, I was trying to make sure you wouldn't try to eat me!" I retorted, unable to keep the snark from creeping into my tone.

Curtis paused, looking slightly stunned.

"Where the hell am I?" Amidst our standoff, Nivi suddenly grasped her head, her gaze lifting to meet both of us. We must have looked a sight, squared off against each other, blood marking both our mouths. She blinked rapidly, and her eyes widened. "Oh. My. God."

"Don't panic," I said.

"You are bleeding and your face is swollen. How can I not panic?!" she screeched.

"It was an accident," I mumbled, "sort of."

"What kind of accident leads to your mouth bleeding?!"

"Curtis's tongue, and the fact that I mistook his intention," I tried to explain, the words tumbling out awkwardly.

"I think I'll sleep," Nivi said, her eyes darting between Curtis and me, and then promptly laid down on the soft fur, her eyes squeezed shut.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Curtis survived his first kiss! Yay! 🎉

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