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layingonarock · 9 days ago

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What You Really Are

2.3k word story about a proud fae recognizing a 'human''s lack of humanity, and treating it accordingly by welcoming a new pet to Her estate. Content warning for one quickly quashed moment of suicidal ideation.

SNAP.

The grand double doors of the manor swung open behind me at their Lady’s beckoning, letting a rush of cool air into the entrance hall. With a sadistic smile and a glint in Her caprine eyes, She materialized a silver spear from the air, gripping the haft and slamming it twice on the stone floor, creating two deep echoing booms that made me jump a little. Distantly, I could hear the baying of hounds.

“Well? The Hunt has begun, little guest. You have ten minutes to flee into the forest, before my pets and I allow ourselves to follow. They’re already counting down, so I’d pick up the pace if I were you.”

The sheeplike fae smirked, obviously looking forward to the inevitable end of Her Hunt.

“Show us a good time, and perhaps I’ll grant you a place in the kennel! Otherwise, it’ll be straight to the kitchens for… tonight’s…”

The expression faded, Her divine face shifting into a quizzical look as She realized I hadn’t moved, hadn’t even looked behind me at my supposed escape offer. I simply stood, shoulders sagging, tiredly meeting Her gaze. I knew this wasn’t how it’s supposed to go. I should be reinvigorated, adrenaline should be pumping through me, I should be running and bounding and grasping and clawing at the chance to survive and escape Her realm. But it wasn’t happening. I was exhausted. Not even this could change that.

I opened my mouth to speak, but had to cough before I could even get some words out. It was dry and rattling, but was enough to clear my throat, at least.

“Just… get it over with. I’m not gonna give you a good hunt. I can’t,” I sighed. I was tired before I’d stumbled my way into Her woods, and being welcomed into Her manor only exacerbated that. I found my eyes sweeping the hall again, taking in the pastoral paintings, the soft carpets, the plush furniture. All things that a true Lady of the Fae would use to decorate Her estate, and all things that would be more than welcome back at my home. Looking at them exhausted me. Even if I made it back to the human realm, even if I went back to my life and my job and my little apartment, I’d never be able to stop thinking about how nice this place seemed. How I��ll never be able to afford anything of this quality. Given the choice between that and a quick end at Her feet, well…

“I’m… sorry, I guess. Clearly you enjoy this. But it’s just not worth the effort for me. I couldn’t give you a good time if I tried,” I looked back to Her, and found Her emotionless expression matching my own. “I hope I at least make a good meal for y-”

SNAP.

The doors closed smoothly, with none of the dramatic impact they’d had before. She released Her spear, and it dissipated into the aether it’d come from. Her hooves clicked softer than they should have on the stone as She took three slow steps towards me. The Lady towered over me, at least twice my height, but She crouched down to lift me up to Her in a hand big enough for me to sit on. Despite my exhaustion, a twinge of fear rippled through me, but Her other hand gently gripped my shoulders from behind to ease my shiver. She was about as warm as I expected, given the well groomed light brown wool that covered Her arms and legs. A finger tilted my head up, not letting me look away as She got a close and deep look into my eyes. No, not into my eyes - into something deeper, behind them, within me.

“Oh,” She muttered, eyes lighting up as She realized something. “Oh. I see. I understand now, dear. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

There was a gravity behind Her words that resonated deeper within me than I expected. This was a different side of Her, now, one that wasn’t normally shown to humans. A true Lady would never admit wrongdoing to something not of Her home, something so beneath Her. So why was She apologizing to me?

The hand that wasn’t holding me swiveled around my head, and two digits pressed into my scalp and rubbed themselves down my neck and back. I shuddered, and it wasn’t from fear this time. Her touch was so firm yet comforting, and that warmth of Hers seemed to bloom down my spine in a gentle wave. There was a light, soft, musical noise between us, and it took me a second to realize it had spilled out of my mouth.

“Wh… what do you…?”

She stopped me with another long, drawn out stroke across my back, and I almost gasped at the pleasure.

“Shhh. Don’t speak, little one. You don’t deserve to put yourself through things that don’t befit you.”

Something about that was like a dam breaking in my mind. I didn’t need to speak? It was an odd thing to hear, but inexplicably welcome to my tired brain. I grunted, nodding, and nuzzled into the next couple pets She deigned to give me.

“Yes, I see now. You wouldn’t make a sporting Hunt at all. I only hunt humans, those silly little things; they make for the most entertaining game. Few escape, and most are ultimately made tired enough to give in and accept a life as one of my pets.”

She was talking more to Herself than to me, and my mind barely processed most of the words. They were like a blanket running over my brain; soft, comforting, but nothing that I cared to stop and grab and focus on. At least until the end. Something about… ‘life as a pet’...?

She noticed me stirring, and graced me with a beautiful smile.

“That’s right. You don’t need to go through all of that. You’ve never been human, have you? You wear their form, but not by choice. It’s wrong on you. It’s a performance. Like a hound standing on two legs to please its master. But it gets so tiring after so long… and you’ve never truly been rewarded for it, either…”

That got my attention. What was She talking about? I… of course I was human. I spoke human words and thought human thoughts and worked a human job and engaged in human society, just like a good human is supposed to. Sure, it was tiring, and I’d been struggling to stay afloat since the beginning of adulthood, but that’s life, isn’t it?

“No, dear. That’s not what life is supposed to be. Not even for most humans, and certainly not for an animal like you.” She punctuated the statement with a hug, pressing my body into Her chest, rubbing my front into the silken fabric of Her long dress. It felt divine enough that I didn’t even consider the fact that She’d somehow read the thoughts right out of my mind.

“And I couldn’t live with myself if I was needlessly cruel to a poor little animal shivering on my doorstep…”

Her words’ nuance to me was starting to dissolve, again. I was comfortable here. Warm. Safe. Held. That’s what mattered. She wasn’t going to hunt me, and She wasn’t going to let me go back to that old life, either. She’d seen some kind of undeniable truth about me, and the way She was treating me, I didn’t see any reason to fight or question Her. Especially when being held like this was preferable to mustering any energy to move around.

She turned, still cradling me, starting to walk deeper into Her manor. Her hand continued to stroke and pet me, keeping me pressed into Her bosom, nice and warm and comfortable as She carried me into the unfamiliar. Even as She stepped onto the soft carpets of the inner halls, the soft footfalls of Her hooves still seemed as powerful and attention grabbing as the clacking they made on stone. I could hear other footsteps passing us in both directions, the clink of jewelry, the ruffling of dresses, quiet greetings and gratitude offered to Her that I never fully processed. She met each of them with an approving nod, but only continued to mutter to me, soothing me with a constant stream of words.

“Now, the question lies, what exactly are you, hm? Normally, visitors from your realm become one of my hounds, and live a most entertaining life throughout my estate. They play and hunt and entertain my guests, but I suspect that that life might be a little high energy for you. No, you’ll be a different kind of pet, I think.

Perhaps a cat? There are several that wander my grounds or accompany my daughters. Cats have all manner of dispositions, and a little thing as soft and warm as you would fit in well… but not perfect. No, I don’t think you’re a cat, either. Too independent.”

I found myself agreeing with every word. Maybe I would make a good pet. She was already being so nice to me, and I didn’t even properly belong to Her yet. The idea of staying with Her forever, to be adored and doted upon, as a simple animal in Her care… the exhaustion gripping my body had fully shifted from stress to need.

“Not a bunny either, or a ferret. Much as I’d love another adorable little fuzzball for my collection, I can’t exactly see you zooming about in a playful frenzy, dear. No…”

I heard the creaking of a wooden door, and my Lady took several final steps before sitting and sinking into a large plush armchair. With a lap to better hold me, now, She pulled me out of the indentation I’d made in Her dress to lay me across Her thighs. I dazedly blinked up at Her, eyes adjusting to the dimmer candlelight of what was clearly a private room. She smiled warmly down at me, once again filling me with that lovely warmth of simply pleasing Her. Yes, that definitely confirmed it. I was made to be Her pet.

Sensing my renewed understanding, She began to pet me with both hands, one continuing to rub down my head and back while the other traced circles over my stomach. I moaned with pleasure, doing my best to nuzzle into Her touch, lightly squirming to help Her get my most sensitive spots. The motion seemed to inspire something in Her, and Her smile glinted with satisfaction.

“Ah! Of course, it’s so obvious! And exactly the kind of pet I need, to boot!”

I whimpered in Her lap, anticipation building for Her verdict. I needed this. I needed to be told what I am. I’d waited so long, pursued the wrong answer all my life. This is what I deserved. Becoming Her perfect pet would be the kind of freedom I never had the space to search for.

The hand behind me cradled my head, and I gasped as She brought me up close, filling my vision with Her divinely beautiful face. She drew a finger up my collar, up my neck, stopping at my chin with a pointed nail pressing into my chin.

“You,” She stated firmly, without any room for doubt, “are my beloved, prized, gorgeous snake.”

I was, I am, Her snake. The concept had never entered my head before that moment, but it shattered any remaining delusions like a bullet through a window. My body tingled all over, shuddering at the sensation, yearning to be granted my true form at Her desire. And, as She continued to cradle and explain to me, I began to change.

“It’s so simple, but so perfect, isn’t it? You’re not loud, or haughty, or excitable. You’re soft. You’re content with me, on me, around me. All you need to do is keep warm and fat and satisfied, and I can provide you with that for as long as you live.”

Feeling had left my limbs. My skin was shifting, stretching, reshaping itself at Her unspoken command. I couldn’t stop staring at Her loving face, even as the perspective and colors through which I saw the world changed alongside my body.

“And such a pretty snake you are, too! Those gorgeous glimmering scales, such a perfect orange and white to complement my wool… oh, and look at how big you’ve grown in my care! You could wrap yourself all around my forearm, now, couldn’t you?”

She was right. My scales were beautiful, so soft and shiny for my owner. She’d taken such good care of me, and wrapping around Her to show my gratitude always felt divine! I happily, lazily slithered around the hand that had been holding my head, then down Her arm and back up again, nuzzling Her palm and tasting it with flicks of my tongue. My heightened sense of smell meant that I constantly took in Her scent, and it felt wonderful to my little snakey brain. It felt right. It was where I belonged.

I was rewarded with more strokes down my head and upper body, and with a practically glowing warmth from Her body heat that more than made up for my lack of it. She cooed over me, Her newest pet, standing back up and bringing me up to Her face for a kiss on the snout. I submitted happily, coils loose on Her arm with contentment, elated to be Hers in body and soul. Her hand shifted to one of Her great curling horns, touching it with two fingers in a gesture I already understood to mean ‘move here.’ I slithered off of Her wool and onto the curving keratin, practically a playground for me to wrap myself over and around.

As She left Her private room with me proudly displayed amongst Her horns, I snaked my way over to Her ear, curling around it lightly and nuzzling my head underneath. I couldn’t see from this angle, but I knew She was smiling at me.

She always would be.

She always is.

I couldn’t be a luckier pet.

#I’m crying???#this made me seriously cry????#this #this is such good writing and it made me emotional #and theres not much stuff like this for snakes because most things are about some sort of mammal #I appreciate this so much #and I’m so happy?#and I wish this could happen to me #I’m emotional now #?????#god okay #sorry #I’m already rereading some parts and its so. so nice

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