Safe Harbors End?

The sun was shining and a soft wind was running through the Felaryan jungle. Most of the inhabitants of the dangerous world were lazy today because of the very intensive heat and those who preferred to stay at their caves or other dens, were giving a nice day to all smaller and more helpless creatures out there. But not everybody was lazy today.
It wasn’t far away from the small human settlement called “Safe Harbor”, when the earth began to rumble and the origin of this rumble wasn’t an earthquake or a tree that had fallen down, no, it was just a giantess doing her job.

With one hit the naga kissed the ground, she was a younger one and had long, violet hair, a nice and innocent expression, usually because in this moment her expression was a grim of pain because a fist hit her directly in the face and this fist belonged to a gigantic human-like woman.
Jade was her name and today she just wore her top and a very short skirt, the heat was even for her very intensive but she was still able to fight and this naga in front of her feet was the best demonstration. The snake-human creature was carefully pushing herself up, she had a big red-blue mark at her right cheek and Jade was pretty sure that I really hurt.


“I’m very surprised that there are others like you that still don’t know that this settlement is taboo for all of you! No predator will touch any of the humans in this settlement behind me, understand?! And now go and hunt somewhere else or I swear you I’ll rip out your tail!” Jade said with a strict and cold tone in her voice, her arms crossed.
She knew that this naga was no match for her, she was too young and had no experience in fighting; Jade was pretty sure that she was able to kill her if she really wanted, but she didn’t want to, there was no reason for more violence if she would cooperate.

The youngling was narrowing her eyes. “What kind of predator are you?! You are a fucking freak!” she hissed aggressive but she had also a lot of respect for Jade’s strength. “Why aren’t you eating them like every other predator? Is it sooooooo cool to be different or what is your problem?”

Jade was just smiling thin. “You wouldn’t understand it, naga. And now go your way, dont ever return and we won’t have any problems with each other.”

The naga spat some blood out of her mouth to the ground. “This isn’t the last time you heard from me and my tribe! I promise you, giant food!” and with these words she began to turn around and slithered away.  

Jade kept standing there for a while and a sigh went over her lips because she took this warning serious.
Of course she was able to fight against one or two nagas but if a tribe would start to attack Safe Harbor, it could become dangerous. But she had plans for such situations, plans that made sure that at least the villager would be able to escape and survive, even if she wouldn’t. But these were just her pessimistic thoughts, Jade knew how powerful she was and she was able to mess up with every enemy.


It was close to evening when Jade was called by some villagers. They told her about a naga who was watching the small settlement from the border of the jungle. Jade sighed deeply, another naga, maybe the same that wanted to fight hours before, but she just nodded and walked into the direction of the dangerous predator.
The closer Jade came the more she recognized that it wasn’t the same naga. This one seemed to be older than the youngster, she was bigger than her but not as big as Jade was and she had a cold glance inside her eye. When Jade stepped closer, the naga paid her instantly attention and smiled weak.
She had light-blue hair and her whole body was colored in a blue-tone, she had some more muscles than the younger one before and Jade could see her experience through the glance of her eyes.

“What do you want here? This village is protected by me.” Jade said coldly and crossed her arms. She didn’t want to fight if she could maybe speak with this naga.

“What do I want? One of my tribe came to me and told me that a strange kind of predator is protecting humans and hit her. First I didn’t believe her but then I decided to take a look at my own and well, it seems like she was right.  You are the protector of this human village?”

Jade blinked two times calm before she nodded. “I’m the one, my name is Jade and you shouldn’t forget this name. These humans are under my protection, so please go now or I’m forced to harm you.”

The naga just smiled a little brighter. “Harming me? You look very powerful; maybe you could harm me, yes. But please, fist answer me one question; why do you protect these humans?”

“I don’t see any reason why I should tell you this. But as long as you turn back; I’ve done things I’m not very proud of … and now I feel remorseful and help humans instead killing them”

“Killing. Pf … this sounds like we would torture them for fun. They are food, and you know this. You’re acting against nature … and believe me, big-human, this won’t work forever. Sooner or later you will forfeit your real nature … the nature of a predator. I don’t know what happened that you feel so guilty, but it isn’t worth that you are betraying your own instincts like this!”

Now Jade’s expression became very stern and her eyes narrow. “I know what my nature is, and it is okay like it is now. I don’t need to eat humans, there are other options and it is also possible to survive without killing innocent souls!”

“How long do you believe in such fool words, child? You look still young, so it’s okay … sooner or later you will accept your nature. But for now … I refuse to turn back. I want YOU to step beside and let me take some food for my tribe. So be a good girl and don’t do anything foolish, okay?”

Jade began to bolt her fists “One slithering forward and you’re dead!” but the naga didn’t listen, and so Jade jumped forward.


To her own surprise the naga dodged her attack, slithered beside and looked at Jade with a disappointed expression. “You are really stubborn … this is notably but also very stupid. I think … yeah … I have to teach you a lesson.”
Jade expected a physical attack from the naga but instead the half-snake began to raise one finger and her eyes began to stare into Jade’s and without knowing why, Jade had to stare back.
She felt how she got lost inside these deep eyes … she didn’t realize that the naga began to sink her lifted hand and then suddenly she stretched three fingers forward and a bright light began to blend Jade as hard that she felt back to the ground. Her eyes were tearing, it felt like they would burn for a moment and she had to close them as hard as possible, but the pain didn’t vanish, quite the contrary, it became more and more painful.
Only after minutes it seemed like everything began to normalize, but when Jade wanted to open her eyes, she didn’t see anything, there was … nothing than darkness.

“Ah, grand protector … no tell me … how is it to fight without any sight?” the soft voice of the naga sounded behind her and without any hesitation Jade began to turn around and tried to hit her.
But instead of something hard, Jade just hit the air and felt down to the ground again, a giggling noise came from her left and she tried to kick into the direction, but her legs just kicked the dirt around. “Don’t be foolish …. You are no enemy for me in this condition. You are weak, helpless … how does it feel like? Don’t you feel like a small human?”

Jade tried to see anything but she couldn’t. There was nothing,  not even schemes were dancing around. “What did you do with me?! Coward! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” she screamed with all her voice while her eyes were still tearing. Was she blind? Did this naga make her blind forever?
Panic began to rise inside Jade’s mind while her imagination began to create some scenarios where a blind Jade was stumbling through the jungle and all her enemies watching her.

But it was like the naga was able to read her thoughts, because a very amused voice sounded from Jade’s left.  “Oh don’t worry; it’s just temporary … in a few hours your light will be back. But until then … well a lot of things will happen. And I think this will become very ... funny.”

The giantess took a deep breath, she had to concentrate herself but she felt herself weak and helpless. “If you want to kill me, do it now!” she hissed with anger and frustration.
She had lost this fight and now she would get punished for this ... she wasn’t the strongest creature on Felarya and today the stronger one would kill her, maybe devour her.

But again the naga was giggling. “Oh, killing you? Silly girl, why should I kill you? Okay you dared to attack me ... that was foolish, but no, I won’t kill you. Of course I could take you to my tribe and let them eat you, piece for piece ... but in my whole generosity, I’ll make you a gift. I will now go into this settlement and I promise you to kill everybody inside it, so your burden will be erased and you will be able to revert to your origins, predator.” And the last words were a dark and cold hissing while Jade could feel how the naga began to slither away from her.

The giantess tried to stand up and following her “STOP! I WON’T LET YOU DO THIS! COME BACK AND FIGHT!” she shouted with rage in her voice that began to rise suddenly. This naga would kill everybody in the village, she was a monster and Jade had to protect them, even if she would die. “COME BACK!” she wanted to run into the direction of the naga but she felt and hit the ground hard.

“Sweet ... but I’ll tell you one thing. If you really want to die that hard, I’ll take care of you when I’ve finished my work here. You see, I won’t eat them all now, the most of them I’ll take with me to feed them to my tribe. There are many children that need some fresh food ... and don’t blame you too hard ... you’ve just lost and ...” but then there was a break for a few moments, Jade could hear something, foot-steps? There was silence and then the naga raised her voice with anger “... who are you?! What do you think who you are? Do you see this wretched creature at the ground ... she wanted to fight me, and she failed, so step beside or ...” and then ... there was silence again.


Jade couldn’t tell what happened, whoever entered the scenario, he was silent but again she could hear some foot-steps and she knew, the stranger was right in front of her, but where was the naga?
The giantess wasn't able to anymore. Then a voice sounded close to her ear but it wasn’t the naga’s voice ... it was a familiar voice and a cold shiver ran down Jade’s neck.

“Hi Sis’ ... did you miss me?”
Jade gulped. “Nina ... what are you ... what ...” but she felt how a finger was laid down at her lips.

“Shhhhhh .... no more words. You were in trouble, huh? Can’t you see me?” the voice was soft, childish and even if Jade couldn’t see her she could imagine her impish smile, the long, blue hair and  the smaller body, not as athletic as Jade but strong enough.

“Yes Nina, that naga made me blind ... but not forever ... it’s just temporary but you have to be careful, if she’s still around she can do the same to you and ...” but again she was interrupted when the finger pushed a little more against her lips.

“Don’t worry Big Sis’ ... I’ve taken care of her ... she won’t be any treat anymore.” Nina replied with a soft voice and for a moment Jade wondered how Nina could handle this dangerous naga but only moments later she remembered Nina’s special gift.
Jade’s sister was able to shrink other creatures,  and her favorite prey were other predators. Nina shrunk many nagas, centaurs, even fairies and dryads and she also tried to eat Jora, her friend. Nina was dangerous, she was an anarchist who hunted everything that came in her mind, no matter if she was hungry or not ... but this time she saved Jade.

“Did you ... I mean ... is she? Did you eat her?” she asked and gulped because she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer. She didn’t like the diet of her sister. But again Jade could feel the finger at her lips, and another, both tried to part her lips and even if she didn’t know why, Jade didn’t resist.
Maybe because she didn’t want to upset her sister, maybe because she was weak ... but as her lips were parted she could feel how Nina’s second hand was lying something at her tongue, something moving ... something alive .... something in panic and then the fingers closed her mouth.

“No Nina! No!” Jade said quickly, it was hard to speak with the naga on her tongue but she knew it was the naga. The smaller piece of meat inside her mouth was wiggling around in fear and Jade wanted to spit her out when suddenly something hard stroke her throat and then ... she had to gulp automatically. Jade could feel with horror how the naga began to slither down her throat, very slowly because she was too big to be pushed down as fast as the fruits she was eating normally.
It was a strange feeling, on the one hand it felt extremely good, it was something ... old and welcome but on the other hand Jade knew that a living and thinking being was forced into her stomach and even if this being wanted to wipe out the village ... she didn’t want to be the murderer of this naga in this way! But she couldn’t do anything ... nothing.

“It’s okay Sis’ ... I know you don’t want to ... or at least you are telling me this. You know, I watched you two the whole time ... and I agree with her ... you can’t ignore the fact you are a predator like her, like me ... and one day you will accept this fact. And maybe ... we can work together again, like in the past ... like sisters ... until then; enjoy your new meal. Bye” and without waiting for any reply, Nina turned back and vanished into the darkness of the jungle. Jade wanted to shout her name but she knew it was useless.
Nina wouldn’t come back for the moment ... she did her “job” in seeding chaos around and so she was sitting at the ground alone.


Hours later, her eyesight came back and Jade was able to return to the village. Before this, she didn’t move all the time. She was just sitting there, listening to her gurgling belly that digested the naga. Jade could feel her all the time inside her stomach, how full of panic the naga slithered around, tried to escape from her prison and in the end she became a part of Jade.
It was a old feeling ... a strange old feeling and it forced her to think about the naga’s words and also Nina’s. Were they right? Was it only a question of time, when Jade’s old instincts would turn back and she would become the old predator, she was years before?
The naga was digested and it didn’t feel bad, on the physical way but her mind became heavy and she felt bad, she killed like a monster ... even if Nina forced her to do so.

And so she had to think about many things this night, and she couldn’t find any sleep in the end, just many new questions.