Caught in his web

During the early hours of the day, a silver haired naga was making his way through the forest. His name was Ikiru and he certainly wasn't your average naga. Ikiru was kind, gentle, sweet and playful while others of his species were rather mean and cruel. His brethren shunned him for being a softy, but Ikiru didn't really mind that. The only thing bothering him was that he felt so lonely all on his own.

He tried to remedy that in every possible way, which is why he often looks for prey. Other species, especially the inferior ones were seen as food and while Ikiru did enjoy eating others, his kind heart couldn't bear the thought of hurting someone. Luckily nagas have a special system that allows them to let the prey go free, but sadly Ikiru was the only one who made use of that.

Wandering through the forest he was looking for some prey, mostly because he wanted someone to cuddle and play with, but also because he was hungry.

His last meal had left a few days ago and though Ikiru had been sad to see the little rabbit go, he was happy that he'd met him. Flopsy was his name and he was only 8 years old. The little one had lost his parents and Ikiru couldn't fight his parental instincts when he'd seen the poor thing cry.

With his keen ears and nose, Ikiru would have found the parents in no time, but Flopsy had been very scared at first and refused to tell him anything. Patient and gentle as he was, the naga had waited until Flopsy trusted him. After a while, the rabbit learnt to trust him and together they found his parents. Eventually he'd been able to convince them to let him eat them. When he let them out, they'd thanked him again and left. And so he was alone again.

His only friend Kento had asked him to go hunting together, but he had refused. Kento was friendly to him, but as vicious and cold towards his prey as any naga would be and Ikiru doubted he'd be able to stomach or witness that. Ikiru wasn't really sure if he could call the other a friend really. Friends take you for who you are…but Kento didn't. Nobody did.

Still…wandering around like that without finding any food at all made him feel a bit discouraged. Maybe he should have gone with him…

Suddenly his ears twitched, a distant sound catching their attention. Curiously he decided to follow the sound deeper into the forest. Normally he never went into the deeper parts, but as he came closer, he could hear that it definitely wasn't a pleasant sound. Ikiru would rather put himself in danger than ignore a cry for help.

Following the sound, he stopped at the entrance of a cavern. The distressed cries and sobs were coming from the inside and Ikiru felt his blood run cold at the thought of having to go in there.

The cavern wasn't that ominous looking, but knowing what could be inside worried him more. Nevertheless, he wouldn't be able to turn his back on the poor creature in need.
That would make him no better than the other naga.

Gathering all his courage and taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, he entered. It seemed like just a normal cave. Nothing to be scared of, he tried to reassure himself.
Continuing onwards, he couldn't shake away the feeling that someone was watching him. It must be his imagination…


What Ikiru didn't know, was that there was indeed someone watching him. Hidden deep within the shadows of the broad cavern, dark brown eyes followed the naga's movements, eager to see how the scene would unfold


Ikiru seemed to have come to the end of the cavern and his eyes widened as he was met with the sight there. A huge spider's web that stretched from the ground to the ceiling and the threads looked so thick and strong that he doubted even a sword would be able to break through it. But what caught his attention the most was the wriggling cocoon at the base, the source of the pleas for help.

His hairs stood on end in fear. A drider…this was the home of one of those eight legged monsters. He shuddered, running would be a wise thing to do, but not without the creature that was about to be dinner for the drider. Coming closer he gasped "A human?"

Said human flinched at his voice and gasped out "P-please help me…"
Ikiru nodded, even though the girl couldn't see it and tried to sooth her "It's alright little one, I'll get you out of here." Ikiru had a soft spot for humans, so he was pleasantly surprised that he had come upon one today.

The girl was covered head till toe with spider's thread, but surprisingly, it was fairly easy to get her out of it.
However, in the process of freeing her, he got stuck himself. His right arm and part of his back stuck to the web and even though he pulled with all his might, he couldn't get himself free. The human girl was frantically looking for a way to free him, but he knew it was useless.

When she tried to cut the web with a sharp piece of rock she'd found on the ground, he shook his head "No, run, little one. I appreciate the effort, but it's no use. The drider will be back soon."
The girl shook her head and turned sad eyes towards her saviour "B-but what about you!? Y-you saved me…"
He smiled sadly at her and ruffled her brown hair with his free hand "Please go, I'll be fine. The only thing you're going to accomplish by staying here, is getting yourself stuck again. Don't give the drider that satisfaction…"

He saw the girl's eyes widen in disbelief and sighed when she stubbornly shook her head
"Don't let my sacrifice be in vain, little one…" he said as a last attempt to get her to leave.

Swallowing thickly she nodded slowly and reluctantly "I-I'll never forget this…thank you."
With one last sad glance towards him, she ran out of the cave.

Ikiru tried to use his strong tail to pull himself free. The web stretched as his tail coiled once around his middle and pulled. For a moment he thought the web was going to give, but then it bounced back and the sudden movement made his tail uncoil and his body slammed back against the web and his entire human half and part of his tail got stuck on it.

His heart sank knowing there was no way he'd get free on his own and now that he was almost completely stuck, there was nothing he could do.

"Well, well… seems like a naughty little naga has stolen my dinner. That's not very nice, hmm?"

Ikiru's body gave a jolt. That voice…could it be the drider? Fear gave him the drive to renew his struggling. The way that velvet voice had sounded… so smug and amused… He didn't like the sound of that.. He needed to get out of here!

"Then again… you HAVE provided me with an even bigger piece of meat to dine on…so I guess I can overlook that little transgression. Mmm and you're definitely a piece I can appreciate. Your body looks like it would be very fun to play with…" that amused voice continued.

Ikiru's heart clenched in fear. He loved playing, but he knew that the drider didn't have his definition of playing in mind. No…from what he'd heard from other nagas; driders are even more cruel than his own species.
He started to struggle against the web in panic, his mind only set on one thing right now; to get the hell away from here.
But thanks to his panic and frantic movements, he got himself so stuck that he could barely move anymore.

A chuckle resonated through the cavern, making him swallow nervously.
"Oh my! I even get a dinner show! How amusing… for a naga at least. But…you aren't like other nagas, right, Ikiru?"

He stopped struggling and frowned
"H-how do you know my name!" he demanded. He'd never met a drider before, so the other couldn't possibly know him.

The drider finally came out of the shadows and Ikiru's breath hitched in his throat. Young nagalings were told about the driders, eight legged appalling monstrosities, as a way to warn them. For centuries, the driders had been the nagas' enemies and even though the nagas came out as the victors in the end, all nagas, especially nagalings and young nagas such as Ikiru were advised to stay clear of the few surviving driders.

However, it would be a lie to call this creature unattractive. The drider's pale skin immediately grabbed his attention and when he moved his gaze up, he saw that the other's dark brown eyes were locked on him. His face was elegantly narrow and Ikiru couldn't fight the urge to want to touch those strange, yet alluring dot like marks under his eyes.

For a moment the smirk on the drider's face seemed to falter when the naga locked his golden orbs onto his. Whatever the reason had been, the drider managed to compose himself really quickly, so Ikiru didn't pay it any mind. His gaze travelled to the raven hair that was cascading down the drider's pale shoulders and back, held back in what looked like a very low ponytail, with only a few shorter bangs loose in front of his face.
His toned chest and strong arms told him that the drider was a lot stronger than him and could easily overpower him if needed.

The drider smirked seductively at Ikiru "Well let's just say that you've got quite the reputation for such a young boy. I just had to see you with my own eyes."
Ikiru swallowed nervously when the drider licked his lips and stuttered out "W-what do you mean!"

The way the other moved towards him made him shudder. It was so elegant and gracious, yet frightening too. Those 8 legs moving with such poise and ease… giving the drider an air of arrogance and confidence that the naga couldn't possible equal. Ikiru couldn't help but feel intimidated by the older creature.

The dridder came closer and caressed his cheek "Nagas are vicious creatures. Getting word of a softy among them made me curious, so I put out a trap for you. I must say…you're too gullible for your own good."

"You mean…That girl, rescuing her…that was all a trap!" the naga said disbelievingly.
The drider chuckled and nodded. "Don't feel so betrayed, the girl is completely innocent in this. She knew nothing, merely bait… and she played that part brilliantly. I wonder… maybe I should look for her when I'm done with you. She seemed tasty."

Ikiru growled "You won't get away with this!"
The drider gasped mockingly "Won't I?" He smirked before saying "The other naga don't really like you, do they?"

Ikiru glared at the drider, trying to ignore the pain those words had caused. "So what if they don't! That's none of your concern!" He couldn't let that get to him, he wouldn't!

The ravenhaired drider bent down and licked along his ear shell making him shiver.
Smirking the older boy purred "Actually it is…If I'm going to eat you, nobody will miss you."
The words washed over him, filling him with fear, but the fact that the other was hurting him was worse than the fear he felt at the moment. "I do have friends!"

The drider shrugged and Ikiru could see that he didn't really believe it "Oh right…You can count them on one hand and even that would be a stretch."

Those words definitely hit where it hurt. He felt his heart clench painfully and feeling the tears welling, he lowered his eyes to the ground. He didn't want to give that dridder the satisfaction of seeing his tears.
No matter how much he told himself not to cry, it didn't help and one tear trailed down his cheek.


The drider wasn't as insensitive as the young naga thought though and his eyes seemed to soften a little when he saw the younger boy's tears. He lifted Ikiru's face to meet his eyes and his voice was soft as he spoke. "Does it hurt to hear that? It's the truth, isn't it?" He wiped the tear away and gently licked Ikiru's cheek.

He didn't like nagas, he absolutely loathed them, but this one… he just couldn't keep his cold demeanour with this one. And those golden eyes reminded him so much of the past that it hurt. The pain, guilt and regret he'd buried deep inside… it all came to the surface at seeing the naga's golden eyes. The same shade as…
No! There was no point in reminiscing on the past.

"Look…It doesn't matter whether you'll be missed or not. You're definitely different from other nagas, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're any less than them."

Ikiru said nothing in response and just looked away frowning. The drider didn't like that. He wanted some reaction, didn't matter what. Anything was better than silence. He sighed dreamily "I've always wondered how a naga tasted… and now I finally have one to try, a cute one at that!"

That seemed to awaken the naga from his dip "I'm not your prey!" he said pouting, and as an afterthought he added "Nor am I cute!"

The drider rolled his eyes. The pout on the boy's face definitely proved him right. But deciding that he liked to embarrass the boy a bit, he teased "Yes you are! To me, you are a cute little prey!"

He smirked as the naga blushed and mumbled "I'm not cute…"
The drider just chuckled and pinched his cheek, making the boy look at him indignantly.

"Well I guess you are more used to being a predator, but face the facts. I'm bigger and stronger than you. That makes me the predator and you the prey. As a fellow predator you can understand that, can't you?"


Ikiru looked at the drider incredulously. Understand… yeah right. He scoffed "Don't you dare compare me to you! I'm nothing like you! You…you driders are horrible! At least I don't chew and digest my prey and-"  Before he could say even a word more, the other had harshly grasped his throat.

"Don't assume things of me when you don't even know me, naga! As for being horrible. I suggest you take a look at your own species first boy!"

Ikiru gasped at the blinding pain of being choked, but managed to retort "W-what do you expect from me!? H-how can I know you! The only thing I know is that you oh so badly want to eat me!"
He tried to defend himself with those words, but he knew that he'd somehow hurt the dridder deeply.
The way his eyes had flashed at his thoughtless words spoke of a pain Ikiru didn't think he could imagine. He wondered… just what had this guy been through to have such a haunted look in his eyes?

The grip loosened around his throat before the drider took his hand away completely and Ikiru could breath properly again.

"I'm sorry…That was unnecessary." The drider said looking away.
"As for introductions…the name's Angus."

Ikiru ceased rubbing his sore throat in surprise when the drider actually introduced himself.
"Sorry, but I can't really say that I'm pleased to meet you, Angus…"

Angus chuckled at that "I understand, but I still need to clarify a few things. I don't 'chew' my food as you so bluntly put it, I swallow whole, just like you do. I do digest my prey…however, I have a special liquid inside me that enables the prey to go into a deep painless sleep, thus making the digestion painless."

Ikiru glared at Angus accusingly "Painless or not, that's still killing!"

Angus glared back with as much force "Well not everyone can be as blessed as a naga to have a full stomach without digesting food! Not that your species utilises that skill anyway! They prefer to viciously kill their prey instead!"

Even though what the drider said was true, Ikiru didn't want to be remembered time and time again of how cruel a naga can be. "Not all nagas are like that…" he mumbled.

Angus narrowed his eyes at him "Well, not all driders are like what you perceive us to be either!" he said indignantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"You don't need to kill to survive, so you have no right to judge me…" he whispered sadly, making Ikiru feel bad.
"Do you really think I enjoy killing someone?" the drider continued.

Ikiru lowered his eyes and shrugged.
"I…don't know." He said honestly. "I'm sorry."

Angus sighed "I don't, but I have no choice, unlike nagas."

Ikiru sighed too. Okay, so maybe he had been wrong about this guy, but still…it didn't seem like Angus was going to let him go.
"I-I don't want to die!" he said desperately, wishing that Angus would have mercy for him.

"You won't feel a thing." Came the seemingly indifferent answer.
As if that could justify everything! He glared at the drider furiously "I don't care whether I feel anything or not! I don't want to die damn it!"

He could feel Angus strong arms wrap around him, moving against the web with ease. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, since the dridder was the one that made this web.
"I will keep you around for a while. I usually keep my prey inside of my stomach harmlessly for at least a day." Angus whispered in his ear.

He let out a sob, feeling the panic threatening to overwhelm him. He was really going to die. He was only 21! He was too young to die!

Angus licked his cheek gently "Don't worry, I'll be gentle…"

Ikiru didn't want to hear it and turned his head away. He was so sick of hearing it. Gentle or not, painless or not, it didn't take away the fact that he was going to die!
No, saying things like that only made it harder, because that made it difficult to hate the drider for what he was going to do.
The fact that he liked Angus was bad enough already.

He was shocked when he suddenly felt a soft and warm pressure on his lips. His eyes widened. Angus was kissing him? What the hell?
But oh did it feel wonderful…

No, no, he couldn't get lost in this, he couldn't!
The pressure increased and Angus lips moved against his gently, making it really hard not to move with them. When he felt Angus' tongue begging for entrance, he simply couldn't hold himself anymore and he moaned, opening his mouth to let the invading tongue in.

He wished his arms weren't stuck in the web, he desperately wanted to touch the beautiful drider. As if Angus had heard his wish, he pushed his body flush against Ikiru's. When they both needed air, Angus broke the kiss, letting his lips linger a little before finally pulling away.

"You are a diamond among your species, Ikiru. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise." Angus spoke lovingly.

Ikiru didn't understand the man at all! How could he say that when he was going to…
"If I am, then why?!" he sobbed out desperately.
That kiss hadn't just been a silly worthless kiss, it had been special. Why couldn't Angus see that?!

Angus nibbled on his earlobe before whispering "Because I can't resist your taste."
Ikiru didn't buy that for even a second, but whatever the reason, he guessed it didn't really matter.

He gasped as his entire ear got engulfed by an eager mouth and blushed as Angus let out a moan of contentment.
At least someone was enjoying himself…


Angus really did delight in the naga's wonderful taste, but that wasn't the only reason why he was doing this.
Revenge… Growing up while his parents were still alive, they had taught him that revenge was a foolish thing, It only brings you pain and hatred, they had said. Unfortunately it was all Angus could think about ever since his parents and big brother were killed during a naga raid.

His heart was screaming at him not to make the same mistake as he did when he was younger.

*Flashback*

"S-sorry…H-he killed mommy too…"

"W-will you…be m-my d-daddy?"

"T-thank y-"

Golden lifeless eyes were staring up at him…frozen forever, as if time had stopped for eternity.

Pain, sadness and self-hatred were coursing through him "You have to wake up, you NEED to wake up! Y-you can't be dead! I-I couldn't have…I-I w-would never…N-No! NO!"

*end Flashback*

He shook his head, desperately trying to block those thoughts from his mind, not wanting to think about the horrible things he'd done in the past. Not right now…please not right now, he begged inwardly.

Time to get this over with…
Without any warning, he opened his jaws wide and engulfed the young naga's head, making the boy scream and plead. "Please Angus! Don't do this! I beg you!"
Angus closed his eyes trying to ignore Ikiru's words and swallowed.

Doing this fast and without any more talking would make it easier for the both of them.


Ikiru  gasped when the soft, humid, fleshy walls constricted around him, still shocked that Angus had attacked so suddenly.
The soft flesh pressing against him didn't necessarily feel bad. If he wasn't so scared of dying, he would have enjoyed it.

He knew it would be an enjoyable process, he wouldn't put his prey through something that wasn't. However, it wasn't like with his preys. They were safe, they wouldn't die…he would.
He tried to struggle as much as he could, but it was no use. He was still stuck in that web, and Angus was much more stronger than him.
He screamed for Angus to let him go, but the dridder didn't even seem to care.

Another swallow made him yelp and he could feel Angus rubbing him through the flesh of the throat. He didn't see that as an act of affection though, it was probably just to get him down easier.

Suddenly his arms got free of the web and Ikiru's heart leapt with joy, knowing that he might have a chance now. Before he even had the chance to start struggling though, Angus had pinned his arms to his sides, destroying the only hope he had.

He couldn't help it and started to cry. Why did it have to go like this? He finally met someone who didn't treat him like a piece of filth, but ended up as his food instead. He couldn't deny he liked Angus, but of course that didn't matter at all. It was obvious the other didn't feel the same.
It hurt so much to think that nobody would even care if he died. He'd like to think that Angus would maybe miss him, but he wasn't stupid.

Then Angus surprised him by squeezing his hands and rubbing them soothingly. He relaxed slightly under the simple yet gentle and affectionate gesture. He wasn't used to these kind of things and it felt really nice.

That feeling of comfort stopped when Angus swallowed a couple of times more. Reality reared its ugly head again and his arms and hands entered the hungry maw, making the panic and helplessness come back full force. He was engulfed till beneath his waist. It suddenly started to dawn that any attempt at struggling was futile. He was too far down to even make the slightest chance of escape.

Angus was panting from all the effort he put into the swallowing. Now it was only a matter of swallowing the snake half of the naga.
Feeling Ikiru struggle and squirm inside him was an amazing feeling, but it brought another feeling forth too… guilt, regret? He couldn't immediately put his finger on it, but it was eating him up from the inside.

He continued swallowing, steadily gulping Ikiru's tail down too. The tip of the tail flicked wildly as Angus slurped it in and swallowed it to let it join with the rest of the naga.

When he was finished, he crawled in his web and lay down panting. Swallowing a naga was quite a feat. His stomach had never been this full and bulged before.

Settled in a comfortable position for both him and Ikiru, he could hear the sobs coming from inside, making him alert to the fact that Ikiru was crying.
That feeling of guilt tore through him like a knife, and he gently rubbed his hands over the bulge, trying to soothe the boy.

Ikiru didn't deserve this act of revenge. It was cruel of him to extract his revenge on the only naga that actually had a heart. He didn't deserve to suffer the consequences of the cruel deeds his species had committed. Yet…he felt like he didn't want to let go.

He talked gently to the younger boy "Don't cry Ikiru, everything is going to be alright."

"Don't! Don't pretend you care about me or care about how I feel! Just stop and get it over with, please!" the naga yelled sadly.

But that seemed to be just it. Somehow he cared about the young naga, and hated to see and hear him cry. Somehow, the young boy had broken through the shields protecting his heart.
He did care about how Ikiru felt. A lot, in fact.

He got out of his web and bent forward, starting to regurgitate his meal.

Within a few seconds, Ikiru lay on the ground in a small pool of saliva, slimy and shivering and blinked up at him uncertainly.

Angus sighed and grabbed a hold of one of his arms to hoist him up. He took Ikiru's face in his hands rather harshly and kissed him passionately. He didn't wait to be granted entrance and just pushed his tongue in, not leaving any place of the boy's mouth untouched.

When he pulled away, he shoved the young naga away from him.
"Get out before I change my mind!" he said hoarsely.

Ikiru gave him a brilliant smile "Thank you Angus…"

Angus took a deep breath. It was taking all of his self control not to jump the boy and kiss him senseless. He pointed to the exit of his cave and yelled "Get out!"


Ikiru tilted his head to the side in confusion, but decided not to test Angus' mercy and left.
He stopped outside the cave and turned around to give it one last glance before going back to his part of the forest. Maybe he could find that human girl he rescued earlier?


When Ikiru had slithered away, a smile had tugged at Angus' lips and the only thing he could think about was the smile Ikiru had given him.

"Until the next time, my little naga…"