Page 141 of To Trap a Soul

Nathair roared in his direction and then tried to slither off with her! He knew better than to go toe to toe with Weldir, who would always win their arguments.

This is the second damn time!Weldir’s mind roared, causing the entirety of Tenebris to shudder from his fury.He needs to stop eating them!

Watching Nathair trying to disappear into the distance, Weldir stepped forward and increased his size at the same time. In one single step, he’d grown over fifty metres tall and landed just behind his naughty slithering offspring. He made sure his feet were intangible to the world, passing through the flora, fauna, and people who could have been crushed.

He reached down, causing Nathair to yelp in surprise, discard what was left of his paralysed victim – which was very little – and bolt away. It was then that Weldir felt the crush of more of his mana draining from him, weakening him further than he already was.

Weldir had been practising how to touch another being by petting Nathair’s scales, grabbing his tail, and even patting him on the shoulder or back. His serpent Duskwalker offspring was quick to react, teaching him what was too firm and what was too light when he didn’t notice Weldir reaching out.

It meant, while he was able, he ignored the urge to be pulled under into sleep, and pinched midway down Nathair’s tail without harming him. Then he lifted him off the ground, to his naughty offspring’s horror. Nathair snarled and wriggled before lifting his torso to scratch at the air.

“Down! Put down!” Nathair yelled, baring his big serpent fangs to hiss.

He managed to twist himself and bite into the side of Weldir’s thumb, but no venom could penetrate his essence – or, rather, it wouldn’t have any effect on him.

Lifting until Nathair was at his head height, Weldir shook him. He was barely thicker than his wrist, so he wobbled around as he screamed and clawed at the air, desperate to find purchase.

Weldir pointed a claw at Nathair’s serpent skull and shook it once. “Stop it. Stop eating my precious souls.”

Nathair grasped the sharp tip to get purchase and lifted his head until his skull was visible above Weldir’s admonishing digit. Then he proceeded to stick his forked tongue out at him and blow a raspberry with it.

“Why you insolent little pest!” Weldir exclaimed. He shook the foul creature again, making Nathair squeal. “I cannot wait to find a way to revive you. I’ll send you back to your mother and she can put up with you.”

It was a tender-hearted threat, as he was sure Lindiwe would welcome this pesky creature back with open arms, and... Weldir would actually miss him dearly. Nathair’s antics were rather immature and playful in nature, and he enjoyed being chased throughout Weldir’s realm.

He also liked to chase and hunt, which meant a few of Weldir’s souls had now been consumed. Last time, Nathair had gotten to three of them before he realised what was happening, and why he could feel life sapping from the very cloud of his form. This time, he’d managed to stop him at only two, but it had consequences for both of them.

Lethargy had set in, and what he’d gained was robbed from him.

Nathair whimpered and clutched the sides of his skull when his orbs began to shift through colours, blasting red, pink, green, and often white. He shuddered, and the coil of his lengthy tail tightened and zig-zagged in tension.

Weldir sighed and lifted his left hand to place his wounded offspring into his palm.

Nathair squirmed into a knotted ball, his fangs parting as he gave a whimpering roar. Weldir circled his hand around him and drew out the memories of the two humans he’d eaten, removing them entirely so they didn’t plague him. Fragments, like glasswith moving images inside them, glittered as they were pulled away from his black scales.

Only when Nathair stopped shuddering and gave a relieved expire, did Weldir cease pulling.

“You need to stop doing this,” Weldir stated wearily. “If I’m asleep, I won’t be able to remove their memories from you immediately.”

When Weldir tipped his head to the side to inspect him, and Nathair looked up to him with a thankful huff, he sighed once more.

“I won’t do it again,” Nathair promised, his orange orbs flaring brighter in guilt.

It was a lie; Weldir knew it.

It was in his nature to hunt prey. When he accidentally touched the humans, they often woke from their stupor. They fled, stirring the excitement and bloodlust of the hunt in him, and Nathair chased until he consumed. Their movements often caused a wave of havoc as Nathair touched more souls while caught in the thrill of the chase, causing more to run, and more for him to frighten.

More for him to hunt.

At least his humanity is growing with each one.

He looked thicker, longer, and... healthier. The souls were often encased by a deathless body that could be eaten and then regrew so long as the soul itself wasn’t harmed. It was an unlimited food source.

But it was the spirit itself that sat in the centre of their torsos that Nathair needed to eat in order to increase his intelligence. Thus far, he’d eaten five. With each one, he’d grown smarter, his communication skills benefiting from the chaos, and his personality was beginning to shine.

Nathair was mischievous, playful, and lazy. He often felt guilt for eating the souls Weldir protected. He didn’tmeanto do this.

Often, when he was snapped out of his bloodlust, he could be rather sweet with Weldir. Just like now, as he wrapped himself around the palm of Weldir’s hand to rub against the physical part of him and lie down.

---