Seperate Ways (Part 5)

Erik was swift with his hands. One hand came and snatched up the drider by her head, being a little less than gentle, and tore her from the tree bark. The other then came and ripped the human girl from her arms. Sophie was screaming and crying hysterically, truly believing that Erik was going to brutally murder her. Elsa wriggled madly, trying to escape, but Erik only increased pressure on her head, making her screech in pain. He would judge her proper punishment by how well Sophie was.

He dropped the girl in his palm and lifted her closer to his face, lowering his volume and using a sincerely concerned tone. “Sophie? Sophie, are yo-”

“Please, Erik!” she burst out, sobbing. Her words ran out of her mouth overtop of each other before she finally crumbled in his hand. “Please don’t kill me! I’m so sorry I left! I didn’t mean to upset you! I thought you didn’t want me anymore so I decided to try and find my way home! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorreeeeee!”

She curled up in a ball, covering her head and crying into his leathery skin loudly. Erik blinked and starred down at her with bewildered shock. She…she wasn’t crying because she was in trouble…she was crying because…because of him. She still thought he was mad at her. That he was going to kill her?! His heart felt like it was imploding on itself. The guilt came crashing back into his mind and he lowered himself down from the tree. He released his grip on it and on Elsa, setting her back on the bark. The drider went to clean the blood from her ears, and dress her wounds, but she kept a close eye on the two as they spoke.

“Sophie…” Erik’s voice was faint and broken. “I’m….I’m sorry…”

He was shaking. He glanced around nervously before setting her carefully back on the muddy jungle floor. She still coward at him as he loomed above her, but didn’t run. She tried to stop crying, but it was hard. She wiped her eyes and wailed a little while longer. Erik just laid on his belly, his arms rested out on either side of her, trying to think of what to say. How to apologize. How to help her see that it was his fault and not hers.

“Sophie, I…it’s not your fault…you were just….I’m a stupid, selfish idiot, and I…I’m a monster, aren’t I?…oh God, please stop crying…please…” He reach a hand over and began stroking her back with the tip of his huge digit. Just like he had yesterday, before he’d become infuriated over something stupid and yelled at her. She had been peacefully sleeping then, comfy and warm and happy with him. Now, she was flinching at his touch and whimpering, expecting something horrible of him to happen.

If he hadn’t already cried out all of his tears last night, Erik would be sobbing just as badly as she was. He pulled himself further away from her and looked away, ashamed of himself. He didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to comfort her like this; when he was the cause of her misery. He covered his head in his arms and sunk to the ground, drowning himself in the guilt of it all.

Elsa came back down from the tree just as Sophie was starting to calm down and the last of her tears were being wiped away on her shirt. She handed the child a few tissues to get the snot out of her nose so she could breath properly and then turned her attention to the naga.

“I’ve heard stories about nagas who keep human slaves, and how poorly they treat them. I’ve heard tales of them molesting humans and killing them slowly and painfully just for sport. And I’ve known too many humans who’ve died in the pits of your kinds’ stomachs! I’ll admit I was surprised when Sophie first told me about your change of heart towards her in the beginning, but I’ll tell you what; I wasn’t surprised to hear about how you yelled at her yesterday and told her all those terrible things. You filthy, selfish, reckless creature! You’ve got so much muscle in that chest of yours that you haven’t got any room for a heart!”

At these words, Erik felt a pang of anger. He slammed his hands on the ground around the drider, causing Sophie to give a cry of alarm, and raised his head up with a hateful glare.

“Don’t talk about me as if you know me, you little viper!” he hissed in a threatening way. “I love Sophie! She’s like a clutch mate to me! And I made one stupid decision and now I’ve come to apologize for it, so how about you step out of the way and let me make amends with her!”

There was a tense moment where the naga and the drider stared at each other for a long time, glaring. But eventually, Elsa respectfully stepped aside and went back towards her tree. Erik watched her to make sure she wasn’t going to try and snatch up Sophie and flee again, but she didn’t. He then turned his attention down to the child.

His face softened and he lowered himself a bit. Sophie was clutching her knees to her chest and was looking down, so her hair covered most of her face. He could hear her still sniffling and see her trembling every few seconds. He took a deep breath and, in the softest, lightest voice possible, said:

“Sophie…I’m…extremely regretful of what I said to you yesterday…and what I did. You didn’t deserve that. Not at all…You’ve been nothing but kind to me, and whenever you weren’t it was always because I provoked you. It was always my fault, not yours. I know I don’t deserve you, but…but I need you, Sophie. I was so lonely without you! I was a king, but having all that power is nothing compared to having you as my friend…I’m sorry…will…will you please come back home with me? I promise, you‘ll have all my respect and love and protection, and I‘ll be more careful with you. I swear it!”

He stopped to see if she’d give an answer, his eyes wide with slight hope, but also fear of rejection. Sophie didn’t stir for a few moments, but then when she finally lowered her knees and raised her head, he saw how red her face and eyes were from crying, and the slight look of anger in her sad expression.

“Erik,” she said in an assertive but unstable tone. “I forgive you for being so mean to me, but I’m not going back with you!”

The slight relief from her first statement vanished from his eyes. He felt his heart give a violent twist of pain and he drew away from her a little. “B-But I’m going to be better now! I’m going to take better care of you and -”

“It’s not that.” Sophie quick interrupted him, standing up to face the giant naga. “I want to go to my real home, back in my village, and Elsa is going to take me there.” She pointed to the drider standing a few feet behind her, then turned back to Erik with a little more sympathy.

“It was nice and all living with you, and I’m glad we became friends, but I want to go and see my aunt and uncle and all my human friends. I want them to know that I’m okay, and I want to get on with my life, as it should be.”

Erik’s pained, twisting heart now dropped to the pit of his stomach. She was going to leave him? Forever? His tail writher in sorrow and he avoided eye contact with her. He suddenly felt sick, and turned away from her.

“If…if that is what you want…then I won’t stop you…” he forced himself to say. Sophie saw how hurt he was and stepped over to his large hand, giving his wrist a hug.

“Thank you for coming to apologize, Erik. That really means a lot. And I’m sorry I’m leaving, but you’re welcome to come a visit any time you want! Just try not to scare to many people or eat anybody I know, okay?” she said lightheartedly. She didn’t grasp Erik’s pain as deep as it really was. The naga gently pulled his hand away and nodded.

“Yeah, sure. I…promise…” he said softly.

It was then that Sophie heard the all-to familiar growl of his empty stomachs and frowned. “Erik, you sound hungry! I thought you went out hunting yesterday.” she said.

The naga blinked. “Oh. Yes. I…didn’t find much of anything…” he lied, his words coming out softer and weaker. The truth was he hadn’t noticed his hunger because his heartache was crushing him so badly. How could he think about food when Sophie just told him that she was going to go away forever, and that he would spend the rest of his life lost and alone? He couldn’t go back to the way he’d lived before. It was so dull and gray. Sophie had brought color and fun and happiness to his life like that of which he’d never known before. She was as close to him as a sister in his eyes…but he was nothing more than a lowly friend in hers. It was devastating to him.

Sophie found his behavior a little odd, but had no idea why he was acting that way. He was always so dramatic about everything, she thought. She didn’t want him to starve, to she talked him into leaving for a quick hunt, and coming back later when he was full to say their goodbyes. Like a machine, he nodded expressionlessly and started to slither off into the jungle at a sluggish pace. Sophie waved at him and then turned back to Elsa, who then carried her back up the tree to finish packing for the trip to Sophie’s village.