Chapter 3.

He slowly came to on the floor, feeling a dull pain all over. He struggled to sit up, grunting when his venom sacks throbbed. The slave was awake and huddled against the wall, watching Aviy with wide eyes.

"See?" Sepri hissed at the slave, as if they'd been having a conversation. But, of-course, slaves couldn't talk. 

Aviy turned warily and peered at his brother through his hair. Crii had tough scales and Aviy could take a beating, but he was only onus and Sepri was so much larger. There was always that risk. One day, a tothaw might go too far.

Sepri sighed and reached for him. Aviy knew better than to resist, when his brother pulled him onto the bedroll. 

Gently, Sepri started nuzzling him. Pulling him close and kissing softly over his throat. Then his neck and his jaw.

He would never apologise. He never had, even when they were hatchlings. But he would show his affection in other ways. They were of the same clutch after all and had once shared a room and a mat, just like their younger brothers. Sometimes, that was enough to breach the gap between them. Sometimes it wasn't. 

Aviy slowly gave in. Relaxing into his brother's arms and accepting a kiss, when it finally reached his mouth. Their tongues swirled and explored each other, as Sepri cupped Aviy's throat and stroked his venom sacks lightly.

Even a whisper of touch hurt the delicate skin and Aviy whimpered. Sepri deepened their kiss and kept circling the sacks gently with his rough fingers. Soon the pain became pleasure and Aviy's cock slid out of its vent. 

He crooned with pleasure and Sepri smirked against his mouth, sliding claws down Aviy's shoulder blades to rub his spines firmly, just the way he liked it. 

Sepri really could be very sweet, when he wanted to be. Aviy curled his hips and pressed his cock against his brother's waist plates, rocking slowly in tandem with the rubs on his back. His scales flushed darker and his breathing grew ragged. 

Sepri pushed Aviy onto the mat and covered him in heavy cool scales, moving against him and curling their tails sinously. 

Aviy's pace grew frantic and he came with a sharp hiss, feeling the sweet pulses burst from his cock and wash over him. Sharp teeth grazed his throat, but he knew Sepri wouldn't bite down. In moments like this, Aviy trusted him completely. 

He crooned in contentment and smiled into his brother's eyes. 

"Feed him." Sepri ordered and slapped Aviy's hip firmly. Then he got up and walked out. 

A cold stone of disappointment dropped into Aviy's belly and he closed his eyes, swallowing hard. He longed for Sepri's arms around him just then, to hold him through the vulnerable after-glow. But his brother had given him a rare gift tonight and he knew he should be grateful. Not greedy and wishing for more. 

He stood and moved to the basin in the corner to rinse himself, rubbing his paling scales dry with a clean rag. Then he combed his claws through his tangled hair, feeling it fall heavy against his hips. He was conscious of the slave's eyes on him the whole time and he hurried into the kitchen to fix a simple meal. Some dried meat, lox beetles and a cup of water. 

He returned and placed the plate and cup on the floor, then nudged them closer to the slave with his tail. 

The male eyed the fare a moment and then reached for the cup. He drained it in a few large gulps and set it down with a thud. He took a breath, clawless fingers flexing around the cup.

"I suppose if you wanted to poison me, you would have done it by now." The slave spoke and Aviy just about leapt out of his scales. 

"You speak?" He hissed, crouched and shivering with shock. The creature was chained, but what if he was hiding other abilities? 

The male's browridges drew together and nearly touched, as if the bones had turned into liquid. "You think you're the only people with a language? If you can call it that." 

Aviy could only stare. He was at a loss for words. The slave's voice was smooth as water, but with a hard edge to it that matched the look in his too blue eyes. 

"I have a translator." The slave said slowly, as if he thought Aviy might have trouble understanding or hearing him. "It's programmed to pick up on sentient speech." He lifted one bandaged shoulder and dropped it. "Might be broken though."

Aviy took a breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He should fetch Sepri or Roka. He knew he should. But he couldn't bring himself to move. Instead, he leaned back on his hands to display his belly. A sign of cautious trust.

The slave's eyes flicked over him, but he didn't respond, dismissing Aviy's greeting. "What is this place?" 

Aviy lifted his knees and wrapped his tail protectively around his ankles. "My father's fourth clutch." 

The male's brow wrinkled again and he spoke hesitantly. "And Sepri is...your brother?" 

Aviy turned his palm in acknowledgement. The slave's eyes fixed on his hand. "Are you signing? Does that mean yes?"

"Signing?" Aviy thought of the markings outside of each clutch. Sometimes scents weren't enough, especially for slaves. Maybe this was why. 

He hissed and slapped his hands on the floor in excitement. The slave suddenly leapt into a crouch and clenched his hands in a warrior pose. 

Aviy fell back and bolted, nearly tripping over his tail in his rush to get out. 

"Wait." The stranger called, but Aviy didn't stop. A slave couldn't order him to. 

He fled through the kitchen and climbed up the tree, into the sunlit treetops. The warmth eased his tension some and he took a deep breath of fresh air. 

He looked back down uncertainly. Maybe he should return before Sepri came back. But was the slave even safe to be around? Should he tell Sepri? 

But what if his brother killed the slave for deceiving him? Or what if the slave refused to speak again and Aviy was accused of lying to a tothaw? Then he would either be banished or executed. There was no difference, really. 

He curled tight around a branch and gnawed on the bark with stress. 

He eventually climbed back down. He had decided that for now, he wouldn't say anything to anyone and he would avoid the slave as much as possible. Perhaps he was only delaying the inevitable, but it was the only solution he could think of.

He busied himself with housework; dusting and sweeping the rooms, beating and airing out the mats, then helped his mother prepare dinner. 

When Sepri came home, he settled down to eat calmly. His spines lay flat and the tension that had surrounded him was gone. The clutch all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Sepri had that effect on a room. He would become a magnificent tothaw with time. 

Aviy slept deeply that night, more tired than he remembered being in a long time. 

For the next couple of days, he was lent out to his aunt Teeki to help out with chores and three unruly hatchlings. That evening, he was sat in his aunts kitchen, with the three little terrors in his lap. Crooning as he oiled their molting scales.

His aunt was curled up on a mat nearby, exhaustion in her golden eyes. "You're so good with them." 

His sister, Ieve, snorted in agreement, as she stirred tsao worms and leq beetles over the fire. "It's a shame he can't have any of his own." 

Aviy felt a fierce ache in his heart, but managed to hold onto his smile for the hatchlings in his arms. 

Teeki pointed two fingers at the floor, objecting.

"Then who would help us? Sepri?" She exclaimed and both females hissed with laughter. 

"He's a troublemaker." His aunt continued. 

"Father is granting him a clutch." Ieve said. "He is preparing the ceremony."

"But Roka is older." Aviy protested, looking up distractedly from the nestling chewing on his hair. 

"Roka isn't a warrior." Ieve explained. 

"He would defend any of us!" Aviy snarled, spines lifting. 

Ieve bared her teeth in warning and Aviy bent his neck, trilling an apology. He took deep breaths and willed down the fire in his chest. His spines shivered. 

He was forgetting himself. He knew only the fiercest warriors were granted a clutch. He just couldn't bear for them to insult Roka, when he was the kindest and most patient tothaw Aviy knew. 

Ieve softened and stroked Aviy's knee with her tail. 

"Roka's loyalty is unquestioned." She said and passed him a bowl. "Keenil likes the beetles." 

Aviy took the bowl and carefully pulled his hair from the snapping mouth of the hatchling in question, replacing it with a beetle.