Brotherly Warmth

Disclaimer: includes Vore

“I hope I’ve caught something, otherwise I’ll have chilled for nothing…” Carson muttered as he slithered along. He was concentrating on keeping his body heat in, which was hard due to being half snake. However, he knew every degree dropped was lost until he found something warm. If only he could sew better, maybe then his shirt would have sleeves. As is, the one jacket owned was on his brother, who had much more skin and tail that needed covered. “Nothing… Again…” Carson’s snares were undisturbed, and there weren’t many left to check at this point. His motions were getting sluggish. “Crapcrapcrapcrap…” was all he said, keeping the words under his breath. He was losing too much body-heat… Luckily it hadn’t snowed this winter, but the clouds were thick, and being caught in an icy rain can be worse. From experience Carson began collecting the branches hanging low from the hibernating trees and off the ground. He knew at his current heat level he’d be unable to reach the cave in time, but the pines were especially lush this year, and would provide some shelter should precipitation occur.
Carson used his orange tail to clear an area of flammables, and dug a little pit. With a few coughs he brought out his flint, for his older brother wasn’t the only one able to store things in his stomach after all. With his flint in hand, he tore up a couple of pine cones to have a base before striking the flint. “Thank you, Sarah!” he breathed out as a spark caught. Without her, the naga brothers would undoubtedly be in worse shape then they were. He smiled for a sec as the fire caught, this flint being one of her best gifts to them, before grimacing. His fingers were not curling around the branches as firmly as they should as he added them to the fire. As soon as the flame seem stable he held his hands to it, absorbing the warmth. As his hands warmed, Carson tried to bring his tail into a curl around the flame. He flinched, and stopped, his tail was too cold to move, it hurt to try. In an attempt to change that he brought his hands in closer, rubbing them against the base of his tail. With another attempt and curling around the fire he let out a strangled noise, it hurt even worse. “I hope Sam has something keeping him warm…” And then it started. Snow. “No-no-no-no… Why now?” Carson knew now in a few minutes, Sam would begin searching for him. And he also knew the question to follow. “He doesn’t understand my no enough to stop this time…” Still, the best to be done was keep the fire going. Even if he was stubborn and annoying, Sam somehow was always warmer out of the two brothers.

It was in this pitiful condition Sam eventually found Carson, who was nearly frozen. As Carson looked up, it was almost like looking into the eyes of a hurt puppy. Without a word, Sam coiled around his little brother, sharing some of the body heat he’d held onto. Sam added the last few branches to the fire before fully enveloping the smaller frozen smaller naga, making sure his own torso was in the coils. With his head on Carson’s shoulder he whispered out what they both knew. “Even iIonly have so much heat…”
“Please, don’t. Just don’t…”
“You know it’ll be warmer, for both of us.”
“No. Just ’cause I’m cold-”
“Is Why you should let me.”
“Sam, no. I can’t, I-I… I won’t!”
“Just this once?”
“No! I’m… I’m feeling warmer as is.”
“You’re still shivering,” Sam could tell being light-hearted was getting no-where. Sure, it was something something he always teased about, but they were both part snake and couldn’t hold in this snow. “Carson, I’m sorry, but my promise was permission… And protection. I was trying to keep it to just permission.”
“DON’T! Please don’t. I… I can Sam, I can’t! I’ve managed with you being harmless to strangers but I can’t…” Carson shuddered, huddling into himself more. He couldn’t cry, the tears would freeze on his face. “You… You only saw the aftermath.” his voice was shaking. It was those words that made it click, and Sam began to rub Carson’s back some, all joviality aside. Lana.
“I miss her too. You’re right, I… I didn’t see her go down. But you know i’m not like that. You know I would never do this if i didn’t have to.” The fire went out. There was silence. “I’m getting cold too, Carson. Just to the cave. No longer, I promise.” at first there was no reply. Then Carson dipped his head hesitantly, a silent yes. Sam acted before there was a change of mind, releasing his own torso and raising himself a bit higher then he normally would. “You can close your eyes, it’ll help.” Those were his last words before his jaw unhinged, enveloping the smaller figure’s head, quickly stretching to accommodate the shoulders. Carson jerked back instinctively, still scared with memories, but the sudden movement hurt. Sam, however paused, for he’d feel forever guilty if his teeth pricked his own brother’s skin. As Carson stilled, Sam descended, swallowing quicker then with most. Even as he rushed out of worry, Sam still caught the flavor, and still subconsciously enjoyed it. Already at the tail, Sam released his coils and tilted his head up a bit, slurping the tail of his brother down like a noodle. And there he was, stomach bloated, the person inside both thawing and beginning to panic..
“Sam, let me back out now! Please! I can’t I can’t…” Carson was thrashing now, barely even able to think.
“I can’t either,” Sam’s voice was steady, even though his eyebrows creased in worry. “You’d literally freeze now! Relax, please. You are going to be alright. I promise.” he placed a hand approximately where Carson’s head was, and gave it a slight rub to calm him down. The thrashing slowed to an unhappy wriggle.
“Grab… Grab my flint.” Carson said, still trembling in his near instinctual fear. This was his brother, who took arrows for him, who always searched for him in the winter, having never acted like this without his permission. Even today, Sam was only going to act in his well being. With a shaky sigh, he noticed he’d been crying. Carson inhaled sharply sharply as Sam bent over, the already tight space having shrunk some temporarily..
Sam stood back up straight, the fire starter in hand and frowned slightly at his midsection. He began slithering back to their shared cave, but it was a tad difficult with his stomach expanded so. “Carson, to move quicker I’ll have to move you down. You okay with that?” Sam added, as a sort of persuasive measure, “It’ll be roomier.”
“Do I… Do you have to?” Carson swallowed, grabbing his shoulders in a self embrace. How selfish could he get? He was nearly complexly warm by now, and he knew his warmth soaked through and kept Sam warm. “O-Okay, do it. Quickly though, please.” The fear was unmistakable even as he spoke, and Carson jerked back when the pulling suction began below him, effectively stopping it.
“Carson, if you feel more comfortable higher up, you can stay there instead.” Sam was undeniably concerned, his tone soft. True, most of his prey freaked out, but he never hurt them, and he rarely knew them before hand. Sam’s upper body was warming up from the warmed person inside, but his tail wasn’t warming as easily.
“No I… I’m sorry. I’ll try not to recoil like that.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” Carson had stopped trembling, and his tears were drying. Sam felt the head nod and gave a reassuring pat. There was a pull and squeeze, then Carson felt his tail being pulled down into the second stomach. It took all of his will to not pull back. “Carson… Why are you so scared? It’s me, not someone else. I’ve let nothing hurt you but your own appetite.” Sam felt the apprehension of his younger brother, and wanted to help.
“I don’t know! I just…” Carson bit his lip, as a quick slurp brought the rest of him into the second stomach. Surprisingly, he was able to breath easier, and as promised, it was roomier. As jittery as he felt, Carson positioned himself comfortably, practically using his own tail as a pillow. “This is… Better…”
“Still not happy though?”
“Don’t think I will be as long as I’m here,” Even as he spoke though, Carson felt the sway of Sam slithering, and how the muscles relaxed and contracted around him, much like a massage. “Although, it is less claustrophobic.” The swaying, the massage, the warmth… It was hard to not relax, even with the undeniable fear.
Sam, on the other hand, was getting some warmth back in his tail and smiled slightly, in spite of himself. The second stomach was always more filling to him, thus why usually he instantly would send people to it during their ‘visit’. Then he noticed Carson breathing slow down. “Bro…?” the response he got was a murmur, which caused a laugh from Sam. Thing was, the cave was in sight, but he whispered to his passenger anyways. “Sleep well, you earned it.” he traveled to the deepest end of the cave, where the wind never reached. Taking care not to disturb his passenger, Sam curled his tail around to use it as a pillow, ready to take a nap himself. Comfortable, he said one more thing, getting drowsy already. “Goodnight little brother…” And soon Sam also fell asleep, perfectly content with temperature and filled belly.