Year of 365

June 20

A/N: So I wasn't happy with the beginning of the story I started so I'm just going to disregard that and forget that I wrote it (I'm not deleting parts in this book so it's going to stay up) and progress with the story, taking a slightly different approach to it.

The desert sands had a reputation for people going missing whenever they decided to leave the town on the edge. Some said that the desert sands themselves claimed their victims, rising in dunes like tidal waves and simply swallowing those unlucky souls. Others said that it was desert creatures who took the people away. No one was truly sure as no one ever returned, but they all had their theories. Scholars and scientists would come from all over in an attempt to try and solve the mystery of what was happening out in the desert, and they too would vanish, as if they had never existed in the first place.

And yet, people still came to the town, though one man was unlucky enough to encounter the true source of these disappearances.

A sand storm was blowing through the town and everyone had shut their doors and fastened guards over their windows in an attempt to keep out the sand. Everyone knew that those swept up in sand storms often regretted it, as humans weren't built to properly survive a sand storm. And yet, here was a lone man, struggling to make his way to his lodgings before the storm hit. He had been out with a friend, trying to get in some last-minute fun before the storm hit and it had been a mistake on his part. They had lost track of time, as they usually did, and now he was paying the price for his foolishness.

His house had just come into view when the sand came. It swept around him like a whirlwind, knocking him to his feet in an instant and sending tiny needle-like pinpricks all over his body where the tiny grains of sand hit him. It took him a while to get to his feet again, and after he did, he wrapped his scarf around his nose and mouth to try and block out some of the sand. Unfortunately for him, he had no sort of protection for the rest of his head which was left exposed to the painful spikes of sand. 

He stumbled forward, trying to make it back to his house, though he couldn't see it anymore. With one hand, he held the scarf to his face, and with the other, he swatted around as best he could in an attempt to find something that could help him find his way back home.

Suddenly, a hissing sound rose over the wind, almost like a voice that was being ripped from the throat. It seemed to be saying something, not that the man could understand anything, nor did he care to figure out who or what was making that noise. All he cared about at this point was making it safely back to his house. He stepped on something that felt more solid than sand and was about to let out a breath of relief, but the thing suddenly moved and a coil wrapped around his ankle, dragging him back down into the sand again, only this time, he couldn't get back up again. 

The wind seemed to pick him up and drag him along, spinning him until he was completely unable to see where he was going or even have a general sense of direction. He was tossed around like a rag doll. He spun around in the wind, eventually hitting his head on something and passing out.

When he came to, he was no longer in the village, and he was nowhere that he recognized. He seemed to be in a large cave with the only light source being a small hole in the ceiling above him. It was only about a foot in diameter so there was no way that he would be able to escape wherever he was through there, even if he could get to it. The walls seemed to be made of sandstone and were as smooth as ceramic.

He got to his feet and walked around in a circle, trying to see if there was any other way in or out of this place. How had he even gotten in if the only entrance or exit was through the hole in the roof? He raised a hand and allowed the sunlight to fall over it, relishing in the warmth. 

Suddenly, his hand changed. The flesh that he had been staring at suddenly rippled and scales started appearing on his hands in waves. The scales were as bright as fire and the color of the ocean, and though beautiful, they scared him enough to withdraw his hand almost instantly, which resulted in a loss of scales. He rubbed his hand nervously as he stared at the pool of light on the cave floor. Wanting to test his theory, he lifted his hand again and stuck it into the beam of light, watching as the scales reappeared.

A hiss pulled his attention away from the scales and he whirled around to find that a large black snake was approaching him. It had eyes like the sun and as it rose up to its full height, it easily towered over the man, staring down at him with unreadable eyes. 

Another hiss echoed from the other side of the room and the man glanced over his shoulder to see a small red snake appear this time from the shadows, nowhere near the length of the first. 

Slowly, more and more snakes started appearing from the shadows, none as big as the first and each around the same size as the red one. Some looked like they were vipers, others looked like they were rattlesnakes, and others the man had never seen before in his life.

The black snake moved and the man flinched subconsciously, throwing his arms up in a protective stance. But, the snake calmly slithered around him and over to a place in the shadows where no snakes had emerged from. Everything but its tail disappeared into the shadows and the man was about to follow when the tail suddenly snapped and two torches were lit, displaying a large stone throne engraved to look like snakes curling around whoever sat on the throne. The snake sat down on the throne and stared at the man for a moment before suddenly changing before his eyes.

In place of the man now sat a woman of beauty, her skin dark and her eyes as bright as the setting sun. She was wearing a loose black halter top lined with golden decorations and a similar style was displayed on her wrap-around skirt. One leg was crossed over the other, showing her bare feet which seemed to have an onyx tattoo spiraling up them almost like a snake.

"What is your name," she asked. Her voice was smooth and velvety, a perfect match for what the man suspected her to sound like.

"Uh-"

"Actually, you need not say your name." The woman stood and approached the man. "You know that remaining outdoors in a sandstorm is dangerous, correct?"

He nodded mutely, watching as two golden snakes stretched up and wrapped around the woman's wrists as she held them out. They spiraled up around her arms to her biceps where they sat like armbands, though they stared at the man with unblinking eyes.

"And yet, you were out in a sandstorm."

"I wasn't planning on it."

The woman laughed. "It is curious how things never seem to go to plan." She started walking around the man, her eyes always locked in on him though. "I found you near death but I was able to save you."

"Uh... thank you..."

"Do not thank me yet," she smirked. "I was able to cure you, yes, but there is a catch. As you have probably guessed, I am not a normal human." She had finished her circle around him and had returned to sit on her throne. "As a snake, I have venom with the power to cure any ailment, but there is also a curse in my venom."

"What's the curse," the man asked, though he had a suspicion that it had to do with the scales on his hand. 

"When you stand in direct sunlight you will turn into a snake. One of my ... people, so you could say. I am Queen of the Snakes and now that I have saved you, you owe your life to me and will therefore transform into a snake whenever you touch the sun."

"But I didn't transform when I touched the sunlight."

"Oh, sorry, I mean when you stand in the sunlight. Any other part of your skin will simply grow scales or other snake-like features. Fangs, different eyes, a different nose, or scales."

"But how will I live the rest of my life?!"

She smirked, "That is the question, is it not?" She transformed into a snake again and bounded over to the man, spiraling around him and forcing him into the sunlight.