Chapter 2

Snowy's eyes grew even more tender as he looked at me. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

Snowy was already starting to trust me. But out of the instinctive wariness embedded in every fox, he didn't come any closer.

To demonstrate my harmlessness, I resorted to a desperate move. I began chomping down grass in big mouthfuls. Ugh. The green, lush grass tasted bitter. It was awful, and I wanted to throw up.

Snowy revealed an expression of sudden understanding. "So you're a herbivore."

That stopped me for a moment. I honestly hadn't thought that far.

"That's right, I am." I was a herbivore. I was also a Platonist. I swallowed the grass I had been about to spit out.

Damn, who said this grass was awful? This grass was amazing. I went all in and started devouring it like crazy. I swore I would eat an entire grassland clean.

Snowy, now convinced I really was a herbivore, felt safe enough to walk closer toward me. "With a body as long and large as yours, you must have eaten a lot of grass."

I responded while chomping on grass, "Yes, I have to eat a super huge amount of grass every day."

Snowy nodded with understanding and made a kind suggestion. "I passed by a grassland just a while ago. The grass there is more plentiful and tender. Why not go eat there? The grass here is too old."

"Okay, sure." I swallowed the astringent, bitter, rough, mouth-scratching grass in my mouth. In my heart, I was already prepared to die for love. Even if it killed me, I would devour an entire grassland right before Snowy's eyes.

I knew exactly where that grassland Snowy was talking about was. But to snuggle up to Snowy, I pretended I knew nothing.

With a clump of grass dangling from my mouth, I widened my snake eyes innocently. "Wh-where is that grassland you were talking about? C-Can you take me there?"

Probably because I looked like an idiot, the kind-hearted Snowy suspected nothing and agreed to my request.

Snowy raised his tail and walked ahead of me to lead the way. His waist swayed naturally with each step, twisting and turning. So elegant, so poised, bursting with charm.

I looked down and realized I had drooled a whole puddle on the ground. I... I lifted my tail and buried the drool with dirt. I couldn't let Snowy find out.

To maintain my idiotic and harmless persona, I "clumsily" twisted my thick snake tail, wobbling and staggering as I followed behind Snowy.

Snowy walked for a stretch, turned his head, and found that I was still very far behind him. Despite my "fierce efforts" to twist my snake body, my crawling speed remained very slow. I was still lingering near that big rock.

He looked at me tenderly and slowed his pace. "Don't rush. Take your time."

I lowered my snake head in shame and self-reproach. The truth was, my venomous fangs were already itching to reveal themselves. I wanted so badly to bite Snowy. I wanted so badly to lick Snowy.

"Mm... you move so fast... Not like me, I'm slower than a snail." Large tears rapidly welled up in my big snake eyes, then burst forth in torrents.

A passing bird saw that I, the king who terrorized the forest, was actually crying. Its eyes widened in shock, and it crashed headfirst into a tree. The bird was now questioning its entire existence.

Snowy's eyes softened, and his voice softened along with them. "It's fine. Though you crawl a little slow, your figure is mighty, and you look extremely intimidating. You must learn to see your own strengths."

Snowy's emotional intelligence was so high. Soft-hearted, cool, elegant, nimble, kind, and with a voice so beautiful. I was crying, for I had already been utterly stupefied by Snowy.

Snowy was incredible and perfect.

Snowy jogged briskly over to my side and moved in parallel with me. A fragrance wafting from Snowy's body was carried by the wind into my lungs.

I breathed in deep, greedy gasps, producing a hissing sound. It was insanely fragrant. Snowy smelled so, so good.

I wanted so badly to coil Snowy up in my snake body and sleep. I wanted so badly to lock Snowy away in my cave where only I could see him.

I deliberately slowed my crawling speed even more. The slower the better. How I wished time would just freeze in this moment.

What should have been a twenty-minute journey, I forcefully dragged out to a full hour before we reached the destination.

Snowy looked at me expectantly, his voice cool yet soft. "Eat up."

I looked out at the boundless grassland and swallowed a heavy mouthful of saliva.

"Look at you. Absolutely starving, aren't you? Come on. Eat," Snowy said.

It was time to put my acting skills to the test. I lunged forward, burying my head and biting wildly, wolfing everything down. Everywhere my great mouth passed, grass and roots were ripped up together, not a single blade left behind.

Somehow, the grass Snowy chose was much better than what I had eaten before.

After clearing one patch of grass, I went to ravage another. The little animals fled shrieking. Some were even scared into tears, some into wetting themselves.

I... Well, they just dirtied the grass. How was I supposed to eat now?

Snowy tilted his head, watching all of this with considerable puzzlement, as if wondering why the little animals were so afraid of me.

I hurriedly buried my face in the mud and explained through sobs, "Ever since I was small, I've been misunderstood. Everyone thinks I'm a venomous snake, so they fear me and won't come near me.

"No matter how I explain, nobody listens. But I... I'm just a non-venomous Shadow Viper who grew a little bigger. That's all."

Snowy's heart, which had sensed something was off, was now thoroughly swayed. He walked toward me with elegant steps, getting closer and closer and closer.

Inside my heart, I was screaming. Snowy was coming closer and closer.

A soft, sweet-scented paw, disregarding the thick mud on my scales, rested on my snake body. It patted me gently in comfort. "It's fine. You're a good snake. They don't understand you. That's their loss."

Being called a good snake so sincerely made me prickle with guilt for a moment. I hurriedly drilled further into the mud.

I was not a good snake. I was the baddest, most evil snake in the whole universe. I just wanted to trick Snowy into coming home so I could coil around him and love him for the rest of my life.