This was a story I wrote for Mod Max last year. It features a naga diety in the river and the young man who catches his eye. I hope you enjoy the story and the amazing art mod max did for it.
-Mod Momo
A witch once told me, when I was very little, that I was born in the Violet Cove, and I would swallow me as well. My sister dragged me right out of her tent, scolding me for wandering off like that in such a crowded place. But it was too late. I had heard my fate, and I was young enough to latch onto it and believe it. Even now that I have grown.
Back then I thought it was something magical, but now as I harvest my millionth violet star, I now realize the bog witch meant I would live and die in this place. Working and harvesting, living in the same old cabin my grandfather died in, my mother died in. On and on and on and on it goes!
“Why don’t we finish up here and head home?” Tara dusted her hands off on her apron, picking violet fuzz from under her nails. “Luca?”
I tossed a handful of the stars into the basket and stood up from the edge, taking my feet out of the water. “Sure.”
Tara’s dark eyes gave me the once-over. “Where were you just now?”
My eyes were back out along the swamp, watching fireflies glow over the lily pads and weave through the low-hanging branches. “Here,” I sighed heavily. “Always here.” I picked up my haul of violet stars, bringing them over to the cart.
“Sure you are,” she scoffed in a teasing tone. “I think this batch will give us just enough so we can begin processing these beauties.” She smiled into my nearly full basket.
For generations, our family has harvested the Violet Stars that gave the cove its name. From the small, somewhat fuzzy berries, we made inks and dyes which, when done just right, will shine like stars. But recently, people have been coming and harvesting the berries to make their own, and thus, our family business was struggling.
“Hopefully, we’ll have something in the traps when we get home, and I can cook us a good meal for once.” Tara said, hopping up into the cart.
“I thought I was cooking tonight.” I joined her on the seat, watching her take the reins of our mule.
“I’m in a good mood today. I don’t mind cooking.” She snapped the reins, and the mule began trotting forward.
How she can be in a good mood, I don’t know. We’re having to set traps around the cabin to catch food, and half of what we catch we have to set free because either it’s an inedible species, is too young, or is valuable to the swamp. So then that leaves us with greens and, as of late, violet stars as our only food source. My piss was coming out purple!
Tara gave me a smile. “Cheer up! We’ve finally gotten a great haul, and we’ll make our money back tenfold with this one. I promise. We’ll be seeing golden days yet.”
I returned her smile, though unsure. “Yeah. I know.” I braced myself back up in the seat and sighed. “It’s just been so long. And with no help-”
“I know,” Tara murmured. “It’s been rough just the two of us. But we’ve made it this far, and we’ll continue to make it. We learned that, and we know the swamp will protect us.”
Once home, we unloaded the violet stars into the shed and put the mule away. Tara was gazing around the property, seeming to see something she wasn’t telling me.
“Luca, can you go check the traps?” She sounded distracted.
“Sure.” I came up behind her, trying to follow her gaze. Her brow furrowed as she focused on something in the dirt. “Is something wrong?”
She let out a long, exasperated sigh. “It’s probably nothing. Probably critters or something wandering around the house. Just thought I saw boot prints over here.” Tara had an air of unease about her. Of course she did. Thieves had been an issue for years, but now with the popularity of the violet stars, things around here were…bleak.
“Could be mine,” I offered to set her at ease.
Tara laughed. “Yeah! Probably is. Just with this new haul, I’m mighty protective.” She returned to unlock the front door. “I’ll get the stove ready.”
“I’ll be quick with it.” I walked around the back of the house, heading towards the river that ran alongside our backyard. Over the years, the riverbed rocks had become stained purple from the processing of the violet stars, and the earth had a faint shimmer to it.
I went further down the river to some of the bigger traps, hoping we would catch something that was big enough for a meal for once. I was picturing something grilling and sizzling on the stove as I walked around the massive trees. It took a moment to get out of my hungry thoughts to realize something wasn’t right.
The traps we tossed upon the shore shattered and broke. There was a part of the net that was ripped on shore with something still attached. Hesitantly, I went and started pulling on the net, wondering where it came from. Whatever was inside was heavy! It took all my strength to pull it. Then, I saw it. A long, winding tail. It twitched, showing the dark scales shift from black to blue.
I dropped the net, stepping back in fear until I tripped over a trap. I fell on my backside hard, howling in pain.
“You,” a deep, rumbling voice echoed through the trees. “You there, man-thing.” The tail whipped back underwater, and the water went unnaturally still, as if the river stopped flowing.
I froze stiff from fear. The pain in my tailbone didn’t exist. What was in that net? Was this what the witch had told me about?
“Did you set this trap?” Glowing lights appeared under the water, radiant blue, unlike anything I had seen before. “Man-thing-” it sang in a taunting tone. The blue eyes came to the surface. “Come to me, man-thing.”
I crawled on all fours to the edge of the river. My body moved willingly, even if my mind was confused and hazy.
The net, which was wrapped around it, hindered the creature from rising further from the water. “Free me, man-thing, and I will consider forgiving you.”
“I didn’t set the net,” I answered. “We only set the traps.”
The creature sighed. “I know you didn’t.” It slithered up onto the shore beside me, arms bent back in the net, contorted on the dark moss. I took out my knife, stained with the juice of a million violet stars. I began cutting the creature free, slowly realizing its body was not of this world. His long, dark tail spilled into the water with no end in sight. The torso was human, but covered in shining scales, with fins along the arms and back, and hands webbed with spongy pads covering the elongated palm.
The eyes. My goddess, the eyes. Large, deep things that went on forever like a mirror facing itself. Dark, and yet beaming with radiant blue light. Stripes colored his flat face, and they faded back into long, flowing fins. The gills under his jaw flared out, turning powdery blue at the ends.
The creature smiled at me, revealing sharp teeth set in a black maw. Once a hand was free, he grabbed me by the throat. Tilting my head up, his fingers flexed in warning.
“I see.” He tilted my head this way and that. “Yes. I know you.” His voice came out as a sensual purr. His hand pressed into my throat ever so slightly, his slender fingers kneaded until they reached my jaw, and he seemed to study the bone.
A shiver coursed through my body. Not completely out of fear, although it was there. It was a different sort of feeling, one that I found enjoyable. The creature’s hand tightened around my throat more, making me gasp. My cock was throbbing rock hard within an instant.
The creature smirked, long, inky tongue darting out along its jowls. “I owe you a favor, man-thing.” He pulled me in closer, lapping his tongue along my jaw and into my ear. I shivered more, letting out a choked moan.
His other hand pressed against my groin, feeling my cock. This caused his grin to grow, revealing how his mouth opened all the way to his neck. His tongue traced along my mouth, which I opened. His kiss was cold, even as his tongue slithered down my throat. I moaned again, eyes rolling back in ecstasy.
He rubbed his palm into me, kneading my cock through my trousers. Then, he pulled my trousers down around my knees, and tentacles from his waist wrapped around me, holding me against him while searching along my skin. I choked on his tongue, grasping hard against his chest. His eyes flooded my vision, purer blue than the sky. My mind was already spinning with ecstasy. My core was pulsing, throbbing through my whole body. There was nothing on Earth like this.
I tasted the river, the salt of the earth. The low moans that came from the creature rattled my mind further. Low growls rumbled through my skin, pouring into my veins until all I could do was tremble in response to his deep noises.
I came and came, spilling against him. I writhed in pleasure all the while he grinned, chuckling as his tongue slipped away, lapping at his chips before disappearing back behind sharp teeth.
“That’s good, man-thing.” He set me back down on the bank. “I like you.” He looked at his palm, dripping with my seed. He lapped his palm and fingers clean with that long, black tongue.
Never, ever, had my body reacted like that to anyone. I was still pulsing, and yet I ached for him more. Pushing my hair back from my sweaty brow, all I could do was gaze at his beautiful, strange face. “Who are you?”
“Akurra.” His name sent bolts through my body, jolting me awake like a thunderstorm. He grinned at my recognition. “And yours, man-thing?”
There were stars in my eyes, and I’m pretty sure there was drool dripping from my lip. I was searching for the answer to give him. I almost forgot myself. “Luca.” I finally breathed.
Akurra touched my cheek again. “Come to me again, Luca,” he whispered. “Your reward for saving me has only just begun.” He vanished into the river, and it flowed again, rippling and bubbling.
Still in shock, I knelt there, cock out, seed dripping from the tip. A trap flew up onto the shore, filled almost to bursting with giant red craw. Akurra’s hand rose to the surface and waved before disappearing again.
“By the goddess.” I was gulping down air. Laying back on the mossy bank, placing my forearm over my eyes. I had to laugh. “Whoa!” I closed my eyes until my breath returned to normal.
“Luca!” Tara’s voice carried through the swamp. “Luca? Where are you?”
“Oh, shit!” I gathered myself, pulling up my trousers. “Coming!” I picked up the trap filled with red craw and raced back towards the house.
Tara was standing outside the house, wringing her hands. Her worried expression turned to an angry pout once she saw me. “What took you so long?”
“Sorry, I uhm-” What was I to say? Should I confess what I saw? What I did. No. Not all of what I did, I might die of embarrassment telling my sister I had the best orgasm of my life.
“You’re flushed.” Tara put her hand on my cheek and then smoothed it up to my forehead. “You’re warm too.”
“I am!” I blurted, holding out the trap filled with struggling red craw. “Had to fight something for this trap!”
Tara’s mouth flopped open and closed in awe. We had never seen so many giant red craw at once! People considered them a delicacy, one of the tastiest meals from the rivers, but catching them wasn’t easy.
“Luca! This is a treat!” The joy that shone in her eyes added to my contentment. I handed the basket over to her, and she danced with it. “This is like a miracle! What did you put in the traps?”
I couldn’t keep secrets from Tara. I never could. She was the only person in this world I could tell everything. “I saved Akurra!” I blurted it out a little too loudly, far too eager.
Tara stared at me, eyes wide, happiness over giant red craw gone. “What?” She almost laughed at me.
My mouth was going dry. “He was in a net! I mean, did you set a net?”
Tara went white, and her mouth opened slightly as she turned to me. “No.” Her eyes were darting back and forth, unsure of what she should focus on first. Net or Akurra? “So there was a net, and Akurra had gotten stuck in it?” She drawled.
My tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. “Yeah. But we never use nets.”
”Of course not. They’re dangerous here.” Tara set the trap of craw down on the table. “What worries me more is that Akurra, of all things, got trapped in it. But you got him out?”
I fidgeted in my seat, stiffening my back as I tried not to appear so nervous. “Yes.”
Tara was still staring at me; not once had she blinked. “The king of the swamp? The unending river itself?” She set the trap down on the table. “THAT Akurra?”
I nodded.
She was flabbergasted, couldn’t blame her, so was I. “What…what did he do? What did he say?”
I swallowed, nodding again. “He said he would reward me.”
“Reward-” Tara sat herself down and took a few deep breaths. “You’re not pulling my leg, are you? Akurra? Of all things in this swamp? Akurra!”
“I can’t explain it, but I know that is the only thing he could be. It’s like knowing how to breathe or blink. It’s natural to know who he is.” I could still taste him in my mouth, earthy, dark, flowing.
“A reward from Akurra is mythic,” Tara breathed. “You know that, right?”
“I do.” I fidgeted in place. “Gramps used to tell us stories about Akurra. I know what’s going on.”
“What did he do?” Tara sounded breathless.
My face flushed in that instant, and I kept darting my eyes away from her. How do I explain what happened out there? I can’t exactly blurt out to my sister that Akurra gave me the greatest orgasm known to man.
“He kissed me.” It wasn’t exactly a fib, but I still felt nervous Tara would see through me. Like she always did.
Tara sighed, walking back over to the full trap. “A kiss, eh? I bet you enjoyed that.” She said with a laugh.
I giggled along nervously.
Tara picked a few strands of the ripped net from the side of the trap. “This still unnerves me. We’ve never used nets here. So who the hell was in our swamp?”
I shook my head. “That’s what I would like to know.”
Tara sighed heavily, opening the trap to toss craw into the stove pot. “We’ve been having so many issues with thieves lately. It makes me worried.” She looked back at me with a sort of glint in her eyes. “Guess it’s lucky you have Akurra on our side. Maybe he’ll look out for us now.”
I smiled back at her. “You act like I need him! I can take care of us. Mom and Grandpa taught me everything they taught you.”
Smirking back at me, Tara began working on making us a filling supper. “You know I trust you with my life, Luca. But we both know to trust me with the muscle and you with the words.”
I scoffed. “Don’t forget it! Because you’re going to have to rely on me if you ever want to get married.”
Tara scoffed right back at me. “Not all of us are lucky enough to stumble upon Akurra!”
The swift flush of my cheeks brought me right back to Akurra’s embrace, his tongue down my throat, his hands all over me. I drifted off for a moment, thinking about him. He was all I ever wanted; any other fleeting desire or lingering gaze upon men didn’t matter.
That evening, I woke with a horribly dry throat. I coughed and coughed, getting up out of bed and stumbling to the kitchen where I gulped from the water bucket. I stuck my head down inside it, unable to quench my thirst enough.
I sighed under the water, almost breathing it in.
I pulled my head out of the water at the very thought. Breathing? I touched my neck and found the strangest scratches. No, these were not scratches. I fetched the lamp from the table, shakily lighting it before heading to the bathroom.
In the mirror, I inspected myself. The so-called scratches looked faintly purple, like a bruise. But the small, fine slits lay parallel along my jaw on each side.
“What-” my breath caught in my chest. They looked like gills.
“Luca!” Tara shouted from the kitchen. “Breakfast!”
I thought as quickly as I could. “Just a moment!” I searched my room, digging through drawers until I found a scarf. I wrapped it around my neck, double-checking myself in the mirror before Tara saw me.
I went into the kitchen, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. Because I focused on Tara too much, I almost fell off the seat when I sat at the table, sitting on the very corner of the chair.
“I found some eggs this morning, so I did a little-” She stopped when she turned from the stove. “Are you cold or something?” Tara motioned to the scarf around my neck.
I clutched at it, laughing a bit. “Just a little.”
Tara shrugged. “If you’re cold, then stay home. I can make it to town on my own.” She placed our plates on the table.
I pouted slightly. “You sure?”
She nodded quickly, adjusting her boots. “Of course. I’d feel better having someone at home, anyway.” She took a bite of food and then smirked at me. “We need to hold the thieves at bay. Think you can do that?”
I scoffed at her. “As best I can.”
We enjoyed breakfast, but I kept checking my scarf in case. I wasn’t yet ready to reveal the changes I was going through. Tara eventually finished her meal, and I went with her out to the cart.
“I’ll be back this evening. If you get lonely, find Akurra,” she teased.
My face went bright red, and I tried to brush it off. “Just be safe.”
Tara left, heading to fetch the cart. I darted away, going back to the bathroom and taking off the scarf. The gills had grown overnight. The slight bruising now looked like the color of the violet stars, and there was a blue hue going around my throat.
Akurra was changing me. Was this going to be his gift? I was more hoping we could; I don’t know, be boyfriends? Was I being turned into a fish? No, not a fish. Akurra wasn’t a fish. Maybe some sort of amphibian? Last night I could breathe underwater. Maybe that was his plan all along, we would be together in every sense of the word. I could be in the river with him! But…that was scary too. I had Tara to think about.
As soon as I knew Tara was gone, I went outside. I went back to the same place I found Akurra yesterday. The water was flowing; birds were singing. It was as it always had been.
After undressing, I hung my clothes away from the water. I stepped in slowly. The water was ice-cold. I shivered, slowly inching in more and more. Then I plunged.
I saw under the water, following the gentle flow of the river. I was trying my hardest not to breathe, and then, I was. The water rippled along my gills like a cool breeze. I opened my eyes, and to my shock, I could see!
Something came up behind me, grabbing me around my waist and then wrapped around me in a corkscrew motion. Akurra grinned, eyes sparkling like a million stars.
I gasped, trying to speak. But even underwater, that was still impossible.
Akurra kissed me, his long, black tail coiled tight around my body while his hands petted down my chest and then clasped around my face.
I was eager to continue from yesterday, but Akurra removed himself from me and took my hand. We swam together along the river, following the current. He led me deep, deep down into the swamp, towards corners I never would have dared venture alone. The thick trees soon blotted out the sun, and a glow came deep from within the heart of the swamp.
Akurra and I rose from the water, and he placed me on a large smooth stone that was naturally radiating heat from within.
“I’ve never been this far into the swamp,” I murmured, unsure of what else I could say.
“Only idiots and lost souls venture this far,” Akurra purred.
I swallowed. “Am I either one of those?”
“No.” Akurra’s palms pet up my bare legs. Ever so slowly, he spread them open upon the warm stone. “What you are, man-thing, is mine.”
I shuddered, losing my breath for a moment. “Is that why …why I’m changing?”
Akurra chuckled, taking hold of my cock in his hand. “If you are going to be mine, how else would I have you? I cannot take a man-thing into the waters. You would die, and then I would mourn.” His tongue lapped up the length of my cock, and I let out a rather pitiful moan of pleasure and excitement.
“You will change, and then you will join me in my river,” he growled in response. “You will become a king with me, a ruler of the swamp. All you desire will be yours.” His mouth sunk over me, taking my cock into his throat.
I reached out, smoothing my palm over the top of his head. “Oh…Akurra-” His lashes fluttered and my jaw went slack. “Yes! Oh, yes,” I breathed. “That’s amazing!”
A low rumble vibrated along my shaft, deep into my loins and through my brain. I arched my hips, sinking deeper into his throat.
Akurra gripped my ass, sinking his fingers into me. He lifted his head, smirking while his tongue lapped into the crevice of his mouth. “Is that what you want? To shed your man-thing skin and join me?”
I shouldn’t have been thinking about anything else except him, but Tara came into my mind. I couldn’t just leave her.
Akurra laid me down on the stone, slithering up onto me. The tentacles on his hips grasped at me, wrapping around my rear and legs. “Anything you desire, I will grant.” His thumb rested on my lips. “And when the time comes, you too will have my power.” I opened my mouth to allow his thumb to press against my tongue. He pressed against me, something cool and slick rubbed against my thigh.
With a gasp, I let him take me. A pinch, some pressure, and then I was his. Taken by the king of the swamp. I had become part of the unending river.
The smile on his face wavered ever so slightly in his pleasure. His endless eyes never closed; they stared into me, going forever and ever until time was meaningless. I lost myself in him, absorbed by what he gave me.
I was a shivering, shaking pile for him to use. I was greedy to be given all he had; it didn’t matter to me.
I wanted him.
I needed him.
The canopy of the trees hid the sun, so I did not know how long I had been his. All I knew was that I had never, ever, been so drunk on anything before.
“Why me?” I whispered to him as I cuddled against his chest.
He chuckled. “The stars decided.”
The genuine stars or the violet stars? It didn’t matter; I liked his answer regardless. I stayed with him there on that warm rock until my senses returned to me. I didn’t know how late it was, but I needed to return home before Tara realized I was missing.
“Akurra,” I whispered, giving him a gentle shake.
His head rose from under his arm, and he gazed at me, eyes dark for a moment before shining in the dark. “What is it?”
“I need to go home.”
He scoffed, pushing himself up. “Your home should be here. But I understand.” He took me back into the river, swimming until we reached the place we first met. Once again, he handed me a trap full of food, and with a kiss he silently left. I found my clothes where I left them, dressed quickly and found my pants fit strangely.
I raced back home, finding Tara was just putting the cart and the mule away. I came up along the walkway to greet her, waving.
“Glad you’re back!”
“Yeah,” she huffed. “Me too!” She looked disgruntled, flushed around the cheeks, her eyes a little red.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, barely looking at me. “Nothing.” She wiped her nose with her sleeve and walked ahead of me. “I’d rather hear about your day.”
“Well,” I murmured. “I was with Akurra.”
She bristled a bit. “Really?” As she opened the door, she turned to look at me, and her brow pinched. She grabbed my face, turning my head this way and that.
“Tara?” I said with squished cheeks.
She scoffed. “Did he hit you?”
“No!” I exclaimed. “No! We, um…we did nice things!”
She continued to furrow her brow. “You’re like…turning purple.” Her hands smoothed down my cheeks, along my hairline. “Are these scales?”
I yanked away from her, heading to the washroom where I could look in the mirror. I didn’t see them right at first, which made Tara’s sharp eye even more spectacular. Hidden in my hairline were these purple and brown scales, growing towards my cheekbone and around my new gills.
“What sort of nice things are causing my brother to turn into a fish?” Tara huffed, her hands on her hips.
“I’m not turning into a fish!” I snapped.
I saw tears well up in her eyes again, and she raced away from me.
“Tara!” I chased after her to her room. “Tara, something is wrong!”
She slammed her door in my face, and I heard a deep sob from within.
“Hey!” I banged on her door. “Answer me I-” My fist went through her door. There was a moment of stillness, like when the glow of the river stopped. I pulled my fist back through the thick wood, seeing Tara’s shocked face inside.
“Luca?” her voice warbled. “It’s unlocked.”
I opened the door, stepping over the debris from my punch.
Hear tear-filled eyes stared at me in disbelief. I saw a fear ripple through her gaze that she tried to hide. “What was that?”
I shook my head, silent, grasping my hands together. “I don’t…I uhm-”
“It’s Akurra, isn’t it?” She wiped the tears away from her eyes. “Is this his doing?”
I nodded.
She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “This is the last thing I needed, Luca.” She hiccuped.
“What? Tara, what’s going on?” I knelt down before her, taking hold of her hand. “What happened in town?”
“I learned in town today that taxes are going up,” she whimpered. “If you live within the limits of town, it’s not that much. But the further out you live-” She whimpered.
A chill gripped my heart.
“Luca, what do we do?” Tara cried, wrapping her arms around me. I held her tight, burying my face in her shoulder.
There had to be something Akurra could do to help us. Stop the thieves so we could have enough to sell? Find us pearls in the river? I don’t know!
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. We’ve lived here this long, we’re not giving this place up!” I smiled at her, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I promise.”