1 Once Upon A Time

The mountain yawned, making the earth below my feet shake. I held onto a nearby tree and when everything stopped moving, started walking the path up.

"So, Aly." Said Fang from my neck "What about what I asked you?"

"I told you, I'm not answering" I said to him, with a sly smile. For one thing I manage to hide from him and now he was getting curious about it.

"Oh, come on, it's my name! Don't I deserve to know the why behind it?" He slithered from my neck to my arm and I rose my hand, so we could talk face to face. Fang's black, yellow and red body curled around it, and he directed his shiny eyes, one blue, one green to mine.

"Not if I don't tell you"

Fang's head dropped dramatically "Oh, the cruelty, the lack of empathy! I can't believe it!"

"And I can't believe you care so much about it" I roll my eyes. Fang responded in kind.

After a few more minutes of walking he spoke again "I mean, it can't be just because I have fangs. That's so painfully uncreative. I expect better from you"

"It's not just because you have them, but I'm not saying anything anymore"

"Really? I'm sure I can find a way to convince you. How about this: next time I save your life you'll tell me"

"Not soon, then."

"Hey!"

We continued our banter until we arrived at the rock, almost perfectly round and against the rest of a tree it took down when it fell rolling downhill.

"Remind me again why this stone is so important for your spell?" asked Fang, with a dry tone "Witchcraft it's so complicated. I still don't know how you cannot simply... do the stuff you do."

"I'm not fully magical, Fang. I need rituals and spells to do magic."

"I know, but it's just so weird to me."

Ignoring this conversation, that we've had a million times, I touch the rock and let its memories overflow me. Millions of years as part of the mountain watching the world around change dramatically, or not change at interludes of time. Then thousands of years breaking apart until in what feels like less of a second, it falls and it's left here to repeat the cycle.

I focus on its time at the top, visualizing the snow, the view of the far away sea at the north, the forest at the south. I close my eyes.

And then the air around turns cold.

When my eyes opened again, the sky was cloudless above and the snow crunched below my feet.

Fang hissed in discomfort and slithered down until he was comfortable under my coat.

I descended some meters, careful not to slip with the snow until I arrived at a particular cave and sit at its entrance.

"Hello, Mister Mountain" I said to the interior of the cave. It trembled a little when he responded, his voice thundering but serene.

"Good day... young wizard."

"Is everything fine today?"

"Yes, indeed. No troubles... in this old mountain..."

"Okay. And have you seen anything around?"

"Nothing... out of the ordinary..."

"Okay. Thank you!"

"Your welcome..."

And with that, the mountain went back to sleep for what's left of the day. Fang peeked out.

"Another normal day, uh? And here I thought I'll heroically save your life today"

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with any personal want of yours"

"Of course not! You're my best friend"

With a single digit I pet his head the way he likes it. He closes his eyes and hisses, satisfied.

"Let's go back home before I freeze to death" he says.

Back in the city we find ourselves in the noisy streets. The pure air of the mountain and his trees has turned into the smoke filled breath of cars. Despite it, I don't prefer one over the other. The city has its own charm, with parks filled with the laugh of children, libraries and bookstores, beautifully made buildings, museums.

"Big brother Al!"

A little girl with black pigtails and freckles all over her nose and cheeks flashed a bright smile as she ran at me. I returned the smile and picked her up when she reached me.

"Hello, Nieve."

"Al, when are you coming home again?!"

"When I have time Niv. You know I'm busy."

"Awwww. But you will tell me fairy tales when you come, right?"

"Of course."

As Nieve laughed, her mother walked to us. I can see her reach into her bag while she comes closer and something in my gut twists with shame.

"Hello, Alyosha, dear." she said and finished taking some cash out of the bag. I hurry in rejecting it but Miss García insists and shoves the money in my hand before going on her way with her daughter.

We waved goodbye and I looked at the money in my hand. Sight.

"What's the problem? They always give you money. You should be more grateful you know. They're being kind and we get money." Said Fang

"But she gives it to me because she thinks my mother is ill."

"Take it as payment. Nobody in this city knows what you do for them. You deserve a reward."

"But I'm lying to them. And they are always so kind..."

"And you're too nice for both of our own goods." he finished and kept quiet for the rest of the walk home. Thankfully so, since talking to the supposedly fake snake around my neck made me look crazy.

Finally, we reached the old house. On the outside it was almost in ruins, with few signs that it was inhabited. Two floors and a basement. A big house, supposedly owned by an ill woman whose son worked and took care of everything for her. Of course, it was a lie. Only Fang and I lived there.

Once inside, the house is much more comfortable. A white couch with blue and red cushions in front of the fireplace and a table with poppies on a vase. Fang slithers to the couch and when I'm at his side he's already transformed.

Fang's human form barely qualified as that, actually. His pupils were still slits, his fangs prominent and his hair mixed blond, black and red locks. However, the way he adjusted his shape in the couch and sighted was completely human. Due to his appearance, he usually just transformed when we were alone though.

"Do you want tea?" I asked him.

"Sure."

"You know," I started walking to the kitchen "I thought familiars were the ones to serve their masters not the other way around."

"Ah, but you have to feed your familiars to keep them at your side."

"Point taken."

As I opened the door I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Fang up and looking behind me with his eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" I looked in front of me again. Nothing but the kitchen sink and the window above but I knew better than to ignore Fang when he was suspicious "Tell me, Fang, what-"

And suddenly the ground was in front of my face. I landed with a loud thumb as something whistled over my head, followed by the sound of something hitting the wall. But no sound of that something falling to the ground after that.

"You're okay?!" I heard Fang on top of me, alarmed.

"Calm down. I'm fine." I said "What was that?"

"I don't know. I heard it coming, though. Let me go take a look at it."

I nodded "Be careful."

Fang comes back soon with a little thin golden arrow. Or at least it looked like an arrow but-

"A clock hand? The ticking people?"

"It was stuck in the wall. Why would they attack us?"

"I doubt it was an attack. Probably another experiment"

Fang rolled his eyes "Do all their experiments have to be dangerous for us? Maybe they want to kill us and are just faking being friendly"

"I believe it's my option. They are the ticking people, Fang. Their experiments are, well, their experiments"

"And what are you going to do? Wag their finger at them again? I could give them a little scare, you know?" He smiles, showing all of his teeth.

I refused. Why use fear to control the friendly folk that surrounded the town when I could talk to them? I'd much rather keep it friendly when I could. Fang gives me a look that tells his opinion on the matter, but he doesn't insist further. We knew each other well enough for trying to convince the other of something they've already decided about.

"Hey, wait a minute" he suddenly said and his face illuminated " That clock thing was pretty sharp. Does that mean I've saved your life?"

"Ugh"

"Ugh, nothing! Confess, now!"

"Okay... I chose that name because I thought they looked cute"

"Cu- cute?!" Fang exclaims. I burst into laughter at his expression, blushed and offended at the same time "You're incredible." He grabbed my face and pinched my cheeks trying to pull down my smile "You have a snake familiar -a SNAKE- and you name it after his fangs because you think they're cute!" he kept pulling down my cheeks but I didn't stop laughing.

We'd see what's the deal with the ticking people tomorrow. For now this was fine. Better than just fine.