Chapter Text
A hot summer day a small and skinny boy was outside working in a garden. The clothes he wore was both too big and old, making him look even smaller. If someone would come by and ask him his name he would not be able to answer, since he was mostly called boy or freak by his relatives, and he didn't think that was something someone would name their child. He could, of course, be mistaken but even at four he knew that his relatives was far from normal in their ways of handling him. At least he thought he was still four. His cousin had just had his fifth birthday the day before and even though he didn't believe that they would celebrate his birthday he still believed that they would tell him when it arrived, if just so they could complain that they've had him for another year.
Since he'd been outside working for a couple of hours without any water, it wasn't strange that when he first heard the voice he thought he was imagining it. Especially since the voice was complaining about not finding any juicy mice.
"Hello?" He finally said. "Is there anybody there?"
"A freshly hatched speaker!" The voice said at his feet.
The boy sat down in surprise.
"A snake? I didn't know that snakes could talk."
"Of course we can talk; it's just that you twoleggers usually don’t understand out noble language. What's your name hatchling?"
"Oh, uhm, my relatives usually calls me boy or freak," he blushes slightly. "But I don't think that's my name."
The snake rears back hissing, too angry for any real words.
"No hatchling should be deprived a name, especially not one who speaks our noble tongue! And the skin you wear is too big for you! This is a travesty! A travesty! Don't worry; I'll help you, since this next doesn't seem to take care of you I'll make sure you'll get to one who will."
And before the boy has a chance to protest, not that he would since he believes that anyplace would be better than here, they disappears in a puff of smoke. Left behind is a small puddle of a black tarlike substance, which oozes for a while before sinking into the dirt, leaving a dead spot behind.
The boy, on the other hand, is suddenly somewhere completely different. A place with lots of rocks and grass, and snakes everywhere. Small snakes, large snakes and even snakes in all colors and patterns. There's also a large opening that seems to lead into a cave of some sort.
First he doesn't understand what the snakes are saying, only hearing hissings, but once he shakes his head he can understand them again.
Unknown to him it was his magic that gave him the power to understand parselmouth this time, and not the horcrux. Belief is after all one of the most important thing when it comes to magic.
"Manda! Manda!" The small snake that brought him here quickly disappears into the cave, the small boy hurrying after. "Manda, wake up you big lump of flesh, I need your help!"
The boy can't help stumble back when the boulder in front of him moves and opens an eye.
"Worm, stop your yelling before I crush your insignificant body."
He never knew that a snake could look affronted, at least not until now.
"You overgrown handbag!" The snake sniffs. "Here I come bringing you a newly hatched speaker, and what do you do? Insult me, that's what."
Manda flicks his tongue out, tasting the air before focusing on the child.
"Eh, hello," the boy says when the small snake gives him a nudge.
"Just look at the way those twoleggers treated him, I just knew I needed to rescue him. They haven't even named him."
"Send him to Orochimaru, it's only right to let one speaker name another. He will most likely summon one of us within the next day or so. Lazy bastard that he is, I should just eat him the next time he dares to summon me." Manda flicks his tongue again. "Give the hatchling some better skin to wear and some food." He then closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.
The child follows the small snake out of the cave, listening to it mutter on about arrogant, overgrown, puffed up balloons. It doesn't take long before he's been given some fruits to eat, and after he's shoved into a hot pool of water with orders to clean himself up. His clothes are ripped to pieces and when he tries to protest he's instead presented with a new set. It fits him better than his old ones, a little on the big side and made of what he suspected is snakeskin. But if it is, it's strangely soft and in muted green and brown colors. The child falls asleep in a nest with other hatchlings.
The young boy knows that he should ask questions and demand to be returned to his relatives, but for the first time he can remember he's eaten till he's full, been allowed to have a bath in warm water and is wearing clothes that more or less fits him. Lying in the bed with the rest of the small snakes he feels safe, protected. And around his arm is the small snake that took him here, it has promised to stay with him as long he's here. But had said it couldn't follow him when he would go to his new home, since they wouldn't appreciate his splendor there. The boy isn't certain what splendor means, but knows he will miss the small snake.
The next morning he's presented with more fruits and even some nuts. He also has been claimed by two of the newly hatched snakes, one a bright red color and the other a shimmering black with white markings. They were too small to be able to speak clearly, but they both insisted that he was theirs.
"Not bad," his other snake friend said. "They will be able to protect you when they're bigger. The red one is poisonous and the black one might be able to shoot lightning from his rattle. Well, at least when he grows big enough to get one. Now at the moment they're as helpful as a wristband, they look pretty but the only thing they're good for is a distraction if you would throw them at someone. I on the other hand might not be poisonous, but at least I'm smarter than 90% of the population here, if it wasn't for the fact that my body disagree with chakra I would of course go with you."
The boy wants to ask questions, but has already learnt that he'll be punished if he does. Instead he just gives his friend a small smile.
"Now, it for some reason this doesn't work out for you, don't be afraid to summon Manda. He'll take care of you and will either crush or eat your enemies for you. If he tries to slack of I'll give him a lashing he'll never forget."
He can't help the giggle when he tries to imagine the small snake lecturing the giant one.
The rest of the day is spent playing and talking to different snakes. Not all of them have names, the one that brought him here doesn't and neither does the youngest one. A rather large green ones tells him that he can name the two small snakes that has claimed him, but that he should wait until he has the right names for them. The next day starts of the same way as the last one, but just after lunch three of the snakes come to attentions.
"Oh, we're being summoned, hurry here young speaker."
They curl around him and in a puff of purple smoke he's gone.