Hidden Creatures

Yenuno (Male Naga Reader x Female Human)

Nagas have always been a secretive, anti-social bunch, so when other creatures decided to integrate into human society, nagas collectively, without actually conferencing with each other, decided to stay in the shadows. It was that decision that led to my current problem.

My kind is dying.

Not all nagas, though, just my species. We call ourselves Blue Gills, though we don't really have gills. Our ancient ancestors used to be water creatures, we think. We've kept to the same forest since before written history, never venturing further than the edge. Out of all the different breeds, ours are especially isolated, and we like it that way. We're not a hostile breed, we're just... shy, and don't like company. I guess it's not surprising we're dying out.

A preservation group call the Cryptid Conservation Society did a census of the forest dwelling creatures, like nagas and driders and such, and found that there were only four males of my species left, and no females. The other three didn't seem too concerned with the potential extinction of our kind, but I was naturally alarmed. When they offered me a chance to help repopulate the species, I was hesitant, but I accepted.

Male nagas both create the eggs and fertilize them, but the eggs needed a warm, wet, living place to gestate until they hardened and needed to be laid. They needed a womb. Since there were no females of our species left, that meant that I would have to breed with another species whose bodies were strong enough to carry the eggs safely, but whose genetics would allow the progeny to maintain the physical characteristics of our kind.

Unfortunately, there weren't many species that fit this criteria. Vampires, driders, most beast-people, bird-people, dryads, and insectoids were either physically or genetically incompatible. The genetics of orcs, werewolves, trolls, centaurs, gnolls, and elves were too strong. That left fauns, certain kinds of demons (who were also solitary creatures), and humans.

Apparently, I'm given to understand that humans do this sort of thing all the time: there were human women who were paid to carry the children of others and give them to the parents when they were born. It seemed like the best option, so the Conservation Society had sent out messages to women on the human surrogate list, hoping to get at least one reply. And they did, but only one.

She had accepted the request, filled out all the appropriate paperwork, passed all the medical and psychological tests, and was approved for the surrogacy within a week. She had even agreed to carry multiple clutches and work as a surrogate for as long as the Society needed, or until another surrogate took her place.

It might seem strange, but this was similar to how most naga species bred. The males and females often didn't stay together after the breeding. It was a biological imperative that needed fulfilling, but once it was over, the eggs would stay with whichever parent decided they wanted them. Often, a clutch would be split between the two and they'd go their separate ways. Love, devotion, and mating for life were rare occurrences between our people.

Again, it's no wonder we were on the brink of extinction.

I was given final approval of the surrogate. I had to be taught to read the human's language to do so, but that was easy enough. She seemed suitable. Her information was alien and her picture was unremarkable; human women all looked alike to me. But she had apparently been a surrogate once before to a troll and dwarf couple. The dwarf woman was far too small to carry the troll's child safely, and the surrogate in question had carried a healthy son for them.

I could see why she was the most obvious choice. It was uncommon for humans to be surrogates for non-humans. Her openness to help a species outside of her own made her ideal.