“Okay, I know that rock is familiar. Shan, I think we’re going in circles.”

The blonde looked around, her shoulders slumping in defeat. ”Ughh, I think you’re right. Maybe my sense of direction is…not as good as I thought.”

The pre-evening glow shone through gaps in the tree line, bathing the jungle in a beautiful shade of orange. The splendor of it was lost on the two friends, however. This way and that they looked, trying to find some sign of the jungle lessening, or a familiar landmark, but to no avail. For the last several hours Shanai had led the way, confident that she would get them both back to the village. But with the sun starting to set, both women realized they might have to stop for another night.

“Alright, let’s climb this one.” Shanai announced, having spotted a sturdy tree of immense size in the rapidly-darkening clearing. Rina craned her neck up to get a good look at it – this tree was quite a lot larger than the one she’d spent the previous evening in. And it’s not going to be as easy to climb, she noted, circling around and observing the thickness of the trunk and lack of lower branches for easy handholds.

“Shanai, are you sure this one is—Shanai??” Rina sputtered, noticing the blonde had disappeared from view.

“Up here!” came a shout. Rina looked back up, seeing Shanai crawling up the side, hands dug into small recesses in the wood, or gripping an odd knot. She easily maneuvered from one to another, with the grace of a gymnast or a cat.

“Holy $^#@, Shan, how’d you do that?” Rina called up to her.

“It’s easy, come on, just grab hold where I do and swing yourself up!” her friend laughed.

It turned out to be a bit less easy for Rina. After nearly falling a handful of times, Shanai climbed back down and helped her up, gripping her hand and pulling Rina up onto a surprisingly smooth branch that looked sturdy enough to support the weight of them both. Rina sat, leaning back against the trunk, panting and fanning herself. Once she had cooled off, she asked: “Seriously, how the heck did you do that? You’re amazing, I had no idea you could climb a tree this big!”

“It’s not so hard if you know where to look for handholds. And I may have taken a bouldering class or two back in the day.” The blonde replied, her own cheeks flushed with the effort.

“Is that why you picked this tree; for the challenge?” Rina smirked. “Or were you trying to impress me?” she added before she could stop herself.

“Why, did it work?” Shanai flashed back a grin of her own. “No, I just, I dunno. I saw this tree and had a good feeling about it, you know? Like it just felt right. And it looks comfortable enough to me, and a good thing tooooOH!” she yawned, stretching her arms wide as she did so.

Settling herself into a comfortable position, the blonde leaned forward, facing away from her friend as she swung her legs over the side to straddle the branch. “Now, don’t go running off and make me come save you again, Rina” she teased. “Just wake me up if you need to get down to use the bathroom or something.”

“Hah-hah” Rina replied, feeling suddenly embarrassed. “I’ll be fine, Shanai, I already told you, I can take care of myself out here.” She added a touch defensively.

“mm-If yousaysoo...” came the reply. Shanai didn’t seem to have much trouble getting settled in for the night. In fact, she looked perfectly at ease resting on crossed arms, like she did this every day. Within a few minutes, the faint sounds of soft snoring confirmed to Rina that she was already sound asleep.

Rina shifted herself up straight, putting more of her weight against the trunk as she pulled her own legs close. While this tree did seem safe enough, she didn’t want to take any chances this high up. And Shanai’s words needled her.

Maybe I did get lost, but it’s not like I was in any serious danger. And it’s nice out here; I wish I could stay in the jungle, for just a bit longer…

Her thoughts started to wander, imagining herself making a life out in the jungle: hunting for her own food, bathing in fresh streams, napping whenever and wherever she pleased, without the worry of a job or paying rent. No one to tell her what to do, or how to live. It was nice, if maybe a bit lonely…

Rina glanced over at Shanai, thoughts and feelings tripping over one another inside her. A strange sensation of being watched settled over her, snapping the restless woman out of her reverie. She looked left, then right, then finally up into the leafy canopy of their tree. Suddenly, the realization hit.

Wait, this is just like…!

“Pssh, wouldn’t that be something.” she snorted aloud.

Come on, Rina, you’ve gotta stop fantasizing. Maybe you watched that movie a few TOO many times.

She shook her head and looked away, just missing faint signs of movement. Something just out of sight had shifted amongst the leaves. A pair of yellow eyes blinked in and out of view. A soft, almost imperceptible rustle, a nearly silent hissss, and the movement of something long and scaled unwinding slowly. A spade-shaped serpentine head descended into view, looking down at the two girls.

Ssssimply perfect! Kaa thought, glancing with approval at the sleeping blonde. Jussst asss instructed, my sssweet Sssshanai, he chuckled to himself.

And now, for the other…that delicssciousss dancssser… He slithered down, closer and closer to the raven-haired woman who had eluded him.

Rina struggled to get comfortable. She shifted her legs, doubt and embarrassment gnawing at her, warring with her stubborn pride and desires that lurked beneath the surface of her consciousness.

We’re in this mess because of me. I just couldn’t resist running off to be a ‘jungle girl’, she thought glumly. Not to mention fantasizing about meeting a talking snake, like that could actually happen…

She turned again, and locked eyes with the serpent observing her from a few feet away.

“Well, what’sss thisss? Whatever isssss a human doing out here, sssoo far in the jungle?”

Rina’s jaw dropped open. She stared. Then slapped herself. Then stared again. Finally, her eyes went wide, and she made a barely-suppressed sound, like a tiny amount of air being let out of a very full balloon.

“Oh. My. GOD. Are you ACTUALLY real?!” She blurted out louder than she’d meant to.

“Are you….Kaa?” She added in a whisper, barely containing her excitement.

Kaa blinked in genuine surprise. He was just about to open his mouth to ask how this human knew his name, when a stirring sound behind them grabbed his attention. His mind raced as he shifted his neck to look behind; could she have remembered after all?

“Riina, can you keep it down?? It’s late, go to sleep, already…” Shanai mumbled into her crossed arms, without looking up.

Kaa let go of the breath he’d been holding, sighing silently in relief. He shifted his attention back to Rina, nodding wickedly to himself.

I’m not sssure how you know my name, but I have sssutble little wayss to find out.

Still, he wanted to be cautious; no need to risk waking Shanai up until he’d had his fun. He shifted silently, positioning himself just above the raven-haired human, eyes beginning to glow with color.

Shanai’s chiding had momentarily distracted Rina as well, tearing her dumbstruck focus away from Kaa. As the blonde settled back down to sleep, however, her mind snapped back into focus. She blinked, noticing that the cunning snake had disappeared from her periphery. Her head nervously darted around, left, then right, as she whispered “Uhh, Kaa?” into the darkness. As if in answer, a low hissssssss drew her attention upward.

“Sshe’ss right, you know…”

Rina tilted her head up, a sight she’d long fantasized about seeing suddenly filling her vision. Her eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped from her lips.

“It isss quite late, so…” Kaa’s face came closer, the enticing loops of color emanating from his eyes inviting Rina to lose herself in their depths. The serpent lowered himself slowly as he spoke, making sure to keep eye contact as he drew level with her face.

“Why don’t you...” He reared up, pulling ever so slightly away.

A surge of excitement coursed through Rina’s body. She shivered in anticipation.

Oh my god, he’s really…

“Go to sssleeeep~” Kaa intoned, drawing out the words with seductive purpose. His head began to sway side to side, like a serpentine pendulum. The woman’s eyes tracked the motion, and soon her head followed, bobbing along in a lazy figure-eight as if unable to look away.

“Sssleeeeeep, little Rina...” Kaa continued, his spade-shaped head swaying in front of her. His serpentine smile widened as he saw the pupils of his prey shrink down to pinpricks, then disappear entirely, slowly replaced by mirrored spirals of hypnotic color.

Rina’s heart continued to pound, but her mind was slowing down as she took in more of the dazzling display before her.

Kaa’s really…hypno…tizing me…

But how-how is he…real?

What if--what if he’s hungry? Would he…eat me? Or Shanai?

Another, colder chill ran up her spine. She forced her open mouth to move with intense effort.

“K-Kaa, I-“ She started to mumble, not entirely sure of what she was trying to say.

“Sssshhh…no more talking, little one…” Kaa suddenly interrupted, nodding his head up and down in front of her face, delighted to see the semi-spellbound señorita mimic his movements. “Jussst keep ssstaring into my eyesss, if you pleassse…”

Rina felt her head nod up and down in acquiescence with no conscious effort on her part; whatever words she had planned to say simply vanished from her lips. She stared deeper into the colorful display. Blue. Yellow. Purple. Each time the sequence repeated, they seemed to overlap, almost blending into one another. Rina’s thoughts grew hazier, her worries melting away into the colors. A spark ignited somewhere in her core, spreading slowly throughout her sluggish body.

Oh-ooh..kay…

While he continued his captivating display in front of her, Kaa’s tail began to snake its way down from the canopy above, slithering towards the bedazzled beauty from behind.

“Go to sssleeeeep, pleassse, go to SssssSSssleeeeep…” the serpent drew out the seductive, sibilant words as he swayed.

The heat had reached Rina’s face, tinting her cheeks crimson. Her toes curled and uncurled. The total command that Kaa already had over her body, the hypnotic power of his eyes and words were more intense than anything even Rina’s vivid imagination had conjured. She tried willing her arms to move, her nether regions begging her for stimulation. Much like the rest of her body, however, they seemed unresponsive to her own wishes. Desperately, she began to shift her hips slightly forward, and back.

After his missed opportunity the night before, Kaa was thoroughly enjoying toying with his prey. His tail crept closer, nearing the woman’s petite waist. Only then did he notice the subtle movements of her hips, the flush of her face, and the deepening wet spot spreading across the little strip of fabric covering her crotch.

Oh? Is sshe enjoying thiss sso much, already?

He laughed in a sibilant hisssss, as another delicious idea occurred to him.

“You poor, helpless thing…let me help you with that...” The tail, which had started to encircle her waist, suddenly changed course. Rina gasped, her spiraling eyes crossing for just a moment before returning to Kaa’s colorful depths.

After slipping beneath the damp fabric, the tail curled around Rina’s rear, soft scales sliding over and rubbing across her most sensitive areas. Her mind clouded over, the assault on her senses threatening to overwhelm her completely. She was dimly aware of a floating sensation, but whether it was caused by the enthralling euphoria of Kaa’s eyes, words, scales, or something else was beyond her.

Having supplanted the tree branch as a seat for the raven-haired human, Kaa began to lift her slowly into the air, as his tail shifted and wound up and around her. The coils between her legs grew thicker and thicker, until the sound of fabric tearing apart rent the air, and the remains of Rina’s soiled panties fluttered and disappeared into the darkness below.

His eyes were so much closer now, the irresistible orbs of color growing to encompass more and more of Rina’s vision. They seemed to blend together, leaving everything in the background – the night sky, the tree, Shanai, to fade away. The slithering length of coils continued sliding against her slickness, as the tail curved up the small of her back. Unable to speak, Rina began to moan softly, her legs quivering in the open air.

The tail wound on to the right, looping back over the woman’s upper midriff, pinning her arms to her sides in the process. It slithered across, pushing up her lovely breasts, tantalizingly contained within a stretched strip of fabric. Eyeing the remaining piece of silk standing between him and a complete view of his salacious snack, Kaa circled back around and paused to grab a tail-full.

“Now, now, there’ss no need for sssuch thingsss in the jungle” he teased, tugging playfully on the bra.

“But sssince you are a bit…tied up, allow me…” he hissed amusedly, giving another, stronger pull. Rina’s moan morphed into a gasp as her bare breasts, freed from their silky prison, settled comfortably onto cool, shifting scales. Kaa chuckled to himself and continued to ascend, bringing the increasingly-entranced woman slowly but surely to a higher, more private part of the canopy…