“Eehhhuuugh!” Rina angrily swatted aside a large monstera leaf in her way, fuming.

For the last hour she’d been walking with no particular destination, cutting a wandering path through the jungle. She stepped over fallen logs thick with moss, ducked under low-hanging branches and followed a distant but steadily increasing roar of running water. Emerging from the brush, Rina beheld its source at last: a mighty waterfall, running along an outcropping of stone that flowed majestically into a yawning cavern, disappearing out of sight. She stopped short, its awe-inspiring beauty momentarily softening her foul mood.

“Oh, wow…” Rina approached, carefully stepping along a slippery stone that jutted out from the path towards the waterfall. She eased herself into a sitting position, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the outcropping. The waterfall surged relentlessly, its roar a white noise as cool, churning water cascaded down into the cavernous opening below. Rina leaned back, relishing the refreshing feeling of water occasionally flecking her sore legs and feet.

Try as she might, she couldn’t let herself completely relax. In her mind, the fight with Shanai played over and over again, hardening the knot that had formed in her stomach. She’d been extremely foolish and irresponsible, she knew, to go barging off into the jungle with no supplies, guide, or even a word to Shanai about it, so how had she expected her best friend to react?? Forget best friends, what even were they now? Things could get so messy when two people who had long known one another got entangled in an altogether different way. Rina hugged her legs, face flushed with embarrassment.

All you wanted was to be a jungle girl for a night.

It was Shanai who chose to follow you.

And it was Shanai who got you both lost.

You’d probably both be back safe and sound at the village by now if Shanai hadn’t been so stubborn about leading the way.

The venom in that last thought surprised her. With a burst of restless and reckless energy she stood suddenly, seizing a handful of pebbles and throwing them as hard as she could at the waterfall in quick succession. When those had been exhausted, she grabbed fallen twigs, or even small, dead branches and did the same, shouting at the waterfall like it was the cause of her worries.

At last, throwables and expletives exhausted, Rina felt some of her tension relax. She shook her head, still a tangle of conflicting emotions. Turning from the waterfall, the scantily clad woman continued along the overgrown path. Her anger at Shanai had evaporated into frustration at feeling misunderstood, blended with a bitter pang of guilt and shame for dragging her along on a harebrained misadventure.

She passed under arches of fallen trees, ancient and moss-covered, but hardly noticed or cared. Shanai had definitely been acting weird, well before earlier, she decided. She had never been that openly flirty before, and why the hell had she felt the need to lie about the snake?

The snake…

Something tugged at the back of Rina’s mind. Her fantasy of meeting Kaa, of having a hypnotic experience out here, in the wilderness, and the vividness of the previous night’s dream seemed to merge into one. An abrupt rustling in a tree up ahead caught her attention, dispelling the line of thought. She looked up, as a flying fox leapt from a branch, gliding away into the distance.

Yeah, I’d avoid me too right now, she thought glumly, and walked on.

Concealed in the greenery of an older, thicker tree a familiar python watched the woman patiently. Catching her scent had been easy enough, and her casual pace had made it a simple matter to catch up and slither on ahead. Now, curled securely around several sturdy branches, he shivered in anticipation at the woman’s approach.

Thisss time, you won’t be getting away…

His tail silently unwound itself, shifting and slither down behind the tree. Below, his prey had stopped, leaning against the trunk and fanning herself with one hand.

A bit of exertion had helped lift her mood somewhat, but Rina was still far from pleased. She slumped down to the base of the tree, letting the faint wisp of a breeze cool her heated skin. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and trying not to think of all the things that vexed her.

Kaa’s tail emerged slowly from the side of the trunk, inching towards the woman, and…

“Eeeep! Shanai, what the fuhh…” Rina leapt to her feet, turning to look behind as something tapped her on the shoulder. Seeing no one, a spike of anxiety hit her like a bucket of icy water.

Crap, she thought. Shanai was right, the jungle was a dangerous place. Rina had gotten on fine so far, but she couldn’t afford to be so distracted that some unknown predator could sneak right up on her. Another rustling from the leaves above, and her gaze tilted up, as a very familiar spade-shaped serpentine head emerged from the greenery.

“Ohmi-Kaa?! It’s you?”

The snake regarded her with wry amusement. “Indeed it is. And it isss so lovely to ssee you again, Rina.”

She blinked, a sudden understanding dawning.

“So…you are real! You’re really here! And you, I—we’ve met before..!”

“But of course! I had heard all about you from Ssshanai—” Rina flinched at the sound of her friend’s name, anger and shame returning.

“Is something wrong, my dear?” Kaa asked, catching the movement.

“It’s…it’s nothing. I just didn’t realize you and Shanai were friends…” Her fists tightened unconsciously. “She hadn’t mentioned you.”

“Ah…Perhapsss she ssimply wished not to sscare you? I underssstand that to most humans a ‘talking snake’ iss rather…unexpected.”

Rina couldn’t help it; at ‘talking snake’, Kaa had actually made a passable air-quote gesture with his tail, and by the time he’d finished speaking she could no longer contain her laughter. Catching her breath, she felt some of her tension release, and actually smiled at the snake.

“I’m sorry—that was actually amazing. It’s just that this whole situation is so surreal, and not just because you’re a…well, ‘talking snake.’ How exactly do you know Shan, anyway?” She looked up at him; Kaa had slithered closer, waiting patiently while she recovered.

“Oh? We met a few nightss ago. Before she found you—sshe was quite worried, you ssee, and lossst. I was able to provide her with sssome…assisstancsse.”

Rina squinted, suspicious. “And you, what, gave her directions?”

“Sssomething like that.” Kaa’s tail had snaked its way out of sight and now returned, lowering itself softly onto Rina’s shoulder. She almost protested, but changed her mind as the smooth scales rubbed over her sore muscles—the feeling was incredible.

“Shanai ssseemed most dissstraught earlier,” he continued. “After your…disssagreement.” Rina winced at that, but said nothing. Thicker loops of coils shifted above the woman, draping down over her other shoulder as well. “Not to worry, though…I wasss able to calm her down, and sshe is feeling much better now…”

That got Rina’s attention. Shooting Kaa a searching glance, eyes narrowed as she did her best to pretend the coils sliding over her were not setting her nerves alight at all. “How exactly did you do that, Kaa?”

A smirk from the python. “Oh, I have my own…” he paused, as if thinking of the right words. “Sssubtle little ways…I can be quite persssuasive, when I need to.” The coils shifted on Rina’s shoulders.

“Do you mean…did you…” She flushed, almost embarrassed to suggest it. “hypnotize her..?” she finished at last, her face scarlet.

“Hypnosisss? What an oddly specific thing to ssugesssst…isss that ssssomething you are interessssted in?” Kaa seemed to loom before her, his expression hungry.

Rina’s legs rubbed against one another subconsciously. Her mouth felt suddenly dry. Still, she needed to be on her guard; Kaa was, after all, a potentially dangerous predator.

“I, um—I should go!” She wriggled out of the coils, and turned to walk away. Kaa’s tail darted forward, wrapping quickly around her ankle. She nearly lost her balance as it tugged, her arms flailing for balance.

“Hey!" She hopped on one foot, furiously trying to unwrap the knot of tail while Kaa chortled.

“You know, it’sss rather rude to walk away from sssomeone when you’re sspeaking to them.” Kaa teased, loosening the tail-snare so that Rina could free her ankle at last. She turned, hugging herself and averting her gaze, as Kaa circled around her.

“Have I sssaid something to offend you?” he drew closer.

“N-no, I just—” she started to stammer

“Eyes over here, if you pleassse…”, Kaa interrupted, his tail cupping her chin and turning her head to face his, hypnotic rings of color already pulsing in his own eyes.

Rina sucked in a breath, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Everything about the moment felt ripped straight from her own fantasies: scantily clad, alone in the jungle, face to face with an improbably real, impossibly seductive Kaa. The colors beckoned her to relax; to give in to her longing, and her lust.

But…Shanai, she’s…

With a monumental burst of effort, Rina tore her eyes away from the snake, turning her head and scrunching her eyes tight. “I can’t! I know what you’re up to!”

If Kaa was surprised by her show of resistance, he didn’t let on. “I sssee…you don’t trussst me. How unfortunate...” The serpent shook his head, sadly.

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“I wass under the impression that you wisshed to…ssstay in the jungle?”

Rina was floored. “You…you know?”

“Of course…Why do you think your dear Sshanai sought me out?”

Rina’s face fell, her suspicion returning. “Hold up, are you saying that Shan sent you to talk me out of it? God, she’s so stubborn!”

That makes two of you, for now, Kaa smiled to himself.

“On the contrary, Rina,” he smiled, the tail draping over her shoulders once more as he slithered closer. “I think it is a lovely idea. And I could sssertainly help…” coils slid further down, the tail-tip teasing the woman’s side before gently curving around her thigh.

Rina’s breathing grew heavier – the rhythmic massage of cool scales and the closeness of Kaa’s face relaxing and flustering her all at once. A small voice in her head warned she was playing a dangerous game, not trying to immediately escape – but it was soon drowned out by the thumping of her heart, and the heat kindling in her loins.

Kaa drew nearer. The tailtip continued exploring her curvature, sliding back around just below her rear. Rina shivered. She backed up half a quivering step, managing in a small voice “What would I have to do?”

“It’s easssy, my jungle flower—” Kaa drew up, pulling Rina towards him so that their faces nearly touched, snout to nose. His eyes morphed into a mesmerizing display of purple, blue and yellow rings, faster than before. “You musst sssimply…trussst in me…”

Rina’s own eyes went wide. The cautious voice in the back of her head squeaked out a warning, but it was quickly silenced as the enticing colors hit her at full force. She gaped, open-mouth, as her own pupils began to shrink down to mere pinpricks, before disappearing entirely into a mirrored array of hypnotic color. The coils over her shoulder held her firmly, yet gently in place, continuing their rhythmic massage. Rina’s thoughts were becoming more and more muddled by the second. All the stresses, anxieties, worries and doubts of the last few days ebbed slowly away. Her lips started to curl into the ghost of a smile.

The slithering tail found its mark, plunging between the increasingly entranced woman’s thighs. It continued on, emerging just under her rapidly-dampening, improvised loincloth. Looping into the garment, it gave a teasing tug, then a second, unraveling the soiled fabric and sending it to the ground in a heap.

Rina hardly noticed; her vision swam with spirals, her thoughts aflame with desire. She was starting to realize the real reason she’d gone into the jungle -- the secret, impossible hope that she’d wanted this to happen. Her flower dripped freely onto the coils rubbing between her thighs. She moaned softly, staring into the depths of Kaa’s eyes.

“Yesss, that’ss it, Rina. Jussst let yourssself give in, to my eyesss…my wordsss…and my touch…” The tail rubbed more firmly against her folds, and wound upward, sliding over her hips, around the small of her back, and across her midsection, teasing her sensitive belly. She ground her hips, staring, stupefied as Kaa pleasured and bound her at once.

“You trusssst me…don’t you, Rina?”

“I…” Colors, coils and pleasure consumed her consciousness, leaving little room for thought, let alone words.

“Yessss?” The serpent prompted, his head swaying side to side, delighting at the sight of Rina helplessly following along. His tail slid up her back, gripping and unknotting the tied scrap of fabric that had served as a bra. It fell away as the tail retreated, leaving her bare breasts exposed in the open air.

“I truh-uussst…Oooah…” her spiraling eyes widened as the shifting coils reversed course, rubbing her most sensitive spots now in the opposite direction. Shreds of lingering doubt and regret washed further away from her with each colorful loop.

I can…stay here, with Kaa…

I can be a jungle girl…

Can be his…jungle girl…

Her smile widened at the thought. Kaa’s tail continued to unwind, pulling back to just between her shivering legs. It reversed once more, then back, the tip curling to tease and stroke her womanhood just so. She moaned again, louder.

“Now, now, focusss, Riiina,” Kaa paused his stroking and leaned close, pulling her forward so that their faces were touching. “Who do you…trussssst?”

Oh, god this is so…

So good, don’t stop, please—

What’s that? He’s…asking

Yessss…

““Kaaaaaahh…..” she moaned out.

“Goood girl~” The serpent pulled away and smiled back at her. Slowly, he unraveled the remaining coils, until Rina stood completely naked, staring into his eyes, quivering. She swayed on unsteady feet, as though drunk on lust and his hypnotic spirals.

Oh yesss, She isss sssertainly ready…

Shifting his bulk, Kaa lowered more of his considerable length, forming a loose set of stairs from his coils, leading up into the tree. He beckoned to her with his tail, nodding as the captivated cutie mimicked the movement.

“Then come with me, my lovely jungle flower. Your new home awaits…”

“Yess….Kaaa…” Rina sighed contentedly. Though her legs felt sluggish, she quickly found her footing, drawn forward almost magnetically. Step by step, her soft soles soon found smooth scales that led her up and up, her thoughts filled with obedience and submission to the snake that had so thoroughly charmed her.