A strange noise woke Shanai from what had been a rather pleasant dream. She blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the dark of the hut’s interior. Because of the warm night air, she’d needed no blanket over the hammock that swayed in the slight breeze. The gentle rocking sensation relaxed and called the blonde back to a blissful sleep. Shanai yawned, a cute confession of sleepiness escaping her lips. Her eyelids began to flutter, and slowly closed.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by the snapping of a twig, somewhere just outside the hut. Shanai blinked her eyes open suddenly, her senses now on alert. She knew with the jungle so close, nocturnal predators could be a danger. Though the villagers had repeatedly assured her of the safety on this side of the trees, Shanai still had her doubts, this near to nature. Luckily, her companion was pretty knowledgeable about that sort of thing.

“Psst, Rina, you awake?” she whispered to the dark silhouette of the twin hammock hanging a few feet away.

She heard no response.

“I think there’s something out-“ Shanai crept slowly out of her own hammock and stopped short when she noticed.

Rina’s own hammock was empty!

“Shit, shit, shiiiiit!!” The blonde hissed through her teeth. She looked quickly side-to-side, wondering where her friend could have run off to. Maybe the bathroom? The village well? She had to check to make sure.

Shanai dressed quickly, throwing on the light and comfortable cropped choli top the villagers had gifted her, as well as an ankle-length skirt, which they had called a lehenga. Her hiking boots, along with the rest of the clothes she’d packed had been getting cleaned of travel grime and washed by their hosts – and were still probably drying off. Shanai bit her lip, hoping she didn’t have to walk barefoot too far to find Rina. Pulling up the skirt just a bit, the woman stepped out into the night.

Now, where could you be?

She glanced around, keeping her guard up in case something like a tiger came up out of the darkness. A sound – no, a series of sounds – footsteps! They were coming, no…heading, off into the distance. Shanai squinted and tried to find their source. Near the darkness of the trees, something red flashed briefly. The footsteps stopped, replaced by a rustling, as of foliage being bent back – someone clearing a path into the jungle.

As she stared, Shanai thought she could make out a few details: a familiar profile, and a glossy, wavy bob of raven-black hair. Her eyes widened.

“…Rina!” She called in a stage whisper. But the scantily-clad woman had disappeared into the darkness.

---

Rina’s heart thumped with excitement as she stepped lightly through the dark undergrowth, her way guided by the light of her phone held aloft. Clad only in the underwear she’d gone to bed in – a salacious pair of red silk panties and a matching strapless bra, the woman was rather…underdressed for a trek through such a wild place as the jungle, let alone in the middle of the night. None of that seemed to bother her, however, as she continued along a trail of her own making.

Now, I just have to be careful to mark my surroundings, so I can get back safely.

With such confidence, the raven-haired woman snapped a few quick photos of a few particularly large trees, and a smooth looking stone large enough to sit against, before continuing on.

This is a little crazy though, isn’t it? I mean, I’m out here, in the middle of the Jungle, at night, alone…

…aaaah, it’s so exciting!!

She passed through clearings strewn with countless fallen leaves, and undergrowth so thick as to conceal the jungle floor. Nocturnal animals paused their nightly activities to stare at the strange, nearly-naked woman wandering by. The trees seemed longer and thicker as Rina ventured deeper under their canopies, until even the light of the moon seemed to dim. Still she continued, as if searching for something in the deep dark of the jungle – pausing only to note a small stream or particularly gnarled tree.

By now her eyes were more adjusted to the darkness, and Rina felt more comfortable walking along in bare feet. Up ahead she spied a break in the trees, and the faint twinkling of stars overhead. She pushed forward, emerging into a clearing at the base of a moonlit pool of water that stretched away into the distance. She paused to marvel at its beauty, inhaling a deep, calming breath. Even at night, the jungle air was pleasantly warm on her skin, and a soft breeze kissed her back, cooling the drops of sweat that she had yet to wipe away. She sighed, breaking the contemplative silence.

Qué belleza…it’s so calming here, no city noise, no demanding expectations, just me…and the jungle…

Putting her phone and a small black clamshell-like device safely on the dry bank, Rina stepped carefully onto a flat stone that emerged partially from the water, before hopping onto another positioned a bit higher up. After testing its stability, she sat, swinging her bare legs around to bring them just above the water level. Casually, she dipped a toe into the water, and, finding it to be a perfectly comfortable temperature, let her feet relax fully up to her ankles. She watched as ripples began and spread outward as she idly kicked her feet. They flowed further and further out, followed by new rings, then more, a seemingly endless pattern…

Just like Kaa’s eyes… Rina thought, a hint of red stealing into her cheeks.

That’s right! She remembered suddenly. This whole trip, all of this, started with that silly snake. Him and his colorful eyes, and those strong coils, and…

Rina’s eyes closed as she lost herself in the fantasy for a moment. Her foot slipped against the wet side of the stone suddenly, and a spray of water from the resulting kick splashed her square in the face.

“Ughh! Blech” She wiped it off with the back of her hands, the moment literally rained on. Standing up, she shook out her bangs and hopped back to the bank, looking a bit more like the wild jungle girl she wanted to be. Once fully dry, she collected her things and continued on, never noticing a slight rustle in the trees up above…

Something brown and black shifted in the darkness. A lengthy mass, wrapped around thick tree branches slowly, rhythmically, began to unwind itself. A spade-shaped head peered through the leaf cover. Kaa, for that was the name of this particular serpent, blinked blearily, having been suddenly awoken from his sleep by a strange string of sounds. Scanning the jungle floor below, his eyes alighted onto a most alluring sight: A human woman, salaciously dressed in thin strips of red cloth, padding barefoot down the way just below his tree. He shook his head to be sure he wasn’t dreaming, and took in more details of this delicious, unexpected visitor. She had somewhat lighter skin than the other humans he had seen before, a sort of warm-brown hue that reminded him of sunrise. Glossy black hair waved on her head as she walked, looking from side to side as if in search of something.

Now whatever issss ssuch a beautiful creature doing in my part of the jungle…alone? He thought, a mischievous idea forming in his head. Perhapsss I ssshould help her get to where ssshe is going…

Kaa silently untethered himself from the tree, and slithered branch-to-branch, following along just out of sight.

Down below, Rina had paused to do something with the small black device she’d brought with. Prying it open, the woman pulled out two small earphones stored inside, fitting them into each ear before closing and storing the box once again. She thumbed through a music player on her phone, pulling up an upbeat, electronic cover of ‘Trust in Me’ and hitting ‘play’.

The melody began to play in her ears, and Rina looked around herself, grinning. It was silly, she knew, but she couldn’t resist living out a little more of the fantasy. She strutted forward, letting her hips rock to the accompanying beat.

Above her, the serpent coiled himself into place, smacking his lips in anticipation. He’d yet to decide if he wanted a snack or a plaything, but he was done waiting. The girl seemed distracted, her attention focused on some small rectangle she was holding; Kaa knew he could sneak up and grab her before she ever saw him coming. Carefully, he slithered down, closer and closer to his intended prey…

Rina meanwhile, was lost in the music. She bobbed her head, closing her eyes and raised her arms overhead as her hips gyrated faster and faster. Now level with the woman, Kaa could see that she was putting on a most alluring performance. He stopped short to admire her swaying curves, and even started swaying his own head to get a better look. Had anyone else been around to see, it would have seemed quite like a snake-charming themed burlesque show.

Blissfully unaware of her peril, Rina began to walk, strutting with a sultry confidence she never showed to others. She spun, shaking her hips and arms. Kaa shook himself out of his momentary daze. That was it, he simply had to have her! Coils up above shifted, his long tail lowering down to grab the dancing beauty as soon as she came in range.

Rina twirled, sauntering over to a large tree. Placing her arms on it gently, she turned, letting her rear rub against the bark before swinging around the trunk. Kaa’s tail shot out to grab her, and missed! Rina had disappeared behind the trunk too quickly!

“Ohhh, jussst you wait, till I get you in my coilsss…” Kaa muttered under his breath. He slithered closer as the oblivious dancer moved further away.

Rina grooved on, her feet carrying her up a natural set of stone steps. She opened her eyes, following the steps up to their apex a few feet off the ground. The song was nearing its end.

Kaa crept closer behind, determined not to let her slip away. He readied himself to strike.

Rina was leaning on a low-hanging tree branch that jutted out in front of her path. As the song wound down, she jumped down, letting out a joyful “Woo!” as she let go of the branch.

Kaa lunged forward, and -- POW! -- collided headfirst with something hard and wooden. Stars swam in his vision as he crumpled, stunned to the jungle floor.

---

It was quite a while later in the evening when he awoke, head still pounding.

“Oohhhh, my sssinusssess…” he complained, rubbing the bridge of his snout with his tail. He sniffed the air, his senses telling him that the mysterious woman was long since gone. Just as he was about to slink off back to his tree and sleep off the headache, however, he picked up another scent on the air.

Kaa gathered himself up into the tree tops, peering out once more from a better vantage point. He soon caught the scent again – human, only slightly different…could it be? He cocked his head to listen, the sound of rustling brush and padding footsteps in the distance growing unmistakably closer.