Kaa, the legendary serpent, basked in the gloriously warm sun, snuggly coiled up in his favorite tree branch. With all the grace one would expect from a snake of his stature, he was lost deep in dreams—a vision of his last thrilling adventure with Julie, the young woman who not-so-fondly declined further invitations to his hypnosis shows. Ah, humans and their strange ways! She had gotten hitched to Kainak, who once found Kaa's mesmerizing abilities quite charming. Alas, those days of charmed delight seemed older than Kaa's last skin-shedding.

The snake understood little of human society's quirks, especially their tendency to get ideas after reading stories. Apparently, Julie and Kainak had outgrown Kaa's hypnosis for some gallivanting adventure across Pomaika'i. They aspired to emulate a fictitious hero, which Kaa found rather amusing. Nevertheless, respecting their desires, Kaa allowed them their little escapade of social goodness, but seriously pondered the taste of hypnosis as the better option.

His philosophical musings were interrupted when another scent wafted through the air—more delicious than a steak dinner. With his tongue flicking like a top-class gourmet tasting the finest of wines, Kaa tried to nail down its origin. The fragrance tugged at his memory teasingly, like an itching scale he couldn't scratch. Perched up in his leafy green throne, Kaa embarked on a great sniffing quest of discovery, twisting and turning his elegant coils. This scent was familiar, no doubt, far more alluring than any human drama. If only he could remember where he'd smelled it before! Perhaps it was a secret call to action, a sign that the universe had plans far grander and juicier for him yet. And so, our famously slithering star prepared himself—something exquisite was coming his way.

The scent had grown stronger, filling the air with a distinctive aroma that could only belong to Kimi. Kaa immediately recognized it due to its unique essence, markedly different from Kainak’s salty, sweat-infused scent. With careful, measured intent, he gracefully unfurled himself from his coiled resting position and looped his body around the robust branch. Though unsure of the Jungle Aussie's precise location, he poised himself with eager anticipation, ready for another engaging, hypnotic play session. His senses heightened, Kaa scanned for any sign of movement.

His timing was exquisite. Kimi Fujioka, now just “Kimi of the Jungle”, walked the jungle trail alone, but not lonely. The jungle girl life had treated the 20-year-old Aussie of Japanese descent, certainly better than her previous life in civilization. Her loving parents had died in a car crash outside Geelong, and she had to live with a foster family that quite frankly should not have been a foster family. They abused her, and she suffered for it.

Falling off a cruise ship and encountering her idol, Julie Shevchenko, changed her life for the best. Now she was living the jungle dream.

She was a slim, and athletic young woman, but nothing unrealistic or unreasonable. Her skin was a little darker thanks to living in the sun, baring most of it to the elements. However, she liked it. The only thing she worse was what Julie called a “standard issue” jungle girl outfit, a top and loincloth. Stringy black hair cascaded down her back, framing a slender face.

However, if you looked closely, you would see that her right fist was tightly clenched. Well, for a split second, she opened it, but it clenched again. She growled, unhappy.

“What a fuckin’ day,” she said to herself. She looked up. Brown eyes scanned ahead, and she saw a tree that looked like a good place to stop. She walked up to it, and effortlessly climbed it until she reached a large, thick branch she could take a break on.

Kaa could not believe his fortune. Of all the trees in the jungle, Kimi had come to his. Seeing her made his serpentine heart swell with happiness, the same way a human looked at their dog or cat. Obviously, he knew about her rough life before the jungle life, but that was in the past. He helped ensure that, thanks to a couple of hypnosis sessions to help her move on from them. Now, though, he just wanted to play with her. He imagined her under his spell, the colored rings pulsing in her eyes, wearing a silly, blank grin, happily and willfully following his instructions, commands, suggestions, etc.

Oh, yes. Kaa was going to play today.

But first, he waited for her to stand up. Why? Eh, no reason. He just wanted to do that. A couple moments passed, and she stood. Now he had his chance.

Kaa dropped down. Kimi nearly fell off the branch. “Sssssay, now... what have we here?” he asked, teasing. “It’sss a jungle girl! A beautiful jungle girl!”

“Oh, and now Kaa!?” she groaned. Kaa prepared to tease her. But he caught her balling her fist in the edge of his vision. He whipped the end of his tail around, catching her wrist and pulling it away before it could connect with his jaw.

“Kimi, calm down!” he said. She was on edge and would not be susceptible to hypnosis right now.

“Fuck off, Kaa!" she snapped.

Kaa “fell" backwards, acting hurt both physically and emotionally. “Oooooohhhh, how horrible!” he cried. “To hear sssssuch a thing from ssssssomeone I consssssidered a friend!” Despite knowing what Kaa was doing, and herself, Kimi couldn’t stop herself from laughing a little. “Jail! JAIL for a thousand years!” he continued.

She covered her mouth with her hand, but the legendary snake swept his head downwards to come face-to-face with her. “Made you laugh,” he said.

“Hello, Kaa,” she said.

“Hellooooooo,” he said, sweeping his head around her. “What are you doing in my neck of the jungle?”

“Walking,” she replied.

“I ssssssaw that,” he said. “You walked right up to me."

“A coincidence,” she said.

Kaa grinned. Not in this kind of story. And this kind of story ended with Kimi completely under his hypnotic spell, wrapped in his coils.

Kimi brushed invisible dust off her arms. Kaa swung his head around, pushing his face into hers. She was nearly startled off the branch, but Kaa wrapped his tail around her shoulders, like a friendly arm. She visibly calmed down, making extended eye contact with him. It was a good sign for the snake. She seemed eager to be hypnotized.

But he didn’t activate the colored rings just yet. And after the staring contest lasted a little too long, Kimi looked away from him. But she did not leave.

“I ssssssee you’ve become a ssssstupendousssssss ssssssspeccccccimennnnn,” he said, using those words just to make an “ssss” sound. Kimi rolled her eyes.

“You say something like that every time we meet,” she said.

“I do?” Kaa asked, “Well if I do, that’s because it’ssss true.” He chuckled at himself for his rhyme on a dime. Her posture relaxed, anyways, arms dropping to the side. “It’sss sssso ssstupendousssss to be in my presssssencccce.”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied.

He pulled her closer and nuzzled his head against hers. She looked into his eyes again, but he still didn’t activate the rings. “But now you’re here,” he said, softly, gently, friendly.

He removed the tail from around her shoulder, then wrapped it around her waist and thighs. She didn’t respond, except to sit in the little seat he made for her. As he pulled her close, she threw her arms around his serpentine body, embracing him tightly. She relished his soft, smooth scales against her soft skin, closing her eyes. “Sorry I yelled at you,” she said.

“Oh please, what’sssss a few insssssultssssss between friendssssss?” he asked. She let go of him and he gently placed her back on the branch, standing up. They made eye contact a third time, confirming to Kaa that she wanted to be hypnotized, and even anticipated it. “It ssssssssseemsssssss there wassssss ssssssome isssssuessss,” he said. “What happened?"

Kimi wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. “It’s... it’s kinda hard,” she said.

“Harder than the therapy I gave you?” he asked.

“No, but--” she turned to leave. Kaa swung his head around, stopping her.

“You sssssseem... stressssssssssssssssed,” he said. “We can talk about it.”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “You probably wouldn’t understand. It’s a... human thing.”

“Human thing, how?” he asked. “Property? Lawssssssss? Other human conccccceptsssss that make no sssssssensssssssse?

“Whatever it wasssss, it sssssseemsssss to have unnerved you.”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it!” she snapped, turning walking away.

Kaa was too quick for her, wrapping the tip of his tail around her left wrist. She stopped in her tracks and almost fell backwards. “And jussssst where do you think you’re going?” he inquired with a tone reminiscent of an annoyed yet caring babysitter or a patient parent.

“I-I wasn’t going anywhere,” she stammered, glancing down at her feet.

“Come now, Kimi,” he playfully chided, a soft chuckle escaping him, “Neither of ussssss hassssss anything better to do.”

“Well, I kinda do,” she dared to retort, sounding a bit more defiant than before, but audibly interested.

Kaa didn’t get upset; instead, he showed remarkable patience and understanding. His wisdom, accumulated from a life lived through countless years and diverse realms across time and dimensions to this very earth, signaled to him that something was clearly amiss. Kimi was visibly agitated, her hands trembling slightly despite her efforts to appear composed. He was already planning to use his gentle, swaying motions to ease her tension and guide her into a peaceful trance, but now he was even more convinced of its necessity.

Smiling gently, he opted to approach the situation with empathy and warmth, “What’sssss on your mind, my dear? You know you can tell me anything.”

Kimi hesitated, still a bit distrustful but also curious about his genuine kindness.

“Kimi, do you trussssssst me?”

“Of course,” she replied reflexively.

“Then pleasssse let me help you. You have a friend in me.”

She paused. Kaa knew right away that she wanted him to hypnotize her. He grinned, watching her go from refusing, to reluctant, to considering agreeing. His hypnotic powers had that kind of effect. Whatever it was that was bothering her must be bad enough to make her want to let him hypnotize her. Of course, it didn’t matter if she was in a good mood, either.

However, she knew she wanted him to hypnotize her. She loved being hypnotized. And she could use a weeklong stint under Kaa’s spell.

Unfortunately, her rational mind wanted to overrule her desires.

“Don’t make promises--”

“It’ssss not a promisssse,” he said, “We both know what I can do. Trussssst in meeeee...” He activated the hypnotic rings in his eyes. Kimi made eye contact, and the rings immediately reflected in her eyes. Her worries faded for a moment. Kaa was hypnotizing her, and--

She looked away. Kaa closed his eyes and sighed. “Sssseriousssly?” he asked.

Kimi scoffed.

“Kimi. Look at me,” he said sternly. She opened her eyes again and looked right at him.

“What?” she asked.

Rolling his eyes, Kaa thrust his head into her face, activating the hypnotic, colored rings. Her pupils shrank as the colors reflected in her eyes. She was letting him hypnotize her, as he knew she would. Kaa slid his tail around her, and lifted her, reminding her he was in charge. Kimi was hypnotized in the classic sense that the rings in her eyes simply had her attention and focus. But Kaa was doing it in a way that wouldn’t put her under his spell. Her legs, tense at first, relaxed, and they gently swung, her perpetually bare feet dangling above the branch.

“Now, then,” said Kaa, “Do you feel a little better?”

“Y-yes,” she replied.

“Exccccellent,” he said. He stopped the colors in his eyes and let her down, so she straddled the branch, removing his tail from her. Before she could do anything, he was filling up her vision again. Then he activated the colored rings in his eyes. The rings reflected in her eyes. The hypnosis session had officially started.

Once again, Kimi was hypnotized in the classic sense, just not the “Kaa” sense. Her jaw hung as the rings filled her eyes. This wasn’t the first time Kaa would hypnotize her, and probably not the last. But she was used to the process. Her chest tightened, excited. She enjoyed these hypnosis sessions; not the hypnotic induction, but afterwards, too, when she was happily under Kaa’s spell and subject to his whims and suggestions.

“Now, then, will you cooperate?” he asked.

“Yessss, Kaa,” she replied. She was content and consenting to be hypnotized. She trusted Kaa far more than too many individual men on Pomaika’i.

“Goooood,” he said. “Are you assssshamed we’re friendssss Kimi?”

“A-a little.”

“There’ssss no need to be assssshamed,” he replied. “It’ssssss an honor to be friendsssss with the legendary Kaa.”

Kimi’s chest loosened, both from Kaa’s reassurance and her familiarity with the induction process. Not only was his hypnosis powerful, but she also genuinely enjoyed the induction and afterwards, not having a thought nor care in the world, just a desire to follow the legendary python’s instructions and suggestions. It wasn’t mind control. It was completely consensual. There was also a magical element to his hypnosis, but it still required the subject’s cooperation.

She enjoyed his hypnosis, and not just when she was under his spell, but the induction process, too. Because of that, she had a nice, warm feeling in her chest, while her mind began clouding up, soon to be empty except for desire to follow Kaa's suggestions. She let her arms fall to the side to allow Kaa to eventually wrap her up.

“Jusssssst keep your wonderful eyessssssss on me,” he said softly, his voice sounding like balm for the soul. There was no need for the reticulated python to speed things up. He wanted to make this moment as methodical and slow-paced as possible, and it was reflected by Kimi’s eyes mirroring the same dominant colors of yellow, green, and blue.

"No, your eyes are wonderful," she replied, her snarky personality breaking through for just a second. Then she returned to "getting hypnotized" mode.

Kaa chuckled. “That’sssss the ssssspirit,” he said. “Focussssss on them, and on my voicccccce. Allow me to guide you. Firsssssssst, you feel yoursssssself faaaaaalling, faaaaaaling downward. It doessssssssn’t matter how you fall. Jussssssssst that you’re falling.”

His guidance reached her mind’s eye. She imagined herself on the edge of a bluff, in front of a bottomless abyss. She was not afraid, for she knew she would not be harmed. Her imaginary bare foot lifted, and she took the plunge. Her imagined fall was not a plummet, but felt like she was floating downwards, like she had jumped into a deep part of the ocean. Her imaginary expression was serene, looking down at the black abyss of Kaa’s hypnotic spell. When she landed, she would be in a safe, secure place not just mentally, but physically, when Kaa’s coils wrapped her from midsection to chin.

Her imaginary expression was serene, someone matched by how she looked from Kaa’s real eyes. She followed his every twirl and dip of the head, keeping her gaze locked on his as he cast his hypnotic spell on her. As this happened, Kaa’s tail gently drifted downwards, gently curling around her midsection to begin wrapping her in his coils. His scales were smooth and cool, feeling amazing on the bare portions of her mammalian skin, as the tail wrapped around her once, then twice, securing her in Kaa’s grip. Something about being hypnotized made the sensation of his scaly skin so stupendous.

The legendary snake was in control.

“Yessssssssss,” he hissed. “Feel yoursssssself ssssssssinking further. No need to worry about the outssssssside world. Free your mind from itssssssss limitssssssss.”

Paradoxically, she had found a sense of liberation in his, eh, “mind control”, for lack of a better term. As mentioned, he had helped her overcome some of the lingering PTSD her abusive foster family had left her with. She never thought about them when she was under Kaa’s spell. Of course, she didn’t think of much else under Kaa’s spell.

“Forget about your worriessss and your ssssstrife,” he hissed. He gently squeezed her, his tail having reached to just below her chest. Having practiced it before, he effortlessly wrapped around that part of her anatomy, which was unique to the female human, originally making it somewhat difficult to coil one. However, that practice enabled him to completely cocoon his human female subjects. And Kimi was one of his favorites. Because despite her rather harsh reactions to him, she was often eager to participate. After all, he couldn’t hypnotize her if she didn’t want to be hypnotized.

“Focussssssssss on my eyessssssssss and voiccccccccccce,” he hissed. At his, uh, “command”, the rest of the world, save for his form and eyes, began to blur. Simultaneously, the sounds of the jungle muffled, sans his voice with softly echoed in her mind. His tail gently squeezed her, and she imagined herself in the black abyss again, still gently falling, but now Kaa’s tail gently curled around her, to guide her down, deeper under his hypnosis and spell. She felt a warm, serene sense of security and safety.

But she wasn’t quite ready to give in just yet. Using a technique Julie taught her, she gently resisted his hypnosis. But because it was already a bit too late, she was only delaying the inevitable. Which would work for both. She would fall deeper under his spell, and she would enjoy his induction longer. He countered by squeezing her, which made her eyes widen and she took in more hypnosis.

“Thought you could ressssssissssssst?” he teased, despite appreciating that she appreciated his hypnosis enough to drag it out. However, he pushed his face closer to hers, filling her vision with his colored rings. “Let’sssssssss sssssssssssee you try.”

“You’re on,” she replied. She stared harder at him, as if that were possible. Still, in her mind’s eye, she fell deeper and deeper into the abyss. Kaa kept the rings pulsing at a steady pace, so as not to overwhelm her. All the while, his tail crept upwards, having already passed the tip of her shoulder blade bones. There was no going back now. Steadily, the tail crept up to her collarbone.

Kimi did her best to resist, but she was getting tired. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she almost yawned. “Sssssstay awake,” he said. “Jusssssssst a little more. You can do it.”

At his suggestion, she opened her eyes again, getting an eyeful of Kaa’s blue, green, purple and yellow rings in his eyes. She did her best to lean forward, getting more of his hypnosis, but she couldn’t. His tail had already reached her shoulders, preparing to curl around them. When they did, the front of her neck was the only portion of her skin visible. She tried to resist, but it was a losing battle.

Finally, Kaa wrapped his tail around her neck and squeezing. She made a “GULK” sound, getting one last burst of hypnosis.

It was enough.

In her mind’s eye, she saw a silver-colored mist swallow her. She was not scared, for she knew what this was, her imagination’s interpretation of Kaa’s hypnotic spell. Her imaginary self closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the silver mist. She was in a safe place with a snake she trusted. She could let go of her worries, strife and mind.

She was under Kaa’s spell.

Kaa deactivated the rings in his eyes and took a “step” back to admire his handiwork. Kimi was wrapped in his coils from waist to chin, and it was clear she was sitting up straight. She also wore that silly, goofy grin all his subjects had, while the rings pulsed in her eyes. He noticed her smile was a little wider, if possible. It made him smile himself. She was truly happy to be under his spell.

“How do you feel, Kimi?”

“I feel amazing,” she said in a happy, blissful monotone. “Thank you so much, Kaa.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. His expression softened. He gently squeezed her, only firm enough to make her react by tipping her head back and sighing. Eventually, his coils began massaging her entire body. He watched as she released a happy sigh through her nose, seeing that she was completely relaxed now.

“Now, Kimi,” he asked, “What had you ssssso bothered?”

“It was a man,” she immediately answered.

“A man?” Kaa asked. “As in, mankind, or--”

“A human male,” she said.

“Ah. Do tell.”

“We have been friends since I came here,” she said. “But recently, he’s been bothering me. To put it in your terms, he wants to be my life-mate.”

“And you don’t want to be hissssss,” Kaa finished.

“Yes, I don’t want to be his,” she replied. “He’s... pushy. He talks down to me a lot, but pretends he’s complimenting me.”

“How?” Kaa asked.

“Well, once he said, ‘You fight well for a girl’,” she said, “And ‘You should be thankful we’re friends’.”

“Doessss he mean to insssssult you?” he asked.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, “But he insults me anyway.”

“What elsssssse?”

“Well, one time, I and some koa were tracking some poachers,” she said, “And he kept insisting on accompanying me, even though the leader told him to go with others. He said, ‘I should be with Kimi’.”

“You didn’t want to be with him.”

“No.”

“He doesssssn’t ssssssound like a friend!” Kaa huffed.

“He’s not?”

“You dessssserve better friendssssss,” said Kaa. “Bessssssidessssss me, of coursssssse.” He chuckled, making his body shake. “But do continue.”

“He asked me to marry him today,” she said. “I said no.”

“Good,” said Kaa. His expression darkened as he thought about what could get Kimi in such a bad mood. “Then what?”

“He yelled at me,” she said, “Asked me, ‘Aren’t we friends? Why would you do this in front of my family--’ I ran off.”

“That’sssss a sssssituation you ssssssshould run from,” said Kaa. “But it led me to you.” He lifted her off the branch. Her feet dangled, until he placed her on the branch, then unwound his coils from her. He beckoned her with his tail, and she closed her eyes, and walked forward unquestioningly, completely trusting him. She walked to the end of the branch, where he had made a staircase for her to descend. Then he straightened his body, and she fell on her backside onto his coils. She slid along his body like, well, a slide. She slid until settling on a thick portion of his tail. The section dipped, and started gently swaying, like a hammock.

“Breathe gently,” he said, “Feel your armssss and legssss lighten. You have nothing to worry about with me. You can sssleep... ssssafe and ssssound... knowing IIIII... am a-roooouuunnnnd...

“Sssslip into ssssilent ssslumber... ssssail on a sssilver missst. Ssslowly and sssurely, your sssensssesss will ccceassse—to exsssisssssst...”

Kaa would have rested his chin on his hand if he had one. That’s how he looked as he watched Kimi reaching a state of total mental and physical bliss in which he had put her. Another fine job, if he had to say so himself.

He pulled her back up, placing her back on the branch, and started re-wrapping her. “Wonderful.” Kaa hissed. He couldn’t wait to have her in his coils once again, squeezing her softly and relaxing her muscles. But first, the python was going to treat the feisty jungle girl with a slow and soothing wrap. His coils began to smoothly and slowly run across her skin, his scales almost kissing her limbs. He started at her ankles, winding up and giving Emi a treat and taste of what was to come.

“There’ssssssss nothing to worry about. You look ssssso cute.” mi looked so cute standing straight and still, staring at Kaa blankly with her spiraling eyes and silly grin. The python’s tail continued to wind around her slender legs, slowly corkscrewing up to reach her thighs and then waist.

“Yesssss Kimi... allow my ssscalesss to feel 10x more amazing than they usssually do... ssssoft like a cloud... ssssmooth assss ssssilk” the snake hissed, planting a few harmless suggestions in the jungle girls hypnotized mind. Kaa wasn’t to send the girl cub even deeper into trance, to give her the full experience.

“Allow your mind to ssslip into total ssssilence... only my voiccce in your ear... my colorss in your eyesss...r elaxxxxx”. Kaa simply wanted Kimi to reach the most pleasurable point in hypnosis, all while allowing her to keep her free will and kind of course.

The feeling of silk began to engulf Kimi. She already liked how Kaa’s scales felt around her. Now they were irresistible. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. Simultaneously, the noise-cancelling effect silenced the sounds of the surrounding jungle. All she could hear was Kaa’s sweet honey voice. She was in bliss.

Kaa chuckled softly, loving how his hypnotic trance had a firm hold on Kimi’s mind. Dripping into her ears, the young woman could only slip deeper into relaxation, as the snakes coils wound up her body, caressing her supple skin.

Finally, Kaa reached a rather sensitive area of Kimi's body. “My ssssweet Kimi. Do I have your permisssssion to continue upwardsss?” The python asked. While he had cocooned the jungle girl in the past, he wanted to be reassured that Emi would not mind a more sensual cocooning to her chest.

"Yes, you may, Kaa," Emi promptly answered.

“Thaaaaaaank you,” he said. His tail continued up around her chest, gently squeezing.

“KIMI!” someone shouted from below. Kaa tried to ignore the call, but he felt something tugging on a section of his body he didn’t know had dipped below the branches. Sighing, Kaa finished re-coiling Kimi, this time from knee to chin, and set her down on the branch, straddling it. At least the Disney movie also knew that he could often be interrupted. And he grumbled about those interruptions as he descended downwards to see whom it was.

A young man, around Kimi’s age, stood at the base of the tree in the middle of the jungle. He was dressed like one of the koa warriors from the Teo tribe, the indigenous tribe that Huli, Kainak and Kimi all belonged to. The young man looked around, as if he couldn’t believe he had to do this, but there was also an air of entitlement about him. His mouth scrunched, his feet tapped, and he generally looked very impatient.

“Eeee-YYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSS?” Kaa asked as his head dipped downwards, imitating a certain Frank Nelson.

The koa warrior was startled, stumbling backwards until he got back to his feet. “It’s true! A talking snake!”

“Not jusssssssst any sssssssnake,” said Kaa. “Have you heard of Kaa?”

“Kimi talks about you,” said the Koa.

Kaa mused the answer over. “Closssse enough,” he said.

“Where’s Kimi?” the koa asked.

“Hold on,” said Kaa, his eyes narrowing and pushing his face into the young man’s. “You don’t walk up to me and make demandssssss, young one.”

“Who do you think you are, serpent!?” said the warrior.

“I know exsssactly who I am,” Kaa replied. “But I don’t know you. And quite frankly, I liked it when I didn’t know you.”

“My name is Okan,” said the warrior. “I have amassed great mana in battle, and I--”

“Yesss, yesss, yesss, you’ve done great deedssss in battle, blah, blah, blah,” said Kaa. “I’ve sssssssseen your type, you braggart.”

“You don’t know me!”

“Like I sssaid, I know your type,” said Kaa.

“Where’s Kimi?” Okan asked.

“If you musssssst know,” said Kaa, “She’sssss currently wrapped up in my coilsssssss. Literally.”

“What have you done?” Okan asked, clearly assuming that he was the hero in this situation.

“Why don’t you asssssssk her yourssssssself?” Kaa replied. His great coordination, he lifted her off the branch and lowered her to the ground. In fact, he unfurled his entire body along with her, to show the young warrior just what he was getting into. When he placed Kimi on the ground, he loosened his coils and removed them. “Kimi, thissssss issss Okan. Issssss he the one you were talking about earlier?”

“Yes, Kaa,” she replied, the contempt seeping through her blissful monotone. Okan stared at Kimi, his mouth agape.

“Witchcraft!” he said, “Mind control!”

“Oh pleasssse, she’sssss here becausssssse she wantsssss to be,” said Kaa.

“She’s my woman!” he said.

“I’m not your woman!” Kimi replied.

“You heard her!” said Kaa

“You trust a hypnotic snake more than me!?”

“Then what doesssss that sssssay about you!?” Kaa replied. “Honesssstly. Sssssometimessss, individual humansssss pissssssss me off. Kimi, please beat him up.”

If Okan thought Kimi was only following orders, he was mistaken. Kaa had simply removed her fear. She quickly darted up to him and socked him right on the jaw, all while having eyes filled with rings and wearing that goofy smile. He had his hands up to try and fight, but she ducked, and stood up, shoving her shoulder into his stomach. His breath burst out of his mouth, as he stumbled backward.

He caught himself. She put her dukes back up, getting into an orthodox fighting stance. And yet, she still had that wide-eyed goofy stare. It kept Okan’s vision on her, distracting him long enough for her to sock him again with a right straight. She followed with a left hook. As she connected, she threw more weight into her left arm, as if she was pushing him (but she was really following through). Finally, she thrust her knee into his stomach again. Okan felt the blow, gasping. He fell backwards onto his backside.

“Now leave her alone!” Kaa commanded.

He did not use his hypnosis. He didn’t even need to. Okan scrambled to his feet and ran away, back to where he came from.

“Niccccely done, Kimi!” said Kaa.

“Thank you, Kaa!” she said.

“Now, if you’ll exssssscusssssse me, I’ll return to the tree,” he said. “I’ll pick you up.”

Kaa slithered up the tree, while Kimi waited on the ground, ramrod still, smiling goofy and staring off into nothing with the rings in her eyes. Kaa reached a branch, slithered onto it, curling his body around to get a good grip. Then he lowered his tail, slipping it under Kimi’s backside. She sat in the impromptu coil seat, and he lifted her back into the tree. There, he placed her on the branch. Then, he wrapped his tail around her body in the same cocoon when he hypnotized her earlier. She didn’t react when he reached her chin. Now that she was wrapped from chin to knee, he gently lifted her from the branch, and placed her on it, so that her legs were straddling it. Then Kaa’s head descended. He examined her, proud in both his work and her.

“You’ve had a bussssssssssy day,” he said softly. “We’ll play tomorrow. Until then... ssssleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...”

Kimi’s eyelids drifted closed, and she immediately fell asleep, eagerly anticipating the fun that she and Kaa would have tomorrow. She believed in him.