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Post by BurgundyBoa on Sept 28, 2019 23:50:34 GMT -6
Throughout the years, there had been many legends in this jungle but few are as terrifying as the living one known as Kaa; the hypnotic rock python. Since the death of Shere Khan the tiger, Kaa basically took the position as the jungle most dangerous predator. One look into his eyes or if you get caught in his coils and that's it, you're his now. Now to be clear, Kaa wasn't a monster that ate everything in his path. Occasionally when he had a full meal, Kaa would take time to rest so he could properly ingest his prey.
Now, however, Kaa was in the mood to hunt this late afternoon. It'll be another hour or two before setting, wolves hunted around the mountains and hills, most nocturnals knew better than to go near Kaa's large tree. The python knew he'll have to start hunting soon, his brown scales will help him like camouflage in his surroundings, but who knows... anything could happen...
(Reserved for Emiko)
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Post by Emiko on Sept 29, 2019 2:32:22 GMT -6
The Indian jungle was a beautiful and wondrous place. It was home to many different forms of life that somehow managed to live in perfect harmony with nature. In that harmonic environment, everything seemed to just flow in a flawless and balanced way just as it was designed to. From nature, humans have often come to learn and understand the concepts of harmony and balance. These two concepts, while simple in theory are difficult to truly master. However, they are essential for those that which to enter a spiritual state of being that only the most devoted sought, but rarely achieved. To learn these concepts and experience that very state for herself…was what brought Emiko out so deep into the jungle this day.
Several years before the present moment, a young Japanese girl named Emiko was actually living on the other side of the world in North America. When she was just entering adulthood, she noticed this strange void in her life that she couldn’t seem to fill. Over the course of several years, she tried all sorts of things to fill this void in her heart by taking part in all sorts of different social customs and experiments. No matter what she did though, she just…couldn’t seem to find that one thing that she needed to fill that a hallow hole in her heart. And sadly, it seemed like the more she explored, the more fruitless her search seemed to be.
Sometime later while in the midst of her constant researching and experimentation, Emiko seemed to strike gold when she came across a rather strange concept she hadn’t ever heard of before. By reading up on various cultural and religious texts, Emiko learned about this strange state of being the authors referred to as enlightenment. Contrary to its true definition, according to the text, enlightenment was a spiritual state of being in which one was in perfect balance and harmony with the world. By obtaining this wonderful, spiritual state, one would need nothing else in the world as all of their needs would be perfectly satisfied.
…The state that Emiko was reading up on may have honestly been too good to be true, and to the average person it would have easily been taken as nothing more than a mere fantasy. It was even safe to assume that this concept would be dismissed by even the most devoted and acknowledged religious scholars regardless of their respective affiliations. There was something about this concept of enlightenment though that seemed to strike a chord within Emiko. Even if the state wasn’t exactly anything true in nature, it was still something worth looking into. After all, nothing else was filling that void Emiko had left open inside of her for years!
Over the course of two years, Emiko did everything she could to learn about this wonderful state and the religion it branched from. Unfortunately where she lived, all she had to go on were the vague texts left in books at the library. And most of the time, these books would say the same thing describing WHAT the state was, but never explaining HOW to get there. Needless to say, after a couple of years of constantly researching, not finding the answer of how to get into this state was starting to really bug Emiko. There was at least one clue in the texts however that would help her to discover the secrets. That clue came in the form of where this supposed religion originated on the Indian sub-continent.
It took Emiko a couple of months to find out where to actually seek out followers of this particular religion, and even longer to acquire the funds to actually take a trip there. Once everything had been arranged, she FINALLY took the first flight out towards the heartland of India anxious to get her research out of the books and into more practical areas of potential study. Unfortunately…simply going to India on a hunch wasn’t the best idea she had…
When Emiko arrived in India, she was shocked to find that most of the people didn’t seem to practice this strange religion she had read about. It was to be expected considering that Hinduism was the main cultural religion of the continent, but it was strange in that almost NO one seemed to know anything about what she wanted to learn about. And even if they did, it was just as vague as it had been in the text books she had read on. She was honestly just about to give up hope and go on when Emiko came across this travelling guru who just so happened to be a practitioner of the religion she was researching.
Curious about it all, Emiko attended one of the services the guru was holding in which he had hoped to pass on the ancient religious teachings to those that would listen. As this was an ancient religion, it was critical that new followers be made so that the religion could survive. While Emiko wasn’t necessarily interested in the religious aspects of his teaching, you bet her ears perked up when he touched on the subject she wanted to hear about most in the form of enlightenment.
Listening intently, Emiko heard the guru explain how enlightenment was basically a state of perfect peace and harmony that filled the soul. Basically the same gibberish she had read and heard about for the last two years. She had a major breakthrough though when the guru explained that he found the state by going into nature and living among its inhabitants for five long years. Through his experiences in nature, he learned the concepts of balance and harmony that were critical to this state allowing him to experience it fully. That tidbit of information…was all Emiko needed to know she finally had her answer.
After the service was over, Emiko took it upon herself to approach the guru and question him further about his religious teachings. As she pressed into the issue of enlightenment though, the guru didn’t have much more to say to her other than what he had told the congregation earlier. He did inform her though that, while living and experiencing nature was the best pathway to enlightenment, it wasn’t necessarily the ONLY path. Honestly, the best pathway forward was to discover harmony and balance herself in her OWN way. Unfortunately, this didn’t settle well with Emiko as she was certain the only way to get what she wanted was to spend some time in the wilderness. And so…into the wilderness…was where she would go…
The following day, Emiko took a bus ride to the nearest jungle reserve that she could find. Once she found this jungle, she didn’t think twice as she headed headlong into the wilderness without as much as a thought. That decision as ill-informed and unwise as it was didn’t even scratch the tip of the iceberg that was her naivety… It was one thing to come into the jungle on some sort of spiritual journey, but it was a totally different ball game coming out HOW she was planning to.
Without even thinking this through in the slightest, Emiko had come out into the jungle in the most casual of clothing rather than the proper attire for dense jungle travel. For her, that meant a lightly colored short sleeve, knee length dress with various decorative patters scattered along its form. A white sash around her waist with a pair of black flats on her feet did make her look quite pretty and feminine, but it did NOTHING to make her jungle travels easier. In fact, the ONLY thing Emiko had going for her was the fact she had her shoulder length dark brown hair tied behind her in a ponytail keeping off her shoulders in the hot climate with her matching brown eyes acutely attuned to the trail before her. While these things certainly helped her at least a little, it did nothing else to help her in any regard with her practically standing out like a sore thumb in the jungle foliage.
Emiko walked through the jungle for a good hour or so getting herself deeper and deeper into the mess that she never should have gotten into in the first place. All along the way, she was certain that she was on the right path to discovering this state she so desperately wanted to experience. Little did she realize though, she wasn’t doing anything other than getting herself hopelessly lost in a really desperate situation. She may have come into the jungle with this grandiose idea of magically finding this spiritual state she had read and heard so much about. Unfortunately though, she was about to find herself in a totally different state and discover just how dangerous it truly would be in the end…
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Sept 30, 2019 0:18:48 GMT -6
Thanks to this jungle being a reserve one, finding an inexperienced human venture into the jungle was a rarity and Kaa was annoyed by that. On the one hand, you don't have to worry too much about man's gun or fire, on the other hand, no humans for him to hunt and eat. The snake has missed out on the opportunity so often it had become the thing that the other creatures find comical. Kaa knew that if he was going to have his chance it would have to be a human so naive, so out of place in this jungle that she'll stick out like a sore thumb.
Kaa turned his head to survey the jungle from his tree when he spotted something bright and blue on the ground. The snake squinted his yellow eyes when he finally realized what it was and it like a light shined from heaven over Emiko (at least in Kaa's mind). Kaa's eyes went wide with joy and he smirked. It was a girl cub! She looked ill-dressed for hiking through the jungle and, judging by the worried expression on her face, she was lost. This was beyond perfect! The snake had to calm himself so he would look or sound too excited and once he took enough calming breaths, Kaa readied himself.
Kaa waited until the Emiko was right under his tree. Thanks to the foliage and his brown and dark brown scales, the snake would be well out of sight no matter how hard the girl cub might look.
"Lossst, little one?" Kaa said aloud.
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Post by Emiko on Oct 5, 2019 2:22:05 GMT -6
As Emiko trailed into the jungle deeper and deeper, she honestly had no idea where she was going. For that matter...she didn't exactly know where to start looking to try and experience nature properly. Was she just suppose to pick some random spot in the jungle and 'commune' with it for a while? Maybe she was suppose to find a river and meditate alongside it while letting the sound of rushing water help her find inner peace?
"...Perhaps I should have gotten a little more detail from that guru..." Emiko softly whispered to herself, as she went along. "...I don't have the faintest idea how to find my way to enlightenment... I thought it'd be easy to find, but...I don't really know what I'm looking for..."
Despite the fact that she didn't really know where she was going or what she was looking for, the naive girl continued to move about through the jungle quietly hoping to find SOMETHING. There had to be something out here that would guide her to her necessary destination. A sign, a clue...ANYTHING. Surely something in this jungle would help her on her journey to find the necessary peace and balance she needed to find enlightenment. And it was just about that time when Emiko heard the sound of someone speaking to her from out of the deep foliage of the jungle.
Not expecting to hear the voice out of no where, Emiko nervously jumped back and began to quietly look around the jungle for a few moments. At first, she thought it was a local villager or something that had happened upon her and that she was in trouble. When she couldn't find the source of the sound no matter where she looked, Emiko became confused...
"...L-lost...? M-maybe a little bit..." Emiko replied, as she kept looking all around her for the source of the voice... Was...she hearing things, or was someone really in the area. "...I'm on...something of a personal journey in the jungle, that's all... I don't mean any trouble..."
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Oct 5, 2019 12:37:00 GMT -6
'A personal journey?' Kaa thought to himself. Most humans who come this close to the jungle usual just want a picture of an animal or two but what the girl just said confused the snake somewhat. But that can wait for now as Kaa was more preoccupied with the fact that this human was here, indeed lost, and she didn't seem like much of a hunter.
Not that hunters entered this jungle much, thank goodness.
Kaa could see that Emiko was obviously confused with hearing a voice out of nowhere which amused the snake very much. Perhaps he will wait a little longer before revealing himself... until then.
"There's no trouble here, dear..." Kaa spoke. "You're amongst friends... but what is it that you "journey" for here in the jungle. Game? Food? Or perhapsss something more... ssshiny?"
The snake was aware of human's desire for that glittery and valuable metal called gold. If that was what the girl was looking for, Kaa knew a great ancient ruin for her to see... before he takes her for himself.
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Post by Emiko on Oct 5, 2019 20:01:12 GMT -6
No matter where Emiko looked, she just couldn't find the source of that voice anywhere. She looked all around her doing her best to pinpoint what direction the source of it was coming from, but to no avail. Thea acoustics of this part of the jungle made the vocal sounds seem to reverberate all around her. As a result, she was hearing Kaa speak to her in what seemed like all directions. Though she was intently glancing all around her, it never occurred to her that perhaps the voice was actually coming overhead in the trees above...
Regardless of where the voice was coming from, Emiko was at least glad to know that...whoever was here with here wasn't mad at her. Though...when the individual questioned why she was here for some sort of game, food, or something shiny, Emiko cringed slightly. She wasn't here for any of those things and could honestly care less at the moment about them. Though...she highly doubted that anyone would actually understood why she was out in the jungle to begin with. While that did make her hesitant to reveal the truth, she didn't want to seem like a suspicious individual so...honestly was obviously the best policy she thought.
"...I'm not really looking for anything like that..." Emiko softly replied as she continued to glance around carefully. "...I actually came out to the jungle to...well, I'm trying to commune with nature a little bit so I can discover what it takes to find a spiritual state known as enlightenment... I know it sounds weird, but...that's the truth..."
When Emiko verbalized her reasons aloud, she almost cringed herself at how silly it sounded. She, a foreigner was out deep in this jungle reserve just to find a strange state that almost NO one believed in. She doubted that her words would be easily believed, but...it was the truth. Even if the individual she was speaking to didn't believe her, she was being 100% honest.
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Oct 7, 2019 1:27:22 GMT -6
Kaa had to suppress the laughing bubbling inside of him as he watched Emiko spinning around trying to find him on the ground level. Although, when Emiko gave her explanation the snake practically burst. He didn't know whether it was because of how it sounded to find enlightenment in the jungle or just how unsure the girl sounded as if she just heard it out loud herself. In any case, a plan was slowly forming in his head and Kaa knew how he could use this to his advantage.
"Commune with nature you sssay?" Kaa asked in a friendly manner. "I might just be able to help you with that, missss um..." he said wanting to learn a little more about her before introducing himself.
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Post by Emiko on Oct 8, 2019 11:27:26 GMT -6
When the stranger talking to Emiko suddenly burst into laughter, she felt a combination of embarrassment along with a slight feeling of offense towards the individual. She knew it sounded silly, but...this was important to her. It was honestly the most important thing in her life considering she had spent years trying to find it, and the answers she sought. When the stranger took her words and laughed at them, it made her feel rather upset with a bit of insecurity shining through in her demeanor.
Emiko was honestly just about to turn and walk away when the individual suddenly replied that he may be able to help her communing with nature. Seeing as there were very few people she spoke to over the years that didn't know anything about what she was looking for, the fact that SOMEONE could and was willing to help her was a change of pace... Perhaps the individual out here was actually someone like that guru she had met in town who too was seeking enlightenment.
"...My name is Emiko..." The naive girl asked as she started looking around once more, genuinely curious as to who she was speaking to. "...And if you can help me...how exactly could you do that? Have you discovered the secrets to enlightenment, or...know of a way I could get there through communion with nature? Just...who are you, and how is it that you'd be able to help me find what I'm looking for? I...I need to know, this is very important to me..."
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Oct 8, 2019 22:08:15 GMT -6
Kaa mentally snapped at himself for laughing out like that. He wasn't supposed to offend her. After taking a calming breath, Kaa spoke again.
"Emiko. That is a very lovely name. Mine is Kaa and please forgive my laughing, that was rather careless of me but I know how I can make it up to you. I can help you commune with nature but you must first promise not to scream at what you might see."
After Emiko gave her word, Kaa slowly lowered his head and tail tip closer to the girl. The snake gave a gentle hiss to catch the girl's attention and it worked. Though the girl was obviously startled, Kaa was pleased that she didn't run.
"Hello Emiko, how nicccce to meet you." Kaa greeted.
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Post by Emiko on Oct 19, 2019 21:42:09 GMT -6
When the python spoke this time and introduced his name, Emiko was FINALLY able to hear where the voice was coming from or...at least to some degree where it was coming from. Though...where she heard it pouring out from honestly didn't make much sense as she glanced upwards into the tree tops. It was starting to become clear why the voice seemed like it was everywhere because the sound of it was echoing off the branches and moving all over the place. It didn't make sense though why this character was up in the trees above her. That was...until Kaa actually lowered himself down into view...
Upon laying eyes on Kaa initially, Emiko was shocked beyond all reason. Above her was the head of what had to have been the biggest snake she had ever seen in her life. She was so surprised by this initially that it took her a minute to register something else about it that was out of place. When it hit her that he was also talking, the poor girl was so stunned that she couldn't even speak. It took Emiko several moments of processing this before she could do anything other than stare with her mouth agape in pure shock...
After the initial shock of the python started to wear off, Emiko began trying to think how it was possible that this snake was able to speak to her like that. Her mind wasn't on any of the other possibilities of WHY the snake was around to begin with as much as it was focused on why he was talking. After doing a little bit of thinking and remembering what the snake said about helping her commune with nature, she got...a very wrong idea of what Kaa was and wasn't shy about letting her theory be known...
"...Are you...some kind of snake spirit?" Emiko asked as she looked to Kaa a little more curiously wondering if that was really the case. "...That must be it... Otherwise...how would it be possible that a snake could talk. Normal pythons don't have the ability to talk...do they?"
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Oct 21, 2019 1:59:25 GMT -6
Now that Kaa was at eye level with Emiko, the snake could get a better look at the girl. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair tied behind her in a ponytail helping to keep her face visible and her brown eyes were rather nice but Kaa could only imagine how more fetching they would be with his signature spirals in there. He was so tempted to hypnotize the unsuspecting girl here and now but he remained composed to hear what Emiko said.
"A sspirit? That's a firsst for me." Kaa said and then he shook his head. "No no dearie, I'm just your average rock python with ssome not ssso average talents. Most snakes can talk but only if someone is willing to lissssten." He moved his head around Emiko to test if she would follow his head movements. "You'd be amazed how much you could learn if you simply stop and listen. Do you understand any of that, ssorry I tend to babble sometimes."
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Post by Emiko on Oct 24, 2019 18:01:03 GMT -6
Emiko carefully watched as the snake gently lowered himself down to her level and proceeded to inspect her. When she thought he was a spirit animal, she didn't dare say or do anything that might upset him fearing that she might get into some really serious trouble if she did. When the python revealed though that he wasn't some spirit, but just an average snake, Emiko became even more confused...
She listened carefully as he went on to explain that pretty much all snakes could talk, but only if people were willing to listen. For some reason...even with the evidence in front of her, Emiko still found it hard to believe... Everything in the world made it crystal clear that...animals shouldn't be capable of human speech, yet...this snake was. How he defied all logic and reason with what he was capable of didn't make sense to Emiko. Little by little, her fears of the python gave way to curiosity.
"...I...I didn't know you were just a regular snake. It's just..." Emiko tried to explain, trying to find the words to say without sounding insulting. "...Snakes don't talk. Or...at least, they aren't suppose to. We...er...humans have studied animals for centuries and nothing in the text books say that a snake should be able to talk... It...just doesn't seem possible that you could be a normal snake if you are capable of talking..."
Emiko tried to think long and hard about all of this... There was always the possibility that this was some sort of prank and that the snake wasn't real. If that were the case, it was still fooling her as he certainly seemed real enough... Either way, she had no explanation for the python, or his abilities. A part of her was still skeptical that he was an 'average snake' and kept hold of the belief that there was more to him than what met her eye. Little did she realize, she was spot on with that theory. Just...not necessarily in the way she was still thinking of Kaa being some sort of spirit...
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Oct 28, 2019 2:53:55 GMT -6
Kaa could tell just by the look in her eyes that Emiko was still having trouble believing that the snake was, in fact, a real snake. He listened to the girl's words carefully and kept a cool composer, not that he needed to by this point. Kaa rather enjoyed watching her get all flustered and trying not to upset him.
"It seems that way because not every snake is capable of human ssspeech," Kaa explained. "Can you imagine how annoying it would be if sssome humans took advantage of snakes such as myself if they knew about it. Oh, the very thought gives me the sssshiverss."
At the last word, the snake's neck wriggles with the rest of his body up the tree, making some leaves fall.
"But let's not talk anymore about such things," Kaa said calmly while his tail gently grasps Emiko's left hand and raises it to the eye level. "As you might guess by this touch that I am quite real and I really would like to help you with your goal to find enlightenment."
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Post by Emiko on Nov 7, 2019 18:00:56 GMT -6
While Kaa having the ability to talk was weird enough, the fact that he wasn't some sort of spirit or something was a little comforting in a way. By her logic, if he didn't have any other worldly powers, than he was just as dangerous as a common python. That...may have still been rather dangerous, but a talking snake that seemed like it could be reasoned with? That was enough for her to start dropping her guard even...if this was a little bit weird.
Emiko felt the python gently take her hand into his tail and squeeze it warmly to show that he was indeed real. She wasn't exactly having any doubts about how real he was per say, however feeling in this case just helped to confirm the actual existence of the python. Her attention to how real the snake became a mere afterthought when she was suddenly reminded why she had came out into the jungle in the first place. How could she have forgotten!?
"...You can help me...find enlightenment?" Emiko asked, somewhat skeptical if not cautious about his offer. "...Just...how could you do that? If you aren't some sort of spirit or anything, how would you know how to bring about enlightenment? And...most curious of all, why would you want to help me? I'm just a complete stranger..."
As Emiko asked her questions, her eyes casually trailed towards the snake's that had now came to about eye level with her own. It was at that moment she noticed how big and yellow the python's eyes really were. She didn't know that a dangerous secret was hid within them, but she couldn't also shake the feeling that something about this snake was just a bit off... She couldn't put a finger on it, but...Kaa didn't feel like he was all that he was displaying to her. That's all Emiko knew for certain...
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Post by BurgundyBoa on Nov 8, 2019 20:33:53 GMT -6
The python listened carefully to Emiko's questions and could tell that she was rather intrigued by his eyes. This was an advantage he could use later but for now, he tried to just keep her attention and reminding the girl of her goals seemed to help.
"I may not be worldly but unless I'm mistaken, enlightenment is about trying to clear your mind of negative thoughts and finding inner peace, am I right?" Kaa asked. After Emiko gives her answer, Kaa replies. "In that case, you have come to the right place for I happen to know a few ways on how someone can feel inner peace with very little effort."
The snake boldly lifted the girl's hand a little higher and spins her around in a pirouette once before stopping.
"And as to why I would help you; it is simply because of two reasons. One, I wish to make up for my rudeness before when I was laughing at your goals and making you feel bad. No one enjoys that and I should know. And two... is a little selfish, I would like the company of another intelligent creature. As one of the few animals in this jungle that can talk, and a natural predator no less, I don't get to talk to others very often as most animals tend to run away at the sight of me."
Kaa said this hoping to tug at Emiko's heartstrings because judging by her demeanor and kind eyes, she could be the sympathetic type. He wasn't lying completely, having a little chat with the girl might prove to be fun... and he could always have his dinner afterward.
"So, if you wouldn't mind the company of a snake too much, I'd be happy to help you with your goal to enlightenment. What do you say?" Kaa said trying to look friendly and honest.
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