|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 25, 2022 22:30:32 GMT -6
Kaa let out a sigh and then began to speed up his speech, unaware how risky the situation was becoming once again. The eyes emitted a couple of color rings at a fast rate, but the lack of constant exposure could very well ruin the python's whole scheme. "I mean, I will take care of Emiko for this night. You ssssee, how happy she iss to be in my coilsss. I bet she would not be do glad to be outside of them, right?"
As he kept talking, his coils gave a small squeeze to Emiko's neck, not hard enough to snap the girl out of her trance right now, but... It would cause her eyes to open a little for Selena to take a brief look.
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 25, 2022 22:39:08 GMT -6
Thanks to the tilt of her head, Selena was able to avoid direct contact with the snake's eyes. When she saw those rings from the corners though, she could feel just the slightest twinge of pull to believe his words. But it was weak...and she actually SAW them... It confirmed a growing suspicion she had that this snake had some sort of power to induce someone into a sleep-spell and manipulate their mind. He was doing it to her this whole time and she hadn't realized it til now!
Despite realizing the truth, Selena decided to act as if she were still under the influence. She had to be careful not to fall into it in the process of doing what needed to be done. But it was the only way to ensure that she and Emiko both got out unharmed.
Selena 'listened' to kaa with great intent pretending as if she were seriously considering his words. She watched as the snake suddenly squeezed around Emiko's neck causing her to gulp audibly. The hypnotized girl's eyes immediately shot open in surprise and her mouth fell agape in shock. It seemed like it was a reaction to the threat of being removed from the coils. But in reality...Emiko had just been woken up from a sleep she had been commanded into and was very confused... All she could do for a moment was stare out into space with a very confused look on her face.
Selena felt bad for having to play along and let Emiko suffer, but...it was the only way. She kept her gaze towards Emiko and took several side steps towards Kaa's head acting as if she were retreating from Emiko. She put on her saddest face she could muster and tried to speak with a sorrowful voice trying to convince Kaa she felt bad for Emiko...
"Oh dear... She...doesn't look like she's happy at all now... She seemed happy sleeping a moment ago, but...now she's not... Is she...really that tired...?"
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 25, 2022 22:51:56 GMT -6
Kaa realized his mistake too late, and proceeded to immediately apologize for what he did. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to squeeze her that harssh" - with these words he turned back to the captured Emiko and turned his hypnotic eyes on while Selena wasn't watching.
Or so he thought, anyway. The python had no idea that the village girl was pretending to be under his charms, though some suspicion did slip into his head.
"Sssleep... I apologize for being so rude with you, man-cub" - the snake have a headpat to Emiko and after trying to put her to sleep that way, completely unaware of the fact that he just left an opening for the village girl to strike. This time he realized what could happen and turned around with his eyes already emitting spirals at a steady pace.
And then... It all came down to his luck once again.
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 25, 2022 23:03:48 GMT -6
Selena had been decided to play along with Kaa's movements until an opening presented itself. She was sure if she did long enough that it would do so. Like Kaa's attempts on her earlier, it was a gamble, but it was all she had... She'd potentially get that opening though when the snake realized he had made another miscalculation...
Kaa was swift to swoop in with his spiraling eyes and exposed them to Emiko yet again. When the dazed girl saw them, she...immediately felt captivated. Many different rings of color rippled through his eyes like before, and Emiko was deeply captivated. She stared back in awe to absorb them without hesitation. And then...the python instructed her to sleep again.
That simple word sent such a delightful shiver down her spine. Emiko was growing to love that word, and it brought such a sweet smile to her face to hear him say it. Almost immediately, the naive woman allowed her eyes to close, and once more started to slip into a deep slumber.
"...Mmm... S-sleeeep? O-okaaay..." She'd repeat in a long yawn before smiling wide. She'd nestle her head back into the coil around her neck yet again, and then fall silent...
It might have been odd for Selena to watch this happen without doing anything about it. But...she did so to get concrete proof of this snake's abilities. Not only for herself, but for others she intended to warn once this was over. Even still, it was miraculous that he had such abilities. And she couldn't help but compliment him on them. All...while lifting her club up for the coming hardest, deliberate strike.
"You certainly have a strong power in those eyes of yours..." She complimented, hoping to inflate Kaa's ego a bit more. To ensure he didn't look back, Selena tried to get him to show off on Emiko a bit more while she readied her strike... If he fell for it and did...the next blow would surely knock him out. If he caught on though, things could get really bad for Selena... It was a gamble, but...seemed they both needed to for various reasons.
"...You've got that silly girl wrapped around your coils. Especially if you can tell her to sleep and she does it. Can you show me what else you can do with her like this?"
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 25, 2022 23:23:13 GMT -6
Kaa was on his way to expose Selena to his colors, but a seemingly simple question caused him to forget about immediate danger. Still, Selena did cast even more suspicions with how she was accusing Kaa of using tricks to out the girl to sleep. Judging by her tone, the serpent knew what to expect, but he nonetheless still tried to avoid it due to sheer denial of harsh truth that could soon come crashing down upon him.
"Ah, if you want to ssee what elsse can I do? Unfortunately, Sselena, that's all I can do with my eyesss. They simply have relaxing effect on whoever lookssss into them. They pose no threat to Emiko, and they pose no threat to YOU assss well"
The serpent could turn to Selena and unleash his power on her right now, but... He still needed some help from Emiko in order to make the native woman back down.
"Now, Emiko... Pleasse say to your companion... what do you think about my eyesss, my coilsss... And how good they are for your healthh" - the snake hissed in the Japanese girl's left ear. Unfortunately, he let his eyes off Selena once again, and this time he didn't have enough time to react...
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 26, 2022 18:39:35 GMT -6
Selena was quite careful to inch towards the snake who didn't take her suspicious questions the same way that she had his remarks. As a result, she was able to get into the perfect position directly behind the snake's noggin. After that, she slowly started to ready herself to deliver the most important strike of her life. It was quite possible that her, and Emiko's life both depended on it... Before she delivered though, she held tight just long enough to see what she might learn. She knew that the snake had a talent with his eyes, but how powerful was his hold on someone in this state? Emiko...would give her that answer.
Emiko had just fallen asleep yet again and was once more so peacefully resting in her scaly prison when the snake returned to her yet again. Immediately hearing his voice, Selena was a bit surprised to see Emiko start to come to life. She remained asleep, of course, but it was obvious that all he had to do was speak a word to rouse her up.
He asked Emiko to tell Selena what she thought about his eyes, coils, and how good they were for her health. Selena wasn't quite sure what sort of response she'd hear out of this sleeping girl. However, what she did hear was far more than she was expecting...
"...His eyes...so colorful and pretty... Coils are...secure and comfy... I love...his eyes and coils... So wonderful..."
...This wasn't good, and Selena knew it... This state the snake could put someone in was terrifying. Selena truly doubted that was how Emiko REALLY felt about the coils and his eyes. Kaa could influence someone with their eyes as he had been doing to Selena this whole time... But knowing this now and having concrete proof of it, there was nothing more Selena needed to see. She could take this, and Emiko back to her village where she could spread the story and prevent anyone else from running into this snake. She got what she needed...now it was time to go...
Without uttering another word, Selena rose her club into the air as high as she possibly could. And then with overwhelming, honestly excessive force, she threw the stick forward to hit the back of Kaa's head as hard as she possibly could. It was a very decisive blow she had time to get into position for and aim properly. If the snake didn't see it coming, it was going to hurt... And if he didn't lose consciousness, he would surely be close to it...
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 27, 2022 0:15:33 GMT -6
Kaa sensed that something was wrong, but he had little if any time to react. He began to turn around just as Selena raised her stick. Thanks to having earlier suspicions of the village girl's behavior, the serpent was expecting her to do something weird to him. It did not do much to help him avoid the attack though.
And the blow came down hard. The serpent let out a pained yelp as the twig finally connected with his head. The coils around Emiko tightened in reflex before the grip around her body was weakened. Had Selena been stronger or if she used a heavier object, Kaa would be knocked out cold on the spot.
But even though he did remain conscious after being hit, the strike still did it's job - the jungle python's thoughts were thrown into chaos. Panic started to overtake him once more. Kaa quickly rose his head and turned to Selena, grimacing from pain. She could see anger in Kaa's eyes, as the snake stopped playing around.
"Ouch... That hurtssss..."
The reptile's eyes began to glow once more, and colors started to came out. Except this time, he did not put as much effort as he did earlier, and his hypnotic power was reduced by a half. Still, he was hoping that it could work a little. Even if Kaa failed now, he could still get some advantage if he ever got to meet the two jungle girls again. It was hard to tell whether his next words were a simple threat or an attempted temporary subliminal message, which only had a slim chance of working.
"I thought... We could settle thiss peacefully... But now, I'm afraid... that both of you... will have to ssstay here in the jungle"
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 29, 2022 19:13:39 GMT -6
Selena had what she thought was a perfect target for a decisive blow. However, the serpent had turned his head just slightly to address her causing her to miss by just that tiny bit she needed. It was still a significant strike, no doubt about that. But...it didn't knock the snake out as she was so sure that it would. And even more...as much as she needed to... In the end, all she did was give the snake a headache and make him angry...
Kaa wasn't the only one that felt the effects of Selena's decision as the blow would have ramifications for Emiko as well. Before that, Emiko had been just...snoozing away without a care in the world. The coils had been a little tight to this point, but when the snake was struck, his grip became even tighter. To a point of her gulping again in shock and opening her eyes in shock 'awake'. Seconds later though, the grip would weaken leaving her...quite quite shaken with what had happened.
At the end of it, Emiko was more or less back in a state between trance, and waking up. She wasn't quite on the verge of waking up, but the constriction had been violent enough to jolt her from full sleep and even trance. She quite literally was at a middle point and stared out into space with confusion all over her face again. This...teeter-tottering was starting to take a toll on her state. And Kaa was again on two fronts...
It seemed his focus at the moment was more on Selena as the serpent turned to her with a scowl and activated the colors in his eyes. The moment Selena saw these, she started to take a step back and once more readied her branch-club for a strike. If he dared to get too close...she was prepared to strike. Thankfully, Selena had learned to avert her eyes from what she had studied from Kaa. And that was what she did. But she wasn't safe until he was out, and she knew that... And his words, whether a threat or a suggestion were enough to spook Selena who continued to take slow steps back...
"...We still can settle this peacefully... You let us both go, and no more harm will come to you... But if you intend to keep pushing for us to stay in your coils, that blow won't be the last to your head..."
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 30, 2022 3:58:50 GMT -6
Completely unaware of Selena tearing a hole in his mental grip on Emiko, the jungle serpent kept his focus on the former, while keeping the latter confined in his coils. Once again, Kaa had little idea of how much the odds were stacked against his favor. He saw that his colorful color display, as brief as it was, had much less effect on the village girl than before thanks to her learning to slightly counter the snake's hypnotic gaze. But at the same time, Kaa knew that he still could achieve at least something with his words and coils.
And at that exact moment, a small realization started to cloud over the serpent's thoughts. If he tried to go at Selena with brute force, there was a chance that she would strike him down again - and this time he would not be able to recover from the blow in time. The club attack alone would not really deter him much - after all, this would be far from the worst Kaa ever had. But by rushing things like he did before Kaa would have to risk forfeiting any chances at having a two course dinner that evening. Something resembling an inner voice was telling him that perhaps taking a peaceful option was a good idea... because he would not have to uphold his part of the deal afterwards.
"... You are right. Let me uncoil Emiko and calm her down firssst." - Kaa sighed and backed away from Selena and slithered to a further part of the branch, right where Emiko was still placed. He looked at her shocked face briefly and sent several more spirals without saying anything in hopes of at least calming her down, while hoping that Selena was not looking. Gradually, the snake began to uncoil Emiko and put her in a safe position so she wouldn't fall off. He knew how much he was risking... But the thing was, Kaa was not the one who would withdraw without thinking up a backup plan firsthand, no matter if Selena believed his fake remorse or not. This could at least keep some Selena's trust in him (and perhaps Emiko's too), if Kaa was very lucky.
"Ssssee?" - he turned back to Selena and tried to give a smile of graceful defeat.
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 30, 2022 8:53:43 GMT -6
Every inch that Kaa would proceed towards Selena would be met with her treating just as much. Club still in hand, hoisted over her shoulder ready to strike, she wasn't taking any chances... And Kaa seemed to wise up to the reality of that. Or so it seemed...
His pause and admission that she was right shocked her a little. Selena didn't think it would be that easy, and...honestly didn't believe that it was. Still, the serpent insisted that he needed to uncoil his current catch and calm her down before he could go any further. And then, he proceeded to do just that without saying another word about it.
Kaa lifted a very confused and dazed Emiko up and gently lowered her onto a sturdy branch for safe keeping. Through the transition and even the placement, Emiko's state didn't waver much beyond a half-trance daze where all she could seem to do was stare out into space blankly. At one point, Kaa did return to her gaze where he let the rings flow in his eyes yet again in an effort to sway her back into a full trance. However...the blow had weakened their potency, and the few rings she had been given weren't nearly enough to seal her back down. Perhaps stabilize her half-trance from teetering to awakening, but not push her back down. Unfortunately...this would prove a bit of a miscalculation as would his next move...
Having grown use to the coils in the short time she was in them, Emiko would find herself feeling...very confused as they suddenly began to unwrap around her. The sense of security and bliss Kaa's grip provided was just...suddenly gone. And it effectively erased what little the few rings he had given her had done with interest. She was thankfully still within the trance, but perhaps a quarter of the way down. Without the coils or Kaa's attention to keep her there, that was decreasing which would lead to her waking up...very soon...
Still, seeing Kaa go forward with releasing Emiko and returning to her with a seeming look of defeat was a step in the right direction to a 'peaceful conclusion.' Selena still wasn't fully convinced and certainly kept her distance. But if Kaa really wanted this to end peacefully, she had no qualms about it... She stayed ready, but was willing to negotiate out of this situation.
"...I do see... I am grateful if we can get to a non-violent resolution... Just...go on your way, and leave us alone now. If you do, I won't hurt you. And I'll make sure no one comes out here hunting you after the fact... You go your way, and we'll go ours... It's that simple..."
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 30, 2022 9:17:52 GMT -6
A mere thought of having Emiko slowly start waking up from his colors was painful to the jungle serpent, but deep inside, he knew he could bring the girl back under his control anytime. Deep inside, he was holding a small grudge against Selena, yet it was mixed with some respect for her at daring to beat the serpent at his own game. Kaa began to crawl up the tree branch above Emiko and gave one last pat on her shoulder with a tip of his tail as he gave one more glance at the jungle villager.
"Yesss... I agree with that. I have to go now. I don't think thiss tree iss particularly sssafe for two of you to ressst on... Neither isss, in fact. But... feel free to sspend the night wherever you would like the mossst. It isss your choiccce, after all. Goodbye, Sselena. Goodbye, Emiko..."
And after these words, Kaa was gone, up in the treetops from which he came from. His tail was the last thing the girls could see before it disappeared as well.
Under any other circumstances, Kaa would keep his word and try looking for his meal somewhere else, but... the thought of having an unusual human like Emiko for a meal was outweighting any other possibilities for Kaa to do. When else would he have a chance to get such a unique catch for a dinner? The serpent was in no way going to squander such a golden opportunity. He was already thinking up a plan for what to do next, and it seemed he calculated another devious idea of his. He just needed patience.
Selena and Emiko might not know it yet, but the threat of Kaa was far from over.
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 30, 2022 12:19:21 GMT -6
Selena stood idly by and watched as Kaa agreed to her terms and prepared to slither off. He did pause for only a moment to give his previously hypnotized catch a little pat on the shoulder before warning them about the dangers of this tree. With the warning given though, he gave them a fond farewells and slithered off into the branches above. Just like that, he, and the threat he posed was gone...
The Indian native let out a sigh of relief as Kaa slithered out of sight. She hadn't realized it til now, but she had nervously been holding her breath this entire time. Her arms were still shaking from nervousness, another thing she hadn't noticed. And she was honestly in disbelief that she, and the girl who saved her had somehow gotten out of this with little more than a trance-experience they both shared. Truth be told, that was more than enough. For Selena, anyway.
Without wanting to waste anymore time, Selena gave her branch-club a toss and was quick to climb up to Emiko's side. The moment she was there, she gave the foreign girl a few slaps on the cheek to bring her back to her senses. After a few blinks and a head shake later, Emiko was finally free of her trance, but...very much confused.
"W-wha? What happened?" Emiko asked, shaking her head again and rubbing her eyes softly. A reaction that Selena couldn't help but giggle at.
"Seems like that snake got to you, too. I wasn't sure how at first, but...he's apparently got this weird ability to lure you into a trance if you look at his eyes. Once you're in one, you're as helpless as could be."
"...A...trance? His eyes? Oh! The snake!" Emiko shouted aloud, suddenly remembering what happened. At least, before the trance. It was that python that was trying to eat this girl before her right now! But she paused... The girl was free now? And...Emiko had very little recollection about what had actually transpired after the colors had flown... "...W-wait... That snake was...trying to eat you. And you're free now? Good grief, what happened?"
It was a question that again Selena just giggled at. She extended a hand to help the girl up and smiled warmly in her direction. "...It's a long story; one best told away from here. Come one. Let's get out of this tree and go somewhere a little safer. I'll tell you about it along the way."
Emiko gave Selena a nod of her head, and took Selena's hand who helped to pull her to her feet. After doing so, the girls took a moment or two to gather up Emiko's discarded shoes, climb down the tree back to the jungle floor, and then set off for home. Chances were, they wouldn't make it there before it became too dark to see, but Selena didn't want to stick around here where danger still existed. Better to put some distance between themselves and Kaa than stay here, she reasoned.
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 30, 2022 12:42:14 GMT -6
Unbeknownst to them, Kaa did not go very far from the tree he tried to eat them on previously. Nor were they aware of how good the snake was at tracking his prey. He was much more experienced in the jungle life, and he also managed to catch each girl's scent back during the first encounter. Even though Selena's scent was more familiar and thus easier to follow (because she was one of many jungle villagers Kaa had met prior), the snake had not ruled out Emiko staying close to her at all times. After lying in wait in the treetops for some time to give the duo a headstart, the python started to follow the two while wisely staying out of their line of sight. The snake needed to be extremely careful, else he would be exposed too early. At times he briefly stopped in his tracks to avoid giving away too much noise.
In his mind, Kaa already chose which female would he snatch first. Emiko seemed to be more vulnerable than her companion, the snake thought. But he needed to get her separated from Selena. The last thing he wanted was winning the wrath of both females at once. At the same time, he was counting on both girls being tired from the past experience with him. Rather than taking them on while they were awake, perhaps it would be wiser for Kaa to wait until they were both asleep?
The jungle snake decided to attack the girls at their most defenseless, but he knew that patience was the key in this situation. He had to rely not just on their scent, but on their voices and footsteps as well. He knew that neither Selena nor Emiko would walk forever through the night forest. Sooner or later, they would stop.
And then Kaa would be given a green light to put his backup plan into motion.
|
|
|
Post by Emiko on Apr 30, 2022 13:15:49 GMT -6
As Selena and Emiko went on their way, the two girls took the time to get caught up on the events that had happened. Starting with a proper introduction, Emiko was surprised to learn that Selena was in fact a local town's girl while Selena was equally surprised to learn that Emiko was just a student. It made Emiko's happening upon Selena in this situation even more miraculous.
Selena took the opportunity to explain how she was going to gather some water for the night when she happened to be spotted by the snake. She had been warned about creatures like Kaa in passing, but never imagined she'd actually meet one. In the end, she did. And after meeting the serpent's gaze, he had fiddled around with her a little bit in some way only to prepare to eat her at the end of it. Or...that's what Selena gathered from Emiko's side of the story.
The Indian native took a bit of time after that to talk to Emiko about what she had discovered about Kaa as well as regale her with the legends her village told her about. It...was a hard pill to swallow, and had Emiko not experienced it herself, she wouldn't have believed it. Serpent's with hypnotic eyes that lured people into a trance so he could eat them... It was crazy, but it was true...
The two girls would end up in just idle chitchat getting to know each other after that, and walk only a bit further before the pathway forward was too dangerous to continue... Almost at once, Selena stopped in relatively open area surrounded by thorn bushes with the river to their backs and turned to face Emiko.
"...We'll have to stop and sleep here for the night..."
"Wait, sleep here?" Emiko asked, a nervous expression creeping on her face. "...We...can't stay here. It's in the middle of the jungle! Can't we get back to the town where at least it's safe?"
Selena just nodded her head and looked around at their temporary camp site. "...I'm afraid that isn't going to happen right now... If we keep going, we're bound to meet a nocturnal predator." She'd pause to point to the various thorn bushes in the area. "...We are in a clearing surrounded by thorn bushes most won't want to fiddle with. And we have the river to our side. This place...is as safe as it gets. It's just until morning, and then we can go on our way."
Emiko wasn't quite sure about this, and tried to talk Selena out of this decision, but there was no helping it. She had years of experience to fall back on, and wasn't having any of it... As much as Emiko hated it, this was their home tonight and...they were going to have to sleep here and wait until morning. It was the only way forward with any sort of safety or guarantees.
Reluctantly, the two girls bedded down for the night and prepared to get some much needed sleep. Selena would end up falling asleep almost immediately, but it took Emiko considerably longer to get there. Eventually after tossing and turning for hours, she'd FINALLY get tired enough to doze off for the night. But she was far from comfortable and sleeping quite lightly... Even still, the two girls were now fast asleep and safe from most predators. Or...so they thought... It never occurred to them to be wary of tree-dwelling predators...
|
|
|
Post by dukenukem4ever2 on Apr 30, 2022 13:36:24 GMT -6
And one such tree-dwelling predator was literally above them, as Kaa finally located his new "friends". It did not take him long to track them down to their camping site. In the darkness of the night, the python's coils were excellently camouphlaged and thus very hard to spot, even if one was awake at that moment of time.
Having set his sights on Emiko once more, Kaa did not rush to quickly get down to where she was. Given the position she was in, and also to how close to Selena she was, it would be difficult to snatch her without raising any suspicions from the native girl. So... if Kaa could not get Emiko where she needed to be, then perhaps SHE would be the one to unknowingly walk into Kaa's trap?
So many ideas to go through, Kaa had all time in the world to prepare his ambush and think of any possibility of his plan failing... And yet his hunger, alongside his desire to finally claim the Japanese girl after his past failure, quickly trumped the common sense once more. Now, there was only one way this would proceed.
"Emiko..."
Quietly, as if it was a faint echo of something going off in the distance, the young brunette's name was spoken by the sinister serpent. Trying his best to not accidentally wake up both girls at once, Kaa decided to focus only on one target, right before he would go to the next one. Since he chose to stay closer to Emiko, he was more than sure she would hear his call better than her companion, who seemed to be in a much deeper sleep.
"Emiko..."
The words were becoming more and more tranquil and smooth each time the tourist's name was spoken. Sooner or later, this play would lead to something. Kaa just needed patience... and a bit of luck, too.
"Emiko..."
|
|