Rayna had been walking aimlessly in the jungle for a long time. She walked by the waterfall and throw some stones in the water. Rayna took off the flower crown and tear it piece by piece as the flowers fall behind her. Rayna sniffed and wiped her tears away. She couldn't believe her father is dead. Shere Khan will be killing her friends and family if she didn't surrender herself to him, but she won't give up without a fight. Rayna needs to find a way to stop him. She thought about the Red Flower. It is the answer to defeat that murderous tiger, but Bagheera made her promise not to get near it and bring it to the jungle.
"What am I going to do? Shere Khan will kill someone else. It's my fault father is gone." Rayna said to herself. "Father...I'm sorry. Please forgive me. If only I was there for you and the pack..." She continues to walk through the jungle.
Rayna approached the tree and stood next to it. She sighed and sat down. She rests her arms on her knees as she tried to think of something to do.
Above the tree, Kaa had picked up a familiar scent while flicking his tongue and heard the familiar voice below him. Could it be? He looked down and see Rayna right there under his tree, all alone.
'The girl-cub! Rayna!' He thought with excitement, delighted to see her again, but he could tell she is upset. She could use a friendly coil. Quietly, he slithered his tail down towards her, looped around her lap and pulled her up toward him, the familiar feel of her warm flesh on his scales making him smack his lips in anticipation. Rayna felt herself being lifted as she opened her eyes to see the ground is getting smaller. She looks around and notice the familiar coils around her lap and waist. As she was reached up in the tree, she sees a familiar face.
"Kaa!" She gasped. "It's you!" The snake smiled warmly at her.
"Yesss, Rayna!" He responded eagerly as he brought his guest up to his level. "Sssso niccce to ssssee you again! Tssssss!" He hissed barely containing his excitement about having the intriguing young human in his coils again. His tail just couldn't help but loop around her waist as she sat in a seat of his coils. Rayna made a look and tried to punch him, but Kaa easily avoided her, giggling at her actions. "My, sssomeone is feisssty!"
"Leave me alone, Kaa!" Rayna said, getting his tail off her waist. "I don't have time for games."
"Gamesss?" Kaa asked as his tail simply looped around her waist again, eager to keep her close. "I have no intention of playing gamesss with you or let you be on your own when you are clearly in dissstressssss." He said as he gave her an endearing look. Rayna pushed him away.
"You tried to eat me the other night!" She grabbed his tail to get it off her once more as Kaa tried to act innocent. Perhaps he could calm her down and try to make her talk.
"Eat you?" Kaa said in mock surprise as he slithered around to her other side. "Isss that what Bagheera told you? I wasss ssssimply trying to help you relaxxx assss I am doing now. Tell me ssssweet Rayna, what'sss troubling you?" He said tilting his head to her.
"It's nothing." Rayna replied as she got off the seat of coils.
"Ssssurely it had ssomething to do with your father." Kaa spoke as his tail wrapped around her ankle keeping her from leaving. Rayna paused for a moment. "A little birdie told the whole jungle about how Ssshere Khan killed your father."
"Yes. He did. But it was none of your business." Rayna said, getting his tail off her ankle.
"Are you ssssure?" Kaa asked suddenly appearing behind her flicking his tongue at her back. Rayna spun around quickly to see him. "Sssuch a terrible thing to happen." He said slithering around her but not touching her. "Talking about thessse thingsss doesss help, you know. And I'm a very good lissstener." By this point he had completed his loop in the air around her and was now looking at her at her eye level. Rayna close one eye in case he tried to hypnotize her again.
"How could I trust you?" She asked. Kaa's smile widened upon seeing her at least prepared to speak with him.
"Oh, ssssweet little Rayna." He said as his tail draped around her shoulders like the arm of a friend and his snout came in close to her face like they were sharing a friendly hug. Rayna cringed a little as she turned her head away as he chuckled at her. "Ssspend enough time with me and you'll see how trusssstworthy I truly am." As he spoke, he slowly brought her face to his, so they were now eye to eye and slowly started his light show. Rayna got out of his grasp, but not as forceful.
"I don't think I could trust anyone. This jungle despised me. Shere Khan wanted me dead, and he killed my father because I had to run away." She tried to hold back her tears. Kaa frowned at this. She is truly heartbroken.
'Aww. How could I eat when someone needs a hankie?' He thought to himself. He needs to have her guard down somehow. An idea popped in his head.
"There there, sssweetheart." Kaa said, quickly following her and looping his neck around her forehead like she was wearing him as a crown. "I know it'ssss difficult, but you can't be alone forever." He said lowering his loop, so it was now over her eyes. His heart went out to her and her pain and at this point, he wasn't even thinking about her as a meal, he just wanted to see her forget her worries and smile. "I can help you learn to trussst again. You can believe in me..." He said loosening his blindfold coils. Rayna slowly removed his coils off and see him with those colorful spirals. This time, Rayna couldn't look away. Her eyes matched his as Kaa began to sing to her in a warm soothing voice.
"Trussst in meeeee.
Jussst in meeeee.
Ssssshut your eyessssss.
Trussst in meeeee."
He sang soothingly as he beckoned her forwards with his tail, loving seeing how quickly she fell under his spell this time. Rayna smiles and follows his tail. Her eyes are closed as she walks on the branch, listening to the song the snake is singing to her. Kaa was enjoying her mindless obedience so much, he almost forgot to stop her before she reached the end of the branch. His tail pressed against her forehead as she was just stepping off the end.
"Hold ssstill please." He commanded as he made a staircase for her to walk down before releasing her and letting her continue her journey.
"You can sssssleep...
Sssssafe and sssssound..."
Rayna is mindlessly walking down the steps, but Kaa made it towards her, having her walk on his long neck as he is making a loop. She was walking upside down in the loop of coils.
"Knowing I am around..."
Rayna slides down and rest on the coil as Kaa rocks her as a hammock.
"Ssslip into sssilent sslumber.
Sssail on a ssilver misst."
He then lifts her body up and wrap his coils around her legs, hanging her upside down.
"Sssslowly but ssssurely,
Your sssencccessss will ccceasssse,
To ressssisssst."
He hissed soothingly as he gently rocked her from side to side. Rayna is sleeping soundly now. Kaa smiled and move his head upside down.
"All better now?" He asked.
"Mm...yes..." Rayna spoke in her sleep. Kaa smiled in satisfaction as he reclined back on a branch readying an empty cocoon of coils for his guest.
"Trussssst in meeeee.
Jussssst in meeeee."
He sung soothingly as he gently placed her sleeping body in the cocoon before closing it snuggly around her.
"Ssssshut your eyessss...
Trussssst in meeeee."
Kaa brought her the right way up to look at her happy sleeping face. Now that is better. He had to admit to himself that Rayna looks lovely in this state. All peaceful in his coils. Kaa licked his lips, getting ready to devour her. But the blissful moment was ruined when his tail was pulled a few times.
"Huh?" Kaa gasped, looking puzzled. He scowled in annoyance. Who could be bothering him now? "Ooh now what?" He said to himself annoyed that someone had interrupted this blissful moment before calming himself down. "I'll be right down!" He said before slithering down to the jungle floor. "Yess yess? Who isss it?" He asked looking around for anyone.
"It's me, Shere Khan." The deep voice responded. Kaa felt a jolt through his spine when he heard the sound of the tiger's voice. Shere Khan and Tabaqui appeared from around the tree. Tabaqui smirked at the nervous snake as he started to sniff around the area. "I'd like to have a word with you if you don't mind." Shere Khan spoke as he rests on the ground. Kaa slithered towards him, trying his best not to show his fear.
"Sssshere Khan..." He greeted with mock pleasantries. "And your...charming sidekick..." Tabaqui chuckled a little as he scouts around. "What a sssurprissse. What can I do for you two?" He asked. Seeing Tabaqui sniffing around, he is snuggling his coils even more firmly around Rayna to mask her scent. He can't give her away like this.
"We were just dropping by." Shere Khan said. "Now forgive us if we interrupted anything?" His eyes look up at the tree with a smile.
"Oh no! Nothing at all!" He said trying to act nonchalant. He couldn't believe Shere Khan could be acting so calmly after killing Rayna's father a day ago, a prominent member of the wolf pack no less...
"And we just heard you singing." Tabaqui said, coming around. "Got somebody up there in your coils, Kaa?" He looked up at the trees and see some coils around the branches. He did get Rayna's scent around the tree, but the trail of hers was by the tree.
"Indeed. We thought perhaps you were entertaining someone up there in your coils." Shere Khan tapped his exposed claws on the jungle floor.
"Coilsss? Ssssomeone?" Kaa said as he quickly denied the response. "Oh no, I was jusssst curling up for my ssssiesta."
"But you were singing to someone." Shere Khan said as he wrapped his paw around Kaa's neck. "Who is it Kaa?" As he said this, he tightly clenched around Kaa's neck. Tabaqui giggled at this. Kaa gulped a bit, trying to remain calm by chuckling.
"No, no, you ssssee...I was just...ssssinging to myself."
"Is that so?" Shere Khan asked, nodding his head.
"Yessss, well you see I have..." Kaa gulped again as he tries to speak. "Trouble with my...ssssinuses."
"What a pity." Shere Khan replied as he gently pinned Kaa's head to the ground.
"Oh, you have no idea, it's ssssimply terrible." Kaa said. "I can't eat, I can't ssssleep, so I ssssing myself to ssssleep."
"Really?" Tabaqui asked with a puzzled expression.
"You know...ssself hypnosissss." Kaa said as he stretched his head off the ground and his eyes flooded with colorful spirals trying to hypnotize the two. "Let me sssshow you two how it workssss." Shere Khan closed his left eye and just stared at the snake irritated while Tabaqui wasn't fazed by this at all. "Trusssst in meeeee!" Kaa sang as he looked at the two up until Shere Khan put both of his paws on his head and plopped him against the ground. "Oof!" Kaa muffled in the paw and ground.
"I don't know how these animals in the jungle fall for those." Tabaqui said, shaking his head.
"We can't be bothered with that. We have no time for that sort of nonsense." Shere Khan spoke.
"Ssssome other time, perhaps." Kaa replied under Shere Khan's paw.
"Perhaps." Shere Khan answered as he lifted his paws off of Kaa's head. "But at the moment Tabaqui and I are searching for a girl-cub."
"Girl-cub?" Kaa asked with his eyes wide but remain calm again. "What girl-cub?"
"The one who was raised by wolves." Shere Khan replied, turning back to him. "She is quite the talk around the jungle. She is lost somewhere. Now where do you suppose she could be?"
"Sssearch me?" Kaa asked with a shrug, but quickly clamping his mouth shut, realizing what he said. Now he's done it. They will know about Rayna. He needs to be very clever on this one. His coils grip on his sleeping prey more firmly.
"Now that's an excellent idea." Shere Khan replied with a chuckle.
"Her scent is fresh here." Tabaqui said walking by the tree. "You've seen her, haven't you?" Shere Khan smirked at the snake.
"Is that right, Tabaqui? I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing us your coils, would you Kaa?" He asked.
"Ccccccertainly not." Kaa answered as he lowered his tail to show to the two. "Nothing here." He said as he wiggled his tail and then pointed to his opened mouth. "And nothing in here." The sound of groaning is heard above the tree, catching Shere Khan and Tabaqui's attention. Kaa tried not to panic as he let out a chuckle. "My ssstomach."
"Hmm. Indeed." Shere Khan said, looking up at the tree. "Now...how about the middle?"
"The middle?" Kaa asked, blinking. But he formed a smile as he thought of a plan. "Ohh, the middle." Kaa's coils carefully unwound from Rayna as Kaa lowered them down to show to the two. Shere Khan soon felt them, but he tickled the snake as he giggled. "Cccccertainly nothing in the middle." Tabaqui tried to take a whiff of those coils, but Kaa moved his coils up to the tree and gave him a sinister smile. The hyena huffed at him.
"Hmmm. Really?" Shere Khan responded as he and Tabaqui looked up once more before looking back at Kaa. They thought maybe Rayna turned to another direction or Kaa must've scared her off. "Well, if you do just happen to see the girl-cub, you will inform me first. Or else..." Shere Khan scratched the tree next to Kaa who gulped in fear. "Understand?"
"I get the point." Using his long neck, Kaa made an X. "Cross my heart, hope to die."
"Good show. Come Tabaqui." Shere Khan said as he and Tabaqui took their leave. "Now we must continue our search for the helpless little lass." Tabaqui turned his head back to Kaa and look up at the tree, raising a brow. He followed the tiger. After they are gone, Kaa made a look in his eyes.
"Ooh, who do they think they're fooling?" He angrily spoke. "The helpless little lass. Ooh that tiger givesss me the ssssssssshivers!" As he said this, his entire body shook while his tail unraveled from Rayna who woke up. She blinked and looked around herself and see Kaa's coils. Angry by this trick, Rayna got out of the coils and about to do the same trick as before. "Picking on that poor little helplessss girl." Kaa sighed, feeling a little sympathy for the girl. But his eyes pulsed and soon smiled wickedly remembering his own intentions for her, licking his lips. "Oh yesss, poor little helplessss girl." Rayna shoved the coils off the branch like before. Soon Kaa was yanked up and down the branches like before. Kaa wailed as he unraveled from many of the branches and smacked his head and chin several times until he landed on the ground in a massive heap of his coils with a thud as he moaned. "Ooh." Rayna used a vine to get down from the tree and angrily walked over to the pile of coils.
"You lied to me, Kaa!" She said. Kaa angrily lifted his head out of his coils and towers over her. "You said I could trust you!" Kaa flicked his tongue at her.
"You clever girl." He started slithering towards her. Rayna backed away. "It'sss like you said. You can't trussst anyone! You have nowhere to go, girl-cub! Where elssse would you find sssafety?" Rayna could see that Kaa is getting serious. She tripped backwards and let out a gasp as he slithered towards her, snickering at her. "Hold sssstill now. I'll make lunch out of you." Rayna crawled backwards but Kaa continued to move towards her, slithering over her legs to pin her in place as he readied his hypnotic gaze. "No essscape thisssss time!" Rayna tried to move her legs, but the coils kept her down.
"Get away from me!" She yelled. She picked up a rock to throw at him, but Kaa easily dodged it. Rayna is trapped. Kaa is in striking position.
"Thisss won't hurt a BIT!" He cried out as he was stopped by the knot in his tail, caught in the bamboo trees like before. Rayna found her chance to run away as Kaa pulled his tail and his coils all tangled up. Kaa angrily looks over to see Rayna running away. "That girl isss a lot more difficult than I thought. If I never sssee her again, it will be too sssoon!" He started to slither away with his tangled coils. "Oohh, my coilssss really ache." He disappeared into the jungle.