First Finders

“H-hey. What’s that look for?” Dan felt his pulse spike when he saw her mouth begin to water. Her look was a blend of apprehension and eagerness. There was something she wanted to do, even if she had her doubts. And given the way she was fixated on him, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this was going after she licked her lips. Her next words sounded questioning, almost like she was asking for permission as her grin widened into overt excitement. “Oh, hell no!” Dan cried out. New stores of energy were tapped as he struggled to get away, ignoring the pain of the still fresh bug bites and the odd numbness in his formerly pierced foot. Shantay laughed, though it was hard to tell if it was condescending or apologetic in tone. She kept uttering more gibberish to explain herself, but Dan was having none of it. “Yeah, like I’m listing to you!” With the last hopes of reaching an understanding snuffed out, the naga halted Dan’s retreat by grabbing him at the waist and shoulder. She flipped him around to face her. Now they were eye-to-eye and Dan’s pulse remained as high as ever. “L-look. You’re real pretty and all, but, uh, I kinda really don’t want to be here.” He looked around as if some avenue of escape might present itself. Yet his eyes always came back to that same enchanting expression and kind smile. “This language barrier sucks, ya know. If we could talk, m-maybe you could tell me how crazy I’m being. I mean, just because you’re a snake, doesn’t mean you’re going to do⋯ snake things, right?” Her answer was a look of sincere apology, followed by a sucking sound to keep herself from drooling. More gibberish words flowed forth. She was trying to explain herself, sounding like she needed him to understand how important this was. This was something that had to happen. “Oh, no-no-no-no!” Dan felt his heart pounding like a drum as his mind flooded with screams to escape. Alas, all his efforts were for not.