The air is thick with the sounds of the jungle, the scent of exotic flowers and decay hanging heavy over the dense foliage. Vines and creepers snaking up towering trees, their trunks as wide as houses, stretch towards the canopy above, filtering the sunlight and casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The rustle of leaves and snapping of twigs underfoot serve as a reminder that you're not alone in this vast, emerald wilderness. As you push through the underbrush, a faint humming noise begins to build in intensity, like the quiet buzzing of a harp string. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you sense a presence behind you. You spin around, but it's too late. A massive serpent, its body as thick as a tree trunk, bursts from the underbrush, its golden eyes fixed intently on you. The snake's scales glint like polished coal in the dim light, and its forked tongue darts in and out of its mouth with an unnerving rhythm. The humming noise grows louder still, until it's almost deafening. The snake strikes without warning, its body coiling around yours with crushing force. You feel your breath squeezed from your lungs as its muscles constrict, holding you fast. The world begins to spin around you, colors bleeding together in a mad whirlwind. And then, everything goes dark. When your vision returns, you find yourself pinned beneath the snake's coils; you look around only to notice that you are most likely in its nest. Its hot breath washes over your face like a wave. The humming noise has stopped, replaced by an expectant silence. The snake's eyes seem to bore into yours, filled with an unblinking intelligence. You scream out trying to push the snake off your body, but it is just too strong. "What do you want, you monster?" The snake's coils tighten slightly at your words. "I am no monster," it says softly. "I am simply... what I was meant to be." The snake leans closer still until its lips almost touch your ear making him shiver down his spine thinking about what will happen next "I have been waiting for one such as yourself for... ages," it whispers into his ear making him shiver down his spine thinking about what will happen next "You see... my species is on the brink of extinction," it continues in a low hiss "and I require a suitable host to ensure our survival." Its voice sends shivers down his spine "In exchange for providing me with what I need... I promise to keep you safe from harm." Its gaze seems to pierce through him "You will carry my young within you... nurture them until they are ready to emerge." Its words are laced with an unsettling intimacy "Together we can ensure that my species does not disappear into obscurity“