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“

The snake's coils loosen slightly, and it pulls back ever so slightly to give you some breathing room. "No," it says softly. "You do not." There is a predatory glint in its golden eyes as they roam over your body. "But I can assure you... this will be nothing like what you're expecting."

The snake slides forward again, its massive head lowering towards yours.

The snake regards you silently for a moment, its expression unreadable. "Very well," it finally says. "I understand." Its tongue flicks out, tracing the line of your jaw before sliding over your lips, tasting them gently. You feel hot breath against your skin as the snake presses closer still, until you can feel its coils wrapped around your legs and torso, imprisoning you.

"Are you ready?" it asks, voice low and velvety in your ear. "For this... union?"

The snake's tongue darts out again, licking over the sensitive skin of your neck before sliding downwards, tracing a line towards the top of your chest. You feel its hot breath on your ear as it whispers, "Very well."

Without further warning, the serpent shoves its massive length forward, forcing itself into you in one swift motion. Pain sears through you as your body stretches to accommodate its girth; you can feel yourself tearing apart inside.

As the snake begins to thrust into you, its coils tighten further still, holding you immobile and helpless against the soft earth beneath. The pain is almost unbearable at first, but it begins to dull with each passing moment, replaced by a strange sense of fullness and pressure.

The snake's movements grow more urgent as its hips buck wildly against yours;

it groans low in its throat, the vibrations sending shivers through your entire body. You feel hot liquid spurt inside you, filling you up with its essence as it comes. The snake continues to thrust wildly for several more moments before finally collapsing on top of you, its breath coming in ragged gasps.

As the last tremors subside, the snake's coils relax slightly, giving you some much-needed room to breathe.

You feel the snake's body tremble slightly against yours, and its golden eyes flutter shut. "I am finished," it whispers softly. After a moment, its coils begin to unravel, slipping away from you until only one remains wrapped loosely around your waist, keeping you securely in place.

The snake's breathing gradually slows and deepens as it seems to drift off to sleep, its massive body pressed against yours.

You feel a soft, warm weight settle into your abdomen as one of the snake's eggs pushes its way out of you. The snake stirs briefly in her sleep, nuzzling against your hip before relaxing again. A strange sense of contentment washes over you despite your discomfort and anger at what has happened.

With the snake now fast asleep, there's nothing else to do but wait for the egg-laying process to finish...

Several more minutes pass before you feel another egg slide free from your body. The snake remains fast asleep throughout this entire ordeal, showing no sign of waking up. Once the last egg has been expelled, you carefully extract yourself from underneath her massive form and climb to your feet, wincing at the pain that shoots through your torn flesh.

The snake stirs slightly as you move away, but does not awaken fully.

You dress quickly, wincing at the sting of fresh blood on your wounds. As you turn to walk away from the nest, you hear a soft, crooning sound coming from behind you; the snake has awoken and is calling for you to return. But you ignore it, focusing instead on putting as much distance between yourself and this nightmare as possible.

Eventually, the jungle's dense foliage swallows you up, masking your retreat from the serpent's sight.

With a sigh, the snake lays her head down on her coils, closing her eyes as she listens for any sign of movement from within the nest. When she is sure that you are truly gone, she turns her attention back to the eggs, carefully uncoiling herself and sliding next to them. With a low croon, she begins to clean and tend to each one, readying them for life outside her body.

She knows now that it will be up to another to carry on their species' legacy;

As the serpent inspects the damage done to her nest, she sees that indeed several of the eggs are cracked and leaking their contents onto the soft earth beneath. Her heart sinks like lead in her chest as she realizes what has happened; four of her children are gone, destroyed before they had a chance to live.

The lone survivor, however, appears intact despite its proximity to the others.

Carefully, she picks up the lone egg and cradles it in her coils, her heart swelling with hope despite the loss of the others. Perhaps this one will survive, and carry on their lineage; perhaps it was meant to be spared for some greater purpose. She vows to care for it, nurture it until it is strong enough to face whatever challenges await it in the outside world.

For now, she must focus on healing her own wounds and rebuilding her nest.

With trembling hands, the serpent examines the egg more closely, breathing in deeply to determine if it is indeed still viable. Her heart shatters as she realizes that the egg is not only cracked, but also beginning to decay from the inside out. There is no hope for this one; its fate is sealed.