James couldn't stop smiling as he journeyed out into the woods. A soft breeze shook some of the branches overhead, renewing his sense of vigor.
Sighing and taking in it all, he set down his tent in a grove and began to unpack. He was miles and miles away from civilization now, and plenty of time to get as much of the outdoors as he could.
It really was the perfect place to get lost in, hills and valleys were all around him, with trees and creeks winding through those. The view was phenomenal, and waking up to it would only make it that much more beautiful. Setting up his camera and turning it on to record the whole scene, James started to make a campfire.
Looking through it, he noticed on the cliffside some movement. Curious, he zoomed in on his camera to get a better view. His breath stopped as he saw a young doe caught in some brush, but barely moving and staring back at him.
Without thinking, he got up and made his way towards the fawn, looking around for any others that might be around. Once he made his way up to it, she panted and snorted, trying to get away, but couldn't move. Exhausted, she sank back down, awaiting her fate.
James saw her leg caught up and a bit red. Biting his lip, he reached into his pack to pull out a knife. Carefully, he bent down and gently cut the branches that held the animal as he gently whispered. "Easy girl.... Easy. I just want to help."
Cutting the last branch off of the young doe's leg, he backed away quickly as she bounced away a bit before stopping and looking back. James smiled and waved it off while walking back. "Next time you can get me out of a jam."
Looking towards his camera he posed and smiled. "James, hero to nature and destroyer of weeds!" Laughing to himself he took the camera back down and played the recording back. "Tch, good thing nobody's gonna see this."
Replaying it again, he watched as the deer jumped out from behind the brush, running away from something, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how he didn't hear it. "Ah well, it probably just heard me and freaked out. Welp, guess it's fine now."
Resting against a nearby stump, he rubbed his shoulders a bit.
Tch... still tense from the walk. What I wouldn't give for a massage right about now.
The sun was just beginning to set behind the treeline, and he couldn't help but stare. Absent mindedly he lit a match and threw it onto the dry fuel beneath him. Slowly, the ember began to burn, and soon the twigs and needles began to crackle.
"Heh, if heaven were real..." James smirked to himself and soaked it all in. The cool evening air circled around him, as he laid back and breathed in. "Perfect night to sleep under the stars. Think I'll do just that."
Rolling out his sleeping bag, and pushing his tent to the side, James threw some more wood onto the fire and sat back, gazing into the fire.
It's been one hell of a year. New house, new state, new me. I made it through the worst of it and back. But after everything, I made it here.
Chuckling to himself, he found a spare stick and shoved a marshmellow on the end.
Looking back up though, he could have sworn he saw something in the trees behind the fire. Stopping for a moment, he slowly leaned towards the fire.
"Anyone there? Got some extra if you want."
A soft voice came out from behind the trees, causing James to leap back a bit.
"E-Extra? Extra what?"
Wait there WAS someone watching me? How the....
James got his bearings again. That was a
girl's
voice. How the hell did she manage to get all the way out here?
"Uh yeah. Extra marshmellows. Want to try some?" James kept his eyes beyond the fire, but could barely make anything out now. "It's alright if you want to stay here for a spell, but I won't twist your arm. You lost?"
The voice giggled, and crept forward. "Lost? I was thinking you were lost coming to my home. But... I do like the fire you made. May I?"
James offered a seat next to him in a gesture, blowing out his treat as he pulled it to the side. He strained to see and listen, but the fire was too loud and bright to get a good view. Suddenly the wind picked up and blew smoke into James' eyes, causing him to cough and rub his face.
"Oh are you ok?" the voice came from his immediate right, as he coughed and nodded his head. Finally getting the soot out of his face he looked over.
That's when he saw her.
A woman sat across from him, with a beautiful smile on her face and dark red hair cascading down her back. She was reaching towards him with a gentle hand, as she gasped a bit when she saw his face. James went slack jawed at the sight before him.
But it wasn't just that this woman was beautiful. She also had.... other features that drew his eyes.
To start, her eyes were slitted and purple, with a soft pulse to them as they grew and shrank with every breath. Not to mention she barely wore any clothes, save for some hand crafted leather to cover her toned body. It barely did anything to hide her significantly large.... assets, but even this wasn't what kept James from speaking.
Her lower half was that of a snake.
Right where her hips would normally have been legs, a long winding tail had curled around the entire campfire, soaking in all of its heat. Her scales were a mixture of pink and white, with an almost mesmerizing pattern when it moved. He was completely frozen in a mix of fear and wonder at the sight before him.
"Wow, what's that on your face?" The girl cocked her head quizically as she instinctively reached out and touched his face gently. "It's.....prickly."
James quickly regained his composure and coughed a couple of times to clear the air a bit. "Uh, well, sorry, uh... It's my beard?" Rubbing his chin, realizing what she was poking. "You've never seen one?"
She shook her head and smiled, eyeing him up and down. James suddenly felt a bit self conscious as he sat next to her. Sure, he was pretty well built, and he was proud of his arms and shoulders, but what if.....
Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Sure she's a girl, but she wouldn't be into someone like me.
She reached forward and put her hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly, until she saw his legs. Her eyes locked and widened as she gasped a bit. She seemed just as lost as he was when he saw her tail.
"What happened to your tail? And why is it.... split?" She reached forward to feel, but James quickly jumped back a bit, face completely red in embarassment. The mystery woman drew back a bit, but slowly eased herself back onto the ground near the fire. "Sorry, I guess it must have hurt, whatever happened."
James saw her face lower as she rest her head between her arms. Now that he got a good look at her, she really was beautiful to behold. Her eyes were soft, if a bit serpentine. She had such slender arms too, but her torso and stomach were lined in muscles.
"Oh, uh, no no. Nothing happened. I was just born this way. Speaking of which.... what should I call you? I've never seen someone with a... tail."
