literature

Unexpected Love#6

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                                 Unexpected Love#6



  After the water play, Mari and Kaa were back on the road, but they were interacting with each other a bit more. Kaa saw Mari walk side by side and kept their eyes open for anything, after their run-in with King Louie’s cronies.
“And that’s what happened after Baloo and Bagheera got me out of Monkey City.” Mari finished, telling Kaa her first meeting with King Louie.
“That old ape hasn’t changed a bit. He always talked about wanting to be a man, before that he was also a party animal just like Baloo.” Kaa chuckled at the story of his former friend.
“Baloo, I can understand, but Louie was always that fanatic with getting fire?” She asked.
“Always, when he decided he wanted to be a man he thought the only way to do so was to get Man’s Red Flower: fire.”
“Not exactly something to be careless about.” Mari said. Remembering her first experience with fire.
She was stepping over a broken log but sidestepped and was about to fall, but Kaa reacted and caught her, causing both of them to stare at one another. Mari stilled for a moment till she hesitantly looked away and got herself back onto her feet. It stunned Kaa, but what got him surprised was how beautiful her eyes truly were once he got a good look at them. Mari felt a smile creep up on her face. Was she falling in love with Kaa? She felt her smile grow warm. She had to admit, she liked Kaa the more she was around him right now, but she hadn’t expected to feel like this. And yet, it felt nice. But…did he like her in that sense too? ‘Probably not’. She thought sadly, ‘Don’t dwell on it Mari, it won’t ever happen.’
Kaa was thinking the same thing. He felt his once cold heart starting to be filled with emotion he didn’t think was possible. He was falling for Mari! A smile came upon his face. Yes, he did love her. He never thought he would ever find a mate in his life, but this young woman who he once tried to eat as a child was slowly worming into his heart. And he liked it, but he was wondering, did she love him too?
It was late afternoon as the two stopped by a clearing of banana trees. Mari shocked Kaa by using a nearby vine where she made a loop and twirled it around her head and threw it up, closing in on the bundle that connected itself to the tree and bringing it down where she caught it. Kaa tried the banana and found out he liked it. Mari had filled up her canteen again and tied it to her pack.
“How far are we now?” Mari asked Kaa.
“We, uh, shouldn’t be that far now, I think.” He said, not prepared for the question.
Mari sighed as she rubbed her foot. She had stepped on too many rocks on the trail and it was hurting her foot. Kaa looked as she kept rubbing them.
“You ok?”
“I’m fine Kaa, I just stepped on too many rocks. The trail was filled with them.”
“Yes.” He said as he looked at her. Both of them were cut off as two roars broke the silence.


Bagheera and Baloo came out of the brush. Bagheera launched himself from his hiding place and put himself between Mari and Kaa. Kaa fell off his spot in shock as Bagheera came at him with baring his teeth. Baloo came out and grabbed Mari pulling her away. She struggled in her friend's arms.
“Bagheera!” Mari said.
“Mari, run now.”
“Bagheera, it's fine.” She tried reasoning with him while still being held by Baloo.
“Baloo, get her out of here.” Bagheera said to the bear.
“Bagheera, I haven’t done anything.” Kaa pleaded, trying to not panic at the sight of his old friend. Baloo tried to walk away with Mari, but she threw herself hard against Baloo’s gut and he let her go. Mari ran and jumped in front of her father figure.
“Bagheera, back off, Kaa hasn’t done anything.” Mari said.
“Mari, have you lost your senses? Or do you not remember what he tried to do the last time?” Bagheera argued with her.
“I know, but it’s not like that ok. Let him explain. He came to me for help.” Mari said.
“She’s telling the truth. I did go to her for help.” Kaa said as he got up to his feet, “I picked up the scent of a fawn going through a secluded area of the jungle and accidentally angered a shaman that lived there and she turned me into a human. Mari allowed me to live with her in the village for a night and has been helping me get back so I can turn back. Bagheera, I haven’t done anything to her.” Kaa pleaded.
Both Bagheera and Baloo looked at Kaa than at Mari who nodded her head. Bagheera sighed and stepped back, sheathing back in his claws.
“Very well. I can see you’re telling the truth Kaa, but understand this, we catch you doing anything and you will have us to deal with.” Bagheera said the last few words with a growl and Baloo glared at him, making the man grimace and said,
“Crystal.”
Mari stepped away from between them and said,
“Well since you guys have decided to join the party. Maybe you can tell us if we are heading in the right direction.”
“Where are you heading anyways?” Bagheera said.
“I ran into the shaman over by the swamp areas of the jungle.” Kaa said.
“Thinking of your stomach instead of your safety this time?” Baloo said sarcastically, making Mari glare a bit at him.
“At the time, yes.” Kaa said with a guilty look, “I wasn’t thinking at the moment. I hadn’t eaten in a bit and all was on my mind was acquiring food.”
“How surprising.” Bagheera said sarcastically.
“Ok, end of the story and moving on. Are we heading to the right place or not?” Mari glared at the trio who were taken back by the tone of her voice.
“You are, but you won’t get there till tomorrow the least.”
Bagheera said.
“Ok, well we better hit the trail then.”
Mari said, picking up her stuff and getting ready to walk. Handing Kaa his pack.
“We’re coming to.” Bagheera said, looking at Kaa that said ‘We’re watching you’
Mari rolled her eyes at their protectiveness and all four were off.


By nighttime, Mari, Kaa, Baloo, and Bagheera managed to cover about a mile and a half before the sun descended and the moon was shining bright. Mari made a fire and caught a nice helping of trout for herself, Kaa, and Bagheera while Baloo munched on the nearby fruit trees. Bagheera and Baloo kept looking at Kaa and how he and Mari interacted. They were shocked as they saw the two of them getting along, Kaa didn’t attempt to do anything of his wily ways it seemed like he had changed. Was that even possible? The two silently agreed with each other that once Mari was asleep they were going to talk with Kaa.


After the fire was put out and Mari had settled into her tent, Bagheera and Baloo had walked over to Kaa,
“Yes?” He asked.
“We need to talk, over there.”
Bagheera stated, indicating to the grove nearby. Kaa followed his former friends.
“What do you wish to talk about?” Kaa asked.
“About you and Mari.” Baloo stated.
They both stared at him while Kaa looked a bit sad for a moment. He collected himself and said,
“I have not done anything to her. How can I when I’m like this now?” Gesturing to his human state.
“Maybe for now, but if we find that shaman you will be back like before.” Bagheera said, he was confused as he saw Kaa getting solemn as he said this. This was not the wily python he remembered seeing.
“I know, however, I don’t even know if we will find her. She appeared out of nowhere when she got me. What’s to say she even has a place out there?” Kaa said.
“You found your way in, you can do it again.” Baloo said pointedly.
Kaa just ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“I don’t know where she is. Why don’t you believe me?”
“You’re asking us that question Kaa?” Bagheera said as he eyed the man looking for anything that said he was still the same sly snake he used to be.
“Look, I know what I did was wrong and after I’ve spent some time as a human and being around Mari, I realized what I did was wrong. If I do go back to being as a snake I wouldn’t go back to what I used to be.”
“That remains yet to be seen.” Bagheera said as he trotted around.
Kaa looked at his friends and wished that they did believe him. Back when he was a snake he wouldn’t have cared unless they got threatening with him, but now, he wished that they forgive him and give him a second chance, just like Mari had done. Mari. He looked back at Mari with longing eyes and wished he could tell her of his new feelings for her. He had grown to love this woman and changed him for the better. Bagheera and Baloo looked at him in confusion as they saw him look at their girl-cub. He turned to them sadly and said,
“You can believe what you want right now, but I know that I am not who I used to be,” He said as he started to grab a high tree branch and began to climb, but he looked back at Baloo and Bagheera, “and Mari showed me that. More than you can imagine.” Kaa climbed up the tree, distancing himself away from the others.


Bagheera and Baloo both seemed a bit shocked at the emotion they heard coming from Kaa, when they saw him look at Mari, his eyes were filled with sadness, longing…for Mari? Bagheera had to admit, he was confused by Kaa’s new actions. This was so unlike him, even Baloo mentioned it as they joined them.
“Do you think he was telling the truth Baggie?” Baloo asked.
“I don’t know Baloo. You know how Kaa is.”
“Yeah but the way how he was actin’ around lil’ britches…you can’t say that he hasn’t changed.” Baloo said as he got himself ready in a bed of leaves to sleep on.
“I know. I still don’t trust him, though. We don’t know if he’s still tricking us like before.”
“Baggie, I think you’re overthinking this. I didn’t believe it at first but the more this day has gone by, the more I see it in him. He’s changed.” Baloo said.
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow Baloo. Good night.” Bagheera said as he stretched himself out on the ground near Mari’s tent.
“Night Baggie.” Baloo closed his eyes and was out.


Kaa watched everything from down below. He was surprised that Baloo agreed on the fact that he was not who he used to be, but Bagheera wasn’t convinced. He should’ve expected it though. Bagheera was always stubborn. Kaa looked out at the night sky thinking about his new feelings for Mari and what this meant. He was in love with her. Deeply in love with her, and it broke his heart that he hadn’t told her yet and the fact his friends did not like it when he was around her. True he did try to eat her when he was a python, the past didn’t exactly help. Kaa sighed and looked up to the stars,
“If I can get a chance, one chance to tell her the truth, please let me do it. I just…need to tell her.”
Kaa dropped his head between his legs, not realizing that shaman who was perched above him in the tree higher up had heard him.
“You will get that chance, and when it happens you must see the choice you wish to make for your further.”
A gentle breeze went by Kaa, startling him, looking up, but saw no one.
Kaa knows he is in love with Mari, but doesn't know how to tell her.  Baloo and Bagheera see them talking and attack, and end up joining them on the journey.  Both not convinced Kaa has changed.
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