The two Guards slowly looked up. I followed suit. The two screamed. I didn't. As it turns out, I didn't run into a tree. I ran into the tail of a giant creature of some sorts. Its upper half looked feminine. Really feminine, for she was struggling to simultaneously "stand" at her tallest and looking over her exposed... I felt a blush creep across my face and I averted my eyes.

"Please spare us. Just let us take the kid and we'll go." The short one said quickly.

"Hmmm... the same kid you were slamming against my tail?" She asked.

"That's the one." The taller one replied.

"Oh, then go ahead." She said. The two grabbed me by my legs and began to drag me away. With a loud crash the tree-like tail came around, effectively trapping the three of us.

"What? I thought you said you'd let us go!" The short frog-like one yelled.

"I was. But then my stomach growled." She smiled, revealing a pair of sharp, porcelain-like fangs along with tombstone-like molars.

"Take the kid!" The two yelled almost instantaneously. They pushed me towards the creature, and I hit the base of her tail hard. I fell on my butt. A great shadow fell over me and she picked me up. Her fingers were surprisingly soft, and her grip was gentle.

"You have ten seconds to convince me that you aren't food." She said as if she was a teacher giving out a test. I thought about it. "Time's up! Come up with anything?"

"No." I say quietly. She smiled happily and held me high in the air. I glanced below at the huge, pink cavern below. She lowered me slowly towards her mouth. I swallow and brace myself for what was about to come. Her warm breathe wafted past. And then I was inside. It was suddenly hard to breathe. And then it was over.

"Eeeew!" She said, disgusted. "You peed your pants!" She yelled. I did? I glance down. No, my pants were dry. "Looks like I'm going to have to eat the other guys." She reaches down and plucks the other two off the ground. She placed me in her right palm, and the guards in her other.

"I-I peed my pants!" The tall one yelled, pointing to a growing spot between his pants.

"Yeah, well I shit in my pants!" I shuddered. It was sickening, they were grasping at straws.

"Well, since you all seemed to have soiled yourselves, then I guess I'll just eat one of you. Now, which one..." She glanced between the two.

"Eat him!" The two yelled, pointing at each other.

"Well, how about this. The loser gets eaten." The tall one immediately kicked the smaller one between his legs. He buckled over. "Guess that means you lose!" She said happily, placing me in the palm with the Guard and picking up Short Guard. She crushed the heart on the back of the golem between her fingers.

"Why did you do that?" I confront the guard.

"Survival of the fittest, kid."

"I'm fifteen! I'm almost an adult!" I reply.

"Ha! A kid, through and through." He replied with a sneer.

"Mmmmmmmmmh." The creature's moans of bliss had gotten my attention. She was sucking on the top half of the man. He was about as big as the tongue that came out from between her lips and pulled him inside. She tilted her head back and a small lump slowly travelled down her throat. She sighed contently. She then grabbed the other Guard in her sharp fingernails.

"Wh-What are you doing?" He whimpered. "I won! That means you don't eat me!" She chuckled happily.

"Wrong. I said that the loser gets eaten. I didn't say that you wouldn't either." She smiled widely, revealing her pearly whites again. She slowly slid him in to her mouth, kicking and screaming and all the time begging. She tilted her head back and swallowed. She sighed happily as a bulge appeared in her throat. This bulge thrashed against the throat in a vain attempt to get out. She then picked me up between her fingers.

"Alright. I'm ready." I tell her.

"Ready for what?" She asked.

"Just do it. Quickly." I brace myself for what was coming. She laughed loudly, holding her stomach.

"Oh! You think I'd- wahahahahahahah!" She smacked the ground with her free hand. "I'm not going to eat you." I look up at her, surprised.

"You... aren't?"

"No silly!" She said and I was forced to my knees as she lifted me to her face. I braced myself... and she layed a soft kiss on me. I blinked in surprise. "I saw what happened. I saw everything." She whispered. "You didn't mean to kill him." Her eyes softened. I suddenly noticed how stunning she was. She had soft hazel eyes, with slitted pupils. She had shoulder length amber hair, accenting her round face. She would probably be about seventeen. "And then they were going to kill you without a fair trial! You..." She trailed off and looked at me. She brought me closer to her face. "You didn't mean to." She whispered. "Right?"

"No." I tell her. I didn't know what to think. She let out a burp. She blushed a scarlet red and put her free hand to her mouth.

"Oh gosh. I guess I am hungry." She said, glancing at me. I instinctively step back. "I already said I'm not going to eat you." She said crossly. She placed me on her shoulder, and began to slither away.

"You... seem different than the other huge creatures that come when people are forced outside of the Barrier. Why?"

"I never liked eating humans. They looked too much like our own kind. We Nagas." She said. So, she was a creature called a Naga.

"But you ate two humans." I point out. She nods.

"True. But they were hurting you for no reason. I can't stand mindless violence." She smiled down at me. My heart skipped a beat. "So, what should we have for dinner. Oooh, there's a lovely blueberry bush near my cave. You like blueberries?" I nod, even though I had no clue what a blueberry was. "Blueberries it is!" She said, smiling.

"Do you help other humans?" I ask.

"The ones I can get to in time. You might not be able to tell, but I'm very short for a Naga. I only come to eighty-two feet tall while the other girls are easily a hundred feet. That means other naga's chests are here-" She held her hand to her eye level.

"Well, I think you're tall!" I reply. She giggled.

"Me? Tall?"

"Yeah. You're really pretty too." I said without thinking. She stopped. she glanced at me. I felt nervous.

"You... think I'm pretty?" She asked. My face felt flushed. I must be blushing.

"Yeah. I... I do." I say quietly. She resumed slithering, this time in silence. But I could hear her glancing at me from time to time. She was nice. I wonder why. From what I've gathered the giant creatures in the Forest were ruthless and cruel. The forest was actually fairly nice. There was a light breeze that ruffled the leaves, and there must have been a creature that sang happily in the forest. I wonder how mom is doing. I hope she can take care of herself. I was shaken from my thoughts when the girl poked me in the chest. "Huh?"

"I said, do you hear the birds chirping?" She aske.

"Birds?" I ask. Another creature begins singing.

"That! Right there." She whispers, pointing to a tree. The creature had strange fur and a hard mouth that jutted out from its face. "That's a bird." The creature ruffled its bright fur and it lifted its arms and flew off. What an interesting creature. "We're home!"

I glanced up and gasped. The cave opening was narrow at best. Well, narrow for someone of the Naga's size. She set me down on the ground.

"You go on ahead. I'll just go grab us some dinner... I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"Jared." I yelled. She frowned and leaned down, putting a hand to her ear. "Jared!" I yell again.

"Well it is nice to meet you Jared. My name is Serpentine, but my friends call me Tina." She said happily, using her tail to grab a basket from inside. I didn't know what to say, so I just waved. She probably wouldn't have heard me anyway. I turn to the cave opening.