Chapter 1: A Jungle Full Of Fun!

"And then I said, "Hey, just chill will ya? We're all friends here.". Of course she just wasn't having any of it and decided to just storm off from the party without even saying another word to any of us. And that's the story of how I kept two chicks from going off like hurricanes at a college frat party when I was 16."

After I had spoken my piece, my small and somewhat slimy companion resting on my shoulder just let off a few croaks as he just stared at nothing in particular like he normally did. And even though I was human and didn't speak frog, I just playfully pretended to understand him.

"Oh it's all true my friend. And I got a few friends back home who could vouch for me on that story as well."

Ruby let off more croaks as I continued to walk onwards through the green a floral terrain I was currently walking aimlessly through with an amused smirk on my face.

For those of you who haven't got a clue what's going on, I'll start off this much needed explanation with introducing myself. My name is Kate. I'm a 22 year old from Arizona with a heart and dreams that are much bigger than the Grand Canyon itself in my opinion. A while back before all of this, I was just living in the small and heat dried town called Cherry Creek, where almost nothing truely exciting ever happened. And of course I wasn't really loving it all that much to be honest. So as soon as I got old enough (about 19 to be correct) and felt like I could handle myself without my folks (including my awesome dad), I decided to break free from Cherry Creek and go out to see what the world was like beyond it. At first it was just trudging through my own home state to get the hang of traveling on my own for a bit. But soon I grew a bit bolder and decided to expand my ever growing horizons. And soon my travels took me from not just state to state, but from country to country as well! Along the way I managed to make some friends, try exotic foods (nothing nasty of course), and even learned about other cultures and how to properly defend myself against enemies from a few of them. I will be honest with all of you though about one thing. At first I didn't think I would make it out there and that I would end up getting eaten alive by who or whatever was going to come at me and would probably become my unintentional downfall. But now look at me! I'm here walking happily and peacefully through a beautiful, foreign jungle with nothing but a small pack on my back and an adorable red eyed tree frog on my shoulder. And to be honest I wouldn't want it to be any other way.

Anywho, let's get back to said jungle walk and how I came to be there shall we?

I had just arrived near it earlier last night before the sun had completely set at a small, cozy village filled with some pretty decent villagers. I generously offered my assistants with helping with some chores in exchange for some food and a place to rest for the night which they of course excepted. So after helping them make dinner and chatting with them all by the fire, I slept through the night soundly in a hammock that they had kindly and generously set up for me.

The next morning after the sun had came up, I woke up at about 7:45 to a small, red eyed tree frog (who I now call Ruby) sitting on the windowsill of the hut I was staying in. Now Normally when I see a frog or a toad my first instinct is to freak out and run do to the fact I don't like most of them because of how much they scare me and how my dad used to playfully tease me with them as a kid. But for some strange reason, red eyed tree frogs don't scare me at all. They just seem more cute and cuddly to my eyes than just plain gross and creepy. Their lime green, light yellow skin, and big, unemotional red cat like eyes are truely something I could stare at and admire all day if I wanted to! So instead of screaming and freaking out, I instantly jumped out of bed and scooped him up into my hands with both pure excitement and joy! Also as a kid I had loved a lot of different animals (minus some frogs) in the animal kingdom and would often love to read about them or would love to do things like bird watching, running around a lot outside, or even hanging out at the zoo. I especially loved to watch Animal Planet from time to time along I grew bored enough with just cartoons. So getting to see one of my favorite animals in person is something that really fills me with indescribable happiness and enthusiasm!

After finding and making Ruby my new friend and tiny traveling companion, I packed my things, had some breakfast with the villagers, and bid them farewell as I entered the jungle and continued my traveling. I'm not sure which jungle I was in, but it had to be a commonly known one here in India from how much the villagers spoke of it. (which was technically where the jungle was located in of course). During dinner the night before, the villagers had talked all about the many different strange and unusual creatures that inhabited the jungle beyond their village. They especially talked a great deal about the creatures they called Nagas. Of course being someone who has always had a fascination with mystical creatures, I unfortunately didn't know what a Naga was. So out of innocent and enthusiastic curiosity I just had to ask them a few questions about these so called "Nagas". They said that according to what they knew, Nagas were creatures with the torso of a man or a woman and the bottom half of a snake (so pretty much it was kind of like some sort of centaurish thing in my opinion). They also said Nagas were dangerous and tricky monsters who would love nothing more than to grab you with their coils, choke you into unconsciousness, and swallow you whole if you so gave them a chance. This of course did send a slight chill of fear down my spine, but I managed to brush it off soon afterwards. Despite the fact that I do admire such mythological creatures like that, I knew that it had to be just some silly superstition or myth. Plus if creatures like that really did exist, then why would so many humans still be around here to talk about it? So in other words the whole Naga belief is just another bunch of tall tales or legends to either entertain or scare others from time to time around a warm, roaring fire. That and I don't wish to be scared into stopping my travels as well. I'm Kate The Great! And I will not let anyone or thing on this planet stand in the way of me seeing and experiencing everything that this world has to offer. Ya only get one life to live right? So why not live it to the fullest?

And now that I got all that out of the way, let's get back to where we left off.

So far I had been walking for a good few hours through this jungle and I have managed to see a lot of beautiful plants and cool looking animals pass by as I just walked on without a care in the world. Everything here was teeming with so much natural life and sound. And the air unlike the uncomfortable dry kind I experienced back home was more warm a moist. And that's just how I liked it. It made my pale skin feel a lot cooler and more pleasant to be in unlike the heated atmosphere the Arizona desert had to offer.

I soon stopped dead in my tracks next to a large tree and pulled out my cellphone to check the time and what not. As soon as I read it my beautiful, greenish hazel eyes nearly grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Whoa! 2:00 already? I guess that means I'm pretty far from that village now aren't I Ruby?"

The small amphibian just croaked once as if he was agreeing with my question.

"Well, I'm not too worried about that. If anything I can always just make camp here and continue on the next day towards the next village. Uh, that is if there is a next village beyond this point hopefully."

I put my phone back into my backpack and started look around at the area I had stopped in. So far this area seemed rather nice to make a proper camping spot in. No dry grass that could accidentally catch fire, a couple of ripe mango trees were near by, and...no way! A lake?! Now I really liked this spot! As soon as I caught sight of the water I immediately dropped my backpack, placed Ruby down gently next to it, took off and set down my cute, light purple, military nerd glasses, and soon began to take my shoes and socks off. Swimming was one of my most favorite things to do of all time. And since I hadn't had a nice, relaxing swim for a few weeks now, I felt like I really needed this. Soon I had my shoes and socks put away safely in my backpack and was ready to hit the water with ease (leaving just my light purple tank top and denim knee length jeans shorts on of course). Without any warning I ran as fast as I could towards the lake and jumped in with swift ease once I made it close enough to it.

"GERONIMO!" *SPLASH!*

Now this was living! The feeling of the cool, crisp water on my skin as I dive in made me feel so refreshed and renewed that I felt like I could take the world. Of course after spending a few submerged moments to enjoy the feeling a bit longer, I decided it was time to come back up for some much needed air. The many joys of being human am I right?

"*gasps for air and sighs* Aw yeah. Just what the doctor ordered." I sighed happily as I waded through the water with ease.

While I continued to enjoy the coolness of the lake, I began to look around a bit more as I let my mind wonder. So far this jungle was a-ok from my perspective. Plus nothing has tried to attack or eat me which was another positive thing to point out. As far as I was concerned, this little jungle walk was a lot like walking down Easy Street. After about a half an hour of swimming, I decided it was time to get out and prepare my camping area for the night. Once I got myself out, I shook my head playfully like a dog which caused my long and straight dark brunette/red tip dyed hair to fly and fling a bit of water around. Even though I do have a towel in my backpack, sometimes I find shake drying my hair to be a lot more fun. That and I sometimes get lazy and perfer to just drip dry now and then.

"Whoo! Man that felt good! Nothing like a good old shake and dry to get the blood really pumping through your body...and speaking of body."

I looked down at my reflection in the water and began to stare at my cute a beautiful features. I'm not always so big or down right vain on how I look, but sometimes when I catch a glimpse of myself in something that reflexes, I can't help but admire how naturally pretty I truely am. My pale skinned figure looked small and slim with a few cute curves to complete it. My breasts were a nice size too. Not really big but not too small either. In fact many people have told me that they think I look 17 to probably 18 years than 22. I also have a pretty decent face to go with that youthful look as well.

With stunning greenish-hazel eyes, Blushing Berry colored lips, and a smooth, pale face, I pretty much had looks that could make a guy stop dead in his tracks. Especially my eyes. The way they shine and sparkle in the light sometimes make me think that they look more like two emeralds incased in a wall of white marble than just a pair of normal greenish-hazel eyes. Which is also sort of hilariously ironic because truth be told my birthstone happens to also be an emerald of all things.

But if my body, face, and eyes doesn't grab someone's attention, then my hair sure might. Like my dad I have naturally straight, dark brown hair that is also a bit thick which sometimes comes as quite an annoyance whenever I have one of those "bad hair days". However those rarely happen with how well I keep it clean. I even use Suave 1in2 to keep it not only tamed but pretty soft to the touch. When I was a kid though, my grandparents wouldn't let me have long hair so they would cut my hair and make it look a bit too short for my liking. But as I got older I began to grow my hair out and now the length of it ends towards the middle of my back. And when I was a freshman in high school, I started to try out dying a small part of my back bottom tips that I grew to love. So now my hair is kind of rocking a bit of a "chocolate with red licorice highlights" sort of style in my opinion.

Enough about my looks though. Let's get back to the story.

Once I got done drip drying and admiring my looks, I put my glasses back on and started setting up my camp for tonight. Of course if there's one thing I can absolutely despise about this "roughing it" bit, it would probably have to be setting up a tent that is probably more difficult to assemble than a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Why my own dad thought it was a good idea to buy me a complex tent to build is beyond even my understanding. But never the less, at least he was generous enough to buy it for my travels. And besides, at least I had some music to listen to while I worked. In fact the first thing I did was pull out my IPod Nano and portable JBL Micro Mini speaker to be honest. I scrolled through the few playlists I had until I found the right song for the job.

"Hmm, let's see now. Some Nights by Fun? Nah. Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce? Eh, not in the mood. We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off by Jermaine Stewart? Oh Lord, definitely not!...Ah, here it is! Bungle In The Jungle by Jethro Tull. Seems pretty fitting. What say you, Rubes?"

Ruby croaked at me in response from the rock he was currently sitting on.

"Bungle In The Jungle it is then! Now then, let's get crackin'!" And with that said I selected the song and went about doing my work as it began to play on it's own.

Walking through forests, of palm tree apartments;

scoff at the monkeys, who live in their dark tents;

down by the waterhole, drunk every Friday,

eating their nuts, saving their raisins for Sunday;

Lions and tigers, who wait in the shadows,

they're fast but they're lazy, and sleep in green meadows;

Let's bungle,in the jungle, well, that's all right by me;

I'm a tiger, when I want love,

but I'm a snake, if we disagree.

Ah yeah, now that was more like it. I had soon managed to get all of the tools I needed out of my tent bag and was now starting to lay out and pin down the tarp that would soon be the floor of the tent. But while I was carrying some nails over from the bag, I accidentally dropped a few. Damn me and my small, butterfingers.

*metal nails clanking* "Aw, damn it! I'm such a klutz!"

With a angered sigh of annoyance I bent over to pick them up one by one with my free hand while holding the ones I still had in the other.

Just say a word,and the boys will be right there;

with claws at your back,to send a chill through the night air;

Is it so frightening, to have me at your shoulder?

Thunder and lightning, couldn't be bolder;

I'll write on your tombstone, ``I thank you for dinner.'';

This game that we animals play, is a winner.

Let's bungle, in the jungle, well, that's all right by me;

I'm a tiger, when I want love,

but I'm a snake if we disagree.

"There, now I can hopefully get back to setting up without anymore distractions." I said with a sigh of relief as I stood up straight and continued the task at hand.

"Ruby, since I'm gonna be distracted with this for a bit, you're gonna have to keep your big eyes opened for any signs of trouble. Can I trust you to do that?"

Ruby croaked twice before catching and eating a bug with his super fast and sticky tongue.

"Thanks Rubes, I knew I could count on you." I said happily before kneeling down and nailing a nail into the tarp with a rubber hammer.

The rivers are full, of crocodile nasties

and He who made kittens, put snakes in the grass.

He's a lover of life, but a player of pawns

yes, the King on His sunset, lies waiting for dawn

to light up His Jungle,

as play is resumed.

The monkeys seem willing, to strike up the tune.

Let's bungle, in the jungle, well, that's all right by me;

I'm a tiger, when I want love,

but I'm a snake if we disagree.

Soon the floor tarp was laid out and I was ready to put the walls of my temporary residence up. But to my disappointment that part wasn't gonna be a walk in the park as I began trying to read and follow the stereo like instructions step by step.

Hidden within a tree that was not to far from where I was, a pair of soft, mischievous brown eyes were secretly watching me from within tree's leaves. With a plan for me that I wouldn't have guessed in a million.