Alright, here we go. And in case anyone is wondering, there's a reason behind Adina's fleeing from her last home. It's not just a fear of being eaten by a predator. There are animals just about everywhere that could make a meal out of her, but she did something to get on the bad side of one particular animal, who is now a widow after a successful attempt by Adina to defend herself.

It had been at least an hour since Adina had escaped from the truck, and her particularly empty stomach was finally starting to trouble her. She hadn't eaten much in a little over a week in the least. The last thing she had consumed, which was three days ago, was a minuscule little spider, who was a bit too far into his own age to really even taste like anything, or even be considered a meal. He was a kindly old spider, but his time had been limited anyway. Normally, she would not have even considered eating him at all, but his age and illness made him persistent in the idea. She had needed something in her stomach, and it would be doing him a favor. Or so he had said. She still felt terribly guilty about the action to which she had given into, and had spent the entire evening afterwards hoping he would forgive her for it. She wondered about him now as she slithered along the hot, sandy earth. Passing rocks, cacti, sand, dried brush, and even more sand. She wondered if he would still be alive if she hadn't agreed to his suggestion. Wondered if he would have come with her into this blistering hellhole of a place, or stayed within the darkness of the truck where he lived. In a way, she missed him terribly. She was lonely to begin with, and his company had been well appreciated during the first, more enjoyable days of her trip. She began to feel more regret than before now. Began to miss him all the more as she looked around and studied the vast, seemingly lifeless new surroundings.

"Perhaps this is a lesson to be learned from the old phrase, 'you shouldn't talk to strangers.'..." she thought aloud, thinking back to the old armadillo. She hadn't detected in the slightest way that he had lied to her, however. Perhaps he was crazy from the heat? No, she didn't think so. He had been very contented around her, and showed no reason for anyone to indicate him as daft or insane. Eccentric, perhaps, but nothing negative. She sighed softly to herself. It was too early to be thinking this way just yet. She had only been moving for an hour, and if old Roadkill was right, she still had a bit of a long way ahead of her.

Her tongue flitted briefly from her parching mouth, tasting the dry air, smelling for any signs of life. She detected none.

She was alone.

Another hour passed. She continued on. The air was humid, but the sky showed no signs of the "rains" Roadkill had mentioned as she left. That in the least was one thing she allowed herself to doubt. Rain would have been a blessing at that point, but she was never known to be that lucky. She liked being near water. Her black scales were absorbing the heat of the sun like a sponge might to moisture. She hissed lowly in slight irritation at the fact and wished she had hatched with lighter colors, even if it wasn't by much. It still may have provided some relief.

A small tweet to her left shook her from her thoughts. She looked over and spotted a cricket sitting on a rock nearby, completely oblivious to her as it cleaned its legs and antennae. Adina lowered herself a bit as her pupils turned to smaller slits briefly. Quietly gliding closer, she opened her mouth a little as she prepared to strike. The cricket seemed to stiffen.

In a flash of black, with a sharp hiss, she lashed out and clamped her jaws shut. It took her a few seconds to realize that it had only been air she had caught. Looking around, flicking her tongue a bit, she caught sight of the cricket bounding away as fast as its legs could carry it. It was going in the same direction that she was, so she held on to the fleeting hope that she would come across it, perhaps even another, as she made her way further East.

The fact she hadn't been able to catch it bothered her slightly. She was getting slower, which meant she was probably getting weaker. Weak seemed far from what one needed to be to survive out here. The only thing she could do now was hope that she found the town before something else found her.

The air became cooler, but was still rather humid once night began to fall. Clouds gathering in the distance blocked out the sun before it could fully set over the distant horizon. Adina knew for sure now that Roadkill had, in fact, been right. It was going to rain soon. The thought both relieved and troubled her. She would have a chance to cool down and even get a drink with the rain, but with darkness settling in, she couldn't help but fear it might make her journey a bit more difficult and hazardous.

The first droplet that hit her warm, smooth back extinguished some of the more unnerving possibilities and had her waiting in anticipation for more. Another droplet finally hit. Then another. And another. So good. So relieving. She welcomed it blissfully as it came down harder and more frequently. "Mmm..." Her eyes fluttered closed for a minute as her tongue slid from her mouth and stayed there, hoping to catch a few small laps before having to search for a puddle, or even a rock where the precious liquid she so needily craved would be dribbling down.

After drinking nearly a full sip, she sighed and started to slither through the much cooler, softer dirt, leaving a curvy trail behind her.

The rain came down harder now, and it was much darker than before. The sun must have set by now, and her older fears were starting to sink in again. Sight was already becoming more of a difficulty now. She squinted briefly and quickened her pace, forgetting the fact she was still thirsty for the time being. Perhaps now was the time to find some shelter.

Shaking water from her head, she lifted her body up straight in the air once more, like she had when she first arrived. She looked hard as she slowly rotated her body, searching every direction carefully. To the southeast, she could see a boulder silhouetted darkly against the sky. At the base of said boulder was a faint, but detectable glow, possibly from a fire due to the orange color.

Quickly she lowered herself and slithered towards it. Within a few moments, she was close enough to see a narrow opening at the base, leading down underneath the large rock. Carefully, she tasted the air as she slowed down before it. There was a fire, yes, but she also detected something else. Something...cooking?

Sliding her head in, she looked around. Sure enough, a fire had been lit on the ground beneath, which was about a three foot drop, but she could see a well dug tunnel in the back corner, which seemed to go so far she could see no end to it. There was another smell in the air as well. One that was unfamiliar to her and made her somewhat nervous.

Despite the warning signals her instincts were sending her, she glided inside and dropped down to the dusty ground. The heat from the fire, which didn't look like it had been tended to for a while, was a surprising relief to her more than cooled down body. It surprised her immensely how the weather in this area could change so drastically within mere hours. After all, it hadn't been too long ago that she had been wishing for wetness and cooler temperatures. Now she was desperate to be dry. She circled the fire briefly before remembering she was still thirsty. With a weary sigh, she went over to the wall she had just dropped down and raised part of her body upright again, opening her mouth and drinking a small, cold stream of water dribbling from the ceiling. It was enough to take a small edge off of her hunger as well.

Speaking of which, she would have to search for any trace of what smelled so good when she was finished. A growing shadow forming behind her made her pause, however, and it was then that she felt the considerably larger presence looming behind her.

"Well, well...what do we have here?" came a low, Southern drawled voice from behind. Before she could turn to see who it was, she found herself trapped in strong, and extremely tight coils. Somewhere within said coils, the feel of leather and iron brushed against her skin. She hissed sharply in a defensive way out of habit and did her best to keep from striking out and biting the figure in fears of angering him. Her head shot up and her green eyes locked with a pair of red and gold serpentine orbs, seemingly alight with hellfire.

She felt ice in her belly from just his gaze alone. He was a snake, she knew that, but the simple observation alone wasn't what frightened her most. She didn't dare glimpse at the rest of him, but kept staring into the eyes which seemed to be burning into her very soul. His tongue slipped out of, then back into his mouth, nearly touching her snout as he sampled the air around her, his hard gaze not faltering, and his vice grip tightening. After a minute, he managed a thin, crooked grin, his eyes narrowing all the more.

"Looks like someone wandered a bit too far from home." he rumbled, tongue flitting out again briefly. "You taste and reek of fear, girl." he mused wickedly, enjoying the fact. His tail rattled as it glided slowly past her face. It was just then that she dared to glance away from his eyes, raising her brows very slightly at the sight of the gatling gun attached there.

His grin widened when he noticed. "What? You frightened by this old thing?" he chuckled briefly, pressing the end almost too gently against her chin and throat. "It's perfectly harmless...when it ain't loaded." his coils tightened even more around her, making her gasp slightly to catch her breath. "Didn't y'all know that trespassin's a crime 'round these parts? Some folk don't take too kindly to it. Ain't got no manners where yer from it seems."

"P-please..." she managed to rasp calmly, now refusing to meet his gaze again. "I meant no offense by it. J-just needed some shelter is all, from the-"

He hissed loudly in her face to silence her as he bared his fangs, which were glistening with venom. "Did I ask for a damned reason, woman!" he snarled, grip tightening more. "Answer me!"

"N-no..." her voice was quiet.

"Louder!" he snapped. "And look at me when I speak teh you!"

She looked at him, eyes wider and almost pleading. She spoke in a higher tone this time, though the lack of air she was currently receiving in her lungs was making the job difficult. "N-no. No you didn't." she emitted a choked cough, feeling a bit lighter in the head than before.

"That's right, baby girl. Now...I suggest ya give me a damn good reason why I should not strangle any remainin' life from ya and make ya my next meal." he hissed again, but quieter and longer, amusement no longer an expression on his cold face.

Adina's mind was racing. What could she consider a good reason for a person like him to not kill her?

"I-I..." she began to stammer, starting to feel even more faint as panic started to settle in.

"Well?" he barked, growing more impatient. "You got a reason on yer mind, girl, then say it!" His grip tightened more.

He was fading out of vision. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a small, hoarse sound came out. With a gaspy, short breath, her body became less tense and went more limp. His hellish stare was the last thing she could make out before everything went black.

Smoke. Fire.

They were the first words in Adina's head and smells in her nose as she started to come to. Her body was a bit sore and stiff, and she moaned briefly in her throat. The sound was quiet enough, but it was also sound enough to cause something nearby to stir. She began to remember the events from before she slipped into unconsciousness and stiffened completely, afraid to even breathe as she remained curled up in the warm dirt. The fact she was still alive was a wonder to her, but it wasn't something she dared question yet. She could feel he was still there. Smell he was, too. The icy feeling returned, and she kept still as a stone upon realizing he was staring at her. A moment soon passed, then five. Silence. Another two minutes. Then finally-

"Reckon even if I stared at ya fer an eternity, ya still wouldn't move an inch." he grunted, making her flinch. "Get up. No sense in just pretendin'. I ain't as hollow-minded as ya think." he spat.

Opening one eye, then the other, she could tell it was morning from the sunlight pouring into the cave-like dwelling. She glanced at him nervously as she raised her head. He was coiled up near the opposite side of the wall, head and neck raised. His eyes peered out from underneath his black hat as he lifted his head with hers.

She didn't have the words to speak at the moment. Too petrified to just yet. She looked around a little. Not that her surroundings interested her, she was just desperate to find something else to turn her attention to. Finally she settled on the crevice above, where she had entered the previous night before. She stared at the small patch of blue sky visible.

He rose a brow at her slightly. "I didn't kill ya when you was out, girl. No sense in thinking I will right this second." he rumbled, leaning towards the fire and picking something up off of a slab of rock in front with his tongue. He hissed as he brought a cooked cricket into his mouth and ate it slowly, savoring its hot juices and crispy insides.

Adina glanced at him when she heard the crunch of the cricket's body, feigning disinterest as she looked away again, ignoring the bubbling hunger in her own empty stomach.

Being the sly rattlesnake he was, Jake smirked to himself when he caught on. Leaning in again, he took another cricket for himself and bit down harder onto its body, the louder crunch it made sounding teasing and just all the more tempting. He licked away any taste that lingered on his fangs and lips, and wondered how long it would be until she bucked up the courage to admit she wanted something to eat for herself. Perhaps she would even starve before that, which would only result in providing him with a larger, more appetizing meal.

She was still staring at the patch of sky. Ten minutes nearly passed, and Jake was just about to eat the last of his crickets before he heard her speak. It was rather quiet, almost submissive and calm, but he still heard it.

"I'm sorry."

"Wha?" he rose his head and looked at her, narrowing his eyes a bit, confused. He then snorted, "Sorry... Hm. What you apologizin' for, girl?"

"Unless nearly killing me isn't a display of irritation with me, I must have done something to anger you the way I did last night." she looked at him again briefly with her eyes, not moving her head.

He rolled his eyes, looking at the fire. "You ain't dead or hurt. If I was you I would just leave it at that an' be grateful." He picked up the cricket in his teeth and tossed it to her. "Eat it. Hell only knows how far you'd go to make a point."

Hesitating a moment, but glad he gave it to her, she delicately, yet quickly picked it up in her mouth and devoured it hungrily. It wasn't exactly filling, but it was something in the least. She looked at him again. "Thank you."

He let out an empty, somewhat haughty laugh. "First yer sorry, then yer grateful." He shook his head. "Never understood you females fully, and I don't think I ever want to."

He turned and started to slither towards the tunnel. "If yer done wastin' my time, you'd best be gettin' along now. Town's not too far off from here."

She blinked. He was letting her go? Just like that? One part of her was tempted to ask why while another wanted to whip her tail so hard enough across his cheek it would leave a mark, especially after what he put her through last night. She didn't give in to temptation this time, finding it probably wiser that way, and simply nodded her head a few times, stupidly. He was already half way into the tunnel by then.

Shaking her head with a sigh, she slithered to the front wall and lifted her body up, starting to venture out into the hot sun.

"Oh..." Jake stopped, gliding out from the tunnel again, features somewhat dark. "One more thing..." he rose his tail and shot a warning bullet just past her head to get her attention, nearly scaring her so bad she fell back inside. He lowered his head and voice. "You tell anyone in that pathetic excuse of a town where I am...and you'll be wishin' I had eaten ya when I had the chance to. Understood?"

Taking a few seconds to shake off the shock caused by the shot, she finally nodded and slithered off quickly without a word. Only when she was a safe distance away did she glance back at the rock for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened. Blinking, she finally turned and headed in the direction he said the town was in, hoping she would receive at least a slightly warmer welcome there than she had last night.