Historian's note: this story takes place approximately four months after "Mowgli Confronts Kaa: The Continuation." All human characters are 19 years of age in this story.
"That'sss it, man-cub, jussst focusss on my eyesss," Kaa whispered to the helpless man-cub in his coils. "You sssee nothing elssse, and hear nothing but the sssound of my voiccce. There is nothing elssse."
"Nothing elssse…" Mowgli repeated, the words little more than a soft, vacant monotone.
His glazed eyes were wide, his pupils little more than pinpricks as he stared raptly into Kaa's eyes, totally focused on the snake and unable to look away. The snake was swaying almost imperceptibly before the helpless man-cub, his tail holding Mowgli's head in place so all the boy could do was follow with his own eyes.
It was mid-afternoon, the sun just beginning its gradual descent towards the horizon
The snake chuckled inwardly as he continued to sway back and forth before Mowgli, watching the man-cub helplessly follow his movements and slip deeper into trance. The snake's eyes weren't even spiraling, but Mowgli was so well-conditioned, so completely submissive, that simply watching the snake sway was enough to lull him into a trance.
And sometimes, it was simply more enjoyable to induce Mowgli this way. Almost as much as when he had the man-cub watch his tail sway before his eyes…
At this moment, Mowgli was already fairly deep, having watched the snake's sways and listened to his whispers for a long time while wrapped tight in his smooth, warm coils. The boy's nude body was relaxed and heavy, his mind long since lost in the snake's eyes and voice.
All he could feel was relaxation. His body was so heavy, it was like he was sinking into the coils around him.
Even though Kaa was a fair distance away from him, the snake's eyes seemed to fill his view; they were all he could see. The world didn't exist—there was only Kaa. Nothing else mattered. So focused on Kaa's eyes.
Even the softest whispers filled his mind, impossible to resist. The sounds of the jungle had long since faded from his sleepy, obedient mind, leaving Kaa's voice as the only thing he could hear.
"Completely focusssed on my eyesss, man-cub," the snake whispered. "And lissstening only to the sssound of my voiccce. There isss nothing elssse. You're completely relaxxxed. No need to move, no need to think. Jussst trussst in me, relaxxx even more, and look deeply into my eyesss…look deeper…and deeper…"
Mowgli sighed softly as another wave of relaxation passed through him. "…look…deeper…"
"Very good, man-cub," the snake whispered. Continuing to sway, he rose higher, knowing the hypnotized boy would follow the motion with his own eyes. He had no choice—he was much too deep for that. "Now…you are feeling sssleepy. Ssso very…very…sssleepy."
"Very…" Mowgli repeated, yawning mid-word as the snake's words coursed through him. "Sssleepy…"
His eyelids began to sink down, growing heavy as the snake told him he was getting sleepy. He wanted to keep them open to keep staring into Kaa's eyes, but he was completely hypnotized and couldn't resist his master's commands.
"That'sss right, man-cub, you're ssso very sssleepy," the snake whispered. "You can't resssissst…all you can do isss look deeply into my eyesss as you become even sssleepier…"
Mowgli yawned again. He was so sleepy, but he couldn't take his eyes off Kaa's. The snake's sways were slow and rhythmic, and were helping him sink ssso much deeper…
"That'sss it, man-cub, ssso sssleepy…"
"…ssso…sssleepy…"
"Eyesss ssso heavy, man-cub," the snake whispered. "Wanting to sssleep for me ssso badly…eyesss closssing now, you jussst can't keep them open. Ssso heavy."
Back…and forth…back…and forth. Mowgli couldn't look away from Kaa's eyes, even as his own sank down, down, down, feeling unbearably heavy…he just couldn't keep them open. Back and forth. He wanted to sleep for Kaa ssso badly…
"Now, man-cub…when I count to three, your heavy eyesss will ssshut, and you will sssleep for me. You will sssleep ssso very deeply, hearing only the sssound of my voiccce, and thinking only what I tell you. Now…one…two…three…and sssleep for me, man-cub. Deep sssleep."
And with one final, massive yawn, Mowgli's super-heavy eyes sank shut. The boy heaved a soft sigh as he slipped into deep hypnotic slumber. So very, very deep, but it was just the beginning.
"Now, my little ssslave…lisssten to the sssound of my voiccce…lissssten only to my voiccce…and asss you do…you will sssleep deeper, and obey…"
Eyes staying completely shut, Mowgli nodded slowly, sleepily. He would listen…and sssleep deeper…and obey…
Shanti picked her way carefully through the jungle underbrush, mindful of the presence of both thorns and poisonous blossoms among the beautiful, lush greenery. One day, she told herself, she'd bow to the reality of living near a jungle and start wearing more modest outfits that covered more of her skin…but it was hard to give up the simple comfort of the strapless purple cloth wrapped around her breasts and the loose purple skirt that barely reached past her thighs. The warm, humid jungle air felt so good on her arms and legs, her bare midriff, and she didn't want to give that up.
The sun was low to the horizon, the sky a deep shade of orange and already beginning to fade into the deep blue of nightfall.
She was being as stealthy as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself, because like many jungle animals she was on a hunt. But unlike the jungle predators, she was looking for her mate, Mowgli.
He'd been missing for months now, and Shanti had almost given up hope of ever seeing him again. What had started as sporadic, periodic forays into the jungle had become regular disappearances, first for a few hours here and there, but then stretching into days, and then finally…he'd simply vanished.
Shanti couldn't understand what might be behind it, because nothing about it made sense. The mysterious ventures into the jungle were puzzling enough, but there was more. First, in the weeks leading up to his disappearance, it seemed like he was having increasing difficulty achieving orgasm when they mated…something that shouldn't have been any problem for a pair of 19-year-olds. Mowgli had tried to hide it from her, even trying to distract her at the pivotal moment—but she'd known, right from the start when it first began to happen.
At first she'd thought it was something she was doing (or not doing), but when it became obvious he couldn't orgasm for whatever reason, she knew there was something more going on.
Second, there was Mowgli's seeming desire to wear less and less clothing around the village. Mowgli had always been fairly conservative when it came to his appearance, but all of a sudden it seemed like he was overcome with a desire to show off his body. The one time she'd actually pressed him about it, he seemed momentarily surprised to realize what he was doing, before telling her his clothes always seemed to feel tight and uncomfortable, and the less he wore the better he felt.
Third, there was the fact that Mowgli could never seem to remember exactly what it was he'd been doing when he snuck off into the jungle. When he finally came back, all he seemed to remember was wandering through the trees and losing track of time.
It was strange, alright—and Shanti was certain that all of it was connected somehow. Something was causing all of this, and she'd been determined to find out what. But Mowgli's sudden disappearance had made that impossible, and Shanti had spent weeks fearing for Mowgli's safety before she finally decided to do something about it.
She'd known growing up that there were more than just animals out in the jungle, and in fact there were several feral humans living there, teens around Shanti's same age that had grown up in the wild away from civilization and made the jungle their home. She'd actually met one, a girl named Tama—tall and muscular, trim body hardened from a life spent evading predators—and the jungle girl had agreed to help her find her missing mate.
Just this morning, Tama had delivered the news that there was to be a gathering at the monkey's temple deep within the jungle, and that all the jungle denizens would likely be there. If Mowgli was lost somewhere, then it was likely that someone there would know what became of him. Mowgli himself might even be there.
It was the best lead she'd gotten in weeks, and so she'd resolved that she had to at least try. But, like so much else in life, it was easier said than done, and once she crossed into the denser parts of the jungle that man had long since forgotten, it became much harder to progress.
Thick underbrush almost totally hid the jungle floor, and the trees grew so close together that their canopies almost completely blotted out what daylight there was. Vines were everywhere, and though Shanti knew none of the plants were predatory, it was still unnerving to see such dense foliage reaching for her seemingly from all directions—even from above.
The temple that was her destination was, fortunately, massive enough to be visible from almost anywhere, and it was a simple matter to follow Tama's directions to reach it. She was being cautious however, and not approaching the temple directly.
Instead, her plan was to steal close enough to it to observe what was happening, without being observed herself by any of the partygoers. Charging in recklessly without knowing what was going on wouldn't do anyone any good.
By the time she was near enough to the monkey's temple to hear what was going on, the sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky had turned a deep shade of purple. Stars were just beginning to appear, and she could hear the familiar sounds of the jungle night.
The temple—a crumbling stone structure completely overgrown with greenery and with almost no full buildings left—was lit from within by torches, and she could hear the sounds of jungle denizens gathering and milling about, waiting for the festivities to begin. Idly, Shanti wondered what the purpose of tonight's party was, but it didn't really matter.
Creeping up to the edge of one of the walls that lined the temple's courtyard, Shanti bent down and peered through a gap where one of the ancient stones was missing.
As she'd expected, the courtyard was filled with primates—the monkey king's subjects of course—but she could also see other jungle denizens there too. Some, like a pair of large toucans perched atop another wall across the courtyard, were clearly there just to observe; others, like the trio of black-furred panthers, were just as clearly there to take part in the fun. She could also see a pair of small wolves—not cubs but also not adults—in the mix.
It was odd to her to see so many different members of the animal kingdom mingling together—especially canines and felines—but Shanti didn't allow herself to get distracted by the surreality of it, instead continuing to scan the crowd. She wasn't really sure what she was looking for, wasn't sure what she'd expected to see—
Her thoughts jolted to a sudden stop. There, in the far corner of the courtyard, was Mowgli!
Her heart leaped for joy as she said eyes on her mate for the first time in many months, the handsome young man looking just as he had when she last saw him—though his hair was considerably messier—but she forced herself to remain calm until she could figure out what was going on. There had to be a reason Mowgli was here, and until she knew what it was, it wouldn't do to go charging in through a courtyard full of wild animals. The primates were harmless enough, but the panthers and wolves were another story, and if they chose to take exception to her presence…
Shanti's gaze flicked back to the toucans on the far wall, noting a detail she'd missed before—that the birds were scanning the crowd just as intently as she. And not just the crowd, she realized, they were watching the entire area.
Sentries, she thought, keeping watch and primed to alert the monkey king of anything that might be amiss. Their presence would doubtlessly complicate things, but since their attention seemed to be on keeping an eye on the party guests, they might not notice the teenage girl slinking through the shadows beyond the temple walls.
Returning her gaze to Mowgli, she studied him more closely and noted two details she'd previously missed: one, he was wearing almost nothing, save an improvised pair of briefs that looked to have been fashioned from tree leaves; and two, a thick snake was corkscrewed around him from his ankles to his shoulders. He wasn't coiled completely—the snake appeared to have circled around Mowgli's ankles, thighs, and arms, enough to completely restrain him but not enough to obscure his body from view—but it was clear that the snake was holding him still. The coils seemed to tighten and release slightly, whether deliberately massaging the captive boy or simply following the snake's breathing she couldn't tell. Shanti allowed herself only a moment to contemplate how good that slow, gentle massage must feel on Mowgli's bare skin.
Then Shanti looked at Mowgli's face. Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't the expression of almost serene contentment she found there, his eyes bright and a smile on his face as he looked around and took it all in. If Shanti didn't know better, she'd have sworn Mowgli was happy to be where he was.
She couldn't believe it. What had happened to him? The Mowgli she knew would fight tooth and nail to keep from being bound up like this.
She looked more closely at the snake itself. Apart from its size, it appeared rather unremarkable, scales showing a pattern of brown spots along its length, contrasting with the lighter-colored underbelly, but oddly there was no sign of its head or its tail. The snake body continued past Mowgli's feet and disappeared over the low stone wall nearby, while the end past Mowgli's head continued up past a stone statue of a large ape and disappeared from view.
There he is, she thought, finally spotting the snake's head among the leaves and overgrowth above and behind the large stone throne at one end of the courtyard, itself separated by several stone stairs from the ground.
She peered closer, realizing that the snake was speaking with the monkey king, though he was facing away from her and she had no idea what they might be talking about. Though it was impossible to tell from this far away, and from such an awkward angle besides, the monkey king looked serious and contemplative as he listened to the snake, a stark contrast to his own reputation as a funloving party animal for whom the word "serious" was practically an insult.
All the while the snake's coils continued to sensually massage Mowgli, who was still looking around the courtyard as though nothing was wrong.
Something about the snake seemed familiar to her, but Shanti couldn't quite place it. She knew she'd seen that particular pattern of spots and scales, of light and dark, somewhere before; it was hard to tell since he was facing away from her, but even the shape of the snake's head seemed familiar.
Shanti's instinct told her that whatever he and the money king were discussing, they were both involved in the conversation, and it would be her best chance to get to Mowgli before the party started, even if there wasn't much she could do to free him.
Mindful of the terrible risk she was taking, she crept slowly around behind the throne, knowing that a high wall would keep her from being seen by the snake and the monkey king. There was no telling how long they'd be talking, and she might not have much time.
She made it around the wall without being seen, and she crept up behind the wall separating her from Mowgli. A number of the ancient stones were missing from this wall, and Shanti had a better view of the courtyard from here. The primates were all well out of earshot here, Mowgli in the very corner of the courtyard and well away from the guests. Even better, from here the toucans were facing away from her, offering a measure of safety.
Daring to peek her head around the remnants of the low wall, she got a better look at Mowgli.
Up close, she realized the situation was even more complicated than it had at first appeared. Mowgli was still looking around the courtyard, still grinning—but up close, she could see that what she had mistaken for contentedness from afar was actually something closer to anticipation. Mowgli was not only happy to be here, it was as though he was looking forward to something. Was he here to attend the party? If so then why were the snake's coils wrapped around him and keeping him still?
She also realized just how intense the coil massage really was. Mowgli was writhing in his bonds slightly as the coils tightened and released, tightened and released, in a slow and sensual rhythm. Most strikingly, even though Mowgli wasn't being touched sexually in any way—one coil came close to his leafy coverings, but wasn't actually touching him there—it was clear that he was feeling aroused, since his coverings were tenting slightly over his member.
"Mowgli!" she hissed, barely above a whisper. "Mowgli, over here!"
Mowgli turned to look at her, though his bindings prevented him from turning much more than his head. Though he seemed delighted to see her, she was alarmed that there was no flash of recognition in his eyes, no familiarity. Her blood chilled when he greeted her, his innocent words confirming her fears.
"Hi!" he said, not that loudly but still much louder than her. "What's your name?"
Shanti reflexively ducked, but none of the party guests seemed to have heard, and the snake and the monkey king were still engrossed in their conversation far above.
She peeked over the wall again. "Mowgli, it's me, Shanti!" she whispered. "Don't you remember me?"
"No," he said, taking her cue this time and lowering his voice. "But you sure are pretty!"
Despite the oddness of the situation, Shanti couldn't help but blush, especially once she saw the Mowgli's covering was tenting even more now.
"Thank you," she said, offering a small smile. "Mowgli, what's happening? What are you doing here?"
"The monkey king is having a party tonight," Mowgli told her. "It's gonna be so much fun. Kaa's going to hypnotize me to dance and show myself. I can't wait!"
Shanti's blood turned to ice. Kaa. That was the snake's name, and hearing it brought complete clarity to the situation. It was the missing piece of the puzzle and explained everything; in hindsight it was perfectly obvious, and Shanti almost kicked herself for not seeing it sooner.
When she was much younger, Shanti had once followed Mowgli into the jungle night, searching for him after he ran away from the village. Instead, she had attracted the attention of the python, and had made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Before she knew it, the world was gone, and she felt only complete relaxation, hearing only his voice and helplessly following those eyes wherever they led her. It had felt so right, so good, that she wouldn't even dream of resisting. Though the memory was very hazy, more like a dream than anything else, she remembered that she'd have done anything the snake told her, and would love it, even if he told her to stand perfectly still as he devoured her.
That, Mowgli had later explained, was Kaa's hypnotism in action, and that for her to feel the way she'd felt she must've gone really deep into the trance. He'd added almost as an afterthought that not even he could go that deep that fast.
Since that night, she hadn't thought much about Kaa or being hypnotized, simply treating it as an encounter best forgotten…but what she hadn't considered was that Mowgli had had two run-ins with the python, and they might've had more of an effect on him than she'd realized.
In any case, it seemed obvious now that during one of his innocent jaunts through the jungle, Mowgli had allowed himself to be hypnotized by Kaa, perhaps the riskiest decision anyone could make if they valued their lives. But instead of devouring him, the snake had clearly chosen instead to keep Mowgli as his slave. There was no doubt in Shanti's mind that all those times Mowgli had disappeared into the jungle for no apparent reason, he was returning to Kaa…and that the snake had spent all that time making him want this.
It was also undoubtedly why the boy didn't recognize her. Kaa would've made sure Mowgli forgot all about his old life; if all he knew was the jungle, there would be no reason for him to resist or seek escape from his captor.
"T-that's great, Mowgli," Shanti said awkwardly, not really sure how to respond to his bold declaration…or its implications. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot."
"I sure will!" Mowgli said. "I love to dance when I'm hypnotized. It feels so great, especially when I get to take off all my clothes and show myself. And I go so deep! I just love it."
"Sssay now." came a hissing voice from above. Both Shanti and Mowgli looked up, to see Kaa's head descending from the temple's upper level. "What have we here?"
Shanti's breath caught in her throat—there was no telling what Mowgli would tell him, and she knew on some primal level that if the snake decided to hypnotize her again she'd fall even faster and go even deeper than she had before. She'd never be able to resist, and she wasn't sure she'd even want to…it had felt so good…
"It's a girl-cub!" the snake said as he got closer. "A sssweet, innocccent girl-cub."
"Hi Kaa," Mowgli said, greeting his master with a grin. "This is my friend, Shanti."
"Ssshanti," the snake said as though trying the word on for size. He turned to regard her more closely, and she had the most unsettling sense that he was sizing her up as he might a meal. "What a sssurprissse."
It was always hard to tell with a snake, but Shanti couldn't detect any trace of surprise in his voice. Did he know who she was? Or was it somehow possible that he might've been expecting her to show up tonight?
"H-hello, Kaa," she said haltingly. "Nice to…nice to meet you."
"Likewissse, I'm sssure," the snake said. "What bringsss you to thisss placcce, Ssshanti?"
Shanti was tempted to tell him the truth—that she was here to get Mowgli—but as long as Mowgli was in his power, that would only make things worse. And there was no question that even though Mowgli was awake right now, he belonged fully to Kaa.
Instead, Shanti opted for a measure of the truth. "I heard there was a party here tonight and I got curious. I've never seen a jungle party before."
Kaa chuckled at that, and it sounded sincere. Shanti allowed herself to relax slightly. "I sssee," he said with a nod of understanding. "And of courssse you were sssurprisssed to sssee another of your kind here."
Shanti nodded. "Very," she said. "I'd heard there were other humans living in the jungle, but I thought they were…" She started to say "feral," but stopped herself, knowing that might come across as an insult to a wild animal…however amicable he might appear to be just now. "Wild."
"Sssome cccertainly are," the snake said. "But sssome are more cccivilized." He looked at Mowgli meaningfully, before resting his head on top of the boy's. His coils resumed their massage, and Mowgli sighed bliss as he relaxed into their hold, his erection seeming to get even fuller. "And sssome enjoy protection and pleasssure like no others."
Mowgli chuckled at that, and inwardly Shanti cringed, though she kept the reaction well-hidden. "So Mowgli is yours?" she said.
The snake's mouth twitched upward in a smile for a brief moment, but then he nodded. "Yesss he isss," he said. "He isss my jungle ssslave."
"I'm your jungle ssslave, Kaa," Mowgli repeated, a single color spiral passing through his eyes.
Kaa chuckled. "Yesss you are, man-cub," he said. He turned back to Shanti. "Girl-cub, the fessstivitiesss are about to begin. You ssshould go and enjoy the ssshow."
"Will you hypnotize me, Kaa?" Mowgli asked. "Please?"
Shanti suppressed a shudder. Hypnosis meant submission, and the Mowgli she knew would never go under willingly, let alone plead for it. And to do so in front of anyone else was outright unthinkable.
Kaa chuckled. "Patienccce, my little ssslave," he said. "And trussst in me."
Another color spiral passed through Mowgli's eyes, and he gazed directly at Kaa and didn't look away.
"What are you going to make him do, Kaa?" Shanti asked, thinking quickly. Mowgli had already said it, but she wanted Kaa to say it.
Again, the snake's mouth twitched upward for just an instant, but it was gone before he turned to face her. "The man-cub will sssleep for me," he said, "and will then danccce and show himssself to usss like a good ssslave. I asssure you it will be quite entertaining."
"I can't wait!" Mowgli said enthusiastically. "I've been dreaming about this for weeks, I want it so much!"
Kaa chuckled, then turned back to Shanti. "You ssshould go and enjoy the fessstivitiesss, girl-cub," he said. "I promissse you will enjoy it."
Shanti crouched behind the wall where she'd hidden before, watching the monkeys enjoying their party. A courtyard full of primates was dancing and swaying to a percussive beat coming from drums and other instruments, also being played by primates on the far side of the courtyard. As far as the girl could see, everyone seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves.
But she wasn't taking part. Still concealed from view, still hiding from the toucans, she was watching, and waiting, to see what Mowgli's part was in all this.
The boy was still off to the side, but now was standing next to the vacant throne. The monkey king himself was observing from the temple's upper level, watching his subjects and guests. Shanti was slightly surprised to see that the panthers she'd seen were now sitting up there with him, rather than enjoying the fun in the courtyard with everyone else.
Mowgli, for his part, was still clearly happy just to be here, looking around the courtyard enthusiastically. The boy was still firmly wrapped in Kaa's coils, and they were continuing to vigorously massage him, and he still had an erection—not quite as substantial as when he'd been looking at Shanti, but still.
Kaa, meanwhile, was watching from the branches of a tree that had grown through the stone floor behind the throne, its limbs extending over the throne. Like everything else, vines dangled from the tree branches, framing the throne like tattered green draperies.
Shanti knew she hadn't had a choice, but it still stung that she'd had to walk away and leave Mowgli in the snake's clutches. When he told her that she should go and enjoy the "fessstivitiesss," she'd said she hoped Mowgli had fun too, and then retreated back through the jungle brush to return to her hiding spot, somehow managing to avoid both the monkey king's gaze and that of the toucans still keeping watch over the area.
Still, this was the first time she'd seen Mowgli in months, and that meant that whatever Kaa was doing with him, it was effective at keeping him concealed. That, in turn, meant that Shanti might never get another chance to rescue him if she didn't act tonight.
After the monkeys had danced for a while, Kaa's head moved down from the branches, while the very end of his tail slithered over the back of the throne, draping itself over Mowgli's head. The snake's head came close to Mowgli's, then he blinked and his eyes filled with colorful spirals. Mowgli's eyes widened, pupils shrinking to pinpricks, before blossoming with spirals just like Kaa's.
Shanti's vague memories of her own experience told her this was Mowgli's induction, and she remembered how good it would feel to look into those colorful spirals. Mowgli wouldn't want to look away at this point, even if he could.
The snake's head withdrew, rising above Mowgli's, and the boy followed the motion precisely with his own eyes. His head didn't move, the tail clearly holding him still. Kaa was speaking to him, and gradually began to sway before the boy. Mowgli's head remained still, his eyes following along as Kaa swayed back and forth.
The snake was speaking to Mowgli, pausing every so often for a response from Mowgli, but there was no way to hear what he was saying. Mowgli's eyes were wide, spiraling, and focused completely on Kaa's. The snake was continuing to whisper to the boy, and Mowgli's eyes were beginning to blink, clearly becoming heavy, though he still couldn't look away from Kaa's eyes.
The snake had risen even higher above Mowgli now, continuing to sway, and Mowgli yawned, clearly struggling to keep his increasingly-heavy eyes open. By now, Shanti knew, Kaa would be his sole focus, and he would be feeling so incredibly sleepy—but so unbelievably good—that he'd just want to shut his eyes and sleep for his master, nothing in his mind but spirals and the snake's hissing voice.
And even as she watched, the snake hissed to Mowgli, he yawned once more before his heavy eyes drooped shut and didn't open again. There Mowgli stood, asleep on his feet.
The coils, which had been massaging him as vigorously as ever, fell still, and the snake's eyes stopped spiraling. He moved his head close to Mowgli's ear, and began to whisper to him. Though his eyes remained completely shut, she saw the sleeping man-cub smile, nodding slowly every so often in response to Kaa's words. Shanti clenched her fists, but had to remind herself that this had happened many times before—the only difference was that this time she could see it.
Finally, Kaa finished whispering to Mowgli, and the hypnotized boy clearly mouthed "yesss, massster." Kaa's coils fell away from the boy, and Mowgli began to dance, writhing in a sensual and erotic manner. His moves were fluid, sexy, and his erection immediately began to bulge, his leafy covering tenting significantly.
Shanti's mouth dropped open in shock. This was so unlike Mowgli she didn't have words to describe it—seeing him appear before the eyes of the jungle almost completely nude was surprise enough, but for him to willingly perform an erotic dance in such a setting was unthinkable.
Yet, here it was, happening right before her eyes. And the only explanation was that Kaa had hypnotically conditioned him to want this. It was a testament to just how powerful the snake's hypnosis really was that he could make Mowgli want things he'd normally never accept.
The music began to get faster, and Mowgli's dance became faster and sexier right along with it. The primates screeched their approval, and Kaa hissed to Mowgli again. The hypnotized boy slowly opened his eyes, less than halfway, as he continued to dance.
Shanti had to bite back a gasp. Even to her inexperienced eyes it was clear Mowgli was incredibly deep, well beyond any hope of resisting Kaa's commands. Knowing he couldn't help himself, she felt like she should do something, anything, to wake Mowgli from his trance—but even if she could get to him through the mass of party guests, she knew that while Mowgli was under hypnosis the only voice he would hear or respond to was Kaa's.
That didn't make it any easier to watch what was happening. Especially since his erection was continuing to grow. So not only was he doing the unthinkable, but he was actually becoming aroused by it.
The monkeys screeched again, and Kaa whispered to Mowgli again. With no hesitation, the sleeping boy removed his leafy covering, revealing himself completely to his hypnotist, the primates around him, and even—unknowingly—to Shanti. It was nothing she hadn't seen before, of course, but…it was too much for her to bear, and she turned away in shame.
She closed her eyes, trying to slow her racing heart. Thoughts were whirling through her mind faster than she could bear, and she tried to slow them so she could think.
Okay. So Mowgli was deeply under and couldn't help himself right now. But he'd been awake when the snake first brought him here, which meant Kaa didn't keep him in trance all the time. The fact that Mowgli didn't recognize her was troubling, but not altogether unexpected now that she knew who and what she was dealing with. Mowgli's utter lack of resistance as the snake put him to sleep, followed by his total obedience as the snake instructed him to do ever-more-sensuous things—publicly—suggested that he had been thoroughly conditioned these last few months. Mowgli's fleeting reference to having dreamed of this night for the last few weeks no doubt meant that the snake had been diligently reinforcing that conditioning.
She wondered, with a touch of despair, if she'd ever be able to overcome the snake's hypnotic conditioning and reach Mowgli, make him remember her. But how would she counter the urges and desires the snake had no doubt placed in Mowgli's mind? He'd clearly been going very deep for Kaa, and there was no telling what that might mean. Who knew what kind of posthypnotic suggestions were—
"Are you enjoying yourssself, girl-cub?" a hissing voice interrupted her thoughts.
Shanti jumped, startled nearly out of her wits by the sudden intrusion. The intrusion, and who was responsible for it.
"Who's there?" she asked reflexively, but then corrected herself—there was only one possibility. "Kaa, is that you?"
"Of courssse, girl-cub," the snake said, lowering himself before her. "I hope I didn't ssstartle you."
"Of…of course not," she lied. "What do you want?"
"Merely a moment to make cccertain we sssee eye to eye," the snake said with a grin.
"Don't even think about it," she said, turning away from him. "I'm not letting you hypnotize me."
"Perhapsss not," he said, "but for the moment, it mattersss more that we ssspeak the truth to one another."
Despite herself, she was intrigued. She turned back to him. "Meaning what?"
Amazingly, the snake made a motion that managed to approximate a human shrug quite convincingly. "I know who you really are," the snake told her. "You are Mowgli'sss mate. And I think you know precisssely who I am."
Shanti's mouth dropped open, once again surprised out of proportion to what she was hearing. "What makes you say that?"
"The man-cub hasss told me all about you," the snake said with a grin. "All thossse timesss he failed to sssatisssfy you. And you did know my name, yet it wasss never ssspoken before you tonight."
Shanti kicked herself for the slip, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Her cover was blown, and all she could do was improvise from here.
"So you know," she said. "So what?"
The end of the snake's tail made contact with the back of her neck, slithering down her back, making the young woman jump. The sensation wasn't all that unpleasant, just a surprise, since the scales of the cold-blooded reptile were very much cooler than the night air.
"I thought perhapsss we might reach an underssstanding," Kaa said. "About our mutual acquaintenccce."
Shanti looked back at Mowgli, still lost in trance, still dancing nude to the approving screeches of the primates—though of course he was much to deep to hear them, or respond. The monkey king looked on from above, an expression of detached bemusement on his simian face.
"You mean Mowgli?" she asked.
Kaa's chuckle was one of patient amusement. "Who elssse?"
Shanti shrugged his tail tip away, only for a thicker section of his tail to wrap around her bare shoulders—like another human, putting their arm around her. "I can sssee the sssituation troublesss you," he said. "Would you tell me why, girl-cub?"
"I can't believe I have to say this," she said, daring to look at him. "You're a snake!"
Kaa drew back in surprise. "I am?" He examined his own nearby coils as though checking to make sure they hadn't changed in the last few minutes. "Ah, ssso I am," he said. "And what isss that to you, little one?"
His tail shifted right as he said the last two words, sending a rush and a tingle through her bare skin. The sensation was wonderful, though she would never admit that to him. "Well…snakes eat people, for one," she said.
"Ah," the snake said, nodding in understanding. "I take it that meansss you fear for hisss sssafety?"
Dubious about the direction this conversation was taking, Shanti reluctantly nodded. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I do. A lot!"
"Consssider thisss, girl-cub," the snake said patiently. "He hasss been in my company for ssseveral moonsss now. And yet he isss completely unharmed. Doesss that not offer sssome reasssuranccce?"
The truth of that statement struck Shanti like an arrow. Yes, Mowgli was in a deep trance now, and it was assuredly not the first time—and yet, despite the months of hypnosis, Mowgli seemed no worse for the wear.
She stole another look at her entranced mate, completely helpless, still dancing for the monkeys without a care in the world. The spared a single second to look at his erection—longer and harder than ever, and even leaking a little pre-cum, though she was sure he wouldn't be able to orgasm until Kaa gave him permission—before turning away again, hoping in the night Kaa wouldn't see the sudden blush that warmed her cheeks.
"I guess when you put it that way," she allowed. "But he didn't even recognize me earlier. And the Mowgli I know would never do any of this!" She gestured in Mowgli's general direction. "You've been manipulating his mind. You made him want to be your slave, just like you're making him dance right now. Don't deny it!"
"I have no reassson to," the snake said. "I have claimed him asss my own, and have painstakingly ssshaped hisss mind to my liking, jussst asss I would any other if I ssso chossse. That isss how it worksss in the jungle, my sssweet."
His tail continued to slide around her shoulders, moving down to gently stroke her bare arms. Shanti shivered again, trying to ignore the fact that her skin was tingling, her arms covered in gooseflesh. His touch felt amazing, and where the scales touched her skin, it felt like his tail was kneading and massaging her flesh as he moved.
Despite the oddness of the situation, however, she had to admit that there was a certain logic to what Kaa was saying. From a human's perspective it seemed absurd, but from the perspective of a jungle resident it was just how things worked. Hunt, or be hunted; whoever came out on top was the victor.
And if Mowgli couldn't resist hypnosis, then that made Kaa the victor, and gave him the right to manipulate the boy's mind however he saw fit.
"I have to know something, Kaa," she said, deciding to get brave.
The snake seemed intrigued. "Yesss?"
"The Mowgli I know would never let someone hypnotize him, let alone a jungle predator. And he'd never do everything he's doing right now, no matter how many times you put him to sleep or made him say it just so he could orgasm." She put her hands on her hips. "So how can you expect me to believe he really wants this?"
The snake chuckled, but it was clear she'd genuinely engaged his interest. She wondered if that was because she'd guessed his method accurately. "You are quite assstute, girl-cub," he said. "Yesss it isss true that the man-cub ssspendsss a great deal of time asssleep in my coilsss, thinking only the thoughtsss I wisssh him to think. But he came to me and asssked for this."
Shanti threw him a look. "He came to you," she said dubiously. "And asked for you to condition him into a slave. Right."
"Not quite ssso, girl-cub," he admonished. "But he did come to me to asssk for help returning to the jungle. It ssseemsss that life among your kind wasss…lesss than sssatisssfactory."
"It's not true!" Shanti said reflexively, but even as she said the words she knew in her heart that he was telling the truth. Ever since she'd lured him away from the jungle, he'd never been entirely content with life in the man village. She'd always known that and tried to make him happy every way she knew how, but…it clearly hadn't been enough.
"Sssweet girl-cub, you musssn't blame yourssself," he said, correctly guessing the reason for her consternation. "The man-cub wisssshed to return to usss ssso badly…I did nothing but make that desssire irresssissstible."
Shanti's scowl returned. Yes, she could certainly imagine Kaa hypnotizing Mowgli and endlessly reinforcing his desire to escape the man village, until the compulsion was too strong for him to resist, even fully awake. And of course, when the boy gave in and ran to the jungle…he'd run straight into Kaa's waiting coils.
"That still doesn't explain…this." Shanti gestured towards the party, where Mowgli's dance had grown even sexier and more erotic. The hypnotized boy was grinning widely now, his heavy eyes once again completely shut, his hands wandering over his body. His member was fully erect, long and hard, and leaking even more pre-cum than before. Shanti noticed, however, that Mowgli wasn't actually touching his erection.
"A sssnake sssuch assss myssself needsss a ssslave," he told her. "And the man-cub was sssimply perfect. He couldn't resssissst, and when I sssuggesssted he sssleep for me and sssubmit, he wasss only too happy to sssay yesss. The ressst, asss they sssay, isss hissstory."
A fresh round of cheers sounded from the courtyard, and Shanti turned to see that Mowgli was cumming, his member erupting in thick ropes of white-hot boy-cum. Mowgli's face was contorted midway between torment and ecstasy, moaning and gasping as he climaxed as intensely as ever. More intensely, in fact, than Shanti could remember ever having seen before.
On and on it went, Mowgli cumming like never before, clearly unable to stop, as the primates in front of him shouted their approval. Shanti knew that Kaa's hypnotic commands were responsible, that the snake had prepared Mowgli for this beforehand, instructing him to orgasm when the music ended. Not touching himself at all, just a spontaneous orgasm when commanded.
At last, Mowgli's orgasm ended, and the boy slumped down onto the ground at the foot of the throne, dropping to his knees, a sleepy post-orgasm grin on his face. His eyes looked heavier than ever as he sank into hypnotic sleep, and she realized that instead of causing him to awaken, the orgasm had actually made him sink deeper into hypnosis. He looked so satisfied, so fulfilled, that for an instant she hated Kaa all over again. She was the one that was supposed to make Mowgli feel that way, not his serpentine hypnotist, the snake that had kept him from orgasming except when he was under.
"What do you think, my sssweet?" Kaa asked into the silence.
"I…" Shanti sighed. "I don't even know what to say."
Just then, it ceased to matter, because the coils that had wound around her while she'd been distracted tightened, pinning her arms to her sides while another coil secured her legs together. "It ssshould be obviousss, girl-cub," he said, lowering his head in front of her, his eyes already alight with spirals. "The firssst thing you ssshould sssay isss…"
Shanti had only a split second to realize what was happening, before the world around her faded, and Kaa's eyes became all she could see, and then…all she wanted to see. His voice seemed to echo in her mind, all she could hear, all she could think about. She felt herself relaxing, leaning forward in his grasp to get a better view of those amazing eyes. She knew she was being hypnotized…but she couldn't remember why that was a bad thing. It just felt…so…so…good…
"You want to be a helpless jungle ssslave."
His eyes were all she could see, that wonderful voice all she could hear. He was right—she wanted to be a helplesss jungle ssslave. "I…w-want…t-t-to be…" she stammered.
"Sssay it, girl-cub," he hissed softly. "You want to be my jungle ssslave ssso badly. Tell me yourssself."
The spirals were her entire world now. She understood it so clearly: she wanted to be Kaa's jungle slave. She'd never wanted anything so much in her life. "I want to be your helplesss jungle ssslave," she repeated.
"That'sss right," he said. "Relaxxx in my coilsss and sssay it again. Ssso easssy to relaxxx for me."
Shanti felt her body relax even more as he said it. He was right—it was so easy to relax in his coils. "I want to be your helplesss jungle ssslave," she said.
"Very good, girl-cub," he said with a smile. "Ssso very, very relaxxxed. More relaxxxed than ever before. You want to be my helplesss jungle ssslave ssso badly. What do you want, little one?"
Shanti felt waves of relaxation pass through her body at his words. She felt like she was sinking into the coils, warm and tight and comfortable, but she kept her eyes on her master's.
"I want to be your helplesss jungle ssslave," she said. "I want it ssso badly."
"That'sss right, little one. But firssst…you mussst trussst in me, and jussst in me. You trussst me, don't you?"
"I trussst you," she said, her words sounding soft and fragile compared to the powerful, compelling voice of her serpentine hypnotist. He'd relaxed her nearly to the point of paralysis—her body felt heavy and warm, though her mind was in the clouds. This was so much better than her induction all those years ago.
She couldn't resist anything he suggested to her; when he said she needed to trust him, that was all she could think about. She trusted him. Just him. Trusted him so much.
"Very, very good, little one," the snake said, and she felt really good knowing she'd pleased her master. "Looking deeply into my eyesss now, my little ssslave…you can't look away…jussst relaxxx, and look deeper…ssso relaxxxed now…focusssing only on my voiccce asss you relaxxx and look even deeper…"
The world was long gone from Shanti's mind. There was only Kaa. Nothing else mattered. Nothing but Kaa's eyes, his voice, and those wonderful, wonderful eyes. Waves of relaxation were passing through her body, making her feel so good, but so incredibly heavy…so heavy she couldn't even move…
"Now, my helpless little ssslave…it isss very late…the moon isss high, and you can feel your eyesss becoming ssso heavy. Your are feeling very, very sssleepy…"
"I'm feeling very sssleepy," she repeated softly, the words little more than a drowsy monotone. As soon as she repeated his words, she yawned, her eyelids becoming incredibly heavy. She wanted to sleep ssso badly…she just couldn't help it. Her master's voice was the only thing in her mind, and she wanted to obey it ssso badly. She wanted to be a helplesss jungle ssslave…and she knew that a good slave didn't resist when her master suggested she was feeling sleepy…
"Very sssleepy," the snake whispered. "Your eyesss are ssso heavy…"
Shanti yawned, her super-heavy eyes actually falling shut for a moment before she was able to open them again to keep looking into his eyes. She was hypnotized, and felt so sleepy…
"You can sssleep sssafe and sssound in my coilsss, my little ssslave," he whispered. "That'sss what you want. You want to sssleep for me like a good ssslave, sssafe and sssound in my coilsss. What do you want to do, my little ssslave?"
She yawned again, the urge to give in and go to sleep so powerful. "I want to…sssleep…like a good ssslave," she said drowsily. "Sssafe and sssound…"
"Very good, ssslave," he said. "On the count of three, you will ssshut your heavy eyesss, relaxxx in my coilsss, and sssleep for me. You will sssleep ssso deeply. You will hear only the sssound of my voiccce, and you will awaken only when I sssay. Do you underssstand, my little ssslave?"
Shanti opened her mouth to answer, but at first the only thing she could do was yawn. As waves of drowsiness passed through her, it was all she could do to say "Yesss, massster."
"Very good, girl-cub. One…you're ssso very sssleepy, you jussst can't resssissst. Two…your eyesss are much too heavy to keep open and they're closssing…closssing…ssso very heavy. And three…sssleep for me, girl-cub. Deep, deep sssleep."
And with a single massive yawn, Shanti's super-heavy eyes closed, and she slipped into deep hypnosis. Her heavy head fell forward onto her chest, and she slumped to the ground, Kaa's coils the only thing holding her up.
"Oh yesss, girl-cub," he said to himself as the sleepy girl drifted off into a trance. "Now you can sssee for yourssself. Hypnosssisss certainly worksss."