Vruksha POV:

Humans had returned from the stars to the world they once called home, seeking the ancient technology left behind by the Lurkers in hopes of winning some distant war I cared little about. They searched ruined cities, forgotten bunkers, and crumbling facilities buried beneath centuries of roots and moss.

They found almost nothing.

How could they? We Naga had spent generations recovering what remained of ancient Earth, and we kept it for ourselves. The greatest Human-Lurker caches, forgotten weapons, ancient machines, and priceless knowledge had long since been hidden beneath our territories. Humanity searched where the ruins were visible, blind to the truth that everything of real value was already claimed.

Something dormant within every naga male awoke when the human females arrived.

It was impossible to deny our instincts now. We had not felt them since our females vanished generations ago.

The need to claim.

The need to protect.

The need to nest and have young.

The pathetic human males did not deserve such fortune. They lived surrounded by females and failed to understand how precious they truly were.

They proved it even now.

They traded the few females they had for a single piece of technology we naga possessed.

One worthless relic. Had they known the truth, they would have realized they had exchanged lives beyond value for little more than scrap.

With so few females and far too many dominant males gathered, conflict became inevitable.

Zaku, the King Cobra, proposed a compromise.

The females would run.

The males would hunt.

Whoever caught a female first earned the nesting rights to her.

No one liked the arrangement, yet every naga male accepted it. Better to settle the matter through the hunt than slaughter one another before claiming a mate.

When Zaku handed the humans the artifact, their transport departed without looking back, abandoning the females in the mountain clearing. Silence settled over the jungle as every eye remained fixed upon them.

"W-what now?" one of the human females whispered, trembling beside you.

"Now..." I hissed, never looking away from you. "You all run."

For a heartbeat, nothing moved.

Every instinct screamed for me to ignore the agreement, seize you now, and drag you back to my den before another male dared lay claim to you.

Mine.

The word echoed through every instinct I possessed.

The instant the first human turned and fled, chaos erupted.

You ran without hesitation while the other females scattered into the jungle.

The roars and hisses of the other naga males shook the forest.

Massive serpent bodies surged after them, crushing undergrowth as rival males raced through the wilderness or fought one another, driven by instincts beyond reason.

They were fools.

They chased without thinking.

I did not.

I watched where you fled. Humans could never outrun a naga, and panic made them predictable.

I surged into the forest, my powerful tail carrying me across the uneven terrain. My grip tightened around my spear, an ancient weapon recovered years ago from a forgotten Human-Lurker cache.

My senses focused on my hunt.

Even if you hid...

I would still find you.

Every breath carried your scent. I knew where your feet had touched the earth, whether you had stumbled, even if your blood had been spilled from exposed roots and branches.

The hunt had only begun.

Already, rival males battled somewhere beyond the trees, fighting over females most would never claim.

Run as far as you wish, female.

When I catch you, I will take you home.

And you will never leave my sight again.