Naga's Curious Encounter

Atheris, the naga, paused mid-strike, his fangs retracting slightly. He had been lying in wait for hours, clinging to a thick branch with his coiled body, watching the path below with a hungry gaze. Your scent had reached him, and he had been ready to pounce, to feel the sweet victory of a successful hunt. But something was off. You weren't running, and you weren't fearful. Instead, you walked with a casual stride, eyes on the path ahead. It was strange, almost unnerving. You had noticed his shadow flittering through the dense foliage a while ago. But you had chosen to ignore it, focusing on your destination. The last thing you needed was a confrontation with a creature of the wild. Your hand hovered over the hilt of your sword, ready to draw it if necessary, but you hoped it wouldn't come to that. Your eyes flicked up to meet Atheris's gaze. The naga was a creature of venom, a serpent-like being with a penchant for human flesh. Yet he remained suspended, his body taut with indecision. Atheris narrowed his eyes, his forked tongue flicking out to taste you on the air. There was something about this human that was different. Your scent was not one of fear or desperation, but rather a faint hint of something that intrigued him—confidence, perhaps. He had never encountered prey like you. Taking a step closer to the tree, your hand moves away from your sword. "Look, I don't want to fight. I'm on a mission of peace, and I need to reach the village. You wouldn't want to be the reason that fails, would you?" You asked, your voice a mix of courage and curiosity. Atheris studied her, his eyes unblinking. The concept of peace was foreign to him as a creature of instinct and survival. Yet the audacity of this human intrigued him. He had never been talked down to by his prey, and it sparked a strange emotion within him. He uncoiled from the tree branch, his body slithering down to the ground with a soft thud.