The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

Coiling Secrets

    It felt like the day was going extra slow just to spite Alan, his thoughts consumed by the mysterious note. He wanted to find out who it was, and what exactly they wanted with him. Something didn't feel right as the hour drew closer, the human feeling an involuntary shiver down his spine. It felt like he was being watched, but not in the open like when he first came.

No, this was different.

    It wasn't multiple people looking at him as we walked by, but only one. As he looked around, he didn't see anyone that looked suspicious. Whoever it was, they weren't letting him get off easy. It certainly didn't help that he was already a little unsettled by finding the note in the first place. Now it was just multiplied by ten, or maybe a hundred...

    It was only halfway to noon when Alan entered the bathroom, taking a moment to make sure it was empty before leaning against a sink. The constant feeling of eyes on his back was getting to him, and he didn't think he could endure it any longer. Even now, he could feel that invisible gaze, staring at him, watching him! He turned and splashed his face, wanting to get his nerves under control. It didn't do much, even if it felt refreshing. As soon as he dried off, he decided to try something.

"How long are you gonna do this?", he asked aloud as he crossed his arms.

No reply came.

"I know I'm not just being paranoid. You've been watching me ever since I picked up that note, and you obviously want something from me. So what is it?"

Silence again.

"Just come out already!", he snapped. "I don't even care if you're gonna beat me up or something, just show yourself and stop with this stupid ghost game!"

    Silence once more, but it only lasted a few seconds as Alan glanced around. A loud thud sounded off in front of him as something fell from the ceiling. He looked up for a moment, seeing one of the panels had shifted to reveal darkness. That would explain the feeling of being watched, but who was in there. He only looked down maybe a foot before freezing where he stood.

    Long, large coils of yellow moved on the floor with an almost calculated slowness. He could see a strange shape sticking out from under them, shaking with a rattling sound. Looking back to the top, one of the coils rose up in a curve, a pair of slitted eyes locking with the human's as a smooth head rose up at the end of it. He could see two fangs sticking out from the open mouth of the creature, its head rising well above his as it let out a low chuckle.

"You have quite the fire in you, despite being human.", the voice was smooth and almost hypnotizing in a way. "Or maybe, it's your wolf showing..."

Alan was frozen as he wasn't sure how to react, "Y-your...body, i-it's..."

"Ah...", she lowered her head slightly while keeping her distance. "You've never seen a rattlesnake before, have you? Not that I'm surprised, however. Humans aren't very social with animal-kind."

Alan squinted his eyes and noticed the scales along her body, "You're a...reptile?"

"You catch on quick.", she seemed to smile slyly at him. "Snakes aren't exactly known for being revealing, but we're known enough to be recognized as animals."

    Alan felt a bit more relaxed by the snake, but not much. He had seen reptiles before, but none of them were like this! She didn't seem to have limbs of any kind, just a long and flexible body. The way she spoke was...mysterious. It was unsettling, but he didn't want to risk angering her and causing her to attack in...whatever way she could given her appearance.

So he decided to start easy, "Who are you?"

A forked tongue flicked out from her mouth for a moment, "I suppose introductions are in order. It's been a long while since I last approached a student."