Welcome to Gaia! ::

Vashti had been wandering for some time, actively dodging the assorted undying that infested the area. She was glad she’d stowed her human away somewhere safe, somewhere very un-public. That “dayscare” area she’d heard about on the radio seemed like a good idea, but she didn’t like it. Her human had something that intrigued her, and once she’d determined it was safe to touch it, she’d removed it and claimed it for herself. For now. She didn’t want anyone else to take it, and it seemed something of value. It would be a shame for a light-fingered passerby to take it while she was away, and at the same time she didn’t know if anyone else knew her human had such an item. Or whether she was supposed to have it in the first place. So she hid her human away elsewhere, kept her wanderings close, and moved her frequently, hoping to prevent others from stumbling across her.

In her wanderings, she came across a vast parking lot, filled with strange vehicles. There, in an oddly-empty spot, she found a number of bizarre portals; instead of the usual orange, she saw purple. She was curious, of course, and approached with caution. Were these even portals? What would happen if—

And when she touched it, she found herself in a new place, all green, all covered in the thorny vines. How strange. They seemed to stretch forever, a thick tangle of greenery that looked greener and healthier farther off. Not wanting to get lost, Vashti plunged the end of her tail into the loamy earth near the portal. It would act as an anchor should she become lost. There was a faint trail in the green, and she followed it, seeing only the one route to go. The leaves threw greener, the vines thicker as she walked, until she found… her human, curled in a terrified ball in a tiny chamber at the end. What was she doing there? She was supposed to be hidden away elsewhere, in the dreary fog.

The serpent attempted to speak, but found that she could make no sound. But she was worried, so she tentatively touched her human, ready to spring back if she was to be attacked again like at the previous portal. The human did rouse, but silently backed away in fright at the sight of her. What was this? Was her human conscious after all? Vashti was persistent, though, and backed her human into the vine-covered wall, taking a gentle hold on her human and trying to tug at her without scratching, hoping to convey the message she had. We have to leave! You have to wake up! But to no avail, the human refused to move. There wasn’t much else she could really do, so she gave her human another futile tug before giving up and retreating back along where her tail led.

Stranger still, her human was still exactly where she’d left her outside the portal.