The air around me was thick, humid. It made my short hair matte to my forehead and my clothes stick to my skin in a disgusting mix of sweat with a hint of swamp water. I sigh and try wiping some of the fringe out of my eyes. Spoiler. It doesn't work. I rest on my back, running my fingers over the now familiar wooden grain of the small log raft i'm on. I feel the raft dip under me yet again, allowing another small, yet annoying amount of water to roll over the wood and hit my side. I sigh and sit up, looking around the all too repetitive scenery. Still more water, coated in a layer of duckweed that sticks to the front of my raft as we move forward. Still trees, tall, with leaves and branches hanging down, slathered in a possibly unhealthy amount of algae. Still, a blue sky, barely poking through the dense treetops. And still, that damned heat making me miserable.

I hear a soft bubbling sound and look down. Sure enough, there are small pockets of air rising to the surface, disrupting the duckweed. My breath hitches. I think back to the stories of a swamp monster i had heard around the village. A small flash of a dirty pink color, sharply contrasting the dark green, almost black waters, catches my eye. A thin tentacle, arcing over the water confirms my suspicions. I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves for what's to come.

It's probably another minute or so before i see another sign of the creature. A twisted branch, thick and sturdy, arcs overhead and to another tree. Resting over it is another limb from the creature, this one much thicker. Almost as big around as I am. I feel my throat run dry as I duck down, so as not to disturb it. Maybe it's sleeping. Maybe I won't have to encounter it. Almost as if the arch were a gateway, the tentacles start popping up everywhere. Sometimes just rested across limbs, others tangled up in trees, and a few poke out of the water. After some time, I begin to relax. I realize how long I've been holding my breath and release it. Too soon. I feel something tap the underside of my raft. Every salmon colored limb around me seems to stiffen before receding into the water. I choke on my spit, my body seizing up.

    The water in front of me starts to bubble, this time much larger air pockets rising. A draconic head breaks the surface, tentacles of varying sizes rise around it. The head is lifted several feet into the air by a smooth neck that gets more duckweed stuck to it as it rises. The head is angular. Resembling that of a dragons, yet it had no scales. The sheer skin was stretched over the bone, giving it its sharp features.

The creature opens its maw, revealing sharp teeth. Its lips and tongue curl to speak. A powerful voice projects through the trees. “So tell me, little human. Are you the tribute that the village has gifted me this year?”

I find myself frozen. I can't move under this creatures powerful gaze, almost as if its hypnotized me. I spend a few seconds stammering over my words, trying to draw out a response, before shutting my mouth and simply nodding.

I hear a soft chuckle reverberate from its throat. “You're quite young, aren't you?”

Again, I can only find it within myself to nod. I feel something slimy and smooth wrap around my wrist. I yelp and try to pull back, but the smaller tentacle coils around my wrist and holds it in place. The creature leans closer, what looks like a malicious smirk plays over its lips. “Lets have some fun. Shall we?”

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So originally this was gonna be a full blown tentacle smut thing, but I didnt really know what I was doing or how to continue it. Shame to let it go to waste, though.