After getting tricked into going through that portal, Ian had been stuck slithering through the forest for days. It had been over a week by this point, and he was getting pretty sick of it. The fact that he had to drag his bag everywhere without arms wasn't helping. He would have abandoned it his first night in the woods, but he knew he was going to get out of this eventually. And there was no way he was going to be stranded out here with absolutely zero supplies when he did.

He could have buried the bag and come back for it later, but he wasn't about to attempt digging a hole that big; he didn't want to waste hours only to risk losing it when he forgot where it was hidden. So now, here he was, a snake with a bag. He wondered what anyone would think if they saw that.

He kept going in the direction of the talisman. It was faint, but consistent. And the longer he traveled, the stronger the feeling seemed to get. It was the only thing that kept him going. Well, that and the fact that if he didn't, he'd be spending the rest of his life in the forest – alone, with no one even knowing what had happened to him.

Every day was the same. Wake up, grab his bag, and head vaguely in the direction of that cursed charm. But during his second week of drudgery – in the middle of the night – something changed. He got the feeling that the talisman was moving. How could that be? It had been calling to him from the same direction since he'd come back to this realm; as far as he could tell, it hadn't moved at all. But now, he had the distinct impression it was pulling at him from farther and farther to his left.

He didn't have any idea how far away it was. Sure, he knew he'd feel its presence more the closer he got, but he'd never been anywhere near this far from it before. So it wasn't exactly easy to judge. He decided his best bet would be to just wait it out; there was no sense wasting energy chasing after something that wouldn't stay put. He found a spot in the underbrush that looked reasonably safe. Then, with nothing else to do, he coiled up and fell asleep. He'd figure out a plan in the morning.

When Ian woke up, it was still dark. He picked his head up and looked around, trying to orientate himself. He sank back down resignedly as he realized he was still in the forest. But something was different. That charm seemed closer than it had been before he went to sleep. A lot closer. 

Ian slinked cautiously through the underbrush. He could tell someone was here, not because he saw or heard them; he could taste them in the air.

Cautiously, he raised his head up to his full height – just under six feet tall. When he was human, he was a few inches taller, but it was still a pretty impressive height for a snake.

Of course, he was only able to raise himself up that high because of how long he was; the tip of his tail trailed around twelve feet behind him. He was still relatively coiled up, but he hadn't completely fit under the bush he'd chosen to sleep under. If someone else was here, he was going to have to be careful that they didn't see him. He really didn't want to have animal control called on him; capture would cause a whole new set of problems.

He tasted the air again, trying to get any information he could. He was almost positive he recognized the scent, but he couldn't quite place it. But more importantly, the human seemed to be in the same direction as that talisman. Did all this mean someone he knew had taken the talisman?

David.

It had to be him. He'd been in the car when Ian had lost the talisman – who else could it be? Well, time to see how David felt about snakes.

It wasn't that Ian wanted to scare his friend. Actually, that would be unbelievably counterproductive. But he was going to have to get incredibly close to the talisman if he wanted it to have any effect. He'd been trying unsuccessfully on his own for long enough by now that he knew this was his only chance.

He slunk through the bushes, still trying to place that scent. He was only a few yards away when he finally realized who he was actually sneaking up on: Nora.

Ian froze. He knew he'd see her again, of course; that was the entire point. But he hadn't really thought he'd be seeing her so soon. And he definitely didn't think he'd be seeing her while looking like this. Still, unless he hoped to just follow her around and steal the talisman when she set it down, this was by far his best shot.

He crept as close as he dared. He knew his tail was dragging far out behind him, but he didn't have time to coil up smaller. The longer he took, the more likely Nora would walk away. He started changing, relief flooding through him; it was actually working! As he continued, he found himself scrutinizing her intently. Partly, it was to make sure she didn't see him until he looked human again. But mostly, he watched because it had been so long since he'd seen her. He couldn't believe how much he missed her.

He was surprised at how hard it actually was to change. At least it was finally possible, he told himself. He was back to looking like the Naga he really was when he ran into a problem – he couldn't go any further. Even being this close to the talisman, he was stuck on the wrong side of the human/snake sliding scale. Would he have to actually hold the thing for it to work? Or was he missing something? Well, this was definitely going to make their reunion awkward.

There was a noise that startled him out of his thoughts. His head snapped back to Nora. She was standing ramrod straight, facing slightly away from him. Slowly, she started backing up, looking like a scared rabbit. As she got further away, he could feel himself starting to slide back towards snake. Scales started climbing further up his torso, and he felt his incisors getting sharper. He really didn't want her to see him like this, but he couldn't afford for her to leave. He was too close; he'd never get another chance like this.

"Nora!" Ian called out to her.

He sounded terrible, his voice almost brittle. Maybe he was closer to snake than he thought. All he could do was hope his eyes looked normal. And that his fangs didn't get any sharper.

Nora looked vaguely around, still backing up. If anything, she looked even more terrified. She turned to leave and froze. Ian couldn't quite see what she was looking at in the darkness. He really hoped she hadn't seen part of him. He cleared his throat and called out to her again.

"Nora!"

He didn't sound any better the second time. Clearly, he wasn't going to be soothing her with his melodic tones anytime soon.

"Nora! Turn around!"

She did.

When she saw him, she jumped back about a foot. She stared at him blankly, as if she were looking at a complete stranger. Slowly, recognition filled her eyes.

"Hi." Ian grinned.

"...Ian?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah." he rasped. She stared at him like he was a zombie. Then, she said the last thing he ever thought he'd hear.

"But... you're dead."

"I'm dead?" he asked. What on earth did she mean by that?

She nodded, taking a step back.

"Why am I dead?"

"There... there was an accident..." she whispered.

"I know." he nodded. "David was driving. And then I woke up – in the hospital."

She shook her head. "They said you were gone..."

"I was at the hospital." Ian repeated hoarsely. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant. She couldn't mean the Realm of Rage, could she? How would she know about that?

"No, you were gone." She gave him a look.

"...They said I was dead?" Ian asked slowly, as the realization finally dawned on him. No wonder she hadn't looked happy to see him. Who would be glad to see a ghost? "Who said that? Specifically?"

"Sophie. She called me after the accident."

"Oh." Ian said. "Are you still in contact with Sophie?"

"A bit."

Good. That would make it easier for Ian to call her. He couldn't wait to hear why she'd told Nora he was dead when they both knew perfectly well it wasn't true. He was still fuming silently to himself when Nora looked up at him suddenly, a strange expression on her face.

"I'm really glad you're not dead." she said a slow grin spreading across her face.

Before he even had time to react, she jumped over the bushes he was hiding behind, wrapping her arms around his torso. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. He couldn't believe he was finally here again. Her arms started sliding vaguely downward, and Ian's eyes shot wide open. He could feel the very instant she realized something was wrong. Her hand brushed down his side and over his hip. As her fingers ran across his scales, she stiffened.

"Nora..." he started. He probably should have mentioned this to her earlier, but he hadn't found a good time. Nora ignored him.

She craned her neck and peered cautiously over her arm. When she saw the emerald scales, she jerked away with a scream.