Chapter Text
Why is Jotaro only aware of the man's presence on his property now? Naga periodically makes his rounds of his territory, protecting it from competitors, and at some point he and the human must have crossed paths. The family nest has already given him a small space, a plot from the whole family territory, spread out over several kilometers of this jungle, for the sake of testing his ability to be independent.
These are the raptors and birds that are not part of his diet, ranting, chatting among themselves as they go farther and deeper into the woods, either to avoid becoming a human meal or not finding it nutritious enough.
Jotaro is angry at himself and his relaxed indiscretion to protect his lands from other big ones naga, and so he wishes to get rid of the strange creature he has never seen. A bifurcated tongue slips out of its covered mouth, the anaconda sniffs at the scents in the air. With a fringe of his ear he had heard family and neighbors talking about people coming to these woods to study and negotiate, and now one of them was somewhere within Joestar's territory. As a particularly unsociable and unsociable Jotaro does not like this very much.
The Naga's have already explained to humans that they should at a minimum warn of their arrival and also ask permission to visit other people's lands, especially if it is a tropical forest jungle where you can get lost. Naga's are quite territorial creatures, even if some may look friendly.
Jotaro growls, catching the scent of the man and following in his direction. He has not been notified of his arrival, they usually send a hound bird with a message. If these are the lovers of putting up strange houses after logging, the ones his elders had told him about, he would tear them to pieces and not listen to what they begged for.
***
Naga crawls into a strange-looking parking lot, hiding among the bushes. In front of him is a tent built of crooked logs, small sticks, and covered with large leaves. In Jotaro's opinion this shelter is hastily built, and judging by its size, the owner of the structure is much smaller than Jotaro. The owner himself cannot be seen.
The bindings on the sticks and branches catch his attention, and the male stoops down to get a better look at them. With a snort he touches the semblance of these ropes with his claw, realizing how weak they look, especially how weakly they hold this whole structure together.
Jotaro now takes a full look at the resting place, noticing that, in any case, it looks pretty well set up. There's just a place for a fire on the trampled ground so the grass doesn't get in the way, two sticks tied and strung together with rope a few feet away, the tent itself, and in it lies an extremely shabby bag, a backpack it seems. Jotaro unhesitatingly climbs into the tent to inspect and examine it, believing he has a right to know who the stranger is. Claws cling to the zipper and the naga shakes out the contents of the bag: an old notebook, several unfinished pens, a penknife, a used package of pills, half a candy bar and underwear, it seems, as they are called, a T-shirt and underwear. From the depths of the bag, a device falls onto the mounded grass and the male is curious, at least carefully, taking it in his fingers and examining it. Either it's a walkie-talkie or it's a phone, but the device doesn't look to be working. Following this, Jotaro picks up a chocolate bar, not realizing what it is, but sensing the sweet smells from the packaging and sticks his tongue into the package, shuddering at the unfamiliar luscious taste. He puts it on the ground, shaking his head.
A loud exclamation and a splash of water brings him back to reality, and Jotaro looks toward the bushes, listening for the sounds. He remembers that a few meters from this camp is a stream with a stream that turns into a lake, which means the stranger is there. Without even cleaning up the mess he had made, Jotaro heads toward the creek, hiding in the thicket.
At one point, crawling past one of the trees, the naga recoils, sensing a muffled, pungent smell, and stops, looking around and noticing a buried little hole. Jotaro scratches at the bark of the tree with an annoyed growl, angry that the creature decided to mark his territory with its scent, but after a moment assuming it was just a toilet since the tracks were buried. Either way, this doesn't make it any easier, and the naga rubs its body against this tree and crawls over this part of the ground, leaving its scents and pheromones behind. That's better.
Curious but cautious, and not yet cooled by irritation, Jotaro looks out from the foliage, immediately frozen, noticing the stranger.
You stand in the water in only a shabby T-shirt and underwear, and hold your spear, swinging and pointing it into the water, trying to catch the fish that swim by. In an hour of fishing you have only managed to catch about four fish, three lying on the shore, another one you have caught now. You were tired and by the end you didn't have much patience, so you spit on trying again to catch your prey and decided to end the hunt, no longer wanting to be in the cold water.
Jotaro moves and the vegetation around him rustles loudly, branches swaying, you shudder at the sound, stare out into the dense thicket, and at the same moment you slip on a rock as you blindly try to put your foot down, ending up in the water with a squeal.
Jotaro presses his pointed ears to his head, holding back a chuckle. And there it is. You're weak and defenseless now, this is a good chance to get rid of you. The male grinds his teeth, leaving a furrow of claw marks on the ground, going over his plan of attack in his head.
Suddenly the naga stops. An unexpected thought makes its way into his brain through the others, and he mulls it over.
What if he can keep you alive for sporting interest? Maybe he'll call it an experiment, to study an unusual person in his territory, his reactions and emotions. That will leave a bunch of smells on the property, but, when else can Jotaro "play"?
You are already out of the water at this time, shivering from the cold and wet clothes, quickly picking up your dry pants, shoes, and prey. With a loud grunt under your naga's watch, you pick up your small bow and arrows from the ground.
You notice the glint of someone's eyes in the shadows of the bushes and walk quickly away to your camp.
Jotaro is still hiding, blending into the vegetation, watching you.
When you come to your parking lot and see your things scattered from your bag, you swear loudly and clearly. Jotaro doesn't understand your words, but watching your intonation and face, he can guess your anger about your things. He tilts his head slightly to the side as you put your things back in your backpack, except for your T-shirt and underwear, and begin to undress and hang your wet clothes on the rope.
You turn sideways, bend down while folding things, picking up twigs for the fire. Then you finally get dressed and get your shoes on.
And let's face it, the naked human form hasn't impressed naga.
You have a different rib cage, it also has circles of a different color than your skin color, what are these things anyway? And the lower genitals? They are literally on the outside! Is this their permanent condition or could they be somewhere inside? Your underwear probably serves as protection.
A huge snake shudders. Ugh, gross.
Using branches and rocks, you build a fire on your third attempt, pierce the fish, and fry it. Drooling from the smell, your stomach rumbles, Jotaro hears it, and you sigh, massaging the bridge of your nose. You're tired and feeling exhausted, and it seems overworked from all of this. Tomorrow you look for vitamins for yourself, berries and fruit will do, it seems like you've been in one place for days and have eaten all the edible berries. Maybe you'll go the other way and camp where there is more food.
Waiting for you to finally eat and crawl into your tent for a nap, Jotaro cautiously crawls over to you. He listens to your quiet breathing, and stoops down to examine and sniff you, his large clawed fingers touching and exploring your hair.
Before you fall into a deep sleep, you open your eyes at the warm air blowing into your face and the sensation of touching your head. You move, blink, and meet the huge creature's direct gaze.
Jotaro freezes, looking straight at you, waiting for your reaction.
You, muttering something, lie back down, yawning sleepily, without making any loud sounds, Jotaro thinking you've mistaken him for part of your sleep.
After watching you for a while longer, Jotaro gets up and walks off into the thicket to check his territory once more.
***
You awaken, yawning frantically and trying to blink away the sleep. You cautiously emerge from your shelter, stretching, look around for predators, check the extinguished fire, and go to take off the things that dried up during the night. Almost tripping over something, you look down perplexed and see...berries?? There are a small handful of large and relatively clean berries on the flattened grass and you try to remember when you collected them, and most importantly, where. Taking a few in your hands, you examine them and then throw one into your mouth. Your eyes widen at the flavor and juiciness of your new breakfast, and you slowly take on that pile, leaving a few at the end. Jotaro squints as you begin to lick the juice of the berries from your fingers. Well, your tongue is even short and undiluted.
Jotaro grins into the thicket, watching your satisfied face, trying to find harmless and non-poisonous shrubs for you.
Jotaro is about to leave, but noticing you take a small device out of your bag and turn it on, stays. You wait for your phone to turn on and check for any new messages and the availability of communication. Nothing, not even a call. You try to call emergency services yourself, but the call rings without a beep, empty. Holy crap!
You cuss again, Jotaro doesn't understand your words, and you put your phone back in your bag, pulling out a penknife instead, staring thoughtfully at the trees.
Jotaro lets out a guttural growl as you run the knife across the bark of the tree, and barely restrains himself from leaping out of the thicket and knocking the knife out of your hands. You cringe at the sounds of the forest, looking around frightened, and the naga realizes he's spooked your calm, and that you've made a mark on the tree. What are you up to?
You check your belongings in your backpack, while letting out a calling whistle, the naga doesn't understand why you stopped and what you're waiting for. And after a couple of minutes, a parrot ara sits on your outstretched arm and you hold out your other hand with the morning berries.
- "Were you able to find your way out?"- you ask the bird with a smile, knowing that it won't give you a coherent response, nor an adequate answer. Ara chirps, twirling her clawed paws around your arm and then pays attention to the treat. No matter how cleverly this parrot looks at you, he can only repeat your words, but at the moment he is silent. The hiding naga watches your facial expressions with interest, while you stroke the contented parrot with a smile and wait for it to crawl from your hand to your shoulder.
You both leave your camp hiding among the trees while Jotaro watches you, wondering how you managed to make friends with the wild bird.
***
Your sleeping place is now the trees. In the months you've been here in the jungle, you've been well-trained in climbing trees, and now you sleep in the trees until you find a good place for your next camp.
And until you find your way out of this forest, Jotaro doesn't like you sleeping wherever and however you like. Sure, you're a wild and free man, but in his eyes you're nothing more than a bald monkey without a proper survival instinct
He decides to push you in another direction, but first...Jotaro needs to learn more about you from your pet.
Jotaro finds your sweet bird away from you, he holding her out berries as a greeting and waiting to sit on his shoulder. The naga asks about you, looking quite friendly and interested in the person's good health, the parrot rolls a berry in his beak looking thoughtful, as if deciding something about information about you. Of course, this is naga territory and he wants to know everything about his guest, so the bird decides to share only the part of the information he really knows just from you.
You really did end up here by accident and got lost. The parrot mentions that you don't remember the exact reason for being here, the phone device shows days and it comes out that you've been here for several months. Four, I think, or less or more. The parrot himself has found the man interesting and has shown friendliness, sometimes keeping him company.
Jotaro hums, content with bits and pieces of information. He leans over to the bird, sharing his ideas and thoughts on how you might be able to help, at the very least find a parking spot. The parrot seems to appreciate it and flaps its wings.
***
You have walked too long, stepping over lying trees and vines, and crouching on a log to catch your breath. You've never measured how much time or how many kilometers you walk in a day, considering it a futile exercise. You see a millipede crawling past you, but you are partly too lazy to catch that nutritious protein and you close your eyes, catching your breath.
When you hear the familiar cooing sound, you open your eyes and look up, smiling at the parrot that has come to you. The bird trills as it walks along the branch, spreads its wings to the sides, and then lands beside you. You sleepily watch the strange dance until the bird finally bites your boot, waking you up with a chirp and moving its gaze from you, somewhere among the trees. Thinking the ara has found something interesting, you head after the bird that has taken off.
And you don't expect the bird to lead you to a rocky area, one of which contains a cave. You awkwardly stop, thinking that you are such a bore to the bird and you will become the monster's lunch, but you quickly dismiss the thought when the parrot calls you into the cave.
It's empty. You see no sign of anyone's presence, wool/haired or even droppings, but there is grass stacked against the wall. What is this for?
As you look around warily, the parrot flies off and hides in the thicket. There waiting for him is Jotaro, on whose outstretched finger the bird sits obediently.
- "You did well" - Jotaro mutters, shifting his gaze from her to you. Jotaro didn't like the fact that you were living outside of any shelter and sleeping in plain sight, without the ability for good hunting skills. Jotaro found a free cave for you, if only as a temporary dwelling, and now he hopes that you will accept this cave. It's better than your shitty tent.
You leave the cave and look around again. At least it's not a trap on the parrot's part, which means all is well. Only after grimacing a little and shaking your head at the faint weathered smell of urine at the juncture of the ground and the rockiness of the cave, you decide to stay here. That grass will just be your mattress when you pile it up. Leaving your backpack in the cave, you retreat with your knife to the bushes to gather twigs for the fire.
Jotaro's tail swings, Jotaro himself smiling slightly when you decide to stay. He a few days ago rubbed himself against the walls of the cave and scratched them shallowly, leaving his scents and pheromones behind. For more validation of the cave and territory, the male also... urinated. To do this, he dug a hole near the entrance and buried it. He knew from your reaction that you only sensed the last detail.
He is trying for you as if he has found a little pet to take care of.
Unexpectedly, he's become too attached to you and your uniform too quickly.
In the back of his mind he hoped it would all pay off and bear some fruit.
He was protecting you when you were making a rest stop or sleeping on a tree branch. Jotaro was nearby if he sensed predators somewhere nearby.
***
Sometimes you mutter something as you sit alone near the campfire, probably to fill the silence and keep from going crazy with loneliness. Jotaro sometimes lies and hides in the thicket, listening to your voice, unable to understand your incomprehensible conversations. He is beginning to like this inarticulate mumbling.
Sometimes you scream, crying and throwing stones at the rocky walls. Your cry is disturbing and at times full of fear. You want to go back home, there is no connection to the outside world.
You scream, your sound is picked up by the birds and repeated throughout the forest.
Damn it. One day Jotaro couldn't help himself and climbed into your backpack while you were gone to smell your T-shirt. It smelled like you and the woods, even after several washes to change your clothes, and Jotaro couldn't tell if he liked your smell.
He also saw you drawing something in your notebook. He looks through them, too, careful not to tear them. There are words on some of the sheets, he tried to read them, but again, he didn't understand anything. It still looks interesting.
***
Okay, at some point he was able to appreciate your monkey skills as a little hunter. A common snake crawled into your hideout and instead of screaming, as Jotaro expected you to do, you killed the reptile with your spear. He expected you to get rid of it, but did not expect you to use the snake as a meal.
***
You go in search of water, also leaving marks on the trees with your knife. You don't even know what container to fill with water . The "find very wide leaves and keep water in them" scheme works very poorly.
Your face collides with a flask dangling from a branch.
You start to think you're in some kind of fucking simulation and it's all a joke.
Without a second thought, you tiredly take the flask with you and definitely hear the sound of flowing water and walk in that direction.
Water at last! After drinking enough water so that your hungry stomach doesn't bother you, having a full flask, you look in which direction the water current goes, and decide to take a swim to wash off the sweat and dirt. The water is as cold as it was near the first camp. You have no soap or shampoo, but you wash your head to at least visually clean your hair and get rid of the greasy feeling.
After putting your underwear back on and using your T-shirt as a towel, your attention is drawn to a bush with berries and you walk towards it to look around. You don't know what they are, almost leaning in for a sniff as you immediately bounce away from the thicket at a warning hiss. You wish you had brought a spear with you, but you still walk away, not knowing what kind of animal is hiding in the bushes.
When you return to the new camp, you find a handful of berries and some edible tropical fruit on the floor of the cave.
You still don't understand who's feeding you if you haven't seen any humans in the area, and what good it does them. But because of your circumstances, you obediently accept the offering.
Jotaro himself thinks you need to dilute your diet with something other than berries and insects.