Commission: Willow and the Lost Temple (Part 3)

Summary: In her adult years, Willow's studying to be an archaeologist, and she's joining her first expedition! She navigates jungles, fords rivers, and meets a furry friend along the way.

This is a commissioned piece for Torasque.  It is free to read for whoever.

If you're interested in reading more consider subscribing to my Patreon! If you like what you see and would like to commission your own content, drop me a DM and we can work something out! My writing prompt tier has openings starting at 25$ a month for monthly prompts.

[Story Listing]

[FIRST PART] || [PREVIOUS PART]

---

Part 3

Hey Tara! I hope you're doing well, and that my last letter found you well! Though I suppose if that letter didn't find you well, this one might've gotten lost too. Oh well, I hope at least one of these letters found you!

I'm writing to you from the Kiyali Jungles. I hit a little snag in booking this trip, and the plane was too small for me, so I'm making a hiking trip through the jungle to base camp. It's not so bad, the pilot I arranged a flight with was nice enough to send my luggage ahead of me. So I'm having my own little adventure out in the bush. Can't dawdle too much, or Mr. Fetterberg will be cross with me, but I figured I'd write to you before I head out again.

Viana Cay was GORGEOUS, and everyone was very nice and helpful, and the sun feels great on my scales. It's pretty different from the photos I saw, and there's a lot of development and construction going on. I wonder if things will slow down in a couple of years. I think it would be a great place for a honeymoon...?

Getting ahead of myself, sorry. I've been sketching some of the local flora and fauna as I go. I actually stumbled upon a little friend: a friendly jaguar cub came up to me! I called him Frisky, and he's been my little travel companion through the jungle. He's not my pet or anything, so don't worry, I'm not bringing him back to your place. But his mom's been strangely absent this whole time, so I wondered if he got lost. Or it could be natural selection at work... I hope not.

I'm gonna keep an eye on him for a little while longer. I'll write to you again once I reach base camp.

Lots of love,

Willow (and Frisky)

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

---

Willow put the finishing touches on another letter to Tara, coiled up in a neat little pile.

"A kiss from me, and a kiss from each of my brothers, hehe~" She giggled to herself. She glanced down to Frisky; he was pawing at her massive snake tail, his claws sliding down the side of her smooth, marbelly scales.

Willow had an idea. She popped open the back of her pen, letting a few drops of inkfall onto a palm frond. Letting the card rest on her tail, she picked up Frisky with two hands. Frisky squeaked, wrestling in her grip; the scales on her arms protected her from any errant nips and scratches.

"Easy, easy bud!" Willow chuckled. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to sign this postcard with me!~"

Willow gently took Frisky's paw, dabbed it in the ink, and pressed it down on the corner of the card. Frisky stared at the card and the inky paw print he left with wide eyes. He glanced up to Willow, exchanging looks with one of her hairsnakes; they swivveled back and forth.

"Hehe! Perfect!~" Willow laughed, holding up the card and admiring Frisky's handiwork. "Don't worry bud, I'll wash you off when we hit the river."

Willow scratched Frisky's head, stroking him playfully. Frisky seemed to enjoy it... he wasn't purring—jaguars don't purr after all—but he did push his head into Willow's palms, eager for more head scritches.

Willow would've liked to stay in this spot, in the middle of a clearing where the sun hit juuuuust right. But she couldn't cradle Frisky like this all day.

---

The Kiyali River was one of the longest running in the world; it cut through the jungles along a winding trail, and it held some of the most diverse arrays of aquatic animals around.

Of course, it was hardly a place for the average layperson to be swimming in. In the places where the flowering waters pooled, there was no shortage of vicious predators lurking just underneath the surface: colonies of flesh-eating piranhas, various sorts of river sharks, and one interesting cousin of crocs, the caiman... to say nothing of the foreign elements introduced over time by wealthy landowners, like the decidedly territorial hippo.

Willow wasn't exactly an average layperson, and she found that the river flowed towards base camp. The swimwear Tara picked up for her was coming in handy more than she probably realized.

Willow floated along the lazily-flowing river, her tail waving back and forth in wide motions, pushing her forward. Her scaled backside bobbed over the surface, giving Frisky a place to curl up, relax, and get a little sunbathing in.

Willow loved the sensations of swimming. Her massive body, stretching at least twenty feet from head to tail, felt so weightless bobbing along the currents. It felt like she was born to swim, in a sense; it would be so easy to dip underneath the waves, explore the depths, see the fishies below... or, at least, anything that wasn't immediately put off by a predator as massive as she was.

Periodically, one of her hairsnakes would dip into the water, allowing her a glimpse into the wonders just underneath the surface. She saw peacock bass, stingrays... a couple of vampire fish. She actually spotted one trying to bite at her, but of course it couldn't pierce her scales; it swam away, apparently dejected.

Willow didn't have to keep an eye on Frisky; her hairsnakes were good pet sitters, keeping a careful eye on the cub with their beady little eyes. Having 360 degree vision had its perks in the middle of the jungle.

...It wasn't all smooth sailing. From her eight-o'clock, she spotted a black mass floating slowly, discreetly towards her. It looked somewhat like a log on the surface, but Willow's instincts tipped her off; the odd rippling and shifts in the current indicated something alive.

It was a black caiman. One of the most dangerous predators in the Kiyali River. Willow glanced to the cub she was sheltering on her backside with a grimace; her tail swayed more insistently, trying to put some distance between them.

Willow was a bigger beast, and though swimming as fast as she was put a bit of distance between them, the creature wouldn't take a hint; whenever Willow took a breather, the familiar presence continued to tailgate her tail. She pouted to herself in a huff.

"Rowr?" Frisky squeaked in confusion as two of Willow's hairsnakes extended to wrap around his legs and chest, hoisting him a little further away from her tail and above her head. Willow's large tail rose from the water, looming over the suspicious black mass...

"Sorry lil guy," Willow apologized ahead of time. "Just gotta scare this guy off..."

FOOM!

And came crashing down on top of it in a quick slam, splashing water several feet into the air. Willow smirked as she overheard the caiman hissing, paddling for the shore. It lumbered onto dry land, baring its teeth in her direction as it hissed at her.

Willow's irises narrowed into slits as she bared her teeth; her free hairsnakes rose and did the same; they all hissed shrilly in unison in the direction as the caiman, before Willow continued to paddle off.

Frisky wriggled in the coils of Willow's hairsnakes, insistent on wresting himself free; Willow's terrifying expression softened quickly, her orange eyes glancing upwards.

"Was that scary? I'm sorry Frisky... but you don't wanna be some big scary predator's lunch, right?"

One of her hairsnakes rubbed its head atop Frisky's head in a petting motion, before letting Frisky back down onto her backside.

"I'll find us some calm, shallow water, and then you can take a swim, alright?" Willow squinted, looking ahead. "It can't be much farther to base camp..."

Willow continued to ferry the small jaguar cub along the Kiyali River.

---

"Whaddaya think we're gonna dig up?"

"I'unno. Aliens, probably."

Two middle-aged diggers were taking a smoke break along the river, their faces obscured by layers of dirt and grime.

"...Aliens. That's a laugh." The one rubbed his brow, his shoulders chuckling; he wipes some sweat beading around his dark eyelids.

"What, you don't believe in aliens?" His more portly partner glanced over to him with a flat expression.

"I'unno. Never met an alien." He shrugged. "Don't care much to let people I never met live in my head rent-free."

"You tellin' me that in this vast, infinite cosmos, you figure us folk what be the only intelligent life out there?" The portly pointed his cigarette towards him. "Bit presumptuous of ya, innit Jack?"

"Don't wave that at me, Lou." Jack sighed. "If they was real smart they wouldn't be shippin' out to the middle'a nowhere."

"Jus' sayin' there ain't a smarter way to 'splain these big ruins." Lou took a drag. "Aliens come, they drop off a buncha high tech stuff, and bam, locals get a test-drive of the high life. S'explains how a buncha tribesfolk wieldin' sticks and stones can build that kinda stuff..."

"Whaddaya figure these aliens look like, anyway?" Jack scoffed. "Try me. It'd be good for a laugh."

"Green, gotta be green." Lou tilted his head thoughtfully. "With black beady eyes, and... tentacles poppin' outta their scalps-"

"I-I don't mean to interrupt you two or anything, but I couldn't help but overhearing..."

A stranger had interjected into their conversation; the voice sounded like it belonged to some preppy know-it-all. The pair rolled their eyes.

"Look miss, we're on break, can you just... ah...!?"

The men turned around to find a snake-like creature looming over them several feet. They stared bug-eyed at the snakes sprouting from her head with gobsmacked silence.

"This'll be quick, I promise!" Willow clapped her scaly hands together. "It's just, um, there really isn't much evidence to really assert that kinda thing, and, well... the Xpoca people, by all accounts, were very clever and industrious, and purporting that their civilization was largely built by aliens comes off as a teensy bit... well..."

Willow paused, acknowledging the looks she was getting. She forced a polite smile, swallowing to herself.

"Y-y'know what, maybe this isn't the best way to make a first impression, ahh..." Willow tilted her head. "Heeeey, I'm Willow! Ooh, I guess you guys are from base camp, huh??"

She leaned forward, clutching her hands to her chest; this had the effect of looming over the pair even more, her tail twitching excitedly behind her.

"Can either of you point me in the right direction? I need to tell Professor Richter that I'm, ah, running a little late, eheh..."

The two workers exchanged looks, their faces pale as bedsheets. They both did a 180 and staggered off slowly in the other direction, shambling like zombies...

"...um? Helloooo...?" Willow frowned. She waved her hand, calling out to them. "HEEEEEEY!"

The men shrieked and began to spring off, clambering past the flood plains and over the hill. Willow pouted.

"I guess it's thattaway..." She huffed to herself. She hoisted up her backpack, glancing behind her. "You comfy in there, lil guy?"

Her backpack fidgeted, before an orange head poked out of the back; it made a contented yowl, before slumping over her shoulder; Willow smiled warmly, before turning forward. Her chest rose with the sharp breath she took; she had to psyche herself up a bit.

"Okaaaay... good impressions, big smiles... try not to highlight that you're running a day late..." Willow told herself. She slithered forward towards the hill...

"Whoooooa!" Willow cooed, admiring the view; her hairsnakes swiveled up in turn.

She'd finally made it to base camp; Willow was greeted with rows of tan tents, arranged in clusters and rows. Dirt trails had been padded out in the clearing below, wedged between clusters of canopy trees. Smoke wafted up from various points; the savoury aroma of fried chicken accompanied it.

Willow's tongue darted out, tasting the air. She grinned, gripping the straps of her backpack.

"We made it, guys!" She cheered; she slithered quickly down the hill, towards the crowds with a toothy grin. "Ohhh, after all the trekking and the mud, we finally made... it..."

Her arrival seemed to cause a bit of a stir. Workers were screaming, barreling towards the tents. Willow blinked as someone tripped over her tail, and she turned to wave.

"Um, h-hello? Ah, boa tarde! Can you tell me where Professor RIchter-"

"VAMOS, VAMOS!!" The man hollered, clambering to his feet to sprint away. Willow's jaw dropped... as did her hairsnakes in a decidedly dispirited manner.

"Yeaaaah I'm a little used to this kind of welcome party now..." She sighed. "Let's see if he's in the biggest tent..."

Even if the base camp was crowded, the workers were giving the diminutive snake woman a wide berth. She tried to follow the signage, following the trails.

"Ohhh, this is the cantina." She pouted. "Maybe he's somewhere-"

"HALT, BEAST!!" A gruff voice behind her commanded, punctuated by the click of a magazine.

Willow's mouth flattened; she raised her palms skyward, unmoving and unflinching; her hair snakes swivelled behind her, giving her a sight line towards the four rifle muzzles pointed squarely at her backside.

Willow wasn't terribly concerned by the guns; her attention was focused on the grizzled man in the khakis at the center of the makeshift hunting party. It was hard to ignore his well-groomed moustache, pointed and gelled to the point that it could probably gore a small woodland critter. His jawline was chiselled and dotted with stubble.

To Willow, he looked the very essence of a new world explorer from the pulp back she used to read; she'd admire his manly visage if she didn't have nearly a half-dozen guns pointed at her backside.

He adjusted his fez, squinting in his general direction.

"What in the devil are you wearing...?" He muttered.

"Professor Richter? Is that you?" Willow blinked. "I-I saw your photo before I arrived!"

"...what? I mean... yes, I'm in charge of this... wh-what do you mean to invade my camp!?" He sputtered.

"It's me! Willow! Ahm, Willow Connelly-Hutchins, I-I was due to arrive yesterday, but... th-there were some travel issues, ahaha..."

Willow turned to the party with a beleaguered smile. The hunters glanced to each other quizzically, muttering to one another.

Richter squinted. "You... know Professor Rousseau?"

"Yes! He said he sent you a recommendation on my behalf!" Willow beamed. "I've been dying to join a real expedition, a-and I'm ready to give it my all, sir!"

Richter stared at Willow's form; admittedly, a monster of her stature did make him feel rather small. He furrowed his brow.

"...there are some particulars he never bothered to run by me, but... that explains the luggage we received." He relaxed. "Guns down. Willow, see me in my office."

"You have an office??" Willow's eyes sparkled.

"...to put it one way, yes." He blinked in turn.

Prof. Richter's diffusal of the situation brought some calm to the camp, though Willow's sheer size and monstrous appearance brought its own brand of gawkers.

They retreated into a larger-than-average tent. The center was dominated by a wooden table with plans for the excavation site laid out; Willow's eyes followed the planned trails from base camp. That was quite a trek...

"Your teacher was... enthusiastic about your academic record." Richter noted. "He noted your high grades in Linguistic Studies."

"Mmhm!" Willow coiled up into a pile on the floor. "I always thought about being an interpreter, but I got really interested in ancient languages... and they made for the inspiration of some fun coded messages, eheh~"

Willow giggled gingerly at her own aside, though Richter met it with a nonplussed look. Willow cut herself off, and clasped her hands together.

"A-anyway, I studied the Xpocan language and customs, and I'm ready to, ahm, interpret any texts we find! You can count on me!" Willow puffed out her chest.

"Like I could count on you arriving on time?" He cocked his head to the side.

"I... I couldn't fit in the plane." Willow admitted.

"Well, if you already did your share of bushwhacking... right then. If you can navigate your way around a dig site and not let your tail smash anything in the process, I think this arrangement can work..." Richer stroked his moustache, glancing down to the map.

"...It'll be any day now... when we unearth the Temple of Emperor Epacatuan." He grinned.

"Ohhhh..." Willow's eyes widened. "The Bloody Spearhead! I read about him... accounts indicated that more Xpocan's died under his rule than another."

"Yes, the old accounts weren't very flattering to the man." Richter noted. "I hope you're not squeamish about human remains; truth be told, we might see plenty of skeletons."

"I-I can manage!" Willow nodded. "It's all part of the job, right? Besides, we can learn a lot from a skeleton!~"

"Quite." Richter noted. "We've been uncovering artifacts as we go, plates, tools, walling, pottery. Accounts indicated there was an ancient, secluded temple, lost to the jungles. We're not sure for what purpose... the accounts were decidedly vague on the matter."

"Well, we'll find out together!" Willow beamed. "Ooh, this is exciting! I always wanted to be part of a landmark expedition, and we're so close I could just... um, wait."

Willow paused, tilting her head. "Is there... anything you want me to do?"

There was a long silence. Richter glanced at Willow's tail with a look of befuddlement, his eyes following the green speckled length up to her curious orange eyes.

"It's getting a touch late for a proper assignment... if we sent you out now, the sunset wouldn't be far behind." His eyebrows furrowed.

"There is the matter of your tardiness..." His eyes narrowed. "But I think I have something you could do for me~"

"Sure! Anything!" Willow nodded. "Sorry again about that...."

"Water down the Kiyali." He waved his hand. "It's getting close to dinner time..."

---

An hour later, Willow found herself in the canteen, doing some crucial work ahead of the

"Two-hundred-and-one... two-hundred-two... threeeeee..."

Willow glanced forlornly to the stack of unpeeled potatoes she had yet to work through with a sigh. She did want to help out around base camp, and she really wanted to make a good impression, but...

"This really what I had in mind when I wanted to help out on a dig site." She sighed, turning the peeler in her hands.

Her backpack wriggled; Frisky popped his head out, glancing around the room. His nose wriggled; did he smell meat in the kitchen?

"H-hey, buddy, you gotta stay in the bag, okay??" Willow smiled weakly. "They got guns here, and they're already a bit on edge with me around. We gotta be discreet, okay...?"

Frisky snorted discontentedly, clawing at the flap of her backpack as if trying to get out; one of her hairsnakes coiled around Frisky, guiding it back inside.

"You can come out and play when we're back in our tent~" Willow chuckled. "I just need you to calm down... I'll get you a little something from the butcher if you're good, okiday?"

The promise seemed to placate Frisky well enough... he curled up back inside, and one of her hairsnakes covered him up with the lip of her knapsack. Willow glanced around to see if anyone noticed.

"Hookay..." She sighed in relief. "Still got the entire camp to feed. Uhhh, where was I?"

She paused; Willow was drawing a blank. Her hand tensed around her peeler.

"...ah, shoot..."

[NEXT PART]