In my coils

One picture more from my fanfiction “Shadows of a lie”.   www.fanfiction.net/s/11752601/…

I tried to avoid drawing the pic too dark.


Here a short summary of the story:

After Rango was kidnapped by Jenkins Cousins, Jake shoots them and takes Rango away, before they could kill him. Rango has a trauma and a lot of nightmares, while Jake hides him in an abandoned human house. One day, Rango wants to kill himself. After a hard conflict with Jake, Rangos runs away. After he meets Roadkill, he tries to live again. Jake brings him to Dr. Tibbar and stay a night there before Jake wants to leave Rango forever. Rango can’t sleep in doctor’s house and asked Jake to sleep in the barn together. But suddenly, he has the feeling of pursuit.

“Are you sure, you didn’t hear anything?”
Jake got up suddenly and glared at Rango with evilly eyes. Rango’s blood froze in his veins when the rattlesnake rattled threateningly with his rattle. 
“Alright,” Jake hissed through his teeth. “As you wish.”
With these words, he crawled to the hole in the floor and looked down. On the first floor there was nothing conspicuous. Even the door was closed.
With hissing, he lifted his head again. “There is nothing.”
Rango kneaded his fingers nervously. “I don’t understand it. Although the doctor gave me a sedative, I have the feeling that something pursues me.”
Jake wanted to open his mouth to say something, but seconds later he closed him again immediately. He wanted to avoid that Rango cracked up.
Still churned up, Rango sat in the hay and hugged himself. 
He lifted his head when Jake started to circle his body around him, but so that he didn’t touch him. Rango gave him a blank look.
“I hope with that you remain quiet now,” Jake said, after he had coiled completely Rango with his long body. “If something happens, I will notice it immediately.”
“Really?” Rango asked. “Are you sure you can do it?”
“I’m a snake, alright? I’m used to be on my guard.”
“Oh, okay.”
“And now, be quiet and sleep at least, or do I have to knock you out?”
“No, yes… no… I’m quiet.”
A little calmer, Rango lay down again. Also Jake laid his head in the hay and tried to sleep. 
Rango sighed softly. He couldn’t believe it, but the first time in his life, Jake’s presence gave him a feeling of safe. Even if Jake would sleep very deep, nobody would dare to come in near of venomous snake and this calmed his mind.  
“Jake?” Rango asked carefully. “Where do you sleep if you are outside?”
Jake hissed quietly, but he answered his question after a few seconds.
“That depends where I am. One of these days a town, another day a barn, sometimes under a stone in the desert or in a cave. It doesn’t matter.”
“Would you not prefer a comfortable bed?”
“Maybe,” Jake replied and hoped that Rango will be silent at least. 
For a while, there was silence. But when Jake thought he was asleep, Rango rolled himself to the other side. “Jake?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “What?” he asked annoyed.
“Thanks.”
Jake lifted his head. “For what?”
“For everything.”
A faint smile played upon his lips. Then he closed his eyes. “Good night.”
For a while, Jake stared silently at the chameleon, which breathed quietly and regularly now. It was a new feeling for Jake, that someone felt safe in his near.
Silent he embraced Rango a little tighter with his coils. The clothes of the chameleon tickled softly his skin.
With mutter, he snuggled up in the hay.
Outside the sky was starlit and silent.
Jake opened his eyes for a moment when the roadrunner on the first floor clucked shortly, then he was quiet again. With sigh, Jake tried to sleep.
Again he felt Rango’s heartbeat on his skin. He really seemed to have no fear anymore, but was the chameleon in safe now? 
With worried eyes, he looked at the window. Rango wasn’t still out of danger, but did he have to say it to him? Thoughtfully he looked at the chameleon which slept snuggled peacefully in the middle of his coils.
“That can wait until tomorrow,” the rattlesnake muttered quietly to himself.
He laid the head on his body and took a deep breath. Then he fell into a deep sleep. But before he fell asleep, a last thought worried him:
 “Hope that no one sees it.”

(Shadows of a lie, Chapter 18)

Rango, Rattlesnake Jake (c) Paramount, Verbinski