The fire had burned low, reduced to just a few last flickering flames in a bed of coals, when they were awakened by the sound. They were awake in but a moment, for they had slept light in such a place as they found themselves; the sound had stood out, soft as it was, for it interrupted the natural noises that they had been accustomed to in the night.

A few extra pieces of wood were placed on the fire, to give more light, as they reached for weapons, intently listening. A strange susurrating noise came to them, a rustling of fallen needles, a whisper of bark being rubbed against.

Ivkarha crouched low, sword in hand, staring off into the darkness from whence the sound came, while Aedmorn worked on the fire, bringing it back to life. New flames leaped and licked the pieces fo wood that he placed upon it until a glow took the area around them, a glow that was caught up and reflected back by a large set of eyes in the dark.

A head emerged from out of the dark, low to the ground, a head almost as wide as their torsos, a flickering tongue tasting the air from between curved fangs.

“Az-Ashar’s Breath!” Ivkarha gasped at the sight of it, for it was a head of a snake, larger than any that they had ever seen or heard tell of before. Long coils of scaled body could be seen behind it, twisting and winding through the trees. One coil had looped around the tree and as it squeezed the tree trunk shattered, sending it toppling down, to crash to the ground in an echoing thud.

Aedmorn made ready an axe, leaving the fire behind to face the snake. The snake came to a halt, and it raised its head on high, looking down at them as they stood before it in front of the fire. It hissed and its tongue flickered faster; its eyes seemed to whirl as it stared at them with an almost hypnotic intensity.

“Ware the eyes,” Aedmorn barked, tearing his away from the gaze of the snake, looking off to its side so that he could keep an eye on it but not look directly at it.

Ivkarha grunted, then roared and darted forward towards it, running softly and quietly across the ground.

The snake lashed out, head descending with blinding speed, fangs bared as it tried to impale Ivkarha with them, to pump her full of the dread venom that it carried. Neither needed to say anything to know that was to be avoided at all cost, for the venom of such a beast as they beheld could not be anything but lethal.

Ivkarha had to leap aside as the head slammed down to where she had been, rolling across the ground and back to her feet, sword swinging as she came up. The blade scored across the side of the snakes head, barely scratching the toughed scales that protected it, her sword bouncing off with a bone jarring impact.

She danced back out of the way as the snake reared its head back up again, swinging it around to face her. She massaged her sword arm with her free hand, backing slowly away. “There is little our weapons can do,” she called out.

“Not easily, “ Aedmorn agreed, “But it will have weak spots that if we can just find them will allow us to hurt it.”

“If we can survive that long.”

From out of the darkness came the snake’s tail, lashing through the air. Ivkarha spotted it barely in time, enough to just leap and vault over it, landing heavily as she came down, half stumbling as she desperately tried to right herself.

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The snake struck again, lashing out at the off balance Ivkarha. It was only by a desperate effort, throwing herself to the ground that she avoid the venom laced strike, ending up prone among the trees. The head rose and descended again, Ivkarha rolling along the ground to avoid them lightning blow.

Aedmorn came running through the trees and the dark and lashed at the snake that was distracted by Ivkarha. His axe struck along the body of the snake, cracking a number of scales under the force of its impact, for it was better suited to deal with the armoured body than Ivkarha’s sword.

The snake hissed, swinging its head around to observe its attacker, allowing Ivkarha a chance to scramble back up to her feet, to get out of range from the attacks of the snake.

Aedmorn hammered a second blow home before pulling back as the snake’s head came towards him.

He felt the urge to warp, to change, to let the beast that was deep in him free, yet he knew that in this situation it would be of no use; claws and fangs would be of little use against the armoured form of the snake and he needed his mind clear to think rather than to loose it into a wild rage. The urge grew stronger ad he backed away, the call to let restraint go welling up. It took all his efforts to resist it, to not give into to the primal instincts that wanted to battle the snake.

“We need a distraction,” he called out to Ivkarha where she was on the far side of the snake. Its head swung back and forward, watching the two; it almost seemed to be judging them in a manner unusual for a mere animal.

“I’d offer it food, but I think that is what it has in mind for us,” she replied.

“Best not that,” he replied wryly. “Something else.”

Ivkarha turned and dashed over to where the fire was burning. She took hold of a branch that was burning and raised it in one hand her sword in the other. Advancing once more on the snake, she began to swing the burning branch at it, sparks flying through the air.

The snake recoiled at the burning brand, hissing loudly. It seemed not to like the flames at all.

Ivkarha thrust with the flames again, at its eyes and the snake turned its head aside, half slithering back among the trees to avoid it.

“It doesn't like the flames,” she called out to Aedmorn.

“Few do,” he responded. He was slipping off around the snake as Ivkarha pressed onwards with ruthless aggression, harassing it with the flames, not letting up on it.

The snake whipped its head away and back again, the bulk of its body crashing into tree. There was a tearing, splintering sound as the tree as crushed, the whole thing toppling, headed for Ivkarha. Dashing aside, she just avoided the fall, the tree crashing to the ground and sending leaves and broken branches scattering.

Turning back towards the snake, she found that it had gone, slithering way behind the fallen tree. With a quick stride, she ran forward, leaping up onto the fallen trunk of the tree, to look beyond, to see the snake winding through the trees, towards where Aedmorn had been stalking.

With a load she jumped from the tree and charged forward, her sword slashing a cold arc through the air, descending upon the tip of the snakes tail. Here, where the scales were softer, the sword cleaved deep, and the tip of the tail, a hand’s length in size, came flying off, blood seeping through the wound. Even as it did, she thrust the flames of the burning brand into the wound.

The tail thrashed as a loud hiss echoed through the trees, and the heavy bulk of it crashed into her chest, sending her flying, sword and brand falling free as she crashed back into the fallen tree.

She sat slumped, half dazed from the impact and as she looked she saw the snake turning about, fixing its gaze upon her. Head still spinning, she felt a lethargy settle upon her limbs, a numbness of thought, the eyes boring into her, sapping her will.

Much as she sort to fight it, to push it aside, the snake’s presence batted it aside, its maw opening and fangs dripping venom. Closing her eyes, she waited for the inevitable strike, surrendering herself to her fate.