A pile of rodent bones marked the path up the hill.

“Looks like we’re getting close,” said Ermine, casually.

Mousey stared at the bones as they passed, then looked up at

Ermine’s face. The weasel seemed so unnervingly calm at the sight of such carnage. Those must have been the bones of dozens of rodents, yet the snake hunter treated it as tracks, leading them to their true goal.

“Why do you suppose he left so many bones there?” Mousey asked, keeping his voice to a low whisper.

“What are you on about now?” Ermine grunted.

“Well…” Mousey thought for a moment, then continued, “From what I’ve heard, Nakash engages in savagery…”

“Engages in savagery?” Ermine chuckled. “For such a tiny beast you have a large vocabulary.”

“It means he eats thinking beasts,” said Mousey.

“I know what it means,” Ermine snapped.

“But, snakes eat their pray whole. Why are there bones left over?”

“Probably trying to scare us off,” said Ermine. “Why? Is it working? You need to go home to mama, little mouse?”

“No!” Mousey squeaked. “I just think it’s curious.”

“Well, wonder to yourself,” said Ermine in a lower tone. “The closer we get to his den, the more likely he is to hear us.”

“Snakes can’t hear anything,” said Mousey, “They feel vibrations through the—”

“I know!” Ermine hissed. “You intolerable little know-it-all! I’ve been hunting snakes for years. I know all about them!”

Mousey would have liked to pay Ermine back for the insult, but he knew it would not do to fight with his traveling companion. No matter how rude he was.

The two of them continued up the hill in silence. They found along the way many more piles of bones. Some of various birds. Some of various reptiles. Each time they passed a pile, Mousey had a hard time taking his eyes off the skeletons and wondering what horrors these beasts had experienced in their final moments.

Soon they reached the crest of the hill, and on the other side stood a dead tree, with gray branches reaching down like talons. In the trunk there was a great hole, with dried sap around the edges.

Ermine held out his paw as a signal for Mousey to stop, and

Mousey did as he was bid. The weasel crouched down low, allowing the tall grass to hide him as he crept up on the tree. Mousey followed suit, his stave at the ready.

Both rodents arrived before the gap. Ermine, being the taller of the two of them, peered inside and aimed his crossbow.

“He’s not in there…” Ermine whispered.

One of the tree’s roots shifted.

Mousey leapt back and took cover under a fallen tree branch, just as the root snapped Ermine’s crossbow in half.

Ermine stumbled back and drew two daggers, pointing both at the coiled cobra, ready to strike, just before him.

“Tresssspassssersss…” came a voice from the snake’s throat, though its open mouth did not move. Its fangs aimed at Ermine, both dripping with red, gleaming venom.

“Should have killed me on the first strike, snake,” Armine chuckled. “Now you’ve missed your chance.” He dug his feet into the dirt and bent his knees. “Go on, old beast. Strike again. I dare you!”

“Have you not ssseen the plotsss of bonessss…” hissed Nakash. “It isss you who should fear, not I.”

The serpent’s low hiss made Mousey’s spine tingle and his fur stand on end.

“I have seen the bones!” Mousey called out. He stepped out from under the tree branch, dropped his stave, and raised both of his paws. “You are truly a fearsome beast, Nakash.”

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The snake gave him a quick glance, before returning his attention to the weasel. “I am indeed. Yet, there is no shortage of foolsss who come ssseeking death.”

“I do not seek death,” Mousey said.

“Coward!” shouted Ermine.

“Wise,” said Nakash. “There isss no need to ssseek death, for if you wait it will find you eventually.”

“I know death will find me one day,” said Mousey. “But it be peaceful when it happens.”

Ermine snorted. “I’d prefer to die in glorious battle, when the time comes.”

“Maybe,” said Nakash, “The time isss now!”

Nakash struck at Ermine. The weasel rolled out of the way of

the serpent’s fangs just in time but tripped over a stick on the ground and toppled down the hill. His daggers flew from his paws in two different directions.

Nakash’s hissing laughter felt to Mousey as if dozens of tiny spiders crawled all over his body. “Oh, sssilly ferret,” said Nakash. “You’ve picked a fight you cannot win.”

“I doubt any could win against you,” said Mousey. “But I imagine all this violence becomes tiresome at times.”

Nakash rounded on Mousey, the great fan around his neck spread wide. His black eyes were two pools of pure darkness, as if Mousey stared into an infinite abyss. The serpent spoke again, “Why have you come, little moussse? Obviousssly, you are no hunter, or you would have ssseized the opportunity to ssstrike while he dissstracted me.”

Mousey’s body froze in terror, and his paws shook as he saw his reflection in those black orbs. “I w-want to m-make a d-deal,” he said.

“A deal?” Nakash repeated with a chuckle. “What have you to offer me?”

“I offer… Ermine, stay back!” Mousey raised a paw just as he saw the weasel crawling back up the hill.

Nakash turned and glared at the snake hunter, his eyes moving back and forth between him and Mousey. “Go on. Let’sss hear it, moussse.”

“I offer peace, for the rest of your days,” Mousey said, his paws still raised where Nakash could see them. “The beasts in Zucker, they want revenge for what you did to them so long ago. That’s why they keep sending hunters, am I right?”

“Yesss…” said Nakash. “They’ve forgotten what their ancessstorsss knew. I was their ruler, and I brought them order for ssso long…”

“Well, they would stop hunting you if they believed you dead,” said Mousey. “So, I would propose that I show to them proof that you are gone. I just want one of your fangs.”

“What?” Nakash hissed. “One of my fangs?”

“You have four,” said Mousey, “Which means you can spare one.

Nakash rose higher, his black eyes watching Ermine for any hint of movement. “Ssso, your plan isss to take one of my fangsss, present it to the beastsss of Zucker, and tell them I am dead?”

“Yes,” said Mousey. “They will never send another hunter after you again. You can live out the rest of your days in peace.”

“Peace…” Nakash almost whispered. “Sssuch a dissstant dream… I remember it, ssso long ago I had it. It’sss been gone for agesss…”

“It can be yours again, Nakash,” said Mousey. “I just need one fang to make it happen.”

“Or, you wish to take one ssso you can weaken me!” hissed Nakash. “Do you truly expect me to believe you’re offering peace merely out of the goodness of your heart?”

“No!” said Mousey. “Of course not. I need your fang because my sister was turned to stone, and it’s the only thing that can heal her.”

Ermine and Nakash both turned to look at Mousey with raised eyebrows.

“Really?” Ermine grunted. “You’re going to cure petrification? No one’s ever done that.”

“I have,” said Nakash. “But from where did you learn of such thingsss?”

“My secrets are my own,” said Mousey. “If you make this deal we all benefit.”

“All of us?” Ermine snorted. “You get your sister back, Nakky here gets a peaceful life, but I’ll be left with nothing!”

Mousey tried to chuckle, but the sound came out closer to a giggle. “You’ll get the reward. 10,000 grains. Or have you already forgotten?”

“Right… the reward…” Ermine mumbled.

“Or you could keep trying to fight him,” said Mousey, his voice oozing sarcasm as best he could. “It’s worked out so well for you so far.”

Nakash laughed, his whole body shaking with each guffaw. “Oh, the moussse hasss you there, ssstoat.”

Ermine grunted and folded his arms. “Fine. Just take the tooth so we can get out of here.”

“The only thing I missss more than peace is being a force for

life and healing.” Nakash lowered his face to Mousey’s level. “You’ll have to climb inssside my mouth to get what you want. Do you trussst me?”

“I do,” said Mousey, lying to both the snake and himself. “You’ll have to let me in, so I can take it. Do you trust me?”

“I do,” said Nakash. He opened his mouth wide, dislocating his jaw bones to extend the gap as much as he could.

Mousey climbed inside and conjured a saw into his paws. “This may hurt.”

“I imagine it will,” came Nakash’s voice from down the back of his throat.

Mousey got to work cutting the fang as close to its root as he could manage. Nakash grunted and groaned in pain, but kept his mouth open as Mousey worked.

Seizing the opportunity, Ermine drew another dagger from within his coat and rushed at Nakash.

“No!” Mousey cried. He held out his paw and a wall appeared between Ermine and the snake. “Stop! There’s no need to attack him!”

Ermine slid to a stop, his shoulder colliding with the wall Mousey had raised.

“Out!” Nakash hissed. “Out, now!”

“Please, there’s no need to fight!” Mousey pleaded.

Ermine rounded the wall and rushed again, his paws kicking up dirt as he ran at the snake.

Nakash spat Mousey out of his mouth.

There was a snap so fast, Mousey couldn’t see what had happened at first.

When Nakash was still again, his mouth was full, and Ermine was nowhere to be seen. The serpent gulped, and a great lump moved down his throat. On the ground before him lay Ermine’s wide-brimmed hat and the dagger he’d intended to be the snake’s demise.

Mousey shuddered. He wanted to grab his stave, in case the serpent was still hungry.

“Don’t do it,” Sopher whispered to him. “He’ll assume you were

trying to help the weasel.”

The stave would have to remain where it was for now. Mousey stood perfectly still, staring up into Nakash’s black eyes. He was certain now that any sudden movements would cost him his life.

Nakash slithered over to him, lowered his face to Mousey’s level, then opened his mouth wide again. “Continue.”