The Snake in the Ice

All Alone Now

" They are all going tooooo die Snake! I will kill all of your children and then you! And there is nothing any of you can do to stop meeeee!" The shrieking voice of karribou sounded throughout the caves along with hurricane-like winds. The large tunnels around us started to cave in

" NO!!!! Y/N!!! Y/S/N!!!" The Snake's mother screamed before the tunnel that was her bridge to the physical plane was broken.

And she disappeared.

I clung to Y/S/N for dear life as she wrapped her entire body around me. Both of us keeping each other steady as the caverns around us started to collapse one by one. We had to get out of here now!

I stumbled to my feet, getting knocked over a couple of times since the ground was quaking. I scanned the cave for the small tunnel my serpent and I came from.

There it was! Both of us scrambled forward. Dodging to the side to avoid the falling rocks from above. Some were boulders, some were stalactites. They shattered into thousands of little pieces when they hit the ground. thankfully not hitting Y/S/N or me.

We fled into the small cavern and did not slow down. The ground was still shaking furiously and we could hear the tunnels still collapsing behind us. Dust was flying everywhere and lodging itself into our eyes and throats, causing them to sting.

We both jumped into the water and Y/S/N wrapped her tail around my entire arm, pulling me behind her through the underwater tunnels as she swam through the water like a torpedo.

We miraculously made it out just in time before the tunnel collapsed behind us. If we had been just a few seconds slower we would have gotten crushed by the weight of an entire mountain.

I took in a large lungful of air as we breached the surface of the water. We were in such a hurry that I had no time to take a deep breath before we jumped in.

I climbed up onto the rocks and looked back as the underwater opening finish crumbling completely. Sealing off any physical contact we could have from the snake mother.

Both of us stared for a long time at the place we had just escaped. I stood up on wobbly legs and Y/S/N pushed her great head against my crippled leg to help me keep my balance so I did not topple over.

" We have to get to Bobazo and tell all the other tribes." I breathlessly said to her. " If Karribou went after our mother's gate she will go after Estaad's and Kooji's as well!"

I had to be careful with my first couple of steps, it felt like the ground was still quaking to me. With each step though I was able to get a better grip on my legs and push harder and faster. I could see sunlight shining down through the treetops. We had been in that cave all night.

We quickly passed all of the other pools, including Bobazo's and I's secret pool, and hurriedly made our way up the stepps. The entire village was alive now, the breaking of the bridge must have shaken the entire stepp as well.

Everyone was moving towards the top level where the leaders were. Anxious murmurings could be heard absolutely everywhere.

At first, I had some trouble pushing through, but once people turned around and saw that it was me they quickly moved out of the way so I could get through.

I eventually was able to push myself to the front of the crowd where all the leaders and shamans were. Bobazo who had been searching the crowd with his eyes almost immediately spotted me.

He quickly jumped down from the rock he was on and jogged over to me, grabbing me firmly by the shoulders and bringing me close. His eyes searching my body for any kind of injury.