The Serpentilus Assassination
All the Abbey beasts were locked in the dormitories. Mother Auma was almost dead, and we were running out of food. There was a horrible snake outside demanding us to come out, and give the abbey over to him. Skipper was gone to the north shores with his Otters, and we didn't know where the Guosim were. We were all alone, and I was assigned to assassinate Serpentilus, the snake. Oh joy.
As I slipped out of the dormitories, I tripped and fell down the stairs. I landed right next to the sleeping form of Serpentilus. I squeaked and jumped back, the snake did nothing. It is then that I realized that it was not the snake, but Its freshly shed skin. I slowly crept towards the kitchens, and food. I gorged myself on pasties, flans, pies, salads, and all manner of food. I then filled my pouch with food, crawled into a cupboard, locked it, and fell asleep.
I woke up to hear rustling outside the cupboard. I peaked through a crack in the door, and saw the snake. Its body was monstrous, I could see the muscles rippling as it slithered by. It was long and covered in slimy mucus, which foamed. Its head was immense; Its fangs were the size of large daggers, poison foamed out of Its mouth giving it a rabid look. There I was, a small otter, and I was to kill that thing.
I waited about five minutes and then slowly opened the cupboard door. The snake was gone. I slowly followed the mucus trail until it came to Cavern hole. I peeked around the door, and there it was. I sat there and waited till it fell asleep. It never did.
As I sat there all I could think was; Where was the heart? How thick was its head? How was it going to react if I stabbed it? and What if it woke up before I got near enough? As all these questions raced through my head, I didn't know what to do.
It was late when I got up, and it was totally silent. I crept into Cavern Hole and the snake was asleep. As I crept forward I noticed something I hadn't before, it stank. The room reeked of death, poison, and mucus. As I got closer I was nearly sick on the floor. It moved, I ran. Huddled in the cupboard I remembered everything that had happened before this.
The day it came had been beautiful, none of us knew that before the night came five would be dead. My friends and I had been playing by the pond, I had just pushed Twirfull in the water when a scream rent the air. We looked up to see Sister Cicely running, she was heading straight toward the pond with a gigantic snake behind her. It had lanched itself into the air, landed on her, and proceeded to bite her in front of our eyes. It was horrible, we all ran. After it was finished with Sister Cicely it turned on the Abbot.
We ran as hard as we could, but the Abbot was too slow. He tripped, and the snake was upon him. We slammed the doors shut, and Auma yelled out at it, "What do you want?" The snake had hissed back, "I am Serpentilus, grandson of Asmodeus. Give me thisss houssse, or I will kill you!" "NEVER" Auma had roared back. "Then you have sssealed your doom Ssstripe Dog Hissss." And with that the snake was gone.
The elders had been concerned about this. The Abbot and Sister Cicely were both dead, and we were trapped in the Abbey. All of a sudden a window was smashed and the snake shot into the Great Hall. Everyone ran screaming up the stairs, or into Cavern Hole. The snake went after those in Cavern Hole. It launched itself onto Auma's back and bit. The badger mother had roared and grabbed the snake, I am still surprised that she hadn't kill it right there. She took it by its neck and whirled it around and around, finally she let go and the snake had flown and hit the wall. Auma and the others rushed past the snake, up the stairs and into the dormitories. She then had passed out.
When we were all gathered in the dormitories Martin had done a head count, the friar was missing. Suddenly we heard a scream and something hit the door. Martin slowly opened it and there laid the mangled body of the Friar with a note pinned to his shirt, it said, "Give me the stone house or all of its inhabitants will suffer this same fate." There had been an audible gasp, and Twirfull had fainted.
Later that night Martin had asked me to come with him to the upper dormitories. They were empty. I can still remember his exact words;
"We need you Brock, you are the only one small enough to get close to the snake without it seeing you. Here is a dagger, don't lose it. We are counting on you Brock." I had started to protest but he silenced me. "Go quickly, and be careful. I'll be waiting for you." With that he had walked me to the stairs, said goodbye.
Here I am now.
I peeked out of the cupboard, no snake. Getting out I heard rustling behind me, I turned around not twenty paces behind me was the snake. He had just come out of a cupboard himself; I could still see dried blood on his snout. He saw me; I ran fast as a falcon, it didn't help. Down into the cellars I flew with the snake right on my tale. There was an empty barrel ahead, I jumped into it and snapped on the lid just in time. The snake hissed at me from outside the barrel,
"Come out little one it isss alright."
I yelled back at him, "Not a chance you filthy pugfaced rat bottom."
He hissed " Sso thatsss how it iss. Ssstupid little ssstreamdog. I'm gonna get you, and when I do your gonna wish you'd never have said that. Hissss."
He didn't move, so I sat there waiting. The silence was deafening, I couldn't stand it any longer. Slowly I opened the lid of the barrel and peeked out the snake was there, sleeping. I lifted myself up out barrel and down onto the floor. I tiptoed to the door and slowly opened it, it creaked and the snake woke. I shot out of here like lightning trying to make it to the stairs and safety. I didn't make it.
The snake cornered me near an oven. I was trapped like a rat. The snake closed in on me, I drew the dagger Martin had given me.
"That wont help you." The snake hissed. I didn't care all I thought about was stabbing it. I leapt into the air and brought the dagger down into its skull. The snake shrieked, it lay flopping there on the floor. I ran as fast as I could up the stairs and into Martin's waiting paws. He said, "Well done Brock, well done."