It was a rainy sort of day. The soft hissing noises of the snake people filled the calmed air. They didn't bother repeating orders to those who didn't respond. Only the strongest survived. That was the rules of nature.

Anyone who opposed was out of their minds. Serpentine had very independent lives, even though they preferred to be in their respectable tribes.

Everything had to have order, or at least by Fangtom's standards, or they would have a fit. Everything was primp and proper for them.

Besides the sudden invasions of the most despised tribes of the Serpentine, that would have been a beloved day.

Old tales from their ancestors spoke of rainy days as perfect for hatching Serpentine eggs. It took long enough, and the females were growing anxious. They didn't find themselves able to trust their surroundings anymore. It was all down to whether or not they'd become bothered all over again.

But they let their guards down. Every single group of humanoids gave in to the faux safety. The Hypnobrai hadn't declared war in some time. It was as if the other three tribes finally got their break.

How naive were they?

That day there was no warning towards anything for the Fangpyre clan, but suddenly rumbling started up in the distance. The Hypnobrai were on the loose!

Instead of looking for the warriors, the snakes went looking for something. It took a few moments, until the defensive ones figured it all out.

It only took until a batch of eggs were found. The shells were eagerly smashed in without much of a care.

Serpentine females started rushing to the aides of unborn babies. It soon became the fact that any egg would do, not just their own. If their own was damaged, they couldn't help but break down inside. But it couldn't just freeze in time for them. There was more to children than just being a parent.

The males hadn't a clue which eggs belonged to them, since this was a tribe where sticking with certain mates were overrated. But they rushed in to rescue without speaking too much. All that was said were fighting words. And angry spitting from the force behind them.

But there would be no mercy. Each egg had harsh treatment. Anyone who tried to protect the future of the Fangpyre got kicked to death under well trained legs. It wasn't that difficult to tell who had more warriors to begin with.

"You'll never get away with this!" Hissed out Fangtom, unable to hide away from the blows coming towards his held down form.

But they would... Hypnobrai never stopped after just one attack against self-proclaimed enemies.

*I*I*I*I*

Each time there was a drill, the Constrictai would burrow within the ground. They constantly spread out to dig holes to their different homes. The reason they would make new routes was incase of some danger.

None of them thought of this next thing, though...

It was meant as a practice, but it turned into a tragedy. They had no clue about the Fangpyre's needing to go into emergency breeding season to make up for the lack of many lost future and present group members. Or that the Hypnobrai were getting revenge for not getting listened to during the final battle. After they were finally able to be released from their tomb prison under the earth, they split up never to communicate ever again with other tribes.

Or so it had been thought...

As they started feeling good about their young children learning the drill rather well there was a shaking. It was slight, but their bodies were on edge, trying to pinpoint where and what it was. Turning curiously, they weren't alarmed.

But as the sudden rushing body of water coming their way caused them much panic. Starting to just make a break for it, they realized they could neither swim nor move fast. Especially their leader.

But unlike Fangtom, he tried to help more. He stood at the back, shouting for the others to find larger tunnels, because those would be better to escape through. Especially since it wouldn't fill up as fast as multiple creatures would make their escape at the same time.

Skalidor started feeling his chest getting sunken in the water. It wouldn't give up, and soon it would succeed in drowning some of them out. He nearly started going up a tunnel he had personally made the day nearby, but whimpering caused him to stop.

Turning around, he found small child Serpentine. It was clinging to the wall, crying out in random hisses as what he figured to be its mother left. He couldn't blame her, because their tribe cared more for personal safety. Skalidor slithered over to the muddy wall, prying at the kid. It eventually let go, then looked up at him.

Without much else left, he hugged the sweet child to his built chest, starting to move again. He had always wanted children, so he would do his absolute best to make sure at least he could save one himself. Making it up to barely escape the water, he looked over. The different members of his tribe were both relieved, but some were screaming. Why?

Skalidor found some were drowning, only get calls of encouragement to egg them on...

The members lost were actually larger than he imagined, causing him to let down down the child, but not let go of the clawed hand. He later found the small boy's mother had made sure to clear a path for them, not surviving, but getting called a hero. Her clan name had sounded so familiar... His eyes widened as he looked down at his very own nephew. Pride and cowardice fought around in his heart at this, but what else was new?

*I*I*I*I*

By now word had gone to the Venomari. They had to save themselves. The Hypnobrai had strength in numbers. And their final stunt to gain control would end with the green creatures.

But Acidicus felt ready. Oh, how wrong it all was...

Eventually he came up from his acid bath in his favorite part of the lake, coming face-to-face with Skales himself. How that angered him, causing him to glare. His scratched up eye having trouble doing so fully.

The Hypnobrai only gave an amused chuckle, "So are you going to just give in? I'm not as opposed towards these Serpentine as the others."

"What could you do to us that would be so different?" Why did he have to ask that?

"Oh," Skales gave a malicious grin, "I won't be doing anything anyways."

Then Acidicus made the mistake of looking directly into the churning spirals in the red eyes. His world fell to black. He couldn't hear the screams, couldn't feel the betrayed stares or aura, couldn't feel the weaker fighting back.

When the Venomari leader awoke, he found himself towering over mangled bodies when he finally stopped. Looking around, he found the Hypnobrai leader coming over to him, looking especially joyed. He knew he shouldn't have trusted his curiosity. Acidicus could honestly admit he hated himself more than the blue snake people. Then he dared himself to look down.

Through the gore, he recognised his own children. Leaning down, he scooped them up, ignoring the sticky feeling the sickening sights gave him as he hugged their lifeless forms. Fighting back vile, he looked up and over, "Skales, why...?" He grew angry, but not very many of his tribe was left. Any of the ones who looked even slightly alive were being beaten back down by Skale's army.

"Learn your place, or suffer the consequences." He hoped Skales was happy. He had taken this the farthest. Every last female had been slaughtered first. Once he and the other remaining males met their deaths, that would be it for the oldest tribe still existing.

He silently hoped that the others wouldn't give in. That the Hypnobrai wouldn't cause them to forcibly turn on each other. The acid-dwellers had to leave that area to get away from the bodies they had to stop dumping into the dissolving liquid. Once a Venomari died, it lost it's ability to withstand the intensity of acid. Acidicus figured if he and the others decided to jump in anymore, they'd be no better off...