I don't wanna be tough: I just wanna be a girl

I'd rather hoe my garden plants than do the rattlesnake dance

"MAMA! CASSIE SAVED US FROM A HUGE SNAKE!" Crystal was nearly hysterical, "IT WAS IN THE GARAGE AND SHE CUT IT'S HEAD OFF WITH A HOE, THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!"

Jo Anne went absolutely white, running into the house to make sure her kids were okay, though it sounded like the youngest was likely the best off of the three. "Was anyone bitten?"

"No Mama. I killed it before it had a chance." Cassie told her. "I just hung it up in the backyard orange tree to bleed out, it'll be ready for cleaning and skinning in about twenty minutes or so. I'll go clean the floor and get the blood up."

"Where's Chris?"

"Twin's hiding in the bathroom. He thought it was going to eat us. So did I, so I called Daddy at work since you weren't home."

"It was large, but not one of the Eastern ones. I looked up a bunch trying to find out which ones we have. That one was a big sidewinder, but still fairly young. Female, I think, since girl snakes are bigger than boy snakes are. But, why did you bother Daddy? I killed it, game over. Look, I'll make it for dinner and once you eat some of one, you'll stop being scared of them."

"Eat a snake? Ewwwww!"

"Anyway, the dead one isn't the problem, it's already dead, after all. The problem is we don't know if she's laid eggs nearby or not. New hatched ones are more dangerous than the big ones cuz the venom is fresher and they're tiny, so they can turn to strike really fast. That's why I need to sex it before I calm down all the way. I was going to call Uncle tomorrow before Daddy got off and ask him to help me look for a nest, since you said he knows about snakes."

If anything, her new Mama turned even paler and once she'd gotten her son out of the bathroom and calmed down, she gave her youngest a huge hug and settled, a little shaky, on the couch and simply waited for her no-doupt half-terrified husband to get there. Nothing like being called by panicking offspring when your wife was at the store and told that there was a big, poisonous snake in your house to get your attention.

Roy came running into the house to find his upset twins, his pale and shaking wife and a bewildered youngest, standing in his kitchen with her hoe, the blade covered in blood and clearly trying to figure out what the fuss was about.

While Daddy tried to calm down the rest, she grabbed Uncle John's hand and led him to the orange tree. "See, it's already dead and bleeding out, it's almost drained, I think. I'm going to clean it and skin it. By the time I get done it should be about ready to fry. I buried the head right there." She pointed at disturbed earth. "I think it's a female and at that size, I'm a lot more worried that maybe she's got a nest nearby. Hatchlings are so durned fast. But Mama says you know almost as much about snakes as me so can you help me look for the nest tomorrow after you and Daddy get done? I mean, if she's laid her's? Cuz she might still have the eggs in her."

"Sweetheart, this time of the year and a snake that size, you're right about the possibility of a nest. But waiting for tomorrow is a no go. You tend to your kill, the rest of the shift and I will locate the nest if there is one...along with Animal Control...once we've opened her to check, that's a really good point, given how fat she is."

"Mama says we don't eat snake in this house, so once I cook it, do you want the meat? Food mustn't be wasted." She wanted to know while she cleaned her hoe at the hose.

"What else did your Mama say?"

"That Uncle Chet needs Smartness lessons cuz he's only 23 and male."

"Did she?"

"I'm gonna help him, Daddy swears he's a real boy so, he needs help, right? Hey, do you need Daddy?"

"Are you? Okay, child generated Smartness lessons should be fun to watch. And why do you think I need your Dad?"

"Cuz you got this weird look on your face and your cheek and eye was twitchy, right there and there..." She pointed at the spots, "An' when old man Briarn at the beach did that people had to come in a truck like your's and get him. And the beach people said he'd stroked out. Dunno what that is. But do you need Daddy?"

Johnny squatted down to give her a hug, "No, I'm fine. Nice observational skills though. Tell you what, put your hoe in the sun to dry, and we'll open your snake up and see if she still has eggs."

He led her back into the house by her hand and broke into the half-panicked squalls of the twins. "The snake had eggs, but she hadn't laid them yet. We found them still in her when we opened her so we destroyed them, still in the shell. Everything's fine, she offered me the meat but said I needed to leave a couple of pieces for you four. Not sure why."

"She said if we ate bits of snake we wouldn't be scared of the snake anymore." Crystal. "No idea why she thinks that."

"Snake meat is food, that makes snakes prey. Hunters do not fear their prey." Cassie answered logically.

"Not actually valid unless you personally also killed the snake the meat comes from, though. Eating meat from someone else's snake doesn't do the trick, killing the snake itself does." John told her.

"Oh. Well, in that case, you can have all the meat since Mama said this isn't a snake eater house. And I gotta box of other snake bits I promised her I'd give you to find homes for."

"Okay. Let's go see the snake bits, then."

"Snake bits?" Roy, asked his now calm wife.

"Hatbands and belts, made from leather she made from her snakeskins." She answered. "She also made me promise that she can bring her hoe on any camping trips...and I got a really good look at why today."

"Yeah." He blew out a sigh. "We did."

Hank nodded, "I'm glad she had it or this could have been bad."

"Yeah, that too." Roy agreed. "Man, I'm glad we claimed her. We finished the paperwork for the full adoption a week ago. She's our's. Really our's. We've had a time convincing her that 'tough' and 'feminine' are not mutually exclusive, though."

"She's a lady in miniature, but still tough as a titanium nail, she'll make a heck of a woman when she's grown at this rate."

"That too." Jo Anne agreed as the girl and John brought out the several boxes of snake skin bands and belts, plus the alum and a bowl to start the skin soaking in.

John helped her set that up on a work bench in Roy's garage, then put the boxes next to it. "I'll come get these tomorrow...along with you. And we'll go to the fleamarket to sell them at a good rate, instead of whatever you could get for them at the beach. Then your parents can use the money to set up a bank acount for you for when you're older." He met Jo Anne's eyes and got a nod, it was a good idea.

"Now, your Dad says you've got another three weeks in that thing," he gestured to the soft cast Joe had put on her knee, "Then we'll introduce you to this thing called a 'trail ride'."

"Bringing my hoe."

"Okay, you can bring your hoe."

"You promise your twitchy thing is okay?"

"Yeah, I promise. I'm fine."

"John?" Roy asked and smiled when John told him, grinning.

"Good observational skills, Cassie. But no, he was just trying not to giggle in public when he's on-duty."

"Thought you said Uncle was a boy? Boys don't giggle."

"Oh, nice one Gage, way to confuse the kiddo." Chet snarked.

"Yeah, gotta make plans for those lessons. I see what Mama means."

"Well, the ideas you gave me so I could help him, should work wonderfully.

"Remember, use the KISS format for the EGG placement. You'll just forget details otherwise."

"Okay."

"Lessons?"

"I'll explain later, Roy." Came from both his wife and his partner at the same time. Both looked at the other and started laughing.

TBC