Chapter Nine
Karia screamed in surprise and the heads of Skipper and Snowpaws turned towards the snake.
The snake's head darted towards Karia who was fumbling with her staff. Darkstar embedded two of her throwing weapons into the neck of the adder and as the reptile's head shot backwards in pain, she leapt forward knocking Karia out of the direct way of the snake.
By then the other fox and otter had their weapons drawn and were crouching in a low defensive stance.
"Never did like messing with adders too much…" Snowpaws commented to no one in particular.
"Ay, I hear you friend. Mayhaps it would be best to try and run for it." Skipper whispered back, both beasts keeping their eyes directly on the enemy while conversing.
The adder's large eyes blinked and its tongue flickered in and out of its mouth. His long scaly body shook viciously, knocking out both of Darkstar's throwing weapons, letting them fall to the ground in a dull thump. Neither had caused much damage.
Darkstar shook her head as she helped Karia to her feet and then grabbed her sickle and chain from her waist. "I doubt we'd be able to outrun an adder. Plus, he's hungry and mad."
"She's got a point…" Snowpaws replied as his paw gripped the hilt on his blade even tighter.
Before anyone else could reply, the adder's tail shot out so fast from behind him that its motion was blurred. He thwacked Darkstar and Karia to the ground in one swipe, knocking their weapons out of their paws and sending them flying several feet away.
The adder's head descended upon the two beasts lying on the ground with his mouth open and his fangs glistening white.
Darkstar unsheathed her sword and thrust it upwards into the bottom part of its jaw. Snowpaws and Skipper rushed next to them too, slashing their weapons across its neck.
He threw back his head and his mouth opened in pain as though a silent scream echoed from his vocal chords. His long body lashed about from the injuries, knocking all four creatures sprawling into the ground.
He bared his fangs again and lashed out towards Skipper who was trying to peel himself from the dirt. Fortunately, the otter leader jumped out of the way before he became the adder's next meal.
While the adder was occupied with Skipper, Darkstar ran towards where her weapon and Karia's staff lay. Picking up the staff she hurled it at the ottermaid. "KARIA! HEAD'S UP!" She yelled as it sailed through the air. Not even watching to see if it made its destination, she grabbed her sickle and chain.
The adder's attention was quickly turned towards Darkstar after she had thrown Karia her staff…which Darkstar could see made it's way back to its owner after all. Darkstar's eyes locked with the golden ones of the adder. The smell of death permeated from his body and his narrow tongue hissed in and out of its large mouth.
She narrowed her eyes and kept her sickle balanced lightly in her hand. In a split second he lashed out at her. She jumped up and met him head on, thrusting her sickle deep atop the outside top part of his mouth. Still holding the chain in her hand, she then ripped it out viciously taking a good chunk of the reptile's scales off in doing so and then catching the sickle with her right paw.
Her eyes flashed at the adder lashing about in pain and all she could see was the enemy; everything else surrounding her seemed insignificant and invisible. Her only focus was the large reptilian monster in front of her.
Skipper nudged Snowpaws a bit and pointed his direction at Darkstar. The fox reluctantly took his eyes off the adder and slid them over towards the black fox. A change seemed to have come over her. No longer was she the normal laid back, quiet fox she had been before, but now a focused and deadly beast ready to react in an instant. Her breathing was steady and her paw light, yet one could tell where her concentration was and her reflex ready to move in a flash.
Snowpaws lowered his weapon a bit. Intrigued by his mysterious companion, his attention slowly forgot about the adder at hand. Skipper's expression and focus was about the same as his companion's as his paw also started to slowly lower towards the ground.
The adder and Darkstar's eyes continued to be locked in some kind of deadly staring contest as though first to blink would be the first to meet their demise. They both continued to stare as they each waited for the other to make the first move.
The adder decided to attack first as he lashed out at her with his head. Easily seeing it coming, she quickly jumped to the side, but didn't see his tail lunge out at her from behind him.
He swept it around and Darkstar felt a stinging sensation as she felt the adder's tail connect with her stomach, causing her to be knocked backwards. Shooting her paw out, she caught her balance and flipped over her back, holding her sickle tightly between her teeth.
Karia came up silently behind the two males who now had their weapon tips lying in the dirt as they continued to watch the battle between Darkstar and the adder. She smacked both upside the head and glared at them, "Are you two just going to stand there and watch? Aren't you going to help a companion in need?"
They looked at her and shrugged their shoulders. "It looks like she's doing just fine herself…" They said as all three turned their eyes back towards the beasts locked in combat to see Darkstar running low to the ground, her sickle stuck again between her teeth and the chain wrapped loosely around her left paw.
Her right paw was reaching to grab a throwing weapon. Still several feet away she threw the star-shaped weapon at the adder, but he smoothly moved his body to the side and avoided the blades, then in one quick movement lunged its massive heads down upon her.
Darkstar, anticipating this move, had crouched close to the ground giving her foot paws leverage to spring sideways. As the adder's head missed her and descended upon the ground instead, she threw her sickle back into the same gash that she had first inflicted on him on the top part of his mouth and embedded it even deeper.
His tail smacked down hard upon the ground in frustration and pain as his head lifted back up off the ground and high into the air. Darkstar, her face still concentrating and focused, yet still impassive, held on tightly to the chain as she too lifted up off the ground.
She started swinging herself slowly in order to build up momentum. The adder was furiously shaking its head in order to try to get the sickle free from him and the weight that continued to press the sickle in deeper hanging off the chain.
Darkstar quickly found the rhythm of his shakings and matched her swinging with it, taking advantage of his movement in order for her to build up enough momentum. Finally getting a really good swing in, she pushed herself upwards and around his muzzle locking his jaws shut. She repeated the action one more time pulling the chain even tighter.
The adder was furious. His golden eyes flashed in irritation as he continued to shake his head wildly side to side and up and down, but Darkstar just gritted her teeth together and kept her paws closed around the chain.
Holding the chain with one paw, her other paw snaked itself backwards and grabbed hold of the hilt of her sword. Unsheathing it, in one final sweep, brought the sharp edge of it towards the jugular of the adder, slashing into the critical part of his neck.
His body started lashing about even more as pain seared throughout his scaly, long body. Darkstar's sword fell out of her paw as she was forced to hang on to her chain with both paws and her body seemed to fly about in every direction.
She slammed into the body of the adder many times, covering herself in the snake's blood from his wound, yet she continued to hold on in almost a death grip.
Finally, after several moments, the adder's motion slowly started to wind down as his eyes started to cloud over in death. His heavy body started to fall downwards ready to smash itself into the ground.
Snowpaws dropped his sword and rushed towards the adder as he started his descent. "Darkstar! Let go!"
Darkstar peered downwards and saw the other fox beneath her with his arms outstretched ready to catch her. Closing her eyes, she let her paws release the grip of her chain as she felt herself fall through the air and then felt strong arms wrap themselves around her.
Jumping out of the way, Snowpaws and Darkstar missed getting crushed by the falling dead weight of the adder by a second. He set Darkstar down on the ground. "Thanks…" She said a little awkwardly as she kept her eyes turned on the adder she had killed.
"No problem." Came the casual response.
Darkstar kept her eyes averted as she walked towards the adder and grabbed her sword, throwing weapons and sickle and chain. Wiping the blood off the blades on some nearby grass, she sheathed her weapons and looked back towards her companions.
Karia rushed towards her and threw her arms around her sweaty friend. "AHH! You were so WONDERFUL!" The ottermaid gushed as she continued to squish Darkstar who was standing there awkwardly with an uncomfortable and embarrassed look etched upon her dark features.
Skipper and Snowpaws were really unsure of how to react. It wasn't every day that you saw somebeast practically take on an adder single pawed. She definitely was well trained in fighting; it was almost unfathomable.
They finally strolled over to the two females and Skipper pried off Karia from the blushing fox as Snowpaws slapped her on the back. "Impressive, Darkstar. Really."
She shrugged and looked towards the ground. "Well…don't you suppose we should be on our way?"
Skipper laid a paw on her shoulder. "How about we rest a bit?"
Karia wrinkled her nose. "Not near that thing." She said, pointing her paw towards the dead adder.
Snowpaws nodded, "Aye, I agree. A rest would be great. I know of a little spring fairly near here that would be great to rest at."
The three followed his lead and walked in silence until he finally pushed aside some foliage and showed them the peaceful area where the spring was. The scenery around it was beautiful and the sun shone through the leaves of the nearby trees, scattering various light spots across the grass, warming up random patches.
"Ahh…" Karia gasped as her eyes widened at the calming sight.
All four companions walked over towards the spring and took long deep drinks from the cooling water.
Darkstar washed her face and arms with the water when she was finished drinking and then peered into the reflective liquid, looking at herself.
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So clear…so calming…so refreshing…
"Darkstar Ripclaw, how are you ever going to overcome your fear of drowning if you don't learn to swim!" Came a young male's voice. He had a rich timbre that emoted from his vocal chords.
She turned her dark head sideways and peered into his bright blue eyes that were stern when chastising her, yet still full of kindness and love.
She winced and shook her head. "No, Kazetarou. I refuse." She replied stubbornly.
"If you don't get into that water, young lady, I will throw you in there myself." Kazetarou threatened as he grabbed her by the paw and tried to move her towards the water.
She dug her heels into the ground and refused to budge as she gripped his paw with her free one and freed her own paw from his grip. Then she twisted his arm backwards and brought him to his knees.
He just peered up at her calmly, not affected by this sudden attack on him. Getting a mischievous look in his eyes, he flung himself on his back, causing Darkstar to either let go of him or fall on top of him.
Taken by surprise, Darkstar had no choice but to go along with the latter and soon found herself in a sprawled out on top of her friend. She let go of his arm.
Kazetarou rolled over so that now he was on all fours looking down at her, who was now on her back. "Fine, no swimming lesson for today. We'll try again tomorrow." He said, finally giving in.
He kissed her lightly on her cheek and then got up, grabbing her paws as he went, helping Darkstar to her feet.
"Ha! I win!" The young female said triumphantly.
Kazetarou smiled gently at her. "Of course you do. You always win, but that doesn't mean you're always right."
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Suddenly Darkstar heard a splash and she looked up from her reverie to find Karia splashing about in the water. "Oooh! It feels to good! Join me, Darkstar!" She cried as waved towards the fox.
Darkstar shook her head as she declined. "Uh…no, that's ok. I think I'll pass."
"Come ON!" The otter urged. "You could use a nice dip to cool you from that fight!" Karia said as she swam over and pulled her in before Darkstar would react.
Glub Glub.
The swirling darkness of the water seemed to envelop her quickly. Her body wouldn't react. It was as though she was paralyzed; unable to think; unable to move. Her body drifted towards the bottom as though she was made of lead. Her mind screamed at her to do something, yet her body wouldn't listen.
She couldn't breath. She was suffocating. She opened her mouth, desperate to get some air. She found none and only felt the rushing motion of water filling her mouth and entering into her lungs.
Karia had let go immediately after she had pulled in her friend. She waited patiently with her head above water, waiting for Darkstar to surface. "Wow…she must have great lungs…" She said to the males as Darkstar failed to submerge.
Something in Snowpaws suddenly clicked. Darkstar couldn't swim. He remembered the fear she had of water from when she had first arrived at the abbey.
"No…" He said as he quickly stripped himself of his weapons and then dove into the water.
He descended downwards as fast as he could, looking for the black fox. The farther down he went into the water, the harder it was to see anything because the water continued to darken.
Suddenly he spotted her, slowly descending downwards. He pushed forward and grabbed her around her waist, then paddled with his feet upwards towards the light.
Finally breaking through the surface he gasped for breath and hauled Darkstar towards the shore.
Karia was next to Skipper, frantically biting her bottom lip in worry. "I didn't know she couldn't swim…"
Snowpaws laid her on the grass, listened for a heartbeat and then started pumping her chest. Fortunately she hadn't been down there too long and she suddenly started coughing up water as her chest started heaving.
Skipper and Karia helped her to sit up as she coughed up the last remaining bits of liquid from her lungs.
Karia hugged her tightly. "I'm so so sorry. I really had no idea you couldn't swim. Please forgive me."
Darkstar shook her head. "It's alright…" she gasped out as she took in several deep breaths filling her lungs with air.
Laying back down into the grass, she stayed completely still, letting herself regain her energy and allowing the sun and warm air to dry her out.
The sun's warmth, absorbed by her dark fur, in combination with her exhaustion from battle and drowning, soon caused her to start getting drowsy as she felt her eyelids grow heavy and start to close. Soon she found herself drifting away from reality and into the unconscious realm of dreams.
