Prelude
Prelude
Adder was stuffed and exhausted. As cold weather moved in, she was ready to curl down and go into hibernation. She finally found out where the other adders spent hibernation together. It was deep underground and had been used for generations even before White Deer Park was founded. She found the other adders-which there weren't very many of-and curled up on a ledge away from some of the others. Suddenly, a female nearby perked up. "Look at him," She said. "Pity he's not quite ready to mate." Whispered another. Adder looked over and her eyes popped open. There was a male adder moving around the hibernation burrow, looking for a space to sleep for the winter. Never in her life had she seen a more handsome snake. His scales were a light shade of blue-teal; his yellow eyes glinted in the darkness. He had markings like a close-clipped mustache and a dark black diamond going down his head.
She was not as besotted with the snake as some of the other females. She was only slightly interested. The male saw her and chose her to sleep next to. She wasn't obsessed with him. The other females slumped down back into their coils with disappointment. He looked at her with a soft smile. "I swear, you are the first female snake who hasn't swooned at the sight of me," He said. Adder looked at him. "I'm different from the others; Mates aren't the first thing on my mind at the moment," She said. The male chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in mates either," He said. Adder looked at him. "I'll remember that," She immediately fell asleep. The male soon found sleep after her.