"Please don't make this harder than it has to be. Please bring the next sacrifice forward." said a cobra. A bunch of mice brought forward a young, struggling female mouse. "Ahhhhh….she looks tasty!" said the cobra, licking his lips. She spat in his face. "That's what I think of you and your King and Queen!" she squeaked. "Oh…you are going to pay for that!" hissed the snake, swooping down upon her. "What are you going to do, eat me twice?" she squeaked defiantly. "No, just swallow you whole and let everyone know what happens to those who are difficult!" he hissed, seizing her in his mouth and swallowing her whole. She slid down his throat and into his stomach. "Help!" she screamed from inside the cobra's stomach. The cobra belched. "Anyone else want a slow, painful death?" he hissed, belching again. "Help, it's burning me!" screamed the trapped mouse. "Somebody! Anybody! Help me!"

Rikki-tikki-tavi had seen enough. To see any creature suffer that much was too much for him. He slowly crept up behind the cobra, his eyes turning red . The other mice were too focused on the cobra and the mouse in his stomach to notice him. "Now, the next time I ask for a sacrifice," he said, licking his lips, "please be a bit kinder. Just remember what happened to-" the cobra hissed, suddenly cut off by the mongoose, who scraped off the cobra's head from behind with his claws. "I think we've had enough sacrifices for a while." said Rikki, who ate the cobra's body until the mouse was freed. She slid out, with a quarter of her fur missing and her body covered in burns from the stomach acid. She opened her eyes, which had been closed the moment the cobra had grabbed her in his mouth. "I've not going to die!" she said joyfully, then she spotted Rikki and her smile faded. "Oh…..a mongoose. Just my luck. Well, please don't make it drawn out like that cobra was going to do." she said, closing her eyes again.

Rikki continued to finish off the rest of the cobra; once done, he turned to face her. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to eat us like the rest of your cobra-loving friends?" she said angrily, opening her eyes and glaring at him angrily. "Cobra-loving what?" said Rikki, confused. "I love to eat a cobra every now and then, but to think I'd be friends with one…." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "Don't play dumb!" she squeaked. "I'm dumb, huh? Well I could have just let him digest you alive!" said Rikki angrily. "You're an evil creature, just like him!" she squeaked angrily. "Well, if you keep pouring on the insults, you may just find yourself becoming seconds! Now, if you don't mind, what have I done to earn your hatred? I've saved your life! I'm not even insisting that you thank me. However, insulting me after I saved you is really a bit too much!" he said, starting to wish he hadn't bothered. "Many of your kind have joined that beastly Cobra Queen and King in exchange for all the mice they could want and promises of power. Though why you've killed their cobra, I don't know. She's going to be furious." said the mouse. "Well, she shouldn't be having her brutes swallowing creatures whole, even rather rude ones. She'll be hearing about my little adventures soon enough!" said Rikki coldly. "And no mongoose would ever join a cobra! That's just nonsense! Who told you that?" he said. "I've seen them! Taken my whole family, they did!" she said. "The Cobra King came here and gave them to them as a reward for their loyalty. We hate the Dark Mongooses." she said. "Dark Mongooses?" asked Rikki. "Mongooses that joined the Cobra King and Queen. And, once they were done devouring my family, that vile Koniston, the one you just ate for your breakfast, decided that I'd made a pretty tasty snack and ordered me as part of the sacrifice." she said.

"When did this happen? I knew that many were backing off, but it seemed impossible to me that any would actually join Snake Empire." said Rikki-tikki. "About a day ago. It was their new plan to subdue the Jungle. Also, they're hoping to catch Rikki-tikki-tavi when he comes this way." said the mouse.

"Well, I'm disgusted in my fellow mongooses then. I promise I'll settle them and their King and Queen just like I defeated Nag, Nagaina, Tivia, Karait, Kinsta, and now Koniston! They won't be getting me!" said Rikki. "Wait….you're Rikki-tikki-tavi? The one they're after?" she said excitedly. "Yeah. That's me." said Rikki. "I'd like to know more about these Dark Mongooses in league with the cobras. Are there many?" he continued. "Yes. Several. Some mongooses didn't want to openly join them but many have been killed and the survivors are looking for you to turn you in. The cobras have promised a reward to the mongoose or mongooses who hand you over to them and also an end to the killing." she squeaked.

"Are there any more cobras around here?" said Rikki-tikki-tavi, licking his lips. "About twelve more in the area. But you'll never be able to take them all by yourself." she said. "And he won't have the chance!" screamed some mice, running off. "They're in league with the cobras! You'd better run!" she squeaked. Rikki chased them down and caught all of them. "Now," he said, facing the trapped mice, "either you cooperate or you can end up like your little cobra friend!" "We will help you! Don't eat us! Please!" they squeaked. "Thought you'd come around." said Rikki, smirking. "Well…here's what I need you to do."

The Mice Revolt

Two hours later, several mice came up to the cobras. "We are tired of the stupid tribute! We are done with your King and Queen!" they squeaked defiantly. "Kill them!" shouted the leader of the cobras to the other cobras. Two headed off after a bunch of mice. One moved ahead of the other and a few seconds later, the one behind was grabbed into a tree by Rikki and pulled up and killed. "What the?!" hissed the other cobra, turning around and spotting nothing. She looked around for the other cobra and was bitten by Rikki-tikki-tavi, who had been crawling up behind her. She turned, but Rikki dodged her and bit her again. She turned to strike him, but he moved away just in time from her fangs and bit her in the neck and then crushed her skull with his paws. Two more cobras came by and were taken down from behind by Rikki, who slammed their skulls together. "Too easy." said Rikki.

In the meantime, a bunch of mice were running from a cobra who was chasing them hissing "Let's see how fun it is when you're inside my stomach!" before he fell into a hidden pit covered with leaves and with sharp stones and sticks at the bottom and was killed. "Not today!" squeaked a mouse at the dead cobra. Four more cobras were chasing Rikki and ten mice up a hill. "Now!" yelled Rikki, pushing, with the mice's help, a bunch of boulders down at the cobras, crushing them. The remaining five cobras all rushed at Rikki. "We're out of rocks!" squeaked a mouse in fear. "Hmmmmm…..yes!" said Rikki, noticing vines hanging from a bunch of trees. He jumped down, swinging on one and biting into a cobra as he came back before the cobra could strike at him. He landed on the ground, holding some of the vines. "Your time is up mongoose!" hissed the nearest of the cobras. "I beg to differ." said Rikki, running circles around them and tying their necks up with it. "Any last words?" said a cobra. "Yeah," said Rikki releasing the vines and causing them to be hung and their necks to break, "goodbye!" "Hmmmmm…..I haven't broken a cobra's neck since….since…." said Rikki, recalling a memory that had brought on this whole nightmare.

An Uneasy Memory

"You have fought well, but you are no match for me!" hissed Nagaina. You and your friends may have killed my Nag and destroyed most of my eggs, but you missed this one!" she said, indicating the last egg in her mouth. "And once you are dead, I shall make short work of your muskrat friend and your bird friends and especially" she hissed gleefully, "those human vermin! I'll be Queen of the Garden forever!" "Never!" yelled Rikki, charging at her and causing the egg to fall out of her mouth and roll several feet away from the two combatants. Rikki seemed to be winning but soon was pinned down by Nagaina, his legs reaching over her neck and her fangs inches from his claws and throat. She could have killed him then, but she wanted to mock him before finishing him. To gloat over her defeated foe. "Now," she hissed, triumphantly, "so ends Rikki-tikki-tavi, the little Hero of the Garden!", she moved toward him but Rikki, by instinct and with nothing else to do, quickly yanked his feet around her neck and pulled, causing her to stop about two millimeters from his neck and gasp for air. He continued to pull as she thrashed, knocking part of the tunnel in and blocking the egg from view. "If you strike me down, you will see how much more powerful I shall become!" she cried. Nagaina made one last movement and then lay still as her neck cracked. "You'll never hurt anyone again! It's over! You cobras have lost!" said Rikki to the dead Nagaina.

His recollection moved forward to how he had imagined it, the hidden egg of Nagasta, hatching, unnoticed underground and her coming out at night and seeing Nag's dead body. "I'll make you humans pay for this!" she hissed. "You've killed my Father and must have killed my Mother too! I swear I'll make the one who did this pay!" she hissed, slithering away in the dark, unnoticed.

Warning the Garden

Rikki returned his thoughts to the present. "I think I'd better be going. I don't want to bring more cobras here." he said, getting up and moving away from the mice. "You're our hero!" said the female mouse that Rikki had rescued. "You're not the heartless mouse-killer we thought you were." said another mouse. "Heartless. Certainly not. I am a mongoose, though; I eat mice to stay alive. However, you're my friends. I'm not going to eat you guys ever." said Rikki. "How can we ever repay you?" "Well, get word to Darzee and his wife and the others. There's an island about a day's journey northeast of here. It's past the house where I live…er….lived. I'm not sure I'll ever live to see it again. It's where my family is. Go to Darzee first, then my family. They know the truth about Nagaina's death. But they don't know it all. Tell them Nagaina died but got part of what she wanted done. Her death wasn't totally in vain. One survived. There was a cave in and I assumed it had been destroyed but I was wrong. Also tell my family, if you can get to the island south of the cottage of the nearest humans, the ones with the young boy. Rally everyone who hates the King and Queen into hiding and secret rebellion against them. If the humans should be in danger, tell Darzee and his wife that I give them permission to tell the enemy the truth. Tell them that I threatened to kill them if they didn't help me and that I ran like a coward and they don't like me anymore, and they'll leave them and Teddy and his family alone. At least try that. If they still come after you, hide! I am keeping the facts from being presented outright in case the cobras intercept this and torture it out of you guys." said Rikki to the mice. "I meanwhile am going further on my quest, which, hopefully, will lead Nagasta's crowd away. And tell the Coppersmith to warn the garden and that all that can should flee for their lives." he said, walking away. "Also, if they don't understand the riddle, have them talk to Dindac. Ask him to recall the conversation I had with him many months ago."

Nagasta was furious. She had killed several Dark Mice for messing up. Rikki-tikki had won the support of the Land of the Mice and had driven out the cobras she had put there to control them. And, of course, he had once more escaped. At least she didn't have to punish the snakes that had failed her. Rikki-tikki had taken care of that for her.

Avíá's Mouse Hunt

Avíá spent that day wandering through the Land of the Mice. She walked south, moving restlessly and without a clear idea of where she was heading. Away from her loss. Away from her old home. By midday she was ravenous. She had never gone so long without eating. Indeed, she hadn't eaten at all since yesterday afternoon, which seemed a lifetime ago. She hadn't seen any fruit trees at all. She had, however, spotted a few mice wandering about. Her stomach rumbled. Avíá stared at the mice; perhaps she could eat them for food as she had no vegetables to eat. She was a mongoose after all and knew that she could run fast. Catching a mouse shouldn't be beyond her ability. She considered it. It would mean taking a life. She had already seen enough death to last her a lifetime. To think of ending the life of another bothered her. Also, it wasn't like the mice were part of Snake Empire. She had been reluctant to hunt and had always put it off whenever her parents had brought it up. However, they were gone. She thought of how they had wanted her to go hunting with them. It would have been today and she had given her word. She made her decision. I'll do it Mom and Dad! she thought.

She found a mouse that seemed to be a good target. She slowly crept up behind him. He didn't see her. I'll just get him and kill him quickly. she thought. She crouched behind him, waiting. I'll pounce on him and impale him through the heart with my claws. she thought. She decided to strike. She sprang at him and hit him with her paws. It didn't go like she'd hoped, however, for he didn't die. He had spotted her in time and moved. She had cut him with her claws but not nearly enough to bring him down. "Beastly Dark Mongoose!" he called at her, scampering. "I don't know what that is." said Avíá. The mouse was relieved that she wasn't with Nagasta, but he kept on running.

Avíá chased after him and struck at him several times. She couldn't manage to strike him enough to bring him down. "Go away mongoose!" he said angrily. He kept running, but he was unable to shake the persistent mongoose hunter. Avíá loved the chase, her heart pounding, the wind whipping her fur as she ran. The hunter in her was taking over. She pounded after him. She was gaining on him. He was running out of energy, but she still had plenty. She was getting closer and closer to capturing the mouse. He knew it too. She was getting excited as she was close to victory. The mouse was panting for breath. He was nervous and dripping sweat. Another swipe or two and she'd have him. He headed for a hole. She knew that if he got into there, she would lose her meal.

"No you don't!" she cried. She jumped and landed on him. He was winded. "Stop it, mongoose!" he cried. He tried to crawl away, but she seized him by the tail. "Gotcha! You're mine mousie!" she said triumphantly, grinning. "I've caught my first mouse." she said. "Great, now let me go!" said the mouse irritably. Avíá shook her head. He tried to break free, but she dragged him toward her and held him down. "Let me go! Please! I've done you no harm. Why are you doing this to me? Please, miss mongoose, let me go! " he pleaded. Avíá really wanted to let him go, and his cry pierced her heart. However, she had promised to hunt and eat meat; she really needed food. She wanted to tell him why she was doing this, as she felt that he should at least know what she was going to do to him and that she bore him no ill will. However, she couldn't work up the nerve to tell him that she planned to kill and eat him. She shook her head. "Release me mongoose!" he said. "I'm sorry; it's not going to be able to work that way. I'm really sorry." said Avíá sadly. The mouse kept thrashing. Avíá held him firmly. He struggled, clawing at her. She put down another paw, applying more pressure to him in order to take the fight out of him. "Let me go mongoose!" he said. He continued to struggle. She put another paw on him and applied pressure. He was weakening. "Let me go! Let me go! Please, let me go!" he begged. She felt bad but continued to hold him. "Please, release me! Please!" he begged, dripping sweat. She really pitied him and a tear fell from her eye. She had decided to eat him and so she would. "Give up so that I can get this over with." she said. "Please! Let me go! Please!" he begged. "I'm afraid I can't do that." Avíá said. She pressed really hard, draining him of what remained of his energy. He moved feebly. She applied more pressure. He struggled. She continued to hold him. "I can't breathe!" He gasped for air. She realized that her grip was stronger than she thought. As strangulation seemed too cruel a way to kill him, she loosened her grip. "You win." he said, stopping his resistance. He turned to look at her. "Young mongoose, what are you going to do with me?" he asked. She sighed. "I thought it was obvious." she said. "I gather that it's not something good for me." said the mouse. Avíá nodded. Her stomach rumbled again. "I….well I…..I plan to….I'm going to…." she stuttered nervously, not wanting to break the bad news to him. "Oh, bother. I'm hungry and need food." she said. "You are going to eat me, aren't you?" said the mouse gloomily. Avíá nodded. The mouse sighed. "Please don't hate me. I wouldn't be doing this if there was some other way! Also, I'd hoped to kill you quickly before you even noticed, but I goofed that up." said Avíá-tía-tárá.

She sat there, holding him down. She thought for a while of how best to kill the mouse. Finally, she settled on an idea. She found a stone next to her and started using it to sharpen her claws. She had decided that using her teeth to kill would be too cruel and hurt the mouse too much. Her claws would be able to do the job as quickly and as painlessly as possible. The mouse eyed her as she sharpened her claws. He shuddered. Soon, her claws were quite sharp. She brought the mouse with her. She measured the thickness of his neck. She found a root about the size and thickness of his neck. She swung her claws downward and cleaved it apart. "Yes, it's sharp enough." she said to herself. It would be enough to slice through his neck. The mouse surveyed her. "You intend to use those on me, don't you?" he asked. She nodded. The mouse sighed. "Seems the best way to kill a mouse." she said.

"Please give me a quick death young one!" he squeaked, looking up at her, not with hatred, she was glad to see, but with resignation. What horrors could Snake Empire have done to them that they do not cry in the face of death? Did he lose family too? Avíá thought.

She stood over her prey. I got him. Not bad for a first try on a first hunt! Ok Avíá, you knew it would come to this if you got one. The mouse is right. You need to get it over with! she thought. Even now, she was reluctant to kill and eat him. However, she knew she'd starve if she didn't eat him. She raised her claws, planning to finish him. Avíá felt the mouse's heart rate speed up. His eyes watched her claws carefully.

Avíá sniffed him, and then licked him with her tongue. It may seem strange to you that she did this, but, like a child who tries food for the first time, she wanted to know what he might smell and taste like before she ate him. She found that the mouse smelled a bit strange, quite unlike fruit. She found that he tasted like hair. "Eccccch, mice don't taste that great!" she said. "Perhaps the good stuff is inside." She stood there, her claws raised, hesitant. "Come on mongoose; don't play with your food. Do what you have to do! Either let me go or eat me already!" the mouse complained. She had forgotten that the mouse was still alive and, that, unlike vegetables, wouldn't like being tasted. She felt foolish. "So sorry about that. I'm used to eating plants. That's how I've always tried all new foods." she said. "Glad to see a predator with feelings. I didn't think you saw me as anything but food!" he said.

"Me, a predator?" she said in shock, forgetting that she was. The mouse rolled his eyes at her. "Well, yeah, I guess." she said, laughing nervously. "I've never eaten meat in my life. My family kept urging me to go mouse hunting. I kept putting it off. It was going to be today. However, they were murdered by cobras last night. I haven't eaten since a while before their deaths. I'm starved. Though they are dead, I'm keeping my promise to my family to hunt. I'm so terribly sorry that it has to be you." Avíá said. "I'm so sorry about your family." said the mouse. He seemed sweet and Avíá felt sorry about what she intended to do to him. "I see you as a living being that has feelings. I don't like having to do this, but I have to eat, there is no fruit around here, so you're on the menu." she said to the mouse. "Just make sure I'm dead before you eat me." said the mouse. She nodded. "Of course. I'm no monster." she said. She moved her claws over his throat. She felt horrible. "I'm so terribly sorry. I feel like a murderer." she said. The mouse looked her in the face. "You are not. I understand. You don't like killing. That is quite obvious. You need to eat. I forgive you." he said.

"If you see my family, could you please tell them that I miss them and that I love them?" she asked. The mouse nodded. Her stomach growled. She composed herself and decided to finish the job once and for all. "Ok, I need lunch. So, here goes." she said. Knowing of his impending demise, the mouse shut his eyes. Avíá, who didn't want to watch this either, though for different reasons, also shut her eyes.

She sucked in a lot of air, preparing to do the deed once and for all. She swung her claws downward, pointing at his neck. They sliced through his neck and decapitated him. She felt his heart stop moving, and his body became motionless. She opened her eyes. She moved her gaze, slowly, inch by inch, toward the mouse. The mouse was dead, his head parted from his body. He had died painlessly and hadn't cried out. Avíá exhaled rapidly. "I did it. I actually did it. I took a life!" she said, staring at the dead mouse. "Poor mouse! I didn't want to kill you, but I need to eat. I hope you're happy, wherever you are." she said. She cried for a few seconds.

The deed was done. She had crossed a threshold in her life as a mongoose. She had killed, had taken a life. Avíá the vegetarian was gone. Avíá the hunter was born. Ok Avíá-tía-tárá, the hardest part is over. You've got a kill under your belt. Now go ahead and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Have some lunch. Avíá thought.

As she moved over her prey, she almost felt that she was standing over the bodies of her family all over again. Her thoughts turned to her family. They would have been proud. "Look, I hunted a mouse. See, I got him. Killed him too. Wish you could be here with me. It would have made this easier." she said. She hoped, wherever they were, they could know that she had kept her promise. She knew, though, that they, like the mouse she had just killed, were gone and couldn't come back to her, and she cried for a while.

She had liked the thrill of the chase, pounding after the mouse. However, she still hated killing. She recalled her promise to try two bites of meat. That would be all it would take to take enough of the edge off of her hunger to hold her over till she could find some veggies again. It would be insulting to the mouse not to eat him now. She felt something wet and sticky on her paws. She looked down and saw a bunch of red mouse blood all over her paws. "Eccch! Hunting may be fun but killing is messy!" she said in disgust. She didn't want to go around all day with blood on her paws. She found a patch of grass and wiped her claws on the grass. The blood came off. I wonder if Rikki-tikki-tavi is bothered by this part of hunting too. I'll bet he can hunt far better than me. Maybe he can give me lessons. He can show me how to make a perfect kill. Then the mice won't have to fear their coming deaths. Well, I've wasted enough time already. Rikki-tikki will be getting further and further away. Time to eat my lunch. she thought.

Mouse Meat

She looked down at the dead mouse. "Poor little guy." she said. Her stomach rumbled. She was famished. She knew the mouse was gone, that eating him now wouldn't hurt him. "Best get this over with." She moved over the dead mouse and picked him up with her mouth. She didn't want to watch this and closed her eyes. "I'm a hunter now. I've taken a life. No turning back now." she said. Slowly, Avíá-tía sank her teeth into her meal. She bit hard. She heard a snapping sound. The mouse's bones had snapped. She didn't much like that. Avíá-tía-tárá soon realized that she would need to eat her meal in chunks because animals, unlike plants, had bones that got in the way. She used her carnassials to tear off a piece of meat. She had never used those teeth to eat before today. She had hated being born with them, because she felt that they marked her as a killer. She had felt that they made her like a cobra. Now she knew that killing for food didn't make her bad. What made the cobras bad was that they killed for fun and because of the fact that they ate children.

She ripped at a piece of meat. Blood spattered her snout. She was disgusted. Having only eaten plants all of her life, this was new for her. She kept tugging till she had a chunk of meat free from the body. She put it into her mouth. She felt sure it would taste awful. However, she forced herself to chew. Her teeth chomped down on the meat and she tasted it. Much to her surprise, she found that she liked it. She swallowed her first mouthful of meat ever. "Delicious. I like this." she said, licking her lips. "I think I'll try another bite."

She tore off another piece of meat and ate it. It tasted sweet. "I like this as much as mangoes." she said. She decided to eat the rest, liking this new source of food. She finished off the rest of the mouse. That wasn't so bad. I suppose I shall have to do that many more times in my life. It's not like I killed him just for the fun of it. she thought. "Mom and Dad. You were right, I like mouse meat!" Avíá said.

She now had just the bones, fur, tail, teeth, and whiskers of the mouse left. She didn't care to try and eat any of those parts other than the bones. She had watched her mother explain to Arda that there was meat in the bones. Avíá cracked open the bones and ate the marrow inside. After she was done, she had a pile of broken bones. She belched and patted her stomach. It had been such a good meal. She was still hungry. She would have some more mice. Now that she had some food in her stomach, she would have the energy to hunt again and also to find Rikki-tikki-tavi.

Avíá went to a nearby stream and washed the mouse blood off of her snout. She also had a drink, for the chase had made her thirsty and she wanted something to help her wash down her meal. She napped for a while so she could recoup her energy and digest her meal. She was a bit annoyed to find that, though mouse meat was delicious, it sometimes gave her gas. And, this mouse seemed to be of that type. She tooted. She fanned the air. "Well Avíá, it could be worse. You thought that if you ever killed and ate a mouse, that you'd be struck dead." she said to herself. She returned to the remains of the mouse.

She felt sorry for the poor dead mouse. I wonder if he had a family. They might have expected him to come back. But he went into my stomach instead of going home. she thought. This thought made her sad. But I didn't murder him. A mongoose has to eat after all. she thought. She dug a small hole, placed his remains inside, and buried them, leaving a tiny pebble to mark his resting place.

Having hunted the first time, it didn't pain her so much to make a kill a second time. And she was better this time. This time she got her mouse quickly and had her pinned down. "First snakes, now a mongoose!" the mouse cried. She applied a lot of pressure and soon wore the mouse out. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked Avíá. "Kill and eat you." said Avíá matter-of-factly. "You are so unkind!" said the mouse, shaking her head. "Cut me some slack, I'm just hungry." said Avíá. "If you must." said the mouse. "I'll get this over with quickly." said Avíá. She quickly slashed the mouse's throat. She wiped the mouse blood off of her paws and this time ate her meal with her eyes open. "So good! What a fool I am for not wanting mouse meat. Meat is now going to be a part of my diet. I'm just hoping that it doesn't always make me toot." she said, gnawing on a bone. Luckily, this mouse didn't. Avíá buried the remains of this mouse next to her previous kill.

Her third time hunting, her maneuvering was so successful that, when she pounced upon her prey, she was so silent and the attack so well aimed that her prey died instantly and without realizing what had happened, for Avíá's claws went right through the mouse's heart. She didn't know this, though, and assumed that she had badly hurt the mouse, as he wasn't moving. "Ok, I guess I must have hurt you really badly. I'll put you out of your misery." she said. The mouse didn't reply. She toched the mouse. His heart didn't beat. She felt elated. "I made a perfect kill." she said. This must be unusual for only a third try. Avíá thought. Her parents would have been proud. It was so unusual for a mongoose to make a perfect kill in her first hunt. It had taken both of them at least until their third hunt before they had pulled it off. Avíá repeated her maneuver three more times, taking down three more mice without a struggle. She also took down a fourth the same way. She figured that she would keep this last one to give to Rikki-tikki-tavi. Who knew when he'd last eaten? She figured that he'd probably eat meat.

Avíá Asks Mice Where to Find Rikki-tikki

After she had finished the last mouse, she paused, hearing some mice, who obviously hadn't noticed the mongoose walking nearby, talking. "Rikki-tikki is such a brave young hero!" one squeaked. "Wow, even mice speak well of him." Avíá said. "Did he say where he was going?" the other asked. "I can't remember, he said he was heading…" the other replied, pausing as Avíá came into sight. "Hello. I'm looking for Rikki-tikki. I heard you've seen him. Please tell me where he went." Avíá said. "We don't talk to Dark Mongooses!" the mice squeaked defiantly. "What's a Dark Mongoose? I've been called that once already today." she asked them. "A mongoose in league with that horrible Cobra King and Queen." said a mouse. "I'm no Dark Mongoose! They murdered my family last night! Several of my friends became Dark Mongooses and I was forced, on principle, to leave them. I'm no fan of Snake Empire! I want to help Rikki-tikki. Now either you help me, "she said, jumping at them and pinning them down with surprising quickness, "or you die! I suggest, for your sakes, that you talk. I want to tell Rikki-tikki-tavi about the Dark Mongooses and beg him to help me. I want to help him too. As for you, you have one minute to start talking. Refuse and you die!" she said, placing her claws over their throats.

The mice were reluctant to talk. They weren't sure if she was being honest. After forty seconds, she said "Time is ticking away. I really don't like killing. I've only done it for food. You have one last chance to talk. Otherwise, I will slash your throats, for I kill mercifully. I've already hunted earlier today and have had my fill. I don't want a full meal as that would make me slow. However I daresay Rikki-tikki-tavi might be hungry. If you don't find your voices and refuse to help, I'll be feeding your carcasses to him. Perhaps the next mice I encounter, seeing your bodies, will be a bit more helpful." she said. As she had said she'd kill mercifully and that she hated killing and only did it for food, they knew she wasn't a Dark Mongoose, for they started eating mice they captured while still alive and relished taking lives.

"He was heading southwest." one of them replied. "How long ago did he leave?" she asked. "An hour ago. He sent us to send a message to his friends. You might be able to catch up with him if you hurry." said the mouse. "I must have just missed him while hunting! Drat! What does he look like?" she asked. "Rather like you, only with dark brown and red fur and pink eyes." said the other mouse. "That's all I know." She released them. "We didn't want to talk till we could trust you. We'd rather be eaten than betray Rikki-tikki-tavi." they said. "Understood. Never killed till today. I was hungry and hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I've been through hell with the loss of my family since then. I normally eat fruit, but I haven't seen any fruit trees all day, so, I had to eat meat. I was supposed to hunt anyway with my family today. I kept my promise and hunted. Have to eat to live. This last mouse is for Rikki-tikki-tavi. I thought he might be hungry." she said. Behind them, the sun was setting. "Who are you?" asked the mice. "Avíá-tía-tárá. Thanks for your help. I need to get going. This meal has made me a bit sleepy. I need to find Rikki-tikki-tavi." she said, running off southwest. "You're welcome." the mice called after her. "I hope she finds him." said one of the mice. "She has her heart in the right place. Losing her family like that and still willing to help Rikki-tikki. She's no Dark Mongoose. She has guts." said the other.

The two mice continued on toward the garden. They met up with some others. "Rikki-tikki has a female admirer." said one of the mice. "Her name is Avíá-tía-tárá. She is his age and can hunt without being taught. She lost her family to cobras last night. She was gonna kill us if we didn't tell her where Rikki-tikki went." said the other. They talked about Avíá. They reached the garden around midnight. They related Rikki's cryptic message to the garden creatures.

The Flight of the Garden Creatures

"So, what was that bit about the last one? All my fault?" said Chuchundra. "Last one? Last what? Something to do with Nagaina." said Darzee, confused. "Rikki was the one who killed Nagaina. But so what?" "Nagaina had something. The last what?" said Chua. "Well," said Darzee's wife, "he used the last cobra egg to lure her….wait…cobra egg! A cave in. Not destroyed! Oh dear! This is ill news!" "What's the matter?" said Darzee. "Isn't it obvious? Rikki's been keeping it from us for a while. He thought we'd be mad at him. "said his wife. "Why would we be mad at Rikki-tikki? He's done nothing but help us. "said Darzee.

"I believe he means that one of Nagaina's children isn't dead!" said Biwi. "How simply dreadful!" said Darzee. "How does one cobra, alone who knows where in the jungle, affect us?" asked Azil. "He said to ask Dindac something." said Chua. "I do recall a strange conversation Rikki-tikki and I had several months ago." said Dindac. "What did you discuss?" asked his wife. "I asked if Nagasta was coming back. He said that she was for certain. He then told me something odd. He said that, whatever she has against the humans, it was him that had done it, not the people like she thought. He wouldn't tell me what it was. I asked if this was going to be like Nag and Nagaina again, I was young then and only recall that Nag ate my brother when he fell from the nest, but he said that it was going to be exactly like….exactly like!" said Dindac. "Holy bamboo!" he said. "He told me that she gave herself her name." said Dindac. "Why didn't I see it before?" "Who gave herself what name?" said Darzee. "Nagasta named herself." said Dindac. "Yes, Nagasta, the Heartless Cunning One, but what's the got to do with anything?" asked his wife. "Nagata is an orphan." said Dindac. "Well, so?" said his wife.

"Dindac, you look frightened! What is it?" asked Biwi. "Exactly like Nag and Nagaina he said. She blames the people for their deaths but it really was Rikki-tikki who actually killed them. You said you noticed something familiar about Nagasta. Well, her eyes, would they happen to look very much like the eyes of another cobra, one named Nag? And her body, does it look similar to Nagaina's, except those black spots? And her little chant that night against the people, does it sound anything like the one Nagaina let out against the people the morning she died? Why would Nagasta want to know about Nag and Nagaina from Tivia? How did Nagasta, whom we always thought had never been in the garden before, know about the gun? The big man hadn't used it since he'd shot Nag. I think that Nagasta already knew about Nag and Nagaina before Tivia told her. I don't think Nagasta first heard of them from a cobra." said Dindac. "How can that be? Where would she have learned it from?" said Chuchundra. "The Coppersmith. He yelled to everyone that Nag and Nagaina were dead. Also, the singing of the birds and the croaking of the frogs would have given her further clues. Thankfully, nobody mentioned Rikki-tikki. I think we'd have seen an attack, and a dangerous one, months ago, if they had. She saw Nag and Karait's bodies and told Tivia and the others that they were dead." said Dindac. "Surely, we'd have noticed if Nagasta was in the garden." said Chua. "Not if she was a small child. Nagasta went unnoticed, and that's probably why she sent Kinsta and Ragiva to the garden first. She knew that a young king cobra could easily go unnoticed." said Dindac. "Poor Rikki-tikki-tavi. I think he figured out all of this when he confronted her last. I think he realized that he had the chance to kill her and failed. I think he's been too ashamed to tell us and also too worried one of us, especially Dad, will say something stupid about how Rikki-tikki defeated Nag and Nagaina and will brag too loudly. I think Nagasta wants their deaths avenged and that is her grudge against the humans. We don't want her to know about Rikki-tikki, or else not only him, but his family, and even us, could get killed. I think we've figured out the mysterious past of the Cobra Queen at last."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying Dindac?" asked Biwi, now shaking herself now. "What has this got to do with Nagaina's last egg?" said Darzee, who still didn't understand. "Is that cobra working for Nagasta? One of her leaders?" asked Darzee. "No, it's Nagasta herself! Nag and Nagaina were her parents. She thinks the big man killed Nag and Nagaina. So she wants to kill the people. Nag and Nagaina were king and queen of the garden. Thus she thinks she's the rightful queen of the garden. She was talking to that cobra Tivia, a friend of Nag and Nagaina's. Nagasta wanted to know about her parents. This whole anti-human rant is about the death of Nag and Nagaina. It's her ultimate goal to be queen of the garden and kill the humans, and us if she fancies. She probably heard a good deal of our singing if she hatched that day Nagaina died and hid underground until we were all asleep. She'll want to pay us back." said Dindac. "Yes, I believe you're right!" said Biwi.

"We should hide on the island with his family." said Darzee. "He said to tell them the truth. Presumably about this information we've just uncovered." squeaked a mouse. "Now we must flee to the island. It won't be safe here now with many of the mongooses on their side."

Darzee shook the Coppersmith. "What?" said the Coppersmith sleepily. Darzee explained. "Nagasta is their daughter?! You're joking!" said the Coppersmith in shock. "I wish I was." said Darzee. "Worse, many mongooses have joined her. It's inevitable that she'll come soon. We need to evacuate the garden. Tell everyone who can to leave here and go into hiding." said Darzee.

The Coppersmith called to the garden "Ding-Dong-Tock! The Queen is the daughter of Nag and Nagaina! You cannot hide from her wrath. Flee, run for your lives! Many evil mongooses have joined her. The cobras are almost unopposed. Flee, save your family! Flee! Ding-Dong-Tock! Run! The garden isn't safe anymore! Nagasta will surely hunt you all! Flee! Ding-Dong-Tock! Flee the garden! The crows and mongooses have joined her side! Ding-Dong-Tock! Flee!" he cried and several creatures of the garden begin running off into the night with such a fear that never happened even in the days of Nag and Nagaina and Karait.