It was a pleasant day in White Deer Park. The birds chirped, and the various mammals went about their business. With how peaceful it seemed, one wouldn't think of the troubles the park had endured. It had all started when a group of animals arrived at the park, so many moons ago. They were strangers, hailing from a distant place known as Farthing Wood. It was common knowledge Farthing Wood had long become a housing development. Any traces of the mighty wood was a solitary tree. The proof came from the word of one of the Farthing Wood animals, a rather pompous and tatty owl.

Word of the travelers had spread far and wide, so by the time they had actually arrived, it was no surprise to any of the park residents.

Of course, their arrival was not met with greetings from everyone, for another held the new arrivals with pure disdain. His name was Scarface, he was the leader of the local blue fox tribe. A land dispute followed, the Farthing Wood animals keeping to their side, while the blue foxes to theirs. Unfortunately, peace didn't follow, for war broke out between the two sides. The fighting led to death, which led to failed assassinations, but ended when Scarface was felled by a snake bite while getting a drink no less.

After his death, the tribe dispersed, his widow Lady Blue leading them out of the park. That was the last anyone had seen of them. Save for Scarface and Lady Blue's son Ranger, who had become mates with the daughter of the Farthing Wood fox.

Yet the troubles did not end there. For some time after, when Fox's grandson Plucky was grown, a hoard of rats invaded the park. They grew in numbers infesting every corner of the park. Even the park's Warden could do nothing. Day by day the combined efforts of the animals and the warden, claimed as many rats as they could, but rats were known for increasing their numbers, and so the work was never enough. Luckily, hope came from a child, for a young weasel bit the tail right off the Bully, the leader of the rats.

Though victory had been anticlimactic, Bully was laughed right out of the park. Though peace had been restored to the park once more, there had been losses. Between Scarface and the rats, they had lost many Farthing Wood animals, and not just the original ones.

Like any creature, the animals of Farthing Wood had taken mates, some at least, and settled down to raise families of their own. Those who became mates of those particular animals were bound by the oath, the very doctrine that united them together as friends, making sure none would eat or threaten each other.

Despite that life went on as usual, one resident of the park felt a bitter taste in their mouth, and it wasn't the mouse they had a few days ago. Speaking of which, another one lay perfectly still. It twitched its nose, completely lost in its surroundings. It was so lost, it failed to see the pair of yellow eyes staring greedily at it from within the tall grass.

That proved to be its weakness, for a sharp squeak rang out as jaws snapped shut around it. In moments its movements slowed as its captor rose for all to see. It was an adder, green in color with black triangular markings dotting her back. She wasn't simply a snake, for she held a name, and a title best suited for one such as her. She was famous you see, anyone with two eyes and a pair of ears would stand in awe of her.

"Hello, Adder!"

The snake became rigid as her name was spoken. Landing just a few feet away from her was a female heron. The heron wasn't any stranger to the residents of the park, or at least her mouth wasn't.

'I said hello there. It's been a while hasn't it?"

Adder turned around and the heron cocked her head back as she noticed the limp tail hanging from the mouth of the former.

"Oh my...enjoying breakfast I see," The heron awkwardly noticed.

A soft slurp was her response as the tail disappeared in Adder's maw and slid down her throat. Before she said anything, a forceful burp escaped the snake's maw. The heron's left eye twitched as she felt the sheer disgust of the escaped air.

"What do you want Speedy?" Adder asked dryly.

Speedy spread out her wings abruptly, "Well now, here I am just dropping in to say hello to my dear friend Adder, and I'm met with scorn and quite a rude display. I know you're famous and have been through a lot with your life, what with your tail being bitten off and so forth, but you could at least show some common decency to your friends!"

Adder rolled her eyes. Technically she and Speedy were not friends, she was merely the estranged wife of her friend Whistler. Whistler had been the first of the Farthing Wood animals to find a mate. But by the time of the rat invasion, the relationship hadn't lasted. Granted, the pair had produced chicks, and the pair were friendly towards one another, the marriage had ended in what humans would call a divorce. But even so, from what Adder knew about herons, and frankly she didn't take the time to study up on important facts, they paired up during the breeding season, splitting up when the chicks were old enough. At least, that's what a friend had told her.

Nonetheless, Adder did have some pleasantries stored away in her scaly, sardonic-laden body. It wasn't as if she was completely without a heart.

"Fine, I'm sssorry," Adder apologized.

"That's quite alright Adder, considering what you've been through, I can overlook it. Frankly, I'm amazed at how you've taken the tragedy with your life, what with what's been taken from you."

Adder released a low groan as Speedy uttered her sentence in rapid succession. Granted, she wasn't as grating as Weasel, but how Whistler could have stood to be around his once mate for an extended period was beyond her, or even how they would pair up again once the breeding season started.

"Oh Speedy, do shut up!"

Adder looked above and grinned as she noticed the approaching shape of the Farthing Wood owl landing perfectly upon a tree branch.

Holding her beak up high, Speed declared, "Well now, I can certainly see I am not wanted, and here I was merely giving our dear friend Adder a friendly greeting!" Spreading her wings, she spoke before she took off, "Good day ladies!"

With that, the heron was gone.

"Thanksss," Adder hissed.

"Anytime, how are you, my friend?" Owl asked.

Out of all the animals, she considered Owl her best friend. During the journey to White Deer Park, the two of them had made snide remarks in regard to the animals, mocking them behind their backs. It was rather enjoyable, and frankly, Adder felt she found herself an equal, someone she felt completely comfortable with. At least, until she met one other.

"Fine, all thingsss consssidered Owl," Adder replied, "How are you? Thingsss going alright with Hollow?"

Owl beamed up with pride and notable happiness, causing the branch to shake, "Oh my yes! Now that you mention it, Hollow and I are positively happy. Honestly, I never imagined I could ever be so happy. I don't know why I didn't find myself a mate sooner."

Adder had to admit to herself, she was quite surprised Owl of all creatures found herself a mate. Then again, it was more shocking Weasel had a mate. Honestly, no one saw that coming. Happy as she was for her friend, Adder couldn't help but feel a hole in her heart. It was small, merely a pothole, and those could be easily filled.

"Oh my to have a mate is such a divine prospect. To not be alone, to have someone to grow old with, and perhaps one day have little chicks of our own!" Owl listed off the various reasons having a mate was wonderful.

"Really? Chicks?" Adder questioned.

Owl looked towards the snake with her feathers puffed out, "Well, why not? It's not like I'm old and feeble. I admit, I am not as young as I used to be, but I have a certain...uniqueness to me that Hollow finds quite attractive."

Adder couldn't help but chuckle, but as she did, she felt the hole in her heart grow.

"Honestly Adder I'm looking forward to potentially becoming a mother. To teach my little ones all the knowledge my mind contains. Yes, they will certainly be the wisest creatures in White Deer Park!" Owl held her head up high, closing her eyes as she imagined it all, "And they would pass my knowledge onto their children, and their children, and so forth till my lineage stretches generations!"

Owl was merely excited, Adder couldn't blame her for that, but the more she did, the more Adder couldn't deny the hole was chipping away little by little. However, Adder was strong, she had survived numerous hardships, and she had taken them all.

"Oh Adder, how I wish you and Sinuous could have had all that and more."

Adder's eyes grew wide, and her mouth hung slightly agape. The hole had now become a sinkhole, and everything spiraled around it, going down the drain. Apparently, Owl wasn't too inconsiderate for her beak fell.

"Adder! Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It'sss alright Owl. You meant no harm by it," Adder understood her friend well, and she knew Owl would never intentionally hurt her.

Yet, it brought back painful memories.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Owl asked.

Slowly, Adder shook her said and replied, "I'd rather be by myssself if you pleassse."

There was no anger within her voice, and Owl merely nodded and replied, "Very well, but if you ever need a shoulder to cry on."

Adder managed a slight smile, "I'll keep that in mind."

Saying nothing more, Adder slithered off into the park, vanishing from view until Owl was alone on the tree branch. All the while she slithered, Adder held her head down, eyes and expression somber. She just had to be reminded of the past, reminded of him.

"SSSinuous."

Just saying his name broadened the sinkhole within her heart. Adder had never bothered herself with romance, viewing it as nonsense. Nothing more than an excuse for animals to continue their bloodline. Adder should know, that's how it was with her parents. She had never met her father, her mother never spoke of him, and it had been her mother who had raised her and her siblings, all by herself.

Adder held a deep respect for her mother. Though she may not have been sunshine and cuddles, she had taught her children how to survive. That's all life really was, survival, living one day to the next. If anything, her conception was merely the result of mating instincts coming into play. Her parents had paired, done their business, and parted. Adder assumed that's where she gained her lack of reverence for love.

Romantic nonsense she had called it, once when she overheard Whistler and Speedy. But, she wasn't sure if her siblings felt the same way. She hadn't seen them since they became old enough to fend for themselves. Though she wouldn't have put it past any of her brothers and sisters, to potentially sire or birth offspring of their own, she didn't bother herself with such matters. Babies may have been adorable, but Adder didn't relish the idea of little ones chattering at her, begging her for attention or food. She wasn't that kind of creature, and as far as she was concerned, that's how it would remain.

That is until she met Sinuous.

Adder hadn't met any other snakes since she had first moved to White Deer Park. Though the park had a plentiful snake population as far as she knew, she never bothered with her fellow reptiles. Sinuous had been the first and the last. She recalled the day he met and immediately drank in his features: blue scales with the same black markings as she, but his most curious feature was the facial markings just above his nose. To a human, it would appear that Sinuous had a mustache, but to Adder, it was something that made him stand out from all the rest.

Then there was his personality. If anything, Adder found herself staring into a male mirror of herself. They were oh so very similar, save Sinuous seemed to savor his naps. She recalled all the times they slumbered together, his snores lulling her to sleep beside him.

For the first time in her life, Adder had felt complete. She had found her one true love, and slowly she found her once cold heartwarming, opening up to new possibilities, and that included children. Toad had brought it up, "adding up adders" he had put it. Though she and Sinuous had threatened him into submission, the idea opened up. In fact, she and Sinuous had indeed talked about it. Granted, of course, they decided to wait. With the war with the rats going on, neither of them wanted to bring up any children in a warzone. As far as they were concerned, they had all the time in the world to start their family.

How wrong they were.

Adder recalled that horrid day. They had just finished a rat killing spree, biting and gorging on what they could. Sinuous proclaimed he was tired and wanted a rest. Though she had called him lazy, Adder knew her love deserved his rest.

"Be careful Adder, my very own beautiful snake whom I love."

Those were the last words he had said to her. When he had been gone for too long, Adder had gone out to search for him. She found Toad alongside the badger's Shadow and Hurkel. They offered condolences, but Adder didn't understand why. At least, until she saw Sinuous's limp form.

It was true what they said about a broken heart. She had felt it had shattered into a million pieces. Her body became colder, and the world crashed all around her. Adder never let herself cry, a lesson her mother had drilled into her during her youth. But she let it all out that day as she cried on the badger's leg.

From that point on, Adder killed as many rats as she could, but it did nothing to heal the pain she felt. Even after Bully was exiled from the park, it brought her little joy. She hated all rats and wanted them all dead. Well, with the exception of Spike, one of Bully's own who had defected to their side. Yet, that was only due to his friendship with Toad, otherwise, he would either be dead in the grass or resting in her stomach.

Though with anger, it brought another emotion: jealousy. It wasn't fair, her friends had mates and offspring, even Weasel. Weasel getting a mate was one thing, but her being a mother was something unheard of. A little-known fact about Weasel is that she and Adder had been acquainted as children. They weren't friends, in fact, Weasel was more or less the annoying girl next door, so to speak. Even back then, Weasel was loud and obnoxious, a contrast to her straight-laced parents. Clearly, Weasel was an example of the gene pool dealing a wildcard. Or at the very least, Weasel's behavior was an act of rebellion against her parents. An act she long practiced into adulthood.

It wouldn't have surprised Adder if Weasel's family was unplanned. It wasn't like her mustelid friend to plan for her future. Weasel always lived for the pleasures of the moment. She was a hedonist, and it certainly reflected how she still kept the services of the Warden's dog, Rollo. Then there was the sheer fact her family was dysfunctional. Adder had silently observed them, watched how Weasel's husband Measly tried to reel in their children Cleo and Fido, and how Weasel often berated Measly. Each and every time, Measly would cave in and cater to her whims, going on over how gorgeous his wife was.

Adder felt some level of pride, for she and Sinuous had regarded one another as equals. They were both matched in skill and ferocity, and it only burned her all the more that her line ended with her, while everyone else would continue. It was a certainty, she would die alone and childless, the last remnant that there were once adders in Farthing Wood. In all honesty, she was fine with that. Sinuous was her one and only love, no one else would replace him, and she wouldn't allow it. If that meant living a solitary life, then so be it. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to it. Perhaps it was better she was alone.

As her thoughts and feelings swirled together, Adder heard a tiny squeak, the very same she had heard before. Mice were quite abundant this season it would appear. She didn't have to worry about it being a Farthing Wood mouse. The bloodline of the Farthing Wood field mice had ended. Their babies had been killed on the journey, Mrs. Field Mouse had met her end accidentally at Kestrel's claws, and Mr. Field Mouse had perished during the following winter. She recalled how he and the other smaller animals lived in fear of her. At the time, she basked in it, but now she had to admit she missed their whiskered faces.

Such was life it would seem, and life was telling Adder it was time for the second course.

Adder had already eaten, and though this one mouse would have sustained her, she longed for more. Even back in Farthing Wood, Adder had a reputation for being greedy. In fact, one would dare refer to her as a glutton. It was her fangs alone that had decimated the field mouse population, barring the ones who had taken the journey to White Deer Park.

That wasn't the only time. Adder had certainly shown her appetite during the rat invasion. Officially she was doing it to keep the park safe, but secretly she found herself enjoying a buffet beyond dreaming. Adder often had pleasant dreams during that period, imagining a wonderland of rats, all waiting to be put in her belly, only to be disappointed that it turned out to be a dream.

Gluttonous as she was, she knew she wasn't taking pleasure in an additional meal. Even though she didn't need it, she knew she had nothing better to do. Perhaps gobbling up another mouse would cheer her up, she reasoned. Anything to fill her empty heart.

Adder took her position, low to the ground and tongue flicking to taste the air. Her quarry was close. This would be a cinch. Her mouth watered in anticipation as her eyes spied head, catching the delicious morsel in her sight.

"Come to Mama," She whispered to herself.

She almost licked her chops, but worried the noise would alert her prey. There was no time to waste. She felt her hunger rise and it was time to sate it. Adder dove forward, expecting the taste of rodent to lap against her tongue, then slide down her throat into her lithe form.

But all she felt was pain. Not the emotional kind, but the physical kind.

A sharp pain rang across her head and she hit the ground with a thump. The mouse let out a squeak and she knew it had gotten away. As she rose, her body swayed dizzily, and for a moment she swore she could see stars. It was just like the time when Fox threw her out of the pool. With a quick shake, she felt the pain descend into a dull throb.

"Are you….alright?"

A male voice asked then drifted off. Adder's vision adjusted and what lay in front of her was a surprise. It was another adder. From the voice, she knew it was a male. He was of a brown colorization, not entirely dark though. It was a lighter shade and seemed to have a hint of yellow. The circular markings across his back were dark brown, and they ended in a triangular pattern atop his head.

Though, his most distinguishing features were his eyes. They were bright blue. Adder had never seen a snake with blue eyes, and it was those very blue eyes that were staring at her.

The reptilian orbs fixated upon Adder and she didn't like it one bit. Fury swelled up in the proud creature and Adder released a hiss.

"Why don't you watch where you're going!? You made me missss my meal!"

The male snapped out of his trance and shook his head, "Your meal? But ma'am I had my eyes on that moussse too."

Adder tilted her head, jerking her body back in an abrupt motion, "What?"

The male shrank back, "Well...w-w-what I mean to sssay ma'am, isss that I wasss out hunting and happened upon the moussse and well…"

"Forget it!" Adder spat.

"Excussse me?" The male questioned.

"Go claim your prize, I couldn't care lesss!"

Before the male could say anything more, Adder slithered off in a huff. As she did, the male stared at her all the more, but Adder didn't look back. If she did, she would have noticed the male was looking quite guilty.

One sentence escaped his lips, "It wasssn't her, it wasssn't her," he recited that, almost in a mantra.

Yet, Adder didn't hear, nor would she care if she did. The only thing she cared about was finding someplace to be alone.

A/N: Super sorry I haven't updated sooner.