The enormous feline monster stalked the base of the tree, clawing away at the opening where the sneaky tails of the four snakes could still be seen. Although they were trying to escape with all their might, it was a pathetic effort.

What was the point of all the training if they couldn't put it to use when necessary?

For a moment, annoyed as he was, the male guard couldn't bring himself to start moving. The grouchy snake oversaw their plight with eyes filled with disdain. Until the female guard nudged him impatiently.

[We need to save them. What are you hesitating for?] She frowned at his lack of interest.

If it were left to him, he would leave those useless snakes to their fate and retreat now that the monster was paying them no attention. But of course, if he did that, he would never hear the end of complaints from his sister.

She just couldn't resist saving the puppies and kittens of the world and would never let him get away with it.

He did not want to look at the white snake. Only the slight twitch at the edge of his mouth revealed his irritation. Of the six snakes present, five were okay, and only one was injured. There was no reason they couldn't all get away unharmed.

He sighed and made up his mind.

[Alright. I'll be the bait. While I lure it away, you take the others and run.] He said while glaring at the quivering snakes, and then as if remembering something, he turned to his sister to add. [Leave the injured one behind, it will only slow you down.]

The female guard gave him a cold stare. [That's not a plan. Its a suicide mission.]

[Don't be dramatic. I can take care of myself.]

[I'm the fastest among us. If anyone should be the bait, it's me.] She hissed stubbornly.

[Please don't fight.] The sprinkled snake said worriedly from the side. [We need to work together.]

[Be quiet.] The male guard glared at him and turned to his sister. [No, I should be the one doing this. Don't worry, I won't get hurt.]

[How can I not? You will be up against something like that.] The female guard countered. [I refuse, I'm not leaving you behind.]

The male guard was stunned by her fierce declaration, she was normally aloof about everything, but he shook his head firmly. [I don't need your permission. We're doing it this way. Don't make a move until it starts chasing me.]

But as he stared at the two pairs of concerned beady eyes, he felt he had to add. [If I don't return after some time, I trust you will come back and rescue me.]

[That's not the point]

[I'm going now.]

Without waiting for confirmation, he ducked out of the sheltered alcove and climbed up a tree to get a better view of the monster.

With heckles of thick fur raised, the beasts eyes shone a delighted red hue as it focused in on the terrified snakes. As powerful strikes from its hooked claws splintered off crisp chunks of deadwood, he caught glimpses of four trembling snakes through the cracks.

The wounded one looked much paler than before.

Without any more delay, he leapt off the trunk, and curling himself into a spherical roll in the air, he shot down at the creature, crashing against the side of its head with a loud bang.

There wasn't much he could do for them except to provide an opportunity. To distract such a monster for a minute would not be an easy feat, and it was up to them if they could grasp it.

The creature staggered backwards and away from the tree, stunned from the sudden and forceful impact. It let out an enraged roar that shook that area of the forest.

The trembling snakes all snapped to attention at once, scrambling over themselves to break away from the tree, while the male guard deftly landed on the ground in full view of the creature.

As soon as its blazing red eyes fell on him, it made a staggering leap to attack, but he already expected as much and quickly slithered out of range and away in the other direction.

He could feel every tremor of its movements through the ground as the monster pursued, and even as his danger perception was telling him to hide, he continued to move about in the open.

Once he sensed the heat trace of the third snake clear away from the base of the trunk, he dove into foliage to find a decent spot to disappear with his camouflage.

However, as soon as he conceal himself, he noticed the pounding footsteps behind him had stopped.

Looking back, he saw the female guard had ignored his instructions. She along with the sprinkled snake were assisting the injured snake left behind in the tree who was too weak to move by itself.

The monster had noticed their presence and turned back to intercept them.

He cursed and raced back to help them but the large feline monster had already caught up. Its claws came crashing down on the three snakes and the female guard facing it alone, charged protectively ahead of the others to let out a shrill hiss at the creature.

It was a dreadful sound at a low frequency that struck the male guard and all the snakes around her with deep feelings of discomfort and fear.

Even from the distance, it was potent enough to petrify the male guards movements. He instinctively felt he had to protect his senses and his fangs began to chatter, so he couldn't imagine what the monster she targeted was currently feeling.

It was a skill specifically designed to elicit a fearful response in its victims. Under the effect of the sound, the monster's instinct was to retreat. Its vision blurred and the claws it raised completely missed her figure, creating a deep gouge in the ground. Its body twisted and recoiled away from the sound in irritation, allowing the sprinkled snake and the injured one to get away.

But the effect was fleeting.

As soon as her hissing stopped, the monster regained proper control over its limbs and attacked. She attempted her intimidation, but the monster would not allow her trick again.

Enraged at being bested twice, its claws came down all too swiftly and her eyes widened in panic. Her movements were fast, but she was not quick enough to keep up with a monster of that size.

The male guard made a desperate sprint for her, intercepting the attack with his own body just as the creature's vicious talons bore down to rip her apart.

His body coursed with pain and a burning sensation where his rugged scales drew blood, but it was bearable. The female guard on seeing this however, surged with anger and lashed out at the monster's paw that pinned him to the ground.

But the monster proved stronger than she imagined, although it released the male guard to evade her strikes, it looked physically unharmed, like her venom had no effect at all. If anything, it was much angrier than before and she was struck with a blow to the head that sent her tumbling into the shrubbery where she slammed against a tree.

Cornered by the savage beast, he saw the female guard wasn't getting back up as quickly as he expected her to, neither was she moving and his thoughts filled with worry. But he could not afford to stop, and continued to attack with fury.

With the monster's full attention on himself, there was no other choice but to lead the monster away, to prevent it from attacking her again.

Blood splattered everywhere as his fangs went all the way through the monster's thigh. He slipped through the monster's limbs as it roared in pain, confusing it by weaving a scattered pattern, and only when he saw the sprinkled snake dragging away the female guard, did he relax.

However, he felt an inexplicable chilling sensation from the direction the sprinkled snake fled towards. There was a lingering suspicion they were being observed and he heard a distinctive skittering sound coming from somewhere above.

Even with the feline monster in pursuit, he risked a look back and was shocked to see clusters of bright yellow eyes lighting up the trees.

Knowing there were many more monsters watching the battle and the retreating snakes, he nearly froze with panic. He could not identify the monsters, but he made out multiple sets of eyes and the speed at which they scurried through the trees made him feel uneasy.

What if the injured snakes were attacked after he left? His previous plan of leading the monster away won't work anymore if more replaced it.

The sprinkled snake was not aware enough to take a roundabout path back to the cave to lose the watching monsters. He had to shake the feline monster off his tail and return somehow.

He darted into the undergrowth, slipping behind a tree to hide. But the enraged feline came crashing through right after.

Moving stealthily through the undergrowth to evade detection, he began to pick up traces of movement ahead - this seemed like a good opportunity to lose his pursuer.

If he encountered another monster strong enough to take on the feline, he could successfully escape!

He slipped out of the undergrowth where he was confronted by two monsters battling against each other.

A slender reptilian monster with elongated sharp claws that kept glaring at its opponent - and a serpentine monster sprouting dangerous spikes all over its body with hardened dark scales of an unusual lustre.

The feline monster leapt out right after him, coming face to face with the two monsters. Its attention now focused on the stronger opponents ahead, the male guard was able to slip away unseen.

He cast one last glance back and rushed towards his nestmates, hoping everyone was still alive.