The cave that was once bare, now had a fresh earthy smell. Its stony ground was covered in a generous spread of spindly weeds and the cluttered leaves of sinuous vines were everywhere, you could barely tell the difference between the ground and the forest floor.

The male guard circled around the leafy foliage with a blank look, and stopped before ten snakes that looked proud of their work.

[It's not enough.] He grumbled in dissatisfaction and the snake's happy faces immediately fell

[Is this the most you could gather?] He asked. [If we want it to look natural, we need more.]

The anxious snakes all began to explain at once.

[We wanted to, but...]

[There were many awooo…]

[awooo awooo awooo]

[Scary…aooo aooo]

[So we run…]

The male guard scrunched up his face, at their nonsensical ramblings.

But soon, a new voice spoke up to explain.

[I think what they are saying is… this was the most they could gather before the 'howling' came close.]

The male guard was not surprised to see the spaded snake appear beside him. He turned to the rest of the snakes and sighed helplessly.

[Gather more once the wolves have passed. For now, rest.]

At his words, all the snakes scattered, except the spaded snake who glanced at the gathered foliage with curiosity.

[I thought you needed these to hide the entrance. Why did you make them bring it inside?]

[Some of the spiders were small. What if one got inside?]

[We kill it.]

[The don't move alone.]

The spaded snake fell silent in thought, but quickly jerked awake when she saw the male guard leaving, hissing after him. [Are you going to look for her again? You need someone like me to fight beside you, not that naïve snake.]

The male guard stopped and hissed at her harshly. [Address her with respect! She is every bit your Captain – just as much as I am.]

The spaded snake grew stiff for a moment but she recovered quickly. [I know, but...you don't share any of your plans with me. I'm every bit as smart as she is.]

[Then act like it. You'll achieve nothing from antagonising her. Prove you're worthy by getting stronger.]

The spaded snake looked away, but he didn't miss the eager glint in her black eyes. Fostering some rivalry was necessary for her growth, it seemed.

Once she was gone, the male guard scowled.

He didn't like the idea of others thinking he and his sister were joined at the tail. So annoyed was he by the accusation that he wasted a few seconds prowling around the nest – even going so far as to visit the injured snake he had zero interest in, instead of looking for his sister as he intended.

Unfortunately, when he arrived, the very snake he was trying to avoid was the first thing he saw.

The injured snake was deathly pale and unconscious, and the female guard was pacing around anxiously. Next to her were five other snakes that were trying to help the injured one.

The female guard noticed him and immediately rushed over. [He's not responding. I want to go outside to look for something that can heal him.]

The female guard and the snakes around her all looked sorrowful but he steeled his heart, and shook his head.

[It's not safe to do that.]

There was no point in risking her life over a snake that didn't have long to live. [We don't know which plants are medicine and which are poison, but you can have a look through the plants we just brought in.]

[Show me.] She then slithered away without waiting for him.

But they heard a loud clatter from the cave's entrance and saw another snake rushing in from outside. The snake had streak-like patterns, and was the fastest among the nestlings and their designated scout.

[There...There's something... in the trees!] He exclaimed on seeing the two guards.

[What did you see?] The male guard frowned.

[Red... bright light…and hot.]

The two guards exchanged a look.

[Fire?] The female guard muttered in disbelief.

[It's possible.] he replied and turned to the scout. [Did you get close?]

The streaked snake shook its head. [I couldn't. It was too hot. It made me choke.]

[You were right to come back.] The male guard nodded in approval, if there really was a fire, it could get dangerous quickly.

First, the spiders and now a fire – things really weren't looking good. He did a quick head count around the cave and was satisfied to see everyone worth taking note of was inside.

The streaked snake looked at them anxiously and continued. [Also...There was another snake there. A big one.]

His last words made the two guard's freeze.

[Start with that first the next time!] The female guard snapped.

[Show me where you saw it.] The male guard added, it was possible it was the same one he'd seen before. But was it possible it had defeated both the feline and the reptile? How strong was it then?

The streaked snake fidgeted. [No need. It was coming over here - that's why I had to run away.]

It was coming here?

The male guard's eyes darkened with resolution while the female guard's glinted with hope – could it be?

[It's not.] He could already guess what she was thinking without reading her mind.

[You don't know that!] The female guard shot back.

[I don't need to. A strong creature is coming our way, and we can't afford to be careless] he looked back at the scout and asked. [How far away did you say it was?]

[Not very far.] he replied timidly.

The female guard grew angry at being ignored. [Don't jump to conclusions! We can't rule out the possibility.]

[I can't risk everyone's lives over a whim.] The male guard was firm. [Tell everyone to prepare for attack.] He instructed the streaked snake who sped off immediately.

He wanted to leave too but the female guard blocked his path. [Aren't you forgetting someone? We're not all here.]

The male guard scowled as he was reminded of yet another annoyance, the scarred snake who never listened to anyone. [If he chooses to stay outside after I forbade everyone from going, his safety is his own concern.]

[My brother isn't some heartless monster. Stop acting like this.] the female guard tried to persuade him.

[I'm not. You're the one who keeps acting impulsive.]

The female guard shook her head and sighed.[Attacking such a strong creature unprovoked, will only enrage it and turn us into enemies.]

He went silent for a moment and asked. [Alright, What do you suggest we do then?]

[We hide and watch what it does.] She replied with a smile.

[That's your big plan?] The male guard scoffed.

[We set a trap and see how it reacts...] She trailed off in thought. [But we'll need everyone present first.]

She thought about the scarred snake who took their leader's disappearance the hardest.

[I know where he is, I'll go get him.]

Before he could object she already stormed off, leaving him alone with the five snakes who had witnessed their entire conversation. Pairs of blinking black eyes turned away from him at once – awkwardly pretending like they didn't see anything.

The male guard sighed before leaving himself.

It wasn't that he was against their leader's return, he just didn't want his sister to unnecessarily get her hopes up.

He remembered thinking their leader would return the day after she left the cave, but when that didn't happen he'd practiced tracking again and again until he got good enough to chase after her scent. Unfortunately, the trail stopped in the middle of a field of grass like she'd simply disappeared into thin air.

His sister often asked if he thought she was going to return, and he never commented because he didn't know why, the thought of her not doing so made him feel extremely concerned – it wasn't like they were close.

At first it was only him who starred listlessly at the cave they were born in, before he noticed his sister doing the same thing, but then there was her.

The one snake who was always apart from the others, doing unexpected things. From the moment he hatched from the egg, watching that eccentric snake misbehave was the only thing distracting him from dwelling on the absurdity of his reality.

When she climbed the walls and left the nest, he realised she was special and was probably their best chance of survival. So when the other snakes tried to attack her, he and his sister defended her to get on her good side.

Together, they were always watching her, thinking to themselves that she had to be the silliest snake to ever exist. She'd charmed them with her odd behaviour and her strong will, but he knew better than to keep hoping.

It had been a while since that eccentric snake was seen and he didn't think it was possible for her to have grown so quickly, so he ruled out this new snake.

The rest of the nestlings were just like children - easily attached and easily disappointed - even the ones that preferred to act tough all felt the sting of abandonment from her disappearance.

He and his sister had to stand in to replace what should have been there, but it was not the same.

The streaked snake had moped around for a long time with no one to show off his speed to, and the scarred snake who normally acted cheerful, started lashing out at the other snakes, preferring to be alone.

He himself was only putting on a brave face by acting tough and in doing so, his attachment to the other snakes had suffered ever since.

That was exactly why the spaded snake held him in such high regard – seeing him as dependable when their leader was not. Although she purposely annoyed his sister, she admired her all the same.

He really hoped 'she' would return, but until that happened he would have to pick up the pieces as usual.

Soon all the snakes gathered in formation in front of him and the female guard returned with the stubborn scarred snake in tow. And together they figured out a plan to take down the approaching intruder.