Svana winced as she stepped on a sharp thorn. Huffing she eased back and tried again, pushing her leanly muscled body carefully through the thick undergrowth. She had to inspect the trap but getting to it from where she had been was awkward. Making a mental note next time to go the long way round, she finally made it all the way through the thorn bush and rose back to her full height. “Oww..” She grumbled, twisting round to pull a spine from her hip.
A sudden hiss from right in front of her startled the reaver and she barely managed to stop herself from automatically reacting, which would inevitably have resulted in her being poked by the vicious needles a second time. Instead she carefully uncoiled herself and looked forwards. Nothing.. Then she looked up.
“Oh…”
Half dangling from a low branch and ending right in front of her nose, was the top half of a green striped snake. It hissed at her again and she pulled her head back as far as she could without actually stepping back. As that would have resulted in the prickles again.
The hiss resumed as she stared at the snake. But as her initial surprise faded she realised why it was hissing at her and not either attacking, or escaping. It couldn’t. “What happened to you?” She asked rhetorically, eyeing where the snake’s lower body had become entangled with some very big thorns indeed and was now bleeding sluggishly.
“Don’t ask..” The snake replied, its voice rough with pain under what she assumed was the typical hissy noise of a snake’s voice. Since she had never actually met a snake that stopped long enough to talk to her before she didn’t know what they sounded like normally.
“Oooh-kay.” She replied, arching a brow. “But that doesn’t look very comfortable. Here…” Carefully gathering herself she stood up on her hind legs, pressing one front paw to the bark of the tree up which the snake was stuck. Balanced carefully to avoid tumbling into the thorny ticket, Svana studied the tangled mass of thorns, twigs and snake flesh.
“What are you doing?” The snake hissed, its voice caught somewhere between upset, in pain and hopeful. She assumed it wasn’t to be rescued even thug she hadn’t asked, and his pleading groan indicated she was correct. “Wait a sec.. I’ll try not to hurt you too much.” She replied distractedly, focused on the problem of the thorns stuck in his coils rather than in keeping the young male calm. “Ok… I think I see…” Leaning further forwards she carefully gripped one thin branch in her teeth and tugged. A sharp hiss of pain escaped her as a thorn dug into her gums but she yanked again and the messy knot tightened, forcing a low hiss of pain from the snake. One last tug and the branch snapped, releasing several of the snake’s coils. A gasp of relief hissed against her ear. “Don’t move yet, I’m not done.” Thankful the snake was being obedient and not moving as requested, and indeed that he also hadn’t decided to attack her yet, considering her face was well within striking distance, she continued to work on the tangle of wood. Gradually she snapped and tugged and picked the thorns away from his surprisingly fragile flesh, until at last the final deadly section dropped a way, releasing the serpent.
Without any strength to keep himself up the tree now his body was no longer pinned in place, the green snake dropped limply, landing with a surprisingly heavy thud across the lioness’s muscular shoulders. Instantly she dropped to all fours, shifting in a strange way that ended up with him perfectly balanced in place, his head and tail dangling down against her front legs, but he was balanced and not about to slide the rest of the way to the rough ground.
“Thaaank you.” He hissed wearily, pain still shivering through his coils, his blood already starting to stain the lion’s black fur.
Svana twisted her head round to peer down at him, careful not to jostle the limp length hanging over her shoulders. “My pleasure… But you don’t look good.” She added, voice sceptical. His weary blink had her making up her mind. “Ok… you just stay there. I know where to go. Don’t slide off now ok?” She asked, pausing to look at him again, one eyebrow raised.
Since it was obvious she had a plan but refused to move without an answer, Sipho tiredly nodded. “I will try..” With a great effort and no small amount of pain the green serpent hauled himself around in a loose circle, so he was wrapped once about the lioness’ neck loosely. It was the best he could do with half his body torn up by the thorns and the rest of him almost starved of food and water. “Ready…” He hissed weakly.
So with her snake-necklace in place Svana abandoned her previous goal of the trap and set off, going the long way round from the trapsite and heading back towards the pride and her den. “It’s not too far. I can get Mwana to look at you.” Yes, the thrall had previously been a priestess in her old pride, but she knew basic healing skills, which was rather more than Svana herself had learned. If anyone could offer advice on a wounded snake, it would be her.
The reaver made her way swiftly back to her den and after a brief conversation with the half-comatose snake, she left him curled up on her furs and set off in search of her Captain’s thrall. The pair returned not long after, Svana hovering in a somewhat frustrated and useless fashion while the older lioness examined the unfortunate serpent. After an application of some herbs mixed into a thick paste and a draught of foul-smelling liquid, the thrall excused herself, leaving Svana with instructions to feed and water the poor creature until he felt well enough to hunt again.
Having an unexpected denmate didn’t really bother the reaver and so she sent a random thrall to collect some small bits of food from the store, though she took her own shell out and filled it with water from near the den entrance. Returning she made sure the snake drank, and managed a little to eat before it fell asleep.
“Well… I guess I have a guest for a few days.” Settling down near her new ward but far enough away to not get bit if he woke up and panicked, Svana settled down to her self-appointed vigil.
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