#serathis

The river, swollen with spring rains, hissed quietly as it brushed against the rocks. Mist hung low over the water like a mourning veil. On a smooth gray stone in a pool downstream from the shattered otter home, the serpent lay coiled. Serathis. Ancient. Star-fed. Watching. The morning sun soaked into his scale-plated body, slow and steady. Blood had dried in fine lines along his neck and…

A blur of red and black sliced past Serathis as he twisted away. He struck with his tail, catching the king snake across the snout. It retaliated instantly, slamming its thick body into him like a battering ram. Stars burst in Serathis’ vision as his skull cracked against the ground. They circled, breath hissing, scales rasping. Tension coiled in the silence between strikes. Then, an…