Impossible Possibilities

8. Bono

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I slithered along surface of the jungle, looking for my next pray.  I hoped to find something large and weak, maybe a baby deer or a dog or something.  I wanted to swallow something that would sustain me for the next four or five weeks, I knew the winter was coming and that I wouldn’t find much food during it—so I needed a large feast now. I rattled my tongue against my fangs and moved rapidly along the jungle floor often hiding under the leaves. A deer, I wanted a deer.

A rabbit, pass.  Squirrel, pass.  Duck—oh! Ducks were good, but too small I’d have to go for quantity over quality, pass.  A monkey, it is tempting.  I’ll come back to that if I can’t find anything better.  A tiger… tiger! That was it!  I just needed to slip up tree and catch it off guard.  If I can poison it before it ripped me to shreds that’d be enough to keep me off the need for food for the next two months at least.  I was decided, I would go for the tiger.

I so slipped slowly up the tree, the entire tree moved with the massive beast’s casual breaths.  As I reached its branch I dislocated my jaw and spread it open extending a, I know impressive, four feet wide.  I contemplated whether I should do a quick clamp down and inject my poison or if I should do it slowly possibly poison the beast without even waking it.  I figured slowly would be a bad idea, my fangs were too massive.  Even the smallest prick would wake anything up. 

So quick it was.  I wrapped the rest of my body around the branch and lunged at its back.  The second I made contact the large cat jumped into the air and I took advantage of its surprise to wrap my body around it twice, locking its hind legs to its body and squeezing what little air the beast had out of it.  I ejaculated my poison. It was a kill—even if the ferocious cat managed to claw me to death this would be its last moments too, I doubted even an elephant would live against the amount of poison I forced into the tiger’s back. 

It snapped its large teeth at me, but I was able to tighten and slide my body away so it missed.  One of its forepaws lunged out of me, catching the flesh near my center. It was painful, but not deep enough to cause permanent damage.  With its noticeable weakening the tiger slouched a bit and slid on the tree, falling.  I held my breath for impact and was able to shift my body so that most the force was directed onto the tiger.  It didn’t move from its spot on the ground after that.  I loosened my tight hold on its hind legs and slithered up to its head, I wanted to swallow that first.

I once again stretched my mouth to its maximum width of four feet and engulfed its entire head to begin my feeding process.  This catch was going to be one to brag to the children in the years to come.  That was right their dad once ate a tiger.

As my mouth slowly reached for the tail a sudden wave of tiredness swooped along my body.  I always felt tired and lazy after a large meal; I had to find a place to sleep off the massive feast.  It didn’t take long to find an abandoned bear cave, slip into the back corner of it and fall fast asleep.

Awake. My hands went for the ground, I instantly assumed they were bound—it was what happened every time I was knocked out unwillingly.  They weren’t.

“’Ey!  ‘bout ‘ime you wo’e up ‘ere buddy!” of all the people that could of found me at the bottom of some hill it was the darn guy who couldn’t speak! “‘Ow you doin’ ‘ere ? ‘ope you don’’ go’ any bumps or sores eh?”

“No, no Perry.  I’m fine.  What happened?”  The moment after I asked that I regretted it, but what was done was done.

“‘ell, we ge’s hi’ by rai’ers.  Dhey came in pre’’y fas’ and shoo’ se’eral missi’es at ‘ur shi’.  It was quie’ a mess it wa’. We wen’ righ’ dow’. Smas’ed pre’’y good in’o da ‘round. Da rai’ers then s’ar’ed killin’ da crew, Vex and da Squa’ A wa’ firs’.  A few o’hers ran, and I foun’ you ‘ere.”