Death be my dignityExecute hemlock philosophyPoison fills the cup of the carpenter

Naja slithered along the mud, feeling it cling at his scales. He wondered how he would get it off later on, but right now he was racing the leopard seal.

The snake wished she would get ahead, so he could see how she moved. He was curious what she looked like beneath her skin, what made it so she could move and talk and think.

So when he sped up, it wasn't much faster. After all, he wasn't trying to miss, he was trying to study.

@Pelt

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Okay, she'd had enough. Was this snake pathetic or what?! Why was it moving so slowly? This was a race! If I added a little encouragement... surely it would go faster. And if she happened to bite too hard... well, the world would not miss such an ugly, emotionless creature.

Still, this was an ugly emotionless snake, and caution was needed. So as she prepared to lunge, she also readied herself to throw herself to the side and toward the deeper water, where she would have the advantage. Unfortunately, she miscalculated the movement and ended up snapping her teeth closed on a pile of mud to the snake's left. Her following attempt to get into the water progressed at an agonizingly slow rate. All she could do was keep her eyes on the hatchling in case it retaliated.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

@Naja

Death be my dignityExecute hemlock philosophyPoison fills the cup of the carpenter

Naja had been trying to study the seal. Being incapable of emotions, he could not feel frustration, and so could not know that he was frustrating the seal.

Thus, he did not expect the seal to attempt to eat him. He whirled on her, arching to his diminutive, full height, flaring his hood and hissing.

"You have just made a mistake," he hissed, lunging at her with startling speed, attempting to bite her. But he wasn't quite long enough, and so fell short.

@Pelt

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

"Ha!" Pelt shrieked. "I've made a mistake?! Who's the one that can't even race properly?! Who's the one that just failed miserably in his attempt to bite me?" She had to teach this hatchling a lesson.

Pelt lunged at the snake again, jaws open and ready to close down on whatever part of the snake she could reach. Head, back, tail, she didn't care. As long as she hit something and that something was painful. Oh, this was so satisfying to finally release her anger after the buildup of frustration. I should really do this more often.
"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

@Naja

Death be my dignityExecute hemlock philosophyPoison fills the cup of the carpenter

Naja eyed the leopard seal, wondering idly what had caused her suddenly change in demeanour. From wanting to play with him, to suddenly trying to eat him - what had happened?

He hissed and, yet, still, didn't show any emotion as he began to lunge at her again. He was halted, however, when her teeth closed around his tail, with a pained hiss.

@Pelt

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Pelt felt a surge of satisfaction as her teeth closed around the snake's tail and it failed yet again to bite her. Had she been this helpless as a hatchling? She vaguely remembered blood and another baby thing with scales, but that was pretty much it. Anyway, she hadn't gotten herself into a race she couldn't possibly win and she hadn't stupidly provoked an obviously superior Gembound. Therefore, she was better than this snake.

She shook her head viciously, trying to disorient the snake so he couldn't bite her. Meanwhile, she made a rapid retreat into the deeper waters, keeping her mouth closed around the snake's tail to drag it with her. Once she was deep enough, she felt she would have an advantage that was unable to be overcome. As long as she made sure not to let it bite her.

@Naja

His scales gave way beneath the larger Gembounds teeth, revealing the weaker flesh beneath. He hissed in pain, finding himself being thrashed this way and that, helpless to stop it.

The snake took a quick gasp of air before they went underwater, the seal taking him to where she would be superior. He whipped and twisted, attempting to sink his fangs in, venom pumping into the water.

@pelt

The snake's thrashing nearly made her let go of it, but luckily she managed to keep her grip on its tail. She could vaguely see streams of some definitely-not-water liquid coming from its fangs - best to avoid that. Keeping a firm hold with her teeth, Pelt shook the snake again and went further away from the mud shores. The farther she could go, the farther away from the envenomed water she would be. Plus, the water would become deeper and give her more of an advantage.

@Naja

No matter how hard he flailed, the leopard seal's flesh remained out of reach. But the snake was incapable of irritation, and so he slowed his movements, wanting to conserve his energy. There was no point in wasting precious energy and oxygen on futile thrashing - he needed to save it, as well as his venom.

@Pelt

The snake's movements slowed. Whether it was simply tiring or had given up already, Pelt did not know. Either way, this was a good opportunity. She shook it once more to be sure, then quickly released the tail in favor of lunging toward the back of the head. Hopefully if she could latch onto that part, the snake would not be able to twist around and bite her no matter how hard it tried.

Oh, how she longed to gloat! But now was not the time. Her mouth was full right now. To open it to speak would be an act of stupidity, and Pelt was not stupid. This snake was not getting away from her.