The Snake Report Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Eating.

In a place where everything is much more likely to eat , the concept is daunting. As a living creature, I'm going to have to eat sothing. This makes sense.

The question is what?

Frogs? No, that would result in [Certain Death]

Bats? No, that would result in [Certain Death]

Centipedes? No.

Well, the idea is repetitive and straight forward. I'm at the bottom of the foodchain here. I'm small. All I have going for is that I leveled up and inherited so kind of abilities.

Healing and fire. I think I chose well. In nature, fire is sothing that scares most animals. If I can't fight sothing, making myself seem unappetizing is of utmost importance.

Human mories of late-night television watched while being half-awake: Nature docuntaries, British accents. Peaceful nature background music.

Very helpful now. A strange consideration all but entirely overlooked previously has co through.

So fire. That was a good choice.

But healing is just self explanatory. Anyone who has ever played a video ga knows that healing is also of the utmost importance. Taking injuries and never healing? I feel that the chances of survival might drop dramatically.

But this is all irrelevant if I starve to death.

And really I might starve to death.

I've explored more than the tiny hole in the ground now. With the bats gone I've taken the liberty of ignoring instinct and slithering around. I've seen and learned quite a bit through this experience.

There is nothing I can possibly eat.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Bats, Frogs, Centipedes: I already considered these impossible prey, but even the smaller things lurking around the cavern look horrifically dangerous.

Spiders for example. There are many kinds of bugs and insects, as one might expect in a cave, but I also saw several spiders. Each of them happened to be larger than myself, and each of them happened to be munching on sothing with scales.

Instinct didn't like them much. Neither did human-side.

"Kill it with fire." Both were in agreent.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to kill anything with fire. I practiced one with high hopes after the bats left thinking optimistically: "If there's a magic that might make a tiny snake think better of themselves, it would be this."

Hiss... I was wrong.

[Fire Breath] for example. That was the spell I tried. The one that might not attract attention.

In theory, it sounds like it would turn into a wingless, limbless dragon.

No. No, it's pitiful.

If I had to give it a power rating, I would say maybe on the scale of a match with so hair-spray behind it. One single puff of bright fire, and then it's used up. Maybe I could scorch sothing, but it probably wouldn't die.

At best it might run. At worst it might eat .

With that, I believe I've confird the terrifying reality. I am the bottom of this food chain.

But I also confird sothing else. Sothing potentially life-saving through careful study and observation.

There is one level below on this food chain. Or perhaps, there is one level entirely removed. The taphorical bed-rock of the great cave circle of life.

The glowing mushrooms.

Nothing seed to be eating these when I slithered my reconnaissance. Neither did anything seem to be getting eaten by them.

Human-side looks at this with hope and hunger. Instinct remains silent.

Snakes probably don't eat mushrooms.

That's a thought to consider, but then again: So food is better than no food. Right?

Hisss...

Beside my hole in the ground, there is a rising pillar. A pillar once belonging to the recently deceased frog. There are many mushrooms on this. Dozens of them, in fact. Enough to remind of a spooky looking Christmas decoration.

With great caution, I have pried the smallest and most accessible of their number free, and returned to my hole in the ground. It glows with a peaceful blue light, possessing a texture both smooth and dod.

Human-side is deeply considering the reprocussions of eating unknown mushrooms. Bear Grylls would advise against this.

Instinct is still silent. Like I thought, snakes probably don't eat mushrooms.

But starving... That's an awful way to die.

The longer I stare at it, the longer my hunger gnaws at .

I am going to eat this.