Serpent's Tide

Chapter One
In the sparkling waters of the Eastern Sea, lay an isle known as Castrophia, where it rained every day for a short period. Castrophia was the jewel of the sea. Tropical breezes blew the warm, shallow water of the coves in soft patterns. The tide ebbed and flowed ceaselessly, waves caressing the white sand beaches. A broken necklace of shells and seaweed littered the shore.

Seagulls, kittiwakes, and gannets wheeled and called. Every once in a while, one would swoop down, snatch a snail from the rocks of the tidepools, wing to a height of their desire, and drop the unfortunate snail on the sharp stones, breaking its shell. Then the bird would eat the snail's flesh. Such was life.

Beyond the sugar-white sands, a rain forest stood tall. Thick vines wound around the trees, scarlet passionflowers and pinkish-red acanthus added beauty to the forest. This was home to many creatures: flying squirrels, tree-climbing mice, hummingbirds, toucans, geckoes, tree frogs, tree snakes, bird-eating spiders, and jaguars. And a huge boa constrictor.

Slarvis was his name. He, and he alone, ruled the island. His massive coils blended in with the scenary. His eyes were pools of evil. He loved slithering up to an unsuspecting victim, crush them, and eat them. Fear of him made the jaguars, tree snakes, tree frogs, spiders, and geckoes join together for protection. The two forces preyed upon the weaker group of flying squirrels, mice, hummingbirds, and toucans.

An atmosphere of terror hung over these creatures. They crept about, not knowing who was next to die.

A small group of squirrels and mice sat in the branches of one of the trees trying to joke and jest with eack other for once. They were starting to actually have a good time.

"Run for your lives!"

At this shout, the group broke up. The mice jumped from branch to branch, the squirrels leaped of the boughs. They did not fall. Extra skin spreand out and they glided from tree to tree. They knew that, dispite the height of the trees, Slarvis could reach them. One squirrelmaid, just a few seasons out of infancy, misjudged the distance she had to go to reach the next tree. She fell to the ground, stunned. Slarvis reached her. The boa constrictor wrapped his coils around the maid, hissing as they tightened. "Be sssstill, sssquirrel. Ssstill. Ssslarviss will ssshow you the way to eternity."

The last thing the maid saw were Slarvis' amber eyes.