The Boys of Lionshire (Part Seven)

The boys are confronted with one of the deadliest inhabitants in all of Lionshire as the journey to the dead sycamore tree to rescue Sara.

I walked along the wooded trail towards the river with Freddy, Alexander, Shane and Charles to rescue my newfound friend.  The gentle breeze smelled of pollen and pine trees and the pollinating insects were hard at work collecting pollen and buzzing around.  The river was one of my favorite places to visit and I came here often to dip in the cool, tepid water naked and free from the world.  It was one of the few places that my mind was at ease in Lionshire.

As I walked towards the river, I couldn't help but be mad at Bastion for tying Sara to the dead sycamore tree and leaving her there alone while the Lionshire counsel decided her fate.  What if another storm had come through and the wind from it had toppled the tree down on to her or a predatory animal had come along and decided to make a meal out of its unfortunate captive.  Bastion had always placed his needs before that of the group but I was determined to make sure this was the last time he had ultimate say, especially when it regarded the life of one of the other boys of Lionshire.

Sara didn't have any say in whether she came here or not and it wasn't fair to treat her like an outside captive in a camp that was inhabited by captives.  We are all outsiders in our own way and were all brought here against our own free will.  I was still fuming about the circumstances involving Sara and the dead sycamore tree when I felt a hand grab my shoulder and pull me back.

"Stop", whispered Shane in an alarming tone.

"What it is it?" I asked confused.

Shane didn't say anything and pointed about five feet out in front of us on the beaten trail.  There in front of us laid one of the deadliest animals in all of Lionshire sunbathing its worn, scaly flesh.  I hadn't seen the black and green snake until now, and Shane undoubtedly saved my life by spotting it before I stepped on it.

The snake was known in Lionshire as the Two-Step snake on account of the number of steps you could take before falling dead in your tracks from its highly venomous bite.  We lost two boys in the last year alone from the Two-Step Snake and I didn't plan on being the third.

"Step back slowly", I whispered to Shane and the other boys.  "We'll have to find another way around."

"The only way around is through the brush", reasoned Freddy, visibly shaken by our encounter with the reptile.  "There may be more snakes hiding out in there."

Freddy was right, and that was a chance that none of us were willing to take.

"What do you suggest we do then, Freddy", I asked.

Before Freddy could answer, a rustling noise came from the brush behind us.  We all jumped about a foot in the air and the hair on the back of my neck was standing up at a point.  When I finally got the courage to turn around and see what the source of the noise was, Alexander busted loose in a boisterous laugh.

"Hush", I said harshly.  "What are you doing?  Are you trying to get us all bitten?"

"Relax", Alexander said in between bouts of laughter.  "What are you guys so jumpy for?"

Charles had joined in on the joke and laughed and pointed at the large stick in Alexander's hand that he pulled out of the brush.  "What are you going to do with that?"

"Oh, this little thing", he said holding the stick up like a trophy, "I plan on killing that Two-Step Snake with it.

"I don't know", Shane said looking doubtful.  "That thing is faster than all of us put together.  He'll bite you before you get a chance to hit him with that."

Alexander put the stick on his shoulder and took a few practice swings like he was at home plate in a backyard baseball game.  "I think I can handle it, Shane", he said, winking defiantly.

“Don’t do it”, I said stepping in between Alexander and the snake, “It isn’t worth your life.

“Step aside and give me a go at him”, Alexander insisted.  “I’ve got this.  No problem.”

The snake had begun to take a defensive posture and coiled itself up tightly on the path.  The viper’s tongue flicked in and out of its mouth rapidly, mocking Alexander’s bravery.  I knew it was best to steer clear of the fangs of any snake, let alone a Two-Step snake.  But somehow, I knew all the pleading in the world wouldn’t stop Alexander from trying to kill it.

“Watch and learn, boys”, Alexander said while stepping off towards the snake with his makeshift bat in hand.

I hoped the snake would sense the movement near him and would scurry off of the path and disappear in to the brush.  No such luck.  With every step Alexander took, the snake coiled itself tighter and tighter.  I could feel the anger from the snake at our intrusion of his habitat, but Alexander continued to advance forward, carefree as a kite in the wind.

The rest of us held our breath and watched in amazement at the guts Alexander had in going toe-to-toe with the Two-Step Snake.  When Alexander was a foot from the snake, it had coiled itself so tight and low to the ground that I was sure it would be an easy kill and we would be back on our journey to rescue Sara in no time.  Alexander must have felt the same way and made the first move in the showdown.

Alexander planted his feet firmly in to the loose soil and raised the stick high above his head, preparing to smash it in to the snake’s skull.  The snake recoiled at the sudden movement and scurried back out of the range of Alexander’s swing.  Alexander pursued.  With each raise of the stick, the reptile moved further and further away.

“Leave it alone”, I pleaded folding my hands in front of me, “It’s far enough off the path for us to get through now.”

“Not a chance”, he responded as he prepared for another strike, “I won’t be bested by this creature.”

He raised the stick one final time, and this time he found his mark as he brought the full weight of the stick down on the snake’s head.  The stick shattered in to a million pieces as the snake lay motionless on the path.  Every couple of seconds or so, the snake would convulse suddenly causing everyone to jump but Alexander.

“Aha!  I told you I would kill it”, Alexander proclaimed as he stood triumphantly over his fresh kill.  “That snake didn’t stand a chance.”

“Are you sure it’s dead”, asked Freddy cautiously as he moved as far away from the snake as possible.

“Of course it’s dead”, Alexander replied, “Nothing could survive a blow like that to the head.”

“Well leave it alone now and let’s go get Sara”, Shane said as he moved around it on the path, “We’ve wasted enough time already.”

I was still cautious as I slid past the snake, uncertain if it was actually dead or not.  “Yeah.  Come on Alexander.  Let’s go.”

Alexander lingered behind the group and stared at the dead snake, beaming with pride at his accomplishment.  He stepped towards the body and leaned down to observe it more closely.  “Yeah.  It’s dead”, he finally said as he searched for another stick, “I’m gonna move it off the path so it doesn’t attract other snakes.”

“It’s fine”, Freddy said, “It won’t attract other snakes.  Ants, maybe.  But not other snakes.”

Alexander refused to back down, certain the carcass would attract other Two-Step Snakes.  Unable to find another downed stick, he prepared to kick the snake off of the path with his foot.

He grabbed the limp body by the tail and placed it over his foot.  The snake lay still and Alexander laughed at the rest of us.  “This is what you guys were scared of”, he said mockingly, “Bye-Bye snake.”

As he brought the snake back to kick it off in to the brush, it sprung to life.  We all saw the total fear in Alexander’s eyes as it reared its head back and prepared to strike its stalker.  Alexander stood there, frozen in a panic, as the large, white fangs retracted from its snarled mouth.

In one final act of desperation, Alexander kicked at the snake.  The snake avoided the frenzied kick and struck at Alexander’s foot, missing by mere inches.  He hopped back and prepared to run but his feet failed him.  The snake reared back again and prepared for another strike as Alexander brought his foot back once more.  This time, his foot found the center of the coil and the snake lifted in to the air following the kick.  Just as we were about to celebrate, the snake brought his head forward and sunk its venomous fangs in to Alexander’s toe.

Alexander squealed in pain as the rest of us looked on in horror.  Within seconds, we all knew Alexander would be dead.  The snake, satisfied with its bite, slithered off in to the brush, never to be seen again.

Shane ran up to comfort Alexander and helped him remove his boot.  “Did it get you?”

“I-I-I… don’t know”, he responded, shaking from head to toe, “I think so.”

As Shane finally slid the boot off of Alexanders foot, all of our fears were realized.  There on his big toe were two tiny dots of blood where the fangs had entered his flesh.  Alexander immediately began to cry at the sight.

“Am I going to die?” he asked between sobs.  “I don’t want to die!”

“Calm down”, I said while removing my belt, “We’ve got to make a tourniquet so the venom doesn’t enter your bloodstream.”

“Good thinking”, said Charles, “I’ll find a stick to use as a windlass.”

I wrapped the belt tightly around Alexander’s calf and cinched it down as hard as I could.  By now, Charles had returned with a large stick which I stuck in between the belt band and Alexander’s shin bone.

“This is going to hurt”, I warned him as I began to turn the windlass, “But it’s necessary to save your life.”

I turned the windlass until it wouldn’t turn anymore and I knew the torque I was placing on Alexander’s bone was excruciating.  Alexander did make a sound, he just sat there quietly as I worked on him, all of the blood leaving his face until he was completely pale.

Once the tourniquet was tight and I was satisfied with it, I checked the pulse on the top of his foot to see if it was still receiving blood.  The pulse was gone.  I took the shoelace out of Alexander’s boot and tied the windlass down so it wouldn’t come loose.  I didn’t know if Alexander would make it or not, but the tourniquet would increase his chances of survival.

“Charles and Freddy”, I said, “You guys take Alexander back to the camp.  Shane and I will go get Sara and meet you back there shortly.”

“What will we do when we get there?” Freddy asked, uncertain with the arrangement.

“Double check the tourniquet to make sure it didn’t come loose while you were carrying him”, I said, surprised at the certainty in my voice, “My dad was a doctor so I’ll take a look at him when I get back.”

Freddy and Charles both nodded with approval as they picked Alexander up and started to carry him back to camp.

“Be careful”, Charles yelled back, “There might be another Two-Step Snake out there.”

“You Too”, I said.

I looked over at Shane as the trio disappeared around a corner in the path.  “Are you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be”, he responded.

And with that, we both continued on towards the dead sycamore tree.