Chapter 6: The Evil Empire

The majestic oak must have lived been a hundred years. It must have been dead for a hundred more. All that was left now was a thick, rotten trunk jutting out from the dead, putrid marsh. Most of it had toppled over a long time ago, and lay at the bottom, slowly festering into the slime. The two snakes, their backs red with scars, approached it humbly, and climbed up on a meager limb.

“We have returned, Sssire.”

Upon their announcement, a frog silently hopped away, the water at the base of the trunk stirred, and a giant, evil head emerged and encircled the trunk. It writhed around and around, slowly ascending, it’s never-ending body gripping the stump until it had reached the top. Fully emerged, it was twice the size of the two scout-snakes. It coiled and reared atop the trunk and addressed the nervous pair.

“Yosssef, Vladmir, did you find the entranssse?” the giant snake hissed.

“Yesss, my King, but The Woodsss are well-fortified.”

The King Snake leered as his scouts relayed their findings.

“There were batsss, Sssire.”

“Yesss. Batsss…as thick as The Ssswamp’s morning fog.”

“The batsss hear everything.”

“They sssee in the dark.”

“They attack without fear.”

“They protect the munksss…”

“Look at usss!”

As they talked, an army of Swamp soldiers, hundreds, crept over to listen in on the meeting. The King Snake hissed in anger, “The Woodsss are fertile, and ripe with munksss. They ssscurry about all day with no fear, while we sssurvive on toads and beetles in thisss fessstering bog.”

One them replied, “All of the ungrateful little mice have fled The Ssswamp.

The other, “There are none left.”

“Yesss, they fled to The Woodsss…”

“To essscape usss.”

“And to find nutsss.”

“We only ate a few…”

“Yesss, only a few…”

“Each day…”

“Only a few each day...”

“Yesss, we each only ate a few each day!”

“SSSILENSSSE!” ordered the King Snake, and the others all recoiled in fear. “We mussst find a way into The Woodsss. It will be difficult. They have formed partnershipsss with all the creatures in The Land. The batsss from The Caverns are ssskilled in sssecurity and defenssse. They trade grassses with the gophersss from The Plainsss. The hawkssss of The Peaksss fly them about. The munksss’ alliance with them has kept usss out for far too long. Find me a way in! Increassse your sssurveillance. Sssend ssspies to all the cornersss of The Land. I want the munksss’ great sssity for my own! To rule it…to control it…to feed on it…I want every one of the little cave ratsss to cower before me in terror!”

The scouts were clearly intimidated. “Yesss, Sssire, we will find a way in.” They called to the crowd, “Come, letsss go. There mussst be a way into thossse woodsss.”