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The Serpent and the Mouse

Part 1

A bolt of lightning split open the night sky, pursued by a thunderous rumble. The rain buffeted the swollen river with a vengeful torrent, and had long since caused it to burst its banks. The water raged and rushed angrily, carrying with it everything in its path. Trees, branches, flotsam, and anything that happened to be unlucky enough to be in its grasp. Among these things was a small mouse struggling desperately to survive.

She was swept down the river at a frightful speed and subject to every whim the river might have. One second it slammed her into the depth, clutching at her lugs for the small amount of air they held, the next it tossed her up and into the floating branches to try and dash her to death. The tiny mouse fought with every bit of strength her body could muster, clawing at the wicked power of the river. It was hopeless, the river was relentless. She kicked and clawed and finally managed to get her head above water.

"Mama!" She gasped her tiny voice against the thunder of the storm. "Mama, help!" Once again she was taken down. She scraped against the rocks of the riverbed. The brown mouse tumbled helplessly in the current, her arms and legs flailing. Her lungs were ready to burst when the river finally took some pity and pushed her back to the surface.

This time she could not scream. Only draw in a gasp of precious air. If she went down again she would die. She knew that much. The lightning ripped through the sky again. In the light she could see a low hanging branch from a thin tree was about to rush past overhead.

The mouse reached for it desperately. By some miracle she managed to snag it in her paws, but the river had spent the last of its sympathy for her. It grabbed at her and tried to carry her farther down its length. The mouse held fast to the branch, knowing it was hopeless. She could not fight the river, and she was not strong enough to pull herself out. The branch flexed under her weight. It should have easily been able to hold her, but with the river ripping at her body it cracked at the trunk of the sapling it was attached to.

Back down under she went, still gripping the branch with all her remaining might. The river wanted her, and it would have her. The sapling, however, was not about to surrender its branch. It hung on by the bark and bent with her weight. The force of the river swung her toward the shore. Just when the mouse was about to give up and accept her fate she felt the sand under her feet at the water's edge. She threw herself away from the river, but only managed to splash down in the shallow water. Fortunately the river's strength was low near the shore and she was able to crawl her way to the bank.

She collapsed and gasped for breath in the mud. The rain pounding down on her painfully and insistently. The rain and the river must be allies, as it wanted to force her back into the water. The mouse had no intention of going back, she clawed her way through the mud and toward the higher grass. All the while the large droplets of water tried to beat her into submission. She needed to escape from the rain. She needed to find shelter.

The mouse had hoped that the grass would offer some protection, but it did little against the storm. She crawled as quickly as her feet would carry her towards the higher ground and the large roots of an ancient tree. Perhaps there would be someplace she could get under and wait out the storm. A rock, an outcropping, a thick branch, anything.

When she made it to the tree, the mouse scurried over the thick and slimy roots. It was a gnarled and ugly tree that appeared to be angry with the process of growing, as such it only did so grudgingly and without reason. Its branches were bent and painful looking, and its trunk a patchwork of swollen burls and festering knots. There was a smell around the tree. A scent that should have frightened her, but her exhausted mind could not remember why. When the lightning flashed again she noticed a hollow opening at the base of the tree. The young mouse stumbled into the opening and out of the rain. She staggered and tumbled to the dry, leaf covered floor of the hollow. She collapsed there and she painfully tried to catch her breath, looking pathetic and ragged.

"Mama." She whispered. The mouse wanted to go home, she was afraid and not used to being alone. How far had the river taken her? Very far. Farther than she had ever been from her home. Maybe further than even her mother had been. It could be another world for all she knew.

The ground below her moved and the mouse froze. Her whiskers twitched and her mind finally reminded her what that scent was. Something worse than the river and the rain.

It was death.

"I taste heat." A voice in the dark hissed.

The tiny mouse sprang to her feet and bounded for the exit, but the leaves on the ground moved, tripping her up. She stumbled and clawed her way back to her feet, only to come face to face with the occupant of the dry hollow of the tree. A large viper with golden eyes.

"Hello, mouseling." The cottonmouth spoke to her. Its tongue darted out and flickered in her face. "Why have you entered my abode on this miserable and cold night? Were you hoping to catch me slow and dull?"

The mouse fell back and covered her face with her paws in terror. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Snake, I just wanted to get away from the rain." She squeaked. "Please don't eat me!"

"Eat you?" The snake scoffed. "You are so small, and I only eat when I'm hungry." The serpent uncoiled himself from underneath the leaves. There was a bulge in his body. "As you can see, I am already digesting something. A fat bullfrog I caught just the other day."

The snake was lethargic and tired. The mouse thought that if she was quick enough, she should be able to get past him. The snake could see her looking toward the exit.

"I won't stop you." He assured her.

The mouse crept against the far side of the hollow and toward the opening. She was tense, and ready to jump if the snake decided to spring at her. The snake simply coiled himself up into a ball, lazily resting his head on top. She swallowed hard and made a quick dash for the exit.

True to his word, the snake made no attempt at her and the mouse made it to the outside. The rain immediately hammered down onto her. It was even worse now than it was before. It hurt, and she was sore. She was unable to stop herself from returning to the hollow of the tree.

The mouse stood in the sheltered opening, afraid to return to the snake's lair, afraid to venture into the stinging rain and unfamiliar forest. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. She shivered from both cold and fear.

"There's no place to go." The snake finally told her. "The river is on all sides of my home. Come back in and get dry."

"Are you sure you won't eat me?" She asked.

"If I get hungry I will," he admitted, "but the rain should stop long before that happens."

Realizing she really did not have a choice, the mouse carefully entered the lair of the cottonmouth. The smell of him was so thick in there! How could she have missed it before? She found a spot furthest from the snake and crouched down. The mouse's fur was wet and dirty. She needed to get dry or she was not going to warm up. Keeping a close eye on the snake she started to scrub her head with her paws, shaking her head occasionally to flick away the water. She worked her way down her body, meticulously scrubbing, shaking and sometimes licking to get herself as dry and fluffy as possible. The snake watched her the entire time. At least, she thought he did. His eyes did not appear to be capable of closing. He hardly moved at all except when his long, forked tongue would flick out.

"You look better now." The snake noted when she finished.

"Um... thank you?" The mouse replied. She was hoping that did not mean she looked good enough to eat. They sat across from each other for a while, sharing a long, uncomfortable silence that was only broken by the occasional thunder outside.

The snake finally spoke. "Since I have been kind enough to share my home," he stated, "would it be possible for you to do something for me?"

"What could I have that you would want?" She asked.

"You have hot blood and fur." He said. "I have neither. It's cold, I'm miserable and having a hard time digesting. Could you share your heat with me?"

"I don't know how I would do that." The mouse said. Wondering how she could remove her fur and blood for him.

"If you could just lay with me and keep me warm." He suggested. "In return I will give you protection. You will be able to sleep and heal without worry." She thought about it for a while. If the snake really did want to eat her, he already would have. Her mother had told her once that snakes like to wrap their prey up in their body, squishing them. Perhaps that is what he wanted to do.

"You're not gonna squish me, are you?" She asked.

"If I did that then you would get cold." He reasoned. "Then I would be cold. I promise I won't squish you."

"Okay." She said.

"Very good." The snake said. "Come to me, please. It's difficult for me to move right now."

The mouse went to the snake cautiously, her whiskers twitching and feeling at the air around him. The snake's body loosened and he managed to make a small nest out of his coils. She climbed onto him skittishly, every bone in her body telling her this was a bad idea. As frightened as she was of the serpent, she was even more afraid to be alone. She climbed into the nest he made for her and settled in.

"Oh, that's nice." The snake said, his tongue flicked happily. "You're very warm."

"Thank you." She said. The mouse thought he would be slimy, but he was clean and dry with glossy smooth scales. She could feel his body slowly expand and contract under her. There was something comforting about that.

"What do they call you, little mouseling?" The snake asked.

"My name is Kiki." She told him.

"I am called Shu." He said. "I am the top predator of this island."

Kiki smiled. "King Shu." She said with a giggle.

"Yes, I suppose." He said with a flick of his tongue. "I do not recognize the smell of your family. You aren't from here. How did you find yourself in my kingdom?"

The mouse yawned. "I slipped and fell into the river." She explained. Her eyes were getting heavy. The slow rise and fall of his body was relaxing and she was so very exhausted. Shu tried to ask her something else, but she had fallen asleep.

Part 2

Kiki woke up with a horrible feeling of helplessness. She couldn't move! There was something on top of her. Something heavy and scaly. The little mouse struggled against it but it was too much for her. It was difficult to breathe. She let out a frightened squeak.

The reptile shifted his body and the weight lifted off of her. Kiki kicked into the air and away from Shu before fleeing to the far side of the hollow. She was gasping and fearful. The viper's head lifted up off of his coiled body and yawned. His long fangs unfolded and flexed before resettling themselves back against the top of his white mouth.

"You may be warm, but you're also small." The snake spoke. "I was having trouble getting my blood to match yours. I'm sorry if I had too much of myself on you."

Kiki stood up on her hind legs, alert and readying herself. "You weren't trying to squish me?"

"No." He said. "You are comfortable to sleep with and I was just holding you too tightly. I apologize for that."

The mouse dropped back down to all fours. She scurried to the opening of the hollow. She sniffed the air, but that only confirmed what her ears already told her. The rain continued as hard as it was before. She was thirsty and she lapped some of the moisture off of the bark just outside of the hollow.

"The water is still falling from the sky." She said.

"It will stop." The cottonmouth assured her. "It always does eventually."

"I'm very hungry." She said. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"Just you." Shu said.

"I mean, is there anything I can eat?" She asked.

The cottonmouth thought for a moment, finally he admitted: "I don't know what you eat."

"I eat seeds, berries, beetles, and stuff." She said.

"I don't have any of that," Shu said, "but at the back of my home I can feel something small that is always munching on my tree. It keeps me up at night and it's inside the wall where I can't get to it. Maybe if you can dig it out it might be something to eat, and I would appreciate having the nuisance removed."

Kiki hurried over to the wall and put her paws on it. The snake was right, there was something under there, she could hear it. She chewed and clawed at the rotten wood and chunks of it tore away. In a few moments she had opened up a hole. A fat grub inside cringed and tried to crawl deeper into the wood to escape. The mouse grabbed it with her teeth to pull it out and onto the floor where it squirmed helplessly. It looked delicious!

The mouse took it between her paws and bit off the head. It crunched delightfully and tasted sweet. She gobbled it up quickly from head to tail.

"You bite your food apart?" Shu noted as he slithered up close to her. "Interesting."

Kiki wiped her face off with her paws, licking and cleaning herself up after the big meal. Now that she was rested and fed, she finally had the time to consider what had happened to her. She was lost and far from her family. When the rain stopped she wanted to get back to them, but she didn't know which way to go, or how far away it was. The world was so much bigger now than when she just lived in the burrow with her mother. She could go in any direction forever and never find her way back. Before she could stop herself she started to cry.

"Why are you doing that?" Shu asked. "Was the food bad?"

"No." She sniffled. "I just don't know if I'll ever get home."

"Where is your home?" The viper asked.

"I don't know." Kiki said, sounding frustrated. "I don't remember. I never went far so I didn't have to remember."

The snake's tongue flickered at her. "If you fell into the river it stands to reason it's near the river." He told her. "If the river brought you here then it must be in the direction that the river comes from. If you found the place where you fell in could you get home from there?"

"Yes." She said, wiping her eyes. "I think so."

"In that case you're not lost at all." He reasoned. "You're just far from home."

Her face brightened and realized that what he said was true. Without even thinking about it she lunged at the head of the snake. Shu recoiled instinctively but he was still cold and slow. The little mouse threw her arms around his neck and embraced him, holding her warm fur against his cool scales.

"Oh! This is--" The snake stammered. "This is strange."

Kiki let him go. "I'm sorry." She said. "Was that wrong of me?"

"No, it's fine." He said. "I like having your heat near me." He raised his head above her and turned to regard the exit of the burrow. "The sun is coming up, but I don't sense any warmth from it. I was hoping to sun myself on a rock today." He paused and turned to examine her. "Since it's still raining and you can't leave anyway, would it be okay if we shared your heat for a while longer? I promise I won't smother you like I did before."

"Of course." She told him. The young mouse was not sure, but she thought she could see some emotion in his unblinking eyes as he coiled himself up again. Kiki found a comfortable spot on him to relax, and he rolled his body around her snugly, but not tightly. She put her paws on his scales and could feel his immense power. A snake and a mouse holding each other. What would another mouse think if they saw this? Shu rested his head on his coils, his face in front of hers. His red tongue flicked out and tickled her nose.

Part 3

"Can we be friends, Shu?" Kiki asked the cottonmouth.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shu told her.

"Why not?" The mouse asked dejectedly.

Shu sighed. "Why didn't you make friends with the grub?" He asked.

"Oh... um..." Kiki looked confused. "I just don't understand why you have been so kind to me."

"I have no reason not to be." Shu said. "I would have to expend more effort to be aggressive and your presence doesn't harm me. Sometimes even I get lonely." His tongue flicked out. "Plus you smell nice."

Kiki looked at him accusingly.

"I don't mean that you smell nice to eat." He corrected her mistaken impression. "I mean you just smell pleasant."

"That might be because I'm ready to mate." She said. "I started to smell...different when that happened. That's why I ended up here. My brothers were following me around so much I was afraid one of them would mate me, so I was going to meet with an older male on the other side of the river. When I was crossing a fallen tree the river grabbed it and turned it over."

"You've never mated before?" The serpent asked.

"No." The rodent admitted, she worriedly scratched herself. "I just feel strange now compared to how I usually do. Like I have to mate or I might die. When I'm not hungry or scared I'm thinking about a healthy male mouse, even though I don't really know what he would do to me."

"I don't think there any other mice on my island. I'm certain I've eaten them all or they fled, so I can't help you there." Shu thought for a moment. "I supposed I could mate with you."

The tiny mouse blinked in surprise. "Is that even possible?"

"Maybe." The snake said. "I've never tried to mate a mouse before. Usually things go differently when I meet one."

"But you don't even want to be my friend." Kiki said.

"Friendship and mating have nothing to do with each other." Shu explained. "There's a female serpent that lives on the far shore of the river. She's my rival for food and I hate her. Sometimes she swims over to my island to hunt and I have to chase her off. Sometimes she swims over to mate and I mate with her before I chase her off."

Kiki felt strange talking about this with him. She never considered that snakes can mate too. She knew he was male since he smelled very male, but he didn't see any evidence that he was male. How could he possibly mate? She didn't know a tactful way to ask.

"But you don't have a penis." She said.

"Hmm... you've got me there." He agreed. "I don't have a penis, but if you want I can show you what I do have. Would you like that?"

"Sure." She said. This talk of mating was starting to arouse her. Not to mention she was honestly curious to know exactly how a snake functioned. She would never get a chance like this again.

Shu squirmed his body and rolled his tail over for her to see. There was a slight deformation on his underside with two small claw-looking appendages. The spurs flexed and pressed against his body.

"Is that your penis?" The mouse asked, pointing at one of the claws.

"No, those are my spurs." He said. "They're like your legs, only a lot less useful for moving around. I'm afraid you're going to have to help me a little. I need some more heat here." The spurs pulled at the underside of his tail and revealed an opening of his body that was between them.

Kiki was doubtful about what he asked her to do. Was this some sort of trick? Still, she was interested enough to take a risk and reached for him with her paws. The snake pulled his tail away. She looked at him in confusion.

"Not with your paws." He warned. "I'm delicate there and I don't want you to scratch me accidentally." Shu slithered his head behind her. "Use your tongue instead." He hissed slyly.

That sounded reasonable to the little mouse. Although if she had thought about it long enough she might have come to the conclusion that she could easily do more damage with her strong teeth than her short and weak claws. That did not appear to be a worry of his.

Kiki put her nose up close to the vent on his body. The spurs pressed on himself and it opened up a little more to reveal a bit of pink inside of him. His scent hit her hard. A heavy, pungent, male aroma. It filled her head with a hot sensation of urging. She suddenly wanted to lick it-- had to lick it. Her tongue touched him and Shu's body flinched. A strong acrid flavor bit her taste buds. Is that what a male tastes like? It was so potent! She could feel her muscles clenching near her tail. He was overwhelming to her senses, but she started to lap at the vent, taking in his male flavor by the mouthfuls. The snake started to squirm under her and she grabbed onto him to keep herself in place.

"So nice." Shu said quietly as his head moved in close behind the mouse.

Something pressed itself up against the snake's cloaca, bulging his underside before peeking out to be seen. Two nubs appeared in front of her nose and she pulled back. The nubs pressed themselves out of the snake and the tiny mouse made a startling revelation.

"You have two penises?" She squeaked in surprise.

"Yes." Shu said proudly. "Don't stop yet, bring them all the way out."

Kiki put her mouth back on his vent between the two emerging members and continued to lick him. The organs grew longer and larger, easing out on each side of her head. Soon they were past her eyes, then past her ears. They were incredible, impossible things, and she was eager to see exactly how fantastic they would get. The mouse was so enthralled by them that she didn't notice when Shu put his nose under her tail.

The snakes thin, delicate tongue darted out and Kiki's head shot up at the sensation of it. It danced lightly on her estrus swollen vagina, making every muscle in her body twitch before withdrawing back into his mouth. Her face dropped back down and her legs pressed her rump into his nose as she instinctively assumed a mating stance. His tongue came back out, softly feeling around and pressing against her tiny pussy. The forks sliding around the opening and teasing it. It was a very gentle thing with a light touch that her body responded positively to. It was so much better feeling than when she licked herself to ease her mating need.

"Oh, Shu!" The tiny mouse gasped.

"Your heat is divine," the serpent said, "but don't let my tongue stop yours."

Kiki dove her face back between his expanding genitals, unconcerned that his lethal fangs were so close. The serpent started to writhe underneath due to her attention. Despite his earlier warning she could not help grasping a paw around each of his members to steady herself. More and more of the male meat pressed out of him, growing steadily firmer to the touch.

Finally he was completely exposed. His twin phallus splayed out of his underside like a pair of legs. They were both huge! Each nearly as long as her body! There was no way she could even hope to take them into herself. Even so, they were glorious! The mouse could not help but direct more attention toward them. She needed to taste them. She ran long strokes of her tongue up one, then the other. Kiki could not decide which of them she liked better.

The snake pressed his nose tightly against her. His tongue had grown tired of teasing and moved to violate. The forked end folded over as he slowly pressed it against her vagina. Sensing what was about to happen the mouse clutched her forelimbs around one of his giant penises and shut her eyes tightly. The pressure of his tongue against her grew and grew and the snake's head pushed against her until her hind legs were off the ground. They kicked feebly at the air for a moment before she tucked them up against her abdomen where they trembled helplessly. His tongue may have been thin in relation to his body, but compared to her it was a large thing that was trying to invade her virgin cunt.

Her tightness that was preventing it from entering finally gave way and his tongue forced its way inside. Kiki let out a series of alarmed squeaks and her legs once again tried to flail. She fought her fugitive instinct to flee by grabbing onto him even harder, feeling the slow pulse of his heart through his male organ. Her heart fluttered faster than a fly's wings as the feeling of the serpents tongue overpowered any other senses in her body. There was hardly any of the expected pain, just the absolute fullness that her instincts had been desperately trying to goad her into seeking. For the moment it was everything in the world to her.

Shu's tongue worked on her mercilessly, sliding back into his mouth before darting into her vagina. The forked tongue reached all the way inside of her, ticking her cervix lightly before retreating. He could taste her hot blood and virginal secretions with every stroke. The serpent suddenly rolled his body with her, quickly lashing one of his coils around and holding the mouse firmly against himself.

"Shu!" She cried out at her entrapment. He legs kicked in terror, but she was no match for his power. Her forepaws pushed at him but his spurs managed to snag her wrists and clamp her fast in place. The snake started to work even harder, ferociously tongue-fucking the rodent's wanting cunt. The mouse wanted to panic but her body would not let her. It was still being serviced and that was all that mattered. The mouse realized that he was not crushing her at all, only confining her. She could feel his body expand and contract from breathing. The mouse noticed a clear fluid dribbling out of the end of each penis. She suddenly comprehended that this was how he mated, and she was helpless to do anything about it. Once again she had fallen into a river and was being carried away.

Kiki realized that she was just fine with that.

Shu's efforts were starting to pay off. The mouse was beginning to gasp under his assault. She squirmed and bucked, but only succeeded in goading him on. The serpent rolled again, enveloping them even more. His vent was pressed insistently into her face. Kiki took the hint and started to lick him again. His scent was everywhere now. It was so potent that it drowned out all others to the point that she could not even recall any other scent. He was everything. He tasted like everything.

The orgasm hit Kiki like thunderbolt. She pressed her nose into her lover as she cried out in pleasure. It washed over her like a hot wave and every movement of his tongue only intensified the sensation. Her entire body shook from the pleasure of it. Her tail wrapped around his neck, begging him never to stop.

The serpent did stop eventually. As he pulled his head away she gasped to catch her breath, but her tail did not want to release him as he slipped out of its grasp. He turned himself over, his spurs releasing the tiny mouse he had captured in his coils before repositioning her. Kiki found herself with her rump resting above his vent right before another coil wrapped around her and his penises, pressing both monstrous members snugly against her belly. The knobby, fluid oozing heads of them were in her face. She could not help but put her paws on them and start to lick. The clear fluid tasted salty, and a little bit sweet. It was way better than the grub. Her hindquarters bucked into him, rubbing her minuscule genitals against his monstrous malehood. Shu reared his head above her to watch. She looked up at him ravenously and did not stop licking. The fluid poured out of him as he squeezed gently. She tried to drink it all up but it oozed over her paws, down her limbs, and soaked into her fur.

"If all mice are like you, I might stop eating them." Shu said. "Seems like a waste."

Kiki crushed her legs tightly around both organs and found the opening in one of his dicks where the fluid was released. She started to lap it up directly from the source. The snake shuddered and his head bobbed weakly. She switched to the other cock and did the same thing while sticking a finger in the first one. The serpent quivered around her and his head sunk down to the floor with pleasure.

The mouse worked at him for a while, enjoying the change of pace in having him helpless this time. She licked and nibbled at him, stuck her fingers in and rubbed him. Getting rewarded with twitching responses from the predator and more fluid to wet her fur. He was putty in her paws. It was so strange to her now that she could be afraid of something like him.

"Ahh." He sighed limply on the floor. "That's just... that's too much! No snake has ever done that for me." He raised his head up again and swayed in front of her.

"Time to mate." He announced.

He coiled himself around her repeatedly until he was just a ball with a mouse trapped in the middle. Kiki gasped excitedly as he surrounded her completely, blocking out the light. A bit of the pre-cum spit out of him and across her face. She shook her head and spattered it around. She once again found herself nose to nose with the serpent above her -- or perhaps below her. It was so disorientating that she did not know what was up and what was down. His tongue flicked out at her and his golden, unblinking eyes glimmered greedily.

The twin shafts of his penises pulled down, helped along by her fluid slicked fur. They disappeared between his coil and her belly before reappearing again when he thrust forward. He bumped against her rear and she tightened her legs around, pressing her vagina against one of his shafts. On his next thrust she could feel every veiny bump of his penis as it slid across her clit. Kiki squeaked in delight. They were mating! Or at least as close to it as their differences allowed.

He started slowly, but at her urging quickened the pace. Again there was the feeling of helplessness, of being caught up in something more powerful than she, and again she did not care. Every time he thrust her nose bumped the tip of one of his phalli, and her face was quickly covered in clear ejaculate. The mouse did not mind and simply licked away what was around her mouth. Sometimes she would try to kiss them when they appeared to give him a little more pleasure, but mostly she just surrendered to his cocks and savored the feeling of their potency. She rose to orgasm easily, and cried out in praise.

By the time she reached her third climax she had her paws on her face and was gasping desperately. She reached for him tearfully and Shu allowed himself to be pulled into an embrace without slowing down. She hugged him tightly and rode out another churning orgasm while kissing the side of his head. She could finally feel his rising climax in the coils that tightened around her. A torrent of white splattered into Kiki's face. She panted and swallowed a gob of it before turning her head away and coughing.

"In me! In me!" She managed to beg.

The serpent withdrew his spewing members and quickly pressed the huge tips of both against her backside. A second splurge shot out of him, hit her and sprayed in all directions. The force of it shooting up her vagina and filling her up. The mouse threw her head back and shrieked. Another shot blasted some into her anus. A third, a fourth and a fifth shot out of him powerfully before they started to subside. He finally pulled away and she felt absolutely packed with his seed all the way to her ovaries. The cum covered mouse fell limp and the snake collapsed down around her.

They gasped for breath for a while, the only other sound was the rain outside. It was slower now. The storm was starting to tire and the sky was getting lighter. As if their lovemaking had been what it had been waiting for to abate its rage.

Shu finally regained his strength and slithered his body from around the mouse and rested his head next to her. Kiki saw that his cocks were now shriveling back inside of him. He was thoroughly spent and just as covered in his cum as she was. Reaching over to him wearily she stroked his scales with her wet paw.

"I wish we could be friends." She told him.

The serpent didn't say anything and Kiki assumed he had fallen asleep. She snuggled up close to touch him for a while before she also fell asleep. Dreaming dreams of giving birth to pups who just happen to resemble snakes.

When he was sure she had fallen asleep Shu carefully slipped from her grasp and turned to go outside, gliding silently across the leaves. He stopped in the rain holding his head up to look at the sky. The rain washed over him and cleaned his seed from his body. He lapped his tongue out and drank some of the pure water. It might have been nice to have a friend, but he knew that would be impossible. He did not like what he had to do, he just knew that it was the only reasonable thing he could do given the circumstances. Shu stayed where he was for a while, watching the clouds go by. The sun finally peeked out, and a rainbow appeared. The sun warmed him a bit before vanishing again, taking the rainbow with it.

Shu sighed before turning around to enter his lair.

Part 4

Kiki woke up feeling warm. Her eyes fluttered open and the light dazzled them. The sun was overhead, casting dancing shadows through the canopy of trees. A soft wind blew over her fur, carrying the sweet aroma of wet, decomposing autumn leaves on the breeze. There was a gentle gurgle of water from the muddy river as it flowed by, looking far less menacing than it had during the storm.

The mouse glanced around in confusion. This was not the lair of the serpent! She was down by the river with no memory of how she had gotten there. She hopped to her feet and sniffed the air, her whiskers fluttering about. She couldn't sense Shu anywhere nearby.

"Shu?" Kiki cried out. "Shu, where are you?"

She ran along the bank of the river feeling a sense of panic. How had she gotten out here? Where was Shu? Was he okay?

"Shu!" She squeaked anxiously as she stood up on her hind legs to get a better vantage. There! Kiki spotted him exiting the water across the river! She hopped up and down.

"Shu! I'm over here!" She cried out. However, the cottonmouth took no notice, only slithered away into the grass and disappeared. Kiki stood on the shore for a moment, finding it baffling that he would ignore her. Why would he do that? She looked around and it dawned on her that she was looking at Shu's island from the far bank of the river.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" She begged. Kiki dashed up the shore, but to no avail, there was no way across except to swim. The young mouse jumped into the water only to quickly realize it was a mistake. Even without being fed by the storm the river was too strong for her. She was swept down quickly and was forced to splash and sputter her way back to shore, coughing and wheezing from the attempt.

"Shu, please!" Kiki choked weakly in the mud. She looked across the water at the kingdom that she had been banished from and her eyes blurred with tears.

"Whatever I did, I'm sorry." She sobbed. The mouseling felt so suddenly alone.

"What have we here?" A voice hissed behind her.

Kiki spun around. There was a fleeting sense of relief that was contrary to her nature to see a serpent looming over her. For a second she assumed that Shu had taken pity on her and returned.

She was wrong.

"Is this a gift for me?" The snake wondered aloud. It was a cottonmouth like Shu, but the smell of it was clearly feminine. The viper lowered her head to be face to face with Kiki. "It's almost an insult to give me something so tiny." The serpentess mocked as her tongue flit out and lashed Kiki's face. "Perhaps you're extra juicy?"

Spending so much intimate time with Shu had dulled the mouse's instinctive caution. She had almost forgotten how near the bottom of the food chain she was. Forgotten how foolish it was to call attention to herself in the open. The realization of exactly how much danger she was in slowly overwhelmed her and she stood frozen in terror before the predator.

"Are you going to run or just let me eat you?" The viper teased. "I believe I would enjoy the chase, but if you wish to feed yourself to me that's fine too."

Kiki turned around and fled. Behind her the snake laughed as she followed the rodent. The muddy shoreline was difficult terrain for the mouse and the snake was able to keep pace with her easily.

"You'll have to run faster than that!" The snake goaded wickedly as she took a lazy swipe at Kiki with a fanged mouth. The little mouse sprang forward, just barely able to stay out of the deadly grip. With powerful strokes of her body the viper managed to slither past the mouse and block her path. Kiki skidded to a stop and scrambled away in the other direction.

"This isn't even a challenge for me!" The snake said. "You won't even work up my appetite. Is that your goal? To lull me to sleep?"

Kiki tripped on a branch and fell into the mud. She squeaked and struggled, but her foot had gotten entangled in the Y of the branch, pinching her snugly.

"Don't eat me!" KIki begged as she threw her paws over her face and cowered.

The serpent slithered around her, encircling the helpless mouse. "That's the best you can do?" She asked with disappointment. "I guess I'll be doing you a favor." The viper grinned as she slowly moved in for the kill.

There was a rush of water that swept over both the animals as something lunged out of the river. The viper was tossed aside in a tangle on the shore. She squirmed and swore before recovering herself and turning to her attacker. Kiki coughed and looked up. There was another cottonmouth towering above her.

"Shu!" The viperess hissed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"This is not yours, Cala." Shu insisted.

"This is my territory, and this is my food!" Cala retorted.

"Not this one." Shu repeated.

"So you want it instead?" She asked. "Are you willing to fight me for it?"

"I don't want to fight you." He told her. "I want you to leave her alone."

"Her?" The viperess slithered close to him, her tongue flickering in his face. "What's this?" She mused as she eased her way around him. "You smell like mating, but it is not the time for our kind to mate. What have you been doing?"

She turned toward Kiki, her tongue continuing to taste the air. The female snake chuckled and eyed Shu. "Oh... to think I let you sire my hatchlings. No wonder they were so weak! You're a disgusting excuse for a male!"

"Very well, I'm disgusting." Shu agreed. "Now turn around and go away."

"No, I don't think so." Cala said. "This is my territory and my right. I am willing to fight you over it."

"I don't want to fight." Shu repeated.

"Of course you don't. You wouldn't hurt one of your own over a puny mouse pup." She said as she moved toward Kiki again. "Why don't you swim back to your island and let me eat in peace."

Shu slid in front of her to block the path.

Cala reared up in anger. "FINE!" She growled. Her mouth sprang open, revealing her deadly white maw, and she lunged. In a flash the two serpents were entwined in a massive struggle, writhing and strangling each other. They very nearly rolled over Kiki, who managed to kick herself free from the branch and dive away just in time. The two vipers flopped into the water and it boiled from the vicious struggle.

Kiki watched helplessly as Shu fought his female counterpart. The mouse was not sure which was which, it was difficult to tell where one of the snakes ended and the other started. The river started to carry them away and all she could do was follow on the shore and worry over the outcome. The two vipers sunk below the dark water and disappeared from view. The only evidence of them the occasional swirl on the surface, eventually even that stopped.

"Shu!" Kiki called out to the river. There was no response. Everything was still and quiet.

"Shu..." The mouse whispered. She feared the worst. Shu was a large viper, but the female had been even bigger than he. A faint shape slowly rose to the surface. She could see that it was the white belly of a snake. It bobbed lifelessly and the river carried it along with its normal nonchalance.

A cottonmouth silently emerged from the river next to Kiki. Water glistened and dripped from the viper as it glared furiously down at the mouse. The snake's head swayed in agitation.

"Why are you still here?" Shu grumbled.

"What?" Kiki asked with wide-eyed ignorance. Happy to see him but fearful as to why he was angry with her.

"You know the way home." The snake said with an indication of his head. "Follow the river."

"But... I don't..."

"GO HOME!" Shu shouted. "That's why I brought you across! Not to run around squeaking at the top of your lungs until someone eats you!"

The mouse had tears filling her dark eyes. "I don't want to go home, Shu! I want to stay with you!"

"That's impossible!" Shu told her. "Don't you get it? I had to regurgitate the bullfrog to fight Cala. Tomorrow I'll be hungry again. The cold time is coming soon and I need food to survive it. What do you suppose I'll do to you?"

Kiki threw her arms around the snake's neck, locking her paws together. Shu rose up in confusion, but the mouse held on tightly and swung below his head.

"What are you doing?" He hissed. "Stop that!"

"No, I don't want to go!" She cried. "I don't care what happens, I want to stay with you! Even if you eat me, at least I'll get to stay!"

"You stupid mouse! That's insane!"

"I am a stupid mouse!" Kiki wept into his neck. "We live such fleeting, terrified lives that we never get to know love. All we have time to do is eat, mate, and die... but I love you. How stupid would it be for me to leave behind something like that? Something I'll never have again. Please don't make me go! Hate me, eat me, but don't send me away!"

The snake stiffened at her words, and he lowered her back to the ground. She slid off of his neck and Shu bowed his head in front of her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Kiki." The serpent said with a quiet voice. "Please go."

Kiki put her paws on his face before giving him a tiny kiss on the nose. "You've eaten mice before." She told him with a sniffle. "What's one more?"

Shu sighed. "Stupid little mouse." He said again. "I don't want to eat you, but I could fall in love with you. That might be worse."

The mouse rubbed her paws over his face. "How could that be worse?" She asked.

"I can't give you what you want in a mate." Shu told her.

Kiki nuzzled her fur against his scales. "You're everything I want in a mate." She explained. "Even though you have cold blood you have a warm heart. You're patient and understanding, honest and generous, strong and passionate. What more could I want?"

"Pups?"

The mouse pressed her face into his. "I'm willing to give that up to be with you." She told him.

"I won't be able to be with you." He said. "Not always. When the cold comes I must sleep and you'll be alone for what will seem like forever. You'll forget me."

"No! Never! I'll wait for you to wake up." Kiki said confidently. "I'll guard over you for as long as the cold lasts. I'll protect you just like you protected me."

"Kiki..." The serpent muttered.

"We'll make it work!" The mouse insisted as she embraced his head. "I know we can!"

The cottonmouth allowed her to hold him for a moment before responding.

"I suppose... if I have to, I could always eat you tomorrow." He told her.

"I can stay?" She asked hopefully.

"Climb on my head." He said to her. "I'll take you back home... back to our home."

Kiki let out a squeak of delight and kissed him before climbing on. The serpent carried her across the river, holding his head high to keep his little mouse-wife from the river's grasp.

The End