“Um… Ava.”
“I said go, pikachu!”
“Ava, I wanted to let you know, there’s an ekans stalking your nest.”
“W-what?” She looks taken aback.
“I saw it right before you came back; it’s in that bush over there, right now.” You extend your paw towards the bush.
Ava hops to the end of the branch and looks at the bush. She spends a couple dozen seconds staring into the bush, cocking her head back in fourth. Suddenly, she jumps up and squawks, “WAACK!” She ruffles her feathers and spreads her wings, trying to make herself appear larger. She yells, “I see you ekans!”
“HISSSSSSSSS,” the ekans coils its head from the bush. The chicks can sense the danger and begin to peep frantically. The ekans says, in a deep soothing voice, “Ssso what? Might as well give up your chicks now. Or, should I take you down with them?”
“You will do no such thing!” Ava peeps back. “I’ll find a pidgeotto and tell them of your location. Then you’ll be the one in a gut tonight.”
The look on the ekans’ face says he doesn’t have an answer to that. Eventually, he concedes, “fine... I found something better to eat anyway.” He snaps his head to you! His glare pierces your soul. The eyes tell you of his rage for taking his next meal from him, but also a hint of seduction like he is going to enjoy eating you. You’ve never seen an ekans but a primal fear, built into your very being, sends a chilling shiver down your spine.
The ekans head disappears into the brush but you can hear him slithering toward you! You take an extra few steps back but do not turn your back. You get down and flash sparks. The brush in front of you seems darker somehow. The slithering halts just five feet in front of you. Yet, you can’t see anything but leaves and tall grass.
A soft disembodied hissing comes from the brush, “so the pretty pikachu thinks she’s noble? Saving the pidgey from me? Maybe so, but that pidgey won’t save you in return. That’s how the forest works. Your silly morality only works in your pikachu tribe.” You glance at Ava for a second. The ekans is right; the pidgey just looks down on you with sad eyes. Ava doesn’t look like she has any intent to help you.
You can’t think about that now and return your attention to the brush in front. You growl, “back off, snake; I’ll shock you.”
A dark, devious chuckle echoes, “Oh, that’s okay; do your worst. That hasn’t stopped other pikachu from visiting my gut before.” The ekans smacks his lips, and you can hear the insides of the mouth dripping with saliva.
You glance back up at Ava; she mouths, “run.”
You don’t have much time to think. What do you do?
