This is the story of how I meet my end.

  It was another calm day in my building, I was home after my twelve hour shift in the mines, my body was tired but I finally was able to save money to buy the last model of gloves for my hands, it would be more confortable then ever to use the mining tools like that, I could remember the dark skies outside, the thunders reaching the tall buildings arround, at least it din't appear that it would rain, but the winds were strong, so I had to close the windows to avoid the toxic airs and fumes to make their way to my home.

  Even Tired as I was, I knew that I had to make time for myself even if just a little, I could feel my tired body shaking while my arm streched to reach my phone on the table, being able to make a call for my Boyfriend, Cantado Nyrelia, his black hair was always impecable even all dirty and messy, his brown eyes were also very hypnotic to look at, he was a small manager of an small convenience store nearby, working all days of the week for ten hours, it was a way more respectable job then hers.

  After some instants, the screen opened, with Cantado being on his uniform looking at the screen, he appeared a bit surprised by the sudden call, speaking with his voice a bit tired. -Hey Valencia, how are you doing?

  The tired miner took her helmet off, letting her burned blonde hair show, she was dirty, her hands full of bruises and some parts of the skin open, her nails were frail and full of cracks, her eyes originaly were green, however after being exposed to many chemicals in the mines, they were slowly becoming a sickening yellow ; She began to speak with Cantado in a calm tone, yet even more tired then him. -How is your work today?, are you fine?

  -Yes, I'm ok, about my work, we will close soon, we had to open a little later today because of the manifestations in the district. -He spoke now putting his hand under his chin and putting his elbow on the cashier table.

  Valencia took some time to remember about any manifestations or riots on that day, they're common, but not much trouble normaly, until she remembered the reason of this one. -Ah yes, it was about the freeing of the inmates from a political prison right?, for what I remember, two hundred corrupt cops or something like that? -She was't impressed, this was an small thing, considering all the other things that happened on the world on that current time.

  Cantado sign deeply, taking an eletric cigar and moving it to his mouth while speaking with Valencia -Yeah, people were't happy about that, but, nothing that we can do about it. Anyway. Do you have any plans for today night beyond sleeping?, I was thinking on going there and maybe watching some movies with you.

  The face of the girl lighted up with joy, she was incredible tired but she could't pass this chance, noding positivily to Cantado. -I will sleep a little then, just ring the bell when you get here.

  They both ended the call, were Valencia would make her way to her bed, she would let her phone charging by her side on the bed, entering a deep and tired sleep, were she would never wake up...

  ...At Least...

  ..Not the way that she expected..

  Valencia was sleeping, she could feel herself very confortable, her hands were not hurting anymore, her eyes were not hot, she could hear however voices on her dreams, two voices, the voices of beings that she could not disern if they were even human.

  -Another one -Spoke the voice sadly.

  -Send her together with the others, clearily this world is doomed, all of this poor souls. -This was full of sorrow.

  -At least she will have the chance to grow and fight on this new world, if her will is strong, if she wants to live, she shall do it. -The Sad voice slowly became happyness.

  And with those words, Valencia could feel herself, strange, she was waking up, feeling that she was in something strangely confortable, however she could not feel her legs or arms, she was in some place strangely cramped and quickly her mind began to race. -What is this?! -She screamed, while moving her entire body, feeling something weird, a crack of something arround her. -I'm on a plastic bag?! -She screamed again, while forcing now the only part that she could control and reconize, her head agaist this strange thing arround herself.

  Slowly but surely the cracks began to become true broken parts and finally, Valencia was free, seeing her body touching grass, she was feeling something very weird, her touch was not exactly sensible, while she noticed that her vision was weirdly limited to the sky,she tried to put her hands on the ground to lift herself up, nothing happened, only her head was getting up and bending backwards, were she could see something white and weird behind herself, seeing also scales?, a tail, white tail with scales, and as her head bended more in shock, she could see that the body was connected to herself, with her then feeling her entire body spinning backwards.

  -THER-THERES NO WAY! -She spoke in shock while feeling her body hitting the ground. -I'M A SNAKE?!

  The reality hit Valencia slowly, as she began to try to wake up from that nightmare, to many questions in her head at the time, she could see on her surrounds that she was on tall grass and her egg was apparently half under the ground, she noticed other eggs arround hers, they're all broken already, she could't count and it was really weird seeing like that, snake eyes weren't supposed to be on the sides of the head?, what was wrong with her vision?

  Valencia calmed herself, thinking on what to do, she was desperate, she was thinking about the situation, maybe she was being part of some megacorp experiment?, she din't knew, but if this was an test, she knew very well what happened to those who failed in Government or Corporation tests, normaly death or a life of shame and perpetual unemployment ; If this was some stupid test and she was abducted, she was going to pass and survive, lifting her head, she began to learn how to control her body.

  The process of learning how to fully control that body was weird, when she though about moving without legs she only was able to slide a little foward, her movements also appear to be very limited without arms and she could open her mouth way more then she was acostumed to but by the end of her small training, she was hungry, she had to find food.

  Valencia began to move arround the grass, the scales din't allow her to feel to much arround and at the same time she could feel every single scale, it was truly weird, she moved arround for some minutes, at least for herself, until she finally found what she was looking for, a prey!, if this was truly a test, surely it would't taste bad right?, she could see in the distance on the ground some type of beetle, looking from afar, it looked like a Mang Da?, it was eating something and it appeared to be distracted, it surely would not be the weirdest or the nastiest thing that she ever had eaten, however, looking at it, the scales felt off, she was to small in comparison to that thing.

  But she was hungry, she began to look at it, while approaching, imitating what she knew of snakes, she was being very slow to not alert the creature of her presence, as she approached she then began to try to envelop the creature on her tail and body, thinking that this would work, but as soon as she began to envelop her tail arround the waist of the Mang Da, she could feel a sharp pain, seeing his back leg piercing her scales in an instant ,while he moved his body erratically to the side and kicked her far away from him, making her feel even more pain when the body made contact with the ground with such strength. -WHAT THE HELL?! -Valentia screamed in pain, seeing red blood pouring out of her wound, but before she could think more, the insect advanced towards her, with his pincers ready, she had to act fast, making a motion to bite him, but she lacked the speed to truly make a bite on his head, biting one of the pincers, while the other one scratched her scales, making her feel a little bit of pain, she din't knew what to do!

  -What kind of test is this?! -She asked herself while with the pincer on her mouth, feeling the creature bite her scales more, she began to feel more desperate, as she began to also shake her body, without letting his pincer go, she began to spin her body and she heard an snap, seeing that the pincer, it had a crack on the exo-skeleton. -Thats it!, Deadroll! -She remembered how aligators used to do, begining to spin her body to try to take that pincer out, only to feel another bite on her side, making her body stop, together with the other pincer pircing her scales on another point of her lower tail, she was being imobilized to be eaten alive, but she could see the cracks on that pincer that she was holding, she was very close of making it fall off! -No!, NO YOU DON'T! -She screamed while coiling her body as she could, adjusting her bite directly to the cracks near the insect's head and pulling with all her might as she could feel the creature biting parts of her off, but, as soon as she heard the tearing of flesh and could see the pincer falling, the beetle backed up, while she was holding his pincer.

  Valencia was scared, she was bleeding a lot and she could't understand from were all this pain was coming, she heard about some virtual reality things that make this type of thing, but, never heard of it being so real, her mind was racing, but slowly her mind began to focus, Cantado, she had to come back for him ,she never confesed all of her feelings for him, they never even had a chance to build a family, she could't let herself die on this, be a test or not, letting the doubts on the side of her mind, she left the pincer fall from her mouth and advanced towards the Beetle, she din't knew what to do, beyond to fight, she had to give her all to win, aiming to bite his head, no matter the cost.

  The battle took several minutes, with Valencia ended up losing her newborn scales to the pincer left by the beetle, her head herself was with some deep cuts, but she was victorious, being able to eat the beetle slowly, she din't had teeth made to tear flesh apart and was't accostumed to eat pieces so big whole, but while eating, she could see on a puddle of her own blood, it was stale, there was a reflection and she finally could see her eye, she had an snake head with no eyes on the sides but only a big eye on the top of her head, this eye appeared to be yellow in colour, making her scared even more, not understanding fully what she was, but, she was to hurt to think and to tired, that fight drained her entirely.

  Valencia began to look for a place to hide, finding a hole in an oak tree, seeing that she was very big in comparisson to the tree in question, it was quite weird, this would mean that ,that bug, well, she din't had time to think about it, entering the hole and seeing it empty, she coiled herself by pure instinct while inside and began her first good sleep on her entire existence, even with all the wounds, even with the pain, she could only hear the sounds of nature arround her, she was with her belly full, her body was confortable and warm in some capacity, she felt herself strong and she could dream of Cantado, dream that no matter what happened to her, she would see him again.

  As Valencia sleep, she was dreaming, a memory, a memory of what could'have been, she could see herself with her head on the lap of Cantado, she could see herself on nice clean clothes for once, even if both tired, both happy, watching a simple movie in the television, it was't exactly perfect, but it was something that she wished more then once in her life, to confess herself to Cantado, to live this life with him, however, slowly the dream began to shift, the memories began to sober with the pain of her wounds, as she could see herself in the mines.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The mines were deep holes on the earth, were this holes would have more then a hundred elevators to bring things up and bring employes down and this was't even a truly big mine, it was separated by the crust of the Earth, were the deepest you go, the higher is the risk and the nicest is the reward, however, she could remember seeing one time, a person coming back from the deepest level, the skin of the miner was totally torn off of its body, falling apart as he moved, only being keeped alive by his medical implants of third hand parties and even then, he was't able to survive to the next expedition, Valencia herself offered to go to deep levels, that was the way that she got radiation burns on her hands and the way that her eyes turned that sickening yellow, however, she never dared to go truly to the deepest parts of the mine.

  Valencia began to wake up once again, she was rested, however she could still see her wounds very open on her scales, seeing that at least it stoped pouring out blood, she was't much weakned, at least she din't feel it much, maybe it was good rest, but she had to continue, if she wanted to survive this test, she had to get herself better and if she as truly an animal, she had to find water and more food to herself.

  As the snake body began to make its way out of the tree, Valencia could see that it was night and it appeared to have sources of light in the distance. -What the... -She spoke to herself, as she began to make a cautious approach.

  The grass was shifting slowly under her body, she could barely feel by her scales but it was notisable, she could feel that the grass was more compressed, pressed agaist the floor, as she approached and hide herself on the roots of a tree, she could see four figures arround a campfire, noticing that they were all wearing strange pieces of metalic armor, noticing as her eye avaluated them, they were strange, one of the persons appeared to be an young boy, to young, maybe sixteen years old?, however shifting to the person that he spoke on his side, the ears were alongated, to long and pointed and the hair appeared strange, as if naturaly from an impossible colour, however her eyes shifted once more to a girl, seeing her with a hood on and what appeared to be two knifes on her armor, she was looking towards the roots were Valencia was on, while another boy on her side also became alerted as she was.

  -Hey, shut up. -She spoke to her group, as the boys stoped their conversation, she stood up. -We are being observed.

  Valencia took noticed that this was probably the time to go away, making an U turn and lefting the roots, she had much to think of what she saw and confusing as it was, she could understand those beings, what they were talking, even to she could reconize that it was't any language that she ever studied on her life.

  As the hooded girl approached the roots to look closely, her eyes began to glow a little with an supernatural green, she could see the trail of blood, looking back at the group -Some wounded animal, probably looking for some easy prey.

  -Wait, wounded?, do you think that it was.. -The youngest boy began to speak, looking at the Huntress.

  -If the creature had an encounter with your target, I doubt that it would be able to survive, there are little creatures on this forest able to go agaist an fully grown monster, even more agaist one trained by the enemy army -She spoke with confidence.

  -I Agree with Tasha. -The elf spoke cheerfully. -There are many creatures on the forest of Aenya, from Gem Bears to Demon Snakes, but I don't believe that they could be truly trouble for our target as well, he is hidden for weeks now, at this point his arm might be on the last stages of healing.

  -And once he heals, it will be way easier to find him, the trail of dead animals will be clear as day. -Tasha, the huntress complemented the elf.

  As this conversation was happening, Valencia was able to take distance, she could still hear a word or another, but unable to truly make out what they were murmuring about, however, her line of thought was cut short as she could notice on the trees above, things flying, bats and she could feel the hunger of her injured body.

  They were to far above for her to reach on a jump, at least ,she believed in that, with Valencia slowly making her way to a tree trunk and then to an branch, were she began to coil herself, something that she learned on her last battle, the coil moviment was very useful, were she could launch her head basicaly, with her body following close behind her, however it was an small gambit agaist the beetles types of enemies that had an strong armor, but now agaist bats?, it surely would be effective right?

  Valencia launched herself with the coil movement, she however saw one of the bats making an small cut on her scales of the head, close to her eye, before avoiding her entirely, as she could see this bats now under the moon light as she landed on another branch of another tree, she could see, their wings, they were sharp and their bodys were similar to axes with those two bladed wings.

  She however knew that she could't give up, already have wasted energy going up the tree, she had to catch at least one, trying again and again and again to catch a bat, failing at each time, feeling weaker at each try, she could't understand, she was sure of herself, that she was fast enough, as she stoped to rest a little on the top of the branch, now with many new superficial cuts on her scales and her head, she observed the bats.

  They were completly blind, they keeped making noises and noises and noises and sometimes they would pass the blades of their wings on the blades of other bats, making metalic sharp sounds, as some type of communication, a dance...They were dancing!

  The patern began to become cleared after Valencia watch them for hours, her wounds closing as she watched, noticing that keeping herself as still as possible made the bats forget that she was even there and she was decorating the patern, were she finally recovered her confidence, waiting for the right momment.

  It took more then five hours but on an decisive coil movement, Valencia was able to catch one bat on her mouth and eat it, feeling the warm in her belly, as her wounded body asked once again for rest, as she made her way back to the tree hole that she had sleeped before and so she did once more, however now, she was feeling thirsty.

  -I have to find water soon. -She decided as she prepared herself to rest just a bit of her hunt.

  The strangest part for Valencia while she rested, was thinking about the immense pain that she was feeling constantly, she wished that she had painkillers and looking at her wounds, she was noticing that even if they were just a day old from the beetle and some hours old from the Axe Bats, they had an weird coloration arround them, an weirdly white, she began to not think much about it, even to, it was worrying.

  As she rested on her small adopted home, she had time to think, think on her old life more and think why she was there. -Maybe its all a very realistic test? -She thought at first, however as she thought, she noticed that for a company to keep such realistic simulations for so long it would be very expensive and what would be the purpose of such things? -Maybe I was drugged by an Gas leak or something from the mines? -It was a following thought, however, it was taking to long to pass the effects if this were to be the case, as she coiled herself more, squeezing her tail arround her head, her tail arround her eye, feeling the tears coming. -I just wished to understand what is happening. -As she began to cry and feel her tired body giving in more to digest her prey, she could only think on the past, think on the times that she and Cantado would be on the Couch, together, watching their favorite programs.

  At the end she fell in a deep sleep, dreaming once more with her memories, seeing the face of her mother preparing a nice soup of rations to her when she was young, seeing Cantado for the first time at Public School...

  Valencia woke up feeling a trembling arround herself. -EARTHQUAKE? -She screamed while jumping with adrenaline out of the tree, with her body meeting the grass outside, she could see the reason of the trembles, seeing a strange bear putting all his weight on the tree trunk, it was possible to see that the bear was lacking one of his front legs and had an strange cut on his chest, like if something was taken out of its chest, he had strange rocks on his extremities, shoulders, knees, elbows, it was huge and at the same time, it appeared so weak, however that weakness soon dissaperead as it stared down at Valencia, the bear jumped foward with his maw opening.

  The Snake only had time to coil herself and launch as her first instinct, going as far as she could from the bear, Valencia was confused -What the hell happened to him?, why he's mad at me?!

  She could hear the growls of the bear right behind her, as she could feel the floor behind her shaking, he was following her, even bleeding, even on that state, he was following her.

  Valencia was't recovered of her wounds at all and she was still dehydrated, feeling an small dizziness while trailing her way between trees and roots, she was looking for a way out of this situation that was't a fight, any way!, she remembered, the group of weird people from the last night and as she remembered, she began to make her way towards them, while feeling the presence of the bear ever closer.

  The way was tricky, creatures appeared to fell what was happening, they opened way to the chase and runned for their own survival, the beetles opened their wings and flew, the bats even on the day also ran, Valencia could see so many other creatures on her way, creatures that she never imagined possible, wondrous and dangerous, as she finally reached the camp that she saw, she could see that those people were already gone, however the rests of their campside remained, such as the bonfire that they used to cook aliments and the sharp stones used to hold the tends on the dirt. -SHIT, WHAT DO I DO?! -She screamed to herself, without losing speed, she sprinted towards one of the rocks on the floor. -Ok, there is no other way. -She noticed that running was't an option, while taking a sharp stone on her mouth and continuing the run, towards the roots that she hid during the last night.

  As the bear approached, he only needed to sniff the air sometimes to locate Valencia, his body was glowing an strange red colour, his fur was slightly altered by the colour, as he approached the roots and with his good paw, he began to try to pull the roots out, it was on that momment that Valencia used the sharp stone on her mouth, using the movement of her body to launch herself with the stone on the paw of the bear, penetrating it.

  As the bear opened his mouth to scream, he gave some steps back, it was on that momment that Valencia slipped on the floor between his legs, reaching the campfire and taking a piece of wood, as the bear turned arround to look at her. -It is just like last night. -She spoke to herself while having the piece of wood on her mouth. -I just have to use my brain. -She waited for the bear to come.

  When the bear began to make his way towards Valencia, she in a very clumsy way coiled her body arround the piece of wood and used the ground as a base, using the charcoal part of the wood pointed towards the bear, as he came with all his speed, he once again tried to bite Valencia and on that instant, she used the base floor and her body to make the wood go upwards, stucking it on the maw of the bear. -Now! -She spoke as she saw the bear recoiling to not get his upper mouth penetrated, she began to run again, taking another sharp stone on her mouth, however, this time slithering herself towards an unknown direction. -C'mon, you must desist sometime! -She spoke hopefully, but to her terror after some instants, she could hear the bear steps right behind her.

  Valencia was losing the vision of her eye, she was without any water for to much time, she could feel her speed dwindling, all that was keeping her movement foward was her will and her thoughts -I have, I have to continue! -She pushed foward, now without vision, blind of her eye, she could feel her senses slowly florising, she felt that she could do it, avoiding tree trunks and passing under rocks and tree roots, while holding that stone on her mouth, she felt herself on a new ground, a ground with nothing on the surroundings, no trees, no rocks, however she soon began to hear something, water, running water!

  The Snake could feel herself entering the water right in front of her, without thought, as she could hear and feel the bear running behind her, she was't sure why he was hunting her so voraciously, however, as the body of the snake entered the water and began to be hydrated, to have its wounds washed, Valencia turned back to the bear, seeing it approaching as her vision was coming back, she was't acostumed at all with her body on the water, it was all pure instinct, as she launched herself with the stone on her mouth towards the bear maw!

  She could feel the stone piercing the back of its throat and it recoiled when he noticed the pain, however Valencia could't stop there, she knew that her relentless pursuer had to end there or he would continue, with Valencia taking her body out of the locked jaw of the creature and using her small weight, began to press his neck so he would fall agaist the water while the rock was on his throat, getting tangled up on his neck and pressing it with all her body, all of her being, while pressing her teeth on his head.

  As the creature fought for its life, Valencia could see how the bear was tired as she was, he was hurt, he was in immense pain and yet, his eyes din't stop following her, as if she was some sort of hope, those eyes that soon lose their light.

  -What the hell was that? -Valencia asked herself, with her body faling in the water, floating and she began to drink, now her vision fully returned thanks to the water, as she also could feel her wounds tingling a little but at least, being washed, she could see her surroundings, seeing that she was on some sort of waterfall, the bear body was halfway inside the water and Valencia felt her stomach half-empty, as she began to approach the body.

  Valencia could see the wounds of the bear, they were very deep and the missing arm, it was an very nasty cut, as if it was bitten off, however, even being terrible, she knew that she had to survive, eating chunks of meat of the bear, until she was full, while praying to wake up from this terrible dream.