Chapter 149 — Lethal Poison
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 4 of 8
Then, with light footfalls, three tall and strange beasts appeared on the road, all with the heads of savage wolves but the bodies of tigers and leopards as commonly seen—a most grotesque sight.
These three monsters moved with great caution, their noses twitching constantly, sniffing at the air as they slowly approached the Viper Valley. All within the valley was quiet, as though wholly unprepared for these three uninvited guests.
Suddenly the wolf head of the middle monster jerked, as if it had found something, and it gave a low growl. The other two at once halted and looked to the strongest and tallest monster standing between them.
Fierce light flickered in the wolf-headed monster's eyes, its nose sniffing without pause, yet it did not go into the Viper Valley, but instead walked slowly toward a dense clump of grass beside the ancient road just outside the valley. A faint smell of blood drifted slowly from the grass.
The monster gave a low growl and stepped into the grass. From outside, its body could be seen moving ceaselessly, as though rooting for something within.
After a moment the grass shook again, and the strong monster leaped out, sprang back onto the ancient road, and in its mouth it held something strange.
It looked like a long whip, or the tail of some monstrous creature. The fur upon it had begun to rot, its color dim, and it gave off a ceaseless faint stench of blood.
The other two monsters roared at once, plainly startled and furious, fierce light flickering in their eyes.
The monster that had retrieved the tail set the thing upon the ancient road and suddenly raised its head and gave a long howl—a sound like a wolf's cry, shrill and piercing, rising straight to the clouds.
A moment later the monster took up the tail again, and heedless of the other two, flew off on all four legs, racing swiftly back the way it had come and away from the Viper Valley.
The other two, after a few roars, suddenly put forth their strength and charged into the Viper Valley. Within, the ancient road grew more twisted and narrow, winding onward, and on both sides the hills were thick with thorn and brake, among which drifted a faintly colored thin mist, there and yet not there.
The monsters charged straight on, and to judge by their gnashing jaws, anyone who appeared before them now would be torn to pieces on the spot.
The colored mist drifted lightly, gathering gradually in the woods. The two monsters roared again and again, looking at nothing, and charged straight in. At first there was no sign of anything amiss, but somehow their roars gradually fell, their pace grew slower, and after a moment their whole bodies began to tremble.
As though sensing danger, the two monsters halted, turned their heads with difficulty, and sought to leave the woods, but before they had gone a few steps they collapsed, and in an instant blood ran from every orifice of their faces. They were plainly dead.
Through the hills and woods, near and far, rose at once a dread "hiss, hiss, hiss" as countless serpents came surging toward the spot, and within moments innumerable snake heads appeared among the grass and treetops, hissing, great and small vipers alike all crawling near.
And just as these vipers happily fought over the food, many of the snakes suddenly froze, raised their heads warily, and then turned as one toward the entrance of the Viper Valley.
Far away down that desolate ancient road came what seemed the muffled, deep booming of war drums. The whole earth began slowly to tremble, and strange sounds came from the endless distance like the march of a thousand armies and ten thousand horses.
The morning valley suddenly fell into a silence like death.
"Huh!"