Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

Alysse

Medusa held me in her talons again, but more gently this time. We flew- or rather, she flew while holding me- to a hollow tree. She dove through a hole in the trunk into an underground passageway. A tiny slit let in fresh air and a little bit of light.
"Alysse had the chipmunks build this. She befriends everyone because she's so kind and generous. Besides, they felt that they owed her. She saved their babies from a snake that lives over on the other side of the road."
"I wish she'd killed it," I said. "It chased me here."
"What.... but.... she DID kill it."
"Killed what?" A beautiful golden hawk stepped into the dim light of the underground cavern.
"Alysse!" Medusa exclaimed. "We were just talking about how the chipmunks built this because you killed the snake."
"That I did." Alysse winked at me. "Now I'm known through the chipmunk community as 'Alysse the Snake Slayer'."
"But you didn't kill it!" I cried.
"What?" Alysse turned to me. "I killed it and skinned it. Look at the walls." Sure enough, the walls were lined in snake scales. "We ate its meat, too. It fed Madlynne and I for a week." The raven nodded. I still didn't know whether to call her Medusa, Madlynne, or her full name, Medusa Madlynne Ammeri Sharla Kathryn Nikita Lisa the Third. She noticed.
"The Great Hawk calls me Medusa, but I prefer Madlynne," she said. That was good; As Madlynne, she had been nice. As Medusa, she had been mean. "Anyway, this is Alysse, as I'm sure you know. Alysse, this is Ruby."
"Nice to meet you, Ruby," Alysse said. "But I still don't understand what you mean. I killed the snake, as you can see."
"Well then the snake had family," I said, "because there is a snake living across the road right now."
"You know what that means?" asked Alysse. Madlynne nodded. I shook my head.
Alysse and Madlynne looked at me and said at the same time, "We're going snake hunting."