RePLing

Trapped

Alfred heard birds screeching and squawking overhead.
He slowly opened his eyes and blinked.
The snake was lying on the warm, wet sand.
Behind him was the small, red buoy which had carried him over here.
He watched a seagull drop down from the cloudless sky and grab a fish from the water.

He wanted to just down and savour the touch of the land.
Just as he thought that his stomach started rumbling.
He slithered off towards the dunes at the back of the beach, hoping to find something edible along the way.
As the starving snake reached the base of the dunes, he heard chattering come from the tall grass at the top.
The snake spotted two mice at the edge of the grass.
He waited until they came nearer, unsuspecting of an ambush.
Alfred bared his fangs, hissed and struck out at the helpless mice.
He grabbed one and tossed it effortlessly into the air.
The mouse fell straight into the snakes open mouth.
He was so famished that he gulped the mouse down in one go, however the other mouse was nowhere to be seen. A loud snarl alerted him of danger. The snake darted into a small bush near him. Alfred raised his head cautiously. He could see the outline of an animal.
Most of its body was obscured by the bushes thick leaves however he could  make out a few details like a feathery tail and long, sharp talons on its feet.
It looked like one creature from the stories passed down generation to generation, a creature that haunted his ancestors many hundreds of years ago.
The creature raised its head and sniffed the air.
It then opened its beak and emitted a terrifying scream that Alfred prayed he would never have to hear again and ran down the dune.
His head slowly peeked out from under the thick leaves.
The creature was nowhere in sight, its tracks leading down to the beach.
Alfred decided to try his luck in getting as far away from the creature as possible before it figured out that he was hiding in that bush.
He quickly slithered over to the long grass.
Alfred wandered off without any real destination.
Before long the land started to slope upwards.
Not long after, he realised that it was a mountain, and he could see it's peak.
The hike up was very difficult.
Alfred felt a feeling of accomplishment at having conquered the mountain
Below him was a lush plain with sparsely spaced trees.
He turned around and examined the summit of the grey mountain.
Just a couple of meters below him was a large crack in the rock.
Alfred squeezed in and lay his head down, knowing that fatigue was a dangerous thing in this world, as he always needed to he alert and looking for danger.