The Great Hunt

Scurrying quickly, Mother Heather rushed along the river bank. When suddenly she froze as she came face to face with two red devil eyes!! Spinning round, she ran for her life but suddenly she felt a fearsome bit on her tail struggling to run she slowly felt her body shut down. She grew weaker and weaker until she dropped to the ground. Slithering silently the two red eyes checked to see if she was dead, she was, so the triumphant adder opened its mouth and started feeding. Mother Heather was gone!

As the night grew darker the pups of mother Heather were growing hungry and scared.

“Do you think she is ever coming back?” Said Reeds. “I don’t know but we must rest” answered Sedge.

So they all cuddled together and went to sleep. In the morning they set off to find Mother Heather. They searched for hours until they came to a pile of bones. They soon realised that the pile of bones was their mother because they saw the tie that she wore around her neck.

While they were looking at the bones they heard a slight slither. They looked back but nothing was there. Reeds knew something was wrong he said to the others.

“Stay close, something is wrong, I sense it.”

Reeds stepped forward. Something was definitely wrong. There was a trail in the mud. They did not follow it. it was too dangerous in case something might get them.

“No!” said Reeds. That is probably how mother got killed.” “Who knows how she got killed” said Daisy. “Let’s not follow. Actually, let’s go the other way so that whatever it is won’t get us.” Said Reeds. “Ok, let’s go,” said Sedge.

The next day they went to find their father because he was the only one who could look after the pups.

They travelled through reeds, over hills, until they came to the river and that was a problem because they had never gone across a river before. They knew what to do, stay close and don’t stop swimming. The current was strange.

There was a boat coming towards them.

“Swim faster!” said Reeds. “Of course I will, what do you think I am doing, you idiot!!”

Luckily the boat saw them and slowed down. So they all sat down and dried off.

“That was a close one, we were nearly dead meat and then we would never have found father.”

“That was so scary!” said Daisy. “Never do that again or I will tell Dad when we find him!”

While they were drying off the other brother sat there laughing his head off saying “We nearly died, we nearly got dead. It’s not we nearly got dead. It is we nearly died. You numb skull.”

So they all dried off and started working again. They came to a big burrow, they went inside and saw two red eyes. It was the adder! He slithered around trying to hurt them. Reeds was angry so he bit the snake on the neck. The snake was over. Finally they found their father in a little burrow near a stream.

Reeds said, “Well, I am glad that is over. I am never doing that again.” "Dad! Reeds kicked me!” “Well, it lasted for a little bit. Oh well,” sighed Dad.