(written by Windace Fleetsilver)
Cuillin had been patrolling for about an hour already, and she was ready to return to the
Mountain. Moving along the warm thermals of rising air, she was heading towards Redwall Abbey
when, from a large forest clearing beneath, something flashed in the setting sun. Cuillin's
sharp eyes spotted it in an instant, and, naturally curious, she folded her wings in a gradual
sideway dive, scanning the area. For a moment, she saw nothing, then whatever it was flashed
again. Cuillin saw it instantly, and a chill ran down her spine.
An adder.
It was quite young, judging from its length, but that did not make it any less dangerous.
Cuillin shuddered as she recalled the only other time she had encountered an adder. It had
claimed her younger brothers before help could arrive, and she would never forget it as the first
time she saw another eagle die. Now, she shuddered and half opened her wings to rise and fly
away, then folded them again as she realized something else.
The adder, she could see, was heading straight towards Redwall. If it intended to attack, there
would be no time to fetch help from other eagles, and if she called the alarm, the snake would
only hear her and hide, biding its time until it could strike. An adder in Mossflower was a
terrible danger, especially to dibbuns (little ones) that might wander out of Redwall's gates.
Besides, a search in the forest for the adder would be a dangerous task, and might well have
fatal results too.
Cuillin knew then that only she could stop this deadly menace, though the thought of the risk
involved chilled her, making the already cold autumn air seem colder. She thrust her fear aside
and began to drop rapidly toward the adder, wings folded tightly against her sides. The wind
whistled in her face, and she might have enjoyed it if the situation had not been so dangerous.
Closer, closer towards the snake. Now Cuillin was only twenty feet above the tree line,
and she opened her wings slightly to flatten the dive. She came over the tree line at a tremendous
speed, and held herself on a direct line towards the adder until she was only a metre away, when
she suddenly opened her wings to break the dive.
The adder whirled at the gigantic whoosh that was the wind against Cuillin's suddenly
outstretched wings. It struck instinctively, but its blow, not aimed properly, glanced harmless
off Cuillin's beak. In the next instant, the wedge-tailed eagle, with all her great weight and
the full force of the dive behind her had came down on it. The adder's back was broken
immediately.
Cuillin squalled, pinned it down with her talons, and was about to strike when she realized it
was already dead. She stared at the adder, wide-eyed, then let out a breath. It had so easy,
which surprised her. From now on, Cuillin knew, she would never really be afraid of an adder
again, and the thought was a very cheering one. Spreading her wings, she rose into the sky with
her prize, and began a leisurely flight back towards the Mountain.
person to finish this story.
(Special thanks to Windace Fleetsilver for writing this story and to you for reading it.)
If you wish to e-mail the author, you can contact her at silverstone40 AT hotmail.com