The motorboat died along the coast. Thankfully, I had prepared two oars we could use to row with. Going for fuel was foolish along with the secret construction site. It was better to row our way all the way around the continent to Highwater Bastion.

I had cooked a lot more fish and wrapped them in large fresh leaves. They should last for a couple of days. We got one full day of using the motor on the motorboat before it died. I detached the motor and let it sink over the back of the moat into the salty water. It was just extra weight we no longer needed.

"Start rowing," I told Shortnose. His rowing was weak, but it was something as we traveled over the ocean.

"Really?" he complained. I held up my claws and get got the message and started rowing. I rowed as well. I was still tired and sore, but I was slowly recovering. Rowing was exhausting, but

At night, I would land on the shore. If there were fish that swam under the boat, I would grab them out of the water to be cooked at night. The coast of the snake's continent was heavily forested, providing amble chances for cooking the fish I caught and keeping us provisioned.

It was a slow uneventful trip. We saw no other ships or boats. The entire coast was technically a war zone and I spotted a couple of locations on shore that looked like they had been attacked from a ship. Ruined trees and craters. Most of this was overgrown though.

It was a shame there was a current to carry us all the way to Highwater Bastion, but I had no idea about the currents. I didn't want to go too far from shore, out of fear that we would be lost out in the ocean with no way to return.

I had no way to cook fish in the small boat and if the waves got too rough, we had high risk of capsizing. It was better to stay closer to the shore than take unnecessary risks. Getting back safely was the biggest concern and that meant getting to Highwater Bastion.

Maybe I would come back for another round in a couple of years after I had gotten stronger, but now was the time to escape and recover.

On the fifth night since we had started sailing around the coast, I felt a slight sense of danger. "Do you know of any snakes in this area?" I asked Shortnose.

"Snakes? This far away from Slither's territory on the coast. I am not sure. Most of the coast is deserted, so there might be a young snake out there in the jungle," he answered while nervously looking around. We didn't camp directly on the beach, but just inside the tree line. I made sure to drag the boat all the way to our camp each night, so it wouldn't get caught in the tides.

"Nothing to be that concerned about, just a slight sense of unease," I replied while keeping my senses pealed to the maximum.

"Well there is nothing on the coasts, so anything out here is probably a snake," Shortnose said. The sense of danger went away. I couldn't pinpoint what it was. While it was tempting to call on Mes, that could be exactly what revealed my position to the snakes.

Better just to keep taking the boat and fleeing along the coast. Another 20 to 25 days and we would reach Highwater Bastion. At least the boat was easier on the legs. I could have run the distance in half the time, but that would mean leaving Shortnose behind. I had brought him this far, I was going to bring him the rest of the way.

"Get some rest. We have a lot more rowing tomorrow," I told Shortnose as we ate the last of the fish I had caught during the day while rowing.

"Are you sure, I can keep watch," he said. I just looked at him and the rat quickly shut up. I wouldn't be able to sleep with such a teammate keeping watch.

I closed my eyes and dozed like I had the previous nights, not falling into a deep sleep like I had during the storm. It wasn't as good as a proper rest and a deep sleep, but it was the most I was willing to risk.

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The next morning, I had some cold roasted fish and dragged the boat back out into the surf. Shortnose got on and then I got on. We started rowing. The waves were a bit choppier today as the wind had picked back up after being quite calm after the storm.

Looking into the distance at the jungle, I thought I heard a noise over the waves and the wind. Shortnose didn't seem to notice anything, but I was growing more concerned. It seemed like we were being stalked by a large creature, most likely a snake.

The waves were getting rougher. "Let's head to shore, we can't continue with these waves," I said. We turned the boat and rowed to shore. I dragged the boat up to the tree line, off the beach.

"We are going to wait?" Shortnose asked while I kept casually looking around and listening carefully. My sense of danger wasn't going off, but all my other senses were telling me something wasn't right at the moment.

I felt a shiver go up my spine as my fur stood on end. Something was definitely not right. I put a paw on Shortnose's shoulder and pulled him back towards the beach while scanning the tree line. He didn't resist, as I looked around carefully. I moved him behind me, with his feet almost touching the foam from the crashing waves.

The sun was still quite high up in the sky. It was just past mid-day. The wind picked up, blowing in from the ocean, towards the jungle. My scent had been blowing into the jungle for who knows how many days. I hadn't taken this into account. Now I was in a lot of danger. There was something out there, but it was being incredibly careful.

I didn't think a snake would be this cautious, but the fact it hadn't emerged to try and eat me, was incredibly concerning. I saw some trees shift slightly in the jungle at a distance. Whatever was out there was quite big.

For a moment, I didn't understand what I was seeing as a massive snake head emerged above the trees to look down at me. Even with my eyes looking right at it, I couldn't sense it with my danger sense at all. This creature was bigger than even than the snake ancestral spirit I had seen.

It looked down at me and Shortnose passed out in complete fear. I could feel a mental pressure as well, but resisted. My head began to hurt. This was no ordinary snake.

"You have done well to run little cat," the massive snake hissed out.

"I am Mittens, Assassin of the Covenant Church," I declared and brought my paws up. I made sure to keep my breathing steady. Once the snake attacked I would have to act.

"You are quite unlucky to run into me while I was taking a nap near the coast and picked up your scent. Now you shall be my meal," the snake declared. It didn't introduce itself, clearly seeing itself above me in all ways.

"Warrior spirit, I am going to need some help here," I muttered quietly. The large snake continued to stare at me and not strike. It was clearly content to let me make the first move. I wasn't used to being in such a passive situation. Escaping would be the best option. Leave Shortnose behind and make a run for it along the shore.

Unfortunately, the snake was being incredibly cautious despite its immense size and power. A minute went by, then a second, then a third. Neither of us wanted to attack first. The massive snake was clearly patient and content to wait me out until I was too tired to act. The mental pressure and the tension were slowly sapping my strength. It was very slight, but it was occurring and I could feel it.

I moved to run and set off at a pace I could sustain. The snake kept looking at me and then lowered its head and began moving through the jungle to mirror my movement. It was going to keep following me until I left an opening for it to strike.

No matter what I had to escape. Shortnose was left behind without a thought. This wasn't a fight I could afford to take while encumbered. After running along the shoreline for an hour I came to a stop and five seconds later, the snake brought its head up above the trees to look down at me.

"You aren't interested in fighting?" I challenged.

"I am interested in eating you cat. But your claws are sharp. If you wish to attack, then attack. If you wish to run, then run. But I will catch you and eat you no matter what you do," the massive snake hissed out with a touch of joy.

I couldn't outrun the snake. I had to fight, but I felt distinctly nervous at the thought. My danger sense should be screaming at me right now, but I was getting nothing. "Mes, now is the time to help me. I need to take some big loans," I said quietly.

Just as I thought Mes would appear, the snake glared more heavily and I stumbled back a step. "Your little trinket won't be able to help you now cat. I have seen your kind before, and each of them has been more delicious than the last," the snake replied.

That was when I felt an incredible amount of danger and fear. I was almost frozen to the spot, but I refused to die doing nothing. I would go out on my paws, no matter what.

"If you want to fight snake, then I am going to make sure you choke on me!" I declared.

"Hisssss," the snake just hissed at me as it slowly advanced out of the jungle. It was clearly done waiting and so was I. It was time to end this. There would either be a dead cat or a dead snake, or both. But one of us was not leaving this fight.

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