Something brown with yellow spots slithered down the tree toward her, its movements slow but deliberate. Lara's hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of her sword, slung at her back alongside her cloth backpack.
Her breath hitched as the cold, scaled body—thicker than her thigh—drew closer, its gaze fixed on her. Just as it began to coil around her waist, she unsheathed her sword in a single swift motion and slashed downward. The blade cut cleanly through the snake's body, severing it in half.
The two halves hit the ground with a sickening thud, crimson blood pooling at her feet. Lara stepped back, her chest rising and falling as she assessed her surroundings.
Spotting a sturdy broken branch about a meter long, she picked it up and, using another stick, carefully lifted the snake's severed halves. She hung the pieces on the branch, her movements efficient and unbothered, as though it were just another chore. Without glancing back, she headed to the stream.
