With a mighty swipe, the bear's claws sliced through the tail.
Blood gushed as the snake hissed in agony. The severed part of the tail dropped to the ground, still twitching.
The bear didn't stop there. Eyes burning with hate, it lunged and bit deep into the fleshy stump, snarling as its teeth tore into it.
But just then something strange happened.
In the next breath, the bear froze. Its claws stopped mid-air. Its eyes widened. Its body stiffened. A low, rumbling hiss came from the Verdant Elder.
Aksai, watching from a distance, saw it clearly. The flesh of the snaketail had a deadly poison. It wasn't ordinary venom.
It worked fast and without warning. The biting bear's legs shook, and its chest stopped heaving. Its jaw went slack as the poison spread through its veins like wildfire.
