While looking in the forest and moving around, the child spotted a Spiteack—the same as the previous one, with red dots covering its black body, though a little larger in size. The child's vision had deteriorated after keeping his eyes open for three days, the battle with the Spiteack had sharpened his senses. He could now clearly discern its differences. The Spiteack was not far from the child, but it hadn't yet noticed him. It lay on the ground, coiled up and sleeping. No animal had ever been this close to this part of the forest, so the Spiteack was relaxed.
The child, focused on the Spiteack and oblivious to his surroundings, saw this as the perfect moment to attack and kill it to satisfy his thirst. Slowly, he rolled toward the Spiteack—half-rolls at a time, drawing closer and closer, stalking it. But just as he was about to latch onto the creature, it woke up. Sensing the child, the Spiteack first decided to flee and dodged to the side. But just as it was about to escape, it glanced back at the child. The Spiteack halted, glancing towards the child, it didn't consider him a significant threat and and so, it stopped, facing the child, now sizing him up as its next meal.
Suddenly with no hesitation, the Spiteack lunged. The child, sensing its movements, reacted quickly, but before he could dodge, the Spiteack had already bit him. Determined not to let this creature escape, the child lunged forward towards the now aggressive Spiteack. He thrust his hands out, aiming to grab the Spiteack's tail. But it was fast. The Spiteack swiftly moved its tail sideways, then leaped toward the child, coiling its neck with the intention of crushing it.
In a sudden burst of instinct, the child knew that if the Spiteack coiled around his neck, it could end in a fatal injury. He placed both his upper arms between his neck and the spiteack's coils. The snake's body tightened around his hands and neck, applying pressure so intense his wrists were wringing in pain. He realized the battle wouldn't last long if he didn't act.
Thrusting his hands forward, the child tried to grip the coil with both his arms, but the Spiteack's coils were too tight and wide for him to find an opening. The Spiteack had outsmarted him, coiling its body a third time. Each coil laid over the last, reaching up to his chin. With every passing moment, the situation became more dire. The child, once the aggressor, was now on the brink of death with no way to fight back.
The grip around him tightened further, and even taking shallow breaths felt impossible. The child's both wrists gave out with a loud crack. Pain was so intense that he couldn't hold it in. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came—the coil was too powerful. The pressure on his wrist caused his fractured humerus to crack once again, deepening the pain.
The child's energy faded, and his senses dulled due to the pain, lack of oxygen, and crushing pressure on his muscles. As his body grew limp, it seemed like the end was near. But just when it seemed hopeless, a ray of hope flashed before the child's eyes.
The Spiteack, acting instinctively, lunged its head toward the child, aiming to inject all its venom in one swift strike to end the battle quickly. As it lunged, its fangs sank deep into the child's temple. However, the snake missed dodging the child's hands for just a moment. Seizing the opportunity, the child quickly grabbed the Spiteack's head with both of his back arms. The child pushed every bit of saved-up energy into this single moment, tearing the Spiteack's mouth open, the tear only widening as the child spread his arms wide.
The coil around the child's neck and chin loosened, and the child, gasping for air, faltered for a second—just enough time for the Spiteack to flee. The Spiteack quickly pulled back its tail and darted toward a part of the forest only it knew.
The child, fueled by desperation, didn't savor the fresh air for too long before rushing after the Spiteack, driven by hunger and thirst. The Spiteack moved fast—perhaps because of its injury or as a final attempt to survive. It moved too quickly for the child to catch up, vanishing from his senses and sight. But the child had seen the trail it left behind—a trail of red liquid. This was the very thing the child had been hunting the spiteack for.
Rolling quickly, the child followed the blood trail, keeping his fractured arms safe as best he could. Obstacles loomed ahead—formations of the forest that were too high for him to climb—but with his quick thinking, the child navigated them. After hours of relentless rolling, the child arrived at a place where the scent of blood and death was overwhelming, even heavier than that of the Spiteack itself.
Rolling past a few roots, the child finally found the Spiteack's body—lifeless on the ground, devoid of movement. The child quickly examined it, but there wasn't much of the liquid he sought left. Only the intestines, gooey and unappetizing, and a still-beating heart remained. Not one to be ungrateful, the child took the parts and slowly ate them. The liquid inside the stomach wasn't much, but it was enough to quench his thirst for a little while.
Afterward, the child wanted to leave the area. Something about it made his senses tingle with unease, though he couldn't pinpoint why. But just as he was about to roll farther away, a sensation gripped him—the most dreadful one he'd felt in the forest so far. The sensation that his legs no longer worked. In that instant, he knew—he could feel the pain from those three days creeping back.
He didn't understand why or how, but he knew it was rising from his head and stomach, spreading through the rest of his body. Time was running out. He had to act quickly. The eerie feeling of the place pressed on his senses, urging him to leave, but there wasn't enough time to return to safety. His legs gave out, along with his entire lower body, and his neck offered no relief. He had to move—had to do something, and fast.
His mind racing, the child rolled frantically with the pressure on his hands. Then, through the haze of pain and urgency, he saw it—a small gaping hole in a large hollow tree, just big enough for him to fit. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged inside the tree, giving no thought to what might come next. As soon as he was inside, his senses gave out, and the world went blank.