Amanie pressed Tidimew to her chest, gazing in horror at the thing towering in front of them, its venomous mouth dripping with thick, green saliva like toxic waste, its mouth forming what might loosely be construed as a smile, blaring at them hungrily with an army of large, dagger like gnashers.

“Things aren’t always what they seem are they my little sugar plums?” hissed the hideous creature, which until a few moments ago had been a gorgeous blonde with the smile of an angel and the generosity to match.

Neither of the children sought an answer, but instead looked on in horror.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue’s.” she mocked. “You act like you’ve never seen a monster before, I thought you’d be used to it by now, after all I’m hardly the first am I?”

The children were simply too petrified to answer.

“Ha! My, my... You really are stumped for words aren’t you? Whatever happened to those brave little explorers I met in the woods?”

“What... What are you going to do with us?” asked Amanie timidly.

“What am I going to do with you? replied Nala. “Ha! Now that’s a good question. What am I going to do with you?” she repeated whimsically, fingering her monstrous chin.

There was a short pause. Nobody said a word. The tension was so thick you could've cut the air with a knife.

“What do you think I’m going to do with you?” asked Nala, answering one question with another.

Amanie shuddered at the thought, it was too awful to even contemplate.

“Well?” she pried, toying with her prey.

“I know what I’ll do if you come even one step closer.” answered Meo, looking bravely up at her.

“Oh really?” replied Nala with a hideous grin. “And what pray would that be?”

“I’ll claw your nasty old eyes out.” she hissed, folding back her ears.

“Well I never? What a horrible thing to say to someone who just saved your lives.”

“Doesn’t really count if you were just planning to eat us all along.” retorted Meo.

“Ha! You don’t exactly mince your words now do you?” laughed Nala. “I think I’ll drain you first.”

“What do you mean? What are you going to do with us?” asked Amanie, fearing the worst.

“You’re going to eat us aren’t you?”

“Is that what you think?” replied Nala. “That perhaps I’m feeling a little peckish.”

“Can’t you just eat somebody else?”

“If you come back to our place we’ll give you some fruit bread.” suggested Botog.

“Ha! That’s very sweet of you my dear, but I don’t eat fruit bread, I prefer souls.”

“What! You’re a soul sucker!” gasped Amanie.

“Yes, although I believe the correct term is spirit sap.” replied Nala.

“Can’t you just let us go? We didn’t do anything to you!” sobbed Amanie, overcome with emotion, as she burst into a flood of tears.

“Miouuuu!!!” cried Tidimew in unison.

“Now, now my dears, I didn’t walk you all this way, just to let you go at the first sign of a few tears. Besides it’ll all be over soon. I really don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

“Over my dead body you evil freak!” growled Meo, making a run for it.

“Yeah eat crap you buck toothed dragon!” spat Amanie, taking second wind.

With a whip like swish Nala’s long, serpentine tail struck out of nowhere and sliced through the darkness, its pointy tip pierced Meo’s flesh and injected her with poison, paralysing her almost instantly, as Meo's limbs went numb, sending her crashing to the floor, desperate to get away, as she struggled in vain, unable to do anything about it.

Nala’s dark scorpion like tail flailed through the air again, lashing about almost manically, as she prepared to strike. Amanie simply wasn’t fast enough. Nala’s dark tail lashed out, piercing her flesh and filling her with poison, knocking her to the floor, as the venom coursed through her body. Tidimew clung to her pathetically, wailing miserably like some poor, tormented soul. Unable to cope. Amanie begged her to run with what little strength she had left, but her pleas were in vain. Tidimew was simply too young and too frightened to act on her own behalf. Her fate was as good as sealed. Nala’s tail struck downwards and stabbed her in the back, paralysing her to the bone, as the world around her went blank.

Botog, who was beside himself, had scarcely made it to the steps when Nala’s long serpentine tail rose into the air and homed in on it’s target like a heat seeker, whipping with all its corrugated might through the gloom filled room, passing roots and would be obstructions faster than an angry cobra. Spearing Botog's bulbous, tire like body, as she filled him with her pestilence. Botog’s legs buckled beneath him. Nala’s poison barb felt like the touch of an evil sorceress. Her icy fingers upon him, weaving their dark spell. Blood mixing with neurotoxin, as his body entered a state of paralysed sloth. Unable to move, his eyelids began to droop, obscuring his sight and hooding his beady eyes. Saliva trickled from his mouth, making its way out tentatively into the shadows, as Nala’s corrugated tail recoiled into the darkness, its purpose fulfilled.