Suddenly.

It was too much—she had to get the snake away from her. Xalendra groaned, biting down on her tongue, before quickly reaching for the serpent and shaking her leg wildly.

She cried out in fear as she gripped its tail, then in pain as she felt the small, sharp fangs penetrate her thigh. She thrashed about even harder, desperately trying to send the snake away as a burning pain lanced through her for an agonizing moment, before it was just as quickly gone.

With wide eyes she saw the woman kneel before her, a worried expression. “Did it bite?” the medicine woman asked.

Xalendra realized the snake had left, slithering away underneath the furs. She was breathing rapidly, and felt a residual pain in her thigh. With a trembling hand she felt where the snake had bitten, and swallowed back a cry as she nodded in response.

The woman's worry grew tenfold. “That is not good.”

“Why?” the princess asked, voice shaken with dread. “D- do you have no medicine for snake bites?!”

Her wide blue eyes were met with a solemn stare. “No, I'm afraid not. Not for this snake's bite.”

“Am I going to die?!” she shouted.

The medicine woman shook her head firmly. “No no no, it is not deadly. But... you may fall ill if it is not treated.”

Xalendra swallowed back her dread. “How do I treat it?” she asked as she tentatively touched the tiny pinprick wounds through her stockings.

“The venom must be extracted from the wound immediately,” was her reply. “The only way to do that is to suck it out.”

As she tried to steady her breathing, she realized the impossibility of treating it herself. Xalendra's face went red, her legs coming together tightly.