If that Was An Adder, It’d Jump out and Bite You! 
 
There was a jolly young mouse by the name of Skippy. He was skipping down the path ahead of his of his friends. Hey?  A strange eerie voice called from the shrubbery. Skippy took out his staff and called in a voice like steel striking rock. Who’s there? Come and show yourself! Then a grumpy old rat came out, in a rusty wizened voice she said, get off my path before I have to injure you. Go boil your ugly face you raggy rancid rat, Or I’ll tan your tail! Then his friend Gess the otter bounced a slingstone off the rat’s tail 
Ruuudddeeerrrwwwaaayy! The blood curling warcry rang from the strong bulky otter. Then the other friends surrounded the rat. Please don’t slay me! Mercy! What do you say Gess? Shall we let this horrible rat go? Yes I could never slay a defenseless creature. Ok rat you heard him, we give you until the count of ten, and if you’re not out of our sight or we smell your foul odor we’re come after you and your crow meat! I was getting sick of his foul stench. I was tempted to chuck her in that pond and give her a bath. Hey I think I can see his sorry face! Bushtail! Ok! After they supped on bread, ale, cheese, and mint tea they were snoring as loud as the colony of Connecticut. 
Croak! Binjar getcha net! Croak! Get the other toads! The friends were completely tooken by surprise. Before a battle could rage they were clubbed senseless.
When Gess woke a toad prodded him with a spear. With one quick movement Gess snapped the spear and screeched deafeningly go away you stupid rambling idiots. Gess shouted so loudly the toads scattered. Oooohhhh! My pore old head! With the sound of the mouse’s groggy voice Bushtail, Tunnel, and Spikeball woke. My poor tummy is thinking that my mouth has forgotten how to scarf pouted Bushtail. As he spoke an arrow flew and buried itself half its length in the wooden cage. Oh boy! Here come baby toads! Along with the baby toads came a hare with a boat shaped figure manacled to his writing paw. All of a sudden a baby toad prodded Skippy with a sharpened stick. Skippy sidestepped and punched the scaly face. Hey watch the Reegeys especially that one there that’s the king’s daughter bellowed the hare. What are your names? Gess answered for all. This is Skippy, Bushtail, Spikeball, and Tunnel, and I’m Gess. What’s your name? My name is Larin. Move no talk hare beast, give us ride demanded the Reegeys. As the hare wandered off, giving the Reegeys a tow, hearing Gess’s voice ring in his ears. Any chance we can get some food? Some shrews will be along shortly. 
The friends were in a deep sleep when a clattering woke them. It happened to be the shrews Larin mentioned. The shrews were scruffy furred creatures. The shrews wordlessly placed the food in front of the travelers. The food was porridge, apple scones, and cherry fizz. A shrew named Nomere detailed them in that when the king came not to say gih gih, which means you’re laughing. When the king came he had the prisoners manacled to the same boatlike figure that Larin had. 
Next the friends had to supervise the Reegey’s supper. The Reegeys threw and spilt food everywhere. Tunnel, Bushtail, and Spikeball had their paws busy wiping sticky paws and whiskers. Tunnel spoke in a low tone to Skippy, these brats eat like a pack of wolves and pigs. They waste so much…splat! Spike ball was hit by one of the porridge missiles. Bedtime! Yelled Larin above the melee. The baby toads ran chanting catch us. When the friends had gathered all of the raggy crew for bedtime the Reegeys rebelled and ran back to the table. The Reegeys threw the remains of their supper at the friends. Splat! Splotch! Thwok! Over the fracas Gess managed to shout out, grab the vermin one …his sentence fell short as porridge splatted on his face. The friends followed his instruction, plucking the Reegeys one by one like flowers in the spring and carrying them to bed. Skippy and Bushtail had their paws busy keeping the rebellious bunch in bed. Gess hurt his voicebox shouting hey Skippy what did your mom so to make you go to sleep? A story! Skippy ran around yelling story! Storytime! The Reegeys ran for their beds kicking, punching, and biting, trying to be the first in. Ok here’s the story. 
Once there was a naughty Reegey that didn’t go to sleep. While she was wandering a ghostlike figure that was an adder drug the baby toad off The Reegey was never seen again. The moral of the story is go to sleep or the adder will get you! Skippy finished the story with tiny snores in his ears. 
  Afterward the friends supped on apples, blueberry scones, bread and Calendula tea. When again they were snoring like the tribe of Connecticut they were woken by shouts. 
Without warning Gess and Skippy saw some new shrews. Skippy saw toads fall to arrows and slingstones. Ssoooooooooommmmmm! The warcry rang through the night. The friends stood watching toads flee in the eerie silence. Hey chieftain your shrews are here! There were new introductions and friends and family reuniting. Thanks chieftain! Frrrrreeeeeeeeeee! The shout hung in the night like a bird in flight. 
Don’t call me chieftain call me Ness. Since I’ve freed you can you do me a favor? Ok!  Anything for you! Do you know where the quarry is? Yes I do. Can you and your friends slay a giant adder and his 5 foxes? Um…Um… ok!
So the friends set off with Larin and new provisions. Gess armed with a shrew sword and a sling. Tunnel armed with a bow and quivers. Spikeball armed with shrew club. Larin armed with 3 throwing javelins a javelin thrower and a marvelous dagger. Bushtail armed with 2 daggers and a sling. Skippy armed with his staff a shrew sword, a sling and on throwing javelin. 
It was a long walk to the quarry. Along the way the friends ran into 3 weasels, which were laid senseless by Spikeball’s club. When they arrived at the quarry they sat on the damp grass and ate. Their dinner was cheese, a fish they caught on the way and shrew ale. We’ll find the adders layer tomorrow. It’s to dark right now.
The next morning the friends breakfasted on blueberry scones and mint tea. Oooo! I do love blueberry scones said Tunnel hungrily. Lets pair up. Gess you take Bushtail and Spikeball. I’ll take Larin and Tunnel. When you find the entrance don’t go in find the other group.
In the shrew camp terror reigned. The monster adder had tooken two shrews. A mutinous little group of about a score complained, why should we stay here in the adder dinner zone and get eaten? Because our new friends might need our help, and to know if they succeed!  The score of mutinous shrews marched off. Well fear is the best mind changer.
Back at the quarry Larin had found the hole to the nightmares layer. Skippy ran back to tell the others. When the others arrived Larin decided that they stick together. They entered to the sounds of Poooouuussssiiinnouuusss! 
Spikeball dropped his club and made a clattering sound and instantly the friends were surrounded. Five rancid foxes grinned. Heh! A fox lunged at Gess kicked out and sent the fox sprawling. Skippy caught a fox off guard and sliced the tip of her ear. A fox had sliced deep into Spikeball’s paw with a spear. Tunnel sent an off catching a fox in the leg. Rrruuddeerrrwwwaaayyy! Paaaaatttthhhhwwwayyy! Lliilliilluuu! The warcrys rent the morning air. Bushtail was down and about to be finished off when the fox saw a javelin growing from his chest. Skippy saw Spikeball fall and he redoubled his efforts. Foxes went flying left and right. Tunnel sent an arrow off and was rewarded by a shout. Without warning half a score of foxes weasels and stoats. There was one very evil looking rat standing in back. Chhaaarrggee! The remaining friends charged. Gess battled on regardless of wounds. Skippy’s and Gess’s warrior spirit rising, they battled like a pair of mad beasts. Bushtail and Larin were battling back to back. From Tunnel’s vantage point behind the rocks he felled a fox that was sneaking up on Gess. Larin sent a javelin off catching a weasel. A weasel ripped out a javelin from his arm and slashed Tunnel right down his rib cage. When the weasel was about to finish Tunnel off Larin went flying through with a double paw kick. Then Bushtail sent a stone off laying a stoat senseless. Gess took an arrow in his paw that he pulled out and snapped like a toothpick. The rat saw the battle swing against him and he started sneaking off through the shadows. Skippy saw the rat and sprinted after him. For the first time the rat knew what fear meant, the rat’s mouth went dry with fright. The rat turned to see his hard eyed pursuer gaining on him. With a tremendous roar Skippy threw himself from the small cliff and landed on all four paws. Paaatthhwwaayyy! Skippy hurled himself at the rat. Skippy threw his sword from him and battled paw to paw, claw to claw, and teeth to teeth. The rat scarcely had time to draw neither his breath nor his sword. The rat dove and picked up Skippy’s sword. He slashed at Skippy but Skippy was too nimble and he sidestepped. 
The friends heard the metal hitting rock and the distinct ring. Tunnel had lost his bow and now he picked up a javelin and jabbed left and right with the wood and the metal tip. Bushtail had sliced a weasel’s whiskers clean off. 
Skippy grabbed the sword hilt and slowly but surely turned the point forward until the point was at the rat’s whiskers. Don’t kill m… 
The last vermin fell transfixed with a javelin. Hey where’s Tunnel? They found Tunnel crying in a gloomy corner. Skippy spied a dark gigantic figure behind Tunnel. Tunnel run! Tunnel didn’t run he dug underground to the friends. An adder slid out in the uneasy darkness. It happened to be a grass snake that slithered away at a rapid pace. Larin threw one of Skippy’s javelins and hit the snake. It still slowly slithered away. Gess took another javelin and he hurled it as hard as he ever would. 
The friends fell because of a cascade of rocks that shook the ground. The adder came down from the cliff. With a twitch of his tail the adder knocked Tunnel and Bushtail unconscious. With a roar Larin hurled himself at the adder. He cracked the adder on the skull with his loaded sling. Larin was knocked unconscious by a vicious headbutt. Gess faired better until he was thrown against the cliff. Skippy grabbed his sword and slashed at the adder.
He struck for the shrews!
He struck for future creatures!
He struck for his friends!
With one last thrust the adder fell dead.
Then some shrews came. They saw the adder dead and jumped for joy!
At a victory feast the friends recited their tale. Victory was theirs but at a bitter price.