This post is part of the Immortal Naturalist's Guide series. The explanation for that series can be found in this post.
Jeremiah Snakehead has been seen by exactly one person who lived to tell the tale, me. This is because of a few things. To begin, Jeremiah is quite small, only a few feet tall, and is terrified of anything larger than himself. He also spends all of his time in the most remote areas of the Windworn Range, hiding under rocks waiting for his prey to wander by. Jeremiah will lash out at anything that walks by his hiding place, biting them with a venom that causes nearly instant death. This venom is the true reason why no living person has ever seen Jeremiah and lived, since anyone who sees him is about to be bitten. I was able to find the beast through the clever use of a lot of hiking and a rat on a leash.
I have reason to believe that the deadliness of Jeremiah Snakehead's venom is from a magical effect. No matter which part of a creature's body he bites, the poor thing dies in the same exact amount of time, and without any apparent damage to the body beyond the initial bite wound. As it so happens, Jeremiah has a bit of a discerning palate and he despises the taste of honey. Although this was discovered by accident during breakfast one day, it may prove to be useful for anyone travelling the Windworn Range.
I was able to follow Jeremiah to his den, a small crag in a scree pile, and investigate. Inside his den, I found it lined with many his own hairs, creating a very soft home. I was able to collect enough to make a nice coat and it is probably the softest thing I own. Furthermore, I believe one could find a way to harvest Jeremiah Snakehead's venom and use it for themselves. A poison that leaves no trace would be very valuable to the right people, although I don't encourage anyone in trying to harvest Jeremiah's venom. Catching him would be dangerous enough, but to put yourself near his fangs is quite the dangerous endeavor.
No comments:
Post a Comment