You’d been wandering around in the cold all afternoon, trying to find your way to the mountain village. You had a message to deliver to the herbalist there, a request for some plants that grew in the higher, colder weather, that did not grow near your own village. But it was night now, and so cold that you could barely feel your fingers in your gloves. You were getting very worried, when suddenly you saw an old storage building. It meant you must be close to your destination, but you weren’t sure you would make it any further. This place was shelter enough for the night. You saw a fire pit, and to your delight, there were some pieces of flint sitting on the rim. As soon as the fire was lit, you suddenly noticed scribbled writing on a plank of wood at the fire pit’s base. It said: “Flee at once, the snake dwells here!” You wondered why someone would be so frightened of a snake, but your thoughts were interrupted by a hiss so loud it could be felt through the ground. When you looked up, you saw a snake as large as at least 4 oxen, towering over you! The last thing you noticed as you ran for your life, was that all the lanterns hanging from the building’s ceiling had lit themselves, as if by magic, and you could have sworn you heard the giant snake-beast actually chuckle… (So sorry for the long story, but it just sort of got away from me XD. I usually just do a render for the new year’s animal, but apparently the snake wanted a whole story for himself!!!) Rendered in Daz Studio Iray. Postwork in Pixelmator Pro.