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9 YEARS EARLIER

Viper woke up with a terrified scream and glanced around her new bedroom. The first thing she heard was her son's crying. When the young mother realized that it was just a dream she began to cry.

HE appeared in her dreams, again. HE has been in her dreams, to this day.

The female serpent closed her blue eyes, when more tears rolled down her cheeks. She saw Po blaming her for her mistakes and bled on the floor.

Viper tried to help him, but he bled too much. Every time she put a bandage on a panda, new wounds appeared on his body.

Guilt tormented her from the insides, so much, that it was the only thing she dreamed of.

Forget about it, she had to take care of her own child now

The viper got up from her bed and went to the crib where her baby was weeping. Putting her tail on rail, she began to rock gently in the style of a boat.

The rocking only made the crying little snake more emotional, and made the little boy unbearable.

"S-shut up!" Viper's eyelid twitched, while she listened to his cries. "SHUT UP!"

It did nothing when the young albino viper started screeching louder. The infant's screams immediately turned to that loud that they could wake up the whole village and mistake it for old fashioned music.

The adult female snake grabbed her head, trying to keep her common sense.

"Calm down Viper" the young mother tried to calm herself down. "It's just a little child. Your child"

To calm herself down, the young mother sighed.

"You probably just want a snack..." Viper noticed, her son calmed down after she raised him in front of eyes. "You must be hungry, don't ya?"

Ba Lan hissed happily at the mention of this word.

"I have always known, it's you..." Viper smiled. "...Po"

She trembled after mentioning her friend's name.

On the answer, a small snake tilted his head and babbled with questioning look.

"Oh, dummy me, I shouldn't say stupid things, seeing my pride starving" the female serpent giggled, putting her beloved infant on her head. "Let's go eat"

With a heavy blue eyes, the young mother slithered to the door and opened them. Stepping out along with her baby into the corridor, she spotted the pantry door. It was easy to recognize from the difference, that it was the only wooden door in her new home. Rest were sliding doors, that looked more stylistic.

"I hope your grandpa left them open and full of food" Viper patted her son's head. "...and mommy will not have to use her lock picking skill"

Viper slowly put her tail on the door handle and gently pushed them. She sighed with relief when it turned out to be open. Putting her head inside, she saw several shelves and bags filled with food and other plates decorated with tasty-looking meals.

Along with her little one, she went inside with a nervous smile.

"Before you eat anything" the female adult serpent said to her son, approaching one of the nearest shelves. "I need to make sure this food is fresh"

The thing that caught her eye was plate with steamed buns. Curiously, she picked up one of the rolls and sniffed it.

The sweet smell indicated that this food was a type of dessert and was fit to eat, but the young mother had her doubts. Still uncertain of her own thoughts, Viper bit it.

Her vertical eyes widened almost completely her blue sclera, when her taste buds felt taste of her childhood.

Custard. Those were Custard Buns.

When Viper was young and sad that could not help her own father in protecting the village, her mother always did them to somehow comfort her in all of this. In this way it became her favorite pastry.

A single tear flowed from the viper's eye. Her mother remembered... She actually remembered!

With a smile on her snout, Viper reached for the second bun to eat it. When she raised the second confectionery, the young mother was thrown out of her trance when she heard her child cry.

The female snake understood that she could not forget about her starving little baby.

"I'm so sorry, little one" she said with sadness, regretting her behavior. "I almost forgot about you"

Viper put the steamed bun on her head, so that Ba Lan could eat it freely.

The small snake began to eat without hesitation as soon as the food came into view. He started by biting off the dough, ending on filling.

"Eat slowly, sweetie" Viper whispered to her child with concern in her voice. "...otherwise you'll choke"

She knew, however, that her son had to eat well to feel better, so she tried to keep herself silent during her company at his feast.

Ba Lan had to be very hungry, otherwise how to explain that he devoured the whole dumpling in a few minutes without letting out any breath.

"Well, well, well" Viper giggled, seeing her son falling asleep being rolled up in a lasso. "Someone needs a good nap"

Leaving the pantry and closing the door behind her. The female snake went towards the bedroom. When she was inside, slowly put her baby to the crib where he slept early.

Bending down, she kissed his head and after that, turned her head to the bed.

Viper yawned. It meant that her duties were over.

"It seems like time for my dream"

The young mother sighed, putting her head on a soft pillow and covering up with a quilt, her eyes looked at Ba Lan's crib again.

"Good night, Po" she whispered with anxiety in her voice. "... and please, we are friends, stop scaring me in dreams"

Viper yawned again, when she felt her eyes had enough of looking, but she still tried to keep them open. On the one hand, she was afraid of nightmares, and on the other, she dreamed of talking to her friend.

After these thoughts, the female snake fell asleep.