Cassidy and Jimmy were exhausted-completely wiped out-but Caitlin looked as energetic as ever. In fact, she'd even volunteered to carry their water bottles. Between the three of them, they had four bottles, and with Caitlin's own, she was hauling quite a bit of weight.

Watching Caitlin hike along so effortlessly, loaded down with all that water, was honestly hard to believe.

"I'm fine," Caitlin said, flashing a smile. "Guess it's all the exercise I do. You two take a breather-I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a reply, she set off toward a cluster of boulders up ahead.

If she wasn't mistaken, she'd just spotted a rare herb growing out from a crack in the rocks-something she could use if anyone got sick out here.

Cassidy unscrewed her bottle and took a long drink, then turned to Jimmy. "So, Jimmy, starting to see that Freya's not like other girls?"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Sure, people who work out all the time are in better shape than us. What's so special about that?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "She figured out where your name came from in two seconds! Even I didn't know what it meant. That's the kind of thing you only see in novels where the heroine is just... amazing."

Jimmy just shrugged. "She's trained in traditional medicine, right? Knowing this stuff is part of her job."

Cassidy was silent for a moment.

Fine. Whatever.

She was done arguing with Jimmy-if she kept going, she'd probably die of frustration. Tightening the cap on her water bottle, she pushed herself up, ready to keep climbing. But then, her face went pale.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy glanced over, concern etching his features.

Cassidy's hand shook as she pointed ahead. "Jimmy, look... th-there..."

Jimmy followed her gaze, and his heart nearly stopped.

Curled on a fallen branch just a few feet away was a snake-its tongue flickering, eyes fixed on them.

And it was close. Way too close.

Jimmy dropped his voice, barely above a whisper. "Don't move. If we stay still, it probably won't bite."

"Okay... okay..." Cassidy clung to his arm, her whole body trembling.

Suddenly, the snake uncoiled and launched itself straight at them, fangs bared.

Jimmy threw himself in front of Cassidy, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew he wasn't the strongest, but he was her big brother. That had to count for something. He braced for pain, but nothing happened.

Instead, Cassidy let out a shout of pure disbelief. "Oh my God, Freya, you're incredible!"

Jimmy opened his eyes.

Caitlin was standing between them

and the snake, one hand pinched around its neck the other holdingra pocketknife, in a swift, practiced move she slit open its belly, extracted a small green organ, and swallowed it-just like that.

The whole thing was so smooth, so confident, it left both Jimmy and Cassidy gaping.

Did she just... eat a raw snake gallbladder?

Caitlin looked completely unfazed-almost cheerful, not a drop of blood on her hands.

Jimmy's mind blanked out. He'd been impressed that she could catch the snake bare-handed, but swallowing its gallbladder raw? He could barely process it.

Cassidy swallowed hard. “Freya, is it... safe to eat that raw?"

"Technically, it's not recommended,"

Caitlin replied matter-of-factly.

"Snakes can carry all kinds of parasites, so whenever I do this, take a special medicine right after." She dug a small bottle from ber

backpack, shook out a single pill, and swallowed it.

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Cassidy pressed on, curiosity overcoming her shock. "But... is there a reason to

eat it raw in the first place?"

Caitlin smiled, "Some people believe

snake gallbladder is good for

clearing toxins and boosting stamina. But honestly? It's not something you mess around

nol

unless you know exactly what you're doing."

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