Hm. Now might be a good time to figure out how many chapters the au should be... help me ya'll. please 

This first part of this chapter is inspired by Ruvio's encounter with a copperhead the other day. I got an email from him talking about it, so i took some elements to add as this chapter. Ruvio didn't get hurt, nor did any of his family members. So don't fret about it. Please, snakes can be very dangerous sometimes, so be careful around them. And this is coming from someone who loves snakes. I dont want to sugar-coat it. 

Chapter warnings: Suggestions of self harm

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Third Person POV:

Mumbo wasn't ever too fond of snakes. 

Legless, scaly, dangerous creatures. 

So, naturally, he wasnt too happy when he saw a 'giant' black snake basking on one of Scar's roofs. 

You see, in the process of building his base, Mumbo often went over to Scar's village for inspiration. Tips. 

Viper didn't exactly hear Mumbo coming. But she for sure did hear his scream. 

She opened one of her deep red snake-eyes, before shifting in a matter of seconds. Face to face with a scared Mumbo, she laughed lightly. 

"Oi, I aint gonna hurt you," She laughed. 

"What are you doing on the roof?!" 

"I could ask you the same... Or I could just tell you I was basking." 

Mumbo shrugged, but was still fearful. 

"Yeah, yeah, snakes are oh so scary-" Viper started, with a nod from Mumbo. She wasn't offended. "I get it. Snakes can be really dangerous in the right situation... I- uh- think you might- erm- already know that." She laughed nervously. 

"Yeah..." 

"Is Grian alright?" She asked quietly, not much louder than a whisper. 

"Yeah." Mumbo replied.

It was true, the prankster was much better than last night. All of the hermits were. 

"Thats good to hear..." She whispered again. 

She waved Mumbo goodbye as he shot off, back to his base. 

Viper sighed and shuffled in her sweatshirt pocket for something. It acted like an inventory, holding countless amounts of objects, despite its size. 

She frowned as she grasped onto a small blade. 

She quickly put it back where it was.

7 months clean- The shifter reminded herself before climbing down off the roof to find something to do.

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POV: Impulse

What. Just. Happened. 

I was a freaking otter. A freaking sea otter.

What was I supposed to do?! Sit here and just pretend nothing happened?! Wait for someone to come get me?! 

Of course, my communicator! Maybe I could use these weird paws of mine and ask for help... 

So thats what I decided to do. Somehow, in some way, I actually managed to unlock it and type in a gargled message. 

ImpulseSV: hekp imn ano tter

(I tried my best, alright Q^Q)

ZedapyPlays: omw

TangoTek: Be there soon

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Third Person POV:

"Aw, hes adorable!" Zed squealed when he saw Impulse. Hey, it was true. 

Impulse squeaked angrily, which was still just as adorable. The otter raced around Tango and Zedaph, trying to communicate in some way. 

"Maybe we should take him to X?" Tango suggested after a few minutes. 

"Alright," Zed agreed, and they were walking through the Nether, the otter cradled in Zed's arms. They stepped through the swirling portal labeled 'Xisuma' and were greeted by the bee-armored hermit. 

"Hey, whats up- oh." He laughed when he saw Impulse. "He's adorable." 

"Thats what I said!" Zed laughed along with X. 

"You just gotta wait until he shifts back," X shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it." 

"Oh... Alright-" Tango said, looking at Impulse. The otter squeaked. Zed lowered him down to the ground and the otter zoomed around the three, letting out annoyed squeaks. They all laughed, it was pretty adorable. 

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WC: 632 

Im really sorry this chapter was so short, despite taking me two days. Writers block sucks... Im kinda running out of ideas- but im sure itll be alright. 

I start school on august 17th, which is in two days, so expect updates to be slower. 

Yes, ya'll finally got Swimpulse. Sorry hes not a guardian, but the thoughr of big tough impulse being an otter was too good to pass up lmao. 

Again, as stated at the beginning of the chapter, please please please be careful around wild snakes if you are not a trained professional! And, if you are a trained professional, please still be careful lol. 

If anyone ever has any ideas for the au, or simply just wants to chat, my inbox is always open! 

Have a good day/night/afternoon/morning, as always, ya'll! See you again soon!