Discovery for Dad

I’m only up half the tree when the branch above me breaks. I scream for a second, because that was my next hold. When I look down the 50 foot drop after hearing the crack! of the branch on the ground, I’m shocked to see that there’s something clutched under it. I quickly rush down the tree to see what it is, but by the time I get there, it’s as stiff as a dead stick.  I look from the long, bumpy tail, to the diamond pattern on its back, to the long tongue, tired from hissing. After taking another long look at it, I can clearly tell it’s a diamond-backed rattlesnake. I know from my dad’s boring biology books that even one bite piercing the skin would be fatal to humans. However, I feel sorry for it. I can tell by the twisted grimace on its face and the excruciating pain it seems to be conveying that it’s severely injured. We live in a National Forest in Arizona, so snakes aren’t a rare sight. My dad studies biology, so he’ll probably know how to treat this poor snake. But, if I bring it to him, he’ll probably want to know what I was doing in the burnt forests in the first place. A few months ago, a raging fire swept through the forests, making these trees perfect to climb. Also, probably really dangerous to climb. I guess I’ll just tell him. By now, the snake is unconscious, or just probably playing dead. Diamond backed rattlesnakes are so agile, that in just a few seconds it could bite me and slither away. I grab a few leaves and a few sticks. Actually, more than a few. This snake would be taller than me if it stood up. Looking at it, it’s probably 6 or so feet long. Suddenly, a thought of danger flashes through my head. I quickly dismiss it, because if I panic, the snake would be sure to sense it. I finish collecting the leaves and run to the house. 

“Dad!” I yell.