Ariel gently nibbled at the succulent treat in her mouth, her tongue working hard to scrape any meat from the steel-hard bone. When she was finally satisfied, she bit down, easily crushing it between her sharp teeth. 

She spat out the remains, wiping her mouth with her arm. Bloody gore covered her form, a leftover from her latest kill. It was almost a shame that it had come down to a fight in the end. Really, she'd have loved to taste him in a sexual manner instead of a more literal one.

Still, what was done was done, and so she set about lapping up any and all nutritious remains still clinging to her scales. She'd have to make sure to hide her scent later, lest she attract any ambushers.

When she was finally finished, she got up. Other than a few bones, there was nothing left to indicate that anyone had ever been here. Their fight had been short and brutal, something that she usually struggled with. She excelled in prolonged fighting, hence, it was a novel experience finding someone else even more badly equipped to deal with brutal one-on-ones than her.

She rose to a standing position, casually catching and crushing a leech that had tried to attach itself to her during her feeding frenzy. Popping the parasite into her mouth, she wandered away from her lunch, occasionally taking a few sniffs at the air.

Other than the ever-present smell of death and decay, she couldn't find anyone else nearby. Of course, considering the wide variety of abilities she'd seen through her surprisingly long life, she wasn't exactly considering that assessment as gospel, but she could at least marginally relax.

Their confrontation had taken place near one of the few potable streams, which wasn't exactly surprising. It was the place where more or less everyone decided to try their luck at getting a quick meal, her lonely self included.

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Still, after taking another sniff just to make sure, Ariel went to her knees in front of the river, greedily drinking as much as she could. The water was a dull brownish-green color, which was a much better color than the black that Ariel was used to.

It was only when she felt as though she literally could not drink anymore that Ariel reluctantly tore herself away from the water. After all, it could be months or even years before she found another decent water source. Until then, she'd have to subsist solely on the blood of her prey.

However, just as she was leaving the area, her sensitive ears picked up a sound. Unconsciously, she dropped down to all fours, claws digging lightly into the dirt as she stalked her way towards the sound.

It was only after a few minutes of fruitless searching that she realized something: The sound had no origin. It sounded similar to how some of the colony-organisms she occasionally found communicated with each other, a constant stream of noise-pause, noise-pause.

Letting out a small growl, Ariel stood upright once more before letting out an earth-shaking howl. It was a challenge, and she hoped whoever was bothering her knew it and answered it. 

They did, in a way, as Ariel abruptly leaped away as a shimmering green portal abruptly opened up where she'd just been, only her keen sixth sense for danger granted by her millennia of constant warfare allowing her to prevent it from telefragging her.

With a snarl, Ariel lashed out, claws rending apart the strange thing in front of her. Already, her power was gearing up, strength flooding into her body. 

She never even got a chance to use it. Even as that portal in particular disintegrated after being cut in half, a thousand other portals appeared around her. Before she could react, they fell upon her.

Unbeknownst to Ariel, similar scenes echoed around the Otherworld, residents being snapped up by portals one after another.

It was a rather abrupt start to what would become the greatest disaster ever recorded.