Nick frowned as he considered the path ahead, which ran right up against the shore of one of the larger mirror pools, so close that mud was piled thick along the trail. There weren’t any otters or herons nearby, which didn’t mean anything by itself, but was reason enough to proceed with caution.
The way forward looked safe enough at first glance. Apparently, this route saw a lot of traffic from the local wildlife. There was a plethora of tracks stamped into the soft soil, a clear sign that numerous species used this trail to cross the bog.
Even still, Nick had some reservations about getting so close to the water’s edge with no clear line of retreat. What he had observed while crossing the marsh led him to believe that some of its largest predators dwelled within the endless waterways.
Before committing to his course, he sat down on his heels, reducing his profile while being as quiet as he could. After spotting nothing threatening, he slid his spyglass out of his belt pouch to take a closer look, running his gaze over the shoreline, then deeper within the thorny brush.
He needed to make sure that nothing dangerous was lurking within, waiting for hapless prey to come walking past. When he tried sizing up the terrain, he got a neutral sensation from his skill. An ambiguous shrug, like size up wasn’t sure if it was safe or not.
Five minutes of careful observation later, Nick felt reasonably certain that the coast was clear. He had been as careful as he could, and he couldn’t sit here all day wallowing in indecision. Just before he rose to his feet, he caught sight of a long stalk protruding from the water. A feature that he had somehow missed during his initial inspection.
Hanging from the top was a cluster of plump golden orbs, which looked a bit like an oversized bunch of grapes. His foraging skill was certain that the fruit was both delicious and nutritious, a lucky find that would help top off his provisions.
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But something didn’t sit quite right with him. A vague sense of unease that was magnified when Nick used size up a second time, although the skill still wasn’t able to home in on a distinct source of danger. That was when a creature emerged from the foliage. A pink, long-limbed animal that looked like a reindeer crossed with a pig.
Hoping that its presence would help to unravel the mystery, he decided to change his lunch menu. While the creature was absorbed in its meal, Nick would sneak up and strike from behind. With any luck, he would be having steak for dinner tonight. He had a hunch this animal would taste better than the spear-tongue frog.
However, that was not what happened.
What happened was that the pig-deer stepped deeper into the mud, moving right up against the water’s edge. It leaned in to pull a juicy orb free from the cluster of golden fruit. It was clearly love at first bite. The creature let out a squeal of delight, enthusiastically devouring the first mouthful before reaching for a second, dangling globe that was set just a little further out than the first. The pig-deer extended its neck, its long tongue poised to pull in the entire bunch.
Just before its lips closed around the cluster of juicy spheres, the angler struck. It was all over in a gore-studded flash. One second, the pink animal was stretching to claim its next bite. The next, the surface of the mirror pool erupted into motion, as a colossal something came surging up from the pool’s edge, water and earth flying into the air.
The pig-deer had just enough time to let out a terrified scream before jaws as wide as a redwood tree snapped shut, swallowing the creature whole and taking a big bite out of the trail before disappearing into the lake’s depths once more.
Nick was left with the impression of an immense, scaley body. Of ragged black teeth the shape of corncobs and eyes the size of dinner plates, before the angler vanished from view. The whole thing only took a heartbeat. The massive predator left no trace of its presence behind beyond raw gouges carved into the soft earth and a ripple skating along the surface of the water. Note to self. Stay away from the pools.
A chill ran down his spine as he grappled with the sheer scale of the predatory beast. He would have no chance of surviving an attack like that if he stepped into the angler’s crosshairs, and size up hadn’t been powerful enough to warn him of the danger. The big bastard must have a skill or ability to boost its concealment.
Heart hammering in his chest, Nick rose to his feet, retraced his steps, and began searching for an alternate route.