(The design for the storm otterling belongs to Eldemore.com)
Electric ChaseThe clouds are blotting out the sun, but I can see just fine. My eyes glow in the blotted shadows, illuminating a pathway just bright enough for me to get around. Tall trees surround me as I scurry through the underbrush, trying not to draw attention to myself. Easy to say, but pretty hard to do when you glow in the dark.
If I can just get to the river, I think.
I'll be home free. But with every step I take, I can hear them growing closer and closer.
The dires have to hunt, that's a fact. But why they have to hunt me is a baffling question. You'd think creatures as smart as dire wolves would be smart enough to leave a creature with electricity well enough alone. But I guess when an animal's desperate enough for food, it'll attack anything that moves. And hey, I move!
I can hear the sound of rushing water coming closer.
Thank the Ancients I think as I run faster, trying to ignore the sadistic cries of the dires. The underbrush tickles my feet as I run, charging my dense pelt with electricity. Once I hit the water all that energy will be released in a shockwave unparalleled by any other living thing. But it won't affect me; my skin is impervious to the shocks. I've had to live with them since I was a pup, after all.
Finally, I can see the reflectiveness of rushing water in front of me, and my heart skips a beat.
I'm safe! I'm going to live another day! But right as my thought passes, a clawed paw strikes down next to me and I am sent rolling to the side into a blackberry bush. I gasp for air as The dire's menacing yellow eyes become more prevalent through the bush. They are narrowed and look as savage as ever. I try to stand up, but my side is badly wounded. I look over at my side to see a huge gash running almost all the way down my rib cage. I grimace as the dire comes in close to the berry bush, its white fangs glinting in my bioluminescence.
I have no choice now. The dire's mouth opens to snap me up in its jaws, but before it can I whip my tail across its face. I feel the electric energy surging out of me in a bolt, and the dire jumps back with a howl. I can see where my tail burned its muzzle; there's a long, charred streak of flesh and fur running down the left side of its muzzle. It is stunned, and I take this opportunity to run. My side screams with pain, but I grit my teeth and keep running. No other dires seem to be on my tail; they must have been waiting for the other one to bring me back for them to eat. They underestimated me by a long shot. I reach the edge of the river, and I can smell the alluring smell of the churning water and pungent plants enticing me to jump in.
But my side hurts too much for me to jump safely. So I just stand at the edge of the river, which happens to be an outcropping about two feet above the water. I hear stirring behind me, and I turn around to see the Dire getting up and snarling viciously at me. I haven't got much time before the dire reaches me and kills me, but I could always just shock it again. I can still feel the electricity surging through me, but it will take a considerable amount of energy. And with all that energy drained, I won't be able to run past the other dires. I look back at the water. The river is racing rapidly around sharp, protruding rocks, and I can see the silhouettes of fish swimming beneath the surface.
Sorry fish I think as I ungracefully jump into the water right as the dire starts running for me, its vicious jaws snapping wildly. I flail my little legs as the water surges toward me, and I can feel the damp droplets of water hitting my fur. They create little jumping sparks off my pelt, making me look like a fireball as I enter the water. The cool water engulfs me and soothes my wound just as my body purges itself of the electricity. It comes off in a huge shockwave, sending bolts and sparks through the water. The fish around me die instantly and float to the top, and now the smell of charred flesh permeates the water. Already I can feel my wound binding itself together, and I can move my legs fluidly again. I swish my tail as a sort of oar, and with my short legs paddling methodically I swim deeper into the river and away from the dires and the cliff.
