Late afternoon on a warm fall day, the last traces of summer hang in the air. Streaks of golden light play through the trees and fall on the Silverstream. On the grassy side of the river a small apple tree offers its fruit to all who want them. On the wooded side, a few smoking racks laden with fish help the family prepare for the upcoming winter. Nearby, rabbit pelts, hanging to dry, later to become blankets and doors to keep the winter chill out. A ring of rocks circle the entrance to the holt. Leather doors pinned open to allow for easy ventilation, the icy grip of winter still a few months away.
A cool northern breeze gently washes the day’s heat away. The cool air and still warm water a perfect combination this evening. The sun dancing on the water as it lapped at the banks, its surface rippling with life.
A head pops up out of the water, his cinnamon fur matted with water. “Come get me, River!”
He flicks his wrist and sends a wave of water at his younger brother.
Sputtering, River replies, “No fair! We’re not supposed to splash”
Sighing from the bank where he was starting a fire, Varen calls out, “Finley! You know better.”
Already grinning, Finley dives underwater.
A light splash across the river, Varen sees an apple bobbing in the current. Smiling, he gracefully dives into the water.
Preparing the food for this evening, Mira looks and shrugs. Setting down her knife, she too slides into the water.
A sable head glides up to River, Brooke reaches out, “Tag me River. I’ll go get Finley.”
River looks at her hesitantly, but then Mira calls him to her. He taps Brooke’s hand and swims over to his mother.
Brooke eyes Finley with a mischievous gleam. “Ooo, picking on River huh. Now it’s your turn to get got.”
The swim and dart about, laughing and playing.
Varen’s voice calls out, “Finley? Brooke? Who wants an apple?”
The two older pups react, just in time to see their father chuck the apple high in the air. It sails over them, landing with a splash a ways upriver.
The apple bobs once, twice, before the current carries it toward the deeper water. They chase it laughing, their voices carrying downstream.
Mira opens her arms. “Let’s practice fishing, eh?”
River nods, his grin small but proud.
She slides a paw slowly into the water.
“You need to remember, fish are wily. They feel the water, so you have to be careful when catching them. Be gentle, and they won’t realize you’re there until …”
She taps the water with her paw, and the minnows dart away, straight into her other paw.
“You catch them”, she finishes, pulling the minnow out of the water with a grin.
“Ok, now you try”, gesturing to a small school of minnows a few feet away.
River slowly moves closer, and lifts his hand above the water, ready to try what his mother taught him. When suddenly, all the fish dart away. Frowning, he looks to his mother. A splash behind him catches his attention. The entire otter family watches as the water comes alive, fish jumping out of the water, ripples moving against the current. Even Finley and Brooke forget the apple to witness the spectacle.
His eyes darting downriver, Varen breaks the trance with a bark, “Finley! Brooke! Shallows – NOW!”
The apple, now forgotten, bobs gently as the river heaves once, ripples running upstream. The pups and Varen make their way for the shallows near the shore.
The water explodes.
Varen is gone.
Mira screams.
“Stay back!” Varen pops back up, losing the struggle to stay above the dark waters.
“Papa!” Finley shouts, eyes wide in horror.
He kicks furiously to help his father, when he feels something immense beneath the surface. The water churns with movement.
Mira continues towards her pups, “Get to the shore, NOW!”, her voice breaking. As she reaches the edge of the shallows, the river erupts again. An ancient terror, its scales glistening with dark, oily shadows, surges from the depths. Its enormous body rising above them.
The pups stop and stare. Frozen between going any closer to this monster and retreating to the depths where it would eat them before they knew it was there.
“Kids!” Mira yells, splashing water at the monster. She moves away from her pups, making sure to keep the monsters attention.
The monster’s head lashes out.
Mira dodges and yells again, “RUN!”
She hurls mud at the monster’s face. SLAM! The blow sends her sprawling.
Something wraps about her legs, gripping her tightly.
“NO!” she fights against the monster’s coils, clawing futilely against it’s scales.
Fangs sink into her shoulder with a sickening thud.
Venom flows freely into the new wound in a wave of paralyzing pain.
Her vision blurs, the light of the evening fades with each passing second.
Mira prays for her pups as the water claims her.
While Mira keeps the monster busy, Finley and Brooke sprint to the shallows with River.
The monster drops Mira and turns towards the children. In the dusk light, faint lines of dark blue and purple appear between its scales. It glides towards them, in a low rasp, It lunges again, picking up River in its mouth, “Won’t you make the most delightful squeak”.
Mira, in a final act of desperation bites deeply between two scales.
It hisses and drops River, his small arm scratching a venomous fang. He winces in pain.
“run” she says weakly, “go”
With a sob, Finley picks up River and grabs Brooke’s paw, pulling them away from the chaos. “We have to go”, he whispers.
The elder pups heave themselves to the shore. They stagger away from the water and towards the treeline, leaving their mother behind.
A rush of water drowns out Mira’s final cry as the monster vanished beneath the surface, dragging her into the depths.
River twitching in his arms, Finley struggles to carry him. “We’ll go to Timberflow, they’ll know what to do”.
Tears streaming down Brooke’s face, her body shaking with fear and sorrow. Brooke looks back when they reach the treeline. The monster gazes back, it’s matte black eyes absorbing all light, purple lightning lining its black scales, and a patch of bone above it’s left eye.
Finley pulls her along. “Come on, Brooke, we can’t stop,” he urges, his voice tight with panic
They stagger into the forest, the river whispering behind them, certain only that the monster isn’t done.