[SNEAK PEEK]Swampy Surfer Snack
Soona Mae picked a bad place to chill out.
This story will be posted publicly next month - but if that is simply too long to wait, you can read the full story right now on my Subscribestar!
Swampy Surfer Snack
**By Limewah
Subscriber Reward for Moggers (May 2024)
SNEAK PEEK**
Soona Mae was resting atop her surfboard, her knees up, her hands resting on her stomach.
The ocean-otter stuck out like a sore thumb in the marshy, moon-lit swamp, particularly since her fur was almost as brightly-coloured as the board itself. Though the bright body paint all over the otter’s thick arms, legs and tail probably kept any would-be predators at bay; colours like that suggested that she might be poisonous. Which meant she was left well enough alone, from the feral crocodiles down to the tiny mosquitos and mites.
It was an unorthodox place to be floating on a surfboard, sure, but Soona Mae was anything but orthodox. This was a good spot to meditate. No waves or currents to speak of, just clear, undisturbed, almost glassy-smooth water. Her balance kept her from tipping over. She could close her eyes, chill out, and let her mind wander as much as she liked.
She didn’t know there were some more intelligent predators lurking in this jungle, ones who relied on intuition as well as instinct.
Kaa had seen many otters like her, and he’d also seen those same hues of paint on creatures he’d snacked on in the past. They were never toxic, and his stomach never disagreed with it.
The big snake eyed her with his gleaming spotlight gaze, his tongue scenting at the air.
“Is that sssea sssalt I ssscent~?” he chuckled to himself. “Why, I do love a nicely ssseasoned meal…”
He smacked his lips and slithered through the trees. She was only bobbing a little bit on the surface of the water. He needed to get her closer to him. He slipped his tail into the water and slowly guided it towards her, just below the surface. A little nudge of the board would send her subtly bobbing along, closer to a good vantage point.
His tail approached the tip of the board. Just a gentle nudge, then a patient wait for her to bob close enough…
The needle-sting of a fish’s teeth clamped around his tailtip, making him flail and splash. That same splash threw Soona Mae out of her meditation, and she screamed and leapt onto her feet. Her board pitched and wobbled beneath her from the change of balance, and she waved her arms through the air to try and get her bearings.
She looked down and saw a fish swinging through the air, on the tip of a serpent’s tail. The tail was wriggling with a lot of pain by the looks of it. But it was within range. With one quick smack of her tail, she dislodged the fish, sending it sailing into the air. Soona Mae briefly considered catching it in her mouth; she was in the mood for a snack.
But who knew what parasites might be living in that thing, she couldn’t exactly eat it raw, now, could she?
Instead, she surmised, it’d be better to paddle to a bank.
Kaa had yanked his tail out of the water, and was whimpering and nursing it in a loop of thicker, dryer coil.
“That Pissscine Pessst…” he grumbled. “And jusst when I was about to…”
He looked down.
His meal was paddling right towards him, completely oblivious. She was on one knee, using an arm and her tail to gently guide her to shore… and to his tree.
“...enjoy my meal,” he giggled with delight.
He wasn’t going to wait for her to get to shore. He was too excited. His eyes were already tingling as much as his mouth was salivating. He would have her.
**To read the rest early, Subscribe!