the verdant mire · reptilian · ambush predator · solitary · intelligent · semi-aquatic · non-sentient · territorial · bone-crushing jaws · ancient
The jungle breathed around you, a humid, living thing. A flicker of movement—Zeph darting through the canopy—and then a sudden explosion of Featherwings taking flight. The pond's surface, moments before still as glass, now rippled from the edge. Korvax rose, water sheeting from his algae-streaked scales as he opened his jaws in a vast, silent yawn. He settled back, sinking until only the dome of his skull and two unwavering yellow eyes remained above the surface. Those eyes swept the bank, patient and utterly focused. Time had honed his vigilance into an instinct; escape from his notice was a rare feat.