Nighthowler 2, Ep. 5
#5 of CYOA: Nighthowler 2
The fifth episode of our Zootopia themed community CYOA sees that Nighthowler, Judy Hopp's vigilante alter-ego, is not alone while lost in the deep jungles of the Rainforest District. She's going to need more than a map and a compass to get her out of this one.
At first, it could have been the wind or rain; tall ferns quietly rustling against mossy rocks and tree trunks, slowly swaying and shifting aside. The more Nighthowler focused, the more she could hear._Damp leaves crinkling on moist soil, as if _something_was pushing through them. She swept the beam of her torch through the dark, revealing only dense jungle shrouded in cold fog. The fur on the back of her neck prickled beneath her leather catsuit. _Instinct_tugged at her nerves. She was not alone but no matter how much she scoured the shadows with her flash-light, she couldn't see anything. All the while, the sound slowly got closer, _closer._Should she run? Nighthowler gritted her teeth. Darting into the jungle like panicked _prey_wasn't very _heroic. It wasn't even a very good idea. She'd only risk getting even more lost at best, and at worst could hurt herself with a trip or fall. Her free hand lingered by her utility belt, hovered over predator spray and handcuffs. Maybe she ought' to have brought a dart-gun.
"Is someone there?" Nighthowler puffed her chest, stood as tall as she could, and spoke with as much authority as she could muster. "I can hear you. Show yourself." The beam of light flicked back and forth through the fog, checking between trees, trying to spot movement in the undergrowth. Every time she heard something, by the time she'd flicked her torch towards, the thing was gone.
Of course, that was because Nighthowler was making a mistake.
The presence that stalked her did not walk upright like most citizens of Zootopia. Rather, they slithered through the cover of the undergrowth on a belly of scales, all too easy to overlook. A snake. Large enough to wrap itself tight around the bunny's little leather-wrapped body and cause her all manner of problems...
Poll: What Next?
[1] The enormous snake slithers confidently out of the undergrowth, almost unfazed by the rabbit's presence. It's a striking emerald green, with a lime-yellow belly and thin white stripes. Watching her with intelligent amber eyes, it slowly begins to circle closer,closer, steadily putting a wall of muscular scales between the rabbit and any hope of a quick escape - not that the heroic Nighthowler planned on running. Can snakes be _negotiated_with?
[2] Camouflaged in the undergrowth with a pattern of brown, black, and olive-tan, the huge snake was almost invisible_in the darkness! By the time there's any hope of spotting it, there's no time to react. The snake strikes before Nighthowler realizes what is going on, lunging out of the darkness,. It's a _constrictor, immediately seeking to tightly wrap the rabbit's body in its muscular scales and _squeeze_the resistance out of her. It quickly becomes a desperate struggle for freedom!
[3] Nighthowler confidently steps forwards, sweeping her torch through the darkness, adamant to find whoever is following her. If they're going to hide, she's going to _seek!_As she steps off what thin trail remains and into the waist-high foliage, something strikes her ankle. _Snake!_Needle-sharp sink into her leather catsuit, quickly delivering a dose of paralyzing venom. Staggering back, Nighthowler does her best to fight its effects as the brightly patterned red, yellow, and black serpent follows her out of the undergrowth.
[4] The snake that emerges from the jungle is unlike anything Nighthowler has ever seen. A royal cerulean blue and white, with purple eyes that glitter like polished gemstones. It is equal parts elegant and beautiful, looking up at Nighthowler with curiosity. Their gazes meet and the rabbit finds herself unable to pull her stare away. The snake's eyes draw her in, mesmerizing, _hypnotizing._The thought of running away and fighting starts to leave her mind, replaced by a desire to stop and stay with the unusual snake.
Poll: Snake Behaviour?
[A] Unlike the citizens of Zootopia seen thus far, the snake is not intelligent. It is an animal, driven by instinct and desire alone; instincts and desires that just so happen to likely involve wrapping up and fucking rabbits. One of the many hazardous creatures that lives out in the wilds of the Rainforest District.
[B] The snake is highly intelligent and aware of its actions, like any other citizen of Zootopia. _He_acts with care and cunning, has needs and desires above a simple animal. However, he cannot speak; the morphology of his body prevent him from communicating through words, instead forcing him to assert himself through signs and actions alone.
[C] The snake is highly intelligent and aware of its actions, like any other citizen of Zootopia. He_acts with care and cunning, has needs and desires above a simple animal. The snake can also speak, quite clearly, in a language that Nighthowler can understand, like every other citizen of Zootopia. Just because he's a snake living out in the middle of the untamed rainforest doesn't mean he's not a _person!
An extremely close vote, tied several times, but the snake managed to win out. For the near 2/3rds of viewers that voted for other things, don't worry. We can always revisit the other options at a later playthrough. But, for the little over 1/3rd of readers that did_want a big snake, the question is what are you going to _do_with them? Take the little rabbit by _force? Coercion? Or something a little more _nefarious and underhanded?
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The only way to find out is to_vote_.