exitium

In the middle of the day, it was an odd sight indeed to happen upon the Klein serpent out in the open. Though he was not afflicted by the albinism of his siblings, he had picked up on the habit of being nocturnal. It was much easier to move about during the night, when darkness might hide the glaring paleness of his pelt out in the open. However, today he'd elected to venture sleepily out into the open. He was thirsty, and the Rio Grande had very crisp, fresh water. Why? Who knows. What truly matters, is that this was a horrible decision. Far to the north, a sheet of ice toppled into the source of the massive river, and a tidal wave was headed down its length.

He heard the rush of water before he saw it, thankfully. As the swelling banks could suck him into the raging waters, he leapt back. A roar from behind him was distinctly different from that of the floe approaching, and pale eyes widened as he wheeled about to spot a truly massive grizzly. The way its pelt hung from its frame, he could tell the bear was hungry. This was precisely why he preferred to sleep during the day. He wouldn't get mauled by bears if it was nighttime. Regardless of his misgivings, the bear was lumbering closer, and the water was beginning to tug at his heels now. The tip of his ivory tail was drifting in the rising current. When had it climbed this high up the banks? Rather than take the time to consider that question, he bolted up the banks and away from the river. However, there wasn't much room for him. He'd picked the only spot sheltered by a steep incline, to avoid anything sneaking up on him from behind.

This meant he needed to get the fuck going if he didn't want to die. Long legs stretched in impossibly long strides as he raced towards the area where the slope was less steep. The grizzly, quite adept at sprinting despite its bulk, charged after him. An idea sprang into his head. He couldn't fight this bear on his own, especially not while the river was overrunning its banks like this. However, there was a chance he could use this natural disaster to his benefit, and escape with his life. It was going to be a tricky move, and he was already dealing with a lot of variables. His foot landed in soft soil, and he stumbled. Though it was nearly the nail in his coffin, the boggy mud was only going to get softer as the water rose. This was the spot he'd make his stand. If he screwed the pooch on this, he was dead. However, if he succeeded, he'd live another day. Worth a shot.

Icy gaze whirled to take in his surroundings, careful not to slow too much. The bear was losing steam, they'd already raced across a few hundred metres of shoreline. The slope didn't end all that abruptly, and instead turned to a gradual incline before returning to the broad, open plain. He'd have to be smart about this. The grizzly on his tail was skinny, but it was still the starved remnants of a truly massive male. No doubt he was still very heavy. It was go time.

Just before he could reach safety, he darted to his left, and part of the way up the slope. It was smoothing out a bit in this area, he didn't have to fight his way to higher ground. The bear roared its displeasure, and swiped at him with one immense paw. He narrowly dodged the blow to his rear legs, suffering only a few minor cuts from its claws across his heels. Any higher, and the bear would have likely done serious damage to his achilles tendons. He whirled on the bear, praying for all it was worth that he could hold his ground. Tail flagging high over his hips, hackles bristling, he flattened his ears to his skull and snarled at the bear. Apparently that caught the beast off guard, if only for half a second. It hesitated. A few small steps back left its hips under the shadow of the jutting incline. Any sharper and the slope might have counted as an overhang.

Squelch.

The water was still rising, but he could hear the torrent approaching still. He had to hold his ground for a few minutes longer. Masked facade twisted into a vicious snarl, the male snapped and snarled with all he had. The bear swiped at him with one massive paw again, but he had agility on his side. Lowering his body with bent joints, he darted just out of range. The claws slashed across the left side of his face. The cuts stung, but he was counting on leading the bear to believe it had the upper hand for now. It was starving, perhaps it would get confident if it thought it was winning this fight. The monochrome male darted forth, teeth snapping close to the bear's snarling face. It reeled back, rearing up onto its hind limbs to render itself out of range and eye level with its opponent.

Squelch.

The soft, sandy soil was turning to mud under the deluge. Doing exactly as he'd hoped, and sucking the bear's hind paws into its grasp. If he could keep it on its hind legs, maybe it would unknowingly sink itself further. It was worth a shot. The serpent moved in closer, dodging another well aimed swipe at his upper back. This time, the claws gouged at his back. A yelp tore itself from his throat, pain arcing up his spine. He was bowled over as the blow connected, and stumbled to his right. A few moderate lacerations to the upper left side of his back, around the lower part of the patch of black behind his shoulders.

The bear rocked on its feet, shoulders hunching to pounce on him. He could hear the strange sucking of the loose mud, even under the few inches of water that were accumulating there. He leapt upwards, seeking to clamp his teeth onto its nose. He narrowly made it, fangs slicing through leathery flesh without acquiring purchase on the fleshy appendage. Nevertheless, the bear was still standing. Victory might very well be his today. The torrent of water was upon them. Rushing around a bend in the river. The roar of it was nearly deafening. Caught up in the excitement of what was to come, the two toned male let down his guard for just a second. That was all the grizzly needed, and it took a brutal swipe at him. Aiming to strike the same spot as before, the bear nearly knocked him airborne. The force of the blow sent him tumbling to collide with a more sharp jut of soil and rock that formed the steep incline he'd been just using as cover. In a flash of desperation, the male stretched his forelegs so he could catch himself against the ledge. It was sharp enough that he was able to catch himself before he could tumble into the water a few feet below.

He pulled himself up, watching the rush of water barrel down the banks of the Rio Grande. Roman found himself scrambling to put distance between himself and the rushing torrent. The grizzly caught wind of its approach too, and struggled against the sucking mud that gripped its hind paws. Those few seconds of struggle were its undoing. You see, he'd thought this out. The sharp change in the angle of the slope acted as a bottleneck for the water that was rushing in, and the wave rose sharply once it hit that junction. The second it collided with the grizzly, the force swept the predator downriver. Its roar echoed across the Rio Grande, but Roman was too exhausted to care anymore.

From his vantage point, a few feet from the edge of the slope, he watched the bear be pulled under by the churning water. The serpent would live another day. He flopped down in the lush grass, and heaved a massive sigh. Perhaps he fainted in that same breath, but he would never admit it.

ooc. final word count; 1364