AN: Holy shit, it took me two and a half years to return it this story. Wow.
Well, here we go again!
Dave watched as the bobber bobbed along the lake's surface. He was poised to strike at a moment's notice, but so far, he hadn't seen anything indicating that he had a bite.
They'd only recently stocked the lake again, what with the heat finally going down. Trout and catfish had been added back in, and there was always carp. If he was really lucky, he might even snag a white Amur. What he caught was hardly a concern, though - Dave just enjoyed being out fishing. His only regret was that his beautiful wife wouldn't be able to join him - curse that last minute hospital call.
Glancing up from his line, Dave thought he saw something glowing beneath the water in the center of the lake. After a moment, though, it seemed to disappear - probably glare from the sunlight. Mentally, Dave made a note to bring better sunglasses - he couldn't enjoy fishing as much if his vision got too bad.
His upward glance also revealed a group of paddle boarders making their way across the lake, joined by a few companions on kayaks. With it still being early morning, the worst of the best was yet to come, making now the best time to enjoy the waves. Some might try swimming or diving, but Dave wasn't a fan of doing that in this lake - nothing interesting to see. Other lakes had more to observe, but this one was for fishing and water sports. Best enjoy those now, before the temperature made them infeasible.
As he was about to return to his fishing, though, Dave saw one of the boards jolt, as if something had hit it. Surprised, the paddler went overboard, causing her friends to stop in shock. Moments later, she surfaced, but seemed notably distressed, and hastily tried to get up on her board. Something caused her board to jolt again, but she remained on this time, and soon brandished her paddle as a weapon, trying to hit something beneath the waves. Apparently, she eventually succeeded, because a surge appeared in the water as what he assumed was a large fish retreated from the boards and canoes before descending beneath the waves.
Dave decided that he was going to try fishing at a different spot.
Then his line jerked - a clear sign of a bite.
Hastily setting the hook, Dave started reeling, fighting the fish at every inch as the slimy water dweller fought him for dear life. His caution forgotten, Dave met it pull for pull, fighting with all his might to bring it in. Slowly but surely the fish tired, until Dave finally pulled it to the surface, revealing it to be a modestly sized catfish. Smiling at the potential meal, Dave pulled out his net.
Mere seconds later, another fish surged out of the water, this one larger than the catfish by a significant margin. With lightning speed, it surged toward his catch, and with an open filled with sharp teeth, tore the catfish in two. All that remained on his line was the head of the catfish, the rest having been swallowed by the water giant. Taking a glance at the beast, Dave couldn't help but wonder just what the hell it was - it didn't match any fish that he lived in this lake. Or the North American continent, for that matter.
As the giant fish retreated away, Dave couldn't help being frozen where ge stood, trying and failing to comprehend the situation before him. Dimly, he shifted his glance back toward the group he had seen earlier, who were now returning to shore. It seemed that they had been spooked by what he assumed was the monster fish, and had decided to put an end to their activities to seek shelter on the shore. Recognizing a good idea when he saw it, Dave reeled in his remaining lines, and was pleasantly surprised to find he had caught a trout. Hastily putting it in a bucket, he glanced out at the River one more time before pulling out his phone.
What ever had eaten his catfish was probably an illegal import, and he wanted to get things cleared with fish and game before they tried to figure out who brought it in.
Gulping down the last of the tendril-faced fish, the sharp-toothed fish bedded down in a mass of algae. The depth provided it some relief from the heat, but the water here was still hotter than in the swamp. Already, it had been forced to fight the water scorpions for shelter - the heat was difficult to bare.
This strange new land was full of creatures that the river hunter had never seen before - ones with strange skin that lived in a strange forest of stone, in a land that felt very hot and dry. The air and water was harder to breathe in, forcing the hunter to be more sluggish. The heat meant that it could not chase prey for as long, and needed shade when it rested. Overall, this land didn't just feel weird - it felt wrong.
And get it was stuck here - the golden light the River hunter had traveled through had vanished. All that remained where it had once floated was a familiar smelling patch of water that was unusually cool, and already it was heating up to match what it was now mixed in. Said heat was taking its toll on the giant swimmer, and the one good look it had gotten of the surface had shown that the sun had yet to reach its zenith. This alone painted a grim picture - the day would only continue to get hotter. Wearily, the fish observed if it would be able to find somewhere cooler before the lake turned too hot to inhabit. If not, it would have to travel by land to find shelter.
And with this heat, that would be as good as a death sentence.
AN: Paradox episode 4, The River Monster, has begun!
Read and Review at your leisure! This is Flameal15k, signing off!