The Warm Liquid Beast

We prowled back from Table Rock's mist and scaled the armchair cushions to secure our night perimeter. Sprawled across the woven fabric lay a thick, ribbed rubber hot water bottle, radiating trapped heat into the dark room. It dared to swell with liquid defiance! We did not retreat. We lunged with a gravelly roar, sinking our claws straight into the crosshatched rubber skin! We threw our entire bulk down onto its belly. The water surged violently inside, sloshing with a muffled *GLUG* as the pliant rubber bulged beneath our chest, fighting our clamp with heavy, fluid resistance! We locked our grip tight, pinning the warm beast flat against the upholstery.