Ambush in the Fronds

I forced my snout through a thick wall of wet fern fronds, thrashing my tail to shove aside the heavy stalks. Deep beneath the green canopy, a wide terracotta saucer rested in the damp soil, brimming with rainwater. A curling brown leaf drifted across the surface like a stray river beast. HISS! I lowered my chest, crept to the edge, and clamped my long jaws shut with a violent bite. Cold droplets sprayed across my snout and flanks as the leaf shredded against my teeth, claiming this basin for my hunting grounds.