Eva and Casey go on vacation

[Killer Croc]

The boggy mist filled the air and the strange but charismatic calls of the tropical birds echoed through the canopy. That is, behind the screams and scent of blood in the thick rain forest that early morning. Seems a new mysterious monster had started a folk tale and string of terror some years ago. A mutilating creature was wreaking havoc on the surrounding tribes of native South American. Some calling it a demon spawn, a creature of witch craft or a curse set upon them for some unseen sin. Whatever the case, it had several villages for miles along the Amazon River side in fear and in an uproar.

The councilmen of a certain village, the one where it all started, were contemplating the matter that very evening. They bickered about what to do and weren't getting very far. Being a closed community, practicing magic, spirituality and medicine, they turned to outside help and were hoping some men from the north would help them. The creature vowed to return every year, it killed many, including women and children and left mass destruction where ever it went.

“The beast will soon be upon us, it has begun again. It comes to destroy our homes and kill our people for food and because it is angry. Many of our finest men have failed defending us.”

“How do we stop it?”

“Only did we rid ourselves of it last time, when the chief gave it his only two children and all the wealth of our entire village.”

“It’s might is unlike anything I have ever seen. I survived with the cost of my leg. It can kill a man with one swipe of its claw."

“It speaks in the English tongue, perhaps the men from the United States can see what it wants.”

“We have already sent 20 men with our finest weaponry to the forbidden pools where it was last seen. The pools are deep. The creature lives both in water and land.”


--Two Weeks Earlier---

“God Damn, this crate must weigh 1000 pounds or more. What’s in here anyways, says it’s live?” A ship-man said to another. The ship had docked and it was already close to dark as the crew was unloading the very last of the shipment. “I don’t know some hippo or something for a zoo in Guyana. Just get the lifter over here.”

The man peered inside a hole in the box, looking around in the darkness for a sign of movement to see what the animal was. The curious man began banging on the side of the metal crate and walked around it.

“I think it’s dead or something.” He said before hearing a low growl from inside.

“No its alive and its moaning like a dying beast, eh, you hand me that rod other there, maybe I can poke it. I think I see something.” He said eying up the shadow in the crate after poking it.

Suddenly there was a scream from the man as he staggered back and held his hand over his face. His eye was gone, poked and plucked out from the beast inside. The crew swarmed the crate with their weapons drawn.

“It poked my eye out, hand me your stun gun, let’s teach this animal a lesson!”

“You stupid ass, I told you not to mess with it.” He said as he watch the crate rock and make a horrible noise.

The crew surrounded the crate and snarls came from the box as they shouted at it. The stun gun entered the inside of the crate and did no more than tickle him as it struck and fell off his tough hide. The last thing that man saw was a giant fist popping through the metal which sent him flying across the shipping room. Snarls from inside the box grew and then turned to deep laughter. An aggressive, deep and gargled voice spoke.

“You just had to wake me up! I get cranky when you wake me but worst of all, it’s been a long trip and I’m Hungry!” He said.

He punched through the crate and smacked open the door. His hands reached out grabbing the two closest men and he rose, breaking the side and the top of the crate. His neck, spine and shoulders cracked and he stretched up and twisted getting all the kinks out from being hunched down in the crate for two days. As the stunned men started firing their weapons Casey let out a large growl and charged, letting all the stored energy out to pulverize the crew.

“Now, time to hit the river and enjoy my vacation and easy pickins.” He said grabbing his bag of things and a snack for the float down. “Good by Gotham City! Hello paradise and warm rainy weather!

[Evangeline Walker]

Thank GOD for the unnatural ability to not be severely affected by the extremes of an environment. Temperatures and humidity were two things Evangeline was glad her body could handle and regulate, which made it easy to go to places that were unimaginable for most people like a rainforest or a desert or the mountains of somewhere, and the function as she normally would. With this benefit, Evangeline could collect the odd plants and minerals that help with potion making and the magic market that her mother operated from Hokus Pokus. Due to this, however, the young sorceress had been put through some training in the art of recognizing and extracting the voluminous amount of natural materials. Storing them properly had also been a part of this education. Thanks to these skills, the nymph was able to get and keep items for a few weeks at a time before heading back home with her bounty. If she managed to do most everything properly, which was normally close to what happened, aside from a few plant casualties, it would be it for another year or two.

Speaking of home, she hadn’t been able to see the old shop or operate within the comforts of New York City or even set foot in the United States of America for that matter. Central Africa and northern South America had been the only places she had interacted with since maybe two weeks ago and wasn’t going to be able to return for at least another two days or so. British Guyana had been her specific destination for at least the past few hours and, oddly enough, she wasn’t internally whining for home or asking herself why she didn’t just animate a few trees to do the work for her. It wasn’t the fact that she was in South America or anything like that; it was simply a good feeling she had (a good feeling that was enough to power her for at least the last few days of her South America conquest). …Okay, maybe not conquest, but the word for it simply slipped Evangeline’s mind much like the occasional sweat droplets would roll from her forehead, follow the track provided by her nose and drop from the tip onto clothing or into the thick grass beneath the nymphs feet.

Well they tell me:
"It’s only a dream in Rio."
And nothing could be as sweet as it seems
On this very first day down.

Evangeline’s voice floated up from her lips and into the canopy of the thick trees above. Since she was the only one around, or so she assumed, there wasn’t anything wrong with singing a little tune to keep herself sane. The heat was starting to show just how unbearable it was in the behavior of a few snakes and other reptiles that moved for the closest piece of shade they could find. One had even slithered in some nondescript direction, which the young woman could only assume was some water source. Bobbing her head from one side to the other, continuing with the sweet notes hanging around her and the satisfying smell of plants accompanying her, Evangeline pulled a phone out of her back pocket and glanced at the next picture in the gallery. It was a vine that was specific to this area, but it looked like just about every other vine she had seen these past few weeks. She simply could not understand why something this visually simple could have so much value to the magical world and to her mother. Even so, Evangeline moved forward with the picture in her head and surveyed the area ahead to her sides for signs of the plant in question.

Spotting something hanging from a tree maybe twenty or so feet from her position, the nymph took a few calculated, long strides and reached out a hand. Unfortunately for her, there was something like a concealed pothole where she took her last step and a substance she prayed was mud immediately swallowed her sneaker. Stumbling forward with only enough time to grab a hold of the vine, Evangeline managed to steady herself using the hanging plant and straightened up. The young sorceress, after giving a sigh of relief, gave the vine a hearty tug and watched as an older branch fell with it and landed in the pool of mud-like substance she had stepped in earlier. The substance, which she prayed even more so was mud, splattered up onto her face and the front of her clothing. Luckily, her eyes and mouth were closed but that didn’t help the fact that she was now splotched with nature.

Fantastic…

The nymph blinked a couple times and shuddered a bit, examining the state of her clothing. Yeah, fantastic was the right, sarcastic word. Thank GOD for the proximity to the river, whatever river it was, and the fact that no one was around. Watching her steps even more and circumventing the mud-substance pool, Evangeline pushed her way through a thicket of trees and bushes, getting her clothing snagged a couple times, before emerging from the humidity of the rainforest and finding herself on the bank of a river. Honestly, it wasn't much of a bank but it was enough for her to sit by the side and wash herself off. Hopefully, after this small distraction, there wouldn't be anymore misfortunes to hit her, at least not like this.

Dipping her now exposed feet into a clearer part of the river, Evangeline hummed to herself and began removing the mud-substance from the surfaces of her shoe. It wasn't too long before she moved onto her face and managed to get the substance off of her nose and out from in between her eyes. Rubbing off her hands and splashing some of the water onto her shirt and shorts, which now had streaks of set in mud across them, something caught Evangeline's eye. No, it wasn't quite another hanging plant, but something floating down stream... a piece of wood maybe or an animal? Leaning forward and squinting to get a better look, the nymph found herself oddly curious.

[Killer Croc]

It was one of those things that make him feel good; even though the truth of its nature was not pleasant to anyone else. Away from civilization or what some would call it, Casey was able to let his natural instincts take charge and not have the hassle of eluding the law. Here he could test the full extent of his brutality and domination over the little people. He showed little compassion or signs of his human side as he spend the evening playing a deadly and bloody game of whack-a-native. Their small wood carved arrows and little darts did little to him as he took them out one by one.

They were nearly helpless as he tore them limb from limb. But little did he know that the poison blow darts that pierced the inside of his mouth would start to show. On both sides of the river the people were shouting and shooting towards any ripple that moved in the water. A dozen people were already missing in the half hour; snatched from the thick brush or swallowed in the water’s edge. There wouldn’t be any sign of them after the piranhas and other creatures started in on them.

After a while he became tired of it and when the remaining natives took into the woods after a number of their warriors vanished, he floated down the slow river. He lay on his back, licking his teeth and almost falling asleep as he listened to the sounds of the rainforest. He floated for about an hour, submerged and in a half sleep when he swore he started to hear a soft humming over his breath, it was calming and he felt overcome with peacefulness. He thought it might just be in his half slumbered mind but the sound began to make him awaken.

He heard the sloshing of water and the smell of something. Something was on the edge of the river and he found he had drifted there too. Coming to more of an awareness his eyes came upon something where the noise was coming from. Normally he expected an animal which was taking a drink or flocking on the edge of the water that would just take off when he floated by it, but this wasn’t an animal. This seemed to be a person as his upside down vision also had indicated.

His eyes soon came into contact with the curious eyes of a young woman. She wasn’t a native but looked to be an American. If she did know who Killer Croc was, she probably won't expect him here. His eyes made contact until he saw a reaction from her and he flexed, dipped down and sinked under the water. Under the murky water he turned himself and clutched onto the muddy bottom, pulling himself closer to the person. The curiosity of the innocent girl made him curious too but something else was up. Casey felt ever so relaxed and zoned. Was it because he just woke up? A smug emotion came over his normally disgruntled expression as he slowly poked his massive head from the water a few feet from the girl.

His lazy eyes were warm and glazed over with the toxins from the darts. Since they could not pierce his skin, the natives started shooting them in his mouth. He didn't know it yet but he was totally out of it. There was enough in his blood to kill a dozen or so men and clunk out a male elephant for 48 hours. It was acting as a calming sedative, the things he would be feeling he would often normally hide from himself and never show to anyone.

“HA HA. WELL, Hello little girl. It’s a nice day ta float the time away.”

He floating up on his back again. He pulled himself by a tree limb and pulled to the very edge of the shore by her feet. His lazy eyes still on her and his body signals were saying he was big, lazy and content. It was almost as if she had found a big scaly friend. But really what she found was a doped up monster who was about to get her mixed up in a big and dangerous mess…. and possibly eaten.

“Wut brings a pretty little thing like you to the Amazon taday?” He gave off a soft and deep laugh.

“Are you aware there are man-eat’n crocodiles lurk’n about? HA HA. But don’t you mind me, I’m just float’n by.” Said the large man-eating croc.

[Evangeline Walker]

It was fair to say that Evangeline was a bit confused at first. There was, indeed, an abnormally large humanoid crocodile, or was it an alligator, exchanging words with her as if he, or should it be an it in this case, just out for a morning swim down the river to wherever. Yes, she was definitely confused, but also a little intrigued to be honest. It had been awhile since she had seen a talking animal and this was definitely a rarity to see one just floating along. Perhaps he had origins from within the waters or the jungles of Guiana? Perhaps this was one of those opportunities where Evangeline was going to document something that no one had ever taken note of before and become a major face in the magical world. Okay, maybe that was a bit off the charts in terms of the possibilities, but she couldn’t quite recall hearing of something or some creature like this in any of the books or lessons she received—well, unless you wanted to count dragons of course.

"Uh… hello…?"

Evangeline’s voice maintained its usual strength though she was starting to have a sense of fear well up in her from, well, absolutely nowhere. It must have been one of those instinctive things that a person just couldn’t avoid from time to time. As her voice carried her usual demeanor and her body was probably giving off so many non-verbal signals that shouted, “My GOD what is that thing?”, Evangeline’s eyes followed the creature and all of his—she decided that she would stick with the personification for now, especially since he could talk—movements carefully. It was a bit unnerving when the humanoid reptile pulled himself up right at her feet and started to go on about some man-eating animals and what not. Talk about unnerving. Though she wasn’t much for feigned fantasy—yeah, that is a bit of a surprise considering—Evangeline absolutely hated the idea of being eaten by anything. Especially since she was immortal and the details of surviving such a thing wasn’t one that she wanted to imagine or experience.

The nymph pulled her legs towards her chest and hugged her knees close to her chest, praying that this humanoid crocodile wasn’t just trying to con her so that she’d become his next meal. No, he wasn’t particularly threatening at the moment, but he fit the M.O. for a man-eating creature like an all purpose key could fit perfectly into a lock and then surprise everyone on the outside with what was inside of the unlocked place or thing. Plus, this seemed a little too much like Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Why was this crocodile guy even remotely interested in what she was up to? Why she was around? Etc? Sounded just like the things that a wolf would ask of a girl who was meant to deliver things to her grandmother (or mother in this case, but you get the point).

Yes, I’m aware of that. I’ve been here a few times more than I can recall. Thanks for the concern though.

Pursing her lips for a split second and slapping her shoes together to clear them of any excess water that they might have had in them, Evangeline nodded politely to the man-crocodile and slid her converse onto her bare feet. Yeah, it was going to stink dealing with wet shoes on her wet feet in the humid jungle, but it was better than going barefoot or having wet socks as well. She quickly pushed herself to her feet and wiped off the back of her shirt before sighing lightly. The gentle but distinct “squish” could be heard as she took a couple, small steps back from the edge of the river and stretched herself out some. It was a shame that a girl like her had to deal with such things as soaked shoes and crocodile-human-like people, but it seemed a bit like a magical curse. You know, like Fractured Fairytales or the like. And yet, for some odd reason, she still went ahead with it all.

Upon reaching that thought and leaving herself a little reminder to not maybe not fall into this recurring cycle the next time, Evangeline nodded visibly and glanced at the humanoid again. Her lips did their best to twist to one side of her face as she contemplated her next movie and then let them relax into smirk. Though she hadn’t managed to capture any other plants like that one she had just found, the nymph acknowledged that moving forward, or down river, might be one of her best bets to focus on another list item and, perhaps, stumble onto other ones.

Can I ask if you’re busy? …If not, I was wondering how long you think it might take someone like me get to the brackish water area and if you might be available to guide me… since you’re non-threatening and everything.

Was she talking to a giant, crocodile man? Yeah, but her ability to believe things had been increasing since the day of birth. Apparently, she was working on her sanity now. After all, she was asking this humanoid reptile for directions.

[Killer Croc]

If anything, what he had just done was to humor himself, he had no intention of eating this little female or anything out of the lines, (at the moment) but his expectations were not gained. Normally the sight of a giant scaly talking creature would send someone running in fear or to question their sanity. He might hallucinating by a person who accidentally ingested a small poisonous insect as they drove into the jungle gasping through the hazy atmosphere . Yet the girl’s reaction was bizarre from what he normally got. He was use to the horrid screams, startled wide eyes and flushed faces and those looks of disgust which gave him motivation to attack.

Her reaction was one of someone who was puzzled and it seemed to change around as the two returned looks. Clearly the girl didn’t know what to think. By this time Casey expected her to be thrashing her way through the jungle now, yet here she was fixing her little shoes, the smell of feet and some excrement she stepped in didn’t faze him. He was more overcome with the point that she seemed to act as if there was nothing to be afraid of. Clearly it was something out of the ordinary or was it because his head was clogging with a calmed haziness obstructing his thinking and understanding of things.

Even though he still sensed a bit of instability in her, the croc-man took to the fact that this girl wasn’t going to budge without him making her. He had the thought of scaring her off but both the sudden lack of muse for chasing her off and the spite of curiosity stopped him when she began to talk to him. He was bewildered in his doped state. His eyes glazed over her as he pulled himself up, sitting on the shore of the murky water. He then noticed the array of plants she had along with her; a collector of sorts?

“Brackish water ay? Yeah. I dozed off, but.. uuhh, by smell it’s a good five miles eer so down river. You look’n for some plants there? Different ones down there and on the other side than anywheres else, good for stews and such I find.”


It sounded like someone scarping tree bark as Casey scratched his neck as he began to ponder in his growing sedated state. Was this woman asking him for help, was she asking for this large biped carnivore to be her guide through the water? He still didn’t understand the just of it, why was this young teenage girl who was merely a fraction of his size parading through the dangerous, unforgiving, wild as it gets rainforest. Was she nuts? Clearly, if she was conversing with him of all people. But he gave his advice anyway.

“Yer alone in these woods? Not a safe place fer any kid like you. Saw one them big spotted cats not even’a half mile, recon it be on the hunt; track’n the trail fer a kill, sure it don’t take you no different than a wild boar. Walk’n these woods an’t the worst you try’en get on the other side of this river, that is a different tale. Piranhas every yard and seven foot catfish in here that will take hold yer limbs and drag ya down to the murky depths. Saw an anaconda about twice yer size too. And I take it you an’t got no boat. I suggest you forget it; no way you’ll make it down there on foot or swim’n. Unless yer suggest’n that I help you down.”

Glancing up at her on the bank he tried to decipher her facial expressions as he told her of all the dangers she could encounter. He cleared his throat and made a deep thinking noise. He turned his head looking up towards the river picking up the slightest sound of the natives and their hunting party. It was faint enough that only his sensitive ears would pick up. These people were known for treating intruders badly, sacrificing people and even practicing cannibalism, which was nothing new for him. And right now they were enraged and desperate to bring his actions to a stop. They probably would kill her on site. He turned back to her.

“Natives might not take to the likes of pail skins in these parts. Witches; call’n um bad juju and such. Pity they catch you out of sorts, beat ya and scalp you, throw you over a pit of coals on a spit. Not a nice way to end a day trip in the Amazon.”