“Despite the apparent danger in wrangling one, it has become something of a pastime for reckless Walljacks to mount a sleeping waterjack and hold on for as long as possible once it wakes up with a start. Many a rodeo-rider have paid for this game with broken arms and legs, but would later say that it was worth winning their bet.”
Waterjack
Having diverged from hippopotamuses in the distant past, one would be forgiven for not seeing the relation within what seems to be the disparate mishmash of animal parts that is the waterjack. Often prized for the colorful patterns of their trunks, greenhorn hunters are tempted to underestimate an animal that barely meets the waist-height of most mortals - a dire mistake.
Armed with large, sharp tusks, and a sleek, oblong body built for dashing quickly through the murky waters of the swamplands upon their two legs and catching their prey unawares, the waterjack is a deadly carnivore through-and-through. Most often, however, a waterjack will not be seen running - rather, they will lie in wait for ambush by anchoring their long, prehensile tails around underwater tree roots and using their trunks as a snorkel above water, which is difficult to parse from the surrounding reeds and debris during the night, in which they are the most active. Should an unlucky soul find themselves passing by, the waterjack does not discriminate one from their usual prey of fish, crocodiles, and other, young waterjacks.
Written by Chish, contributions by Reedie, Book, and electric
