Nighthowler 2, Ep. 3
#3 of CYOA: Nighthowler 2
The third episode of our Zootopia themed community CYOA. Nighthowler, Judy Hopps' vigilante alter-ego, pushes her way into the Rainforest District's wild jungle, hoping to gain some insight into the damp district's darkest dealings. How well this goes for her is up to you to decide.
Nighthowler quietly slips away from the streets of the Rainforest District. She finds disused maintenance staircase, green paint peeling off the handrail to reveal rusted metal beneath. Every step makes the wet steel creak beneath her feet. But it's sturdy enough to descend. Down beneath the elevated streets, leaving behind the sound of passing cars, talking crowds, and club music, Nighthowler heads for solid ground. Yellow signs zip-tied to posts warn of jungle hazards, trying to dissuade her. She is unperturbed. The staircase gives way to solid ground, a path trailing beneath the street platform above. She follows it, until it branches off into a dirt trail leading up a rocky hill and intro the trees. A wild path.
The path gets narrower the further Nighthowler goes. She pushes her way through the dense jungle, drenched leaves brushing against her leather catsuit. It's impossible to use her umbrella here. Foliage encroaches from every direction as trails get narrower. The only light comes from the moon, strands of light breaking through the canopy above, barely enough to see. Lingering fog doesn't make it any easier. Folding up her umbrella, Nighthowler takes a torch from her belt. Rabbits have good night-sight, but the overwhelming darkness of the jungle is just too much to see where she's going. She sweeps the beam in front of her feet, checking for holes or vines that could snare an ankle.
Out in the jungle, alone? Nighthowler has to be careful.
[1] Nighthowler's intel is solid. She's thoroughly done her research and knows exactly where she's headed, following a narrow dirt trail through otherwise nearly impenetrable jungle, trees marked with splotches of bright paint to mark the path. The map on her utility belt is accurate and detailed, and she's got a compass to keep herself on the right course. Piece of cake.
[2] Nighthowler follows the trail as best she can. It's pitch black and her torch can only do so much, trying to tell the path apart from the forest floor is no easy task. Different coloured splotches of paint haphazardly mark the trees with confusing and sometimes contradicting symbols, even worse when the path branches in two. She has a map, but it's hard to read, even harder to tell where she is along the route. Was her intel misleading? Nighthowler starts to get a little lost.
[3] The trail barely exists. In the pitch dark with a dim torch, it may as well not. There are no markings to help her, the map she brought appears outright wrong and is starting to get soggy in the rain. Impassable blockages repeatedly halt her progress, force her to turn back and try and find a way around, and it isn't long before Nighthowler is hopelessly lost.
Off the beaten path was near uncontested, with nearly four times the votes. Well, if you're visiting the Rainforest District, I guess the jungles are the real highlight. But what happens next is entirely up to your good will, setting the stage for the little rabbit's luck. I always love to see comments, but if you don't want to leave one, there's an anonymous poll here.