Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Rainforest

[Harry Dresden]

Harry Dresden emerged from the Ashen Steppes gate and immediately regretted his decisions, having gone straight from the hot, arid Steppes into the hot, driving rain on the other side of the gate. The wizard spluttered, as it felt like someone had upended a bucket of water over his head, before shaking out his shield bracelet and calling a disc of force into being above his head. It was a wasteful thing to do with magic, but he couldn't see for the rain at first. Still, this wasn't sustainable; running water drains magic, after all, and rain has a similar effect. Stepping away from the gate and under the cover of the nearest big, leafy tree he couldn't really identify, Harry let the shield fall and set to work summoning an umbrella, drawing the rainbow-bubble of Omnilium out of his hand and shaping it with his will. He was getting soaked anyway, since it took so long, but better to have it and keep the rain mostly off of him while he walked; he'd dry out eventually, and he needed to conserve energy; the rain would make it hard to cast spells, though not impossible. Anything to spare magical energy was a good thing, even if the dense forest precluded the summoning of a vehicle. A mount might be more useful, but then Harry would have to deal with riding an animal. He could; he'd ridden horses often at Ebenezer's farmstead, but he was fairly out of practice. It would be much easier, if less speedy, to just start walking.

Not that Harry knew much about where he'd be walking, just that he needed to head to the east, locate a river, and follow it southward until he came across civilization of some kind. His musing about directions and methods of travel was cut short by the sudden halt to the summoning process, leaving the wizard clutching a simple black umbrella, which he promptly opened. Facing directly away from the gate, the wizard began his trek into the trackless jungle, searching for the Animus River that would lead him somewhere new. Of course, nothing's ever really simple, and, unbeknownst to the wizard, a creature soon picked up his trail and began hunting him, the vibrant purple lizard with its colorful frill slowly closing in on the unsuspecting Chicago native.

Sure, it was just a Great Jaggi, but even that lowly monster could pose a threat to an unprepared individual, and Harry was not yet aware of his hunter.

Not that he'd be overly concerned with the Jaggi if he did know what they were, and that one was after him. They're rather disappointing specimens, honestly.