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Description

How strange it is for a man eater to gain favor, for the people to praise the beast that once haunted their ancestors. Back in the day, the Snoligoster was feared by all who lived by the swamps of the south. The stories were many and gory, of victims impaled upon the beast's great spine or mangled into a pulp by its vicious claws. Any time someone vanished near the swamps, the Snoligoster was blamed. No body would ever be found, nor would anyone want to find such a grisly scene. In time, the horror started to fade as the world lost its mystery. The haunted swamps now had name, and the folk who called those places home now lived in suburbs and neighborhoods. The places the Snoligoster once terrorized were drained, filled and renovated, turned into homes, malls and amusement parks. Those that remained after the construction were quickly removed or killed, as one couldn't sell a home with a man eater dwelling in the decorative ponds. In this civilized land, they could survive but couldn't hide. When children and pets went missing, the waters were searched. When golfers were impaled while trying to retrieve a ball, the ponds were emptied. In short time, the Snoligoster was wiped out from the world of man, but there was one place that man dared not tread.

The Everglades became the sanctuary of the Snoligoster, just like countless other species. Man dare not convert such a wild land, as it proved too challenging and expensive. By the time the technology and means came around to conquer this place, these swamps were protected and rebranded as a national park and wildlife sanctuary. All man could do to them now was watch them from airboats and listen to tales of old. The man eater became just another tourist attraction, but soon it gained an even greater fame. When attempts came to steal the land and rebuild it into condos and hotels, the Snoligosters unwittingly came to their home's aid. Trucks and construction vehicles faced an endless amount of popped tires and wrecked underbellies, as the Snoligosters liked to warm themselves on the newly made roads. Their young were many, and it only took one to bring a construction convoy to a screeching halt. Yes, these small spiked beasts perished beneath the wheels, but one death caused hours of headache and hundreds of dollars of damage. Combined with the beast's instincts as a man eater, and eventually these projects were abandoned. The swamp soon reclaimed these rotting sites and all returned to nature. This was not the last time that the Snoligoster would defend its home.

Due to flooding and human foolishness, invasive pythons were released into the Everglades. These massive snakes soon discovered a buffet of ignorant animals, who had no idea how to fight back against such an alien threat. They quickly devoured everything in their path, but this destruction came to a halt when they met the Snoligosters. With nasty teeth and flexible claws, the Snoligosters could fend off these constrictors. When coiled, the beast merely needed to reach its bladed tail around and slice open its attacker. Even when the python won the fight, it soon fell to its own gluttony. Swallowing such a meal was easy, until they reached the massive spine. Full grown Snoligosters were impossible to eat, as the python couldn't get around such a weapon. They either gave up on these attempts or struggled for too long and fell to another hungry beast. Younger Snoligosters could become food, but they were a deadly meal. Their small curved spines could be navigated around with the flexible maw of a larger python, but the slightest wrong move or bump would cause this razor spike to rip right through their stomach. Most snakes who swallowed a Snoligoster perished for their greed, leaving numerous corpses with a single blade torn through their bodies. The invasive serpents could not best these beasts, and soon became food for them. Their obscene numbers fell as the Snoligosters feasted on them, and at last a balance was created. Though the invasive pythons are not gone and still cause trouble, the worst damages were mitigated by the presence of these primordial creatures. These instances caused the people to start viewing the Snoligosters as the "Guardians of the Everglades," as they warded off man and beast who would dare try to disrupt nature. Their image turned from a simple beast on postcards and T-shirts to natural heroes that were held up as sport team mascots and stars of local festivals. Rural communities and swamp towns threatened by urbanization and commercialization soon took up the image of the Snoligosters. If these ancient natives of the land could defend their homes, then so would they.

What once was a man eater was now a hero of the swamp, but it also was still very much a man eater. Woe to the foolish tourist or enamored admirer that got too close and learned that lesson the hard way.

Description

How strange it is for a man eater to gain favor, for the people to praise the beast that once haunted their ancestors. Back in the day, the Snoligoster was feared by all who lived by the swamps of the south. The stories were many and gory, of victims impaled upon the beast's great spine or mangled into a pulp by its vicious claws. Any time someone vanished near the swamps, the Snoligoster was blamed. No body would ever be found, nor would anyone want to find such a grisly scene. In time, the horror started to fade as the world lost its mystery. The haunted swamps now had name, and the folk who called those places home now lived in suburbs and neighborhoods. The places the Snoligoster once terrorized were drained, filled and renovated, turned into homes, malls and amusement parks. Those that remained after the construction were quickly removed or killed, as one couldn't sell a home with a man eater dwelling in the decorative ponds. In this civilized land, they could survive but couldn't hide. When children and pets went missing, the waters were searched. When golfers were impaled while trying to retrieve a ball, the ponds were emptied. In short time, the Snoligoster was wiped out from the world of man, but there was one place that man dared not tread.

The Everglades became the sanctuary of the Snoligoster, just like countless other species. Man dare not convert such a wild land, as it proved too challenging and expensive. By the time the technology and means came around to conquer this place, these swamps were protected and rebranded as a national park and wildlife sanctuary. All man could do to them now was watch them from airboats and listen to tales of old. The man eater became just another tourist attraction, but soon it gained an even greater fame. When attempts came to steal the land and rebuild it into condos and hotels, the Snoligosters unwittingly came to their home's aid. Trucks and construction vehicles faced an endless amount of popped tires and wrecked underbellies, as the Snoligosters liked to warm themselves on the newly made roads. Their young were many, and it only took one to bring a construction convoy to a screeching halt. Yes, these small spiked beasts perished beneath the wheels, but one death caused hours of headache and hundreds of dollars of damage. Combined with the beast's instincts as a man eater, and eventually these projects were abandoned. The swamp soon reclaimed these rotting sites and all returned to nature. This was not the last time that the Snoligoster would defend its home.

Due to flooding and human foolishness, invasive pythons were released into the Everglades. These massive snakes soon discovered a buffet of ignorant animals, who had no idea how to fight back against such an alien threat. They quickly devoured everything in their path, but this destruction came to a halt when they met the Snoligosters. With nasty teeth and flexible claws, the Snoligosters could fend off these constrictors. When coiled, the beast merely needed to reach its bladed tail around and slice open its attacker. Even when the python won the fight, it soon fell to its own gluttony. Swallowing such a meal was easy, until they reached the massive spine. Full grown Snoligosters were impossible to eat, as the python couldn't get around such a weapon. They either gave up on these attempts or struggled for too long and fell to another hungry beast. Younger Snoligosters could become food, but they were a deadly meal. Their small curved spines could be navigated around with the flexible maw of a larger python, but the slightest wrong move or bump would cause this razor spike to rip right through their stomach. Most snakes who swallowed a Snoligoster perished for their greed, leaving numerous corpses with a single blade torn through their bodies. The invasive serpents could not best these beasts, and soon became food for them. Their obscene numbers fell as the Snoligosters feasted on them, and at last a balance was created. Though the invasive pythons are not gone and still cause trouble, the worst damages were mitigated by the presence of these primordial creatures. These instances caused the people to start viewing the Snoligosters as the "Guardians of the Everglades," as they warded off man and beast who would dare try to disrupt nature. Their image turned from a simple beast on postcards and T-shirts to natural heroes that were held up as sport team mascots and stars of local festivals. Rural communities and swamp towns threatened by urbanization and commercialization soon took up the image of the Snoligosters. If these ancient natives of the land could defend their homes, then so would they.

What once was a man eater was now a hero of the swamp, but it also was still very much a man eater. Woe to the foolish tourist or enamored admirer that got too close and learned that lesson the hard way.