the first adopt I conceptualized. Giant river otters scream 'luxury' and 'indulgence' to me, just so much thick gorgeous, glossy hide, all that heft to the body. I wanted white at the areas most liable to be covered in blood, to enable constant staining, visible streaks.

Something about the idea of an exhuberant and eager predator, who believes herbivores just need to try the good life, swallow themselves up some eels and fish and crawdads and feel as good as she does ... a forceful, but in her mind, very generous entity.

In some enchanted river, I had imagined the eels she hunts are unusually long, dragonlike, beautiful, with thick barbels like a catfish... rich and oily, mmmm.