The Wings of Dreams

three bounding strides. Except the moon was out. So he crept forward low and slow. The two-legged critters had smartened up of late. They didn’t make it easy for Shuen to get close, scattering as soon as they spotted him. By the time he’d brought down one or two, the rest were out of reach.
    Shuen crawled along the ground until he was almost on top of them. Though the firelight washed out his vision, he detected two or three of the two-legged critters sitting next to the fire. Turning his gaze back to the savanna, he couldn’t make out any other prey close by.
    To make sure, Shuen slightly raised his head and sniffed the air. No, these few were hardly alone. The rest were hiding. A great variety of odors wafted around him. Among them were unfamiliar smells, extraordinarily delicious smells.
    His spirits roiled up inside him. Seeking to stifle them for the time being, he again slunk close to the ground. A little patience always made the reward that much more sweet. And something very sweet was surely waiting for him ahead.
    Leveraging his front and hind legs, the red monster crawled through the bushes, as silent and slippery as a snake in the grass.
    When he couldn’t get any closer without being noticed, he pounced. With a single leap, he crossed the remaining distance, raking the two-legged critters with his talons a split second after his feet touched the ground right beside his prey.
    A strange sensation and the sharp stinging in his claws make him pause to examine his targets. Planks bound together with hides. He’d been outfoxed. Shuen scowled and looked around. A pair of two-legged critters were beating a fast retreat, a big one and a small one.
    He was about the attack when his attention wavered. That delicious aroma struck his senses. He could not rest until he’d ferreted out the source. The smaller of the two-legged critters flung something to the side. The contents spilled out of the container as it fell to the ground, casting off a glitter of light.
    The nondescript container wasn’t worth his while. The indescribable smell came from the small pile of objects spilled onto the ground next to it. He’d get right back to them after finishing off the two-legged critters. That would be the most fun. Except Shuen couldn’t resist the enticing smell.
    There’d be plenty of chances to hunt more two-legged critters. But he might never see one of these again. He’d never seen one before in his life.
    Eyeing the small, fleeing figure, he inched forward. Some had an enchanting odor. Delicious aromas came from others. Mixed in with them were ones that did nothing for him at all. He pushed his snout forward and pawed at them with his forelegs.
    The scent only grew stronger, so rich he couldn’t stand it. Ah, here was the source of the smell. Several of them.
    They surely must taste as good as they smelled. The fragrance filled his mouth. He bit down. The fragrance intensified, penetrated the core of his brain and sent his thoughts reeling. The small, retreating figure vanished from his mind.
    Shuen’s hind legs lost their hold. He didn’t care. He lolled onto his side as he combed through the mound with his forepaws. The next morsel he found was covered with a smelly, slimy substance, but he didn’t care about that either. He popped it into his mouth and drifted off in a daze.
    Bright red suddenly blossomed in front of him. Incandescent white assaulted his field of view. He couldn’t see a thing. He didn’t feel any pain. The good feelings persisted. His benumbed brain managed to conclude that this wasn’t normal.
    Before he could imagine what, he registered a hard shock in his side. The kind of thing that should bring him to his feet in response. His hind legs scooted out from under him. Barely managing to get to his feet, he still couldn’t see a thing. His head spun.
    His body took another blow. Waving his arms in a futile attempt to parry, he was hit—no, stabbed —again.
    Something was stabbing him, thrusting and slashing. The dull, throbbing pain kindled inside him, not just where he’d been struck, but across his whole body. Once it did, it quickly grew to a scorching hot torture penetrating his legs, neck, back, eyes.
    Shuen didn’t understand what was happening, only that danger was upon him. He jumped at random, swinging his front and hind legs at his invisible attackers. If he connected with any of them, he couldn’t tell.
    He could hear nothing, see nothing but the blinding white