water flies as she leaps, jaws snapped shut around fragile bone and feather, the impact jarring but sure. the bird’s cry cut off almost immediately, wings beating once, twice, then still. she landed knee-deep in the stream, prize trapped between her teeth.
when she has cover again, she lifts her head, hazel eyes finding him through the reeds. the heron hang from her jaws, feathers darkening where the water touched them. she gave a small tilt of her head—a flash of pride. she drags her prize ashore in silence before she bounds forward once more.
