I fly silently. Just under the clouds, my wingbeats blend in with the sound of the rushing air. It has been a week since I last ate, and now I hunt not only for myself, but also for four others. The three gold and one green lights in my life. They are not the first lights, but the others have left my valley.
As I soar above a deadfall, I see a large elk, large even for my home, and swoop down with the wind to take it. Its scent hits my nose many hundreds of feet above it, and I open and position my talons with practiced ease. This is an easy hunt, and one that will feed me and my children for a few days.
As I lift my catch to bring it home, I come up close to a cliff above the deadfall, and there are two tiny specks on it. One is much larger than the other. I think I recognize the larger one. If it is the same one, then it had come quite a while before now, and had studied me for a few days. A few times I tried to catch it, but it always left before I struck. It kept its distance, though, and so I stopped bothering myself to track it.
When I spread my wings to pump myself higher, the sun hits my scales, and I know how dazzling I must look to the two tiny specks on the cliff right below me. I am much larger, but I have my elk and four hungry mouths await me, so I set my gaze on them for a moment, enough time to see the teeny tiny one tremble slightly, and then lift my massive head to the sky, relishing the warm sun and feeling pleased with myself at my hunt. I can feel the two small creatures’ eyes on me for a moment longer, and again I remember my own reflection, and I know that any creature is smart enough to be awed by my beauty.
I take my time home, letting the sun warm my scales and give me energy. I decide to keep an eye on the speck creatures anyway. It’s something to do other than hunt and lie around watching my dragonets.