it was a day not unlike any other in ms. bludschnozzle's short life. find a warm-blooded mammal. suck it's blood. rest and digest. then start all over again. it was the type of life that made perfect sense to her and she enjoyed the simplicity of the ritual. as far as she could tell, she was happy and one happy day blended into another. but on this afternoon, after she'd just finished digesting some particularly delicious black bear's blood, which had the sweet taste of wild blueberries and meadow flowers, she left her perch under the leaf of a birch tree and went looking for her next meal. the sun was setting and her senses heightened, reaching out for the sensation of heat and warm breath. she left the forest and crossed the shoreline, flying low above the water's surface, wondering if she could find that bear again, when the water exploded below her.
