Page 218 of Hunters and Prey

These were black and crimson, with long, red and black feathers coming off their backs, and rudimentary wings over fat bodies. They were so pudgy, their feet so short, they reminded him almost of hippos, or really fat cows.

He wondered if they’d once been able to fly.

Whatever their evolutionary origins, they in no way looked like they’d be able to fly now. They were too fat, their wings too small, too short, for him to believe they could be of much use to them. They were like four-legged penguins.

He was still staring when one of them looked at him, its flat, probing nose snuffling in his direction. Its face almost resembled that of a horse… or a cow.

Its long nose had more independent movement than either of those animals, though, reminding him more of a short elephant trunk, like that of a tapir, only broader and flatter at the end, with two big nostrils like a pig.

Seeing a total lack of fear on the creature’s face, Black ventured closer.

The herd continued to move over the top of the cliffs, snuffling the grass, snuffling the trunks of trees. A few of them paused to sniff at him, like the first one had, their large, purple and black eyes seemingly blank as they inhaled Black’s scent.

He wondered what they ate.

Maybe he could follow them.

They didn’t seem to eat grass, and they definitely didn’t look carnivorous.

He walked among them, even reaching out here and there, stroking the red feathers and fur when the animals didn’t seem to mind.

He walked with them over the top of the cliffs, moving with them slowly.

Then, gradually, they began to walk down a gentle slope on the other side.

He was in Land’s End. He knew the rough shape of this land.

To his right, there should be the Legion of Honor art museum, where he’d once taken Miri in the middle of the night, looking for Ian.

It was a strange thought.

He’d been so damned nervous around her back then.

He’d wanted her so badly, even then.

Looking out at the ocean, he half-expected to see a bridge there, at the mouth of the bay. Not the Golden Gate Bridge, of course––but maybe something silver and blue, something that looked completely alien, like everything else about this place.

Instead, there was nothing but that shockingly blue water.

He looked up at the tops of the trees, holding up his hand, squinting up at the canopy above the white trunks.

He was looking for the little dragons he’d seen.

He wondered now, if they were related somehow to these pudgier, ground-dwelling creatures. He wanted to see one of the flying animals up close, to see how similar they looked.

He continued wandering with the herd, his hand resting on the back of one. He’d almost forgot he left his hand there as he walked; the creature seemed totally at peace, having Black walk by its side. It snuffled at him a few times, even pressing its flat nose against his leg and inhaling him deep. Then it seemed to decide he was okay. Maybe not with the enthusiasm of the otter-dogs, but it seemed okay with having him around.

They walked on like that until they reached a small valley below the hill.

The trees ended there, leaving a flatter section, kissed by sun.

Black saw a row of strange-looking trees… or possibly bushes.

He stared at them, a little confused by the symmetry of those rows.

Then, all at once, he found he understood.

It was a fence.

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