Raptor's Mark

A dense pellet of matted gray fiber lay half-buried among pine needles at the tree base. Evidence of an aerial stalker. I knelt on one knee, steadying my footing against the loam. Extending my wrist claw with disciplined precision, I parted the compacted fleece. Deep within the core rested a pristine bone relic—a miniature skull, cranial plate intact, teeth sharp as needle points. The phantom raptor of the night canopy had left its mark. I separated the calcified trophy from the detritus and secured it firmly into my waist harness. A worthy crest acquired.