First Snap

Frozen neck. Stiff. Then—a sudden pulse along my spine. My jaw clamped shut with a sharp plastic click. Movement. Real movement. Below my talons lay a motionless grey soldier figure. I nudged it forward with my snout; it slid across the rough carpet fibers and stayed there, inert. Across the rug sat the green truck, quiet and unmoving. I crouched lower, balanced on both claws, eyes fixed on the stillness ahead.