Samael was flying in Polaris, intent on a hunt. Hunger gnawed at his stomach.

It was not as bad as hunger of the mind or the soul, but nevertheless he needed to consume. And, as a complete carnivore, his only choice of what he may consume was lessers.

He cast out his magical senses, or tried to, intent on searching for small heartbeats. He was not inclined to waste food, so a mouse would be best.

He had found his prey, sorting through the heartbeats until he found one small and on its own. While a carnivore, a predator, Samael was not a cruel being by nature. Quite the opposite.

But every being, that he knew of at least, needed to eat. He flew over to where the mouse was, and he shook powder off his wings, trying to aim to powder to fail onto the mouse.

Samael was grateful that his toxins merely paralyzed the muscles. He had heard of other toxins, ones that truly hurt, and while his could lead to a deadly end as he paralyzed prey met his teeth, it was not one that truly hurt beyond fear.

He would try to end this quickly, of course. He did not wish to draw out the mouse's terror.

It seemed he had been thinking too far ahead, though. The paralytic powder went off course, and though it had not attracted the notice of the mouse, innocuous as it had seemed.

He tried to assess and find a better position to release the powder on his wings, but if this did not work, he would have to consider getting closer.

While he preferred to use his powder to catch his prey, it was a resource he could use against predators as well, so he did not wish to squander it.

Unlike the same toxins in his claws and teeth, it took more time to replenish this powder.

Enough was enough. His teeth could paralyze as well if not better than poorly aimed powder. It was time to put them to use.

So Samael dove from above at the unaware mouse, his teeth open and prepared to bite, his hands prepared to grab the mouse to get a better grip upon it.

The mouse startled, squirming, but he barely succeeded. It was now within his grasp, and his teeth buried in the skin, releasing paralytic toxins into the mouse.

With the mouse's small body, it did not take much time for the toxin to take effect at all. His toxins could deter predators, and against small prey, they did not have much of a chance.

Once the mouse's struggles had been unwilling diminished, Samael let go and shifted so he could bite down on the neck, taking the mouse's life before even more terror could overcome it.

Before he ate, he attempted to cast his senses out to check for safety, but his magic reached for something other than heartbeats this time.

Instead of heartbeats, it was as if he could hear everything. And all his other senses were increased as well. His sight, already quite good, had become better. His sense of smell was stronger than he could have imagined.

He knew he was safe, but more than that, he knew so much more. The world had expanded beyond his greatest imaginings.

Even touch had been magnified. Curious, always curious, and amazed, Samael could not resist the urge to tear into and devour his now dead prey.

The taste was better than ever before. He keep eating and eating, and soon a whole mouse was gone, small though it was, leaving but bones. For a six-inch tall fairy, he needed more food than one would expect. He purred, his hunger satisfied.

Yet his mind was hungry at this new show of magic. Was it an expansion upon his previous ability? Could he still sense heartbeats if he tried? He reached for his magic in a more deliberate way.

It almost seemed as though his ability to sense heartbeats not only still existed, but had been magnified as well. It was easier than ever to sense the difference in the heartbeats around him.

The world and the magic within it was awe-inspiring, he was reminded every moment of every day. He purred contently as he listened to the sound of life.

But, in time, the spell faded. And so he decided to be on his way. Not leaving Polaris, not yet. But, nevertheless, seeking to fulfill a different kind of hunger.

[Exit]