Prey and Predator

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Today's hunt was risky, but a successful haul could satisfy my stomach for months. Even though our kingdom was in full bloom and rather prestigious, the town streets weren't areas where the wealthy often set foot. Some would rarely even leave their noble inner walls and live in a bubble.

The prey was a large fellow, tightly packed in exotic attire that screamed payday from top to bottom. His enormous wallet stuck out of his pants, and although pickpocketing wasn't my forte, this opportunity was too rewarding to abandon.

My plan was simple: get Snakey—my pet and only friend—to distract him by doing some... snake things? Then, I would bump into him, slither his wallet out and grab Snakey on the run with a quick, "sorry, my bad." The apology was crucial to fulfilling my sly mind game of tricking people into believing I was a stupid brat who accidentally let his pet loose. And there was no way someone his size would bother chasing down a kid over a slight blunder. No, it wasn't a flawless plan, but it was impossible to craft anything astute upon such a sudden encounter.

Now, to initiate my plan, I blended into the crowd, walking along them with a torn fabric hood that shadowed my face. I swiftly dodged past the normies chatting and munching on their street food, still keeping my eyes latched on our prey. The busy street kept the circumstances just chaotic enough to smoothly approach our prey. He stood at a fruit stall defenselessly as he analyzed the quality of the goods with his monocle and aristocratic posture.

"Ugh, how I despise wealthy people who are so excessively prideful," I mumbled while searching for a suitable ambush spot. "Look at his giant belly Snakey. Come on, won't they leave some food for the rest of us?"

A muted hiss sounded from within my shirt, along with a pang of tickle.

"Oh right, you can't see anything down there," I giggled, petting Snakey's head.

"But, you know, despite how much I hate them, I still can't help but feel envious. Like, can you imagine a life with more food than we could eat? Not to mention, they have all sorts of sweet and spicy seasoning," I sighed, jogging toward a neighboring stall.

As I hid behind it, I cautiously peeked through the frame, calculating potential escape paths for after the hunt. I could sprint left to blend in with the crowd, but crossing a flock of people while hiding a fat wallet might prove disastrous. If I bump into someone, they might notice something is off and raise suspicion.

Alternatively, there was a narrow alleyway with familiar shortcuts, but cutting across in a rush was challenging. Besides, the prey might question why I would take such an unconventional route, leading to my identity being installed on wanted posters after he realizes it.

Each way-out shined in different scenarios, so it was best to decide in flight.

Readying up, Snakey popped her head through the gap in my shirt with a silent tongue flick. I pointed at our prey, signaling the initiation as Snakey wriggled free of my clothes.

"You understand, don't you, Snakey?" I whispered. "It's how we've always done it, just trickier."

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She hissed with her gaze locked on our prey.

"I'll take that as a yes. You're the smartest snake I know. But also the only snake I... nevermind."

She had already left my hand, slithering behind the stall counters in silence. Then, I scanned my surroundings one last time before heading out of my little hideout.

Snakey stalked from the striped cloth from the fruit stall. She lowered her head closer for the perfect strike, taking advantage of the cloth's soft texture. With each second passing, she approached closer to the prey from above until the salesman finally raised his hand in numbed horror at the sight of Snakey. Before sound could even escape his vocal cords, Snakey struck, digging her teeth into the prey's shoulder.

"ARRGGHH!" he screamed, flinging his arms in pain. All eyes were on him, perhaps more than the ideal; too much attention could backfire.

"Got damn it, Snakey," I whispered with a facepalm. "You sure overdid it!"

Dashing toward them, my blood gushed with the thrill of the hunt through my veins. My mind went transparent as the world slowed down, leaving a feverish smile on my face. I hadn't realized it until now, but these moments made me feel alive, as if I was addicted to the adrenaline rush.

I intentionally bumped into him head-first before wringing my torse to reach for the wallet. Then, my hand slipped down the prey's pocket without any loss of momentum, but his rapid hip twists of pain tensed up his already tight pants. Putting my back into it, I barely pulled my hand out, unable to steal the wallet.

Loosening my wrist my shaking it, I immediately snatched Snakey from his shoulder. The mission must be aborted, and there was nothing else to do but escape.

"THIEF!!" he shouted, pointing at us with his crooked finger. His other hand rested on his injured shoulder, and he had tears trilling from his right eye.

A spasm of cringe crossed my face with a drop of sweat. "Well, shit, guess what route I'm taking."

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