Samantha stumbled backward, one hand clutching her chest as if she could physically anchor herself against what she had seen. Seconds ago, Juniper had been pouncing after butterflies in the grass. Now, he was vanishing into the sky, slipping from her life like a bad dream she couldn’t wake from.
“What’s going on?” someone whispered. Another neighbor simply shook his head, unable to answer. It was broad daylight, a quiet suburban street—and yet here they were, witnessing something so primal, so violent, that it didn’t seem real. Eagles snatched rabbits, maybe squirrels. But a cat? From someone’s backyard?