Wily Coyotian

The sky was clear and cloudless. Heat shimmered in the air over the sun-baked badlands. The ostrich crept gingerly toward the burlap sack, which lay in the shade beside a large, rocky outcropping.

It peered around and cocked its head. Then it lowered its long neck and nudged the burlap sack open. Grain spilled upon the cracked earth. The ostrich grabbed the sack in its beak and lifted it.

When it did, a string attached to the bag pulled taught. The string's far end was tied to a lever, and the lever was yanked sideways. A steel grate hidden in the shadows of the rocky outcropping creaked upward.

A giant, hairy tarantula slunk out of the darkness from behind the grate. It stepped on a pressure plate buried in the dirt. Small rocks, sand, and pebbles cascaded down the side of the rocky outcropping and filled a metal pail suspended from the end of a rope.

As the pail filled, it descended. Opposite the pail, a bundle of flint began to rise. It scraped across the rock, creating a spark that ignited a torch. The torch burned through yet another rope, which snapped and released the blade of a massive sickle.

The sickle whistled through the air and cleaved the ostrich's head from its body. The head landed with a thud. The body took two awkward steps before collapsing.

“Ah ha!” the Wily Coyotian cried as she leapt from behind the rocky outcropping. She padded quickly toward the corpse, licking her lips. “Dinner is served.”

She tied a napkin around her neck, produced a knife and a fork from the folds of her leather vest, and dropped into a crouch beside the ostrich.

But as she leaned forward, something heavy leaped onto her back. She cried out in surprise. Eight hairy legs wrapped around her torso, and the giant tarantula's fangs sank into her shoulder. Wily Coyotians inhabit the deserts and badlands of Praetoria. They are cunning and devious and have voracious appetites. They often use complex contraptions to catch their prey… which tend to backfire as often as they work.