A soft lunar glow highlighted peaks in the rocks and cast the crevices in shadow. Though it was spring, an icy breeze howled at the openings to the many caves. A storm system was moving in. Maybe it would arrive that day or the next, but this did not bother Frito. On the contrary, he relished such an opportunity. The disturbance in barometric pressure would instigate a whirlwind of feeding activity. Frito smiled sleepily from behind his foxy tail. He was huddled atop a smooth plinth to protect himself from the shallow but aqueous floor of one of the caves. As he uncurled his body to stretch, he yawned words of inspiration to himself. He glanced toward the moon soaked exit and leapt from the stone pedestal. The puddly floor splished and splashed as he wound his way out.

The persistent whir of the cascade of waterfalls almost concealed the patter of his pads on the stone as he trotted and hopped higher up the rocky shelves. A few spots were still slick, and his claws clicked and scratched to find traction. The sinews of his lean body were disguised beneath a handsome, technicolor coat, but the effort it demanded to navigate the tricky terrain was apparent in his quiet huffing. All the while he kept his golden honey eyes on the rippling pools, which reflected the moon and her dancing sisters on their surfaces. What Frito was really after laid hidden below. A silvery treat was suspended somewhere in that liquid fourth dimension, and like anything else, it, too, needed to feed.

With the imminent sunrise, a telltale splash triggered the angler's attention. He stopped near the top of the waterfall system at a large, deep pool. The surface churned at either end - an infinity loop comprised of the end of one waterfall and the beginning of another. Frito balanced himself on a rocky peninsula in preparation for the hunt. He tensed and relaxed his muscles, ensuring he would be lithe and springy when the time came. The intensity and focus in his eyes was that of a hungry eagle diving from the heavens to capture its meal. A silvery flash preceded the chaos that came next.

As the molten sun burst over the indigo horizon into the pink, dawn sky, a silvery giant exploded from the black depths of the pool like a breaching great white shark. The magnificent fish was such a behemoth that it knocked Frito off balance as it tore threw the air. As Frito plunged into the water, its icy liquid tendrils threatened to take his breath away, but adrenaline and raw willpower kept his shocked body from malfunctioning. Immediately after he fell, he was battered right in the chest as the colossal fish landed on him. The pool was a titanic mess of thrashing and splashing, but Frito somehow managed to close his jaws around the beast just before they were sucked over the next waterfall.

The torrents of the waterfall pumped water up Frito's nose, and he knew it was only a matter of a few seconds before reflexive choking would force him to release the fish from his jaws. He swam frantically. His eyes were wide open under water, but all he could see were bubbles from the waterfall and from his dramatic entrance. Suddenly, he felt mucky ground beneath his paws. The waterfall must have pushed him to the side of the pool. He snorted as he dug his paws into the muck and thrust his body up out of the water and onto shore.

Water spewed from his nose as he gargled and gagged. His entire body shuddered from the inconceivable mashup of adrenaline and exhaustion. But the hunt wasn't over yet. A loud smacking sound alerted him. To his right, the impossibly gargantuan fish smacked the stone as it thrashed. Frito tried to pounce, but slipped on the smooth, slick surface. A jolt of pain paralyzed him briefly as he landed crosslegged and on his shoulder. He watched in horror as the fish flopped deadly nearer to the water's edge. He growled and gritted his teeth as he forced his muscles into action again. He sprung up, his mouth spread like Jaws as he dove for the mammoth.

The next second of Frito's life felt like an eternity. Every nerve in his entire body fired at once - like the synchronized blast of war cannons. Sparkling, viscous beads sprang in a massive fan from his wet fur as he glided in slow motion through the air. His fluffy red tail waved behind him like the wake of a motor boat. His outstretched legs aimed and reached desperately for his fleeing prey. Like a sniper, his wide, wily eyes focused on a single, silvery target. Then... A splash... The clack of teeth on teeth... And the saddest howl to ever greet the rising sun.