Here's the first entry, for all those interested in the collab.

The magpie. Nature's kleptomaniac. Drawn by the irresistible luster of the shiny and bright, they take any and all items in beaks reach, regardless of value, be it a gold ring, silver watch or foil candy wrapper.

Here, we see the cautious approach of the prey, irresistibly drawn into a cunning trap. Suspended from above, tantalizingly out of reach, a worthless but delectably shiny object. Witness the intangible lure it holds over the subject, rendered utterly insensible to her surroundings, she is easy pickings for the cunning predator who has set the trap. Unseen and unnoticed by the bauble addled mind, he stalks her prey with a practiced and calculating ease.

Note how her eyes glint keenly, her mind's inner workings written clearly on her expression. See how, with the culmination of her planning and keen wit, her trap's purpose fulfilled, her body betrays the exhilaration and jubilation jangling her senses, her face displaying the same inane grin as her erstwhile meal. Indeed, in this moment, very little separates the two. Mentally, they are absolutely focused on their goal, their singular purpose. In this moment, it is all that occupies them, it is what drives them, sustains them, fuels them and gives them reason to be.

In the blink of an eye, there is even less to separate them. Note how the predator has been utterly immobilized by her meal, having consumed the prey in a single fell swoop, movement would be rash were it even possible. Instead, she chooses this time to relax, luxuriating in the warm contented feeling of accomplishment that radiates from a full, stuffed to bursting belly and the outwitting of her quarry. See how, despite the futility of it's plight, the abdominally imprisoned prey struggles. Recent studies utilizing state of the art brain activity imaging software and ultrasound technology have revealed that rather than the traditionally held idea of the 'fight or flight, reflex, the subject encased in the stomach is instead simply attempting to re-establish visual contact with the worthless shiny object that first brought about her predicament.

The deed done, the predator can remain in near stationary repose for hours, calmly digesting her prey to the point at which she can make her way to a more comfortable location, returning at a later time to dismantle her trap, ready to use it again on another unsuspecting and unlucky passer by.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the dedication of our team of in-house predators. The producers would like to thank 'Nikita' for so bravely volunteering her stomach in the name of better understanding and scientific discovery. We would also like to ask if you've seen our research assistant Madge, please call.

Art by me, text by Hurt-Me-Plenty over at Deviant art.

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