        She had felt her balance go, just as her hind hooves had come up off the sand.  Reacting instinctively, she leaned forward so that she would land on all four hooves, and cast a slowing spell.  Suddenly, he had darted towards her.  Before she could even react, she had accidentally struck him with a hoof, and knocked him off-balance, too.  Instead of trying to roll, and land with his legs under him, he grabbed for her, pulling her into a tight embrace.  She felt her heart racing—it might only be a fraction of a second before she felt teeth on her throat—as the two of them fell.  Every instinct was telling her to defend herself, but she remembered Princess Celestia’s words, and did nothing but close her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.  Maybe it isn’t a carrion eater.  Maybe it prefers fresh meat—fresh ponies.  Even with him pinning her against his chest, she could feel that her slowing spell was working.  His talons were digging into her fur—something she had never felt before.  She could still smell his meal on his breath.