Preferred Prey

Photo by Dan Dennis on Unsplash

December 4, 2020

In this dream, I was watching a tv show.

A were-cat (not to be confused with a werewolf) was living on his own in a post-apocalyptic world. I

shall call him "Prey." As he walked, he found himself upon an elevated plain where another were-cat

appeared that I shall call "Hunter."  Hunter saw Prey, and both men responded to each other by shifting

from human form into a semi-human form with long tails and spotted fur, like cheetahs or jaguars. A

70mph chase ensued across the plateau with Hunter in hot pursuit. Because both were running at the

same speed, this was not a chase that would end quickly. 

Both men had limited stamina, just like actual big cats. Eventually, the chase came to an end when their energy ran out. Hunter proposed a truce because they found themselves surrounded by trees

(bear territory) and it would be safer if they stuck together. Both agreed to this plan, and they began journeying out of the forest together.

After their encounter, both awake and find themselves fully human, handcuffed and chained to chairs

in a tower dungeon with iron-like webs all around them. Above them were 13 other imprisoned were-

cats caged in an expansive iron cell. Their captors were nowhere to be seen, so of course, the two

new additions thought to break out. Prey's nails grew into long claws with which he picked the locks

of his cuffs and then cut through the iron chains with a swipe of his claws.

Just as their captors returned to the tower, they and all the other were-cats had become free. However,

freedom was short-lived as a gate opened up in a strange TV-like machine which began to suck

everything towards it. The 13 were-cats and their captors managed to avoid being pulled in - Hunter and Prey were not so lucky - they were not among the majority of the tower.

Hunter appeared at the top of a new tower, submerged underwater yet somehow falling towards the

ground. He stared, as if, into nothing. His newfound ally, Prey, stood at the bottom, and in a single bound, soared up toward the top of the tower to the portal that had not yet closed. As he quickly rose into the air, he flew past Hunter, who was falling head-first toward the ground. Time had seemed to

slow down, and in that moment, he had a choice: Save Hunter... or leave him to die and escape

through the portal.

He reached out his hand to Hunter as if to say goodbye.

Then swiftly, with one hand, he grabbed Hunters' shirt, spun around to build momentum and hurled

him to the top of the tower, sending himself back down nearly to the bottom. Not yet giving up, he quickly scaled the tower with his own claws - the paint peeling off because of the liquid that surrounded them. When he finally reached the top it was too late. The portal was gone along with the liquid.

Something was not right. Prey was covered in sweat, and his temperature continued rising without any sign of slowing down. Hunter woke up just in time to see him begin to sweat blood as his skin wrinkled like a raisin. In mere seconds he collapsed under the pressure of this strange phenomenon.

Surprisingly, Hunter decided not to abandon what was once prey and had now become his weakening friend. He began to survey their new environment at the top of the tower - what a strange place it

revealed itself to be.

He found that the tower stood above a small village with people and grey humanoid creatures

everywhere. It seemed like people stood in pairs of two or walked alone, and there was good reason

for this.

Everyone here, even the kids walked around with massive scythes and other weapons. It was an eat

or be eaten world. The only food that they had was their very own neighbors. Battles occurred on the

ground and in the air for a potential meal.

A feminine narrator's voice declared that the two can rest if they want; if they dare, it was the situation's unspoken reality. Day and night were different here, with the night being longer than the day, and the night was fast approaching. As Hunter and Prey descended the tower to a lower viewpoint, the residents suddenly became aware of their presence all at once - Fresh meat. Despite the fact that Prey

was only just beginning to recover, Hunter smiled excitedly... hungrily.

Bring on the hunt.

December 5, 2020 (nap)

Another dream. This time, short and to the point.

I was the owner of a really fancy bar and the finishing touches for the grand opening had just been

completed. The building was beautiful. It even had a few different stores so customers could shop without having to leave the bar. There was even a toy store so parents could bring something home for the kids. The bar looked amazing and was stocked with some of the most expensive drinks. No expense was spared. On the inside, a team of guards and my advisor began showing me around the finished product. All of which I bought with a business loan. Better to try and fail.

After the inspection, I left with my siblings. As we headed out to our car where our driver stood 

waiting, my brother asked me, "How are you going to avoid allowing people to spend all of their wealth here?" He went on to suggest, "Why don't you make it so money flows freely and in a healthy way so

that people don't end up on the street when they leave?" A good question to which I responded in more or less this way, "This is a luxurious environment where the rich spend their money, and I take their wealth. It won't be for the poor; my prey is the rich."

Both of these dreams have contained the theme of predator and prey. 

Now for an explanation.

The first dream (Economic Cannibalism): The were-cat, Hunter, had very few options for food, so he

was not above hunting his own kind; that was until he entered a foreign world with new prey.

The second dream (Seek New Prey): In the second dream, I was a type of hunter; my prey was not

people like me. I was not rich, and it made little sense to try and advertise to people with little money to spend. I wanted to get the most money possible, so I sought people that had money and tailored this exotic place to their taste. It cost me a lot of money, but if it was successful, it would be but a drop in the ocean compared to that which was to come. “How would one do this?” you might ask. To which I will reply, what is one thing that people with money buy? Capital and wealth. This is why a rich person buys a $100k bottle of wine. You hope they drink it so they can't return it, but that's unrealistic. They buy that costly bottle instead of risking all of their financial assets in banks.

If you want their money, you sell them assets or wealth. Another example could be the difference between buying a house, a car, or a rare art piece. A car depreciates in value over time, whereas a

house's value can go down or up. Hopefully, it goes up. A rare piece of art may grow in value over time or simply maintain the value that it already has. At the very least, you want to sell to rich people things that maintain their value regardless of the passage of time.

Conclusion (We Are Pre):

We fatten ourselves up for the slaughter, satiating the full and starving the hungry. When we spend money, we are feeding someone or something. Who are we feeding - do we even know? 

So, here I sit. Hungry but patient. I know with great risk comes the opportunity for even greater reward.

And the longer I wait, the better it shall taste.

This post was edited by my friend, Midnight Philosopher.