Once, during this transformation, he surprised a ground squirrel, and although he was ripped and wing-bitten and could not hold his prey, he was not dismayed by the conflict, but exalted. Even while the wing was still drooping and the pinions not grown back, he was excited by other ground squirrels and pursed them futilely and was angered by their dusty escapes. He realized that his world was a great arena for killing, and felt the magnificence of it.