Fictional Creatures Are People Too

Today, in honor of the new widget I installed (check out the sidebar; it's a blog feed from a sf/horror publisher that is, if not slug friendly, at least slug aware) I am using the second installment of "featured creature" to discuss one of my favorite mythical beasts. It is also one that far too few people are aware of.

I am writing, of course, about the tatzelwurm.

Reputed to have the back half of a serpent and head and front legs similar to a cat, can you imagine the predicament this wondrous beast is in? Such a curious mind and articulate paws, plus the power and propulsion of a serpent's tail. There is no place this creature cannot go, though it may make quite a flurry of thumps and scrabblings to get there. This is where the difficulties come in, for a cat relies on silence and deftness in the hunt. Serpents are much the same. But when a heavy forebody is not aerodynamically compatible with the coil-and-spring hindbody...well, let's just say it's a lucky day for the prey. 

Perhaps the catered diet of the domestic cat would be best for these creatures, but I'm afraid they are out of luck when it comes to being adopted as pets.  You see, even if they are able to find a human who finds the serpentine parts just as cuddly as the feline, there are certain aspects of cats and snakes that just don't go well together.

If you've ever met a cat with a delicate digestive system, you know exactly what I'm referring to. Imagine the hairballs the tatzelwurm must toss, and how hard it must try to keep its food going in the proper direction as it springs forth and tumbles around, going on about its day. Perhaps it is best that these beasts lurk deep in the unfathomed European shadows (or in the minds of those who pass near them).  I'm quite grateful that my hindparts match my foreparts. I'll take the slow and slimy way over whiskers any day.