Book excerpt: There isn't much spectacular about Satchel Delaney. His life revolves around baseball, fishing, scholarly pursuits, and carousing with his three best friends, Felix, Vincent, and Tae. However, in the summer before they enter college, Satchel and his companions find themselves amidst a preternatural transformation in their hometown. Rumor has it a mythical bird of prey is lurking somewhere in the woods, or is it only in the dark corners of the imaginations of the town elders?