A Scream in the Night

Many of my adventures occur while walking dogs in the early morning darkness. Although we live right on the edge of town, our wild acres are home to many creatures, as can be ascertained by checking out the morning track trails on the lawn....

Today the red-in-tooth-and-claw aspect of rural life came quite close.

Very close.

I had Finn, the finicky Border Collie, who must carefully peruse a great deal of countryside before choosing his "place".

He was perusin' and choosin' when a bloody murder kill-death-die screech came from right over on the long lawn, maybe thirty yards away. I clutched that leash like it was a lifeline and I was drowning because like many BCs he goes toward danger not away. He was loaded for bear or whatever else was out there.

But I yelled at him to stop and amazingly he did. 

Before my heart even stopped pounding I realized that it was a bunny meeting its maker. Our lawn is practically paved with Eastern Cottontails in the night and somebody "harvested" one for breakfast.

It was most likely a Red Fox. Their catlike tracks lace the snow behind the house each morning when I go out and we see them often in summer....too dark in the winter. I will never forget the first time I heard one yarring out there in the night. Sounded worse than the poor bunny.

Could also have been a Great Horned Owl. We have them, although they rarely come down near the house. I haven't heard them hooting yet this winter.

Anyhow, coffee or not I am awake now. And I cannot lie...it was more interesting than tragic to me as landlord to chickens and tender of gardens. Let the wild things eat the wild things rather than the pet poultry and the green beans. Bon appetite creature of the night.