The Wild Hunt

I'm going to tell you a little tale about three animals that decided to go hunting. There of course will be a few distractions during the telling of my tale, but I hope you can stay and read all the way through to the end and then leave me a lovely little comment to bring joy to my heart. Here we go!

When I began taking my dog Isabella outside for her almost hourly walks I made a deal with her. I told her to point out any animals she might see so I could take so many lovely little pictures of them. If she could do that, then I would keep taking her outside with me. (I would anyway, but never tell her that.)

I had kind of forgotten about making our little deal. But then the other day I happened to look over at her and she was standing there very still with a strange look on her face. She was concentrating intently on something several yards down the road toward the creek.

I looked in the direction Isabella was looking, and there was a little mourning dove pecking around on the plowed road, in its feeble hunt for food. I didn't really have any food that this cold little bird might accept, but I did have my camera with me.

So after thanking Isabella for pointing out this little prize, I began speedily taking picture after picture of this hungry and cold little dove. This poor little thing was just like us, stuck here in the cold and snow wishing for a warm weather holiday of some sort.

If you would like to get out of the cold weather you can do something about it. I know of a place you can go to get away on Last Minute Holidays. You can go to a place that is warm and fun on the beach, without all of this snow. And without the same problem this bird will have next!

It was at that moment when I was coming out of my daydream of warm weather and beaches that both Isabella and I saw another creature come from between the two little buildings on the right. It was one of the several wild house cats that roam around the town, and it was on a hunt of its own!

That's right, it had our little picturesque subject in its sights as well, and this big old cat didn't have a camera. The cat began smoothly stalking the unaware little bird, moving closer and closer to its prey. Isabella went quiet with shock at witnessing what looked to be an inevitable attack.

But then at the last second before the hungry cat was about to pounce on its prey, Isabella charged forward and let out the deepest, loudest barks a big dog like her could muster. As she got to the end of her chain, she jerked to a halt. She wouldn't be able to get to the cat this time.

But in spite of Isabella's confinement to the chain that kept her safely on her own property, we had a happy ending for the little mourning dove after all! As the little bird heard Isabella's barking, it turned and saw the cat sneaking after it. It launched itself into the air and flew away to freedom.

Meanwhile, the poor little wild cat turned and looked at Isabella with disappointment in her eyes. The cat wouldn't get to eat today, all because of that mean old over-sized dog barking at her with that monstrously deep voice of hers.

It was a disappointment, but the cat quickly realized she would have another mealtime very soon. There are many people in town that feed the innocent little wild cat and her friends just about everyday. It feels like the best of both worlds for the cat, because she didn't have to suck up to the humans and be their house pet, but they still feed her anyway. It's not always comfortable out here for the cat when winter comes, but this is her life and she likes it that way.

And so we come to the end of the tale of the wild hunt. The bird hunted for food in the dirt. The cat hunted the bird. And the dog hunted the cat. And me? I hunted them all with my camera. The poor animals got nothing in their little quests, but I got everything I was hoping for. Hooray for me, the Great King Rat!