I was surprised by a quick flash of orange and black fur running through the backyard. It's been a while since I've seen a fox around my house, but even when they've been more frequent, I'm always taken aback when I see one. That was this morning, and I had pretty much forgotten about the quick encounter until this afternoon, when I watched two sleeping cats bolt up and to attention.
I was on the phone at the time, so I couldn't figure out what all the commotion was about. When I finally moved over toward the back window, I got a full view of a beautiful fox standing on my back patio. She was beautiful with a full, rich coat of fur. Older cat Edgar stood with his ears at full perk, trying to assess the situation. Younger cat Alice must have sensed danger-she often does-because she scurried off like a mouse being chased by a cat without a sound.
I watched as the fox turned toward me and stared. And then just like that, she strolled off to the cover of a clump of overgrown bushes in the middle of the back courtyard. Maybe I'll see her again tomorrow, if not, I'll keep looking and listening...and hoping there may be some kits to see in the future.
When I read of your red fox, I immediately thought of Mordicai Gertein's "The Old Country." One of the characters is Fox. Another is Gisella, a young girl. She had been warned by her Great-Aunt Tanteh to never look into the eyes of a fox. But "she looked at the fox and the fox looked at her. They looked into each others eyes, and this time Gisella did not look away." Spoiler: Gisella became the Fox and the Fox became Gisella.
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