Nature Sounds

Fox Noises

The evening was fairly quiet. The only animal around was a small, grey squirrel wandering around the mandala, mostly in the same area as the spider. A shrill cry rang out, almost birdlike, and with it, the squirrel ceased all movement. It appeared as though it was attempting to shroud itself with the darkness. The cry rang out again, and the squirrel still did not move. I deduced that the animal producing this noise was a red fox, as the way the squirrel was acting suggested that it was hiding from a predator, and the noise was too high-pitched to belong to anything larger. The squirrel was obviously frightened. All the time I was there, the fox did not approach. Every so often, leaves or branches would crack. Yet it never came near, most likely because it was afraid of me. I felt a bit guilty, as I was disturbing the balance of nature. However, I also felt a sense of joy, as I had saved the life of this innocent squirrel laying before me.