Lynx Crossing

On a cold winter day, I'm driving along a northern rural road. In an AWD mode, I proceed cautiously as the road has not been entirely cleared after an earlier blizzard. Very few cars venture out and no one is tailing me, so I'm driving at 45 mph on a 55 road.

Suddenly, I see a group of animals ahead. I am alone, have about two more hours of driving, and suspect I'm starting to imagine things. I blink rapidly several times, but the animals are getting closer. They are standing and sitting on the road, without moving. Waiting for someone?

I slow down to 20 mph. They are not blocking my side of the road, but with wild animals you never know where and how suddenly they'd move. Wait a second, are they lynx? I've heard of the Canadian lynx in these lands, but never saw them in person.

A popular Russian superstition holds that if a black cat crosses your path, you should turn around or take a detour. Otherwise, you'll have bad luck. Even though these cats are not black, I stop. We stare at each other.

A mama lynx with two kittens comes out of the woods to join the group. As they all cross the road, I swear one of them looked back and smiled at me. I have finally had a real-life encounter with my totem animal who years ago in a dream graciously allowed me to use her name for my writing pseudonym.