Accidental Acquaintance

Middle of the night

Hot to the touch

Heart hammering in my chest

Breathing shallow.

***

Awoken from a dream of I know not what

Fear courses through me still

Fight or flight mode kicking in

I need to leave here.

***

I Stumble to the door in the pitch-black night

The fogged moonlight above my head

Cool night air on my hot wet face

Blows the scent of my fear…

…To a fox.

***

Frozen in position one paw off the ground

Eyes glued to mine mid-step

The silence of the night a claustrophobic amber

That has caught us both in place.

***

Two predators attuned to the proximity of one another

Heads cocked, hearing sharpened

Fear is forgotten my heart slows

We stare at one another

Awaiting our dance partners next move.

***

My breathing now regular and relaxed

I stop to wonder at the beauty

Of this urban fox caught in no-mans land

Three paws on the ground before me

Once a competitor now a secretive neighbour.

***

A quiet yelp rings out and we turn in unison

Two cubs break cover

To flank their protective mother

The fox looks at me and finally blinks

It puts its fourth paw on the ground.

***

In the blink of an eye, our connection is lost

and they three disappear from my view

And I am left to wonder at the beauty of nature

And the purity of our accidental acquaintance.