Becky Murphy

A Crow Named Sam

Misty had pretended to hunt before, but today she decided it was going to be for real. At ten weeks old, the young fledgling barn owl had her adult feathers in and she was nearly as large as her parents. Just two weeks ago, she was learning how to fly and now she’s ready to do more than just play with her siblings in the nest. Mom and Dad were still bringing them food, but less often now. She could feel the grumbling of her hungry stomach calling for a fresh field mouse. She decided pouncing on a small pile of leaves the wind was whipping around wasn’t going to sooth her hunger.