Deadly Moonlight

Oh the quiet moonlit night. The sky was clear, the wind was still. Dear Luna, the moon was quite full shining her ethereal glow upon the land, creating a form of light making those normally blind to the dark, able to see for but a time.

If one were observant enough, they would notice the many small creatures running among the grasses, shrubs and trees. The occasional squeak of a rodent, and the chirping of insects. A yip of a fox, or a hoot of an owl. With many a rustling here or there.

Of these creatures was a field mouse, full of sprightly energy and curiosity. Peaking so timidly, yet with purpose, the mouse cautiously emerges from its burrow of many tunnels deep beneath an old sycamore tree, home to many creatures. Darting here and there, from one tussock of grass to another. Searching for seeds and berries for its store in the burrow. It surprised a grasshopper, which the mouse quickly caught and proceeded to eat, amongst the grass. The mouse then stuffed its cheeks as it went, till they were full, ever so watchful and listening in the night.

Then a noise and a scent caught its ears and nose. Quick be still and hide under a stone, as a cunning fox trots past, as it’s on the trail of some rabbits that passed not long ago. Afterwards, when the danger seemed to have passed, the mouse then darted back to the burrow to leave it’s collection of food, to save for another day. Yet to the field mouse, it did not seem enough. It decided to test its fate and venture out once more.

But oh my, while there can be wonders and bounty for such a creature, there are many a reason for them to take extreme care, especially when Luna shines ever so brightly. For hidden in the beautiful night sky, a terror for this little creature was bound.

All one may witness, was nothing but a glint of light off of soft wonderfully designed feathers, feathers that seemed to let the air pass by with barely a whisper. As with bright and farseeing eyes, flying in silent, precise and deadly flight, with it’s outstretched and deadly talons was a barn owl intent on its next meal. It’s target being an unsuspecting field mouse. The mouse could not see or hear it’s impending doom. That is the way of the owl. It was not until it’s last moments that the mouse realized it’s folly in testing fate, and straying too far from the burrow.

Then with its small prize, the owl flies home to it’s hollow where it is greeted by two sets of twinkling eyes and hungry chirps of its dear little owlets that will not starve this night. The mother owl feeds her young, the most greedy getting the larger meal.

Momentarily the entrance is blocked of the ethereal light as the father owl returns with his catch, to feed the young. As he awkwardly squeaks in greeting, as does the mother owl in response, he then proceeded to feed the seemingly ever hungry chicks.

The mother owl then sets off again to find another small creature so it may feed as well. Leaving with not much of a sound except for the momentary scratch of her deadly talons on the entrance of the hollow, as she lifts into another silent flight under the glow of the moonlight.

As is the way with the owl, the pair would continue for much of the night, to fill the bellies of their young, and themselves as much as luck would have it, before Luna moon was replaced with the Solar sun, to bring in the new day, before they could roost and slumber to prepare for the next night.

Even with their seemingly perfect design for the night hunt, not every hunt succeeded with a catch, and their prey received their luck to see another day. That is the way of the circle of life and the song of the deadly moonlit night.

The fox may have found its quarry, or the luck may have been in the paws of the rabbits. The bats and the moths, the marmots and the birds nests, all in the hands of fate with what shall see luck in greeting the new dawn.