And then came the soft growl from the crate nearest my bed. Again, louder.
And an answering growl. I heard then the soft scuffle of feet in the other room: the sound of dogs up in the night, moving quietly in their house first at one door and then a sudden growl from the living room and the sound of a big dog moving towards me: the gentle sound of Llewis's bad leg not quite clearing the ground and yet more growling now from around me, rising in intensity.
And then I heard it.
The shrill noise of---a dog in distress?--outside. And again. And again. High-pitched (my imagination instantly envisioned a Maltese or a Shih Tzu) and trailing off into an odd hoppity voice. WTF????
And around me, in the dark, the dogs amped up their voices and finally Conley barked his INTRUDER ALARM bark.
So I got up. The hairs on my neck on end, I grabbed a flashlight and my muck boots and leaving the dogs inside went out in back, hitting the floodlights as I went, not liking surprises like coyotes in the yard, or a small tiger or perhaps a Leopard--who knew?
And discovered I had also left the back door wide open. Oh well.
Out into the yard-- the dogs now thundering behind me and John's sleepy voice as he edged into alertness-- "WHAT'S GOING ON???" -- and then the tremulo high pitched bark began again sending the dogs into a frenzy.
"That" I answered. And stepped outside.
I illuminated every darkened corner of the yard, the sheds, behind the sheds--the neighbor's yard ( they must have loved that) trees--nothing. But the yap was louder now, and then, abruptly it stopped. There was nothing in the yard. I returned to the deafening roar of dogs on a hunt and let them out and they streaked, as one, to the far corner of the fence, frantically leaping up at it, burying their noses in the dirt, shouldering each other out of the way, growling and yarring and scratching at the fence, lest I think SOMETHING had not been there. I got the message. SOMETHING had been in the yard. Whatever belonged to that treble voice.
I got them calmed down and back inside after a short time. Disappointed all of them. Whatever it was it had been in the yard but was gone. Damn. Another chance to rip something apart had been lost. Stupid human, she waited too long...
So I turned on the computer and began hunting too. Listening to the shrill but not shrill enough calls of coyotes and then, on a hunch, on to foxes.
AHA! My nighttime visitor was a fox! Calling out to the world. "I got something". (Maybe the neighbor cat? Out without his claws? I hoped not.) Or a squirrel? YES!! That would be fine.
Now, knowing what it had been, I was ok. And I went back to bed and slept well until the dogs decided it was breakfast time, and when I let them outside, they ran to that corner again--just to be sure. But there was nothing.
Growls in the night. Boy, I just hate that.
