Today I am posting a small portion of a chapter that I find exciting and emotional. It is about a pack of coyotes and their visit to Sam's farm. Of course her special filly, Kai, is involved in the coyote encounter. Stay tuned for more of "Spirit of a Rare Breed".Coyotes
The sound of coyotes howling at night had awakened Sam for the past week. The howls and yelps were loud and eerie and at times they seemed to be right under her bedroom window. Sometimes their cries came from the excitement of a fresh kill and the night was filled with their incessant yelps and snarls. When she heard that sound she felt sorry for the animal that was now feed for the hungry coyotes.
It was said in town that a coyote pack had taken down a new calf and each night Sam locked the door of Rudy and Roger’s pen and made sure that all the chickens were closed in their hen house. Before she pulled the barn doors shut at night, she counted all the cats while they were at the feed bowls. The cats seemed to sense the danger and didn’t stray far from the protection of the barn and Mia, the black cat, stayed high in the rafters of the barn, only coming down to eat.
It was two in the morning and once again the screams from the pack of coyotes woke Sam from a sound sleep. She sprang from the bed, stepped into her slippers and grabbed her robe putting her arms into the sleeves as she raced to the kitchen door. All three dogs were growling and pawing at the door and the hairs on the backs of their necks were raised. They were set to run out the door to chase the intruders away from their property and Sam had to hold them back by their collars.
“Stay”, she sternly spoke to each of the dogs as she pulled them away from the door. “You’re not going anywhere near that noise Jazz.” Sam scolded the anxious dog who was right at her heels.
Sam grabbed her flashlight, opened the door and went out onto the back porch. The night was pitch black and the moon was hidden by dense cloud cover. Rain was in the forecast and the air felt damp and filled with moisture. Sam didn’t want to chance leaving the porch but she shone her flashlight onto the back yard. She moved the flashlight slowly from one end of the yard to the other looking for what she feared she would see. Sure enough two yellow eyes were caught in the light and stared back at her.
“Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “They’re right in my back yard.” Sam raced back into the house and grabbed her shotgun from the closet and ran back onto the porch. She held the flashlight ahead of her and once again slowly moved the light over the yard. Nothing! She must have startled the last of the pack but the site of the yellow eyes glaring at her made shivers run up her spine.
The night was once again silent, but she stood on her porch for a moment longer to see if the howling would start again.
