Creatures of the Wood

His natural element happens to be the
urban forest; the trees, the running creek,
songbirds, and the turning seasons. The
small creature presents himself boldly,
a mild confrontation between a feral creature
and the humans whose place within nature
has long since evolved to a relationship of
manipulation to service humankind's needs.
Here, the wildly clever creature manipulates
humankind to serve his little deceits.

Among like creatures he is unique and
readily identifiable, a delicately-conformed,
tail-less squirrel, among its robust-bodied,
plume-tailed peers. Nothing frail about his
confidence. His long-ago approach in
recognition of the purpose of our quotidian
forays into the urban forest forged a casual
bond between these animal species.

Our daily times of entry into the wooded
ravine may vary, but upon descent we are
invariably met with the suddenly-alert
presence of a multitude of chipmunks,
squirrels (black, red and grey) and even
curious crows, all anxiously seeking their
daily peanut homage from their admirers.

Some are bold enough to wait out the
ritual of deposit and withdrawal, aware
that neither we nor our exceedingly small
canine companions pose a threat. Others
scamper ahead fruitlessly searching the
conventional caches that have not yet
been deposited for their delectation.

It is only Stumpy, carefully breaking open
the shells; consuming one, two, three of the
nuts. Then responds to our quietly audible
invitation to receive another. When, perchance,
he is offered a two-chamber shell, he puzzles
over the absence of the usual-third one,
scrabbling through the empty shell pieces
to ensure he has not overlooked the missing
nut, before returning to us for yet another.

Through the hour's perambulations of each
day upon a network of trails, we are greeted
by his assured approach at various junctions
along his range. We watch, bemused, as he
turns the nut-case in his clever paws, and
sometimes decides to decamp with his treasure,
back turned confidently toward us, tuft where
tail should be peculiarly transformed into a rabbit.