Today I learned the difference between the red squirrel/pine squirrel, and the fox squirrel. Both are red, but only one looks like its hungry enough to eat your face.
When I encountered the red squirrel, I had been in a tree-stand. Hearing a quick rustle I would lean down, hoping to wake myself out of a sleepy trance by watching the little guy run around. I'm pretty sure they all have ADHD. Watch their tails. With every little chirp, it moves in a new direction. The eyes are wide open in perfect spheres, unblinking, staring yet looking unfocused, freaking out and becoming excited over a leaf, a gust of wind, the blaze-orange a hunter wears. Chirp, chirp. My dad told me he once saw a hawk swoop down to take out one of our spazztic friends. At the last minute he (our spazztic friend) sprung into the air and out of reach. Of course he knew it was coming. Of course he was quick enough to escape--he is always aware.
The fox squirrel is a big guy. For this encounter, I was leaning against a large fallen tree. Again hearing a rustle I looked to my left, and watched as the ginger monster unknowingly approached where I was sitting. Scampering forward atop my back rest, the chubbster had his hands-er mouth full. Go figure. It took him awhile to notice I was there. When he did, he stood up, and I stared at his soft squishy light belly, at his two palms lazily facing me (his right had a freckle near the thumb), at his black little fingernails. I looked at his fur, how the orange was intermingled with tans and black, how from root to tip it was transformed. He looked at my face, and tried to determine if I was male or female. Then I made the eye contact. That was a mistake. It was a duel, one I most definitely lost. My eyes crossed, my vision blurred, and he kept moving closer, making my breath catch. I thought if I looked away, if I moved a little, he would startle and scamper, giving me my accustomed space from the tree climbers. Instead he ran up the log, clattering behind me (chirping threats as he passed my head), and continued his life of obesity and constant bullying of humans.
The rest of the night's hunt the grey squirrels kept making my heart palpitate. The rustle of leaves! A deer-- it must be!
The species are tricksters.
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