Redsand Canyon that took my breath away

It was a rare thing for Nanuq to be out in the heat of the day. He was lucky to have such a light coat that resisted the beating of the sun, but the black dappling on his back grew uncomfortably warm at times. Despite suffering less than darker-coated individuals, he preferred to keep away from direct sunlight. It hurt his eyes and gave him a headache.

Today was one of the rare days he came out in spite of it. He was sprawled on the packed earth outside his family’s den with his eyes trained on a hardy fern swaying in the hot breeze. On closer inspection, it was not the fern that interested Nanuq, but the four-winged, bright blue insect poised on the tip of a frond.

It bobbed up and down with the motion of the fern, but was undisturbed. He had seen them before, darting about so fast you hardly got a look at them before they were gone again. This was the first time he had seen one landed. Whenever his eyes began to water, Nanuq blinked as quickly as he could and resumed his staring, determined not to miss it when it took flight.