Spiderweb Night

Caiaphas wheeled around suddenly as she heard a crackle of leaves -- the unmistakable ruffle of pinestraw. Her fierce yellow eyes flashed wildly around and she froze in a defensive stance with her hackles raised and paws splayed widely apart.

Her black gums curled back into a sneer as she tested the air, her nostrils twitching in inquisitive bursts. She saw no sign of the fox -- but her shrill voice was plaintive and obvious -- and with a snarl she drove into the under-brush where she believed the fox to be hiding.

She flew through the leaves and passed them in a flurry, sliding sideways as she parted through the stiff briar and fern. There was no fox -- she lifted her muzzle and a command rung forth in the frosty air. "Show yourself, Autumn." She swished her tail irately in the manner of a cat and circled the clearing. "I don't believe you."