Of wild animals
My car almost hit a deer yesterday. unnamed525 was driving us in my Jeep Cherokee down to his father and stepmother's house in rural Ohio (border of Fayette and Pickaway Counties). It was close to 2pm, in broad daylight. Two does bounded across the road in front of us. As we watched them start to run into the field to our right, two other does followed the first two onto the road. Chris saw the second pair in time to brake and miss the deer, thank goodness. If any more had come we probably would have hit them. It scared the bejezus out of me. I have never come so close to hitting a deer.
Then last night, after dark, Chris went outside to smoke a cigarette. He called me outside to show me a field mouse huddled in plain sight at the edge of the sidewalk. I figure Barney the mouser was about to eat it when Chris went outside. He must have dropped the mouse to get fed and petted. The mouse was alive and didn't seem to have any obvious injuries. It was simply in a state of frozen terror. I believe the word from Watership Down is "thrair". (Is that right, _lillassea_?)
Edit: Thanks to nontacitare for reminding me that the correct Lapine word for the state of frozen terror is "tharn".
Then last night, after dark, Chris went outside to smoke a cigarette. He called me outside to show me a field mouse huddled in plain sight at the edge of the sidewalk. I figure Barney the mouser was about to eat it when Chris went outside. He must have dropped the mouse to get fed and petted. The mouse was alive and didn't seem to have any obvious injuries. It was simply in a state of frozen terror. I believe the word from Watership Down is "thrair". (Is that right, _lillassea_?)
Edit: Thanks to nontacitare for reminding me that the correct Lapine word for the state of frozen terror is "tharn".