Opening the blinds of our east-facing window this morning, the sun shone right into my eyes. Half blinded I opened the window too, bending down to lean onto the windowsill to feel the early summer morning cool on my skin. I opened my eyes and gasped. One story below, in our shared driveway, stood a red fox. In my shock I called out to my husband and Huxley to come over to see it. The fox heard me too. He looked up and not liking to having drawn the attention of this female human, bolted down towards the back of my neighbours backyard. Ensuring that it wouldn't make a home in the garage where we keep our bikes, I went downstairs, grabbing my camera and barefoot went outside. The grass felt cool and wet against my feet as I slowly walked towards the back of the yard. I saw something move against the back fence. I lifted my camera, but in the shade it was too slow to catch a shot. I looked up, the fox looked right at me. What a powerful moment.
Growing up in Switzerland, foxes where abundant, my dad often talking about them taking the next door farmers chickens. I've seen road kill foxes, stuffed ones in a museum, and I might have seen a life one in a zoo. Animals like foxes have a very earthy energy. Humans tend to dislike them because we associate them with stealing our food. Killing the chickens we want to kill ourselves. Mysterious night creatures they are to me. Beautiful.
The fox bolted between the garage and the fence between my neighbours and our yard, right down the ally towards the street. Huxley had come out into the back yard too and would have loved to see him. I had the camera at the ready, but did not want to charge with Huxley in tow, just in case Fox tried to make a stand.
At the street he slowed down just slightly and that was my chance, a bit blurry, but here you go:
When we got to the street, he was gone. We tried to see if he might have gone hiding under my neighbours porch - safely of course, but he was gone. Not to be seen.
Huxley and I know that we might never see him again. The human with the black thing in front of her face might be a deterrent from our yard. Yet again, when we build the summer-hutch for the bunnies, we will always take them inside over night. They certainly would not romance about foxes with me.
