We're of two minds out in the ravine with Jackie and Jillie; on the one hand wanting them to be close at hand, not only within sight and recall but close enough to us for comfort; our comfort that is, in concern over their safety. They are, after all, very small animals and we know that there are foxes about, though secretive, and equally secretive, coyotes. Foxes aren't all that much larger than our two, but coyotes are, and both are among nature's predators.

Jillie has a penchant for marching ahead of us and we've got to call her back repeatedly. She stays on the trail, but we become nervous about her well-being when she hurries along ahead of us, leaving us behind as she turns corners and forges determinedly forward. Jackie, on the other hand, is attracted to movement within the forest interior; squirrels on the forest floor, that kind of thing -- and he leaps and bounds, fleet of foot and curious about their presence, after them.

Most often we're able to keep him in sight, but there are times when he 'disappears' briefly. Unlike his sister he responds immediately he's called back, but that is in the best possible scenarios. If he became really committed to a chase, or was waylaid somehow he wouldn't be responding as he does. All it would take would be a fleeting second.

So it's a real concern for us. We want them to feel free with certain limits. How to convey those limits to them is another thing entirely. It's our problem, not theirs. I'm certain that our anxiety over their near presence is conveyed to them, yet on the other hand instinct propels them to do what is natural to them, and led by their curiosity and the deep-seated impulse to run about freely, given the opportunity they most certainly will.

Yesterday Jackie was particularly animated and energetic leaping here and there in the much-diminished underbrush of the forest floor. Under these autumnal circumstances we have better sightlines and can track him further by eyesight. Yesterday was also a very rainy day, the overcast conditions making the forest interior quite dark. In photographs where Jackie is wearing his heavier-weight raincoat because it seemed that more rain was imminent and we dressed accordingly, the stripes on it appeared fluorescent-white, meant to be seen in dark conditions.

Dogwood

The forest is finally beginning to show some evidence of change; in parts of the forest where deciduous trees  are in the majority, the trail is littered with coloured foliage, very picturesque and nostalgia-making. The cooler atmosphere combined with overcast and wind provides an unmistakable nudge of what is yet to come. There, an austere beauty prevails, breath-taking in its own right as yet another manifestation of nature's agenda that all her creatures submit to with no option but to....