roina_arwen

Ava copped a squat in her dry little hidey-hole and squinted out into the bright, sunlit desert. She kept a wary eye on her environs, scanning the brush for any signs of her pursuer.

No doubt, he was searching every shrub and behind every cacti for signs of her.

Fortunately, Ava was small and hid herself very well. Her streaky brown and white attire blended in with the rocks, brush, and sand. She preened when he strode within twenty feet of her cave, not even slowing down as his keen eyes looked for any proof that she had indeed passed this way.

He was a well trained tracker, and she almost admired his ingenious traps, but although Ava seemed like the perfect prey, her ability to deceive was far better than most.

In the rare instance that her stalker found any evidence of her passage, the X marks her feet left behind didn’t give him any clues as to which direction she had come or gone.

She was extra sneaky that way.

He must have guessed her hiding spot, because he soon returned, this time approaching from the other direction. Ava wondered what sort of overly complicated attempt to catch her he’d try this time. Would he tempt her with food? Try to block her escape path with a boulder and sticks of defective dynamite? Paint a fake road that led nowhere? Try to drop an Acme anvil on her?

He was wily, but she was quicker on her feet.

One day, maybe Ava would let him win - but today was not that day.

She poked her head out of the cave, and smiled broadly at him before running off once again.

“Meep meep!”