Deer, Elk, Moose

My friend Megan and I were at my house and getting ready to go somewhere. I think it was around 2:30 pm and we were going to pick up my kids from school. It was taking me a few minutes to get ready, and so Megan went out to the Sequoia to wait for me. She was standing by her door on the passenger side and I was walking through the living room towards the front door.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. So I look out the window and see a large deer standing by a deer feeder in the pasture. My first thought was how majestic it was. But then a second one lifts it's head and suddenly they seem to be half the distance. There is something odd about this one though... it has one large antler and one small one. At first glance I thought the second antler was a broken stub, until the sun hit it just right and I saw the tines. The deer, seemingly so close now, began to take notice of each other; they rattled their antlers together, sparingly at first, then with passion and competitiveness. I was a bit alarmed, but I knew it was only me and megan at the house. So I shook my head and walked out the front door.

I was a little cautious knowing they weren't too far away, but knew I'd be safe if only I could reach my sequoia. But once I got into the front yard, my fears grew stronger. The deer were suddenly on the other side of the fence, just 20 feet away, and they seemed to have grown in size. They were now the size of elk. They even looked like they had become elk themselves. I calmly told Megan to get in the Sequoia and she'd be safe. By now we were both watching the elk like rabbits watching a bobcat. I took a step toward the Sequoia but Megan, disregarding my advice, stepped around the front end of the truck and stopped in her tracks when the dueling elk turned their attention to her. I told her again to get in the Sequoia and at first I thought she would, but she hesitated.

The elk took two steps toward her and stopped. A third elk step up from behind the others. This one was double the size of the other two. As a matter of fact, it was a moose. An angry moose. I started to move toward the truck when a very large, loud schoolbus suddenly appeared in the pasture. It was empty.  The moose were distracted long enough for Megan and I to get back in the house.

We looked at the clock to see the time (2:50pm) and then looked out the window in time to see the moose was closer and larger. I thought for a moment that i should call the school to let them know I'd be late getting the kids. I grabbed my Keychain truck lock and we both sat at the window watching the fighting animals. In a last effort to get into the vehicle, I tried to hit the panic button to sound the truck alarm, but instead my hood opened up. I hit the button again to close it then pressed the correct button... but the alarm woke me up.