Paradoxically Yours...

Nuances of the Night

(prompt: deception 21st April 2017)

"O-w-w-w-w-w," she said loudly, waking me from a deep sleep.

"Ohh no," I groaned and struggled to sit up, stretching sleepy eyes wide and blinking furiously to get them operational. Protest was pointless. We don't have a pet hatch door for several reasons, but mainly because Scrooge (alias hubby) says it's low on the priority list of affordable to do's around the house. And when you top that list with priority farm needs? Aarrgh... I simply give up the dream.

"O-w-w-w-w-w," she said again, with even more feeling. Because I can speak 'cat' fluently, I was in no doubt Missy had an urgent call - o-w-w-w-w-t-s-i-d-e. Reluctantly sliding into slippers and dressing gown too (might as well visit the smallest room myself, while I'm up, I thought blearily), I successfully kept my eyes half shut and my butterfly brain in severe lockdown as I headed for the front door and flicked the verandah light on.

Holding the fly door open, I peered blindly into the blackness decreed by the heavy cloud cover. No moon this night - ahh well, no foxes either. As Missy did her usual study of the world outside before putting one paw ever so slowly in front of the other, and I waited... I was idly thinking of how strange it is that foxes can see in the dark, and yet choose broad moonlit nights for their maniacal marauding of poultry. And again, I thanked the Great Fowl Protector in the Sky for—

"H-A-A-C-C-H-H! H-A-A-C-C-H-H!"

My eyes and Missy's mirrored each other in shocked wideness as we looked in horror into the largest, bushiest tree nearest the house.

"WHAT was th-a-a-t?" The words were pushed out of me whooshily - following directly on from my gasp of terror.

"H-A-A-C-C-H-H!"

With a softer tone, I'd have considered a heavy breather lurked out there. But this was like a German back of beyond of the throat kind of "K-K-K-K-H-H-R-R"; like something from a worst-ever chainsaw massacre type nightmare. And I could see great eyes staring back at me.

"It's my true inner Panther to the rescue," Missy said, and she curled one paw like a little trumpet next to her mouth. "Doot-de-doodle-de-do", and leapt into the tree in a single bound. Well, that's what I heard.

A scuffle ensued as I tried desperately to identify the intruder. A broom leaning against the wall demanded to be grabbed and swung wildly into that bushy tree.

To my relief, the fight between my sweet Missy cat and the invader stopped! After one horrified backward glance with his huge shiny brown eyes, his small furry body and long bushy tail disappeared into the night.

THIS was our deceptively deadly danger? A possum?