#WildThing #GrowlingTire #CountryLiving #EyesOpen #Awareness #MysteriousSound  #Lesson #Learn  #Nature

by SHAWN TRAUTMAN

*Read the short story THEN watch the short clip.*

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrr” – that’s the sound that made me jump as I walked past my left rear tire.

“WTF was that?” I thought.

I walked by again, the same growl-like noise.

We’ve had a stray cat hanging around recently, so it’s possible I was a bit too close.

I start my truck and let it run for about 5 minutes.

I walk all around. It’s like playing duck, duck, goose, except it’s nothing, nothing, nothing, growl and then nothing, nothing, nothing, growl.

I look in the back of the truck. Nothing.

I look inside the wheel well.

Nothing.

I look under the truck.

Nothing.

I walk by from the right, growl.

I walk by from the left, growl.

I lay down on the driveway behind the truck, Joanna walks out… “are you okay?”

Clearly, there’s not a good way to answer that question right now if you know me.

“Um, come here… walk by the first tire and listen” I say.

She does. She jumps. She’s puzzled. She goes inside and gets the girls.

They come out. They walk by. They jump. They look. They’re puzzled.

“It’s gotta’ be that cat” we say.

We try calling it, but it doesn’t come out.

We tried playing our coyote howler, but it doesn’t come out.

We put cat food in a dish back behind the wheel, but it doesn’t come out.

5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes.

Nothing.

We walk by again. Growl. Clear as day.

Paxton goes and gets a flashlight and shines everywhere he can see.

Nothing.

He kicks the tire.

Nothing, but a growl.

At this point, we’ve all talked and are aware of the potential dangers.

“It’s either a cat, a possum, a skunk, or a groundhog” I conclude.

Then, I tell Paxton to get in the truck bed and see if he can scare it out.

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