The man took his female Chocolate
Lab, new to the desert, on her
nightly walk, down the stairs,

but not out on the trail. That
would be in the daylight. She
would be restricted to a few

small patches of grass woven
in among the desert landscaping
as an accent and for just this

purpose. As she walked, looking
for just the right spot, he directed
his powerful headlamp onto the

side of the hill and there, amid
the darkness, flashed two eyes,
high up. He shut down the light.

The eyes disappeared. He directed
the light again; the eyes appeared
then disappeared and reappeared —

on the move. He looked at his Lab
now done with her business and
just sniffing out the tiny territory

and said, “Girl, that’s enough terri-
tory for the evening; let’s go. We
will climb the hill in the bright light

of the desert sun to see if we might
see the one who was here long before
we. She, descendant of the wolf,

never lifted her nose to the hill.