Beneath the eucalyptus is the darkest part of the path along the creek, obscure even in a full moon. A fellow could twist an ankle if he’s not careful. I am careful, and I run with an eye to the ground.
A black cat runs out away from me, into the light, and I startle, and then a dark shape moves before me in shadow. It is another cat, big and black, and I stop two feet away so as not to stop on her. I can barely see.
She walks up to me tentatively, sniffs a pant leg, and then runs for the creek.
In a pool of moonlight just before the tall grass I see her, the deep blue-black fur,
and the two broad white stripes from collar to tail.
