The Stalker

She is completely motionless in the tall grass, not even a tail twitch to give her away, iron-cladly focused on the small dove pecking at the ground some twenty feet from her and nothing distracts her. She waits until the dove turns it's back then takes one silent step in it's direction before sinking back to the ground. She becomes a statue, the slight breeze barely ruffles her fur. Her patience is remarkable, her attention to the dove is intense and unbreakable. The dove pecks on, to all appearances, oblivious of her presence, and she takes another step or two toward it, then freezes and returns again to the ground. She watches and waits with military precision and meticulous timing. When the breeze stirs again and the dove turns away from her, she extends one paw then the other and her body follows almost in slow motion, closing the distance with deadly accuracy - twenty feet becomes fifteen, then ten. The dove continues it's pecking, peacefully unaware of the ever closer peril. Over head, the squirrels begin their morning olympics through the trees. Traffic noises get louder from the street as a bus rolls to a stop at the intersection and a siren goes off from down the block but in the backyard the drama plays out uninterrupted. The dove is joined by another and the cat is now barely five feet away, noiseless and unnoticed in the clutter of morning, her long, lean body low to the ground and absolutely still. The doves hunt and peck like chickens, still not sensing the danger or supremely confident that they can outfly it. She suddenly tenses and springs and the scene erupts - pebbles spray through the air and a cloud of dust rises, there is a screech and the doves take wing unharmed. She is left on the ground below in an impotent crouch from which she emerges and stretches, washes her face with one paw, and casually walks off toward the alley. Having done her best, she is comfortable with her loss and will not dwell on her failure. She has other fish to fry, the day is young, and the adventure is just beginning.