Howls & Owls

Over the past two nights I have been fortunate enough to hear two distinct and contrasting sounds from the wilderness around me.  The cries and calls of the coyote and owl are eerily beautiful.

The first time I heard a coyote (or rather a pack of coyotes, because I don't think you ever hear just one), I have to admit it was pretty scary.  Camping with Anna at Brushy Lake State Park in Oklahoma trying to set up our tents and cook dinner in the darkness.  Then out of nowhere comes the call of the wild... quite literally.

Cries and yelps and whoops and whines that sound more like a mixture of children and hyenas rather than canines.

Creepy at first.

But the more I listen to them, the more entranced I become.  I never actually see them (though that would be neat), but I imagine them running the open fields and plains freely and fiercely.  Perhaps they are chasing down rabbits and rodents, or maybe they're just having a bit of fun.  But their sound draws me in.

I've stayed awake until I hear them no more, never really wanting them to stop.  It's a strange noise to hear just before falling asleep, but I like it.  I like the quick startle I receive and the pounding of my heart when I first notice them.  It is a sound of wildness.

In addition to the coyotes over the past two nights, I have also heard a lonely owl performing his early morning monologue to wake me up.  I think owls often are associated with scary forest sounds as well, but the peacefulness I felt when hearing its call has been refreshing and reassuring.

Both nights camping, first in Utah then in Texas, I went to sleep with the coyote's howl, followed early the next morning with the cry of the owl.

It is a most wonderful way to drift in and out of dreams.