The feline raises a sleepy eyelid, a golden iris revealed to the camera.

Another quick flash and the woman is off, backtracking her way to the porch, to safety.

Beautiful, but not so much that I'd risk a swift swipe.

Looking like an oversized tabby, the wildcat raises itself lazily, stretching out limbs and flashing claws from padded paws.

A third flash saturates the scene, and the animal bolts, back to the wilderness that birthed it.

The woman, heavy camera in hand, stares longingly at the tree trunks, great beasts marking the edge of her manicured lawn, the bit of wild she had tamed. A sigh, and then she sits on the stair, eyes still fixed on the trees.

RATE THIS CHAPTER!