We're much later than usual for our walk this morning so it's a surprise to see who else is at the lake. First one:

...then two coyotes:

You hear them a lot at night, of course, a pack on the hunt. It's spring and it's dry and their territories are shifting. There are howls that say hello, who are you? Where are you? That say, let's eat. And then soon that chorus of yips, a shrillness that rips (the only word) through the dark, through the walls, sets neighborhood dogs to futile barking.

These two seemed new, drawn down from the hills by the scent of water? They looked around, strolled around, walked on only when they were good and ready.

A little closer? OK: