Page 30 - LIfesOuttakes4

about eight feet before she squawked her warning. From

that distance we watched for quite a while, as a little
yellow chick made its way into the world.

Within a few days, there was a nest full of babies for
her to protect. My own girls accompanied me as often as
they could, and they always wanted to see how the baby

chicks were doing. The chicks were growing, and even
coming with Fluff to scratch for the grain I gave her, but

Fluff always kept herself between me and them.
Then, one day, as I was cleaning the stallion’s stall in
another barn, Fluff came flapping and squawking in,

pecking at my feet. I pushed her away with my foot. “Beat
it, Fluff!” She attacked again, and then ran toward the

other barn flapping and squawking. I went back to my
work, and she attacked me again, only to run back toward

her barn, flapping, squawking, and turning in circles. I
watched her a minute and then said, “Maybe I have

watched too many Lassie reruns, but you act like you want
me to follow.”
I took a step toward her, and she rushed to the other

barn, stopping to look back at me. I took a few more steps
and she went a little further. Finally I just followed her to

the other barn. As I stepped into it’s dim interior, as my
eyes were adjusting, I realized it was very quiet, no
peeping chicks, nothing. I was about to go back to my

work, when Fluff, rushed at something by her nest. That
was when I saw it. A giant wild tomcat was sneaking

toward the chicks. It had seen me and had held still, but

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