Spring Hunt

Conner crouched in the bushes and watched his prey. He knew he had the wild beast cornered. All that was between him and the beast was a solid stretch of vegetation.

The beast rolled around, soaking up the rays of the sun. Conner smiled. He knew his chances of catching the fearsome creature increased if it was preoccupied.

Conner stepped forward and then instantly stilled when the beast twitched its nose and looked his way. Beads of sweat ran down Conner's cheeks. He wanted to wipe the sweat away, but knew any sudden movement would cause the beast to flee.

After a few moments, the creature settled back into the sun to play.

Knowing he wasn't going to get a better chance, Conner slowly inched closer. He placed each foot carefully to avoid rustling flowers and alerting the beast of his approach a second time.

Conner was within spitting distance of the beast when his nose started itching. No, he silently commanded himself. Not now.

Unfortunately, he couldn't muster enough willpower to ignore his twitchy nose. Just when he reached to collar the beast, Conner sneezed.

Conner stood, covered in pollen from head to toe, and watched in dismay as his prey jumped onto the porch and ran inside the house.