I am a shy and odoriferous striped skunk lurking in the dead of night.

1. I Am Skunk I am a shy and odoriferous striped skunk lurking in the dead of night. I wonder what discarded treats await me along the buffet as I waddle through an overturned trashcan. I hear the swooping wings of the Great Horned Owl as he strategically looms overhead preparing to make me his midnight snack. I see, very faintly, the white stripes that line the backs of my kits as their fur emerges from their hairless newborn bodies. I want to dig deep in to the Earth’s crust to uncover a delectable entrée of scrumptious grub worms and insects. I am a shy and odoriferous striped skunk lurking in the dead of night. I pretend that I am fierce and aggressive by stamping my short legs and follow with a raise of my bushy tail. I feel the displaced dirt as I dig out my den with my sharp claws. I touch the caterpillar as I roll it back and forth on the ground to remove its fuzzy hair. I worry about my litter of kits snuggled warm in my carefully dug and insolated den. I cry when I hear the rustle of leaves behind me or hear the howl of a ravenous coyote in the distance. I am a shy and odoriferous striped skunk lurking in the dead of night. I understand that I must be on guard against my arch enemy, the swift and devious fox. I say very little, other than to hiss a sound of warning when I feel threatened. I dream of night so that I can leave my home in search of food. I try to protect myself by spraying a mist of putrid musk to shortly debilitate my predators. I hope to stay unnoticed under the cover of darkness, as I patrol for food with my keen sense of smell to guide me. I am a shy and odoriferous striped skunk lurking in the dead of night. By: Melissa Crotts