Two disparate species, by chance, suddenly happen upon each other. In one eternal moment each listens….It is a communication beyond feathers or fur, flight or leaps, size or color. A thousand shared memories emerge from the eye of each soul: the chirp, the snort, the flapping of wings, the stomping of hooves – this is my territory, this is my ground, this is our earth. The wind whistles thru the glen, held briefly in check by the conifers. The snow attempts to shroud the fall leavings of grass and seed. One great birch has already fallen under the weight of its winter. The buck’s antlers are brittle, the cardinal’s crest is brave. He will fluff up down feathers; he will stand up his underfur. Though one may roost while one may rise, night and day they will share the intangible awareness that they are in this together, that they are not alone. The setting sun will also rise. Hope abides in the thought; “hello stranger, my old friend.”