We sat there as quiet and silent and in a state of Shhhhhhhhhh for a long time. Then we heard —-

“Come on, Prissy!”

Then a big ruffle of feathers!

“Hurry, Agatha!  There’s corn from the human to eat.”

Then another ruffling of feathers.

I poked my head around the tire I was hiding from and saw

A ROOSTER!  Not a house rooster, you know the kind that live on the farm with Mom and Dad and manage a big bunch of girls, but a REAL HONEST TO GOD WILD ROOSTER!

He was good-sized —we could look each other in the eye.  And very, very handsome.

I was also a little intimidated by him, but not TLC or Hobbs.

No, Sir, they just popped right from where they had been hiding and walked right over to where everyone was.

Hobbie introduced himself, “Hi, Handsome!  It’s me! Yellow.”

“Yellow? Yellow!  Where have you been?  I’ve missed seeing you around up here.”  Handsome peered closely at Hobbs.

“I found a family!” Hobbs announced proudly.  “I now have fur siblings and humans for Mom and Dad.  Let me introduce you; This is TLC.”  Hobbie pointed at TLC with his left paw.  Hobbie is left-handed, you see.

“This is Boo Berry, My very own dog.”  He rubbed up against me with his whole body.

TLC and I acknowledge Handsome and the two hens, but continued to stay back a bit.  Wild anything is, well, you know, a little concerning.

Handsome looked a little puzzled and asked, “Humans?  Aren’t they scary?”

“Heck no,” Hobbs replied, “These are the humans that live here with everyone.  And the female human, MOM, is the one who brings up the corn seed and other things for everyone to have a treat or two.”

“OH! THOSE HUMANS!” Handsome and the two hens squawked together.

“Well, on with other things. Why are you back here?” Prissy asked me. “Why come back to the wild?”

“DOGS!” TLC replied.  There is a pack of wild dogs running around somewhere on the farm, and we aim to get rid of ‘em.”

“Oh, those are some scary creatures, TLC.  There is a HUGE dog and a variety of other dogs.  They are all mean and snarly. Some even have burrs caught in their coats, which they like to rub onto their victims, making sores.”

“We hide in the big brush pile so they can’t get us.”  Handsome explained.

“Maybe you’d best get your humans to take care of them.  I’m afraid they will make mincemeat out of you three.”  Prissy shuddered.

I looked at Hobbs and TLC; TLC and Hobbs looked back at me.

“Let’s go home,” I decided.  “Come on, let’s head on back.”

“NEVER!”  Shouted TLC and Hobbs, “NEVER!”