Last night, Mak come in from the cold at the usual time, just before sunset, but there was no sign of Fil. This didn't surprise me or worry me. She's always been more independent and adventurous. Worrying about her does me little good anyway. She has always come home. But last night she didn't.

Even though it was about 20 degrees, I kept going outside, whistling for her until I felt like my lips were going to fall off and then back inside to watch Monday Night Football and warm up with a cup of tea. I thought I heard her in the bushes, but it was just a few javelinas, these wild pigs that live in the neighborhood and like to rustle around in my mom's pansies.

At halftime, I ventured further out. I heard a meow coming from across the arroyo behind the house, but I figured it was the neighbor's cat responding to my whistle. I grabbed the flash light anyway, hiked across the arroyo and through the bush to the neighbor's place and there was Fil, on top of a post on the stairs, well above the growling llhasa opsos below and obviously scared out of her wits. The neighbor came out, went up the stairs and snatched Fil from her perch.

I don't know how Fil even got into her yard because there's a protective angled fence around the whole thing to keep her animals in away from the coyotes that live alongside the javelinas.

When I woke up this morning and saw Fil moving around, I saw that she was favoring her left hind leg. I don't think she was attacked. She must have just injured herself climbing around. Poor little thing.