Conspicuous

Driving to work on the ranch roads early in the morning I came upon a conspicuous dark pattern (nearly a puddle) in the center of the road.  I stopped before driving over the spot and climbed out of the truck to investigate.

Blood.

Nothing nearby.  No crumpled beast.  No fur.  Not a single sign of struggle.

Just blood.

I wandered a wide circle around the dark patch on the road seeking clues, as my pickup tinged and ticked, idling away in the silent dawn of a new day.

Grass pasture.  Alfalfa.  Stars just now fading above.  Light seeping in like fog from the east.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing but that hideous patch of blood.

--Mitchell Hegman