Prancer

Not the animal discussed in this post.

The other morning, after 35 years of watching deer, I saw something I'd never seen before.

A cold front was heading in; the deer were all over the yard. Every time I looked out the window, there was a doe. On one side of the house, two young bucks butted heads, then stopped and stared at me as I raced outside with the camera.

A little later, I heard my husband coming up the driveway, but he didn't come all the way up. I went to the garage to make sure he was ok.

Through the window, I saw that he had the binoculars out and was looking at the woods. I looked too and saw a doe come running out of the trees. She slipped under the fence and dashed through the front yard, moving fast.

Right after she slipped under the fence, a buck jumped it, taking it like a grown man would step over a child's alphabet block, and then, it happened.

The buck pranced.

He pranced across my front yard as if he were the prince of the land, which I suppose he was at that particular time. His feet lifted much like a horse in a parade might do. He wasn't running after the doe; he was sure he was going to get her.

His stately look made me gasp and wish I had my camera, because of course I did not. He pranced on out of sight, while I stood there, entranced.

And the amazing thing was he pranced right in front of my husband, who watched him, too. And while it was a buck big enough to shoot, my husband let him go, so he could find his lady love.

I'm not sure which was the best to see, the buck prancing so, or my husband's wisdom in letting that buck live another day.