The low growl seeped through the mist. A shriek of terror emanated from a living being somewhere in the vicinity, but also shrouded in mist.
Then a chase.
The growl hastened and sharpened.
A bark.
A violent, frenzied bark and a shriek of pure terror as two sets of paws splashed through the mud and the undergrowth.
Then they emerged.
Two forms, surging with adrenaline; one in pursuit, one in danger.
A terrified cat broke through the mist of the cloud forest at Monteverde and continued its shrill cry as a feral dog came bounding through the clouds, eyes set on its target and its salivating mouth agape.
The animals ran and swerved and barked and shrieked through the forest, bounding over logs and slipping through fences, disappearing into the mist and emerging seconds later in this chase to the death.
Yes, to the death.
The dog won.
The prey succumbed to the predator. The dog pounced on the cat and proceeded to tear it apart.
All of this happened in close proximity to the cafe where we were enjoying lunch, where we were tearing into our own sustenance.
It was a horrifying sight. It certainly put us off our food.
It was also the only exciting moment of our visit to Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica. We saw virtually nothing for the remainder of the morning. Everything was shrouded in mist.
Who’d have thought a cloud forest would be blanketed in a thick layer of…clouds.
Perhaps we should have set the alarm clocks earlier. After all, the early bird catches the worm, just as the angry dog catches the cat.
Image: Rachelle Blake
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