Neither the quail nor cat ran fast enough. I hit both of them, taking them both for dead, until I glanced in my rear view mirror. The quail was frantically flapping it’s wings, going nowhere. The tires must’ve pinned it’s tail and toes to the asphalt. I made myself not feel bad by focusing on the fresh road meal I just gifted a hawk or coyote.

It was a little harder to squash the bad feelings with the cat. The tires must’ve pinned it’s back legs to the asphalt. I watched it desperately tread air with it’s front legs in my rear view mirror. I would’ve reversed to put it out of it’s misery but there was a car behind me. A car that swerved around it.

Being a nine-lifer must suck.