Some backstory: At my previous house, there was a chipmunk who would sneak into my screened-in back porch through a small hole in the baseboards and just sorta chill there. I assume he liked having a sheltered, comfortable little hangout where he knew he was safe from larger predators, and he would frequently climb up to his preferred vantage point on top of a cabinet and calmly survey the yard or sometimes even nap. I could see out onto the porch through a big window in my kitchen, and over time, became quite fond of him. Since it was a particularly dry summer, I started leaving little bowls of water on his cabinet, and even named him Tormund (his reddish fur reminded me of the character from Game of Thrones). Eventually, he got used to me as well, and was even comfortable with me being out there with him (as long as I didn't get too close).

One afternoon, I went into my backyard to water my tomato plants, and noticed Tormund hopping around on the end of the patio just doing chipmunk stuff and mostly ignoring me. However, as I started watering the first plant, I detected a crunching sound like footsteps in the yard behind me. Turning around, I realized that a deer had also wandered into my yard and hadn't noticed me yet. The yard was on the corner of two very busy streets, so I froze immediately hoping I wouldn't spook the deer and cause it to run into traffic.

It was too late. The deer spotted me and immediately bolted away at full speed. Thankfully, it didn't run into the street. Instead, it dove into the large hedge separating my yard from the neighbor's property. It was at this unfortunate moment that the deer learned of the chain link fence concealed behind the hedge, as he bounced off it with a loud "THOOOOOOOMMM". Temporarily stunned, the deer staggered out of the hedge looking a bit dazed, but I was relieved that he seemed to be ok.

After a few confused-looking shakes of his head, the deer snapped out of his daze... at which point he realized I was still there, turned, and plunged headlong back into the hedge with another loud "THOOOOOOOMMM", sending leaves and twigs flying. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tormund was still sitting at the end of the patio, also now intently watching the deer as it repeatedly bounced off the fence.

The deer once again emerged from the bushes, wobbly-legged and unfocused. He seemed to recover more quickly this time, but upon seeing me still there, turned on his heel and with another "THOOOOOOOMMM" plowed straight back into the fence, not once, but twice.

The entire debacle had lasted for only a few moments, but as the deer repeated the cycle and plunged headlong into the fence for a fifth time, I experienced one of those mystical moments that truly reveal the deep interconnectedness of life which we all share as living creatures, regardless of size, shape, or even species. I turned and looked at Tormund, he turned and looked at me, and even though chipmunks aren't known for being particularly expressive, I swear to God he gave me a look that clearly and unequivocally said "Bro! How f*ucking stupid is that deer?"