..... ONE WORD ........................................................ armadillos
There was a sharp scratching sound outside my tent. I woke, unsure of what it was, but slightly nervous nonetheless; it never paid to be too careful around these parts. I pulled my blanket off of me and grabbed a flashlight, this one steel, from Sharper Image. I looked out the flap of my tent to see what it was, perhaps a small animal of some sort?
I unzipped the flap quietly and turned on the light. A small armored face looked back at me, quite puzzled as to what this small Sun was shining in its face. It squeaked once, and ran off.
Sighing at the armadillo, I walked out of the tent and over to my pack for some food. It was almost time to be up anyway. I looked over to where my pack stood up against a post and sighed. The armadillo had taken more than an hour or two of sleep from me.
It had taken my food too.