The Four-Raccoon Family Goes A'Visitin'

Walking Sparky over on Markham Way at 2:30 a.m. last night, just two streets over from where I live, I walked past a minivan parked in a driveway, and suddenly saw a funny-looking mammal hissing and doing an aggressive crab walk across the lawn just ten feet from where I stood. Was this unidentified rabies carrier about to attack? Was Sparky, who was trailing behind, even more at risk?

No, the hissing was a bluff, to cover the movement of the Four-Raccoon family on the other side of the minivan. Keeping a wary eye on me, they disappeared down the driveway, looking for food and other humanoid bipeds to frighten.