This is the 3rd and final part of this little tale. Part 1 showed a young female Eastern Box Turtle swimming in open water. That is a very unusual occurrence from my personal observations over the years. Part 2 showed the female turtle just as she emerged from the water and had crawled onto dry land. I noticed that she has some difficulty in moving but was distracted by my cat that had come to investigate the turtle. I moved on hoping the cat would follow and be distracted somewhere else so I could go back and get some more shots of the turtle. Part 3 begins with me finding the turtle now on level ground at the top of the slope leading down to the pond. Upon my arrival, the turtle closed its shell and I took this shot. I had to wait for several more minutes before she decided to open up and start moving again. During this wait I noticed a number of blowflies gathering on the turtle's shell. When she did open up, it was obvious the flies annoyed her because she kept snapping at them. Blowflies are only attracted to blood and raw meat as far as I know so I was beginning to get an uneasy feeling about all I had seen up to this point and unfortunately those worries were well founded. After a short time the turtle began moving off and it was quite apparent that something was definitely wrong. She did not move normally at all. I eased away and changed position so I could see the other side and I am sad to say that this Box Turtle was gravely injured. She was missing all of her left back leg and raw festered meat could be seen inside the shell. I am perplexed by what could have caused such an injury. There was no other damage on her that I could see. Box Turtles have a very effective shell that closes up tight with nothing sticking out. The back legs are always the last part to emerge when they do open up and start moving again. Turtle skin is also very tough. I have prepared snapping turtles for eating and it takes a very sharp knife to cut through their meat, so I don’t understand how something managed to remove just the one back leg. I would be quite amazed if this young female Box Turtle managed to survive such an injury but critters are rugged and knowing I was helpless to assist, all I could do was wish her well. This last image is my favorite of the group. It is a tranquil setting and evokes a somewhat more emotional feeling now that the sad story is known. I looked for her later that day and several days since but have not seen her again. This was a tale that ended sadly and for that I apologize for the sorry it might bring to some. I have spent a lot of my life looking at critters and watching moments in their lives. I have seen funny things, beautiful images, amazing events, and yes – even sad occurrences. When I can assist a critter in a bad situation - I do. When there is nothing I can do - I accept that fact. Life and Death are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate the two. To fully appreciate the miracle of one - we have to accept the inevitability of the other. Thanks to those who take the time to comment. Lee