When I was like 11, I slept over at my friend's house, which was in the middle of the country. At 2 am, I heard scratching and pounding at the door, followed by howling.
I woke my friend up and was like, "YO, WHAT IS THAT?" She woke up, looked at me, and just said, "Oh, those are the coyotes. They're just scratching at the door. Go back to bed."