Blacktail Deer Plateau One

He bristled on instinct when she whirled on him, his muscles tensing as he prepared automatically to be attacked. Had she followed through he would have met her physically without thought, but as soon as his mind caught up, she backed off, and his expression dropped to confusion. He hadn't expected a warm welcome, per say, but that surprised him. Had he spooked her so badly?

He wasn't yet observant enough to catch her afflicted vision, but he knew something was off. She had been alone a long time, he could assume, so perhaps he could attribute it at least in part to that. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to ask outright. Instead he forced his body to relax. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Maybe this was a bad idea. She stared at the ground, but he stared at her - curious and a little wary, ready to bail if he was dismissed as expected. He might be alpha but he wasn't about to stick around where he wasn't wanted.