Nova Peak just keep breathing

With a steady gaze, the feathered male had been watching the fiery girl, waiting in silence as she picked her way down the cliff side to scout the boulders. But of course, even the most alert creatures have to take a break a some point. A robin tweeted tauntingly above him, a sharp reminder of the vicious winter that had once held this land captive under its frosted cloak. He looked up, startled by its loud chirp, returning only to come face to face yet again with the now not-so-unfamiliar she wolf.

With a surprised yelp, he sprang backwards, pinning his auds flat to his scalp and fluffing up his tail momentarily before forcing it to lie flat. She seemed just as bemused as he was with the whole encounter which was of course to be expected from a wolf he had practically bumped into twice now. He cowered low, averting his gaze and thumping his tail apologetically. It was quite strange how a relatively well built brute like himself could be so easily intimidated by a scrawny ball of red fluff but it happened, causing him to ponder just how broken his mind was. There was just something about her, those gleaming golden eyes and the way she wasn't at all unnerved by the natural world that vaguely mirrored that of his mother. Yet despite all of this, he couldn't look like a damned coward in front of her... although he feared he already had.

It took all his courage to crawl out from underneath the rocks but he managed it, all the while keeping his tail tucked submissively between his legs as he drew himself into a slightly nervous sitting position. He listened quietly as she spoke, her words sharp and surprised but fair. "If hiding involves cowering under boulders then yes... I guess you could call it that," he answered shakily, stealing a quick glance upwards to the evening sky. "Forgive me for acting so... fearfully. After moments of just portraying his feelings through submissive body language, he felt a huge relief in finally admitting his appology through words.