Stavanger Bay speckled and sepia

He does not bend down and take the gift. He looks at it instead, now closer to him than her, and asks her who she’s giving it to. Her brows come together in confusion and she finds herself stumped. Had her gesture been misunderstood? Her ears droop a little in his presence and she looks back down to the shell, wondering if she should just take it back and keep it for herself. Instead, Qilaq shakes then closes the distance between where she’s standing to nudge the shell one last time for good measure—inches from his toes this time—and barks.