Otter Creek I’m all yours

she could see the otters re-emerge and the stranger's body language, paired with his previous attempt, causes something to click! in her brain.

she begins to lift herself from her crouched position, the anxiety that had welled in her breast melting.  if she could help him with this, maybe he would be happy with her!  her tail began to wag in gentle arcs around her hocks, brushing the snow up in tiny bursts of white.

now more than scared, she was curious.  she moved forward to close the distance between them with strong, deliberate strides without a single glance at the otters — that would be his job, and she would be there as a back-up, ready to launch just in case he failed in his attempt to snatch that little brown blob.

but until they scattered, she was content to just keep closing the distance between them until she was close enough to nearly touch, pink tongue flitting out of those sculpted, angular jaws to lick in the general direction of his lower lip — i'm okay, i promise, it's okay.