Bearclaw Valley -- i've dreamt this moment, so overdue

her eyes snap open at the heavy crunch of footfalls, and her head swings to catch the gaze of her packmate — her tentative friend, though she didn't know the word or really understand the concept.  she still feared that he'd taken her for something she had yet to understand and once he was done with her she'd be cast out, on her own again.

but his decision to have her wounds tended to and their fight and travels together had strengthened her still-cautious trust in him.

immediately after alexander had caught her attention another approached, loudly, calling out to her with those garbled noises that everyone else could understand.  her eyes turned to slits and she bounded down from her perch, quickly closing the distance between them as her hackles raised.  she shoved her nose into his pelt, running along his body so long as he would take it, intrusively gathering as much information as she could.

he was beautiful, small, around her size.  he bore the scents of many women and a few men, packsmell too.  but she didn't know what he wanted.  she circled back around the red stranger and briefly, discreetly, met xan's gaze.  what do i do?

she turned back to the stranger (still unnecessarily close in proximity), staring him down as her hackles lowered back into place.  her tail arched over her back, ears pressed forward as she let out an assertive woof.