Arrow Lake behind closed doors

Whether she was suspicious, afraid, or oblivious, something prompted her to pause and then call out. It was deeply satisfying to Mesa that he had managed to catch up to her and stalk after her for such a long time. The boy was not going to quit just because she spoke; if anything, his future attempts would be even more intense and he knew now that there was at least one adult who was susceptible to being tracked. It was a moment of pride for him - and the woman's feelings were, of course, utterly overlooked.

As the element of surprise was off the table, Mesa made no effort to shelter his presence any further. He came racing along between the trees, almost colliding with her hip as he wedged around her down the slope, then turned around to face her, tail arching high and wagging confidently. Then Mesa, with all the awareness and charm of a brick, said, You walk funny it was easy to track!