Sun Mote Copse What a fool believes

He half-expected her to lunge at him. Eye contact at this level was more than just a glance. This was a full-on stare down. When she took a step forward, Phox braced himself, but he held his ground. Clearly, he was hitting a nerve. That hadn't been his intention (never had, throughout this entire ordeal), but maybe everything was hitting a nerve for her right now. He knew that she was still working through her feelings about Colt, about Nellie, and now about him. Apparently that meant picking fights with him. Verbal so far, but he was acutely aware that she was able to pack a punch if she wanted to.

Phox didn't back down, but he didn't make a move toward her, either. He intended only to do as much as would match her. Hopefully it wouldn't get physical, but he had every reason to believe it would at this point. This was one of those times when having Sequoia around might have been nice. Maybe she could have talked to both of them and helped them resolve this. Not much she could do from the Frosthawks.