Blackfoot Forest that's steel

ridgeback notices the raise of her tail in warning; can read her body language as if she's spoken the words. unwelcome. alas, he feels a bit of impudence rise beneath the curve of his chest. he has as much right to this place as she does, he thinks, but in truth he knows it has nothing to do with that. not really. she hasn't tried to chase him off, only warn him away from her immediate vicinity. admittedly, this isn't something he's used to though he's done his fair share of it in the past. i only want to check out those vines behind you. he assures her, gesturing to the rockface, spidery vined and thick with foliage that suggests that his assumption of there being a cave might be right. and i don't fancy walking the long way 'round. he adds, as if that might make her willing.