Grouse Thicket [m] fear the lioness, paint her face black and golden

The other, the wild one, was a large contender; he had won once already, having claimed the female and had his way. The direct manner of the stranger's stare earned a diffusive gape of the dog's maw and a look away, but this did not appear to ease the posturing of the other male.

The female looked between the two of them and did not appear defensive or otherwise bothered by the arrival of the dog. This was a tenuous acceptance, or so it read to Arkadiy, who skulked closer to her with keen attention on the other man.

But he had urges, and he knew by the scent of the wild woman that she did too.