Bearclaw Valley gotta be careful,

twitch bristled, though the motion was subtle—a flick of her tail, the faint lift of her shoulders. 'Calm down, kid.' her lips pressed into a thin, taut line as her gaze darted away, fixing on a patch of grass just past his shoulder. Real helpful, this one.  

“’m plenty calm,” she muttered, though the tightness in her voice betrayed her. her claws scraped lightly against the dirt as she shifted her weight, the restless energy in her limbs begging for an outlet she refused to grant. calm as a horse with a stuck foot.

still, his smugness grated less than it should have—mostly because he wasn’t wrong. the tension in her frame was impossible to ignore, coiled tight like a spring, ready to snap at the first sign of hostility. but hostility never came. just that damned smirk and his easy, languid amusement, as if he already knew she was no threat. 

her ears flicked back. she hated how exposed she felt, but there was no use in trying to deny it now. kissing her teeth, the cleared her throat with a cough, “maybe,” she muttered. if there were a cliff readily available, she'd fling herself from it. “got nowhere else to be.” she added quickly before she said something to embarrass herself further.