Bearclaw Valley god, i hope it all goes away

twitch startled, her ears flicking backward as she turned toward the voice. she'd been counting on them not saying anything. guess she was thankful that he did. her head jerked toward the source of the sound, ears swiveling sharply as her gaze landed on him.

for a long moment, she doesn't say anything at all, eyes darted over him, assessing. he was freshly scarred. tall and dark, built like a bison. aged, though he hadn't lost much of the beauty she suspected he had in his earlier years. it isn't until he gives her an incredulous lift of the brow that she refocuses, ripping her head to where he indicated.

sure enough, jagged spikes of frost jutted from the earth, gleaming treacherously in the weak sunlight. her nose wrinkled. “uh- thanks,” she muttered, her voice quieter than intended. he was a towering compared to her, intimidating. she focused somewhere near his shoulder to distract herself.

she could feel his judgment like a cold draft just from the way he spoke, wrapping around her and pressing against her chest. “still getting used to the valley,” she offered, though it sounded more like a defense than a statement. jesus, you need to shut up for once.

twitch knew better than to expect warmth or understanding from strangers, especially ones like him. his stance was rigid, his expression unreadable. fortunately, she already looked fucking stupid so it couldn't really get any worse. "you the one who's been followin' me?"