Bearclaw Valley round town

Cole cracked one eye open, the lazy stillness of his posture betraying nothing but calm. But he’d seen her coming—heard the soft crunch of her paws in the snow, the subtle hesitation in her steps.
His gaze flicked to the bundle of feathers she set at her feet, then back up to her face. Twitch. He didn’t know much about her, but he knew enough. Knew how she hovered at the edges, careful, watching.
Twitch, he greeted, voice low, steady. A slow nod.
His eyes drifted to the feathers again, then back up, unreadable.
Somethin’ for me? he asked, though he already knew the answer. There was no edge to his tone, no wariness—just quiet curiosity.