Bearclaw Valley follow me into the golden wild

her ears flicked back, tight against her skull, as the sound of his laughter split the air. it jarred her like a snap of bone, and her muscles seized as if she was already itching to bolt. she wished the ground beneath her would open up and swallow her so he did not have to see the way she shrank from him.

twitch’s throat worked around a swallow, her mouth dry. she didn’t move when he stepped further into the light, the sun casting sharp angles across his frame. he was just as big as she remembered. thick-built, heavy in the shoulders. calm down, girl.

easy for you to say, she thought bitterly, you're built like a fucking mountain. she does not voice it. instead, she sucked in a tight, shallow breath and tried to will her fur to lay flat again. it didn’t work very well—never really did.

when he turned back, coaxing her to follow, her first instinct was to say no and scamper off to the nest she'd made herself beneath an old tree. but her paws, stupid and starved for belonging, said go, and go she went.

she says nothing, but she steps after him like a shy puppy. “what, uh…” her voice came small and gravelly, like it might crack under its own weight. her throat clicked as she swallowed. “what is it?”