Mudminnow River if i didn't know better

he stepped deeper into the water instead, cold biting up his legs as he lowered his forepaws and scrubbed them against the stones. dark ribbons of elk blood loosened and bled away into the current. he drank again, slow, unhurried, tail flagged upright behind him—confidence made visible, not announced.
his eyes lifted at last, passing from the pale woman to the smaller male and back again. he did not crowd them. did not retreat. simply... was.
a low huff left his chest—neutral. present.
no threat offered. presently.
he finished washing, water dripping from his fur, and remained where he stood, broad and grounded in the stream, letting them read what they would from his silence.