Swiftcurrent Creek Riverbend

Fox, not knowing why she had licked his nose in the first place, assumed it was just one of those weird instinctual things that she'd figure out later. Yes, that had to be it. Just some ritual like a boy lifting his leg to piss on a tree once he got older. The Nu brushed it off, thinking no more about it. And yet... she still couldn't shake the feeling that somehow this nameless and silent stranger was different.

He came toward her again, and for a moment she wondered if he was going to engage in play again. Instead, he nudged her gently here and there, as if searching for something. She sidestepped, but not far enough that he couldn't reach her. The tiny red girl then returned the favor, sticking her nose into his shoulder, then his hip, making sure that everything was okay.