beauty cat and the bald ape

She was more unsettled by him than the buck had been, his stature alone, the sight of him seeming to make her come undone. He could detect the subtle movements she made in fear, and her cracking, hissing words confirmed what he sensed in her. His posture did not change, even as she bared her teeth and flattened her ears, threatening an attack. His mouth twitched upward with humor, and he dropped his hindquarters to the ground.

"Go on, then," he invited with a sweep of his broad paw. Not for one moment did he believe she possessed the courage to follow through with her threat.