Firestone Hot Springs You're saying the words that I want you to say

When a voice rang out, Stryx stopped with a paw raised. She looked around quickly with her eyes, then raised her head a little bit, her ears pivoting as she listened for more signs, thinking that maybe the bear was tricking her. That made her squint a second though; bears were boorish things, more like pigs than wolves, and ultimately the lesser species. Big, strong, terrible, but not smart enough in her experience to pull off such a trick.

Stryx wasn't sure if she wanted company but she trusted her gut, and stopped sneaking by. She called in reply: I'm only passing through! But mid-shout she noticed the hulking shape again, this time closer, and recognized the warm brown patterning of the stranger's coat as something specific to her own kind; her voice clipped at the end and she came out from hiding with a sheepish slant to her posture, apologetic.

Didn't mean to cause a fuss, miss. Thought you were a bear at first.