Nimbus Summit the debts of ukiyo

at first she thinks it is a bear searching for its breakfast. the steps are too fluid; weighted but much too quick.
she opens her eyes.
the man is more than a head taller than her. thick around the middle. at first glance he is hard to make out among the trees and as she watches him, she can see why.

i have not been here before. she answers, watching.

the man is marbled like an ancient forest; red and browns, blacks and grays. striped and mottled enough for concealment. she senses no danger from him.
she has been wrong before.