the core of night

Ugh, he seemed to have picked up on the fact that there was someone else there. She didn't have anywhere else to go unfortunately, so she couldn't scurry away from the scene, which meant she was just stuck there waiting to see what happened.

When he finally spoke, she thought he'd caught onto her, but it seemed as though he was just talking to himself. But, no, he'd spotted her, and he was coming towards her, and he was speaking again which meant to her that he had actually seen her, which meant she had to talk to him as well. She didn't really want to, because she was tired and she didn't really feel comfortable talking to people anyway, but she also didn't have it in her to be rude. He'd greeted her, so she was going to greet him in return.

"Hello," she said softly, making no moves to leave the relative safety of her nest. He seemed safe enough, but she didn't know that for sure. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Did he have a reason for being in this place, or was he just wandering as she had been? It seemed wise to ask questions, to be hospitable and get to know this stranger who had been nice enough to greet her kindly.