with the dawn

He’d finished three of the five fish when Chrystal, ever watchful, clicked her beak unobtrusively. Cai didn’t give any outward sign that he’d heard, instead scanning with his peripheral, just in time to catch the glint of firelight over silver eyes and a cowled face. He was a little surprised the woman had come so close after how spooked she’d been.

He stretched, toes parting and wiggling toward the fire as he considered, picking over the bones of his third fish. They’d turned out very nicely with herbs he’d found along the way between his trips from the stream to the fire with them stuffed inside. The herbs themselves were of little medicinal value, but the Nomads had said they made cooked meats particularly enjoyable. He’d been pleased to find some that paired well with fish.

Maybe the woman was hungry? As timid as she seemed, maybe she missed out on larger meals that required some gumption to bring down. He was full enough, so he stretched to his paws, bending and plucking the two sticks still bearing the last two fish from the ground and ambling in the woman’s general direction.

He didn’t come within ten feet of her before setting the two speared fish on the ground, luckily on a grassy spot before he returned to the fire and used one of the empty sticks to stoke the coals, tossing on a couple small logs to feed it and retreating to his hide, ignoring the woman, letting her take her time to decide if she wanted the fish or not.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think