As Luck Would Have It

No, no. This is not the time to rest, the woman silently berated herself and began to move again. She was unaware that she was being watched until it was much too late. There was only herself to blame for allowing her guard to falter. She, who was always so alert and intense had let the rich smell of the orchard play with her head, and now she would pay the price. Kuwindwa was half-way to her paws again when a silky voice sounded out behind her. The woman inhaled sharply, the gasp half-strangled as it instinctively became a snarl. It mattered little to her that the voice contained no malice; it had been unanticipated and therefore was automatically categorized as a threat until she deemed it otherwise.

In the same blink she made that throaty noise, Kuwindwa had swiveled on her paws, performing a 180º to put the fastest to shame. Her bronze eyes were wide in alarm as she took in the smirking façade of the man who'd managed to flank her. In another blink, she'd hopped back and half-crouched defensively, her hackles raised. She made no aggressive move toward him, but the woman was the very image of a cornered wolf, ready to strike desperately if he made any move toward her. Her mind was rudely awakened from its stupor, forcing her into that dreadful alertness that kept her awake far more often than she would like once again. Kuwindwa barely suppressed a shudder as she looked up at the man. Her movements had placed her awkwardly over the deceased fawn: her hindquarters were pressed into the brush behind her, while one forepaw rested oddly against one of the deer's forelegs - an unstable location she would remedy had she collected more of her senses in the moment.

Seemingly unable to work her jaw to even form words, Kuwindwa could only clamp her muzzle shut tight and wait for him to make a move - to do something, anything. She'd ask who he was - what he wanted - but her wits seemed to have scattered with the frightful pounding in her chest. She did seem to slowly realize his manner was not aggressive, nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to move.