Birthright

The large head turned, an ear flicked, and he padded across to the screen door. A push of a nose and the door opened, the shoulders pushing forward and body following, down the stairs and across into the shadow of the tree just near the front door. With barely any movement of his head, just a light swiveling of ears, Siofra started moving, a trot that covered the ground steadily, heading across the road and through the scrubby bushes and rocks that littered that side of the road. With a couple of leaps the ridge was soon topped, and there he paused, looking over his shoulder. An indiscernible twitching of his nose assessed the wind and movements of life nearby as eyes scanned the surrounding area.