The Dove, The Tree, The Dog, and the Shed. Red Lines in the Air.

I sit here working on a patio, while the Dog lays next to me on a pillow overlooking a Yard that she doesn't really care to explore too much.

The Dove swoops above from the Tree, standing on the Fence, peering into the lawn with a desire to come peck worms.

A Lizard hops through overgrown grass along the sun line towards the Shed.

The Dog stands up, intensely staring at the Dove who appears not to notice the Dog yet. The Dove has a somewhat lurching stance. It's getting hungry thinking about flapping down to the stretch of the Yard.

The Dog growls, and immediately the Dove changes its stance to a more neutral position. The Dog stops the growling, fixing its gaze on the Dove to make sure it doesn't try again.

The Dove plots as it casually strolls the Fence's line away from the Dog.

After moving about 3 meters away, the Dove looks back and the Dog is still watching.  The Dove walks further away, another 3 meters or so.  The Dog appears to relax.

The Dove looks at the Dog, gets in a lurch stance as a test. The Dog doesn't appear to be watching and doesn't seem to object.

Then the Dove glides down into the grass. The Dog immediately catches the motion and runs out into the Yard, charging at 3/4 standard speed. The Dove escapes into the air with ample time to evade the Dog. It disappears into the Tree and cannot be seen now.

The Dog watches for some minutes waiting for the return of the Dove. The Dove doesn't appear. The Dog is worn out and goes inside to get refill on water. The Dog walks to the patio door, moving backward to guard from its new interior perch.

Not long after, the Dove reappears, swooping down from the Tree atop the Shed. The Dove is slightly further away from its last incursion into the Yard.

The Dove walks to the edge of the Shed. The Dog is at patio door, and has no vantage point of the Dove or the Shed.

From atop the Shed, the Dove assumes its familiar lurching stance, no objection is heard or seen from the Dog, and the Dove flaps down into the grass.

The Dove forages at its own leisure in the half of the Yard where the Dog doesn't have visibility.

The Dog is maintaining its minimal guard, but is still regularly looking upward at the Tree and Fence.

The Dove spends about 10 minutes foraging around the Yard, eventually getting closer and closer to the Dog's vantage point, near the patio door. The Dove knows that the Dog can come out of that door at any moment. The Dove cautiously keeps one of its side eyes focused near that door.

Eventually the Dog, still at the patio door, appears to see the Dove in the Yard. The Dog glances at it and pants in frustration. The Dog is visibly stressed, yet this time doesn't run out and do anything.

The Dove realizes this and continues prudently foraging, careful not to get too much closer to the Dog or test further boundaries. The Dove knows it won this battle, but isn't going to further test its luck – today.

The frustrated Dog, pouting and panting, was all bark and no bite.