Greatwater Lake herringbone

For @Luke

The shifting seasons were a balm on her joints. Shar-Kali accepted that she was an ageing wolf, but she preferred to ignore the physical symptoms. Arthritis had yet to fully catch up with her, and she liked to think - gazing at her own reflection in still water - that she was still the beauty that had departed for greener pastures nearly half a decade ago, starting afresh with a handsome mate and a belly full of children. Time had refined her features, but she was still as queenly as she had been back then - if not more. There was a certain silly fluffiness to youth that she no longer possessed, and thank the stars for that.

It was bright today, and Shar-Kali lounged by the lake she had stumbled across a few days prior. It offered plenty of food, and in the absence of a hunting partner, she had chosen to settle on its banks until she had decided on her next move. East, or west - these were her options. With any luck, a scout from the Plateau or its towering neighbour would happen upon her soon.