Qeya River I'm selfish, I'm obscene

Long overdue thread for @Thuringwethil.

She needed space from the maple wood, but the danger of straying too far was very real unless Spring discovered the whereabouts of Reek's claim, so the alpha female went only as far as the river before halting. She knew the unspoken death penalty for passing over it, having heard of it not only from her ex-partner but from Esaro himself, but unlike Reek, Saena didn't stake much of anything on word of mouth. Still, although part of her sought to challenge the notion that death was imminent if she touched the other bank, the pups heavy in her stomach stopped her from testing her luck.

She stooped to lap at the rushing water, still frigid from the ice of the looming glacier. The streams in the maple wood were warmer in comparison, and the chill bit at her tongue and throat in a way that failed to quench her thirst. Slightly disappointed, the woman lifted her gaze and tilted her red-rimmed ears to the mountain in the near distance, as if she might spot upon it a moving body, but it was too far for her scrutiny. It took only seconds for her to grow bored, and then the alpha female began tracing the edge of the river, safe on her side, in search of unsuspecting wintering fish.