Alpine Lake Treated me like a stranger

The lake was huge. Heldi found she couldn't even see to the other side of it as she stared from the coast, even squinting until her head began to throb but gained no such luck in being able to see. 

With such a lake there was likely a good deal of fish to eat, possibly waterfowl who fed on underwater plants and the insects that buzzed above the waterline. The plant life was bare as most of The South was when she first arrived, even so it looked like it would be lush when it grew back. It was the kind of environment that would draw the mammals back. 

The cave up on the mountainside was where she found herself settling down for the night, staring out at the lake as the last sun's rays reflected back at her. The bastard of Vledfest had yet to come across any others, though it was possible someone would appear at anytime seeking shelter as she did.