Heron Lake Plateau quam amoena

After patrolling the full border, Charley found himself bored and antsy. There was little to do now that the pack was actually here, nothing other than the marking of borders and settling in. The King, for one, was more than happy with his life now, despite having half his sight literally ripped from him. Today, he just needed to stretch his paws, and with a howl to @Aspen letting her know he was leaving for a little while, he did just that. Would his Queen join him, he wondered? Sure, that left the Glade in the paws of his Gentry wolves, but what harm was that? 
He headed up onto the plateau today, sniffing around and following the scent of an elk. It was close, and before long he saw it. Flaring his nostrils, he debated calling for his pack, but thought better of it in almost the same second. They had bear meat and nearly full caches, and with Ayla's wounds infected that was very few wolves for the hunt. 
That, and another shape drew his attention. He turned in time to see her before she was in the water: her great swollen sides warned him to be careful, but nonetheless he meandered closer. For some reason, her scent was familiar, but he couldn't place it.