Phoenix Maplewood look around, leaves are brown

He had hung around the charred place for a while after his conversation with the snowy wolf, but had eventually departed, finding it much too drab for his tastes. The gray male trotted across the landscape, trotting across a field of jagged rock that he surmised must have been left by a retreating glacier--he saw the glistening white expanse just off in the distance. And his travels across this barren land eventually paid off when he entered the maplewood.

It was a gorgeous place, particularly in this season. The golden-orange leaves were falling in earnest, whistling by his ears and settling into a lush carpet on the ground. Crunch-crunch-crunch went his paws as he walked through the wood, eyes peeled for anything interesting.

Shale decided to stay for a while. A few weeks passed by rather quickly, as he made himself busy any way he could, to get his mind off the fact that he was incredibly far from home. He found an abandoned den and settled in; it was a very warm place to sleep, and it was near a colony of rabbits, which made it even better. Those he feasted on in earnest, making sure he bulked himself up before winter hit for real.

Then, one day, luck turned even more his way. A lone deer, likely separated from its herd, grazed on the opposite side of a pond inside the forest. Grinning, Shale watched it for a while. Its eyes were wary--rightfully so--but if he remained quiet and steady on his feet, he might be able to lull it into a false sense of security, thus rendering himself able to ambush it.