Great Bear Wilderness The sentinels

“You are right,” Jinx mused, identifying that the odd, heavy feeling she got from the woods had everything to do with how quiet they were. She had grown used to the constant howling of wolves where they were situated, for they were within earshot of both Blacktail Deer Plateau and Horizon Ridge on their lofty spire. Silence was precious and rare on the faces of Silvertip Mountain, so it was comforting to be enveloped in it for once.

Mordecai made another interesting observation, leading Jinx to admire his perception. She wasn't much of a hunter and never had been, so she hadn't noticed the recent skittishness of the prey herds. Being targeted on all sides by wolf packs was a good reason for prey to move elsewhere, and that was the situation in the Kintla Flatlands now. She wouldn't be surprised if the prey moved over the mountains in the fall and early winter, right into the waiting jaws of Fox and her wolves. Their odds would be better there, despite the numbers Swiftcurrent Creek boasted of.

“You make a very valid point, Mordecai,” the Alpha murmured with a frown. “I hadn't thought of it, but Blacktail Deer Plateau and Horizon Ridge are so close, it's a wonder the prey have stayed so far. And now the traitors on the island...” Her teeth ground together, but she forced herself not to mention Majesty and Erika further.