Heron Lake Plateau New life, new start?

The sun shone brightly in the January sky, though it did nothing to warm the frigid lands below; the temperature remained well below freezing. Towhee plodded across the frozen landscape, gazing dully ahead of her as she made her way to the borders. The sunlight did little to cheer her or put any pep in her step. If anything, she felt like she was dragging, her leg feeling particularly numb with the deep cold. A sigh escaped her, warm breath unfurling slowly from her mouth and nostrils as if she were some sort of dragon.

When she arrived near the northern boundary and climbed down to begin a circuit, she spotted a stranger waiting below. Towhee didn't brighten so much as sharpen, moving with a little more haste now as she closed the distance. She was a lot less inclined to bully outsiders away lately, a fact motivated by the fear that Redhawks would crumble as her pack mates were drawn to Firebirds like, well, moths to flame. They could use more able bodies on the plateau and this unfamiliar wolf appeared rather hale.

"What's your name and business?" Towhee queried, her voice as clunky as ever as she slowed to a stop, body held rigidly, and continued her visual assessment.