Wapun Meadow Slow, I'm getting up

Ruenna, too, had traveled through this meadow before, on her initial journey into the Teekon Wilds. Her last visit had been at the height of summer, when wildflowers of every color imaginable were exploding across the gently rolling scenery. Even though her mental wounds from Red Fern Glade had been fresh back then, Rue could still remember feeling optimisitic as she traversed these breathtakingly beautiful hills. 

As she looked out over the territory now, however, it seemed flat, dull, and lifeless. It was hard to believe this was the same meadow that she had visited so long ago. Rue took a long drink from the creek, shivering as the ice-cold water burned a trail down to her stomach. When she looked back up, a white silhoutte had just barely come into view against the listless white background. Rue squinted. There was something familiar about the wolf's limping gait-- it reminded Rue of her beloved, former alpha Liri, and that in turn reminded her of everything she had lost in the wake of this cursed winter.