Big Salmon Lake part of a system, a plan. [m-ish]

Although she had begun to chuckle at her own genius, the russet male didn't seem to find her jest amusing. In fact, he didn't seem to get it at all. This woman didn't make jokes all that often, and being left high and dry in the laughter department left her feeling a little put out. “You know,” she started to explain, “'cause guys have a meat rod...”

But all he did was say “indeed” and forge ahead into some other indeterminate topic. Ptarmigan pouted, but only long enough for him to ask if she had a pack. That put the brightness back into her smile, for she did in fact, and it was a great story. “Ptarmigan,” she began, and then added, “and I just drowned an Alpha so I guess that means I do have a pack.”

At least in her own mind, it did. By the laws of nature, it did. She didn't realize that it didn't mean that in the eyes of the Spine wolves, who by now were surely trying to hunt her down and skin her for killing their queen (she imagined).