Greatwater Lake Around the Lake

Title comes from this quote, by Wallace Stevens: "Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake." All welcome!

Ellie was hungry, and she was staring with wide, glazed-over eyes at the herd of deer lounging beside or -- in some cases -- in the lake. Peregrine's words the other day had placed fear, and determination, into her heart, and she was determined to use this potent combination to force herself to hunt an animal larger than a hare. She knew that going after a full-sized deer by herself was not the greatest plan in the world, but she was getting tired of rabbit and fish for food all the time.

Ellie, it seemed, had been born a bit on the slow side when it came to things like hunting and fighting. Most wolves had these skills ingrained into them from birth, though, of course they would need honing to get them right. But the tawny she-wolf, she seemed lacking in some kinds of instincts, so that she was more helpless than most in a this world of "survival of the fittest." Before today, she had never tried to make up her lack of skill with hard work. Before today, she had always been lazy and undisciplined and was extremely good at coming up with shitty excuses for why she sucked at doing wolfish things.

Today, though... today she would shine brighter than she ever had... If only she could figure out what the fuck she was doing, as she lay down in the tall grass fifty feet back from the herd.