Alpine Lake the birth of merlin

She had intended to forge ahead with the search, but. . .hadn't. There simply wasn't enough game in these parts to keep her sated. Some sort of disaster had befallen this place; she saw the evidence in downed trees and shifted landscapes, and, of course, the dearth of prey. Without prey, she could not eat. Without sustenance, her steps were slower, more meandering.

But perhaps that was as well. What if Akuti was on the move as well, and they continued to pass each other? She may never find her mother if she didn't stay put for a little while, at least assess the situation for the time being. And eat— she needed desperately to eat.

The woman ahead was her opposite in coloring, a lanky pale female that wandered through the trees. Preeti chuffed in her direction, knowing two hunters were better than one. Fantasies of chasing down an ungulate drifted through her mind, and her stomach growled, her mouth watered. She padded toward the stranger, body language neutral and friendly and guilelessly questioning.