Blacktail Deer Plateau you make me feel the gentle moonlight on my face

until now, the girl has stayed well away from the borders. she can not deny the desire to wander beyond them again exists; there is something beautiful in wandering, searching. but she must bury it deep, and then deeper—she can not leave her family again, not when a mere hunting trip had turned into a months-long absence. Rosalyn has returned to them, to her joy, and yet she knows her mother's initial absence is her fault. 

no, clem will stay her wanderlust and remain rooted here. still, occasional trips to the borderline territories are necessary, for prey is smarter than to congregate in the heart of their plateau. and so she steels herself, head tucked low and shoulders hunched, as she moves against the storm. snow falls dizzyingly from the heights, at times so thickly it seems impenetrable. 

she does not expect to find another, least of all a stranger, amidst the gale. a yelp, barely heard, and then the outlines of an earthy-pelted woman. for a moment, she is frozen; unable to tell if this woman is a packmate or not and hoping desperately it is not the latter. tongue passes over her lips in quick nervousness, and she wishes dearly for the snow to fall swift and thickly again and hid her from view. but the weather has never obeyed her wishes, least of all now, and so she offers a small "hello," that is just as likely to be lost among the wind and oppressive silence than reach the woman.