Whitefish River Impede

He continued his journey due north, following the winding river. Nose to the ground, he found signs of a pack long gone that shared scents with the plains pack southwest from here. They must've moved for whatever reason. He stopped by a shallow stretch of the river and peered into the water, focusing on his reflection before a sleek blur beneath the surface caught his eye. Black Hat had never fished before, but there was no time like the present; besides, he couldn't afford to be picky. Tensing, he lowered his crown as mismatched eyes honed in on a target. He pounced, splashing into the frigid water nose-first. Pulling back empty-handed, he shook himself with a shiver. That sure woke him up, he thought bitterly.

His ears swiveled on their own accord as they detected a distant rumbling that grew less distant with each passing second. He whirled around to face it and went moon-eyed at what he saw: a colossal elk herd on course to trample him to a pulp. There wasn't enough time to flee. His eyes darted frantically in search of high ground, heart pumping adrenaline through his veins as it pounded like a war drum against his sternum. He caught a twisted tree in his sights and bolted for it, leaping up its branches to safety as the ungulates sped by. Collapsing on a sturdy limb, he sucked air into his lungs and watched as they crossed the river with clamorous splashes.

An eternity passed before the last stragglers finally crossed. By then, his legs had stopped quaking. Black Hat rose and squinted as he narrowly noticed a white figure lying in the snow. It was on the other side of the stampede, which led him to believe it was a victim he could scavenge from. Leaping down, he trotted up to it and was disappointed upon realizing the wolf was alive and hale. He was a massive young man, would've made a decent meal. Shame. But he was already here, and so to prevent awkwardly veering away upon realizing he wasn't dead, Black Hat continued to approach.

I thought you'd been flattened by those elk. I nearly was, He said rather conversationally for a man who just escaped death.