Arrow Lake The divine radiance of invertebrates

Without the support and strength of a pack, Pied could only rely on herself for sustenance. Her efforts to track down food led her away from the forest, this time heading southwest into the foothills. The ground underfoot soon began to climb into the mountains and she persisted in her tracking, her stomach growling hollowly as she picked her way through the rocks in search of prey.

What she found instead—entirely by accident—was a lake sunk into the mountainsides, creating a bit of a fishbowl hidden amidst the alps. Pied wandered to the water's edge and, in lieu of food, dulled the edge of her hunger with a long, cold drink. When she lifted her head and licked away the spare droplets, she saw Mag skimming the lake's surface without leaving so much as a reflection.

Turning away from the lake, Pied plodded along the small strip of shoreline and then pressed into the underbrush. She didn't get far before she snicked her paw against a large stone. Sucking in a breath, Pied held the paw off the ground and gave it a slight shake. Once the pain faded, she inspected the rock. Driven by curiosity, she pressed her nose underneath it like a shoehorn and, with a grunt, rolled it out of its bed of cold earth.

Despite the dim light of a wintry day and dense brush, Pied spotted a few hibernating bugs squirm in protest. Without a thought, she began to pluck them, one by one, and swallow them with a quiet smack of her lips.