Blacktail Deer Plateau And with that shadow upon the ground,

Note to self: before she reunites with Sol and Stjor

Scavenging.
She felt as a coyote, low and dirty, without pride or nobility. That didn't last long, picking at the last dregs of a kill made by some other beasts weeks ago. The old meat was meagre and tendinous. There was nothing that tasted good about any of it. While Valmúa took no pride in such work, she would need it to satisfy the next leg of her journey toward her brothers. She was hot on their trail; she knew they were close. She felt it.
On her way around the mountain, she carried with her a rib of the deer carcass. She could smell marrow inside, and decided she would try to open it in the evening when resting.
In the woods, Valmúa happened upon a woman. She was well-fed. The northerner dropped the bone and her hackles raised some. She was hardly in shape to fight off some stranger, but she was well-ready to do so. She stood stiff, her tail fluffed and high and her ears alert. She said nothing.