Redhawk Caldera But at dawn

He had come to her with a promise of adventure and that was all it took to get Puffin out of her brief funk.  Her heart renewed with opportunities on the horizon, she didn't even mind that they had to wake up at the crack of dawn to get there.

The rising sun at their backs, they set off.  Puffin was playful, often darting across wide expanses of the snow-covered prairie and then back to Rowan, despite the strain it would put on her on their return trip to have drained so much so early in the day.  Speaking of him, her traveling companion was kind but a little quiet for Puffin's taste.  She made a mental note that on their way home, she'd throw some more icebreakers his way.

But she didn't have to wait that long.  The closer they got to their destination the more he opened up.  After a pleasant but ultimately superficial discussion Rowan mentions that a pack had moved in, and then froze up like someone slapped his mama.  His expression changed, his eyes grew wide, and Puffin's did too.  What's going on?