Duskfire Glacier mamatsak ∓

Lane smiled at Aiolos's confirmation. 

Although she was not a fan of the word healer, she wouldn't dream of correcting Kukutux, especially not when she spoke so highly of Lane. Much wisdom in her mind ..really? If wisdom was truly in her mind somewhere, she was having trouble getting it out, lately. 

Lane delivered a proud lick to the top of her son's head, her tongue gliding gently over the scar on his scalp. He spoke in turn and respectfully, just as he had been taught. Such a good boy. 

Relief swept Lane's features as Kukutux laid out her plan. "I'm so glad Moonglow is here. Yes, please stay. Your timing could not have been any better." With the latest crisis weighing heavily on her mind, Lane didn't think to inform Kukutux of the change in leadership in Duskfire Glacier. Lane already felt like she'd been leading for a decade, and it completely slipped her mind that this development would be news for Kukutux. 

"There is sickness in the herd," she explained, looking between Kukutux and Aiolos. "We need all the help we can get to cull it out, and Moonglow has the best hunters in the Teekons." The job was too large for the Duskfire wolves alone, but with their combined strength..? For the first time in days, Lane was feeling optimistic about the situation. "When our task is complete, we will celebrate and commune with Moonglow for as long as you wish to stay in these lands." It was the least she could do, if Moonglow was willing to help them save the herd.

I'm just editing to link a relevant NY Times article about cwd. Here's a quote from the article by a wildlife ecologist who is leading the project to eradicate cwd in Yellowstone:

“Wolves have really been touted as the best type of animal to remove infected deer, because they are cursorial — they chase their prey and they look for the weak ones. Preliminary results in Yellowstone have shown that wolves can delay outbreaks of chronic wasting disease in their prey species and can decrease outbreak size."