Snowforest Taiga when the firetrucks show up

Backdated for November 16th, set directly after this thread. For continuity's sake, this will be set before Moonglow arrived in the Taiga. Please allow @Askari to post first.

Lane and Askari crossed over the Duskfire Glacier border into the wider Taiga, still in deep conversation. Guiding herself by the size and position of the Nova Peak to the west, Lane was able to approximate the position of the site she wished to show to Askari. 

They approached what would appear to be a kill site; several carrion birds loitered by a day-old caribou carcass. Given the near-freezing temperature of the surrounding air, the carcass had not yet begun to noticeably stink, but it was only a matter of time. 

Lane strode up to the carcass boldly, chasing some of the slower-moving birds away with snaps and growls. She then gestured for Askari to approach. 

Using her forepaw, she gently lifted up a cracked piece of the skull to reveal the creature's brain. "This caribou fell yesterday and died, seemingly of sickness and starvation," she told Askari, "But look at this." The brain had the appearance of having been wasting away for much longer than a day. The only conclusion that could be drawn was that it had begun deteriorating while the animal was still alive. "Have you seen this before?" Lane questioned.