Big Salmon Lake i said i thought it would be colder

A lanky, scrawny form sat hunched over at the river's edge, shivering against the blustery cold — winter was certainly coming if the afternoons were growing this cold already, and the cloud cover kept her dark fur from absorbing what heat she could from the sunlight. Her thoughts were slow and dull; more waves of emotions and instinct than anything tangible. A side effect of hunger. A side effect of loneliness. She bowed her head and drank, willing the water to fill her belly and make up for the nourishment she lacked.

When she had her fill, she stood and began to slowly follow its edge. She did not know where to go. She no longer knew what she was looking for. While she remained directionless, the riverbank offered a path for her and she followed it doggedly. It lured her through a deep forest until finally she reached a large span of water; a fact that barely registered. She paused at its edge for several moments, brows furrowed in confusion, until she finally began to walk into the shallows.