Greatwater Lake vaal hazak

The tracks fanned off, winding around a nearby water source. Nettleclaw's dark nostrils twitched as she inhaled molecules of icy banks and fish.

A scent lingered. She knew that scent, for it had marked her for dispersal in her own camp.

Nettleclaw flinched as a deep bay washed over her like buckshot. She scanned her surroundings and spotted a figure loom between the reeds. A female, tall and dark as the winter worn buckwheat that sheathed her.

Nettleclaw's tail stiffened, but she stopped in her tracks. Her head bobbed as she tried to gauge the distance between them. If she had come close to territory, she hadn't been aware.

Her claws tensed in the hard snow.