Somehow she had survived. The summer had been stifling, even for her. To roam the hills invited danger, and after an initial intervention by one amarok, she had gone in to hiding. Avoidance came naturally to her more-so than any other primal skill; but now, with autumn flooding the senses of the lost girl, she knew she had to make a decision. To live in this wilderness, alone, without Man to guide her... The thought was heart-wrenching. But to live among the beasts and allow herself to drift from the teachings of Man, to lose herself, that introduced terror in to her soul.
To live in solitude, then, became the only option. Wandering the hills, picking away at the dead, avoiding the living... It was barely an existence. Aupa had thrived for a short time. A time of adjustment wherein the fat of her body was stripped away. Now she was lean - her muscles were more toned, stronger.
The clouds had cleared from the sky - she had watched, pensive but alert, drinking in the thin scent of rain which hung in the air. It was gone now, or almost gone. The past few days of rain had not dampened Aupaluktok's spirits. She was hardened, resistant. The river babbled before her - a tempting whisper, calling her close for a taste.
With a sly glance towards the trees, to the hills beyond and back again, the dog carefully lowered herself close to the river's edge and began to lap at the fluid. As the water quenched her thirst, so too did it ease her apprehension. Water could only fill the void in her empty belly for so long, though. Soon she would be off again, seeking something dead and lost to pilfer from.