The arrival of a wolf upon the riverbank had spooked her - deep down in the pit of her being, Aupaluktok had been afraid. So she had abandoned the coveted position by the water and retreated in to the trees. There the dog rested as much as she could. Time slipped by and she was alert, agitated, grasping with her senses at the creeping apprehension that sat in her heart. Amarok believed in the pack, the collective. If this was true then Aupa expected to find more of their kind frequenting this area. That would place her in more danger. With her survival threatened, there were only so many options. She could run, find the coast and tear away from this patch of the wilds - but the inevitability of her discovery kept her rooted. To linger here among the trees was dangerous as well. Was it safer to face the Wild Things, or to run from them? To brave autumn and be faced with winter on the road, or adapt to the new circumstances?
Aupaluktok was an adaptable individual. There was only so much a dog could do without the guidance of Man. She thought of the days before, when Man was at her side, and charging through the north. The taste of frozen tuktu. Sneaking morsels away from those that let down their guard - Kanosak. They were gone now. Aupaluktok thought of her partner with a guarded fondness - a momentary lapse in concentration - and in that moment she was discovered.
The wolf was suddenly there. It moved with silence and against the wind; there was no way for Aupa to have noticed it. A flash of silver caught in her periphery and she turned her head to meet it - low, snake-like, and cautious. The third amarok that she had seen, and proof that the river was hardly a safe haven. Aupa did not make a sound. She stared intently at the roaming figure while trying to discern the creature's intentions.