Wild Berry Meadow Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful

Raindrop wasn't particularly large, but she was of a size and build that Valiant would consider an asset on an elk hunt. He guessed then that she hadn't been with her natal pack since she was a juvenile. This perception brought with it a small sense of kinship, and the glow warmed him as he stepped into the icy water of the creek.

"Are red berries a good stand-in for red meat?" he asked, his tone dry but with a sparkle of humor in his rose-gold eyes.

He dipped his head to drink and then stretched first with his hindquarters in the air, and then with his shoulders bunched and his head tipped skyward. Then, unceremoniously, he laid on his belly in the cold stream.

"There's a big hunt coming up here real soon," he told her, pointing his nose once more toward the coast. "The moon packs are gathering to bring down somethin' big. Feast-like. You oughta come."