Whitebark Stream wintermurk

the carcass was fresh. it had not yet begun to rot because of the cold, and likewise the work it would take to properly butcher meant many hours toiling. the woman proved her skill as she cut in to the hide - something sulukinak did not know how to do; and while the shadow wondered if the hide was worth saving, she continued to sulk and study both the remains and her uncle's chosen.

the scent which had lured her in pursuit did remain; dwarfed now by the musk of the caribou, but not altogether gone. perhaps if sulukinak lingered then keda would feel compelled to work I stead of seek her secret rendezvous - which remained a fantasy in sulukinak's mind.

she had no other reasoning for the cloying scent clinging to Keda, except for this. a man must be hiding out somewhere, obscured. a hungry man which had made some pledge to her would-be aunt.