Duck Lake dancing shores

uktark came to the lake on the heels of thunder—caribou breaking hard from the pass, driven low and wide by his pressure. the herd split at the water’s edge, older beasts peeling away into the shallows where ice fractured and footing failed. he slowed then, letting them scatter, letting weakness reveal itself.
that was when he saw them.
the younger duck-lover lingered near the meltwater, hunger loud in her movements. farther along the basin, another woman—pale, quiet, reading tracks with the same need written tight beneath her skin. both hungry. both watching the lake.
uktark halted at the edge, steam rolling from his chest, eyes moving between caribou, water, and wolves alike. coincidence or not, winter had drawn them all here.