Big Salmon Lake If you ask me to

Nearly a day and a half has passed since Saena was home. On another combined Gamekeeping and Outriding mission, the spotted female departed the safety of her home in the midafternoon, and travelled at a leisurely pace through the night. She'd watched the stars, but come no closer to understanding their secrets than her last dream had left her. She'd slept away the morning in an abandoned fox den that she widened, then rose with the afternoon sun.

Now, darkness was beginning to slip in on the horizon. She debated turning back, but the lowing of elk in the distance urged Saena closer to the large, nameless lake rather than to the safety of home. It was much better to return with a report and plans tonarrange a hunting party than to go back empty handed.

Before she could prowl into their midst, for she didn't threaten them on her own, the crack of ice and the sight of a grey wolf at the lake's edge stole her attention. Her ears swivelled toward him, and with only a little pause, Saena was picking her way through the snow in Elwood's direction with a series of playful, inquisitive growls to gauge his reaction to strangers.