I've been worried all my life

Set in the mountains overshadowing Blacktail Deer Plateau (:

Kaihra couldn't remember how long she'd been alone. The last time she'd set her face upon a member of the Plateau had been the day she'd followed Dante - but that had also been the day she'd fled. The shame of her cowardice had come upon her slowly, but had built itself layer upon layer until the weight had proven too much to bear. And so she'd done the only thing she knew to do: Kaihra ran.

Desperate to conceal herself, the flatlands had not been an option. They were far too exposed, and far too frequented by pack wolf and loner alike. She'd have been crazy to think she could find solace out there. No, she needed a place alone, a place to hide, somewhere no wolf would go. And so as she'd darted frantic eyes around the Plateau, scanning for an escape, her gaze had fallen to the mountains and soon her paws had found the unforged trail she'd scoured with Finley... how many moons before? It didn't matter. Finley was gone now, too far away to bother with the valley in the mountains again.

She never thought she'd enter this place again, but it was here she'd made her home for the past suns, losing count of days and letting the concept of time slip from her mind. The trees still gripped their leaves, despite the thin layer of snow that occasionally covered the rocky land. The only sign to the woman that winter had not yet passed. She tread across the fine needles now, nostrils flaring against the bitter air to find any sign of prey in the untouched land. The smell of vole came first, and though it would prove a small kill, the woman trekked forward, intent on catching what sustenance she could. She had seen better days, but had also seen far worse, and until she could figure out somewhere else to go, this place would become her home.