Mount Everfall I cannot be tender with this much blood in my mouth

Open thread! Consent to PP Anuniaq given, and he may hop into the thread at any point, though at present he is just in the background. Weather—0 degrees (feels like -11F), cloudy.

Up she and her nephew, @Anuniaq, climbed. He knew the way, he informed, and though he was their guide Silaluk was the one who stood tall. There was no question if the hungry boy knew his place; he was obedient, and though he was not meek he was submissive toward her. It was not without reason. The boy had seen her at work, and he himself had likely felt her fangs once in violent reprimand. Those things, trivial moments, were long forgotten by Silaluk who held no grudge against any for finding their place.

They had reached one of the territories more smaller summits by evening. They had ranged the precarious landscape all throughout the drearily gray day and now picked their way downward. To fall spelled what looked as though it would be a certain death, though she and the stout yearling were experts in this terrain. He lurked at her hip, and one ear cocked backward in his direction as she moved, listening for sounds of distress. They had a long way to go until exhaustion; they had rested recently enough, and fed on a stray carcass felled not too long ago. The meat had not been warm, but it had been filling. This was all that mattered.

By the time night fell, the world was quiet and still but for their movements. Anuniaq lagged behind, sniffing in the backdrop but still able to be seen by any, while Silaluk ranged ahead some. The scent of many wolves that had passed through here was evident, and Silaluk's tail lashed behind her as she looked toward the sky. Silaluk glanced toward Anuniaq, an unspoken question evident in her gaze. His head lifted and he shook his head, and Silaluk turned back toward the horizon. This was not the place. The crescent moon above barely illuminated the land they roamed with the clouds overhead, but they were moving—later, she was certain, the sky would clear. Her vision was adjusted enough that the clouds, in any case, were of no consequence.