Arrow Lake and my words are forever, my blanket, my shiver

@Aurëwen <3 tags for reference

upon returning from his expedition in the canyon, ingram was seized with desperate hunger. he first checked in on @Blodreina before taking to the lake's edge and supping long droughts from its cold well. the ice had long since melted, but the lake remained unnaturally cold -- no doubt because of the stony ridges that flanked it and kept it shielded from the rest of the world.

once his thirst had been replenished, ingram hunted among the rocky steppes, producing two lean marmots that had underestimated his speed. he set one aside, but ate the other whole. licking his chops, he watched as the rocks came alive with all manner of life once he stilled -- voles, small tundra mice, even birds flitted in and out between the shale where he had walked moments before.

collecting the unconsumed marmot, ingram was torn between delivering it to blodreina or aurewen. after several minutes of contemplation he went with aurewen -- if only on the principle she had several mouths to feed, and he had not checked in with her in a few days.

arriving at the den a little before sunset, ingram placed the marmot on the ground and ducked his head, crawling to his stomach just outside the den's perimeter. "aurewen?" he called, listening to the squeaks and chirrups within with his breath held.