Redhawk Caldera i don't know where we are in the grand scheme of things

wc:272

She'd guesed right- the ducks had, indeed, been heading toward water, and while Eljay trailed off, he burst forward into a run and Niamh followed. There was something renewed about Eljay's spirit, making him playful and full of energy. It was hard for her to recall a time before Wildfire's death, which likely would have been the last time she'd seen him so full of wonder and excitement.

They threaded their way through the wooded plateau and then out and up a slight hill where she could see the open, and beautifully still surface of the lake gleaming in the early evening light. The ducks had landed, leaving behind them ripples in the water's surface that disturbed its otherwise pristine sheet of stillness. The sudden arrival of two wolves spooked a couple deer who had been drinking from the lake not too far away, and a great blue heron, fishing in the shallows some distance away, continued to wade through the clear water, before it plunged its beak below the surface, and emerged with a small fish in its beak.

“Wellen,” She sighed, as she took in the scenery. There were many different life systems, all depending on the lake and the surrounding area for their support. She sniffed the wind, and found that it was fresh and full of secrets. There might potentially be moose in the area, with a lake this big. She licked her lips, as she heard something from beneath the water strike the surface- potentially a beaver or muskrat, maybe even a large fish. “This looks like it could be our new home, Elj,” She said.