Moonsong Glacier no body, no crime

Soon enough they were three; but Kaluktuk did not know this shadow and had not yet hunted with them yet. She looked young and able-bodied, but it wasn't until Dutch motioned in a strange way that Kaluktuk took notice of something missing. He refused to let his attention deviate from the hunt for long — it only took one moment of indecision, or one missed step, to lose track of a target even if it was as large as a caribou.

He went on ahead, not waiting for Dutch or the shadow. The herd wasn't nearly as vast as those of the north—he recalled when the caribou returned to the range of Natigvik fondly—but there were enough bodies here that the glacier wolves could be choosy. Many lacked crowns and that was the best method for discerning their genders; that, and the roundness of bellies which would birth new caribou in the spring.

None stood out to Kaluktuk as being particularly vulnerable so he rounded one way, and sought out Dutch with a small shake of his head, to convey as much. They would need to split off in another direction and see the other side of the herd before a choice could be made.