Big Salmon Lake If you ask me to

It was rare for Elwood to venture out of Redhawk Caldera; since joining the ranks two months ago, he had become something of a permanent fixture. Thoughts of Avery had nearly slipped out of his head completely, replaced by situations he was dealing with in the present -- hunting, patrolling, eagerly awaiting the birth of the Alphas' first litter together. Had he still been thinking of her often, he would have been more likely to meander into neutral territories.

It wasn't because of his twin that he was standing at the edge of Big Salmon Lake, however. He had risen before the dawn and begun tracking a herd of elk near the caldera's outskirts. The hunter had followed them to the north, across the wide expanse of snowy plains. Only after hours of travel did he realize how far he had gone; already, the afternoon sun was slipping away. He would need to decide if he wanted to bed down here, in this unclaimed land, or head home under the cover of darkness.

The elk were still nearby, grazing at the sparse grass that tried its best to protrude from beneath the snow. Elwood gave them a long look before beginning to puncture the ice at the edge of the lake in order to sate his thirst, his ears orbiting alertly on top of his head as he worked.