Qeya River I should've left that side of town alone

I know Natigvik isn't present but this is open to anyone else visiting the area! Tag for reference.

She had woken from a long, unnatural sleep in the middle of the day, and felt the need to roam. Up in to the Taiga and away from the marsh, to where she found a river. Hunger irritated her stomach — so did the last fish she'd eaten, come to think of it. Her belly hadn't felt right since the valley.

And now as she meandered, she crossed unwittingly over fading scent-markings. A few places reminded her oddly of the man of the Rise (@Prophet); sweet-smelling, almost. Sanja came to a shallow bend in the river and began to cross.

Zahir was downriver, fishing. The scents of pack wolves and their borders had faded from this place — not that she cared much, anyway. Blood red eyes were fixated intently on the fast-moving shapes in the water. The huntress struck out with a paw, catching one fish in the side. Before she could fling it from the water, however, it darted off. Zahir snarled, stalking upriver to find a new spot.

Here, she sees a stranger crossing the river. Her ears prick with mild interest, then she continued along the bank.

The strong, clean smell of freshwater fish crept to her nose, as did the fragrance indicative of another woman. Sanja paused as she crossed and looked over her shoulder; she did not want to be accosted by the residents of this place (and there must have been residents at some point, the scents weren't totally gone, just faint. There were caches too).

Further along the bank she thought she saw movement. The woman changed her mind about crossing and reversed course, turning around so that her back wasn't facing the stranger, and watched them - equal parts curious and wary. There had been a good opportunity for the other woman to attack if she'd wanted to, and she hadn't.

Sanja lingered there and watched them, but did not approach.

The other female had stopped crossing the river, but Zahir was not watching. Her gaze was once more settled on the fast-flowing river, and the shapes darting just under the surface. She struck out, and this time her aim was true — she caught the fish in the side and slung it to the shore, before falling upon it and killing it with one swift bite. It is here that she looks up, to see the other female watching her. Zahir motioned down to her fish, a question in her eyes. Was the other woman hungry?

The stranger motioned to a twitching tail by their feet.

It often surprised Sanja how open to sharing these wolves were; for the past couple of weeks she had been blessed in that regard, and well fed because of it. The opportunity to eat without expending energy was something she could not pass up.

With caution in her step and a wary eye upon the stranger, Sanja draws closer. She lingers outside of their range of motion but is no longer soaking her toes in the shallows; her eyes trace between the offering and the wolf, in case this is a trick.

Her hunting had been fruitful as of late, so Zahir did not mind sharing this fish — she could easily get more. Picking up the fish, she swung her muzzle about and tossed it to the other female, before choosing another location to attempt to fish from. She was distracted now, keeping her gaze half on the water and half on the other wolf, and when she went to strike another fish she missed. Zahir cursed quietly under her breath, then shook out her pelt. Perhaps she should not have given the woman the fish.

A wanting look crossed the strangers face; Sanja knew that look, and did not immediately cut in to the fish as a result. When she did, it was to work her fangs around the tail base, and with a sharp twist she broke the lower spine so the tail was free.

This part - almost inedible because of the sheer tail fins - Sanja snatched up and tread backwards, leaving the rest. The stranger had caught it, it was their bounty.

She set to working the tail with her molars.

Zahir was proud, too proud to take what was offered, despite the fact that it had been hers to begin with. She shook her head, loosing a low growl as she moved further away from the other woman. Downriver, she found she had more luck. She came to stand in the icy flow, hip deep, and when she struck out it was to find an even larger salmon flopping in her jaws. Zahir would not release this fish, no matter how much it struggled. She killed it by tearing it's head off, and she snapped it down ravenously, beginning to devour to fish chunk by chunk, bones and all. Zahir wasted nothing.

The white wolf moved on.

Sanja gave it a moment before she went to the rest of the fish and pulled at the belly, then snacked on the head. While she ate she listened to the movements of the stranger.

They fished and then they ate, devouring their catch faster than Sanja who was careful and suspicious of her own surroundings. What would this stranger want in return for this meal?

Zahir wanted nothing in return — a rare thing for her. When she had devoured her meal, she dipped her head to the other woman and turned, putting the river, and the other woman, behind her. Perhaps they would cross paths again, perhaps not, but Zahir's business here was done.

last from me, ty for the thread! <3