Her roaming had lead her to nowhere in particular, back and forth between forest and plain or river and rock. She had made various dens within the free lands, discarding and burying those she had no use for to ensure her scent could be not so easily traced. Still, she had been able to enjoy a prosperous living thus far. Game had been plentiful throughout the forest and fields with both hares and even ducks finding their way into her diet. It had been an easy life and yet, she felt the coming chill on the breeze. With it, the ducks had begun to depart from the rivers and lakes and much of the small game she had been living off had begun to be taken by bears. Alone, she was no match for their sheer size and determination. They had hibernating to do, whereas she did not. It gave them a particular privilege that she knew to simply accept.

And so, what would she do? If she remained by herself through the colder months once again, would she wither away? She had done well in the north (or, as well as one could be with barely enough body fat to keep comfortable) by following bands of wolves and by joining with them when times had grown too tough. However, here, loners did not group in such a way and with several packs in the region, it seemed unlikely that she would be able to scavenge very much at all. It seemed more and more likely that she would need to depart from her own loner life, even if only for temporary measures. But where to go? There were so many options. Each pack smelt distinct, not only for its environment but for those within it. They were heavily populated, and whereas she had been tempted to return to where she had taken the sick girl, Shiloh, she had ultimately refrained. To the east of such a place, a pack had recently undergone some kind of power struggle. There had been remains of blood some distance away, with new calls echoing out from the fields day and night.

Innately, there was a risk approaching such a pack. Still, the prospect that such a pack may still be small in numbers was one she had to at least investigate. That way, she may have an easier time entering the fold. If that were the case, her chances of being better fed increased, and she would not need to fight off several others for prime nesting territory. It sounded convincing and so, on the second day of her lingering in such an area, she finally began to approach the borders.

The sun sat high in the sky, offering a semblance of warmth as she moved into the open. Such a place would surely become a tundra in the winter and yet, it only meant they may be inundated with foraging deer and elk come such a time. There was a risk with it, but it would surely pay off. Besides, the outskirts of the pack seemed to offer enough shelter to provide good dens. They were all things she begun to consider as she stood atop one of the rolling hills that lead down into the prairie. She took her time before releasing a cry to whoever may dwell within, settling back a comfortable distance away from the true territory markers. She did not know who would come, but she had to trust that this would be a good decision, even if it were simply for survival.