Winter had come, after all, with a surprising calmness. It did not bluster and snarl like the northern winters; rather, it crept in quietly, littering the plains with snow before truly announcing itself. She had been thankful for that at least, having now been able to hunt for several additional weeks before the prey had began to wane. She had gained weight now, her fur inches thicker and her eyes much more lively and watchful than they had been in the free lands. For what it was worth, there had been more food to scavenge here too. In the outskirts, where the loners lay, everybody was hungry. Right down to the bone, they'd chew. Of course, her scavenging had also made her curious as to what exactly the wolves of the pack were intending to eat if not the entire remains of their catches. Their leader, Jaidah, had briefly mentioned some rather unusual facets of the pack and yet, Starshade had been in no position to question them. She had simply grown curious. There was little she had not seen in the ways of survival, after all, and it intrigued her to see what the wolves of such a densely populated region might be prepared to do.

It had been peaceful, though, at least as far as peace went. She had not heard the resounding cry of a scorned prior Alpha and as far as she was aware, no particular intruders had been noted. It was almost suspicious in its own way and yet, she had merely accepted it and had continued on her path to optimum health. Today, however, she had taken to the borders out of duty, understanding her place was to perform such meager tasks in order to pay back the prey she took. The scents had seemingly been replaced, with even her own having been practically wiped away by snow or Jaidah's own efforts. It was as good a sign as any, she supposed, as she ambled along the snow laden hills that lay about the prairie. She moved in an almost stealthy way, ducking in between the tall clumps of grass that poked through the snow; every so often, she would crouch down and listen closely to the wind, a dappled rock against the white and green backdrop. Suspiciously quiet, truly.

Eventually, she had made her way to the northernmost borders. Beyond, there seemed to be nothing else except the stray loner here or there; no packs made their home so far north and for several minutes, Starshade stood attentively and watched over the no man's land. In the distance, however, she sighted the remains of a yearling doe; the body had not been entirely grown and half seemed to be missing. She could not help but approach, trotting across the borders and north for another several minutes before arriving at the prey. Fresh, or relatively so, at least and coated with the musk of both wolf and cougar. It made her stiffen for a moment, her ears twisting about as she sniffed the air wearily. For now, at least, the cougar was not near. And neither were the other wolves. They had likely made a move to chase the cat away - no way would Starshade miss the opportunity.

Without hesitation, she gripped the doe's body at its sturdiest point and instantly began to drag the body back towards Asteraia. She shifted several times to make the journey easier before trotting back across the borders, her heard pounding furiously against her chest as she took a moment to glance back out towards where she had been previously. For a moment, she could have sworn she had spotted the cat and yet, nothing came of it. With a tentative growl of nervousness, she gripped the prey once more and again, began her journey further into the pack lands with it trailing limply behind her.