Old Ripper has been the Alpha for how long?  And how do we know it’s him?  In the Trailverse, the local animals all have names, at least the ones that matter, which doesn’t bode well for the so far anonymous moose cow and her calf…

But given the inappropriate coloring of the moose family, maybe they need to go anyway… I mean, what would the world do with a strain of moose with black fur??

Flash forward:  Mark tranquilizes Ripper, the pack falls into disarray, (for where are they without their leader?) the nameless moose get away, and something about the unconscious Ripper is discovered which leads us on a Lost Forest Adventure. Or this could just be another brief interlude that will be useful 100 days into the next story.  The only reason I am guessing is that I am already bored with this story.  I need to gird myself…