In cinematic, beautifully rendered wordless panels, Brrémaud and Bertolucci tell the dramatic story of an old fox on a snow-covered mountain. As the fox hunts for small creatures, musk ox compete for dominance in a nearby meadow. Off the icy coast, orcas, pinnipeds, diving birds, and fish swirl around in the water, while an ominous glow seeps up the bottom of the page and smoky tendrils curl from a distant peak. In a flash, the slope erupts in a volcano, and the animals scramble to survive, trapped between treacherous lava falls and predator-filled waters. While the plot, such as it is, is engaging, the real star here is the luminous artwork, which features vivid, realistic animals in alarming peril. The astonishing destruction is both chaotic and gorgeous, and the smart panel layouts keep the story just orderly enough to follow along. Imbuing the creatures with human emotion is tempting, and the slightly anthropomorphized facial expressions make it easy, but there's no real sentimentality here. A natural choice for animal-lovers of any age.