Eldon Gearsmith, Gnome Monk

"Well as a traveling musician, you inevitably come across the untrained on the road being attacked by bandits and ne’er-do-wells" I say with a wink. "I may be smaller than most, but I know how to handle myself in a tussle"

"Ha! Aye, tha' be true for yer kin, tha' I know." The barkeep sets down the mug he had just cleaned. "If it's protecting others yer after, I might 'ave a job for ya. The wolves 'round here been gettin' pretty brazen. Thin out their numbers some, an' I'll get ya some coin for yer travels. Whatcha say?"

"Wolves were a bit of a problem where I come from. I know how to handle ‘em" Eldon says with a knowing smirk "Who’s paying, and how much?"

He grins big. "I'm payin' and I'll give ya 1 silver per wolf. Bring me somethin' like an ear or whatever to show me yer handiwork. The valley has them practically crawling around. Ya can't miss 'em. Probably out hunting the snow hares."

"Bully! I’ll have more pelts and ears than you’ve ever seen!" And I finish my drink and head out of the tavern

Outside it is cold. While it usually snows in these mountains, it's currently not. The sun is shining and you can see the road slopes down deeper into Coldridge Valley. The valley floor is mostly bare save a scattering of trees. Even from here, you can see a movement that appears to be wolves.

Ok, I’m going to sneak near the outskirts, close enough to get some intel on them (number, size, location, etc) but not so close that they can sense me

As you approach the hunting grounds, you see a single wolf off away from a group. It sniffs along the ground, looking for prey... It doesn't sense you, and you soon see it spot a snow hare.