Part of the problem was my reliance on the previous iteration of this game. In that instance, there was the 'sparkling' marker in the kitchen that initiated the protein shake at breakfast. I went back to previous saves and that marker is not there in this game. The marker is there at the breakfast table, so that was where I was drawn. There, Vruk thinks to himself that he needs to give Lara a shake, but the option never becomes available. Playing it again, I went to Vera and spoke to her and that triggered the protein shake.
In regard to what's going on in the copse, Vruk again thinks to himself about the shake, but the option never triggered in my game. I would only get the "...training went off without a hitch" (or something similar), time would advance, Lara would be gone.
Apologies, but this is not correct. Vruk mentions the direwolf before the hunt ever begins. The howl is heard in the town and he mentions it then. The guards and Vera also speak of it.
Regardless, even if one wants to continue along the route of Lara being gone, my original point still stands: the story does a poor job explaining what happened.