Alpine Lake i'm just looking for something to soften the blow

He had never thought of the weald as a dangerous place. It was many things, but dangerous did not top the list of adjectives he associated with it. It reminded him of home to a degree, the forests so thick and nestled beneath the rise of mountains that it was comforting—not that he would admit it. His birthplace was hardly the sort of thing he associated with the word home; it was a memory better left untouched and buried. Every territory, region, piece of landscape and so on held its own sort of pitfalls though, and he wondered briefly if the girl Ceara spoke of had lingered near the quarry, where the rocky outcrops began to tower and the threats therein rose significantly.

"It is my intention," he said softly when she inquired if he planned to make a home out of it. The weald did Nyx good he thought, coaxing her ever so gently from the thorny shell she had wrapped herself in. "But I would say my marketable skills are hunting and tracking. I do like my adventures however, but I find not many favor the wandering sort well." The nosy lots that they were, far too keen on keeping tabs of their subordinates to fill and flush their bottom lines; to flaunt and project that they were more than the contents of those who lead them. He detested the confinement, feeling that those willing to be loyal would simply stay and contribute as need be... the rest would sort themselves out. Survival drove them all, at any rate.

sorry for the minor delay ♡