The delay in returning to the quiet of the mountains had been with a consequence she had never expected. In truth, she believed the world to have been simple, and true it was, but with a complexity most unflattering. There were none to blame but herself for this realization, and knowing it made the sense of betrayal settle uncomfortably all the more. Had she not walked from the Vale on her journey, she might have been spared the striking light of the truth and remained forever shrouded in the deep clouds of ignorance. Yet fate had other plans for the wolf once baptized in blissful ignorance; an awakening most harsh that left her impressions scarred.
Yet, had the not left her home, the comfort of those she knew, she would have been driven again into the arms of depression that now rested upon her shoulders like a well-worn coat.
But she had to return eventually. It was not only her place but duty as its warden, warrior, guardian and keeper. Without the need of her brethren, her purpose was once again lost. And once more the foreign earth beneath her paws would become more familiar than the mountains she cherished. Such was a path she could not travel down again. Not when there was a sliver of hope… however it dwindled in the light of current events.
Withdrawing from herself, the woman set her bi-colored eyes forward to the gentler slopes of the mountains and forested paths. It differed greatly from the treacherous peaks of the Ridge adjoining the Sunspire, its height beckoning the cautious to stand upon its ledges and observe the flatlands from a higher point without fear. It was ‘kind’, this mountain road, offering a rest for the weathered without the sacrifice of its majesty. Dare she admit, it was a kinder route toward home than the way she had begun, and the wanderer’s sense of adventure dared to rear itself. But was not fully entertained. Her progress remained gradual seeking not to explore but the safer route by which she could return to the flatlands. Though for a moment, in reaching a steady edge upon the Keep, she afforded a moment of pause to look across the lands and spied but a ways the formidable walls of the mountain that cradled her home. |