Northstar Vale Its the sunrise

The northern fae could not deny that something had shifted between she and Sorin. 

Perhaps it was the inclusion of Siqsa to their small group for the raven seemed less inclined to familiarity in her brother's company. Or mayhaps it was the silent but unanimous realization that they could hurt each other with whatever blossoming relationship they might have. 

Liri would never purposefully cause the gentle shadow harm but what if the broken remnants of her marriage to Kavik restrained the limits of her heart?

The healer had given little thought to future romance for the notion frightened her in truth. Could she bring herself to love another again, as unconditionally as one was supposed to give their heart? 

It was well before dawn when she woke from a restless dream, a confusing string of memories underlaid with tones of seeking and anxiety. Wearily, she rose to her paws and padded from the newly dug den, still pungent with the odors of wet, decaying things and upturned earth. 

With a stretch of her spine and a curl of her toes, the healer shook off the last of her grogginess. Dark optics lifted to the dome overhead - somewhere between periwinkle and lavender as the world awoke. 

Birds had begun to stir with the soft, cold breeze as the fae prowled through the glen. The forest was softened to a grey murk in dawn's dim light, fog curling around the tundrian's pale ankles as she breathed deeply of the rejuvenating air. 

Her paws led her eastward, to the boundaries of the Vale where the faintest of borders was beginning to make itself known. They had only their trio to maintain the tentative claim they had staked on the Vale but even a wolf with the dullest of noses should be able to scent that a group of some sorts called the stone shelter home. 

Steeper, narrow paths winded their way up to higher valleys, further upwards to reach near the peaks of the bowl-like walls of the territory. 

It was strenous and her hip ached in protest as Liri hauled her frame up the summits, but the healer was not one to give in to a bit of fatigue. Once on the path, the going was a bit easier on her leg but still the phantom limb tingled with awareness as if ready to take the brunt of her weight and assist with the climb. 

Panting slightly, the waif lingered near the top - breathing the thinner air into her lungs with harsh pulls that spoke of former respiratory issues. The Vale was dim, its thin streams black inky tattoos curling across the landscape and its forests fuzzy grey brushstrokes. Golden light peeked over the western horizon, announcing that the sun would soon make an appearance. 

Patrolling was a familiar habit and one the sylph fell into as easily as breathing. It was a comfort to wander amidst the trees, to brush her scent idly over the flora as she passed. It was not a habit, however, that occupied the mind. 

Without meaning to, her thoughts turned inwards to the distance that she and Sorin had unwittingly placed between each other. Some long-forgotten, bashful side of the healer prevented her from directly seeking him out for Liri had no idea how to breach the gap. The fae did not want him to think that she was addicted to him, that he was merely a way of abating Kavik's abscence - to just broach the subject bluntly seemed to send an opposite signal. 

Again, the niggling thought that she might not ever be able to love anyone ever again whispered to her. 

Stop it, Liri told herself with a small shake of her peppered crown as she left gouges in the trunk of a tree with her claws.

It wasn't love she needed to worry about.  Sorin didn't love her - and for good reason. They'd only met recently. 

Something is going on there. 

The thought caused her to halt, dark eyes closing in defeat as she sighed. Her head fell forward wearily; were she human, she might have scrubbed a hand over her face tiredly. 

Right now, you need to fix whatever's wrong or you won't have to worry about what's happening with Sorin - he won't be around anymore to antagonize over. 

With that thought in mind, the fae pushed on, determined to find him. 

The tracker came across his scent about halfway from where she'd started her patrol, following with her nose lowered to the ground and her lips parted to intensify the odors she caught there. After a time, the scent trail grew stronger until the winter sprite could practically taste it on her tongue. 

At last, Liri lifted her head to find his dark silhouette before her. Dark eyes flickered over him briefly, unreadable as she discreetly took in the sight. 

A hushed chuff escaped her pale maw, ivory auds sweeping back against her skull as her head turned slightly in order to allow her shy eyes to fall to the ground.