Northstar Vale Its the sunrise

The dark man eyes had closed for a time, as he simply let the warm rays of sunlight wrap around him. In other times, darker times, the shadow would not have been so keen on exposing himself in the golden light. Instead, he would have buried himself in the dark shadows of the forest below, weaving among them and leaving little trace of his passage. But here, he felt safe and secure, a stableness he had not experienced in some time. He relished in the peacefulness of the valley, and the security being in such an area gave him. Even with the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind, Sorin found he could relax here, upon the mountainside, as he sat in quiet contemplation. At least, until the women on his mind found him.

He sensed her coming before he saw or heard her, an ingrained ability to detect the presence of others being useful to war and impossible to rid himself of even in such peaceful climes. He turned his gaze on her as she approached, his expression more guarded than their recent encounter. He hadn't planned on being so distant, so stoic, but he was a creature who had been ruled by fear for many moons now, and such fears could not be let go easily. Still, he did not want to hurt her, or worse, drive her away. He simply couldn't bear the thought of losing the one soul who could understand his own.

It wasn't love he felt, not yet, but it was deeper than mere friendship. It was a conglomeration of respect and hope, a desperate hope that Sorin had not allowed himself to feel for so long. So while he wouldn't say it was love, it was definitely strong feelings, and it was both a blessing and curse on his heart.

All of this remained guarded deep within the depths of his gaze as he regarded the ivory women, whom he had seen patrolling the border. While he had yet to circumnavigate the valley, it was certainly something he planned for, and soon. Sorin hoped to find some sort of easy route out of the valley, for while it was defensible, it was also a deathtrap if hostilities ever rose with rival packs. In fact, it was probably a good idea to do it as soon as possible. So perhaps not burying himself in the wood had been a good decision after all.

"Morning," he said briefly, his gaze searching hers for any hint of her purpose. However, she seemed to have guarded her intent as well, for he could discern little in eyes. Not that it really mattered, he was sure she would let him know in due time. "I was going to scout around the mountainsides today, try and find a good trail out of the valley. Would you care to join me?" His voice was neutral, but contained an undertone of warmth and hopefulness. It would be nice to scout around with a companion, even if his feelings for the ivory women were currently a little tangled up.