Ouroboros Spine v. two feet standing on a principle

The girl came back in due time and Raimo did not wait for her; he patrolled the lower reaches of the mountain before choosing to climb among the fir trees again, heading for his sleeping place. He did not know how long it would take the budding tracker to return among them; his mind was elsewhere, having listened to the mourning songs fall down the spine on a nightly basis. He wondered if they were concluded.

Rather than insert himself and ask, Raimo paused over his sleeping place and then retreated from it — along a familiar corridor of woodland, then down the mountain again. He was almost out of breath when he saw the mist-coated girl, and chuffed to garner her attention. Better not to spook her again, he thought.