Stone Circle The years weigh heavy and I'm not sure

Gunnar is edged in light. He coaxes the good from his world. Regrets are forgivable, mistakes are lessons. That energy seeps into all of Kvarsheim, it’s part of what makes him a successful leader, she imagines.

She thinks on the lessons she’s learned along her journey South. It seems a convenient way to compartmentalize her choices. She’d trader her hunter’s expertise for a little humility, having learned she is not so self-sufficient as she wanted to believe. Yet she mourned still, for the girl she could have been had she remained in the North.

“I often wonder if I’ve made a right decision in leaving home. And if I had stayed, how different I’d be. I suppose that line of questioning can drive a wolf mad.” She seeks Gunnar with a middling smile.

She wants to thank him for being vulnerable- for sharing his wisdom but she doesn’t know how. So instead she soft brushes the crown of her head into the graying fur beneath his cheek. A hug.