Stone Circle [m] soul disavowed

a dense figure breaches the treeline, swathed in shadow. each step a dull thud, a calculated action. he has traveled far from the fools who cast him out, in search of new beginning. and here, perhaps, he will find it.

and there it is, alone at the clearing's center, rigid. a man, alone, head raised in challenge.

the mountain speaks not a word, beady eyes unblinking. at long last the deadly wound at his jugular has begun to scab over, and he is loath to reopen it so soon. not if it can be avoided. but he will not submit like a coward, either. and so he stands his ground, posture tense but not unfriendly, and he waits.