Sunset Valley sólsetur

She stayed away from the great heights of the taiga.

There would be nothing there for her on the stones and the ice. Pretty to admire from a distance, but they would surely only bring heartache when she stood upon such lands.

Veering around the slopes had brought her to a valley. Here rivers and creeks ran from the runoff of the the glacier. The land had been carved into this over eons before her. How many families had been here? How many travelers had veered through this place on their journeys?

The beauty of an early summer morning was undeniable here.

In the depth of this place, the sunrise was a golden crown upon the valley hilltops. It reminded her nothing of home. Something to be silently grateful for. She did not want to feel melancholy or loneliness anymore.

Bull elk could be heard in the distance.

Birds took flight to the radiant sky above.

Her heart raced — and she laughed, featherlight, at nothing in particular to no one at all.