Sorin paced along the edge of the gorge, searching for any trace of Liri's scent. He had followed her faint trail from the mountains, but had lost it upon arriving at the canyon. A pessimistic voice in his mind whispered that she may have fallen into the roaring rapids below.
No, he thought. He simply couldn't fathom the thought of her dying in such a way. She was strong, she wouldn't go down like that.
Is she though. She didn't come back to the others. She didn't come back to you. Sorin growled lowly as his demon whispered slyly in his mind. Still, it was a thought that had plagued him since he began searching. Why had she not returned to the Vale, and the pack she was building. Had she been overwhelmed by the looming war, lost faith in the fledgling pack and their ability to defend the Vale? Had she lost faith in him?
In his heart, Sorin knew Liri wouldn't have lost faith in him. She was the one who had sought him out, needing his reassurance. She had asked him for help, help he had willing given. Or he would have, had she not disappeared soon after. The timing of it all had Sorin terribly confused. Liri had vanished before the storm, something the shadow had not believed to be in her character. She was a fighter, a strong willed woman, her scars and soul showed him that. For her to leave so completely and without any explanation at such a critical time was a deep mystery.
Perhaps some terror had befallen her after her fall. The site of her fall bore no signs of a fight with another, but that didn't mean someone hadn't taken advantage of her presumably weakened state.
The thought of her being harmed drove Sorin to search with a greater urgency. He picked up his pace along the edge of the gorge, casting around desperately for any scent of Liri.
No, he thought. He simply couldn't fathom the thought of her dying in such a way. She was strong, she wouldn't go down like that.
Is she though. She didn't come back to the others. She didn't come back to you. Sorin growled lowly as his demon whispered slyly in his mind. Still, it was a thought that had plagued him since he began searching. Why had she not returned to the Vale, and the pack she was building. Had she been overwhelmed by the looming war, lost faith in the fledgling pack and their ability to defend the Vale? Had she lost faith in him?
In his heart, Sorin knew Liri wouldn't have lost faith in him. She was the one who had sought him out, needing his reassurance. She had asked him for help, help he had willing given. Or he would have, had she not disappeared soon after. The timing of it all had Sorin terribly confused. Liri had vanished before the storm, something the shadow had not believed to be in her character. She was a fighter, a strong willed woman, her scars and soul showed him that. For her to leave so completely and without any explanation at such a critical time was a deep mystery.
Perhaps some terror had befallen her after her fall. The site of her fall bore no signs of a fight with another, but that didn't mean someone hadn't taken advantage of her presumably weakened state.
The thought of her being harmed drove Sorin to search with a greater urgency. He picked up his pace along the edge of the gorge, casting around desperately for any scent of Liri.
It is an unfamiliar scent on the wind that first pulls the woman's attention from her task, though her pause is not one of surprise. Strangers in strange lands are to be expected, after all — and it has been some time since she's seen anything familiar to her. She glances up a bit reluctantly, leaving the tangled mess of burrs hanging from her shoulder by a few twisted hairs in favor of turning toward the dark figure hurrying in her direction. A frown tugs faintly at her features, ears twitching in indecision for a moment before she speaks.
She halts when the distance between them is reasonable, taking note of the male's features before glancing down toward the rushing water below. It's a struggle to refrain from adding anything about the (very real!) possibility of traumatizing unsuspecting strangers with his death, but she manages it. She knows that if she starts, she won't be able to resist going into all of the other reasons falling off a cliff and dying is a terrible idea, and she's certain no one needs that. She doesn't really want to lecture the man; she just doesn't want to watch him go splat, either. Instead, she takes the opportunity to grasp the matted mess of burrs and fur still clinging to her shoulder and rip it free, wincing a little as she drops it.
Hey,She calls softly, taking a few steps forward and hoping she doesn't startle the stranger. The last thing she needs is to be the reason some random idiot falls to their death.
You shouldn't walk so close to the edge.
She halts when the distance between them is reasonable, taking note of the male's features before glancing down toward the rushing water below. It's a struggle to refrain from adding anything about the (very real!) possibility of traumatizing unsuspecting strangers with his death, but she manages it. She knows that if she starts, she won't be able to resist going into all of the other reasons falling off a cliff and dying is a terrible idea, and she's certain no one needs that. She doesn't really want to lecture the man; she just doesn't want to watch him go splat, either. Instead, she takes the opportunity to grasp the matted mess of burrs and fur still clinging to her shoulder and rip it free, wincing a little as she drops it.
Sorry,She adds a little sheepishly, drawing her tongue over the stinging spot on her shoulder a few times.
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