Stepping quietly into the clearing, the night sky twinkling above, the solitary figure moves to the flat boulder and sighs as she lowers herself to sit, arms crossed as if holding herself safe against the night air, gently rocking to ease the pain, whispering softly, "Gone, he's gone. I'm sorry, so sorry." Minutes pass, the sounds of the forest return, enfolding her in the calm of solitude, allowing her to relax, her breathing to slow, the tears to cease, and the repetative mantra to become but a whisper. Her entire being absorbed within her mental anguish, she does not notice the changes, or the figure in the dark nearby, watching her intently.
As she tires, and leans back against the tree, her mind refusing to function beyond the barest of necessities, she fails to notice the figure move closer.
He pauses, waiting, as the girl before him seems to doze, her body shivering but he doubts it is the night air causing the reaction. At first he had been about to order the girl off his land, but something made him pause, and now as he looks down at her before him, he is rather glad he decided to forstall the eviction.
