Running Contemplations

Writers: Miriah
Date Posted: 7th February 2013

Characters: Karhal
Description: Karhal takes an evening run and thinks a bit too much
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 12, day 1 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Zelanka

Karhal

Sweat slicked down his body as Karhal slowed
and began stretching from his run. The cold air of
the evening gave an unwelcome chill as he worked to
cool off his muscles from the strain of the regular
exercise that he pushed himself through nightly.
Cracking his neck, he rolled his shoulders and then
lightly patted the canine that stood beside him.
Before he froze, Karhal shrugged back on his jacket
and gave a final stretch.

Despite the surge of adrenaline that coursed through
him, Karhal could feel the quite strains of exhaustion
hidden behind it; he forcibly pushed it away. He had
too much to do. Hide work, the matter with the
storage room lights still hadn't been solved and there
were always reports to finish. Added to that now was
his idea of breeding Livie and training her offspring.
He sighed to himself. Sometimes he was a glutton for
punishment.

His mind drifted slightly and a small smile lifted his lips.
Orhla would have scolded him soundly. For all of their
differences and her lack of marital desire for him, she
had still kept a close eye on her husband. She had been
his closest friend. His smile faded. He still missed the
woman. Missed her companionship and her presence.
She had tried so hard to make up for what she considered
was her failing in that one duty. He had never forced
the matter, even when most would have considered it
his right; it just wasn't his way. His only regret was the
lack of children. He had so desperately wanted them.
He felt the sting of tears and pushed it away, shaking his
head and tightening his composure. It wasn't as though
he had been in love with his wife. Not romantically. But
his grief was still there, deeply buried.

Karhal sat on a stump, elbows resting on his knees as
his palms cradled his brow. The small room that Zelanka
had given him was filled with his few possessions, but
all it did was remind him that after turns of marriage, he
was alone. He hated it and it turned his stomach to go in
there and see the emptiness. Logically he knew that
eventually he'd be expected to marry again, but he
inwardly shrank from the idea. He just couldn't see
that in the offing any time soon, nor did he really want it.

He lifted his head, rubbing at tired eyes. He would have
to go to that sharding room and bathe before heading
back to his office. He knew he still had a pot of klah
that was ready to be drunk and a few pieces of fruit
that he had saved from dinner. And then he could
address the ever-growing stack of hides on his desk.
He'd sleep later, he supposed. He rose and patted his thigh to call
Livie next to him.

The lure of sleep beckoned him, but he refused to
answer its call. He knew that all he would manage to
do at the moment would be to stare at the ceiling

Last updated on the February 11th 2013

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Running Contemplations