Chapter 10 Burying The Past

• The nocturnal chorus of crickets and rustling undergrowth provided little balm for Esker's turbulent mind. No matter how deep he plunged into the heart of the shadowed evergreen forest quilting the valley, the sounds of nature's stillness offered no respite from the cyclonic forces whipping through his spirit.
• If anything, the woodlands' placid ambiance seemed to accentuate the jarring dissonance clashing in counterpoint to its harmonies. With every earthen footfall crunching over the carpet of pine needles, a percussive undercurrent of volatile unrest reverberated up through the marrow of his very bones.
• By stark contrast, his thoughts churned with enough chaotic force to erode canyons and reshape continents. Primal instincts entwining with newfound doubts and shaken convictions into a tumultuous cyclone of indecision threatening to strip his obligations to the pack like trees before a hurricane's wrath.