"i will be back"

The mountain never truly slept. It only pretended to, breathing slow and ancient beneath its blanket of pine and stone. I had lived here for years in deliberate exile, far from the noise of men, speaking instead with the old tongues that still lingered in the roots and the wind. The wolves knew me. The foxes brought me secrets. Even the bears would pause on the ridge at dusk and regard me with something close to recognition. This was my kingdom of moss and shadow, and I was content to let the world forget me.