Broken Antler Fen Love's the only house big enough for all the pain

She's a little ways away from the border

Aviana laid upright in the tall grass, her gaze looking into the territory. She had been here for a few hours now, watching. She hadn't seen anyone, but she still didn't make a move. She wasn't sure what she was doing. She was nervous about returning, but she didn't want to stay out here, either. Seb's body language had scared her, as it reminded her exactly of him, but the logical part of her brain told her that Seb wasn't him. 

Unfortunately, the illogical part of her brain was still fighting and not allowing her to simply go home. She wondered if Seb thought she had abandoned them, and it hurt to think he might feel that way. From anyone looking in from the outside, it would have certainly appeared so. Aviana sighed. She hated that she continued to let this fear control her. Just when she thought she was getting the upper hand, it knocked her down again.

*scoots in and steals*

Having been a day or two since her heat had ended, Pearl was needless to say exhausted, for more reasons than one. wink wink But with her normal self fully back and the heat scent mostly gone, she decided to go patrol to borders for the afternoon. 

After an hour or so, she came to a spot where she smelled Avianna not too far away. She hadn't seen much of anybody except Seb the past week, so she thought it would be a good idea to talk. Plus, she hadn't exactly held an actual one-on-one conversation with her sister-in-law since they met.

A white figured appeared, and Aviana instantly knew it to be Pearl. Her ears perked as she watched the Alpha female come near where she was hiding. She thought about running, but Pearl wasn't a wolf she was afraid of- at least not since their very first meeting. So, she huffed, and raised herself just above the top of the grass so that Pearl could see her.

She wondered if they had noticed her absence, and how she would feel either way. If they hadn't, did that mean they didn't care about her? If they had, and knew she ran, would they allow her back in? She hadn't gone very far. Was leaving, leaving, no matter the reason or intent? She didn't attempt to begin the conversation with Pearl- at least not until Aviana was certain whether the Alpha was still friendly towards her or not.

The form of Avianna appeared when she popped up from the tall grass, making her position known via huff. Pearl made her way over to her honorary sister, nosing through the grass that reached over her smaller form. 

"Hey, how're you doing?" she asked casually, once Avi was in sight, unaware of anything that had gone on that entire week. She also wanted to ask what she was doing outside of the borders, but she figured that would be another topic for later.

Pearl seemed friendly, and Aviana mimicked it, her tail swaying side to side and her ears folded softly on her head. When her Alpha approached more, her head lowered in submission, and a soft whine came from her throat. Aviana had assumed Sebastian had told his mate about her fleeing, but if he did, Pearl didn't seem to be bothered by it.

I'm okay... I was just... she trailed off, her gaze shifting towards the borders before returning to Pearl. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to go back, she confessed softly. What she kept within her was that she also wasn't sure if she could go back. She had feared Seb, and wasn't sure if she really still did. She had never had that reaction to him before. Would she again if she went back?

Pearl hadn't any reason to suspect Avianna for behaving like she was, as it was kinda normal her her to act like that. The whine wasn't really expected, so she raised her eyebrow before brushing it off as something she would normally do. 

Avianna's response startled her, giving her cause to wonder what the frick Avianna was doing out here and why."Why would you think that? Of course you're allowed back in, you're part of the pack!" she said, undeniably confused, her head cocked to the side to mirror her thoughts.

Pearl seemed confused as to why Aviana would question whether or not she was able to go back. A nervous glance shifted between the borders and Pearl's chest. The agouti female was beginning to see that the Alpha female didn't know what had transpired between herself and Seb. Did... Did Seb ever tell you why I left our home pack? she asked softly. 

Seb had always been a good brother, and part of her thought he may have felt he'd betray her trust by telling Pearl about her past. And while Aviana would have generally agreed, she very much hoped he had told Pearl, because she simply wasn't sure she could do it herself. Because, without Pearl knowing, how on Earth was Aviana going to explain what happened?

so sorry for the wait XD

Avianna seemed reluctant to answer at first, but the silence was broken with what seemed like a completely out-of-context question. Flicking an ear, Pearl responded, "No, I don't know anything about that. Was it bad?"

She hoped she could help her, because if something traumatizing had happened to Avi, it would sure explain a lot. She sat down in front of Avianna, tail curling around her front paws. "If you want to tell me you can, I'm here to listen. If you don't want to, it's alright."

No worries! <3

It seemed as though Seb had not betrayed her trust and told his mate of her past. Part of her was relieved, but part of her knew it would be difficult to tell Pearl. Aviana had told Seb, but she didn't have to say much in order for him to understand. How much would she have to tell the Alpha female before she did? Pearl seemed smart, though. Maybe she would pick it up quickly, and Aviana wouldn't have to explain much.

My Uncle... Well, the reason I left was because he... She trailed off for a second time, trying to compose herself. Her gaze was glued to Pearl's front paws, as if the words lied there and she would simply have to read them. Alas, they did not. She sighed, and closed her eyes tightly. He raped me, she said softly. 

It took her a few minutes to open her eyes, and then she explained what she was doing out here. When I seen Seb a few days ago, he had changed... He looked... He reminded me of him. And I ran. Physically, Seb didn't look like their Uncle, but it was his body language that had triggered her flash backs. She hadn't been able to control her fear, and had ran. Now she questioned not only if she was allowed to go back, but if she could at all. But, she had no where else to go.

While Avi studied the paws paler of the two, Pearl's concerned eyes were fixated on Avianna's expressions. She had attempted to guess at what had gone on with Avi's past at one point, but she had decided to leave it to the girl to tell her story on her own. But as it turns out, one of those possibilites had been correct. Pearl growled lowly in disgust, condemning Seb's uncle further into the ground and into hell where he belonged. Luckily Seb had taken care of him, otherwise someone else, probably her, would do it themselves.

Pearl waited patiently for Avianna to give an explination as to why she had been hiding outside the borders, but naturally she did some guesswork during that window. But at the actual answer, she could feel her heart drop. It was her fault, then. She'd been the one to go in heat and make Seb feel like that, so really, in her mind, it was her fault that Avianna was scared. 

Feeling more guilty than she probably should have, Pearl lowered her head to get into Avi's line of sight. "Hey, it's perfectly alright. You're welcome back in if you want, it was really my fault because of my heat. I mean, on the brightside, I'm probably pregnant, if you wanted the good news that you're going to be an aunt," she said, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Perhaps some good news would cheer Avi up.

Pearl shifted, and her face came into Aviana's eyesight. Her gaze moved with the other female, as it had been obvious Pearl wanted her attention. Aviana understood what Pearl was saying, and it did make sense to her. Males were more possessive, and more protective, when their mate was in heat. But, it was the last thing she said that really got Aviana's attention. Her eyes widened and her tail thumped the ground. I might be an Aunt? she repeated in awe. As far as she knew, none of her siblings had pups yet. 

Aviana hadn't spent any time around pups since she left home, so she was a little worried that they wouldn't like her. But, that wouldn't stop her from doing her best. Would you mind if I babysat sometime? I mean, whenever you have pups, she asked softly. 

Pearl nodded vigorously at her sister-in-law."If all goes to plan, then yes!" she said excitedly, her tail mirroring Avi's. "And of course you can babysit anytime. You could be Auntie Avi." she pointed out playfully. It was fun planning out the future, or what might be. 

She was glad she got Avianna to cheer up, because she didn't know what would happen otherwise. But now she could give a good enough reason to stay; family.

She smiled. That sounds nice. Aunt Avi, she repeated, trying it out on her tongue. She had never been an Aunt before, and she was excited at the prospect. She knew she would need to expedite her herb knowledge if she was going to keep up with the pups injuries, knowing they were prone to cuts and scratches and eating inedible things. She hoped she would be ready by the time they got here.

She glanced towards the borders. I suppose I should go in, she said with a glance to Pearl. It was almost as if she needed the extra confirmation, though she wasn't sure why. Pearl had already told her she was welcome to come back.

Pearl followed Avi's glance back into the territory. "Yeah, you want to walk in together?" she asked, getting up and beckoning her forward, back over the boundries. 

Even though she hadn't known about her sister-in-law's disappearance until now, she was glad to have her back home, where she was better off. "Good to have you back, Avi." she said with a smile.

Pearl offered to walk with her back into the territory and Aviana nodded quickly. I'd like that, she responded with a soft smile. Her tailed wagged when her Alpha female welcomed her back. Thank you, Pearl. It meant a lot to her that Pearl would be so accepting of her not-so-little freak outs. She hoped her brother would be just as understanding.

She allowed Pearl to take the first steps and then fell in step beside her abdomen, always mindful and respectful of Pearl's rank. While she was beginning to think of Pearl as more than just an Alpha, the fact that she was a leader in the pack was not something Aviana would simply forget or bypass. Though, it was nice to think she may be gaining a friend in her leader. Aviana crossed the borders back into Broken Antler Fen, her tail waving softly next to her back legs.