Sunbeam Lair No hope, no love, no glory

Jolon passed out around the time Asterr had started treating her on the day she returned, and luckily wasn't fully conscious even as he was dragged to the place many had used to hide from the locust. Vector had been quiet upon seeing Asterr again, so that was a plus for poor Jolon. He was asleep through the night, no dreams, no evil words, just peace for once.

The morning after, the pain in his broken leg woke him up, and his gray dull eyes -which were a lot more alive than before- scanned the place he was in with terror. What in the- He mumbled, looking back at his broken leg to see someone had been treating him. He frowned, eyes trailing over the walls and over the herbs present, the faint smell of Asterr nearby. Hello? He asked, surprised that he did not talk in the low voice Vector made him use. He felt more awake than ever after Ezimette left, but he was confused to say the least.

After Jolon had been settled into her medical quarters, she'd gotten to work. The sticks had been used to keep the limb aligned after she'd used the rock to actually set it, the force applied having most likely caused a great deal of pain; in the process of having done so, the girl had been glad that he'd been unconscious, for the assumed agony surely would have made for an uncooperative patient. Yet, once she'd finished, his lack of consciousness had become a problem. The comfrey should have been chewed into a paste and smeared over his injured leg, but had instead been cast aside and stored away for later usage. Given her potential condition, she'd refused to chew upon the herb, and so it'd gone unused. It would have assisted in the mending of his fracture, but she was against risking many lives for something that could, with time, heal all on its own.

Following his treatment, Asterr had taken to settling towards the back of her makeshift hospital, where she'd then spent the night. On several occasions, the girl had woken up to both check on him and ensure that he'd not moved from the place that she'd had him set, resulting in her having had only a small amount of sleep. Once the sun had finally started to rise, the chamber was abandoned, the injured male being left alone whilst she'd gone to stretch her legs. Prior to her return, the bark of a white willow tree had been torn away and then carried back with her. The grip she'd taken to using with it was gentle, leaving the strips undamaged just as was the case for anything she harvested. From there, she hadn't need to go much farther before reaching the opening in the wall, from which she'd heard a voice emerge.

It was with a breath held tightly within her lungs that she'd entered the space, ignoring her patient as her body moved towards the back. There was where she'd set the bark down, nosing through it until she'd found a strip that appealed to her. It'd been selected, picked up and then carried over to Jolon. His leg had been eyed, silently inspected, and then the tree's skin was placed down within his reach. "Chew on that. It will relieve any pain that I am sure you are feeling," the dragoness instructed. Thereafter, several steps were taken away from him, where she'd then sat herself down and allowed for her eyes to fall on him. Watchful was the girl, insisting with her gaze alone that he do as he'd been told.

A glance was cast on his treated leg, but he didn't dare move it. He was already in enough trouble as it was. Quick breaths were taken as he looked around. He was still home, he could tell, and he vaguely remembered it here. His gray eyes trailed over the walls, eventually settling on the opening, placing his head atop his paws. Just then did Asterr enter, and his ears swiveled up, eyes following her every move as she passed him.

He made a gasp-like sound as he wanted to say something, but quickly shut himself up. Now was not the time, he decided. Especially not when Asterr came back with what looked like a part of tree. While he was sexually attracted to them (At least, in the writer's fanfictions), he didn't like the thought of chewing on them. He didn't dare doubt his leader again though, and he carefully took the bark in his mouth, chewing silently on it with an awkward glance placed on the ground.

The male had listened, whilst Asterr did nothing more than watch. She remained silent, keeping an eye on him to ensure that the bark was not cast aside. There were so many things that she could say—yell, even—and yet, not a word was uttered. For, on the other hand, she had nothing to say. To approach the situation, to deal with it, she refused. Both were aware of what he'd attempted to do, of how he had behaved, and how he'd disobeyed her. Rare was it for the girl to deliver actual commands, and so, when she did, she expected them to be followed. Jolon had not done so. He'd acted on his own, he'd given in to desire and instinct. The logic of his mind had, at the time, been thrown away as if it didn't matter.

"Do not use your injured limb until I say otherwise," the girl had eventually said, her usual smile nowhere in sight. Rather, a neutral expression reigned over her features, managing to effect even her voice; the gentle tones that she was so accustomed to using seemed to exist no longer whilst in the man's presence. She'd not been meant to speak again, her mind having decided that to observe was for the best. Her tongue, however, had not agreed, and went on to then act on its own. "Be grateful that you have a place here, still." Harsh were the words, but little did she care.

He had things to explain, apologies to utter, yet his mouth was occupied with the bark now. He chewed slowly, as to stretch time as far as possible to let him think. He had behaved poorly, he knew, but he found his reasoning to be quite a good one. Even more so now Asterr was pregnant, but he had not noticed that just yet. He had assumed the male she had brought with her was the "lucky" man, but he didn't feel jealous. He only felt bad for not having been able to protect her- to keep her untouched and happy. But even with his good intentions, he had done something traumatizing. He supposed he could have used words instead on forcing himself on her, but the scent of a female in heat and Vector in his head was not the best combination.

He wondered how long he had to chew upon the bark, it feeling kind of weird and mushy in his mouth now, bits and pieces stuck between his teeth. He only let out a small Mhm... In response to her command, avoiding eye contact. The tone in which she spoke was enough to know it would take a long time-perhaps forever, before he would earn her trust back. Oh well, he supposed there were worse things; like a broken li- OH WAIT.

He sighed. Thanks... He spoke softly, a bit of chewed bark flying out of his mouth, but he cared little about table manners right now.

Asterr never thought to consider the male's reason for having acted how he did, other than because instinct had been left to reign over his body. In the end, one could say nature had decided the way in which everything had played out anyways, but it had never been without control. Never had any tried to force themselves upon her in the manner that Jolon had. Each had received permission, in one way or another, thus leaving her without any overly unpleasant memories to live with. It had been only him, only the male that she'd thought herself to have known, that had tried to act without her consent. It was he alone that had left her unhappy and her trust defiled, not the strangers she'd encountered. For that alone, even if he were to explain himself, it was unlikely that any apologies offered might be accepted.

There came a sigh, the word that followed having dirtied her establishment. The dragoness, while not necessarily obsessive over the cleanliness of things, knew that it was important for her space to remain tidy. There existed already so much bacteria within the world that could cause for wounds to become infected, she did not need for Jolon to dirty it more. "Once that is soft enough, you must swallow it," she told him, then looked to the mess he'd made. Though small it was, that didn't make it any less unpleasant or problematic. "You will clean up after yourself before leaving here. Any messes that you make are your responsibility, and I expect for this chamber to look exactly as it had prior to your arrival within it." Serious was her tone, as was the expression that she'd taken to wearing.

Moments later, she'd stood up whilst saying, "I will be leaving now." There was no reason for her to stay in there with him, for his leg had been set and the relief to his pain given—or, rather, the relieving substance had been given, but when it might take effect for him, she knew not. All bodies responded to treatment differently, some taking longer to heal or feel the effects of a herb, whilst others might take less time. "Do not leave this place while I am away. Should I see you outside, you will be placed beneath everyone else, just as Gray currently is." If he would have nothing else to say, then the girl would leave without so much as another word.

He found the command that followed to be questionable. Who in their right mind would actually eat bark when there were so many more things to feast upon? Still, he supposed it was for his health- even though he had no idea how eating bark would lighten the pain in his leg. With a gulp sound, the mush coming back a few times before sliding down his throat, he swallowed. He had not chewed long enough though, and he coughed a few times to get the harder piece through.

He glanced at the tiny bit that had come out of his mouth, then back at Asterr with an apologetic look. Fair enough. He said in a low tone. And it really was; it was only natural to clean up behind yourself. He guessed he could shove it somewhere already dirty in the lair, or bury it somewhere.

His eyes followed her legs as she stood, moving toward the opening with the announcement that she was leaving. While Jolon had no plans of leaving with his broken leg, he was still sad he couldn't just because his rank would lower. He wanted some company, perhaps Avannon or Leo, but he found he had no say in the matter of their friendship. He had pushed them both away while they were trying to help- or, well, Vector did. Goodbye... He sighed softly as he watched her leave. Guess he could better get some sleep anyway.