Sunbeam Lair Coming Back

After being gone for so long, Winter wasn't sure if she was allowed back. The female paced at the territory boundary unsure whether or not to go in. Sure, she may still be a part of the pack, but she didn't want to take her chances. The female sat and lifted her maw to the sky and let out a howl hoping that @Asterr would hear it. Only with acceptance from her or Jolon would the female feel it's safe to go in the boundaries. There she sat waiting nervously for a pack members to come along.

When the howl had initially reached her ears, the girl wondered if she'd heard correctly. It'd been some time since she'd seen the pallid woman, so long that the dragoness had suspected she might never return. Yet, there she was, a distance away, howling at their borders. The girl was hesitant, at first, uncertain of whether or not she should answer the call. In the end, she'd remained silent, but her legs had started moving in the direction from which it'd come. Like Ezimette, Winter had left them without warning, which had been upsetting. It was also curious, however, for the yearling wondered what had been the cause of the woman's departure. Was it similar to Ezimette's? She wanted to know.

As Asterr approached, she'd made certain to stay within the limits of her territory, gazing out at the wolf standing beyond it. For the first few moments, she was silent. When she'd finally decided to speak, only a single word came out: "Why?" After some quick consideration, she'd decided to elaborate upon that. "Why did you leave us, and why have you returned?"

The frosty pelted had a smile on her muzzle when she saw Asterr. Immediately, she opened her maw to say something, but quickly snapped in shut when the Alpha started to speak. At first she had no idea what her Alpha was talking about, but then she finished. Winter didn't really know why she left all the sudden, and without telling anybody.
"Its nice to see you again, Alpha." She said happily before her gaze wandered to her paws. "To be honest, I don't know. I was near the border one night and I decided to explore the world beyond the borders a little more. I don't know why I didn't tell anybody. I have returned because I was missing the pack. Missing the feeling of home." Winter said this quickly, as if she was scared of getting into a lot of trouble. For all she knew, she was. The white furred female's gaze rested back on Asterr, trying to figure out what was going to happen in advance. Other than that, the female had no intentions of moving quite yet.

The other female's tone had been rather cheery, unfitting to the level of seriousness Asterr believed the encounter to have. She did not return the pleasantries, focusing on the true matter at hand: why Winter had left them. When an answer had been given, however, it wasn't overly insightful. "You should have told someone you were leaving," she pointed out. "Do you think no one worried over your absence?" When a member left them, she always knew. It started with the lessening of fresh scents, and carried on to them never being seen. Asterr knew when someone left, but only ever after the fact. Never did they alert her of their leaving when they decided to stay away for long stretches of time, which always made her wonder. Most of all, however, it saddened her, for it was the destruction of the loyalty she'd believed them to have once had.

"You speak of missing home, but are we only ever your home when it is most convenient to you?" the dragoness questioned. "You had told no one of your plan to leave, and yet here you are now, speaking about having missed us." Despite the swelling feeling within her chest, her voice remained even, calm. "Why should I allow you back into my tribe?" She had asked the same thing of Ezimette way back when, and was not about to change her approach now. The female had done wrong by them, the tribe, and so the Draconid wasn't so sure she could trust her again.

When the female left, she never really thought about how it would affect the others of the pack. That was a big wrongdoing on her part. Winter listened and with every word that came out of the Alpha's mouth, she became more and more sad and disappointed in herself.
"I didn't think of that when I left. I didn't know anybody that well. As in, I haven't spent a great amount of time with everybody. I did think about that only a little while after I left." She admitted her eyes never leaving the ground. "No, this isn't my home when I find it most convenient. Every night, I missed being with the pack. I found no place that gave me the happiness that this place does. That the pack does." She spoke from her heart. Then the she wolf took a breath in before continuing. "You have no reason to let me back in. I did many wrong things. Never telling anyone I was leaving, leaving without your permission, and being gone for so long. I understand if you don't trust me anymore." At first she was hesitant, scared of the answer after saying these things, but she knew that it must be said. The female looked up to the dark pelted female looking for any hint of an answer.

Nothing said had been denied or argued against, only accepted. While she was glad the other female understood that what she did had been wrong, her overall disappointment outweighed even that. Every member that was welcomed into their ranks had given to both Asterr and the entire tribe their pledge of loyalty, but even still, some went so far as to break the informal oath. Often, she wished simply for them to return, telling to herself that she would be capable of accepting them once more, but for the second time she'd done the opposite. To immediately grant the other entry into her home was something she simply could not do, for she could not so easily get passed the broken vow.

"I do not trust you," came her statement, simple and direct. She knew no other way to word it, no gentler way to get across what it was that she currently felt. "How can I be sure that you will not leave us without warning again?" In truth, she knew she could never be sure, even if a promise was made. Things changed as time passed them by, as did every wolf. Never could one accurately predict the future, and that was something she'd just have to live with.

"I will promise not to leave, but I understand that it isn't enough for you to trust me." The female told her. "Ill do anything you want me to, to prove my loyalty." She didn't know what else to say. She had told the truth and it seemed like there was nothing else to say. Still, she sat there waiting to see of she could be reunited with the pack.

Conclusion added. PP included.

A promise was given and an offer made, the two seeming to walk hand-in-hand. Asterr, though unconvinced by the claim made, knew she had no choice but to give to the other a second chance. Even if she did not wish to do so, it would be unfair if she didn't, for Ezimette had been given one after committing the very same act of betrayal. It would show untrue favouritism if she responded any differently this time around, thus limiting her options significantly. It was with a heavy sigh that she'd started to think, contemplating what it was that she could say. What conditions she could put into place to ensure no one could make false accusations against her character. "I do not trust you," she repeated. "But I have no choice but to offer you a second chance. This will be the only one you ever receive, though. If you leave again, you will not be welcome back no matter what your excuse may be." A bit drastic, perhaps, but not at all uncalled for.

"You will start off as an omega, and will not be welcomed back into the true ranks until I feel as if you have proven yourself," she stated, tone firm. "If you are against these terms, speak now." They would not be changed even if she spoke against them. Rather, it was to determine whether or not the woman truly wanted her second chance. And so, if she were to deny the terms of her acceptance, Asterr would turn her away without even a hint of regret. It was soon after that a verdict was delivered, the conditions of acceptance being denied. The life of an omega was not one the other wished to live at that time, it seemed, and so an agreement was not met. Moments later, Asterr was escorting the pallid woman away from the tribe's claim, ensuring she was a decent ways off before a silent departure was carried out. Upon her return home, the chieftess proceeded to linger along the borders, keeping an eye out for the other just to be sure she'd truly gone. It had been her second and final chance, and so any further contact with the dragoness' home would result in forced removal from the area.