Arrow Lake The fires of Mount Doom.

As she descended from her perch, Njal turned his attention to her. “I cannot accept your apology, as it was not your actions that brought this complication…”. The creek wolf was a bit confused by her words, but said nothing. He watched as dust shifted upon the soil, and trailed his gaze along her lean limbs - remembering when they were bulky, layered in winter fat and far from toned - to rest his eyes upon her features. She was passive, for the most part. Njal couldn't tell if she was internalizing things or if she genuinely was calm about the situation. He didn't feel calm; even as she took a few careful steps towards him, the man's tail whisked at the melting snow.

The motion froze when she talked about their friendship, casting it away from her the way he had cast her from the pack's borders. Njal found a tinge of pain stab at his chest, for her words did wound. Maybe it was justified for the way he had treated her - gone back on his word and banished her - but still, it hurt. Njal became a blank figure; empty-faced and once again rigid in his mannerisms, as he lifted his head and assumed the prideful dominance of a wolf with high ranking. It mattered little to him that he was outside of the creek lands now. Clearly she would not accept his words, so he would just have to roll with it.

"You may not have done something wrong," He responded after a moment to gather himself, his voice holding a brooding deep quality like that of a mentor teaching a child. In this moment Njal realized just how ignorant Xi'nuata was of the world around her. How different was this vale from the other packs in the wilds? "But you are not family. My family consists of the wolves who follow Fox. You are only unwelcome because you hail from a rival pack." Until now, of course. Now Njal was not so sure. If she continued to refuse his offers of friendship, there would be no reconciliation. The trip to these lands was for nothing.

"My offer stands. I am your friend. If I was not, I would have stayed at home with my wife and my leader. Both of whome I have lied to to keep you from harm." He admitted this freely, perhaps because of a rising level of frustration with the woman. Njal stepped towards her briskly, but froze before he was too close, unable to contain his agitated energy. "Do not forsake me, and all the work we've done together to improve your abilities, just because of some hurt feelings." She needed to get over it. But so did he - and at this point, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Njal was just as hurt as she was, now. And he was intent on rectifying things.

"Nuata," He breathed her name, exhaling as much of the frustration as he could, "I am trying to make things right with you. If you refuse me then I'll leave - but I won't come back again. Our friendship will be over." And maybe it should be over. Maybe it should not have started - for surely it has been more work than any other relationship he's ever cultivated. Still, he lingered. Hopeful and eager to fix what he had broken.