Heron Lake Plateau always time for second guesses

WC: 887

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Phox greeted her kindly, as he always seemed to, and it was no less than she’d expected from the fellow who seemed to be trying quite hard to make himself a good place within the pack’s ranks. What he’d brought with him was a stranger who eyed Niamh sheepishly, causing her to smile faintly, but the smile didn’t reach all the way up into her eyes this time, not quite. There was a feeling that she was teetering on the edge of panic as she remained plastered to Phox’s side, and she felt her heart sink a bit...How disappointed would they both be if she pulled another Niamh and didn’t allow her to join the pack? She was probably one of the hardest leaders to impress when it came to bringing a joiner to the borders, and she was leery of one that looked as though she’d lived as difficult a life as this one did. The female turned her head away as Niamh eyed her, and she felt herself frowning slightly. How long would it take for her to adjust to life in the pack? And would she be so fearful that she would depend on Phox and distract him from his duty to the pack if she was that needy?

Phox explained that her name was Camilla and that she had been in a situation where she hadn’t only just been mistreated, but that she was still trying to flee others who were trying to find her. This made Niamh want to turn her away almost immediately. Any wolf that had a hit on their name would inevitably draw drama to their borders and they didn’t need that in their midst, not when they were already short a member, and one of their leaders had just stepped down, and and and. There were many reasons not to take in someone who possibly had others out looking for them...And by the way this female seemed to be traumatized, they weren’t good wolves at all. If they were terrifying enough to leave her cowering before someone who looked as mild as Niamh, then she couldn’t imagine what it was they’d done to her….Or what they might do to her packmates if they were interrogated as to her whereabouts.

But at the same time- was she going to deny the poor creature a safe harbour? They’d done it before, for Caiaphas and her two children...And look how they’d been repaid. They’d taken in Rosalyn when she’d been injured, and look how they’d been repaid. As far as Niamh could tell, kindness wasn’t always repaid properly, and often, others chose to take advantage of them. There was no way to force someone to pay them back for their kindness, though from what she could tell at least this one seemed pretty indebted to Phox, and didn’t look like the type who would be ungrateful. How would Niamh have liked it had she been abused, and then turned away from every pack she went to simply because her abuser was still out there looking for her? She tried to place herself in the female’s position, but found it incredibly difficult to do so, given the fact that she hadn’t been there.

At least Phox seemed to understand that perhaps they couldn’t offer her shelter. He’d made her a promise, and Niamh wasn’t sure how to feel about that- because that meant that if they didn’t take her in here, she’d be sent elsewhere, and he’d take her there, which meant that yet again they’d temporarily be down another member. She found herself drawing closer and closer to the simplicity of denying her any possibility of living amongst them- until she realized exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t trying to make a judgement as she would naturally make one- she was trying to do what she figured Quixote would do. Surely to god he wouldn’t risk the pack by bringing in someone who was apparently being chased. And it was just by that fact alone that she chose to interrogate further- just in case there was some way they could bring her in safely, without worrying too much about others coming to look for her.

”Who’s looking for her?” She asked, assuming that Phox would be the one to answer for the female; she didn’t exactly expect Camilla to speak up, though she wouldn’t have cut her off if she did. ”How many, and why?” She asked. ”Obviously we can’t harbour a murderer, or someone who owes another wolf something...And if it comes down to the pack’s safety or hers, you know we might be forced to surrender her.” She considered the proximity of the Golden Glade, and shook her head. ”If you found her so close to our home, they may already be on their way.” She said, her tone darkening. Now, would she get in trouble for bringing Phox into the pack, if he in turn brought danger to their doorstep? She needed to know the very cut and dry answers to her questions before she made any decisions, but already things were weighed against Camilla’s favour, as much as part of Niamh wanted to just give in and take her in, for her safety.

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