Sunbeam Lair When?

@Asterr and anyone else.

The pale girl sat on the ridge of a mountain, her ears laid back against her head. She was sad. Sad about the decisions she had made in the past. Upset that she had been so stupid. Although it had been almost two months, Ezimette still couldn't let go of her mistakes. The mountain was chilly this dawn, and Ezimette could see wisps of her breath in front of her. Her emerald green eyes scoured the land, looking over every tree, trying to find something to distract herself with. The pain of her mistakes throbbed inside her head like a river of thoughts. 

She laid down with a grunt, though she was young, her strength had been ebbing lately. She didn't eat much anymore, which she hadn't realized was the cause of her deterioration. The once-sleek girl was now quite thin, her white coat flecked with dirt. Ezimette had wanted to prove herself so badly that she hunted for the pack and took small rations daily. Of course, not thinking well lately, she hadn't realized that a she-wolf without her strength was of no use. All Ezi could think of was to prove herself to Asterr. It hurt her deep inside that Asterr had thought her not loyal. If there was a single wolf whom was honest in the Teekon Wilds, it was Ezi.

Much time had passed since the girl's decision to assign to Ezimette the role of an omega. The choice had weighed heavily on her mind at first, having caused her to depart from the territory so that she'd been able to forgot the situation. Eventually, she'd grown to accept what she'd done and refrained from regretting it, knowing that, in the end, it had been for the best. Thus, time had been permitted to pass them by until the present was met, bringing forth a thought within the chieftess' mind. After some careful consideration, she'd decided it was time to welcome the pallid woman back into the true ranks of the tribe, and so she'd set out to find her. It was news that needed delivered personally, after all, and the girl wished to waste no time in doing exactly that.

Asterr had trailed after the other female's scent, sticking to the fresher trails and ignoring those that'd gone stale. When she had finally reached the other, she'd approached without a sound, but was soon stopped dead in her tracks. The sight of the other was awful, her physical condition clearly having lessened quite a bit since they'd last seen one another. Worry seeped into the dragoness' gaze as she closed the distance between them, rounding the other's stilled form so that she could look upon her face. "What has happened?" the girl asked, crouching down in an attempt to level herself more with the other. "Are you ill?"

Ezimette was so lost in her thoughts that she did not realize a wolf was there until it spoke. Recognizing her chieftess's voice, Ezimette jumped to her feet and bowed, legs wobbling a bit. "Nothing, I feel fine. I went hunting just earlier. How are you chieftess?" She replied politely. Ezi denied the fact that in any way, shape, or form she was weakening. She had always thought herself a strong wolf with no capability of sickness, as she had never fallen ill before.

She gave Asterr a smile and looked up with her cloudy eyes, wagging her tail. It hurt her back to bow now so she situated herself until she was semi-comfortable and crouched down. As she waited for a reply, she grew wobbly and fell back onto her haunches with a thud. Her eyes widened with surprise. Where had that come from? She shook her head and attempted to get back up, but was rewarded with another painful thud. 

She began to slowly realize something might be wrong with her. She looked down at her legs and her coat. She was just a bit dirty...right? "I-I um-sorry alpha."

Asterr had needed to take a step back as the other jumped to her feet, though her worried gaze never faltered. She'd seen the wobbling of her legs, her perceptive nature shining through with the concern she felt towards her tribe mate. Despite the obvious, the other female had tried to deny her failing state, but the yearling didn't believed a word of it. She was an aspiring medic, having been trained back in her old tribe, and knew a healthy wolf when she was one—and she did not currently see one standing before her. "You are not fine," she stated calmly. "Do not lie to me, Ezimette."

As if to further confirm her suspicions, the woman fell back not once, but twice. A sigh slipped past the younger's lips as she shook her head, motioning for the other to still herself. "Do not apologize, there is no need," the chieftess began, glancing her over once or twice. When her gaze had finally settled back on her face, she asked, "When was the last time you ate?" Even though she'd mentioned hunting, that didn't necessarily mean she'd been eating, too. Any lack of nutrients could have quite the toll on a being's body, that she knew from observational studies. If the woman was not eating, then that would explain a lot. Asterr hoped that wasn't the case, however, for the well-being of her tribe was always her top priority. If one of them had managed to work herself so hard she could hardly stand, then who was to say others wouldn't do the very same? It was something she could not allow to happen.

"I didn't mean to lie.." She replied hurt in her eyes, "I guess I just...wasn't paying attention to my body." Her ears flicked backwards. "I had a rabbit the other day." She answered the chieftess's second question, for she seemed to be wasting no time. Ezimette cocked her head a little, she wasn't that bad, right? Just some wobbliness in the knees. The pallid girl looked up into her alpha's eyes with confusion, why was she so worried? Ezimette looked down, for she hadn't seen her reflection in quite some time. None of the puddles around her feet were large enough for her to see into though, so she shrugged it off. 

Ezimette stood still in her place so that the alpha could check up on her, well, at least tried to stay still. She wasn't to concerned and didn't want Asterr to be either. What was wrong?

The chieftess' concern grew with each second that ticked by. It became increasingly more apparent that the other could not comprehend the error in her ways, and so it was up to Asterr to correct her. If not then, she feared what might happen later on. "You cannot do that," came her simple statement, looking the other female in the eyes. She then motioned for her to lay down, to relieve her legs of the stress that came with supporting her weight. "You must eat several times everyday, especially if you insist upon hunting for everyone else. If you expend so much energy without taking any in, your body will deteriorate." It was basic knowledge, or at least it had been in her previous tribe. It was unwise for someone to carry on with such exhausting activities if they refused to eat, for it led to nothing more than issues.

"Why have you not been eating?" the girl asked, wishing to get to the bottom of things. "Are you not feeling well?" If she was sick, then that would explain the loss of appetite. If not, however, then what could her reasoning possibly be for not eating as much as necessary? Asterr needed to figure it out, and she would not cease in her questioning until a solution could be figured out.

The girl nodded slowly as Asterr spoke. Deep in the back of her mind, she n=knew this, but in her current state, it felt completely new. "I am not ill, I just.." She looked down, then back up at Asterr with pleading eyes."I wanted the best for the tribe. I thought that if I started taking less rations than the rest of the tribe would grow stronger because they would have extra food. I wanted to prove that I cared about them and that I could hunt for them every day to help fill the caches. I wanted to prove to them that I honestly wanted to be a part of the pack and that I am willing to give some things up in order to help the pack. I wanted to prove to you that I cared." Although her answer was honest, it was an unreasonable decision. Esimette, of course, did not think of this. She would do anything to help the tribe stay strong, even if that meant her becoming weak.

sorry I took so long, I accidentally pressed the back button and had to retype this.

While Asterr could understand from where the female was coming from, that did not give to her response any logic. It was only natural for one to wish for the best when it came to their home, but to allow for themselves to fall so far seemed like an overkill. "If you continue like this, you will die," the girl stated, wishing to appeal to the other's sense of commitment. "If you die, no longer will you be able to assist in looking after this tribe. No one will care if there is an abundance of meals laying around for the taking, for they will be far too busy mourning over the loss of a fellow tribe member." Which, depending on the wolf, could lead to a state of depression and, in turn, a loss of appetite. It would weaken them, rather than strengthen them, and the chieftess would not give up her fight against preventing that from happening. Though she knew all of this, it was not mentioned, for her intentions were not to make Ezimette feel guilty. Rather, she wished only for her to correct her reckless behavior.

"My commands are few in number, for I often see no reason to demand things of those I am meant to trust," she began. "But today I feel the need to do so." To deliver a command, one that she would entrust the entirety of the tribe to assist her with in making sure it was not retaliated against. "Ezimette, I hereby forbid you from hunting. You will rest until your health has been regained, or an array of sanctions will come your way." Her tone was serious, unfitting of her usual self. Alas, she could not play the part of a friend this time around, for the matter demanded that she act the part of a leader—and lead she would, whether her ruling was appreciated or not.

Ezimette looked on in shock, she was going to die? Her ears laid back and her maw gaped. She had not thought it to be this serious. But she was even more stunned when Asterr said she couldn't hunt. It was forbidden. "Yes As-Alpha." She corrected herself mid sentence and nodded once she had finished. It was her alpha's word, and as therole of omega, she must obey. She cleared her throat."I apologize for my behavior." She said steadily, once again trying to be formal, as she was not a true part of the pack yet. Someday.

Asterr had stayed silent as she'd observed the other's physical reaction, witnessing it as her words sunk in. The mistake had been realized and her command accepted, not that the yearling would have given her the chance to go against it anyways. While peaceful by nature, she would have restrained the older wolf had such drastic measures been deemed necessary. Such would not have been a crime against her morals, either, as the purpose would be to prevent her from bringing to herself anymore harm. The act would have been justified, had it's initiation been mandatory. Thankfully, things would not have to be taken quite that far, to which Asterr was glad. Though it would have been for another's personal well-being, that did not mean she truly enjoyed reacting in that manner. It would have bothered her significantly, and could have very well been capable of making her lose sleep.

"Good," the yearling noted, her voice trailing off towards the end. She wondered if now would be the proper time to bring up what she had initially sought the other out for, for the change might inspire a buildup of stress. It was concerning, of course, but no more so than the woman's current state of mind in regards to her rank. "Before I had learned of your current condition, I had been seeking you out in order to notify you of the fact that I wish for you to return to the true ranks of the tribe." No turning back now. "If you feel yourself to be ready for this, it will happen immediately. If the change sounds like it might be too much for you right now, do not force yourself. The offer will still stand once your condition has improved." After all, it'd be quite the low blow for her to offer such a thing, and then take it away just because Ezimette wasn't quite up for it just yet.

Ezimette gaped, tears threatening to spill out. "Yes! Please, i truly yearn to be part of the pack! Please!" She looked deeply into Asterr's eyes, then had to look away to cover the factthat she was sobbing with excitement and absolute joy. was she truly going to be part of the pack? Truly? She gave a teary smile at Asterr and reached her neck out as far as she could while laying down, begging acceptance. she was shivering with happiness. She wanted to be part of the pack, it was her only wish other than to find a mate. Please, let this be her moment. her mind flashed to Jolon, and being able to converse with him without submitting awkwardly. She could finally unleash her true personality, that of a strong, brave, smart woman. Ezimette longed to see Jolon again, to really get to know him, as she had taken a liking to him. Could this truly be it?

I went ahead and added you back to the regular ranks. c: Wanna wrap this up soon?

Hardly a moment of pause had been permitted before an extravagant reaction was given, showing to Asterr how deep the other female's desire was. Even in her current state, she could display emotions such as excitement and joy, and all in response to the notion of being welcomed back into the true ranks of the tribe. It was clear she'd need not a single day longer for recovery purposes prior to having the omega title removed, for the shift in her life appeared to be one that was welcomed with opened arms. The chieftess could appreciate that, honestly and genuinely so. It assured her that she'd not presented the opportunity too early, nor had it been too late; the time was just right.

"Very well," the yearling began, her body shifting with the words. She'd moved towards the other, and had then leaned her head down just low enough to touch her muzzle to the woman's shoulder. It was brief, being pressed there no longer than a second before her posture had been straightened back out. "Know that you will start at the lowest rank, just the same as new members. However, I do not doubt that you will rise within them quick enough." With that, she'd offered a smile, motioning that the other may rise if able. "You should know that, in spite of this change, my previous words still apply. You will remain banned from hunting until I have cleared you. That is understood, yes?" Other medics, or those aspiring to become one, resided within the tribe, yes, but Asterr would give none of them the jurisdiction necessary for allowing the pallid female to hunt once more. It was a matter that she would handle personally.

The woman nodded, as she was to weak to speak. She shakily rose to her feet, following Asterr wherever she needed to go. Her heart felt warm, and her entire body felt fuzzy. Now, she could interact with the pack freely, while in her place of lower tear of course, but it was still interaction! And while the day was still young, after following Asterr, Ezimette took a long walk, just to think about the things she would do now that she was part of the pack.

Gah, short post. ^^;; I enjoyed this thread, though~

When the woman had risen, she was immediately placed under the younger's watchful gaze. Each step taken was scrutinized, but only ever with the best of intentions in mind. She wished to ensure the safety of every member of her tribe, and would do so for as long as her heart continued to beat. For awhile after their conversation, Asterr stuck to the other's side, her gaze never straying away from that pallid pelt of hers. It was only after she'd felt it to be fine to leave Ezimette on her own that the dragoness had left her, heading off to continue her day until the time came in which she was, once more, needed by a friend.