old habits die hard

As Thalia spoke, directing his attention to the boy, Eligos turned his head to quietly study him. "Is this so?" he queried gently. Gently, though a hint of cold beneath the gentleness warned against speaking thoughtlessly. "You have told your sister you've learned much in your absence. Tell me, Saren, what brought a child to leave his family behind without a word. Tell me what you have learned, and how you will seek to use that knowledge to better Aerie. Tell me, Saren, if you are ready to truly give your loyalty to your family, and earn your place among us." Despite the harshness of the words themselves, he spoke softly and did not sound angry, because he wasn't. People made mistakes, bad decisions, and deserved the chance to redeem themselves. But Saren needed to understand that leaving the pack and the family wasn't acceptable anymore. What he had done was wrong, and he had left Thalia to suffer not knowing where he was, if he lived or died, and possibly to wonder if it had been some fault of hers that had chased them away. What he had done to her was not acceptable.