Sandor had a decision to make. Did he abandon his friend while she was sick and pursue his own goals or did he stay behind, putting his goals on the back burner, so that he could stay loyal to his friend in her time of need. The yearling prided himself on being loyal, but he was not loyal to Lirim- not really. He only felt a sense of loyalty towards Siobhan. So, how did he make such a decision? He would do what the youth did best- he'd ask questions. Having already had a run in with the leader of Ashen previously, he made his way back to the red rocks where he had found her before. This time he was careful to stay out of their temporary land, lingering just on the other side of the border. 

Breathing deeply, he would tilt his head and call for the leader. It was not a long call, it was short and to the point. He wanted to talk and he would wait as long as need be to do so (barring if he had to leave to hunt...if she took that long). Sandor remained standing for the time being, head up with ears at attention listening for the approach of others.

The call for Ashen’s leader a familiar enough to immediately attract the Empress’s attention. Mismatched ears perked as the dainty goddess dropped her patrol and headed in the direction of the young man’s call. She wondered if he had a death wish, as she had already warned him what she would do to him if he returned.

He was smart enough to stay off her border at least, and she was surprised at his growth in the time since she’d last put her eyes on him. She hadn’t taken very long to appear before him, but she held herself just as highly as she had his first time. ”You’ve come back.” She observed quietly, ivory tail swaying at her hips as she looked him over suspiciously.

It was not a long wait, the Empress was quick to meet him, her approaching figure was met with a nod of his head, lowering it respectfully. Sandor had never been one to bow his pride, but today he would if only for the fact he remembered her warning of not to come back...and here he was. They'd gotten off to a rough start, he having trespassed on their temporary land and been more than a bit defiant towards her and her questioning. He would be more compliant today, if only because he wanted to join her pack. 

As she spoke, he calmed his nerves with a deep steadying breath. The boy would nod in reply to her, he had come back. "Lirim is not the pack I thought. I want to be able to hone my skills as a fighter and use them. Could your pack provide this?" He would get straight to the point, though he could hone his skills as a fighter in Lirim with Torin, he did not see him actually using those skills. Torin was a peaceful wolf, but something stirred in Sandor, a restlessness that needed to be satisfied.

At the very least he was more humble in her presence. Deathbelle watched him with curious lilac eyes as he bowed without prompting and jumped right into his reasonings for coming before her. He took in a deep breath and spoke. She perked a light brow at his words about Lirim and his inquiry into her own lands.

”Perhaps.” She started cryptically, lilac gaze looking his young form over once again. ”The better question would be what could you provide my pack?” Deathbelle questioned him without hesitation, there wasn’t any room in Ashen for dead weight. If he wished to be provided training the Empress required something in return.

Curious eyes regarded him, he felt the scrutiny as her brow rose and eyes wandered over his frame. His fur bristled ever so slightly at the look over, but otherwise he remained unchanged. He didn't like being studied as if he were a specimen, an object instead of a being and while her scrutiny was not intense, it was enough to irk the yearling. Her cryptic words, or word rather, came forth and it was his turn to lift a brow. Once she looked him over, but he felt for a different reason. It produced the same response from the yearling. Her next words came and he stood there silent, wheels churning as he tried to think of a response. What could he give her? He owned nothing of merit besides his armor and that he wouldn't part with...even if he didn't like wearing it all the time (such as now). After a pregnant silence he would finally speak. " I'm sure you've noticed I don't spit out what first comes to mind. I have a good head on my shoulders, I think before reacting. I am healthy, strong, and willing to help those in my pack and will do what is asked of me." He would answer honestly, although part of it was more opinion of himself. He felt he had a good head on his shoulders, but it came with a flaw. He was a thinker, he was not a mindless drone to do what was commanded of him. If he had a problem or saw a flaw he would point it out or ask about it. "As for physical objects I could give, I have nothing I would part with." His tone was firm, his expression hard as he spoke or his possession. He would not part with the armor he won at the festival.

Deathbelle didn’t miss the way he stiffened as she looked his young frame over, but he said nothing as she asked her question. He lifted himself a bit as he gave her what he had. He spoke of his strengths and willingness to help, but ended with mentioning the lack of physical objects to give her. ”Are you willing? You seem to have left Lirim with little fight but I assure you I won't let you go near as easy.” She warned him carefully. ”I need nothing physical besides your labor. I want loyalty and obedience.” Deathbelle laid out her demands, if he wished to learn from them, he had to know he would go nowhere else. ”Would you swear fealty to me as your Empress?”

Sandor listened as she spoke, his brow raising as she assumed he had already left Lirim. He hadn’t. Not yet. He still needed to speak to Torin about his departure from the pack. Her warning did not fall on deaf ears, he understood that leaving on a whim was frowned upon in many packs and wouldn’t be allowed or tolerated. He did not wish to hop from pack to pack. He wanted a place to hone his skills and excel at them, that would be his home. She sought nothing but his loyalty and obedience, and with those words his mouth would tighten with the rest of his muscles. “Do you seek blind obedience? I may be young but I will not obey blindly.” He answered, confident in himself. She asked for him to swear fealty to her, and for the moment he let the question hang. He had demands of his own. “I would, if we could come to an agreement. You’ve laid your demands, now I’ll lay out lines I won’t cross.” He replied smoothly, he was an able body, a very useful mind, if she put him to work in that regard. He had promise and value; he would not offer her such value blindly.

“I need to speak to Torin about my departure from Lirim. I wanted to speak to you first though. I won’t attack Lirim unwarranted. I will defend against them, but I will not attack them without being provoked.” He owed them too much for that. “They took me in when I was young, hungry and homeless. I owe them that much.” He hoped his explanation made sense and was understandable…though he doubted it.

”You won't make a very good soldier if you can’t follow orders.” Deathbelle cautioned lifting her head higher. He didn’t realize that she wouldn’t lose much if he denied her. Everyone started at the bottom, he had to prove his skills and prove his worth before he got to make any demands. ”You blindly obey because you have the sense to know who your betters are, and you trust that their decisions are best for you and the Empire.” He couldn’t have selfish desires, even the Empress knew (after many errors) that the pack needed to come first. ”Show me I can trust you, then you get to question my decisions.”

He also spoke of his unwillingness to attack the pack that currently housed him, and for a moment she debated about taking him right that moment. That would upset Lirim’s alpha for certain and maybe they’d get a little conflict out of it. However, she had no doubt the boy was too strong headed to be a good slave. He’d be useless after they broke him.

”At least you’re honest about your weakness.” She made comment, committing to memory the words. Mostly it put her on edge because of the potential for the boy to relay information back to said pack. There was no tension between the two packs at the moment, but who could claim to know the future. ”You’ll be kept from any future conflict on Lirim’s land.” She wouldn’t be able to trust him in that position anyway. ”If you still think you wish to pledge yourself to Ashen go, remove yourself from Lirim’s ranks.”

Sandor shook his head slightly as she spoke. She thought he would be a good soldier if he followed every command she gave, but Sandor was not a wolf to be cowed and follow carelessly. He had a sense of self preservation but that also extended to those he was loyal to. She continued, explaining her logic, and he listened silently, absorbing the words with bright eyes. “You’re right, I wont make a good soldier. I’ll make a great one because I don’t require my leader to hold my paw should a mission not go as planned. Blind obedience snuffs out independent thinking.” He never thought he would be quoting his father, yet there he was, quoting a ghost. “I trust my leaders have the best interest for the pack, but I don’t trust they have the best interest of the individual. Pack comes before the singular.” He shrugged, “least that’s my experience.” It was clear he had trust issues, but for him trust was earned just as much as respect was. “And if I see a flaw or a potentially better way?” He asked, head cocking to the side, trying to get a feel for how far his obedience was expected to go.

She was right, he was far too strong willed to make a good slave, but the idea never crossed his mind either, slavery was not something he had seen or really heard of before. He nodded as she mentioned his weakness, but otherwise remained silent on the subject. A flicker of surprise danced through his eyes as she said he would be kept from any future Lirim conflict and he nodded greatfully, happy that he would not have to face those that had taken him in as a pup any time soon. She told him to remove himself from Lirim’s ranks if he still wished to pledge himself to Ashen and he would nod quietly. “I’ll do so.” Ashen felt like the right home…even if he had to deal with blind obedience- something he would certainly struggle with. Sandor would not lose his head, however, he would fiend blind obedience until he proved himself trustworthy to have an opinion- if that’s what she required. If nothing else was said, he would turn and depart, heading back towards Lirim, if she said more, he would stay and listen.

The boy thought highly of himself, and Deathbelle couldn’t help but want to see him get knocked down a few pegs. The possibility of her personally delivering that blow was even better. ”Do as you’re told. We’ll see if you get a chance to use that head of yours.” She peered at him as he stated the obvious, yes they all worked for the benefit of the whole. Unless you held a high rank, especially if you had a high rank, you put the pack ahead of yourself. ”As it should. If you wish to integrate yourself here, Ashen comes first.”

With one more statement the boy turned to leave. She wondered slightly how Torin would do with the news that the boy was defecting. Even more she was curious how the boy would do in his pursuit of greatness. Ashen didn’t welcome the weak or unloyal.