On the back of the raid (which while officially a success, still felt like a massive failure) Aryn had decided she needed further training. Recluse had graciously allowed her the freedom of a short trip outside pack lands, fulfilling a request Aryn had personally made in the hopes of being able to advance her skills. Hearing that Recluse would allow this of her had made the Valentine woman feel slightly better about where she stood within her pack - until it became clear that the potoo bird would once again be instructed to accompany her. She felt betrayed; Aryn had been a perfect member of Habari up until the Long Night, and only while out of control of her facilities had she fled. Once she'd recovered she had returned of her own free will and had worked her butt off to benefit her pack. At what point did the past stay in the past? Would Recluse ever allow her to move forward from here?

With the stupid supervising bird overhead, Aryn stomped angrily across a multitude of territories west. She said nothing to the bird in question, not even when the multi-day journey had her near insane with boredom and loneliness. By the time she made it to Aerie's territories, Aryn had lost every ounce of hesitation to approach. She'd gone over the conversation a hundred times over in her head, had imagined every possible reaction including the worst case scenarios. Armed with hours of theoretical conversational practice, she approached the oddly shaped lake.

Weirdly enough, the scent border had faded. A bustle in the distance still spoke to wolves living in the area, so why would they no longer maintain their borders? This was not something she'd expected nor rehearsed. Idling uncomfortably on the abandoned perimeter, she contemplated her next move. Did she howl for him? What if he wasn't here anymore? Did she just walk on in, and would that come back to bite her if this land was no longer Aerie owned? Acknowledging the potoo for the first time in the journey, she tipped her head up to the supervising bird and shrugged. Unsure how to proceed, she simply sat, watched, and waited. Someone would come to greet her, right?

Eligos had just returned from a quick trip to trade for the beeswax mixture they were using to treat the hides for their shelters to finish up the last of them when he spotted a familiar but very unexpected figure lurking at what had once been Aerie's border looking uncertain. "Aryn?" he rumbled interrogatively as he came upon her. "Is there something wrong?" He couldn't deny that he was glad to see her away from that idiot pack that had punished her, though he was less pleased to still scent it on her. He was surprised to still feel guilt at the sight of her, at the reminder of his mistreatment of her. It was hardly the first time he had hurt someone, but he couldn't help but regret the knowledge that he'd lost the one outsider who had looked at him and not seen a monster. He braced himself for her to turn to him with that hurt in her eyes accusing him wordlessly, but kept his face carefully smooth and polite regardless. He couldn't imagine what had brought her all the way here unless she was specifically seeking him out, but why?

So Aerie was still here, leaving Aryn with more questions than she had answers. Eligos arrived, looking equally as confused as she felt, posing a question of his own. Her ears slicked back but she swallowed and held her scarred head high, trying to muster up whatever confidence she had instilled upon herself on the long walk here. "Yes, something is wrong." She admitted. Lots was wrong. Habari was a terrible place to live, she'd made a new friend, she wanted to live there, with her ... but Aryn did not want to say all that to Eligos. A part of her felt like if she admitted her desire to go elsewhere even further from him and Aerie, that it would be all but accepting that there had never been anything between them and never would be. She swallowed, returning to her script.

Being careful to not appear sulking or in need of rescue, she kept her voice level and did her best to not let the nerves show upon her face. "I want to fight for my right to leave Habari but I'm not strong enough. I came here looking to hire you to train me, but-" Her voice wavered, the uncertainty pouring through as her pink gaze swept off his own and onto the surrounding territory. "- Well, are you still... doing stuff like that?" If Eligos and his pack were still here, why were his borders no longer maintained?