Arete coughed then weakly stirred on the sand. She folded her legs, head burning up. She gently coiled into a ball, not yet noting the Alpha there. Whimpering to herself, she weakly grasped at the sand, silt coating her usually silky hair. A tear dripped down her cheek and she slowly forced herself to her feet. Swaying, she began to weakly wander back home. She was so used to being alone that she didn't seem to notice Satoshi. Limping slightly, Arete slowly looked up the tall steep mountain that she'd begun to call her home. She took a deep breath, shivering. The young dragoness silently curled up near a rock and listlessly stared into the sand, feeling weak and tired. She doubted her ability to fly back up. Groaning, she looked up to note the Alpha there. "No...," she started, knowing what he'd say. "I don't need to live closer to the village." She knew that he considered her home to be too far away, especially since she'd been diagnosed with melithisia a few weeks back. Arete sighed. She didn't want to be sick; she certainly didn't need pills. She could survive on her own. Except this incident only pointed more to the fact that she couldn't.