Though the torches did provide some heat, the path up the mountain was far more frigid than most of the pack was used to, and the veritable blizzard they were walking through was certainly not helping. They wrapped themselves in as many fur coats and blankets as they had, in particular Kaleeth and Ahnasha. Although Ahnasha had an easier time in the cold than the others, she was also carrying Rhazii and wanted to keep him wrapped up as thickly as possible. Normally, he did not like having his vision of the world around him obscured, but it only took him a few attempts of sticking his head out of the furs to discover that it was unpleasant. 

Fortunately, the lycans escorting them did not seem to be as hostile as their first impressions would suggest. Janius started off the talk, which quickly shifted to Kaleeth. "Oh...that's okay.  My name is Kaleeth-Rei. No, I've never been up here before. I'm from Black Marsh; I've always lived there. I hate it up here; it's so, what is the word? Freezing. Why do people live here willingly?" 

The conversation continued throughout the climb up the mountain path, with each of them eventually giving their introductions. They did not begin talking about more serious matters, as that conversation was best saved for their Alpha, but talking in general did at least help distract them from  the cold. Eventually, they moved off of the road and along a moderately steep part of the mountain. Certainly, wherever their destination was, it was not convenient to get to. For it to be worthwhile to make such a climb every time one wanted to return, it must have been an exceptional hideout. Anders led them into a partially obscured cave entrance in the side of the mountain, which immediately started to slope steeply down once they were inside. Because of the smoke from their torches, they had to extinguish them in the confined space, but just as Anders had said, it grew warmer the further down they went. The path would have been pitch black had several of the group not been capable of magelight. They walked for a few minutes through a passage that seemed to be completely abandoned unti they turned a corner and saw a light in a chamber ahead of them. 

Anders walked into the small chamber first. Though wider than the passages they had been going through it still felt crowded once everyone was inside. They were met by three people, obviously lycans by their scents, gathered at a simple table. There was only one light source in the room, a bright enchanted lantern with a persistent magelight inside. It allowed for light without the worry of smoke choking up the air. By this point, the air only had a slight chill, so most of the pack had shed all but a single coat each. 

It was obvious that the three lycans were lookouts, as one of them, an Imperial woman, was quick to question Anders about the unfamiliar individuals he had in tow. He was quick to explain who they were, which Meesei confirmed by extending her hand forward to show the ring. 

"Is that...oh my!" The woman began, looking up from the Ring at Meesei with obvious surprise. "You're...the Champion? I'm sorry, I didn't expect...what brings you here?"

"I wish I could say it was a social visit, but our business is important. We need to speak with your Alpha, Jerrick." Meesei answered. 

The Imperial seemed nervous, but she quickly nodded as she collected herself. "Right, of course. I, uh, I think I know where he is right now. One of the dining rooms, I believe. Uhh, come on, I'll take you to him." She offered after taking a moment to consider it in her mind. She took the lead, guiding both the pack and Anders' group further into the cave, which was now level, instead of sloping down. The air grew gradually warmer, but there were still came across no other lycans in the cave they were in. Meesei wondered how large this cave system would have to be in order to have such a long entrance and [i]multiple[/i] dining rooms. That is, until they came to the entrance of the hideout proper. 

At the end of the cave was a hole in the cave wall, which met immediately with a hole in the unmistakable stone of an Ayleid ruin. Stepping into the first hall, they were met with air that was actually [i]warm[/i], like the southern parts of Cyrodiil, which prompted them to remove their coats entirely. The ancient Ayleid magic which kept the magical torches that lined the walls lit also kept the air at a comfortable temperature, even with the blizzard above. Even though they were still underground, the tall ceilings made it seem as if the world had opened up before them in comparison to the confined cave that served as the entrance, especially once they reached the first chamber. It had an even taller ceiling than the hallway behind them, and looked to be a sort of armory or storage area. Since it was the closest room to the entrance, it was likely where members of the pack prepared themselves to leave their hideout for whatever business they might have outside. The higher parts of the ceiling showed definite wear, but the walls closer to the floor looked like they had been cleaned up in comparison to most Ayleid ruins. In just this room alone, there were about a dozen people before they stepped inside. They were all outfitting themselves with equipment that made them seem like hunters, though a dozen individuals was quite a large hunting party, and they did not seem nearly as interested in the strangers to their home as Meesei would have expected. 

"This place...it is impressive. Do you have to deal with many adventurers looking to plunder it, or scholars trying to study it?" Meesei asked curiously. 

The Imperial woman shook her head. "Oh, no, we're well hidden up here. The actual entrance to this place was covered up no telling how long ago. Probably in a landslide or something. It's not on any maps I've ever seen; we found it by chance. I wasn't actually with the scouting party that found it, but from what I understand, they were looking around caves in the mountain when they found the cave we were just in. It wouldn't have been that great of a hideout, but one of them just happened to notice a small hole in the cave's wall that revealed a small piece of the ruin's wall. Well, we knocked down that wall, send some people in to scout and disarm all the traps, then we moved the whole pack here. Some of the scholars have been studying the place. They figured out what the Ayleids called it, but I, uh, forgot the name. I just know it's made a great home."

As they walked out of the armory and into the next hallway, Meesei's eyes wandered around, admiring the relatively well-preserved stonework. "I can imagine. These ruins were cities for the ancient Ayleids. It should easily be able to serve even a large pack's needs. Speaking of that, how many members does your pack have, anyway? Yours is a pack that handles new bloods, correct? I would guess quite a few."

The woman gave a slight huff. "Oh, I can't even begin to guess, not anymore. Used to, our pack could reach up to a little over a hundred werewolves, and the occasional other variants of lycans, but now...well, we've blown that record out of the water. I don't know what's causing it, but we've been getting just so many new bloods for the past...year or two, I think. It started out as a slower growth, but now, we're getting new members faster than we can find territory for them. A lot of our members are trained and ready, but we can't send them out fast enough. A lot of people of all ages here. This ruin is massive, so we have room, but it's starting to feel like a city down here.  We've had to branch out from more than just hunting to keep everyone fed. Still, we've tackled all those challenges, and so far, it's been working."

Meesei nodded in response to show her interest, but she did not actually voice her thoughts. The news of the pack's expansion was certainly curious. She wondered what could cause such a drastic increase in the number of new lycans. It could be that Hircine was spreading his gift farther in order to prepare for war, but at the moment, Meesei had no evidence for that. Perhaps later, she would be able to find someone in the pack who might have more knowledge on the situation, but for now, she was just concerned with talking to Jerrick.