Ahnasha shook her head. "Not a chaurus. Actually, you killed a chaurus. Not exactly cleanly, but you did well for a beginner. No, you were hit by a frost spell from a wispmother. It is a type of undead; a specter. You spotted some wisps and became curious, so you split from the pack and chased them for a few moments. They led you to their wispmother and attacked. We were able to kill it afterwards."

Throughout her explanation, Ahnasha maintained a neutral tone, presenting more as a statement of events. She wanted to see how readily Rhazii would identify and accept that he had done something wrong.

Kaleeth sighed briefly. She was already frustrating herself with the fact that she could not think of the exact right words to describe what she was feeling, but she had to try regardless. "I know that I'm in the pack. Everyone has always made me feel welcome, and I do definitely feel like family to the others, but...it's still hard not to feel that I'm not meant to be in the pack, if that makes sense?" She ansered. "I mean, it took a lot of trying for everyone to make me feel welcome. Everyone has to give me space when we hunt so that I don't risk hurting anyone. The others are always having to warn other lycans about me to keep them from accidentally agitating me. I just don't have the right instincts for a pack. The only thing that lets me be in the pack is my normal, um...rational mind. I always have to fight against my beast spirit. Part of me wonders if it's fair for me to make everyone else go through all this effort for me?"

Rhazii sat up properly and laid his hands in his lap while Ahnasha spoke. He looked up to her with a curious frown. He paused afterwards, unsure what to make of his mother's tone. Looking at Fendros didn't help either; his expression was neutral as well.

"I split off? Into an undead creature?" He asked them both. "I'm...and I wasn't meant to do that?" Rhazii raised his brow, stared ahead and shook his head. "That had to have been my beast spirit. I just remember being focussed. I don't remember anything except the cold and getting hurt and...trying to say sorry. That's right." He lowered his voice. "I messed up, didn't I?"

Fendros knelt down beside Ahnasha. "It can be difficult to control your beast spirit without any practice. Many lycans don't even have half the memories of their first transformation that you did. It got excited and it was not entirely your fault, though what happened was dangerous. Now that you are transforming, your mother and I have decided that you should start learning as soon as you can."

Rhazii nodded, still exhausted.

"We will be teaching you every day until you can be confident enough to transform and be in control on your own."

The extra detail made Rhazii's eyes shoot up and widen at Fendros. "Every day!?"

Janius held Kaleeth a little tighter while he thought of how to answer. He eventually came up with something half-baked, though it completed in his mind as he went. "I think...Kaleeth, you might be assuming that we're in a pack because we're werewolves and that's what wolves do. But, it isn't about instinct. Not really- or...not completely." He looked in Lorag and Meesei's direction. "Take Meesei, or Lorag when she's not around. We don't take turns eating after them because they want to exercise dominance over us. It's because it's just an accommodation to our beast spirits. Meesei and Lorag might think it's unfair to make us wait, but we aren't bothered, because we have learned to live with each other. They have to exercise their rational minds all the time to prevent themselves becoming tyrannical, abusive leaders, even if they love us." Janius gestured to Sabine. "You saw what happened when Meesei was too weak to control herself. She struck Sabine, probably out of anger, but also to be dominant like the alpha she is."

After shifting to look at Kaleeth properly, Janius gave her a small smile. "Now, we might have to make accommodations for you every now and then. That doesn't mean you don't belong. We prefer to have you, with everything that comes with it. Is that what has been on your mind?"

Ahnasha remained quite firm, though considering the fact that Rhazii certainly recognized he had done something wrong, she made sure not to seem like she was angry with him. "Every day that we are able, yes. We are going to have to give up a lot of our free time too in order to train you. More than you will actually, compared to how much free time we actually have. I hope that tells you exactly how important this is. Hunting is one of the most basics aspects of being a lycan. Hircine's purpose for creating lycanthropy was to create a being that could be both the perfect hunter and prey. We have to overcome those who hunt us in order to become hunters ourselves, and for that, we need control. You are going to need control of your beast as fast as possible. It won't be hard for you, though. As long as you put in the effort."

Kaleeth still did not look to be particularly encouraged by Janius' attempt to reassure her. "I know all of that. The pack is my family, you are my mate, and I never want to change that." She said, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Even with the trouble I have, I am happy being with you all. It is just..."

Breathing out a sigh, Kaleeth returned her head to resting on Janius' shoulder and looking out over the others. "Maybe it isn't meant for me to be in the pack forever? At least, not like I am now. With the war and everything, I agree we need to all be together, but what about afterwards? If we are ever able to defeat Vile, would it really be best for me to try to be a part of a werewolf pack? I wouldn't want to leave the clan, or go anywhere away from the pack. I would still want to be able to see everyone everyday, but maybe I would just be less stressed all the time if I hunted alone and just...acted more like a werecrocodile?"

Rhazii didn't have any refutation to Ahnasha's reasoning. That didn't mean he felt any better about it. He looked down, pouting slightly and lowering his ears. "Does it have to be every day, though?"

"I'm afraid so, son," Fendros said. "If you transform against your will because we left training too long and you end up hurting yourself or someone else, you might never forgive yourself. Your beast spirit is a power to be respected. You are responsible for it now."

In response, Rhazii groaned and his tail curled until it was in his lap.

Fendros reached out to pat Rhazii on the shoulder. "Growing up can be difficult, Rhazii. But trust us, this is not the hardest thing you will face. We both went through it, and we didn't even have our lycanthropy to warn us it was starting."

Rhazii raised his eyes to reveal an annoyed look. He looked to Fendros sceptically. "Is what you told me about where cubs-?"

"-No! Well, hopefully not this soon," Fendros interrupted. "It's about the other changes you'll have in your life as you become an adult. This is a milestone, and I'm proud of you." Fendros began to stand up. "Remember, we'll be here if you have any questions. Nothing is beyond asking, I promise. Now come, I think we'll be heading back to camp soon."

Without an answer, Rhazii began to stand up as well. News of his new training regime had evidently put a damper on his mood.

Janius looked ahead again and sighed. He took a couple of slow blinks to think about Kaleeth's intentions. "Hmm." He looked torn. "It is a reasonable thing, really. We could still all be together." He turned his head towards her with a slightly worried brow. "I would miss you on hunts. Do you think, every now and then, we might still hunt together? It does not have to be every time, I just...I enjoy hunting with you."

Seeing as Rhazii, while he was upset, was not actually arguing with them, Ahnasha decided to try to give him some reassurance. As he stood up, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Like I said, you shouldn't worry too much. Remember what I told you about the lycan clans before the war? They were meant pretty much completely to help lycans learn control and find packs for them. So, there are a lot of people here that are good at teaching control, and we learned from them. If you do well enough, then we won't need the daily training anymore. So, I'd recommend you make sure to put in the effort."

Kaleeth saw that the others were starting to move, likely because they were about to leave. She did not particularly want to get up at the moment, but she also did not want to call attention to her mood. For the moment, she stayed where she was with Janius, but if it looked like they were about to go, she would get up without argument. "My beast isn't as bothered by you, really. I don't think crocodiles keep the same mates all their live, but at the same time, I don't think my beast spirit really cares about that. As long as it has a mate at all, it is happy with it. And of course it doesn't mind being with Julan. I guess it could tolerate us hunting together. I just hope the others don't start to think that I don't want to be around them."

Rhazii mumbled something barely intelligible under his voice that had something to do with the training being unfair. He was likely going to stay annoyed about the sudden news for the rest of the night at the very least. They began to walk back to camp to get some sleep in a more comfortable setting.

Janius was glad to hear that they could still hunt together as a couple, at least. His tone was more optimistic about Kaleeth's worries. "If you explain it to them like you explained it to me, I don't foresee them thinking that. Like you said, you'll still be in the clan and we can still be in company like a family. They would probably miss you on hunts as well, but you don't sound like you want to shut yourself away completely."

With the others gathering to head back to camp, Janius stood up and offered a hand to help Kaleeth up to her feet. "I'm glad you spoke to me about this. I don't want to see you put yourself under unnecessary stress, my dear. I'll carry Julan and we can talk while we move."

The rest of the night was uneventful after they made their way back to their hunting camp, where they remained for the rest of the night. Members of the clan were returning back to the Silent City for all of the next day, but Meesei still had a crowd for her duel with her challenger. She did win the duel without too much trouble, and she did manage to avoid killing the Breton. Still, it would not be the last duel that Meesei would have to face over the coming years.

As time passed, Meesei returned more fully to her active role in the war effort. Her body grew healthier, so the people would see her as being stronger, and more importantly, their warriors saw her taking direct part in attacks against Vile's followers. Once again, the Champion's pack was having successes against the enemy in difficult, impactful missions all across Tamriel, from the Summerset Isle to the island of Solstheim. Hircine's followers had their Champion again, and she was now stronger than ever. However, Meesei could not escape the feeling that the goodwill she had earned among the clans was forever tainted. After all, she had failed once, so the mythos surrounding their pack no longer painted them as being unstoppable. People no longer believed that she could not fail, so Meesei knew she would have to come to accept the new ways in which Hircine's followers viewed her. When Meesei and her pack were not carrying out missions, she made an effort to spend more time with Sabine than she had before. Sometimes, she would carry out magical research with her, or pass on some of the magical secrets she had learned over the past few years. Other times, she would simply try to relax with her, as she felt the need to try and repair the relationship she felt she had damaged with her daughter.

For the war itself, the clans seemed as if they were making surprising amounts of progress against Vile's followers. With some help from the Empire and Dominion, they were able to produce more antidote, and therefore were able to take more direct actions against the enemy. As well, they made use of other allies, such as non-lycan followers of Hircine or the followers of Molag Bal to attack where they could not. Over time, the war shifted from delaying the inevitable to pushing back against the enemy. Although, reports from Saras made the enemy's decline appear far more strange than it appeared on the surface. The majority of the clans' people simply thought that they were winning the war conventionally, but Saras was convinced that they had not done near enough actual damage to enemy forces or resources to cause them to weaken as they had. Attacks against the clans were reduced dramatically, but Saras' reports suggested that the enemy should have the means to attack more frequently, and successfully. What was more, Vile's followers were certainly not being inactive. He could link Vile's agents to attacks against Talos worshipers all across the Empire, and he found evidence of inquiries and investments made by enemy agents that seemed to have nothing to do with lycans. Saras even discovered that the enemy had funded an archeological dig near the base of the Throat of the World: a place that near which the clans had little, if any activity. The enemy had goals that they did not understand, and according to some of Saras' infiltrators, it was creating some unrest among the enemy. Those who had joined based on personal vendettas against lycans were growing agitated with the apparent shift in priorities, and in some cases, started acting on their own. All of this would seem to be good news for Tamriel's lycan clans, but there were so many unknown in the mysterious puzzle that was this war that Meesei was not ready to stop worrying just yet.

Two years after Rhazii's first transformation, the Champion's pack was on one of the most sensitive missions to date. It was perhaps not the most dangerous, but there was some potential for certain political problems to arise. They were in County Bravil to the west of the city, near the border to Elsweyr. They were not far from the city, though they had still made camp in the forest regardless, as they had brought Leaps along with them. He had grown rather...large, and most stable owners would not dare try to watch after him without a sizable fee. Currently, Rhazii and Julan were watching after him in their camp. Rhazii was nearing his sixteenth birthday, so both he and Julan could be trusted to take care of themselves as long as they were not being brought directly into danger.

For the rest of the pack, they were joined by Marod and Lunise in tracking a specific person who was meant to be crossing the Elsweyr border. In fact, they were expecting to find a small, but devoted squad of former Thalmor soldiers in the service of a formerly high ranking Thalmor official who had defected from the government. He had once been exceptionally high ranking and was a part of the inner circle of the Thalmor's leadership, but without warning, he stole some sensitive information and fled the Summerset Isles. Normally, it would not be a concern of Meesei's, but there was also some evidence to suggest he had started communicating with some of Vile's followers after his escape. In the interest of preventing Thalmor secrets from falling into enemy hands, Meesei had agreed to coordinate with Lunise and Marod to capture him.

The pack was lying in wait in the forest near the river crossing that the rogue Thalmor was expected to use. They had spread out enough to get a wide view of the river, though they were still close enough that they would be able to see one another if they were not hiding behind bushes. Meesei was with Marod and Lunise, obscuring herself behind a tree and using life detection to observe the other bank of the river. There were hills on both sides of the river, so if their target did cross, then they would be caught without the high ground in the river.

"I do not see anything yet. Nothing more than birds." Meesei updated the other two with her. "Would you expect him to have the knowledge of how to obscure he and his men from life detection? He was among the upper echelon of the Dominion government."

The more life changed for the pack over the next two years, the more it seemed to stay the same. Wounds left by destroyed clans and Meesei's behaviour were healing, but they left scars. There was less dread about the war, but it was still ongoing. The hope of the pack and the rest of the lycan population was starting to clash with the fatigue that the war brought.

Meesei's pack in particular had spent much of their lives dedicated to the war so far. Many of them were in their late thirties and forties. In particular, Lorag's was greying, Meesei's scales had lost some of their green vibrance, and even Janius had begun to show smile lines and roughness to the point where his previously dashing description was lost. Replaced with a wisdom of the years.

Janius was perhaps the most stressed about it when he first noticed. The revelation would have been much harder to handle, but reflecting back on his prime years had seen him find a beautiful wife and child, many proud accomplishments, and the capability remaining to accomplish more.

A similar stress came over Sabine on her thirtieth birthday. She had sunken so much of her time into her research and the war that the reality of her aging process upset the other, less-pursued desires in her life. She did not allow herself time for long term relationships and she felt as though she was missing her chance. This was an avenue where Meesei had been able help, and began to reforge what they had lost as a mother and daughter. Meesei had no mate; she had not been looking either and she appeared content. The distress still got to Sabine occasionally, however, and she began to try making new friends. Unfortunately, she found it hard both to relate to those in her clan and for others to relate to her. She was part of the champion's pack, with an aura of power around her. Even then, her small successes were stymied by missions that took her away from the clan.

Also unfortunate was that Meesei's efforts to repair her relationship with Sabine did not make things entirely as they once were. They were able to reform the familial bond they had, with trust reestablished. Although, the way Sabine spoke to Meesei was still as a mature adult. Gone was the softness in her voice that was reserved for Meesei, akin to how she was as a teenager. That would never come back.

Exempt from the same passage of time were Ahnasha and Fendros. Naturally, Fendros did not show signs of aging due to his Dunmer longevity. Ahnasha's life-extending rituals kept her ten to fifteen years younger than the rest of them, and counting. There was a small measure of jealousy, but it was not everyone else's aging that made it a quiet topic. It was the wilful ignorance that most of the pack maintained around Ahnasha's necromancy. Still, the pair enjoyed their preserved youth while watching their child grow.

Rhazii's transformation set a timer for Julan's first full moon hunt almost immediately. Rhazii's bitterness regarding his training in his beast spirit was quickly offset by the thrill and strength it gave him. Julan's beast spirit put an end to notions of that invincibility. It was the point at which their roles were completely reversed. The previously much taller and stronger Rhazii was outmatched by Julan's werecrodile form, altering their relationship from a big and little brother dynamic closer to a mutual respect. Still, they were teenage boys now. The frequency of their overconfident behaviour, hooliganism, and wilful arguments increased. They both enjoyed growth spurts that gave them prodigious stomach capacities and hormones that raged with sometimes greater savagery than their beast spirits. Rhazii in particular outgrew Lorag to become the tallest member of the pack. Whatever trouble they got into, however, Rhazii and Kaj-Julan were still brothers. Nothing could separate them.

---

Two years of time to develop the relationship between the Dominion, the Empire, and the lycan clans had made the interception at the river possible. Not only was a member of the Empire involved, but Lunise had been especially conservative about favours the lycans could do for the Dominion. She had kept an air of supremacy about her nation that told Saras and Meesei that she could walk out of agreements at any time without anything they could do about it. This was the first and only exception. The rogue official had eluded Dominion authorities up until the end of their jurisdiction and Lunise revealed all about the situation. Lunise angled it in a way for the lycans to prove their worth, though it was clear from the outside that she needed them. So here they were.

Lunise did not look away from the river. Marod was by her side, as much to ensure that he didn't spirit away anything of the Dominion's as he was in their agreement to keep transparency. "That kind of magic is not common, even amongst Altmer," she said. "That noted, none get far in Dominion politics without a strong magical tradition. I can tell you the most common method, for it is easy to counteract." Lunise turned her frowning face to Meesei. "Search for the dead, not the living."

"You mean to say that he is a vampire?" Marod commented quietly.

Lunise sneered and turned her head around to Marod. "No. Not essentially. Anyone with a cursory understanding of undead can manipulate their life force to appear undead. On that note..." Lunise's expression turned neutrally towards Meesei again. "He will detect us in a similar manner without further precautions. He is no fool."

Marod continued in spite of the conversation. "Is that how we were not detected on our approach to the first meeting with Saras?"

"Again, no." Lunise sighed. "We were detected by scent at any rate, but there are more ways than than one to obscure one's life force. Especially with Psijic magics."

Meesei was not even in a position to be able to see the river with her own eyes, instead using both forms of life detection periodically to observe her surroundings. They had been waiting long enough that their target was due to arrive. Sabine had previously scouted ahead and knew they were on approach. She had not been able to close in enough to glean many details, but their target, the Altmer named Areldril, was on horseback, along with two others. This was the closest river crossing that was suitable for their mounts.

"It would not surprise me if he had command of uncommon forms of magic." Meesei commented. "He was the chief scholar and researcher of ancient civilizations for the Thalmor. Not to mention his work on Daedra and the Divine. With the resources available to him, I would wager on him being among the most educated people in Tamriel. With any magical ability of his own, he could be a serious threat."

There was another ten minutes of waiting before Meesei detected something. Quite a few things, actually. It was a large group, consistent with the size that Sabine had reported. None of their life forces were obscured in any way, so either Areldril did not know how to hide him, he did not know they were being tracked, or he simply did not care if they were found.

From the treeline on the other side of the river, Areldril's group started making their way down the hill to the crossing. Areldril himself was on a horse near the back, surrounded by about ten or so Altmer and a few Bosmer in Elven armor. However, they were also joined by another ten individuals of varying races wearing no kind of uniform. Areldril had, according to their information, been joined exclusively by other Thalmor soldiers, so these others were likely, based on the context, followers of Vile leading him out of the Dominion.

Marod, Lunise, and Meesei's pack were all on edge, ready and waiting for their moment to strike. The plan was for them to wait until as many of them were in the water as possible, or until they were spotted, to put their enemy in the worst tactical position as possible. After a few moments, Vile's followers were crossing the river ahead of the rogue Thalmor, but it was at that point that a dog with the group of Vile's started sniffing the air, then began barking loudly and ceaselessly. The dog's handler immediately recognized the signal, so they started to draw their weapons. Meesei's pack too were just about to begin their attack, but Areldril had an entirely different plan in mind. He was in the back on his horse, with a slight glow on his hand. He had already used his magic on approach to detect the ambushers, and yet he had done nothing to stop Vile's followers from springing the trap. Instead, he looked out over the trees across the river with a calm confidence in his expression.

"Ah, it seems our acquaintances have brought me exactly what I wanted. Men, you know what to do." Areldril said aloud. His Elven soldiers drew bows, swords, and readied their spells, but Vile's followers in the river were too caught up in the confusion to notice that they were not aiming at the lycans. Instead, arrows and spellfire rained down on those in the river, from behind as well as from Meesei's pack. With no preparations against this surprise betrayal, Areldril's supposed allies were cut down in mere moments; some to arrows, and others to the shock spells that were amplified by the water of the river.

The very moment the betrayal was complete, Areldril raised up his hand, signaling for his men to lower their weapons. They were on the other side of the river from Meesei's pack, and still armed, but Meesei was both surprised and uncertain enough to halt her attack before it could begin, at least for the moment. The last thing she had expected from this ambush was for the rogue Thalmor to turn on their allies in the opening of the fight. The situation was certainly even more complicated than it had initially appeared.

"You are the lycanthropes, yes? Good to see that you were competent enough to track me. At any rate, I surrender." He shouted across the river. Despite his words, his tone still had that unmistakable air of Thalmor superiority.

Most reactions amongst the lycans were those of silent confusion. Marod joined in with his own tilted head and lowered brow. Lunise, on the other hand, began to look angrier and angrier. She curled her fingers into the dirt she was crouching on and her deeply frowning face began to fade into red and purple.

After an awkward moment where Marod wondered whether to ask what should happen next, Lunise began to hiss words through her teeth. "Meesei, if you tell me to stay here until I am needed, do so now. Elsewise, I will speak with him until you and your companions are needed."

The impatience on Lunise's tone told of little time to think before Meesei would have to answer.

Areldril peered intently across the river. He glanced first at Kaleeth, though seemed quickly disinterested in her before he turned his attention to Meesei. "Yes, you match the description of the lizard I needed to speak to. Hmm, what luck. Well, I should specify the full conditions for my surrender are that you allow my men to go on their way, and you...interrogate me forthwith so that I can tell you what I know." The Altmer shouted across the river.

After Areldril gave his conditions, Meesei quickly answered Lunise. "It seems as though he has a particular interest in me. Based on the situation, I would reason he either intends to get close to me so that he can attack, or he wanted to speak to me from the beginning. I will admit this is most unusual, but there seems to be more to this than we expected. I should speak to him, but you both may want to join. Would you find the terms he gave for his surrender acceptable? From your report, he is the only one of importance among them, and he may not be as cooperative if we attack. We will just need to require that he hand over the books and scrolls he stole."

"They are all criminals," Lunise's fury did not stop building in her quiet voice. "They cannot be let loose."

Marod fortunately spoke up with more authority. "Wait, Lunise. Don't let him get to you. He would not present himself if he did not have a means to escape. We should take him out of his own terms before dealing with him further." He turned his eyes to Lunise directly. "Besides, Meesei's men can track the others later if needed. Isn't that right, champion?"

Lunise's nostrils flared and she relaxed her hands. "Fine. Meesei?" Lunise's face turned back to its more neutrally disdainful expression. "We shall come with you, but do not get closer than you need to until all his men are clear and we can support you if he tries anything." She turned her head forward and began to stand up. "Let us see if he expected to see all of us at once."

As if she was never skulking at all, Lunise stood up to her full height with her regular military posture. From her dark purple gloves, a ward and some kind of defensive spell were charged and ready for trouble at a moment's notice. She began to walk forward. "If they are not out of my sight within the minute, Areldril, I will kill every one of your men on sight, as is within my authority against accomplices to treason! You will not move."

Marod was less confrontational in his approach. He had a longsword sword drawn, but he held it resting on his shoulder and pointed up with his fingers supporting its pommel. He did not say a word, but instead looked to Meesei for how she would join the dialogue.

Meesei answered Marod without a hint of doubt in her tone. "We can follow them. They will only escape if we allow them to escape."

While Lunise was giving her threats, Meesei motioned for her nearest pack member, Lorag, to approach, then quietly instructed him to order Ahnasha to follow Areldril's men when they departed. By the time she had given her order, it was time for her to step forward along with Marod and Lunise to confront their new captive. Stepping up beside them, she shouted across to the Altmer authoritatively. "Ensure that you have the documents you stole with you. If they are not all accounted for, then we will pursue your men, and they will not be able to escape us."

Across the river, Areldril took a leisurely pace at readying himself to part from his men. He slowly stepped down from his horse, then untied one of the bags attached to the saddle. One of the Altmer on a horse beside Areldril, most likely his second-in-command, climbed down off of his horse as well purely so he could bow respectfully below Areldril's eye level during their farewells.

Just as Lunise requested, Areldril waited in place while his men left, heading along the edge of the river in the direction of Bravil. They would likely cross over at some point and continue on into the forest, but it was Ahnasha's job to track them from that point. In the meantime, Meesei started to walk across the river while the rest of the pack waited just at the riverbank. Both Fendros and Sabine could quickly attack from a distance if he tried anything threatening, so Meesei was ready to cast protective spells if the encounter turned violent. By this point, the river was red with blood from those that had been slaughtered while crossing it, but Meesei was not wearing anything on her feet that could be stained while crossing the water.

As Meesei, Marod, and Lunise approached, Areldril offered the bag he had taken from his horse to them. "Here you are: the documents you requested."

Lunise kept the ward charged in her left hand. The spell in her right hand was dismissed as she cast two different spells in quick succession. One had an unclear purpose, coating her in a brief green glow. The second was cast just before Areldril could finish his sentence. Lunise extended her right hand out with a bright orange spell and the saddlebag held out by Areldril was all but torn from his hand. The bag telekinetically flew towards her from across the river while she was crossing with Meesei. It was at this point by her being a head taller than usual compared to Meesei that her previous spell became clear -- her shoes were walking on top of the water.

"You are under arrest, Areldril, and not just for your actions up until reaching this point!" Lunise shouted as she stomped over the surface of the water, fuming. She stabbed the finger of one hand out. "There is something you're not telling us. Either you're further out of your depth than you could ever have let on or you are trying to play me for a fool with some little game or trap you have laid!" She swiped her hand out in front of her. "Not here! Not with me. What is your ploy?"

"Lunise, I trust those are the documents you wanted?" Marod mundanely walked across beside them with his legs ankle-deep in the ford.

Lunise, as if reminded against her will, growled and opened the saddlebag to inspect its contents.

Areldril mostly ignored Lunise's tone. He simply stared at her unemotionally as she approached with Marod and Meesei. He looked at her closely, seeming to inspect her expressions and facial features until his "captors" had reached him. "Hmm, a Thalmor Justiciar in the company of Hircine's Champion. I suppose the only person you could be is Justicar Lunise. A pleasure, I suppose. I had indeed hoped you would not be present for this meeting, but I suppose that was merely wishful thinking. Regardless, what I have to say is far too important to be bothered by you. Merely saying what I know may be enough to shift the course of coming events. Though, I will admit that I am curious what delusions you have in your mind about me. As a man in the inner circle of the Thalmor, a scholar with access to more knowledge and resources than any mage could ever hope, and a noble with more wealth than most people will ever see, I had everything to lose and little to gain by leaving. I am most curious about what is going through your mind on why I would possibly wish to do such a thing. Or have you put any more thought into the situation than what was written on the orders your superiors gave you?"

Turning his attention away from Lunise, Areldril refocused on Meesei. "At any rate, I should get to the matter at hand. They would be most disappointed if I managed to come this far without delivering my message."

"And who is they? Are you referring to those people you slew? Were they followers of Vile?" Meesei asked.

Areldril shook his head. "Those corpses were Vile's cultists, but no, they were not important, and not who sent me to deliver this message. Just means to an end. I have learned about you over the years, about your war with Vile and his cultists. I could justify it as a part of my research into the Daedra, but I did not need to learn about you, I needed to meet you. It was one thing to be able to acquire copies of reports about you, but to actually set up a meeting? Well, that was...outside my role. I could not do so without suspicion, so, I simply needed to attract your attention instead. There is nothing that would do so quicker than to make a 'deal' with the fools who follow Vile. And now we are here. If you think this is some kind of ambush or some other nonsense, then you can take me anywhere you like, so as long as you allow me to explain to you all everything I know."

Lunise stopped rummaging and turned her eyes up to Areldril, glinting with whatever indignant shout was boiling up in her chest. She silently allowed him and Meesei to continue.

Marod had been more level, though even he raised his brow and frowned at Areldril's willingness to cooperate. "We can't fault him for not thinking this through."

"Whatever authority you think you have, Areldril, forget it," Lunise's low voice warned. "You are not protected by the Dominion here. Nor by your ostentatious display to avoid suspicion. When your business here is concluded, you will be taken back for trial. Do not expect that you can walk onto my jurisdiction and have me cooperate like a sugar-dependent cat." Lunise's eyes turned to Meesei. "Champion, I suggest you take Marod's advice, as loathe as I am to encourage his ego."

Across Tamriel, Thalmor tended to be reputable for their egos, and no amount of threats from Lunise seemed like it would change that for Areldril. He stubbornly maintained his dignified posture, as well as his tone. "Hmm, well we shall see what happens. Rest assured that I shall not try to go anywhere against your will. Evidently, this lizard had obtained an unusual degree of power. I shall not attempt to escape her."

At this point, Meesei decided to speak firmly. "Then you should hurry and say what you have to say; no more delays. What message do you have for me that it was worth all of this risk?"

Areldril gave a brief nod. "In short, I have determined the motivations and methods for Clavicus Vile's plans in Nirn."

"If that is true, then I am eager to hear it. Speak." Meesei answered. After so many years of wondering why they were fighting the war to begin with, it was understandable that Meesei would be skeptical of someone suddenly handing the answer to her. She motioned for the rest of her pack to cross the river and join her. She wanted them to be able to hear him themselves, and to be close enough to act if he tried to surprise them.

"Of course, but it does require some background knowledge to make sense. First, what do you know about the Towers?" Areldril asked.

Meesei gave a curious look to Areldril. "The Towers? It sounds familiar, but I am afraid you will have to be more specific."

Areldril answered immediately, barely giving Meesei time to finish her sentence. "The Red Tower, Crystal-Like-Law, White-Gold, Snow-Throat, Green-Sap, Orichale, Walk-Brass, and of course, Ada-Mantia: the original tower from which all others echo. The Towers. I shall admit they are not well-known or understood among even the most educated scholars. Is anyone here educated on their purpose, or do I need to give the explanation?"

The rest of the pack, save for Ahnasha while she was out tracking, emerged from their hiding places to walk up behind Meesei. They began to exchange glances when Areldril began to name the Towers. All of them had heard of at least one of them. Their connection, if there was any, was lost on them.

Lunise stayed sprung with a ward ready to cast. She glared Areldril without a word herself.

Surprisingly, it was Marod who had the most recognition on his face. His previously non-chalant visage faded into a stern realisation. His brow lowered at Areldril, though he did not speak either. The reason for his silence could not be construed as ignorance.

Areldril gave a brief hum as he glanced down at Marod. "I see that there are some educated within the Empire. Regardless, since the majority here are uninformed, I shall give the best explanation I can in...limited time. To truly understand the divine nature of the Towers would take far more time than you have."

Despite Lunise's continued anger and the magic that continued to flow through her, Areldril maintained an unmistakable calm. He was either certain that she would not act on her threats, or he did not consider her to be a danger to him. "A very brief, very rough description of the Towers are that they are what bind Mundus into the rigid, organized form we know today. The first tower, Ada-Mantia, what you would call the Adamantine Tower on the Isle of Balfiera, was the first structure in all of Nirn. It was created by the Et'Ada, along with the Red Tower to keep Mundus stable, allowing it to exist without the presence of the gods. The others came afterwards, created by the Aldmer and other mortals in the Merethic Era. They keep the laws of reality stable, maintain the barriers between Mundus and Oblivion, and prevent even the linear time itself from breaking down. They are some of the least known, but most important structures in Tamriel. For without them, Mundus will revert to its primordial state and cease to exist by any definition of existence that we are familiar with. There is some disagreement among scholars about how many are required. Some say that as long as one remains, Mundus will remain stable, while others, like myself, find it more likely that at least two are required. The ultimate goal of Vile's followers in Tamriel is to deactivate these towers to bring an end to Mundus. I suspect he may seek to gain some advantage through it, perhaps even use the instability to pull Mundus into his realm somehow, though I am less certain on that aspect of his plan. Regardless, the stakes of this war you have been fighting, as you can plainly see, are far, far higher than you could have imagined."

There were no immediate responses beyond looks. Fendros looked sceptical while Janius just seemed confused. Sabine and Lunise remained suspicious. Marod had not changed his expression.

"How is that even possible?" Marod asked. "The towers cannot simply be snuffed out like so many candles."

Fendros added from behind. "And how would anyone be convinced to collapse Mundus? There are zealots in the faith, but surely not enough can condemn reality itself."