[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

"You make it sound easy," Janius commented while Meesei paused. It drew the attention of everyone.

Fendros raised his eyes from his meal and raised one hand slightly. "Let her get to the good parts, Janius," he said in Meesei's defence.

None of this diminished the crowd's interest. If anything, the story's build up was making people more excited. The addition of learning from first hand experience in combating hunters also held their attention like glue.

While Meesei paused, Jerrick and Vera walked into the dining area to take their own place at the edge of the crowd to listen to Meesei's story. Fendros noticed them approach from between the faces and took another glance up at the mezzanine. It appeared as though Darahil had moved on.

It took a few moments, but the people whispering and throwing looks at Sabine eventually quietened when one girl stood up and started to walk towards Sabine's table. She looked about Sabine's age, give or take a year, but was taller. A Nord, by the looks. She wore a smile, but held the fingers of one hand in the other. Sabine stopped eating when she neared, returning her look with a mix of curiosity and wariness. She had just escaped all of that attention, was it going to pursue her?

"Hi! I'm Freida." She waved and gave a charming smile, "You're in Meesei's pack, right? What's your name?"

Sabine's expression still seemed careful. "Sabine," she answered simply.

Freida paused turned her head slightly, expecting a more open response. Still, she kept her smile. "Would you...like to sit with us? I can introduce you to everyone."

For a while, Sabine seemed unsure whether she wanted to meet Freida's friends. She looked over to the circle around Meesei and the pack, then over to the table. She had to admit that it did seem out of the way. That, and Freida didn't seem overbearing like the other strangers.

"Come, we'll be nice," Freida beckoned Sabine to come with her, "I promise."

Sabine was about convinced by then. She stood up off her seat and picked up her bowl. Freida seemed to grin so widely that it looked like her cheeks were going to fold over her eyes if they went much further. With Sabine in tow, she returned to her circle of friends, who all seemed to be just as friendly from the outset. There was Caleb, a dreadlock haired Redguard who kept giving Sabine sideways glances; Thyme, a Bosmer girl who was the smallest, but the loudest; Peiter, a smart mouthed Breton boy; Angela, a black haired Imperial girl who spoke softly, but purposefully; Rikki, an Altmer girl who was precious about her looks; and Sara, another Imperial girl who seemed to laugh at everything. Even if Sabine didn't say much for fear of saying something wrong, she enjoyed the group's company. They were fun and interested, not to mention Sabine felt a connection with them through similar age.

[EliteCommander]

"Indeed, Fendros is correct. The battle did not remain so strongly in our favor forever." Meesei commented after finishing another part of our meal. "Pushing through, deeper into the cave was a fight, but it was not a great challenge. We were fighting in the hunters' home, but as it seemed, they had not been prepared to face us. After the first room, they armed themselves and we were fighting on equal ground, but our skills were more than a match for theirs in that situation. However...we then met the Orc. At first, he seemed to flee. He left some men behind to fight while he retreated further into the cave. Once we killed those men, we caught up to him only to see him collapse part of the cave between us. We thought he intended to escape through an alternate exit, so we took on our werewolf forms and tossed the rocks aside until we made a passage we could crawl through. From there, we dashed ahead with as much speed as we could muster. We did catch up to him, but he was not the coward he made himself out to be." Meesei paused to take a drink. She guessed that the next part of the story would draw the most attention, in particular due to the suppression gas. Undoubtedly, there would be more questions on the gas, perhaps even from the members of the inner circle. As much as Meesei wanted to give Ariel credit for her great contributions in destroying it, for her own protection, it would be best if her name was not mentioned. "The Orc was not only brutally effective in combat, but he was crafty and intelligent. His apparent retreat had been a ruse to lead us into a trap. The hunters had at their disposal a gas that, when breathed in by a lycan, suppresses our beast spirits. When the Orc released it, the gas, painfully and immediately, forced us all to revert back to our normal forms. Right in the middle of him and his men. We were naked and unarmed, and surrounded and outnumbered by the Orc and his remaining hunters. The Orc himself had his silver spear, and a myriad of other silver blades tucked away in their sheathes. This was a man whose very clothing was made from the hides of fallen lycans. At that moment, he had once again become the hunter. If any part of this tale can be thought of as 'heroic,' it is this. But, it was not only me that overcame the Orc's trap. True, it was me that was leading us, and my magic that protected us from the volley of arrows and spellfire, but it was the strength of all of our skills working in tandem that defeated the Orc. We fought back with magic and what weapons we could scavenge from their corpses. Despite all of their advantages, one by one, they started to die. But even as his men began to fall, the Orc himself fought to the very end with a fury that cannot be described. He had unnatural strength, speed, and reflexes, perhaps from his master's influence. In the struggle, he impaled his spear completely through my stomach, but even so, I landed the killing blow with one of his own blades. He was the one who had killed Hircine's previous Champion, and it was from his finger that I took the ring that now rests on mine." Meesei had more she wished to say about the story, but decided again to pause for a moment to continue her meal.

[Muttonhawk]

If any in the audience were not already reverent of Meesei's presence, they were now. In none of the rumours and exaggerations had anyone thought that she would take a silver spear to her middle and survive. There were murmurs left and right about the story's believability, the skill the pack must have had, and the luck they came across. However, no one seemed shifted quite far enough to proclaim that they didn't believe in the story. Oswall let out a deep and entertained laugh, then pat Fendros and Janius on the back so hard that it made them grunt and winded them. Thankfully neither had food or drink in their mouths at the time. "You and your pack is mightier than the rumours claim, Meesei! Truly you are worthy of the title of champion." Everyone in the crowd sounded unanimous agreement with Oswall. "With you spearheading this war, Vile doesn't stand a chance!" The crowd erupted in a cheer. "But this gas, it is concerning. Are we likely to face more?" It was then that Jerrick shouldered his way between everyone and put a hand on Meesei's shoulder from behind her. He leaned down and spoke quietly, "If I might borrow you for a moment?" It seemed that Janius was willing to pick up where Meesei left off after seeing that she was occupied. He addressed Oswall's question in her stead. "There was more of it there that was needed for us, so we believe we took out a stockpile. We were able to investigate further and find a coven of witches that was producing it. With some alchemical tricks, courtesy of Sabine, we burned their fortress down." "That sounds like an adventure in itself!" Janius chuckled, "A story for another time I think." His words left the crowd mostly crestfallen. Fendros had all but finished his food, so he put an arm around Ahnasha. "I seem to remember more happening than just that," he murmured to her. "Hey! Lorag!" A familiar voice sounded from the crowd, which parted to reveal Harriet the Orc with her arms crossed in front of her. Her expression was severe, but not completely without moderation. She knew what she was doing. "You're the big guy in your pack, right? I wanna see just how tough you guys are." She pointed to Lorag with a thrust of one finger, "You-" she turned her and to point to her chest with her thumb, "-and me. We're gonna fight till submission. Lycan form." "Not in the cook fires, you ain't!" An elderly Orc shouted from near the food crates. "Take it to the main chamber!" Harriet rolled her eyes, "Shut up, Grolak. What? Do you think I don't know the rules?" She turned her attention back to Lorag, "Come on." If anything was a well timed distraction from the crowd, it would be a fight between one of the lieutenants and one of Meesei's packmates. Some in the crowd goaded them on with excited thrown comments. At first, Fendros was concerned that Lorag might make it personal due to his age, but it seemed like Harriet was no younger than thirty years old herself.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was going to say more about the story and her reason for telling it, but it seemed that Jerrick had something to speak to her about. It seemed like it might be important, and she was finished with her meal, so she could talk with him. Although, before standing up, she glanced over to Sabine with a bit of concern. She could not imagine that Sabine was comfortable with the sudden attention. At the moment, she seemed to be with a group of people close to her age, but she was not certain if she was truly there willingly. As she was standing up, she leaned over to Janius beside her. "Janius, could you please keep an eye on Sabine?" She requested. Turning back to Jerrick, the two started to walk away from the main crowd. "I suppose now is a good time to move on to more serious matters. I have thoughts on how to track our enemy, but first, what is it you wish to say?" Lorag said nothing through Meesei's recollection of their slaying of the Orc, though he did think she was downplaying some parts. He was most of the way through a cut of steak when he heard his name shouted. The Orc in Jerrick's circle had issued him a challenge, and in a reaction that surprised no one, Lorag started to grin. "You want a challenge?" He said as he stood to his feet. He kept his grin as he started to pop his knuckles and chuckle slightly. "Oh, it's been too long. Come on, let's do this. Which way's that big room again?"

[Muttonhawk]

At first, Janius didn't even realise where Sabine had wandered off to. He held his head up over the heads of the crowd and scanned the room until he spotted Sabine with a group of teenagers. "Will do, alpha," Janius responded. Though, Sabine didn't seem afraid in her position. It Janius' eyes weren't deceiving him, she was actually showing a smile every now and then. Maybe she was making some friends? Janius decided to get to know Oswall a bit better, asking of his own exploits. In his age, the Nord had experience, and many stories to tell. Janius hardly got in a word the entire time. Before leaving with Meesei, Jerrick gave Vera a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll just be a moment." Vera nodded and smiled understandingly, and Meesei and Jerrick were soon promptly walking with a brisk pace towards the larder. Upon leaving the dining hall, Jerrick's smile lowered into a far more serious expression. He gave a glance to Meesei when she asked her question. "I fear the situation is different. We will need to talk where there will be no one to listen." Through the corridors of crops, Jerrick didn't say another word. They came upon the livestock pens and the larder, upon which time Jerrick retrieved a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked the way though. With Meesei in tow, he closed the gate and made his way to the larder itself. It was dry, but much more cold than the rest of the city. Vents could be spotted near the ceiling that were letting in the mountain air and cooling the hanging carcasses and containers of fruits and vegetables. Jerrick even put his hands under his armpits in this place, but at least it wasn't occupied by any other living creature than Meesei and himself. To make sure, he pulled out a scroll from under his belt and channelled its power. It was clearly a spell to detect life. Satisfied, he started explaining to Meesei properly. "Right, I'd best start by thanking you for coming at such an opportune time." Jerrick was having trouble keeping eye contact at this point, but his expression hid less behind diplomacy and manners, "I have to apologise, but what I said in front of my inner circle was not the complete truth. Hircine gave me more information in the vision he gave me, but nonetheless, my clan is still in danger." He took a breath that was either uneasy from the cold, or from the weight of his words, "I'm going to die tonight, Meesei. I don't know how, when exactly, or who by exactly, but I am going to be murdered. I know for a fact that it will be one of my lieutenants. Despite their loyalty, some are power hungry and one has been given the ability to kill me to get my position. What they don't know is that if I am murdered, everyone will point to one another. Factions will form behind each of my friends and this clan will be torn apart. That's what Vile wants, and I cannot allow that to happen." Now Jerrick looked up at Meesei, he spoke with absolute sincerity, but took his time. "I cannot control my death tonight, but I beseech you, champion, to help me. To help us all. You are not what Vile was expecting here, and you need to keep this clan together. You've seen how the people are like, you are respected by all, unlike the lieutenants, who have a tangled web of opinion about them. Not only that, you are a neutral party. You will not be viewed as having bias towards a single lieutenant over another. With this, I need you to do three things: Firstly, find the traitor, bring him or her to justice. Hircine told me it was one of my lieutenants. Secondly, select a new clan leader. Take charge if you have to, but someone who has been with us for longer and know how things work here may be more suited. Thirdly, keep the clan together. Vile wants to splinter us off so we can't organise against him, and so he can hunt down untrained packs with impunity. You have one week until the full moons, if you don't complete those objectives by that time, instinct will mix with suspicion and we will have no chance." Jerrick's eyes looked to the ground again and he leaned against a barrel, "I know this is sudden, and probably not what you were expecting, but you are my only hope at this point. Do you have any questions?" Harriet narrowed her eyes and grinned before she turned and headed to the main chamber. Chanting and shouting, the crowd followed her and Lorag to the main chamber. Some people stayed in the dining room, but it was comparatively relaxed now. The chanting crowd found the main chamber and the lit central dais was cleared for Lorag and Harriet to start stripping down. Harriet's last movement was to unclip her long hair and let it flow down either side of her head. Her stance was squat and primal, her arms spread like she had already transformed. "Remember, to submission! Let's see what you've got, big boy!" She shouted across before her body began to warp and crackle into the shape of a lycan. Impressively, she was about the same size as Lorag, despite being perhaps a little younger. The crowd cheered each of them on, but kept their distance as the two circled each other on all fours.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei stood silent for quite a while, mulling over this revelation. Jerrick seemed certain of his death, though Meesei was not so dismissive of his survival. No prophesy, no matter the source, was absolute. Still, what he said was greatly troubling. Such a large clan needed strong leadership, and just as Jerrick was suggesting, if he were to die, it would leave a power vacuum that could tear the clan apart. Under normal circumstances, it might be easy for the Champion of Hircine to draw together the disparate groups, but if his death was at the hands of a traitor, that would make things more difficult. "If what you say is true...there is certainly some kind of preparation we can make. You know it is going to happen tonight, correct? Could we not have someone watch you and at least attempt to stop it? Even if they do not succeed, we would at least be able to identify the traitor. A prophesy is not absolute, and you might yet live, but regardless, we do not have to go into this unprepared. In the event of your death, we might be able to do something now to make rooting out the traitor easier." Meesei suggested. Lorag transformed at the same time as Harriet, and if he could smile in this form, he would have been. "Good, I was hopin' for a challenge." He commented in his wolf form's deep, gruff voice before making his charge. Despite Lorag's tendency towards being direct and brutal, he was not without strategy. After all, he had been military trained in the Legion. For an opponent close to his level, he needed to test her defenses. He made a heavy slash towards her torso, but did not actually care if he hit her. Rather, he was ready to evade a counterattack at a moment's notice. He just wanted to see what kind of response she gave.

[Muttonhawk]

"I am surrounded by people that can and would stop an assassin at a moments notice if one was spotted, but what you say is true. Anything that would make finding the traitor easier is worth taking the extra step." Jerrick didn't seem very hopeful about saving his life, but at least he was willing to see Meesei's sense. "You may post at least one of your pack near my quarters for tonight. Perhaps it might intimidate the traitor to delay his or her plans until we can track him down. Hircine was certain that I would die, though. I don't want to hold up false hopes." Jerrick looked up at Meesei from his bowed forward face, "Perhaps you might get a head start by talking with my lieutenants tonight? Even knowing that you are keeping an eye on them might make the traitor back down." With Lorag's probing strike, Harriet showed her experience with fighting in this form. She shifted forward enough and moved her arm to check Lorag's slash and attempted to deter him by bringing her other clawed hand up to his chin. If Lorag didn't want his eyes raked out, he would need to step back to where he was and then some. Harriet had tried to take the opportunity to get some ground on Lorag.

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm...I do not know if intimidating the traitor would be best." Meesei said, pausing a moment to think. This was an all-around difficult situation. It was true that they might be able to delay the traitors plans, but she was unsure if the extra time would pay off in the end, as the traitor would get just as much time to plan. "Right now, we have the advantage that the traitor does not know that we suspect them. If we intimidate them, then they will be able to plan for us. There is no telling how long this traitor is willing to wait. If it is Darahil, for instance, he might plan for years. I think it might be best to confront them tonight. We can find a place for you to stay, then set an ambush. It is risky, I admit, but we might just be able to save you. But...just in case, I also think it would be best to have a backup plan. Something to...make my task easier, in the event you do not make it. I assume you have told no one but me about this, but you know the traitor is a part of your inner circle, yes? Is there anyone outside the circle that you are close with, or that you otherwise trust? Preferably, someone that holds respect among your clan. Someone that does not have a motive to betray you. If so, you could write a letter, something to deliver to him or her that explains everything you have told me. Something that explains what we tried to do tonight. You could include something that only the two of you would know, to prove that it is from you." Because Lorag had been prepared, he was quick to respond. Using his free hand, he shoved Harriet back while also dashing backwards himself to avoid her counterattack. Between the two, he ended up putting a fair amount of distance between them. From the outside, it seemed that neither of them had gotten anywhere, but Lorag was getting some sense of what she was like in a fight. After only a brief pause in the fight, he was once again the one to charge, but this time, it was going to be a feint. Just when it seemed like he was going to pounce, he would leap just to the left or right and see if he could attack from the side or back.

[Muttonhawk]

"I have thought about it beforehand. Anyone who is close to me that I trust either has motive to kill me by the advancement of one of my lieutenants, or would not hold enough respect to sway the clan without looking biased to one lieutenant. That's why you're the only one I have told. Not even my wife knows." Jerrick looked up with a glint of hope, "Actually, Najirra might help you. He's an old man, he stays away from conflict. However, he has helped enough people in the clan that he garners respect." Jerrick looked to Meesei, "I can pen a note to him, and that should be sufficient to vouch for you...there's just one problem." Jerrick pursed his lips, "He hasn't left his room since we moved here. He has daughters that tend to him, but his hips make it painful to walk very far." Jerrick resumed looking at the opposite wall to him, "It's a hope, though. If the traitor puts blame onto you, and don't doubt it if you mean to set a trap or a guard, then having Najirra on your side will maintain your authority." There was a pause where Jerrick recalled the previous point, but he answered before Meesei could talk. "As for trying an ambush, there is no way I would be able to find somewhere to stay without the inner circle noticing. Each of them are master hunters that would be able to follow my scent. The risk is too great if I die somewhere else. You will get the greatest blame, no matter how many respected people we can get to vouch for you. If you want to try an ambush, I must still be the bait." The crowd vocalised in tune with the movements of Lorag and Harriet. Harriet's counter was less effective at gathering ground than she would have liked, but she was still learning about Lorag's style. He was testing her, that much was clear on how little he committed. She thought she might try a gambit and attempt to tackle him if he tried such a move again. If she could overwhelm him there, it would be his own fault for being inattentive. That plan had to change in her mind when it seemed as if he was going to pounce himself. She could have also pounced to meet him in the air, but by habit, she simply reared and braced to stop him. It was a trick on Lorag's part. His pounce went to her side and now she was badly balanced to face him immediately. She had to react quickly, but she still had her eyes on him. She kicked off one foot and attempted to charge into his side and barrel him over. It was not the most powerful pounce that she could muster, but she needed to keep Lorag from being in control if she wanted to have a chance. With all the noise coming from the main chamber now, Fendros kept glancing to the corridor that led to it. Although it might have been interesting to gauge the strength of one of the lieutenants, he didn't really have a desire to watch the fight while they had the moment to themselves beside the fire. "Do you think maybe we should take this opportunity to find someone to speak to about the clan's leadership? It looks like the only people left are those...less interested in watching a fight, I suppose." Fendros didn't know how else to describe those that remained. They seemed to be spread out in age and appearance about as much the clan as a whole. There were a few people repairing clothes, some people still eating and talking amongst themselves. And Grolak, of course, but he seemed to be a sentinel of the rations more than just a caretaker. Janius scanned the chamber as Fendros did and came to about the same conclusion. Even the group accompanying Sabine were all still there, except the two boys that were with them. It didn't surprise him that they would disappear to watch the fight as well.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded in understanding. "Najirra, he is the Khajiit who is skilled at dealing with mental trauma, yes? If you can write a letter that he will know is from you, then that will be helpful. You might also consider writing to a few others you trust, that do not have that level of influence. As long as Najirra is among them, then their testimony will only strengthen his word. Just be sure you can trust who you write to. Ideally, though, we will be saving your life, not avenging it. I agree that you will likely need to be present, but that does not mean we need to put you in unnecessary danger. As long as you are present, I might be able to project an illusion of you. I would need a source of power to sustain the spell; a filled soul gem or welkynd stone would be sufficient. You might also carry a scroll of invisibility. If you do not have one, I can make one. I can offer no guarantees of safety, but at least we can try to push the odds in our favor. But...well this is your life we are putting on the line. Intimidating the traitor could save you for now, but it might be more dangerous in the future. I may be Champion, but it is only right that I respect your input in the matter." Lorag's feint was at least marginally successful, though it was not likely to be the move that won him the duel. He was in a better position than her, but she reacted quickly to minimize her disadvantage. Even if it wasn't a strong advantage, it was an advantage nonetheless, and Lorag decided to capitalize on it. He pounced at her as well, from a bit better of a position, with a bit more force. His intent was to grapple her and use the leverage he had to force her to the ground. It would still be a fight from there, but he had a few more tricks he might use. Ahnasha was cautious with Fendros' suggestion, mostly because she did not want to do anything to sabotage their investigation. Obviously, they had to talk to people in order to do any investigating, they just needed to make sure their approach was intelligent. "Yes, just...let's be cautious. The conversation needs to be natural. Let's start with Harriet, since she's...topical." Ahnasha whispered silently enough that it could barely be heard even by their own campfire.

[Muttonhawk]

Jerrick had to think for a few moments on what he wanted to do now. In light of Meesei's arrival, things had changed, but they were still not ideal. He took a breath to speak, not wavering for a moment. "Meesei, I have known about this fate for a week and a half now. I have accepted that I may die soon whether I try to prevent it or not. All I care about right now is that my clan survives, all else is secondary, even the preservation of my life if it means a better chance at finding the traitor. I will find you a soul gem and go along with your plan. If there is anything I can do to help keep this clan together, I will take it over my life at this point." Lorag and Harriet collided in a tumbling mess of growling and snapping. Lorag had managed to keep the upper hand and had forced Harriet to the ground, but she wanted to punish him for every step he took. She thrashed and bit at his arms and his neck in an attempt to keep him from fully pinning her, then tried to roll him off her with all her strength. While she could still resist, this fight wasn't over. "Good idea, let's go find some more people," Fendros said, rising from his seat and beckoning everyone else. Fendros, Ahnasha, Kaleeth, Janius, and Leaps wandered over to another group of three people around a different fire who were having a conversation about something. From the words used, it actually seemed to be a discussion about conjuration magic. The one person on the opposite side of the fire facing the approaching pack noticed their approach with a smile and raised a hand. This prompted the other two to halt their conversation for a moment and also face the pack, though their expressions were more dubious. Fendros opened things up, "Greetings, may we join you?" "Of course. You are the champion's pack, correct?" The smiling one responded. He was a Breton man with sandy short hair. He wore hides like everyone else, but sounded well-spoken. "My name is Fabian. You will have to forgive me and my friends, we don't indulge in rumours as much as other people. What might your names be?" "Fendros, nice to meet you," Fendros said, taking a seat. "Janius," Janius said in turn while he also found a space to sit. The other two, a Dunmer man and an Imperial woman, seemed to remember their manners and gave their own names with something of a smile. "I am Theresa," The Imperial said. The Dunmer had the lesser smile, but was not rude, "And I am Hadryn."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded. Given that Jerrick was expecting for this attack to happen sometime that night, they needed to work quickly to prepare. Before doing anything, however, they had to lay out the details of their plan. "I understand. I can make a scroll with the soul gem, and a welkynd stone could be useful for the illusion. Unfortunately, my entire pack cannot be lying in wait, as I doubt we would be able to hide them all. I do have one member who is skilled in stealth, however. We just need to choose where to do this. We need somewhere that would not be strange for you to go, preferably somewhere that no one, even your wife, would normally be expected to bother you. Perhaps some late night logistical work, or something of that nature. Is there anything like that which you do at least occasionally. Also, you may wish to avoid eating for the rest of the day, at least nothing from your own stocks. My pack still has a small amount of food with our belongings that you can have. It should be safe." As Harriet's claws and teeth cut into Lorag's body, he retaliated with the same kind of slashes and bites. Both were becoming fairly cut up, and while Lorag had a slight advantage, they both seemed fairly well-matched. Harriet did manage to shove Lorag off of her for a moment, but the way he landed, he was able to keep his feet on the ground and pounce back immediately. Harriet had not completely made it to her feet, though she was in a better position than lying on the ground. He grasped both of her shoulders and tried to force her down once more, all while snapping at her with his teeth. "I am Kaleeth-Rei." Kaleeth said after the other introductions, though she shied away from contributing any more to the conversation. Instead, she simply took her seat and tried to keep Leaps from escaping her arms. According to Ahnasha, they needed to be subtle about gathering information, and she was too afraid that she would miss something about Imperial culture that would make her seem suspicious. Ahnasha was more open, smiling as she gave her name. "I am Ahnasha. I think Meesei went to talk with your Alpha. Likely about tracking Vile's servants. Sabine I think has found a few friends," She commented, glancing over to the group Sabine had found to check on her, "and Lorag, well, you probably saw where he went. He is not the kind to refuse a challenge. You will probably never meet a more...Orcish Orc, and he prides himself on it. Although, Harriet seemed very eager to deliver the challenge. Is that normal for her?"

[Muttonhawk]

"That would be appreciated, but I think I will fast for tonight. Taking food from you would be suspicious. I can remain in the meeting room to look over accounts and ask not to be disturbed. Normally I have Darahil around to help me with them, but I can ask him to leave me alone this time. There should be sufficient darkness for one of your pack to find a hiding place, but you will need a way to mask scent." Jerrick said. He seemed confident on just how far he could push his behaviour without discouraging the assassin. He knew his inner circle well enough for that at least. Getting locked into a scrim of sorts prompted Harriet to stand her ground against Lorag's strength. At first, she seemed to be able to push him back and was on the verge of toppling him, but she began to slow and shudder. After a few more seconds, Lorag turned the tables and she had to break off. Harriet attempted to shake Lorag off by slashing him in the torso, but she ended up getting interrupted by his attempts to bite her and they had a clash of frantic twisting and fencing with their snouts in an attempt to get at each other's necks and at the same time deflect the other from doing the same. This only lasted as long as it took for Lorag's weight to take Harriet over and push her to the ground. She landed hard, some of her blood brushing on the white stone ground. Harriet desperately attempted one last swipe at Lorag's face before she could be pinned. The three that the pack had approached all seemed to smile in amusement at the mention of Harriet's behaviour. "Well, Harriet is probably the most prideful of the lieutenants," Fabian said, "Hadryn would know better, he has been here for longer than I have." Hadryn the Dunmer nodded, "Prideful, dominant, and skilled, but I think violence is really her way of showing affection. Unless he provoked her, it might be that he caught her eye." Hadryn glanced to the noises coming from the corridor, "All those youngsters out there think that the spectacle is about dominance and competition, and that's some of it, but not all of it." While it was amusing that Lorag might have got more than he bargained for with accepting Harriet's challenge, Fendros decided to continue their approach in terms of their objectives. "When we met the lieutenants and Jerrick, there was mention of Oswall and Harriet duelling. Was there something between them?" With that, all three laughed harder than last time. "No! No, no, no," Theresa assured them, "They hate each other. Everyone knows that." "Hate with respect, in truth," Hadryn added, still chuckling, "No, that was probably when Oswall issued Harriet a challenge in combat. He was beaten and never really lived it down." Fendros smiled with them, "Does Harriet bicker with other lieutenants as well?" "Oh yes. On all matter of things, lad." Hadryn was surprisingly open about all this, but then again, there was no reason not to be, "From what I hear, there's not a single meeting where that she-Orc doesn't disagree on something. She is not beyond convincing, though, from what I hear." At that point, they seemed fine to converse, but Hadryn turned the subject to Meesei's pack appropriately, "How is your Orc friend? What did you say his name was...Lorag? Is he similar?"

[EliteCommander]

From what Meesei could recall, the Meeting room would be an adequate location to stage an ambush. Anywhere they could hide which would not arouse suspicion for Jerrick to spend some time in would work, but as he said, they needed to make sure they remained completely undetected. "I believe I can obtain something for that. There are alchemical solutions to mask a scent, but it could cause suspicion if I were to ask for that directly from your alchemists. However, Sabine is a skilled alchemist, she just needs the ingredients. I can go with her to your alchemists and request to restock her supplies. For the Champion, I am sure they would be willing to part with supplies, but if not, I will say I asked you for the supplies. We have arrived here after a long journey, so that would not be a suspicious request. As for the ambush itself, I believe myself and Ahnasha will hide in the meeting room with you. If there is not sufficient space for two of us to hide normally, one of us can use a welkynd stone to maintain an invisibility spell for an extended duration. How many entrances are there to the meeting room, I cannot quite recall?" The struggle which Lorag and Harriet had locked themselves into was starting to head into his favor. He knocked her straight on her back, but she had one heavy swing ready for him. Lorag saw it coming, and he could have evaded, but that would mean giving up his position. Instead, he angled his head down to keep his eyes out of the way, and took the hit. The claws raked across the top of his head, forming cuts as they went, and the force of the strike nearly knocked him off-balance, but he stayed in control, and more importantly, he was able to get on top of her to pin her. He attempted to put as much weight as he could on her arms, then get his jaws around her throat. If it worked, he could force a submission. "Well...yes and no." Ahnasha responded, trying to think of how best to describe Lorag. "He's prideful, obviously. He hasn't said anything, but I think it really gets to him that Kaleeth here is physically stronger than him, especially since it certainly doesn't look like she should be. If one of us were to beat him in a fight, he probably wouldn't stop training until he beat us twice as badly. But, he's also incredibly loyal to Meesei. He knows she can best him, and he seems to accept it. It probably helps that our pack is much smaller than this clan. Meesei listens to us, but ultimately, she has the final say on all our decisions. She is a wise woman, and we all trust her. We don't really have the...politics of this clan. If Harriet and Oswall get along that poorly...I imagine that might get trying at times. I think I recall Oswall saying he had been in his position for a long time. How long has Harriet been a lieutenant, and how long did it take to get like this?"

[Muttonhawk]

"You will have your ingredients," Jerrick said, "As for entrances, there are two. One is the main entrance, that goes to the corridor including my quarters and the lieutenants' rooms, and to the mezzanine. There is also a secret door that the wall opens up to which leads to a balcony above the main chamber, but that can only be opened from the inside. How long will it take to prepare everything?" Harriet's reaction to having Lorag's jaws wrapped around her throat was to struggle momentarily. Though, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her arms up and she couldn't free herself from Lorag's grip. Her entire body relaxed as she gave up. "I yield," she uttered bitterly. A portion of the crowd around them cheered at Lorag's victory, while others were dumbstruck to see a lieutenant get defeated like this. Either way, they had evidently put on a good show. Harriet began to transform back once she was released. Despite her hot temper, she demonstrated impeccable control over her beast spirit. Her expression when her eyes met with Lorag's was a glower that could light a candle. Hadryn looked up and mouthed words that Fendros recognised to be numbers in Dunmeris. It took a moment to recall, but his answer was certain enough, "Eight or nine years, I believe. She started young, at about your ages I would think. She replaced the only woman on the table, an Imperial named Helen, after Helen died in a hunting mishap with a troll. A dreadful tale, really. Harriet had initiative and passion, however, and she wasn't slow of mind, either. The bickering started before she was even a lieutenant, though. I think the others must have believed her to have some good ideas, so they brought her on board." "It doesn't surprise me that a smaller pack wouldn't be troubled so." Fabian commented with a gesture to Ahnasha, "Our little community isn't exactly a town or a country, but it's just big enough to share some of the problems of such organisations. It is an advantage sometimes, but a disadvantage in other ways." Theresa leaned forward with a curious face and interrupted with a raised index finger. "If I may, sorry...Kaleeth-Rei, that is your name? You're a werecrocodile, yes? I have learned only a little about your kind, but I was under the impression that you tended to be solitary in the wilds. How did you come upon and join Meesei's pack?" Theresa brought up her hands, "I'm just curious." Janius smiled to Kaleeth encouragingly. He was giving no clue that it would be inappropriate to explain. He thought it would be nice for her to be included in the conversation.

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, so only one of the entrances would be quick to escape through; good to know." Meesei commented. When Jerrick asked how long her preparations would take, she went over in her mind what she needed to accomplish. First, she needed the required materials, which also meant going and explaining the situation to Sabine. Making the invisibility scroll would not be difficult once she had the soul gem and a scroll, and Sabine would not take too long on a relatively simple alchemical concoction. After that, she would need to explain the plan to the others, then wait for nightfall with Ahnasha. "My preparations should not take too long. I will go find Sabine as soon as we are done here and we will collect the ingredients. I cannot imagine it taking her more than half an hour to finish with the concoction. As for myself, it will take me about the same amount of time to create the scroll, once I have the soul gem. Perhaps you could have someone bring me one? Just say that I requested them for...an enchantment, to help track our enemies. Also have them bring me a ring or amulet as well. I will not need it, but it will help ward off suspicion. Beyond that, you just need to write your letters, and make sure there is a welkynd stone in the meeting room for tonight. I cannot recall if there was already one in there or not. I will just need to know exactly what time you will head to the meeting room. Myself and Ahnasha will sneak in with our scents masked at that time. I do not want there to be any time where you are alone without us." Meesei answered. As soon as Harriet started shifting back to her normal form, Lorag followed suit. He felt invigorated from the fight, as well as a little dizzy from the blow to the head. Both of them were bloody and bruised, but for lycans, it was nothing that wouldn't heal. He still had her pinned once back in his Orc form, so he looked down at her with a satisfied grin. "Ah, that's more like it. Training in my pack never gets this...bloody." He commented, though he was too distracted to notice anything about her expression. Ahnasha paid particularly close attention to how long the Dunmer said Harriet had her position, but from what she remembered, it seemed to match up perfectly. Indeed, everything they were saying about Harriet matched with everything they had seen or observed about her. She could not think of a way to ask any more questions about her that would seem natural before Theresa directed a question at Kaleeth. "Oh, well...it is a long story, really." Kaleeth answered, trying to hold back her nervousness. "We met in Black Marsh, in my village. Meesei and all the others came there to speak with the Hist for Sabine. I had never seen anyone that wasn't an Argonian before, and I started to talk to Janius. He was quite nice to me. He helped me kill a wamasu...then we became mates. Then, I went to see if I could...commune with Hircine to help me decide what to do. Then...I don't know what happened. When I woke up, I was a werecrocodile." She explained, through her abbreviated explanation likely left many more questions than answers.

[Muttonhawk]

"Understood. We'll use a signal..." Jerrick held his chin and hummed in thought for a moment, "If I mention anything about 'bed bugs', let that be your signal to head to the meeting chamber. Make sure to mask your scent before you set foot on the mezzanine." Jerrick pushed off his barrel and shook his arms free, eager to get out of the cold, "I'll go and write my letters now. If anyone asks, we were discussing ideas for how to deal with Hircine's servants. It's mostly the truth, after all." Jerrick began to walk out of the larder, but stopped at the door. "Oh, and Meesei. Thank you for your help." Harriet maintained her deadly look, only faltering to take a quick peek at the rest of Lorag's body. "Glad you enjoyed yourself, now do you wanna let me stand up?" She said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. She was clearly disappointed to be bested, but if she enjoyed the fight, she was hiding it. The initial reaction from Hadryn, Theresa, and Fabian was disbelief. It was not clear exactly for which reasons, but it could have been one of many. By the way Hadryn glanced between Kaleeth and Janius, his opinion was more likely finding their pairing hard to swallow. Theresa was the one to answer first. "That's...that certainly sounds like a long story," Theresa said, "so you are a native of Black Marsh? Black marsh...I couldn't even imagine that far away." She addressed the rest of them, "How far have you travelled, exactly?" "I am more curious about how you two killed a wamasu. I have never seen one except in pictures and descriptions." Fabian said. Hadryn let his curiosity be heard as well. "There are many questions I would hear answered, but I will refrain for now. The last time there was a werecrocodile in this clan, he was only with us for a short time. A year, maybe. He left because he was a more independent spirit. That was twenty three years ago."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded. "Very well. Just keep in mind that it will take a few minutes for myself and Ahnasha to get to a secure place to apply Sabine's concoction. If all goes well, we can get to work on actually tracking down Vile's servants tomorrow." She said with a smile, and a hint of an optimistic tone. Once out of the larder, Meesei headed straight back to the main chamber. It was less crowded than before, but she had heard Harriet's challenge as they had left the chamber, so she figured that was where the crowd had gone. She spotted Ahnasha and most of the others conversing with another group, while Sabine was still with the group she had joined during Meesei's story. She would need to speak to Ahnasha and the others later, but for the moment, she approached Sabine. "Apologies." Meesei said, looking over the group of young lycans before focusing on Sabine. "I need to talk to you for a moment. Come with me." Lorag gave a slight laugh. "Yeah, I guess." He said before releasing her arms and slowly bringing himself up to his feet. He felt his joints pop as he stood, but even that couldn't bring him down from his current mood. "I still got it." He muttered almost inaudibly under his breath. He started stretching his muscles and doing what he could to show no reaction to the pain pulsing across his body from the numerous cuts he sustained. "You're a lot bigger than I thought you'd be. You the toughest one in this clan? I like the idea of an Orc havin' that title." "We've travelled...to here, from Black Marsh." Kaleeth responded, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as she tried to find another way to phrase it. "I don't really know how you would even measure a distance that far. We went through Thorn, got on a ship and sailed...west, I think? We went to the Imperial City, the biggest place I've ever seen. Then we came straight up here. It took well over a month, but Meesei says that was fast for that distance. But the wamasu, I can tell you more about those." She said, her tone becoming a bit more confident as she held up Leaps in front of her. "This is a wamasu; a hatchling. We killed the mother and I was going to cook one of her eggs, but it hatched. We named him Leaps-On-Elves."

[Muttonhawk]

Jerrick wasted no time once he and Meesei parted ways. He looked to no other person on his way up to the scholar's room to retrieve some stationary for preparing his letters. There were always enough people in that area that there was no risk of being taken unaware. The girls were gathered in a circle, seated on a small patch of hides. "...could help you get the frizz out of your hair, if you wanted, Sabine. It would itch less after we're done, and it'll make you look pretty!" Freida, the Nord girl, was talking to Sabine when Meesei approached. Sabine was about to nod her head in agreement when Meesei interrupted. With that, Sabine turned around, going from shyly smiling to a concerned frown. Even though Sabine wanted to stay, Meesei's tone did not leave room to negotiate. Sabine turned to face her new friends and farewell them with an unsure voice. "I...have to go. Excuse me..." The girls were surprisingly understanding. "That's okay," Freida said with a smile. Now facing Meesei properly, Sabine stood up and followed her away. The girls could be heard starting a new conversation amongst themselves once they were far enough away. By the few words that Sabine was able to pick up, they were talking about her. She wasn't sure whether to be nervous or excited. Lorag's pride didn't exactly heal Harriet's as she stood up and cracked her head side to side. In the time it took her to get up, the portion of the crowd that had cheered at the end of the fight had begun a chant. "Lor-ag! Lor-ag! Lor-ag! Lor-ag!" Even scanning her glare along the crowd didn't diminish their chants. Harriet moved to don her clothes before she even acknowledged Lorag's question. "You like the idea of an orc having that title? Then take it. You beat me this time." Harriet finished lacing her breeches before she continued, marching up to Lorag and prodding him roughly in the centre of his chest with a challenging grin, "Don't think this is over yet, big boy. Not even close." Harriet didn't even put on the rest of her clothes yet, she just turned and marched off with her garments under one arm. "So that's what the creature was. I was trying to place it," Fabian said, smiling at Leaps, "I never thought I would see a wamasu in my entire life." Leaps himself struggled in protest to having his name called while being held forward in such a restrictive manner. After accepting that he wouldn't be let free again, he decided to hold his head towards Hadryn, sniff curiously, and then chirp at him. "Leaps-On-Elves, eh? I could never guess how he got such a name." Hadryn said, smiling as well but holding one arm up. Clearly, he was not very comfortable with the creature. "I think he likes you," Janius said, chuckling at Hadryn's reaction. Whether it was a misheard command to Leaps, or whether he was somply fed up with being held, Leaps redoubled his efforts to be free from Kaleeth's grasp. Hadryn wasn't encouraged by Leaps' behaviour. "Is he...house trained?" Having realised that she had probably heard as much as she was going to hear about Kaleeth thus far, Theresa turned her curiosity to Ahnasha and Rhazii, forking to a new conversation while the previous one went on next to them. "So Ahnasha, I must say, your child is a sweet little thing. Travelling with a baby must be difficult. Is it a boy or a girl? And how old? If I may ask, of course." Fendros wasn't sure which conversation to pay more attention to at this stage. He was actually wondering whether they could turn the subject back to the leaders. Maybe he was being too serious, maybe it would be nice just to get to know some people for the first time in months. If anything, he should be embracing the concept of finding new friends without having to worry about lycanthropy.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was a bit surprised to see that Sabine did not seem to want to leave, but unfortunately, the situation did not give her the luxury of allowing her to stay. As they were walking through the main chamber, Meesei gave her an apologetic look. "I am sorry I had to pull you away from them." She said sincerely, saying no more until they stepped out of the chamber and into a stairwell to a lower floor. Once it seemed they were alone, Meesei used a spell of detect life to make sure no one was in range to hear, then spoke quietly. "We are heading to the clan's alchemist to restock your supplies. I do not have time to explain in full, but I need you to make something to mask a person's scent, at least enough for myself and Ahnasha. It is also important that no one other than our pack knows you are making it, so make sure to get more than just what is required for that one concoction. I promise I will explain it all once we are back in our room. For now, just do your best not to seem suspicious." Lorag did not pay too close of attention to the crowd. As much as he liked impressing others, this was more for him than anyone else. He just trusted that the show was enough to satisfy them. Harriet's next challenge produced a chuckle from him. "Oh, lookin' forward to it. I think I can show you a few more moves." He said. His tone was good-natured, if arrogant. Once Harriet left, he gathered up his own belongings, trying no to stumble. His cuts were starting to close up and he could see a bit clearer than right after the hit, but the fact remained that he could not bounce back from a fight like that as quick as he used to. Still, he had his skill, and he had not yet lost that much strength. For the moment, however, he just started to head back up to the pack's room before anyone could stop and talk to him. "I...don't know what that means." Kaleeth said with a confused expression. She had no idea what it meant to train something for a house. Moving on, she turned Leaps towards herself and smiled as she stared at his black, beady eyes. She held him so that his legs could not actually touch anything but air so he could not easily escape. "We named him Leaps because he kept jumping on Fendros. He is very excitable. I don't think it will be that way forever, though. It will take a long time, but eventually, he will get bigger than...what is an animal you would know? A horse, like the ones that pulled our carriage. He will get even bigger than those, or maybe even bigger than the carriage itself. And they can shoot lightning from their mouths." Ahnasha was a bit surprised that Theresa could not tell that Rhazii was a boy. Although, now that she thought about it, she had found herself wondering the same thing from time to time when she saw a small Human or Argonian child in Leyawiin. Regardless, she had no problem in answering. "His name is Rhazii, and he is...oh, how long has it been even? Let's see, it was a few weeks to get to...then we stayed there for a few days...then a few weeks to Thorn, so over a month there. Another month at sea, then just over a week to get here, so just under three months, I think? It can be hard to keep track of time while traveling, especially in Black Marsh. There is a reason it is called Black Marsh; the swamp is very thick, and it always seems darker, especially in the deep swamps. It's easy to lose your sense of time."