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

[Muttonhawk]

"I don't doubt that she'll be able to work it out but...Meesei's been pretty quiet and tired lately." Janius added, "I daresay that all these new responsibilities are pushing her to her limit."

Sabine's face began to soften and her shoulders relaxed. Being goaded to anger before meant that she didn't react to Meesei or Ahnasha's support, but now her previous thoughts were being replaced.

Fendros responded, "She doesn't have to do everything. I wish she would remind herself of that."

Partly out of worry and partly out of procrastination from her own issues, Sabine got up and left the pack to their meal. She didn't say a word and didn't look back.

"Hey! We didn't mean to upset you, Sabine! You don't have to run off..." Fendros' voice faded out as she left the dining hall.

Sabine didn't care about Fendros or her friends right now, she wanted to know why Meesei left so suddenly. From across the main chamber, Sabine spotted Meesei's back as it headed towards their pack's living quarters. Sabine quietly followed Meesei to her destination and peeked her head around the door frame. She found Meesei seated on her bed in a position all too familiar to Sabine. Meesei looked so vulnerable that it was confronting.

"Meesei?" Sabine said almost silently from the door frame. There was a look of wide-eyed worry on Sabine's face. "Why are you hiding?"

---

"Calm down, Fendros, she's probably going to talk with Meesei." Janius said, placing the last of his meal into his mouth.

Fendros waved a hand in front of himself, giving up, "Whatever. She'll speak when she needs to."

Idle chatter went on for another while. There wasn't much else of note, mostly swapping details about the odd occurrences during their tasks. It was different to their regular lives in many ways, but they all had no doubt that it would become bland before long.

After a time, most people began exiting the dining hall to go about their business for the rest of the day. The pack had all but finished their meals. The last to finish eating was Ahnasha, but the very moment she swallowed her last mouthful, a voice sounded from next to the pack. "Fendros and Ahnasha?" It was a familiar Khajiit woman, standing straight with her clasped in front of her. Her accent was Imperial, with an inflection from Elsweyr. She was looking directly at who she named. "You might remember me, I am Vharei, Najirra's daughter."

Fendros was slightly startled as he hadn't noticed Vharei approaching. "Greetings," he said cautiously.

"My father wishes to see you both. You do not have any other plans, I trust?" Vharei was strangely stiff, but not nervous at all.

It was noticed quickly by Fendros that Vharei's appearance coincided rather well with their absence of plans for that afternoon. With the power Najirra wielded, it wouldn't surprise Fendros if he knew more than Vharei was letting on. Fendros shook his head.

Vharei's lips curled into a friendly smile, "Good. If you could come with me..."

Fendros began to stand up and looked to Ahnasha for confirmation. He had been meaning to see Najirra for a long time in the hope that the old man could help them both, but he couldn't kick a certain nervousness.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was quite honestly surprised when she heard Sabine's voice, as she had not heard her approach. Normally, she was much more attentive. She straightened herself out quickly and tried to regain her composure, but it was not as if Sabine had not already seen her. The look of calm on her face was betrayed by the worry in her eyes, but she tried to regain some semblance of strength.

"What, no, I am not hiding. I am simply...resting. The past few days or...weeks really, have been rather exhausting for me, as I am sure you understand. I do not have anything else to do for the moment, so I am just taking the time to rest and relax." Meesei explained, though it would not be difficult to see past her excuses. Fatigue would not explain the vulnerable position she was in, nor the fact that she had hardly eaten at lunch.

---

Ahnasha was not sure how to feel when the Khajiit, Vharei, told herself and Fendros that Najirra was ready. On the one hand, they had been waiting for quite a while for him to call on them, and had been looking forward to it. He was one of their best chances of actually overcoming the scars that had torn so deeply into their minds. But, on the other hand, it meant they were likely going to have to face those scars directly, which would be far from pleasant. She could not imagine how Najirra could help them without bringing up once again the pain they experienced. Nevertheless, this had to be done, so she picked up Rhazii and stood up, nodding to Vharei and Fendros. "Of course." She commented.

Though she tried to stay calm as they were led to Najirra's room, it was obvious in her expression that she had some measure of nervousness. Fendros, given how much time he had spent with her, could likely even recognize her more subtle Khajiit expressions. Once outside the room, she turned and looked to him, letting out a deep breath. "Well...after you."

---

Although she was not the last to finish eating, Kaleeth did not leave the dining hall immediately. While Janius stepped away for a moment to dispose of the bones from their lunch, she walked around the dining hall, simply observing the others clan members present. Much to her surprise, however, she was not left alone as usual. Five children, all Human or Elven, approached her. None of them looked like they were any older than twelve years of age, and while some appeared somewhat nervous, one of them in particular, a Bosmer boy, seemed oddly excited.

"You're, um, Kaal-eeeth, the werecrocodile, right?" The boy asked enthusiastically.

Kaleeth was not accustomed to strangers approaching and speaking to her, at least not since she left Black Marsh, so she was taken off-guard. She wasn't certain if it was appropriate to talk to them, or if she had done something wrong, so she was naturally nervous. "Oh, well, yes, I am. Why are you-" She began, but she was quickly cut off by the boy.

"You are? I heard my uncle talking about you. He said you were as big as a daedra and could knock down a whole army of people with just one punch!" The boy shouted.

"Oh, well I don't think-" Kaleeth said, but was once again cut off.

"No he didn't, Endir." Another, slightly older Bosmer girl said. "He said she was as big as a dae-droth and could punch through, um, well not an army."

While she had been nervous at first, Kaleeth was actually starting to feel flattered that others were talking about her, seemingly favorably. They made her sound strong, and powerful, and these children seemed excited to meet her. "Well...I can't punch through an army, but I am really strong, and really big as a werecrocodile. I don't know what a daedroth is, but I am bigger than a werewolf. I remember during the fight, I bit down on one of the hunters' shields and snapped it right in half." She explained as she slowly became more calm. Talking to a group of children like this reminded her, just slightly, of being back in her village. Likely, Janius would return shortly, though she was not paying attention to anything but her captive audience.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine stepped out from behind the doorframe as Meesei spoke. When she was done, Sabine proceeded to walk over and sit down on Meesei's bedroll opposite her, mirroring her posture. Sabine didn't look as shocked as when she had found Meesei, but she was not leaving her alone so easily. "Are you scared of something?" Sabine's eyes told that she was seeing right through Meesei's attempts to brush her off.

---

As much to comfort himself as Ahnasha, Fendros put an arm around her and pulled her close while they walked, giving her upper arm a quick rub. They followed Vharei into the chamber and found it relatively unchanged from the last time. Some supplies and bedrolls were scattered about. Vharei's very similar looking sister, Saraya, looked up from a scroll she was reading in one corner. Her tail moved in controlled flicks when she saw them all, but she didn't pay any further mind. One doorway to one side had a curtain drawn over it. The smell of sweet tea was in the air here.

"Father is waiting for you inside," Vharei opened the curtain that separated Najirra's personal chambers from the rest of the room, "I can mind your cub if you wish."

"Thank you, we should be fine," Fendros said. He took a deep breath, then pushed the remainder of the curtain aside and stepped inside.

The first thing Fendros saw was the frail old man, Najirra, with a sweet smile spread across his face. Unlike his daughters, he was an Ohmes Khajiit, so his appearance was more like a Bosmer than any Khajiit that Fendros knew. He was sitting cross legged on a pillow in front of a small raised table. "Ah, I am glad that you have arrived. Please, seat yourselves. This one welcomes you into his domain."

There were two other pillows around the table, Fendros lowered himself onto one of them and put his crutch to one side. The rest of the room was strangely warm and relaxing. There were tapestries on the walls depicting flags of some distant culture, though there were one or two Dunmer flags that looked familiar to Fendros. The small table had a glowing heat stone beside it, and on top of it were implements for serving tea. The steam rising from the pot and the smell it exuded confirmed that it was freshly brewed. Very subtly, Fendros felt a charge of magic in the air, but for what purpose, he didn't know.

"Now, Ahnasha, Fendros, you both know me; I am Najirra. Though, I am different today than from when I was a judge. My role is different now. I hope we can begin anew so that we might have the best chance of helping you." Najirra began to pour the tea from a tall pot into three small cups. "Let us first drink some tea. I have found it is best for calming the nerves." Najirra put down the pot and picked up his own cup in two hands. He closed his eyes as he sipped the steaming water.

Fendros carefully took a cup for himself and looked inside. The tea leaves seemed benign enough. "I don't want to sound rude, but did you put moon sugar in this tea? It...doesn't agree with me."

Najirra looked up and raise his brow, "Hm? Oh, no, moon sugar addles the mind too much for this. This is just black tea and beet sugar."

It wasn't clear what Najirra had in mind, exactly, but Fendros hesitantly sipped the tea. It was sickly sweet and piping hot, but the sensation of warmth that branched out from his oesophagus made his chest involuntarily relax. His uninjured shoulder twitched in response.

"Firstly, how has your day been? How have you found life in the clan to be since you arrived?" Najirra still held his cup in both hands.

Fendros glanced at Ahnasha. Did he really summon us for small talk? "I'm sorry, Najirra, we were under the impression that you wanted to talk to us about other issues-."

Najirra raised his hand to interrupt. "We will hunt our game one footprint at a time, we shall start with the small things and follow them to the larger things."

"Okay..." Fendros was dubious, "It has been different here, but very stable compared to outside. We have been faring well."

Najirra then looked to Ahnasha.

---

Janius wandered around for a short while until he found Kaleeth again. He certainly didn't expect her to be surrounded by excited children, much less observing how calmly she seemed to be talking to them. Janius was curious to see how she would take the attention, as well as what tales the children had weaved of her deeds. He leaned against a table nearby behind her and watched on, listening. He smiled to hear Kaleeth take a prouder stance to her beast form.

"So what!? My brother says that Tola could snap a shield with her bear hands!" One of the more loud boys boasted.

Another boy became cross and turned to him, "Shut up stink-face! Kaleeth could squash Tola flat!"

"What about Lorag? I heard he fought a hundred hunters in a little corridor."

"Do you shink you could beat Lorag in an arm wrestle, Kaleesh?" One of the younger boys with a lisp asked.

Behind Kaleeth, Janius was trying desperately not to laugh. He had no doubt that Kaleeth could best Lorag in a feat of strength again, but if he could hear this, he would be livid that Kaleeth was getting more praise.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei let out a sigh, knowing that her attempts at hiding her troubles had been rather futile. She shifted to sit cross-legged, then shook her head lightly. "No, I am not afraid, not truly. Nervous, certainly. All of the responsibilities I have been taking on, all of the duties I have been performing, it is just the start of years of work. Granted, I will not be as busy as I have been for the entire duration, but it is important work. Exceedingly important. The decisions I make, and how I carry them out, will affect the lives of everyone in this clan, and likely every lycan in Tamriel. What we do in this war could save them all, or get nearly every one killed. It is a great burden and...a difficult one to have looming over me. I am sure that Vera and her lieutenants have been feeling it as well, though I have had little rest to calm my nerves."

The simple act of talking about the issue was somewhat cathartic for Meesei. With the clan, and even the rest of her pack to a lesser extent, she needed to maintain an air of strength and certainty. She could not afford to let them begin doubting her, but with Sabine, she did not feel such a strong restriction, likely because of the fact that she had helped Sabine to overcome her own issues in the past. It gave a certain connection between their situations. "Perhaps my excuse had merit? Relaxing does seem like an appealing idea."

---

Ahnasha accepted the tea without protest, though she found it somewhat difficult to balance holding Rhazii in one arm, while holding the cup in such a way as not to burn herself. Even if it had contained moon sugar, she would not have complained; it might have provided some relief to the pain she was anticipating. At the very least, she found the tea to be quite good on its own, particularly its sweetness. She sat it down carefully on her left side, keeping the hot liquid far from Rhazii.

Like Fendros, Ahnasha was not sure where Najirra was going with his opening question. Although, she was not nearly as quick to openly question him. Perhaps he intended to build up to the more major issues, or perhaps the magic she could feel permeating the air would give him what he needed merely by being present? In any case, she could play along for now.

"Well, today has been uneventful. I helped with chores this morning, as did most in the clan. Nothing else has happened of interest, apart from Meesei acting strangely at lunch. Lorag things that she is overworking herself, but I think she knows what she is doing. Besides, it isn't as if she can ignore her responsibilities." Ahnasha explained.

---

"Oh, I don't think there were a hundred hunters there. It was hard to tell, though; they did fill the hallway." Kaleeth answered. There was one thing about the children she recognized quite easily, which was their fascination with stories, especially unbelievable ones. They liked of heroes and powerful warriors defeating evil. They especially liked the exaggerations, as their conversation showed.

"Anyway, Meesei, um, the Champion, says that I am stronger than any werewolf. Um, in actual strength, that is. Fighting is a lot harder than just being strong. Others are fast, like Ahnasha, or really smart like the Champion." Kaleeth added, though even she did not seem to be able to deflate their enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but you can just cut through everything with your teeth! Can we see? It sounds amazing." The Bosmer boy responded.

The Elven girl also seemed to like the idea and smiled. "Yeah, I want to see a werecrocodile!"

Soon enough, the entire crowd of children were asking her to transform, and while Kaleeth had been flattered by the attention, she was suddenly quite nervous once again. It was true that she had fed recently in a hunt, but she had never transformed just...to transform. She did not know if that was a good idea, but she could not think of what to do without disappointing them.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine's mouth twitched into a smile for a moment. She couldn't imagine being in the same position as Meesei now, with so many people depending on her, but she was glad that Meesei was willing to say what troubled her. Sabine had to think for a moment to respond, but she decided not be be complicated with it all. She shuffled forward and gently brought Meesei into a hug. "You're strong enough to do this. I know you are."

---

"Indeed. Your alpha has taken on many tasks since she has arrived. A time of war is nothing if not busy for the champion of Hircine." Najirra said before taking another sip of tea. Even though he was only halfway through his cup, he placed it down on the table in front of him and weaved his hands together on his lap. "Now, we will turn to the furthest past next, in order to know you two better. Tell me, briefly, what your life was like before you were both turned into lycans. If you were born with the gift, tell me of all before your first turning. Give me descriptions, and do tell me what brought you to being a lycan and joining your pack. Fendros, you may start first."

Why Najirra needed to know about their pasts was not immediately obvious to Fendros. He supposed it might help to know the experiences that shaped them, but something about the question right after the seemingly inconsequential one before was off-putting. Nevertheless, Fendros gave an answer. "It was happy enough, my childhood, my adolescence. I lived with my family in Cheydinhal. My parents were immigrants from Morrowind, so they were strict people, but we all took care of each other. My adopted brother and sister kept me company even though we weren't encouraged to go out and interact with other...lesser races, my father would call them. I liked to hunt, I liked to fence, I was in the Fighters Guild for a time. My life ahead of me was to make wine on my father's vineyard. It was stifling sometimes, though. I would strike out on my own to go hunting in the woods. During one hunt I was attacked by a feral werewolf and infected. I killed the creature, but was gravely wounded. Meesei found me and I joined her pack after that. I didn't really have any choice, but it had benefits," Fendros gave Ahnasha a smile. "That was one and a half - maybe two - years ago now? I haven't been keeping close track of time."

"Are there any points in that time that spring to your mind? Any good or bad experiences that come back at odd times?" Najirra probed further.

"Well, I've always had the attack in my mind. I thought I was going to die, but it's not something which comes up in my mind, not really." Fendros thought for a second, "Well, my father would shout when I had done something wrong. When I was a child, he would even beat me if I had done something particularly bad. That memory comes up when I've done something wrong, but not...I don't know, it doesn't seem important."

Najirra simply nodded, "It is all important if you remember." His head went to Ahnasha again, "Ahnasha, tell me of yourself. Include the memories that come up at odd times." His eyes flicked to Rhazii, "My daughters can care for your cub during our conversation if you wish. It is not the first time they have done so."

---

When the demand to see Kaleeth transform escalated to a certain point, Janius pushed off the table he was leaning against and intervened. "Enjoying a reputation, are we?" Janius strode to Kaleeth's side and put an arm around her. He addressed the children directly, "I'm not sure you urchins are brave enough to behold a werecrocodile. You would all wet your little breeches!"

As expected, the reaction from the children was protest. Janius was deliberately riling them up.

Janius murmured to Kaleeth's ear more quietly. "Do you want to try transforming in the main chamber? You can just break a few things in your mouth, you'll have much more control this close to a hunt. How do you feel about it?" Janius would understand if Kaleeth was not comfortable with it, but he thought it might be a good confidence booster.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei returned Sabine's hug, and maintained it for somewhat longer than usual. "I know; I will be because I have to be. There is no chance in Oblivion of me letting you, nor any of the others down. When the time comes, this clan, and every other clan for that matter, will be ready for whatever Vile has in store for us. Of course, that also means you will need to be ready. Do not think I have forgotten about you neglecting your training. We will start having an actual schedule for your training, instead of doing it whenever you are in the correct mood. It is not ideal, but I think you need to turn your training into a habit."

Meesei's tone was not overly serious or accusatory, but she did intend to follow through with her word. Nevertheless, even she was not interested in training at the moment, or anything even remotely related to her responsibilities, for that matter. Her scales were going to lose their color twenty years early at this rate if she kept herself at such high levels of stress. "But, that is not a conversation for this moment. When I said I intended to relax, I meant it. How would you feel about going for a swim? It has been too long since I have been able to do anything with you, or anyone else in the pack."

---

Ahnasha adjusted Rhazii in her arms as she looked down at him. Currently, he was just looking around curiously at the room, and Najirra in particular. "Well, if he starts acting up, I suppose I wouldn't mind. Right now, he just seems happy staring at your fur." She said with a slight smile.

She paused for a moment to take another sip of the tea, which she was really beginning to grow attached to. Internally, she was wondering if Najirra would be willing to teach her how to make it herself, but as that was not very pertinent to the matter at hand, she pushed off the thought for later. For now, he was wanting to know about their past, from before they had even turned. At least it sounded a bit more related to their problem than simple small talk.

"I was born in Leyawiin. As you can probably tell from my speech, I was raised essentially like an Imperial. My father was a Bosmer from Valenwood, but just like my mother, he had adopted the Imperials' ways. My mother taught me about Elsweyr, of course, but Imperial culture is what I know best. They were merchants, and wanted me to be the same. It was a stable life, certainly; I was better off than a lot of other children in the city, but...well I know it sounds petty, but it was boring. I can't think of a time where I actually wanted to be a merchant. Luckily, they let me indulge in my adventurous side. I started hunting, as well as dabbling in the spell tomes that would pass through the shop. Eventually I learned about Hircine, started worshipping him. He...inspired me to hunt bigger, tougher prey. After killing a minotaur in his name, he evidently found me worthy, because he directed me to Meesei. She was the one that gave me the gift of beast blood. I faked my death to cut off ties to my family, and haven't looked back. That was years ago; maybe...six or seven? I wasn't much older then than Sabine is now. But...as for memories, I don't think I really know what you mean. I do think about my family occasionally, but I wouldn't say I'm really bothered by any memories from back then. I mean, I did think about the last time I actually saw them when we passed by Leyawiin on the way to the Imperial City, but I wouldn't say that is unusual. The only memory that has been bothering me is the waking vivisection I lived through." Ahnasha explained.

--

At first, Kaleeth was relieved when Janius arrived, as he could presumably say something to the children to keep them from demanding that she transform. That seemed to be what he was doing when he first spoke, but much to her surprise, he actually whispered to her to encourage her to go along with it. Given her fear of transforming, it was not at all confident doing, and it surprised her that he thought she was ready for something like that.

"I, um, oh, are you...are you sure? Transforming makes me...nervous. I mean, I guess I can do it, but-" Kaleeth began, but at least one of the ever-attentive children was listening closely to her slightly-too-loud of a whisper.

"You'll do it? Oh, thank you, thank you! This will be great!" The Bosmer boy shouted, followed by cheering from a few of the others.

"Oh...okay." Kaleeth responded, rather distraught that she had accidentally agreed to this. Regardless, she looked to Janius, as if waiting for him to lead the way to the main chamber.

[Muttonhawk]

There was mild frustration in Sabine when the topic turned to her magical training, but she was not in so bad a mood as to be especially reactive. There was relief when Meesei made it clear that it would not be happening on the spot. In fact, having a swim was an appealing idea. Sabine gained a wide smile and nodded, "That would be fun."

Sabine stood up enthusiastically and went to scoop up Leaps from where he was napping. The undersized wamasu wriggled and chirped in surprise. "We'll take Leaps with us. He gets lonely here." Leaps protested for a short time, but was eventually caught up in the excitement enough to start wanting to lead the way himself. Sabine took Meesei's hand and accompanied her to the pool chamber.

The first half of the walk to the pool chamber was fairly quiet from Sabine, but the walk brought back the feelings she was left with at lunch. Her smile began to fade. A long enough time passed until she decided to try and bring it up again. She looked up at Meesei, considered for a moment whether asking would just cause more stress, then spoke up anyway. If it was not now, it was not ever. "Meesei, how do you know if a boy likes you?" Sabine asked quietly, checking around her for others listening.

---

Najirra angled his head back slightly at Ahnasha's final statement. "A...waking vivisection? This happened before you turned?"

"No," Fendros corrected, "But it has caused us both...pain. We can't forget it. We thought you could help."

"Ah..." Najirra looked into his tea and wiped his lips, thinking. Or was he observing something? He looked up again and smiled, "We shall get to that shortly."

What? Fendros lowered his eyebrows. He couldn't fathom what reasons it should be left for later. It was the entire reason that they were here! Fendros kept himself from protesting, but his patience was wearing thin already.

Najirra's posture became rather professional, then. His tone was official and serious. "Now, there are a few conditions if I am to help you with your problems. The first thing you must know is that what will not happen is you leaving my presence with no memory of your experiences." He put a hand on his chest, "What I do is strive to allow people such as yourselves to live your lives without the pain, to have you learn to manage it on your own. Whatever happens, you will carry this for the rest of your lives, but it need not cause you pain. The next thing to know is that it will not be a swift process. Your mind may change, but you will not leave here with all your problems nullified in an instant. It may take months, even years for you to overcome the wounds you both suffer. Next, my methods may not give you an immediate relief, such as a potion to numb your minds, but I promise you, however long it will take, I will not stop meeting you until you force yourselves away from me or I am confident that your scars will not hinder your lives. Finally, I cannot help you unless you put your trust in me. If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability. In turn, you must not lie to me or hold back something where I insist that you share it." With that, Najirra's demeanour softened again, "I know it is much information, but you must understand, I have been treating wounds of the mind for many years, and this is what is required for me to help you. Do you agree?"

Fendros was going to interrupt Najirra halfway through his verbal contract to say yes and that he didn't care about the conditions. He was annoyed that this would not help them in the immediate short term, but he supposed that should have expected as much. "Yes, I agree." Fendros said impatiently, "I want to heal this."

"Good," Najirra gave his smile again, "With your permission, Ahnasha, I shall begin to explore further."

---

Janius was not oblivious to Kaleeth's nervousness. He gestured for all the children to go towards the exit of the dining hall, "Alright everyone, gather in the main chamber, we'll see a werecrocodile there!" While the children ran out, Janius took the opportunity to take both of Kaleeth's hands and ask confirmation. "Hey, if you don't feel confident doing this, just say so now. It might just be good practice while your beast will be at its tamest. Don't worry, I'll keep the children well away from you."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei smiled. "Well, asking is generally a rather certain method of determining the truth, but...I know that is not the answer you want." She began, though she could not confess to knowing an easy answer to Sabine's question. In truth, she did not believe there was a such thing as an easy answer. People were complicated beings, particularly in matters of such intense emotion. An answer that would fit well in one scenario could be directly harmful in another. Still, it was good that Sabine was finally opening up her emotions to others, so she wanted to give as much helpful advice as possible.

"Honestly, the answer is likely much more complicated than it should be. I was raised in a remote part of Black Marsh, so what I know may not necessarily apply here. Our traditions, and the way we approach others, are different. Although, I imagine that would mostly influence how you are meant to approach one you are interested in. In my village, we were all rather open with one another in most aspects of life. The very name of Argonians in our tongue, Saxhleel, means 'People of the Root.' We were all connected to the Hist, and in turn, one another. There was no taboo in simply declaring one's feelings to another. But, I suppose that is not what you asked; you asked how to know if he is actually interested to begin with. My advice is to watch him in the same light as yourself. People's innate habits tend to be similar. Watch and see how often he wants to talk to you compared to others; see if his actions toward you mimic any of your own. Or, look at your friends who are in a relationship with another. See if you can find any of the details in how they act with each other in how he acts towards you. Nothing is guaranteed to work, of course, but it is a start." She explained, her volume mimicking Sabine's.

It was not long before the two reached the pool chamber in the lower levels. As it was midday and many in the clan were busy, it was not especially crowded, though there were of course others present. Some were adults, relaxing and talking among one another in and around the pool. Others were younger, around Sabine's age, and most were swimming much more actively. Looking among their faces, Meesei was sure she recognized that at least a few of them were among those that she had seen Sabine socializing with. There was also one excessively nervous-looking boy, perhaps a year or two older than Sabine, who was standing, or perhaps hiding, behind a low wall half as tall as himself a short distance from the pool, on the far side from the entrance.

As they entered the room, Meesei found a corner to undress and place her belongings. As it was sufficiently far from the pool to be out of earshot, she whispered to Sabine. "You know some of the others here, yes?"

---

To Ahnasha, nothing that Najirra said was truly a surprise. She was not expecting an easy nor quick solution, as much as she wished that were possible. She was skeptical that he would be able to help them at all, as even he seemed surprised when she mentioned the degree of trauma that she experienced. Still, they had to try, as they had no other plan in mind for how to heal these scars.

"I agree as well. I...well I honestly do not know what to expect, but I do not intend to give up, no matter how long it takes." She answered.

---

Kaleeth was obviously nervous, though having Janius being the one suggesting the transformation did bring her some comfort. "I...I don't know. I'm not confident, but I don't want to upset them. You already said I would transform. If you think I can do it, then...I guess I can. Just stay with the children, okay? And don't be afraid to stop me if I do anything wrong." She answered.

With only a hint of reluctance, Kaleeth walked with Janius to the main chamber. As usual, there were many who walked through the main chamber on their way to different parts of the ruins, but at the moment, there were no actual gatherings in the chamber itself, apart from the children grouped together near its center, where training usually took place. Though still visibly nervous, Kaleeth found a place to discard her clothing, then stepped out into the center of the chamber.

"I...guess I should start." She said, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. At the very least, she did know how to transform on command by letting the beast out of its mental cage. As she felt the transformation coming, she braced herself; it was always painful.

[Muttonhawk]

The advice that Meesei offered made sense to Sabine. Beforehand, she had been more broadly observing the behaviour of the one she liked, but she didn't know what to look for, and more often than not she would just lose focus. The points that Meesei provided helped things be more concise.

Sabine put down her shoulder bag and undressed nearby Meesei. Her eyes were drawn to where Meesei was looking and her face lit up a little. "Yes," Sabine said enthusiastically. She pointed towards a group of people around her age, "Over there is Freida, Primus, Angela, Thyme, and Rikki. Caleb sometimes accompanies us, but he is probably with Najirra right now." Sabine looked around for a moment, "There is also Peiter, but he must be doing something else, I cannot see him." Sabine's gaze stopped on the low wall near the back and stopped, "Oh, there is also Roland. I think he is afraid of me. I don't know why."

---

"Very good," Najirra gave a slow, seated bow, "This one thanks you both for being patient. Now, do you both know why you are here?"

Fendros glanced at Ahnasha with confusion, and then answered. "A few months ago, we both fell into the hands of an Argonian noble in Black Marsh who hated lycans. He tortured us by cutting Ahnasha open in front of me and keeping her alive and awake during the process." Perhaps it was the abridged version, perhaps it was Fendros' anger suppressing his fear and sadness, or perhaps it was simply the time that had passed, but Fendros was surprisingly contained and monotonous in his recount. "Later on the day we escaped, we found out that our complacency put Rhazii, our child, in danger, and he was caught in a fire. You can see how he was scarred."

Najirra listened attentively, nodding every now and then. He waited for Fendros to finish before speaking, "So this was the event that has caused such painful memories. We shall detail it further, but first I need to know how exactly it has affected you both. I take it the event changed you."

"Yes, of course it did," Fendros kept his eyes on the teapot while he spoke. He was less angry at Najirra now that it appeared he was getting to the crux of the matter. "We both get nightmares, but not like lycan nightmares, these are...recurring, they go back to the chains and...there are many nights that we cannot sleep properly. A friend gave us a medicine to suppress the memories from entering our dreams, but we have all but run out of that. I've foregone my doses so that Ahnasha may sleep." Fendros wiped one eye, though he wasn't outwardly emotional yet, "Even when I'm awake, the memories come back in visions, like they're real. I panic, I can't think straight, it once made me transform against my will. Any smell, sound, or sight that is similar brings me back there. Sometimes I don't even see the memories, but I panic when I smell viscera and hear screams." Fendros tightened his jaw and closed his eyes.

Although interested, Najirra was visually unaffected by the impact of Fendros' story. He waited until he could be sure that Fendros' pause was actually the end of his explanation before looking to Ahnasha. "If you would tell this one how it has affected you, now. If you feel comfortable expanding upon the event, you may do so."

---

"You'll be fine," Janius gave an encouraging smile before they headed into the main chamber.

With all the children gathered around haphazardly, Janius made sure to keep things safe in case the worst happened. "Alright, all of you stay here, you will not get any closer to Kaleeth than where I am pointing! She isn't like a werewolf, she needs the space around her and is very..." Janius was about to say nervous, but he decided to exaggerate a bit, "...easy to anger!"

The children seemed compliant enough and all stood where directed.

Janius went to grab an old and battered round shield from the racks of practice weapons and held it by the rim next to the children. Janius had made sure that they all gave Kaleeth a wide berth as she transformed. Kaleeth's shifting was what the children expected at first, but as her physiology began to resemble a werewolf less and less, there were gasps of excitement and astonished remarks.

Once Kaleeth was fully transformed, he carefully rolled the old shield in her direction. It spiralled to a stop next to her with a series of scrapes on the floor. Janius kept a close eye on Kaleeth, ready for anything. "Just bite the shield and turn back, Kaleeth. You can keep in charge."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei let out a chuckle. "I do not know why he would fear you, but he certainly seems afraid. I may be able to imagine why; is he a new lycan? He looks quite nervous to step out from behind that wall." She commented.

Looking across the group of people that Sabine pointed out, Meesei could not help but to smile. She of course knew about the fact that Sabine had been making friends, but it was even more encouraging to see them in person. She could see the excitement in her expression as she pointed them out, and the familiarity she had with them. It was such a drastic change from how Sabine acted when they first found her. Meesei had known that Sabine had improved drastically, but this was the first time she was able to see the effect it had on how she interacted with those outside the pack, those she was less familiar with.

"At any rate, I am not certain on how you would like me to approach your friends, if you would like me to speak to them at all, so how about you lead the way?" Meesei suggested.

---

Ahnasha had a difficult time even just listening to Fendros' account of the event, and its effects on him. So, when Najirra shifted his attention to her, she froze up a moment. Her breathing was more rapid, and her ears flush with blood as they tried to rid her of the body heat building within her. She swallowed, trying to drum up the will to speak. "I...is it really necessary to describe how that affected me? I mean...it seems fairly...apparent what that would do to me. I was cut open, from my collarbone down to my stomach." She explained, using her free hand to trace down the path of the blade. She pulled apart some of the fur on her abdomen to show the rather prominent scar just beneath it. "I was kept alive and awake by healers who trained specifically to be able to heal without numbing the pain. I saw my heart beating in my chest with my own eyes. I don't think it did anything to me that wouldn't happen to anyone else who went through the same torture."

Closing her eyes a moment, Ahnasha let out a deep breath. "All the same things that have been happening to Fendros have been happening to me, at least mostly. Organs and...dead meat don't bother me, it's just when the owner is still alive. Different nightmares, but along the same lines. I haven't had it as bad as him for a while, but I think that is just because of the medicine, and I'm almost out..."

---

Kaleeth did not react immediately to the shield being rolled to her, and she tried not to even pay attention to the fact that the children were there. For the moment, she only wanted to make sure she retained her faculties. Being in control while in this form just seemed so...unnatural. She looked down at her massive, clawed hand while flexing and contracting the fingers. It was almost like it felt more "right" to have the beast in control while in this form. At least then, she did not feel like she had to confront the fact that this body was actually hers.

After a few moments, and a few shouts of impatience from the audience, Kaleeth reached down and grasped the shield awkwardly in her rather large hand. She could feel the beast in her mind, but it wasn't demanding anything of her...yet. She brought the old battered shield up to her mouth and snapped her jaws around it with as much force as she could muster. Of course, that was far more than was necessary, as the training shield did not have anywhere close to the durability of the steel-reinforced shield she had snapped before, and the jaws of a werecrocodile were perhaps the strongest in all of Tamriel. Though, it was not as if the children would know any of those details. To them, she was a fearsome lycanthrope who could snap a shield with scarcely any effort.

Kaleeth cast aside the remnants of the shield and turned towards Janius and the rest of her audience. She knew she should turn back, but at the moment, she did not actually feel nearly as...angry as she had expected.

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh," Sabine's face showed apprehension all of a sudden, "Well, you can meet them if you want to, but...they might act differently. You're the Champion. It's different with their parents-"

"Hey Sabine! Over here!" An overexcited Altmer girl jumped up in the water and waved in Sabine and Meesei's direction. The entire group that Sabine had pointed out had their eyes on them now.

Sabine frowned and looked to the pool, then back to Meesei, and then to the pool again. Finally, she took Meesei's hand and lead her to the steps. "Meet them, then go and relax," Sabine dictated.

The water was pleasant and refreshing, as expected. Sabine's eyes seemed to be locked wide open, as if she was hoping the meeting would go well. The laughing and chatting from Sabine's friends died down as they approached. It went to silence once everyone realised who was alongside Sabine.

"Hello. This is Meesei," Sabine managed a smile, "She's my alpha, and my m-...my teacher."

There was a pause. An awkward one.

The one boy in the group, the younger black-haired Imperial named Primus, had his jaw hanging open. "Your alpha is the Champion of Hircine? Why didn't you tell us?" He said, breaking the silence.

The similar looking, yet older girl next to Primus in the water, the one named Angela, put on an annoyed face and looked to Primus. "We all knew, brother!" Angela splashed some water at Primus' head, "You never pay attention to anything!"

Everyone chuckled at the exchange. The apparently bravest one in the group, the Nord girl named Freida, paddled forward. "Hi, I'm Freida! My uncle says that you saved his life in the battle a couple of weeks ago. Thank you."

The entire atmosphere relaxed, and with it so did Sabine's involuntarily tensed shoulders. She had wanted to introduce Meesei as her mother, but she knew that wasn't true. With the mothers of the friends she had met, Meesei was the closest equivalent that Sabine had. She was just glad that she had caught herself before making the situation embarrassing. Hopefully Meesei wouldn't do that for her.

---

"I see, I see," Najirra closed his eyes solemnly, "This one has not heard of such drawn-out of cruelty in some time. Now, this one shall instruct you to do something simple, but its purpose will become apparent." Najirra turned his body and reached out for a large scroll of parchment and two sticks of charcoal. He lifted the tea set on its tray, put it aside, then laid the parchment out on the small table and handed the charcoal each to Fendros and Ahnasha. He weighted the parchment flat with empty teacups.

Fendros took the charcoal and looked at it, still confused by the old Khajiit's methods.

"With one hand, you will find your heartbeat. An easy place to find it is between one of the two cords of your neck, your jaw, and the apple of your throat." Najirra demonstrated by placing a finger high on the side of his neck, "Your other hand will hold the charcoal."

Without much trouble, Fendros found his pulse with his left hand. His heart was beating fast due to the previous topic.

"When I tell you to start, you will both put a mark on the parchment for every heartbeat you have. Mark every one of them until I tell you to stop." Najirra pulled a small hourglass out from under the table, "Ready? Start." There was a clack as the top end of the hourglass was set on the table.

Fendros began to scratch the parchment for every throb he felt on his neck. It was difficult enough to keep up that he closed his eyes partway through. He had suspicions as to what this was for, but he didn't say. He just did as Najirra asked.

"That will do, stop now."

The hourglass had all of its sand in the lower globe when Fendros opened his eyes. He wasn't keeping track of the seconds, but his heartbeat made the time seem longer than the hourglass suggested. It couldn't have enough sand for more than half a minute.

Najirra carefully pulled the parchment off the table and laid it to one side. It curled up on its own when he set it on the floor. "We will go back to that later. Now we shall do as monks do, without lurking into spirits and gods. We need only be at peace. You may both seat yourselves comfortably, keep your backs straight, close your eyes if you wish. Breathe as this one instructs..."

This was a simple trick to Fendros. Deep breaths? It's what everyone did to calm themselves. Whenever Fendros tried, it was because he was angry about something, and it often didn't work. He would lose patience. The only thing that had Fendros humour the old man further was the assumption that he would perform some kind of magic with this exercise.

"Fill your belly with air, slowly in now." Najirra breathed along with them, "Now fill your chest with air, but not fully...now fill your neck with air."

Fendros wondered how he was supposed to store breath above his lungs, but upon filling the remainder of his chest, he did feel a pressure on the base of this throat. Perhaps that's what the old man meant.

"Now, we go back, empty your neck of air..." Najirra exhaled much slower than he inhaled, "...now empty your chest..." Fendros could feel his heart thudding still, but he just focussed on following Najirra's instructions, "...and empty your belly. In order for this to work, we must repeat this cycle for a short time."

Somehow, Fendros had not given up yet, but he wondered how Ahnasha's patience was faring in comparison.

---

A cheer went up from the children as tiny splinters from the shield flew. Janius gave a smile; Kaleeth was doing well.

"Alright, and that is a werecrocodile, children!" Janius announced to the audience, "The biggest lycan you'll ever see if you're lucky!" Janius looked to Kaleeth again, now more confident that she was in control. "Kaleeth, I don't know for sure if you can talk in that form, but if you can understand me, nod your head. Do you want to go and hunt, or would you like to transform back now?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei allowed Sabine to lead the way as she followed her into the pool. She was glad to be able to be in the water once more, as she could hardly recall the last time she swam. Moisture was a pleasant sensation on her scales, and she much preferred receiving it from a warm pool than the harsh, biting cold of the snow and ice outside.

Once Sabine gave the introductions, Meesei smiled and gave a nod to the Nord, Freida. "I am glad to have helped. This clan, I will protect with my life...though I prefer to use an excess of lightning instead." Meesei said with a slight chuckle. She swam up alongside the group and looked over each of them carefully, trying to keep in her mind the names Sabine had listed before. So far, she only knew that the Nord girl was named Freida, and the boy hiding awkwardly behind the low wall a short distance from the pool was Roland.

"With my excessively busy schedule, I have not been able to meet as many of the clan's members as I would have liked. Perhaps I will be able to thank your uncle personally for his aid in defending the clan? Regardless, it is good to meet you all." Meesei said politely.

---

Ahnasha was not certain what Najirra intended by having them feel for their heartbeats, but as it was not similar to anything she had tried before, she gave no protest. As she needed both hands for this exercise, she had to reluctantly allow one of Najirra's daughters to take care of Rhazii for the time being. Najirra certainly was not transparent about the overall goals of what they were doing, which was slightly frustrating, but she supposed it was possible that knowing would make it somehow ineffective. She followed along, tapping out her heartbeat each time she felt it. She could not help but to notice that she was tapping at a different rate from Fendros, which seemed odd to her. Despite the tension from describing her experiences, she did not feel particularly frightened or otherwise compromised emotionally. She wondered if Fendros was feeling nervous, or if a Khajiit heart simply beat at a different pace from that of a Dunmer.

Afterwards, Najirra instructed them to do what seemed like meditation. It was not something she was at all unfamiliar with, but at the same time, she did not see how meditation, even extended over months or years, could cure their issues. She just had to trust that everything Najirra had planned for them would make sense when taken together. The breathing exercise took a few moments for her to learn how to perform correctly, after which she followed along silently while anticipating the next instruction he would give.

---

Speaking was not something that Kaleeth was especially adept at while in beast form; the others could not offer advice for her as they would a werewolf. She had been relearning how to form the sounds over the past few months, although it was not an easy task. She shook her head and let out a single long, drawn out "No." Her meaning was that she did not want to go hunting, as it would require stepping out into the cold. Of course, Janius' initial question had been if she could understand him at all, but in that case, any answer at all would not make sense if she could not.

Kaleeth took a few steps forward, closer to the group as she looked them over and took in their scents. Perhaps it was just because she was well-fed, but they did not seem quite so much like prey as she had been expecting. However, she did not want to give that a chance to change, so quickly, she began the transformation back into her Argonian form. As her bones and muscles shrank and reformed back to their normal sizes, she continued to step forward closer to Janius until she was back to normal entirely, at which point her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed forward into his arms.

"Why does that always have to hurt?" Kaleeth whispered to him while her gaze wandered back over to the group of children. Despite it only being a short demonstration, they seemed sufficiently impressed at the novel sight. It was something that brought a smile to her face.

[Muttonhawk]

"Surprise!" The Altmer girl erupted from the water behind Sabine and placed her hands on Sabine's shoulders. Sabine shrieked with fright. The Altmer girl's upward momentum turned down while she was above Sabine, effectively dunking Sabine under the water. The Altmer began laughing with good nature as Sabine surfaced again with flattened wet hair. Sabine began to giggle along with the Altmer and threw a splash of water in revenge.

"Good one, Rikki," Primus said over his own laughter.

Now that Sabine was in the centre of the group, she realised with Meesei's face that she should perhaps introduce everyone else properly, rather than vaguely pointing. Not everyone was as up front as Freida. "Meesei, this is Rikki, Primus, Angela, and Thyme."

"You are a magic user, right?" The Bosmer girl, Thyme, was perhaps the one with the clearest voice, but she was the smallest of them all, "What kind of magic are you good at?"

Off to one side, Sabine approached Rikki and murmured. "Where's Caleb?"

"I think he's helping the woodworkers to build extra things for the front gate, why?" Rikki gained a mischeivious grin, "Finally brought up the courage to confess?"

"No!" Sabine reacted immediately, beginning to cringe again, "I told you, I don't..."

"Sabine, we can all tell. You ask after him too much." Angela matter-of-factly noted.

Primus looked sideways at Angela, "By that logic, sis, you would have feelings for Roland over there."

Angela instinctively looked around, "What? He's here!? Uh-" she stopped herself and looked angrily back at Roland, "I don't like like Roland, okay? He's just..." Angela trailed off.

"He runs off and hides at the weirdest times," Rikki finished Angela's sentence.

---

The breathing exercise went on for as long as Fendros expected, and then five more. By about the middle of the exercise, he had to admit that he didn't realise how tense his neck and shoulders were until it all seemed to drain off him like warm water. Eventually, his heart became less noticeable in his chest. He had all but forgotten about it by the time Najirra asked them to open their eyes again. What Fendros found in front of him was another blank sheet of parchment on the table.

"Now that we have finished the breathing, we shall count our heartbeats again." Najirra lifted the hourglass and turned it once they were both ready, "Begin."

The counting was easier this time, much easier. Fendros' heart was beating far slower, not to mention he was much more relaxed. The time passed more quickly. Soon enough Najirra signalled them to stop and put the hourglass aside. He retrieved the previous scroll of parchment and laid it out such that Fendros and Ahnasha could compare the heartbeats they counted. In both cases, both of them had marked fewer heartbeats.

"Describe to this one now, how do you feel compared to before the breathing? In body and mind?" Najirra asked.

Fendros' patience hadn't improved, but it wasn't any thinner than before either. "Er...relaxed, loose. Calmer, I think? Before, I was tense, of course, but...how is this meant to help exactly?"

Najirra raised the fingers of one hand, "I shall explain after you answer as well, Ahnasha."

---

Janius' smile widened as Kaleeth answered. At first he was concerned when she took a closer look at the children, but that quickly diminished as she transformed back. Janius quickly stepped forward to catch her properly. "If it didn't hurt, you wouldn't know that it was happening," Janius offered, he kissed her on the cheek, "Good show."

After a moment, Janius attempted to prop Kaleeth back onto her feet and addressed the gathered children. "That's all there is to see, children! Any questions?" Janius' eyes glanced over to the discarded pieces of shield, "Whoever touches a piece of shield first gets to keep it."

Immediately, a number of the children charged for the splintered pieces of wood, still with the tell tale tooth marks that Kaleeth had inflicted. It wasn't as if the shield was useful to anyone now.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei remained mostly along the sidelines, observing Sabine's interactions with her friends. She took particular note of the mention of Caleb, given the conversation that had preceded their arrival at the pool. If it was the same Caleb that she knew, then it was an interesting revelation, though not one without concern.

Pushing aside the thought for the moment, Meesei answered Thyme's question while the others teased one another. "Yes, I am. I would say I have considerable skill in all forms of magic; conjuration less so than the others. My upbringing was in a remote area of Black Marsh, so I know forms of magic not found in the Empire, those passed down by my people." She explained, though at the same time, she was listening to Sabine's conversation. It was not something that she felt she should involve herself in too greatly, as she wanted to allow Sabine to have time with her friends unimpeded. Meesei leaned back in the water with her hands behind her head, allowing herself to float on the surface while using her tail to keep herself stationary. However, she did find herself curious enough to make one comment, one that might give Sabine more of a chance to return Angela's teasing. "What of your friend over there? He seems quite reluctant to join you, or even leave that wall."

The boy, Roland, could hear some of what they were saying, and at one point, almost looked like he might actually step out towards the pool, but nevertheless remained precisely where he was standing.

---

"Well...my heartbeat slowed, so it must have done something." Ahnasha answered. She was having a hard time putting into words exactly how she felt. Again, her heartbeat was not as slow as Fendros', but she was starting to think that was normal, since she certainly felt less tense overall. She scratched behind her head, tilting it to the side slightly while she tried to decide on how to answer.

"I feel a little strange, honestly. Like...I have too much air, but not in a bad way, necessarily. Breathing that way was a bit odd, but relaxing, I suppose. It took more concentration than I would have thought, but it did clear my mind, at least. I guess I feel the same way as him. Should I be feeling any different?" She asked, wondering if the experience was supposed to differ for them at any point. Perhaps he was looking for something to change between them to figure out how the event had affected both of them individually?

---

Kaleeth tightened her arms around Janius and returned his kiss. Yes, but...I think I would like that better, honestly." She commented as she straightened out and stretched her aching muscles. It felt as if she had been exercising for a few hours straight, though from her experience, the feeling would not last nearly as long.

Turning her head, Kaleeth looked to the children once more. As was common for those their age, their attention span was short enough that their focus could easily and quickly shift. Now, they were fighting over the remnants of the shield, competing to see who could get the largest piece. She had obviously impressed them, though they now looked like they were mostly interested in playing with one another, particularly since Kaleeth would not be able to transform again for some time.

Kaleeth walked back over to her belongings with Janius and began to collect them. As she was tying together her loincloth, she gave another smile in the children's direction. "I think I like them. They seemed so excited and happy to see something new. They are...adorable."

[Muttonhawk]

"It's only been recently that he's been hiding," Freida answered, "A week or two, maybe. We should call him over."

Angela opened her mouth to speak, perhaps to protest, but didn't follow through.

Instead, Thyme spoke out. She did so with gusto. "Roland! Come into the pool! Why are you hiding?!"

For a short while, Sabine wanted to mention that perhaps Roland was afraid of her, but she didn't want to leave her friends just because another friend was hiding from her. It was an on-the-spot theory anyway. She was curious to ask him. That, and it was enough fun to watch Angela's strange behaviour around him. It was Angela's own small comeuppance where Sabine was otherwise too shy to do much teasing herself.

---

"Not necessarily," Najirra replied, "The body is a reflection of the emotional mind. When you are relaxed, with nothing to do or think about, it relaxes and deteriorates. When you are in a routine, it aligns with the routine. When you are working, it flows through with energy. When you are overstressed, there is so much energy that it tightens up and overcompensates. The energy can take many forms; tension, heartbeats, cramps, headaches. But this is not the only direction it flows." Najirra swept his hands up in a movement from the front of his stomach to his forehead, "The mind is informed by the body, through our senses and our pains. If we calm our bodies, all it takes is a little focus and we may calm our minds. Though temporary, this is what we accomplished with the breathing." Najirra leaned forward slightly, "You may attempt this breathing technique whenever you like, but it is not the only way to calm yourselves. Each time you come to my abode, we will always start with a different calming technique or practice a previous one. Eventually, we may find those which work best for each of you, and you will know the best way to calm yourselves."

Najirra gathered up the parchment and began to roll it all up, gesturing to collect the charcoal as well. "But, learning to calm oneself is not the complete answer to your predicament. It is only a part of it. I shall also teach you to recognise your thoughts and behaviours in order to treat them accordingly. This will involve looking into what happened and finding associations. Additionally, if you are interested, I may teach you exactly the nature of terrible memories. How they work in the mind is very similar from person to person, and understanding your own mind to that extent may be useful to you. It may give reason to your suffering." Najirra placed his hands on his knees and spoke genially despite the subject matter, "So, with which would you like to start? With thoughts and behaviours or understanding your minds?"

Fendros stayed quiet and decided to let Ahnasha decide. He wasn't sure what to expect from either of the topics. The idea of using a breathing technique to help solve the problems they were facing seemed too easy and quick, but at least he didn't suspect that he was being led astray by Najirra any more.

---

Janius' eyes followed Kaleeth's to the children. He thought for a moment that he should step in and arbitrate where they were fighting over the larger pieces, but they didn't fight for long. It wasn't as if they couldn't go to their friend to see the shield fragment whenever they wanted. It was just a little memento after all. Still, it was quaint to watch.

"Heh, yeah. It's been a while since I saw kids awed like that. Adorable is the right word for these little scamps." Janius turned his back to the children and faced Meesei, "You aren't thinking of making shield biting a regular entertainment, are you?"

[EliteCommander]

Like Sabine, Meesei too remained silent, observing how the situation unfolded. Roland obviously heard them, but was quite reluctant to do much of anything. "Oh, um, well, I..." He began, but he failed to say anything even marginally coherent. It almost looked like he was about to leave entirely when he felt something brush up against his leg. He quickly glanced down, then let out a scream and started running off in the direction of the pool. He seemed as if he were trying to run around it to the other side, but as he neared the pool, the floor became more wet from people climbing in and out of the water. So, as he tried to turn, he slipped and fell straight into the water.

To punctuate the event, from behind the low wall, Leaps-On-Elves sauntered out into the open, raised his head, and let out an almost innocent-sounding chirp. Obviously, most of Sabine's friends were laughing, and even Meesei did not hold back a quick chuckle. Still, she decided to remain mostly uninvolved and instead swam over to the other side of the pool to grab Leanps and bring him in, under her supervision.

---

Unlike before, there was no question in Ahnasha's mind about what she wanted to do. There was one effect of their ordeal that was the most common and persistent. It was perhaps not the most intense, but certainly it was disruptive. "I want to understand these nightmares. We do our minds keep making us live through that torture again and again? Do they wish to just torment us? I only have them occasionally with the medicine, but Fendros...it makes it difficult for him to sleep. Is it because we are lycans that the nightmares are are so intense; have we been cursed by Vaermina? They're just...too common to be tolerable."

In Ahnasha's tone there was the strong presence of desperation. There were other problems that they were facing during waking hours, but not having to fear going to sleep each night would cut down on their stress tremendously. She needed to have an answer, and she hoped that the nightmares were a problem that Najirra would be able to solve relatively soon.

---

Kaleeth shook her head. "No, we wouldn't have enough shields, not old ones at least. I don't think anyone would want us breaking the good shields." She answered, not quite picking up on the potential sarcasm. She was better about such things than before, but the subtleties of tone in Cyrodilic was still a point where she could err.

After she finished getting dressed, Kaleeth put an arm around Janius and pulled herself close to him with a wide smile across her face. For just having transformed, she was in a surprisingly good mood. They started to walk away, but as they moved along, she turned her head and looked to him curiously. "So...do you like the children too?"

[Muttonhawk]

It was just as Sabine was beginning to wonder where Leaps had wandered off to that Roland screamed and skidded straight into the water. She was concerned for a moment, but as Roland's head burst to the surface again, she began to join in with the laughter.

Angela tried to feign indifference as she stroked over to Roland, but given that she was the only one who seemed to be moving to help, no amount of acting would protect her. "Are you okay, Roland? It was just a lizard."

After the laughter died down, Freida turned to Sabine. "Is that the baby wamasu you told us about, Sabine? It's so cute!"

Sabine was still to amused to answer with anything more than a nod.

"I would trust you to think it's cute, Freida." Rikki commented, "It looks slimy to me."

"Leaps isn't slimy, he is just shiny," Sabine said, "Would you like to meet him? Careful, he likes jumping on people."

"Never would have guessed with a name like that," Freida said.

"Roland, would you like to meet Meesei and Leaps?" Sabine called out, though not quite as clearly as Thyme did.

---

"I can assure you, if it were Vaermina herself that cursed you with nightmares, her job would be much easier with what you have been through." Najirra didn't quite laugh, even though he looked as though he might. He paused instead as his expression brought concern. "Just to make sure, you have not done anything to offend Vaermina or any other Daedra, have you? Apart from Clavicus Vile, of course."

"I don't think so," Fendros answered slowly. "The only one I could think that we have particularly offended would be Vile."

"Well," Najirra shrugged, "We shall keep Daedric influence in mind. But, back to explaining. Where to begin...where to begin..." Najirra itched at the underside of his chin for a moment. "All minds of creatures that resemble us enough have similar ways of working. Animals, people, even some smarter fish, we all have fear in a way, and we all have memories. The greater beings that created us all decided to use a simple way to make sure that we wouldn't keep falling into danger; when we are in danger, we panic. If you ever remember panicking in your lives, I guarantee that you either thoughtlessly lashed out and stood your ground, ran as fast and as far away as you could, or froze in place and barely even dared to breathe until the danger passed. This is natural if a greater predator is hunting you. Anyone who decides to stop and consider the situation..." Najirra clapped his hands together from above and below, curling his fingers to look like teeth, "...is eaten! Your best chance, most of the time, is to act instinctively." Najirra waved a hand, "But this is what you already know. There is another reaction in your mind that is barely noticed." Najirra pointed to his forehead, "A strong memory of the danger. You will find that the easiest memories to recall are the ones where you felt in danger. This is natural, as anyone who does not recall how to anticipate danger is eaten as well! And dreams! They are influenced by your worries, your memories, all manner of things that roil in the mind. You might see now where this leads." Najirra grinned slightly.

Fendros was starting to connect the dots. This was all a new level of understanding for him, so it was somewhat hard to keep up with. At least most of it lead on from common sense. Still, it felt too simple. He wondered whether he should trust Najirra's explanation at all. It could be a trick, but then again, if it helps...

"Greater kinds of danger and fear imprint stronger memories." Najirra continued, a little less proud of himself this time. "Our minds were never meant to survive such ordeals as prolonged near-death experiences or horrors above and beyond the wilderness. What happens when we are witnesses to such things, anyway? Well, the memory becomes so strong that being reminded is unnaturally easy and often involuntary. It appears in nightmares more easily than anything a beast spirit imparts onto the mind. The memory becomes so strong that even recalling a part of it flows into our bodies, making panic and flooding our senses with how it was in the first place. This is why you become distressed with opened living flesh, and this is why the nightmares are so common." Najirra stopped to clear his throat and lifted the tea set onto the small table again. "There is more to it, but that it the basic explanation," Najirra poured himself another cup of the sweet tea, "Do you both understand so far? Is there anything you wish to clarify?" Najirra's tone became lighter as he gestured with the teapot, "More tea?"

---

Janius returned Kaleeth's smile. It was nice to see her react with happiness after transforming for a change. Her question was at first something he didn't think hard about. He glanced back at the children and then to Kaleeth neutrally. "Sure, I don't mind them. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Janius responded, apparently oblivious, at least for the moment.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, no, it's fine, I'm fine, everything is...fine." Roland answered to Angela between coughs from the bit of water that had entered his lungs. "It just...startled me, is all." He tried to quickly explain, though for a few moments, there was only silence between himself and Angela. It was an awkward pause broken by Sabine calling out his name. "Um, sure." He answered notably abruptly.

Meesei swam over closer to the group, being sure to hold Leaps securely in her arms. His method of swimming was essentially just clawing at the water, so getting too close to him while he was swimming around could easily result in a few unpleasant scratches. Roland approached reluctantly, though whether is was because of Leaps, or the fact that he was approaching the Champion, was uncertain. Slowly, he reached out and rubbed Leaps' back, to which he responded by sniffing Roland's wrist.

"I would not be frightened of him. He has not bitten anyone, yet. Just be mindful of him if he is swimming around, as he might unintentionally give you a few scratches." Meesei warned the group.

---

"Sure, sure." Ahnasha answered, exhaling deeply. She did feel rather relaxed at the moment, but it would not be difficult to become nervous once again. Besides which, she did rather like the tea.

As she took a few sips of the rather warm liquid, Ahnasha tried to thikn about Najirra's answer. His description made their problems sound a lot like instinct. For lycans, it was something they were intimately familiar with. They had to train rigorously to control the natural urges of their beast spirits, but she did not know where to begin for training her mind to ignore the effects of something like trauma. It seemed much more...innate than the instincts of the second souls residing within their minds. It was a direct part of the way their minds worked, so if Najirra's plans did not work, it made her feel as if there would truly be no hope for the to recover. She could only hope that their experience in controlling the instincts of their beast spirits would help them in controlling their own.

"You make it sound a lot like an instinct. Will we be able to control it in the same way we do our beast spirits, or will we need to do something else?" She asked.

---

Kaleeth kept her arm around Janius as she walked alongside him, even resting her head against him as much as she could while they were moving. Even for her, she was being notably affectionate towards him. "I agree, I love being around them. It is great to see them happy like that, especially if I am the one making them happy."

Kaleeth gave Janius a quick kiss on the cheek. She did not know where exactly they were going at the moment, and did not particularly care. She was simply going wherever he was. "Don't you think you would like spending more time around children?" She asked, her questioning bringing the conversation closer to her true intent.

[Muttonhawk]

Most of Sabine's friends stepped forward to coo and aww at Leaps while giving him little rubs. Leaps chirped happily with all of the attention. Rikki watched on from behind them, still dubious.

Thyme looked up, "So Leaps came all the way from Black Marsh? That's a long way. What's it like there, anyway?"

Sabine had joined in petting Leaps when she became distracted and began to cringe a little. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled her hand away. She lifted her hand out of the water to reveal a small scratch. It wasn't bleeding, save for the tiniest of red beads. "Sorry," Sabine said, as if an apology was owed at all, "I wasn't being careful."

Angela and Frieda were paying close enough attention that they glanced over to what had caught Sabine's attention. They looked at one another knowingly and let out a small giggle.

Sabine's cheeks flushed slightly. She knew that she had been caught out. Over on the floor above the pool, the Redguard orphan boy, Caleb, was preparing to wash himself in preparation for bathing in the pool. His expression seemed neutral. If anything he looked tired from recent manual labour. He hadn't apparently noticed the group across the pool looking in his direction.

---

Fendros silently placed his teacup forward to be refilled. He didn't think he could drink very much of it without feeling sick, but he had to admit that it was soothing in a way.

There was a nod from Najirra to Ahnasha as he refilled both cups Fendros and her had put forward. "There is much to helping your mind that comes from teachings of lycan control, but there are a few fundamental differences. While a beast spirit grows in power and becomes apparent after infection or during adolescence, your minds have been with you all of your lives. There are many different behaviours that are so natural to you that you hardly notice them until you are taught to recognise them. That is a large part of helping yourself, you see; simply learning to recognise how you think and feel. Another fact to know is that your minds cannot be sated and tamed so easily by simply carrying out instincts of hunting and eating. Do not mistake, if you are starving, your instincts will hold more sway no matter who you are, but we are here in regards to a mind that has been wounded by a horrible experience, not one that is simply starved. In essence, the limits of your personal instincts have been overloaded to a breaking point."

Reluctantly, Fendros spoke, "Is there a way to fix us, then? To heal it?"

"Yes," Najirra said with reservation, "But you will be left with a scar. A very sore scar."

Fendros looked into his teacup. Despite his previous suspicions, he was now convinced that Najirra was their best hope. He looked up, "I don't care. As long as we heal."

"I am glad that you are so willing. But before we begin with what I have in mind next," Najirra offered a palm, "I want you to understand that you may ask me of this information at any point, to make clear and explain my reasoning."

---

Kaleeth's intentions clicked in Janius' mind as soon as she laid her head on his shoulder. He began to slow his walk then, both to think and so that he didn't bump Kaleeth's head uncomfortably in his gait. His mind was washed with a familiar apprehension, but he managed to smile and glance at Kaleeth. "You really are set on becoming a mother, aren't you," he said quietly. Given that Janius assumed that Kaleeth knew where she was going, their aimless walk appeared to take them towards some storage chambers. Whatever Kaleeth wanted to pick up from there was becoming more ephemeral, replaced by Janius' hope that it would be private enough to have a proper conversation about the issue.

To a lesser extent, a jest came up in the back of Janius' mind: If they did agree to have children, he hoped that Kaleeth would not be too enthusiastic. The cold stone floors would not be very comfortable.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei kept a tight hold on Leaps in case the sudden crowd of people caused him any distress. Luckily, he seemed to have more curiosity than fear. "Black Marsh? It is my homeland, a place often considered impenetrable by other races. It is hot at all times of the year and, as the name would imply, is covered mostly in thick swamps. Argonians like myself find it comfortable, but most other races can have a difficult time surviving, at least in the deep marshes. However, along the outside, there are cities that anyone can live in relatively easily. Luckily for lycans, we are entirely immune to the diseases that make it so dangerous. But, in the depths of the swamps, there are great and powerful creatures which would pose a challenge for any hunter. A wamasu like Leaps is one such creature. As an adult, he will be...probably as long as two wagons put together, with scales tougher than a werecrocodile and the ability to shoot lightning, almost like a magic-user." Meesei added some more dramatic details to her description of her homeland, for the entertainment of her audience. She found that younger individuals tended to appreciate story-like tales, even those based in reality.

Meesei of course noticed when Sabine was scratched, and where she was looking at the time. Caleb had arrived, though it did not seem like he had noticed them yet. Meesei had been wanting to check on how he had been faring for some time, but she recognized that now was not the time for any sort of direct line of questioning. Given their conversation before arriving at the pool, Sabine could potentially want to speak to him, and Meesei had to let her handle it herself.

---

Ahnasha was silent, looking down and staring into her half-empty cup. There was no miracle cure that Najirra could offer them, though perhaps it had been unreasonable to expect that. However, he was insistent that they were treatable, that they would not have to live with this for the rest of their days. No matter how much of the pain was left over, even just having it reduced would be a blessing.

"I am already scarred. I have a...gaping wound in my mind that just won't heal. Every time I tough it, it just delivers a piercing pain, then grows even wider. There is no way it could get any worse, so I trust that whatever you want to do, you'll at least make it better. Even if it isn't cured, a treatment is something" Ahnasha answered.

---

"Yes, I really, really am." Kaleeth answered, stopping in the middle of the hallway with Janius. She turned him to face her and lightly placed her hands on his sides. "You see how adorable and lively and just...happy children are. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to have one? Haven't you ever wanted to raise a son or daughter of your own, to have a family? You would be a great father. You are so kind and loving, and I just saw how good you are with them. Please, I think it would make both of us happy." She asked, her tone bordering on pleading. They had walked away from the thickest of the crowds, though there still were a few people around in the hallway. She did not know her way around this part of the ruin, though she honestly did not care how many people were around to hear.