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

[EliteCommander]

Smiling, Kaleeth gave Janius a quick kiss. "Okay, I'll go get Julan. Rhazii will probably want to come too, but that's fine. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Since the children were in the barracks, it did not take Kaleeth long to go retrieve them. They had been told not to stray from the barracks to prevent them from accidentally getting into trouble while in the barracks. They were not normally so restrictive of them, but Meesei did not want to risk any mishaps with their beast spirits while in the middle of an Imperial stronghold. Rhazii in particular, being on the edge of sixteen, was at the age where he was becoming rather mature, but was also still inexperienced with an impetuous beast spirit. It was a potentially dangerous combination. Julan, at least, was completely aware that his beast was difficult to control. With Rhazii unlikely to want to be left alone in the barracks, Kaleeth brought both of them back to Janius with her.

The group was all dressed appropriately for the city. While Kaleeth had arrived in her armor, she did not want to wander the city in Dwarven metal. Though, her distaste for dresses prompted her to choose a pair of leather trousers and a simple cloth tunic. She was no proper Imperial lady, but she was not entirely out of place, especially in a city like Bravil. "So, where is the first place our guide is taking us?" Kaleeth asked as they approached.

When in armor, it took more than just a strike to end a duel in training for them. Since a sword would do next to nothing if struck against plate across most of the body, one of them would have to land a meaningful strike that would be damaging in a real fight for a bout to end. Lorag was not wearing his helmet, so his head was vulnerable, though neither of them tended to aim for strikes to the head in training for safety. Even a blunted weapon could be dangerous if accidentally swung with too much force. More likely would be a well-placed strike to the joints, or even a disabling grapple.

Fendros' strike towards Lorag's shoulder could potentially hit his neck, so he opened by parrying with his shield, then angled his leg for the metal plate to deflect his following strike. Lorag was skilled at keeping himself well protected while minimizing his own movements. Since he had not yet moved his sword arm, he was able to quickly follow up by performing an upwards strike at Fendros' side, attempting to make a cut towards his armpit. Although, Lorag had not acted quite as fast as he knew he could have, so an opponent as skilled as Fendros could react.

[Muttonhawk]

"Of course. I should get changed as well." Janius looked down at his own armour and stood up with Kaleeth.

A short time later, Janius stood in the courtyard dressed similarly to Kaleeth, but with a leather jerkin, green tunic, and his axe still looped on his belt. He smiled up at Kaj-Julan and Rhazii, both to greet them, and with amusement that Rhazii's imposing height for his age would attract almost as much attention as their expensive armours would have.

"Hello again, boys," Janius said with a nod.

"Hello uncle," Rhazii answered with a smile. His upbringing was around an eclectic population, but his accent was decidedly Cyrodilic.

Janius put his hands together and let them swing down either side of his body. "Well, the nearest spots to the palace are the more noble residences," he said to Kaleeth. "I thought to take us around there, have a walk, point things out, and then..." Janius put his hands on his hips and turned his head to the gate. "If there is enough daylight, we could have a walk around on the other side of the canal. That's where...well, the rest of the town is, really."

Rhazii angled his head curiously. "Why can't we walk around there without daylight?"

"It's a rough city," Janius answered immediately. "It's not exactly deadly for the likes of us, but...I would rather not make our visit here difficult." He turned his head to Julan and Rhazii in particular, pointing to them. "We don't want you two transforming within the walls."

The expression on Rhazii's face dropped to a disappointed frown and he huffed, looking down. "Okay, fine," he said with some annoyance.

Fendros could tell by how the sword blows felt on his hand that he did not strike successfully. He brought his sword around to try and cut at Lorag's unshielded elbow, but had to instead move his shield to check the swing coming in at his side. His movement was overcompensated, deflecting the blow after a longer instant than he had anticipated, but he only mildly processed Lorag's slowness before trying to capitalise on his defence. Now that Lorag's sword was against his shield and his hands in a good position to try the move, Fendros brought the knuckles of his sword hand up against the inside of his shield with the sword point turned to Lorag and tried to thrust around his shield with his sword displaced. It was hard to pinpoint where a gap was in Lorag's armour, but Fendros tried to aim for a spot under the shoulder or between the front and back of his cuirass.

[EliteCommander]

Since they were starting from the castle, the closest destination for Janius to show them was the city's upper class housing. Granted, even the wealthy of Bravil did not have homes that were as large or valuable as those of nobles in other cities. Regardless of their own, personal wealth, it was simply not worth investing too much gold into property in the city, as its criminal element made such investments risky. Even Julan had seen more impressive buildings in some other places that they had visited, but that did not stop him from being curious.

"What's so rough about the city?" Julan asked as he looked around at the tall, wooden buildings."It's just a bunch of people and buildings. Why would that be deadly? It's like home, but with wooden houses instead of stone and metal. And a sky. Anyways, are we going to go meet my grandparents soon?"

---

Fendros' aggressive attack landed quite close to its mark, a hit only being avoided by a last-second adjustment on Lorag's part. It was a closer call than Lorag was used to, which prompted an even more aggressive retaliation from him. Using his shield, Lorag pushed back hard against Fendros, though Fendros was able to keep his footing enough to retain his balance.

With a bit of distance now between them, Lorag took a moment to just watch Fendros' stance and movement in order to figure out how he was going to attack. He looked for even a slight weakness to exploit, but unlike lesser opponents, Fendros was not just going to give him an opening. He would have to try and make one himself.

Lorag stepped just within reach of Fendros and shouted as he swung, repeatedly and aggressively, at each of the vulnerable points in Fendros' own armor. He parried with his shield when needed, but mostly focused on overwhelming him with his attacks. However, even with as precise and forceful as Lorag's strikes were, he was still struggling to land a hit that would end the bout, and to protect himself from counter attacks. The normal tricks he had to quickly win duels were not working, and he was in danger of slowing down from fatigue brought on by his aggression.

The duel had attracted a crowd in the form of the guards that had been training before they came in, being that they were quickly able to tell that it was a duel between two skilled opponents. Lorag's fighting style obviously had roots in his legion training, but he had evolved his style into something unique over the decades. The guardsmen could not predict what he was going to do next, though Fendros was, of course, much more familiar with him.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius was forthcoming at first as they strolled down the street from the keep. "Well, son, you might have noticed this in other cities, but places like the Empire and the Dominion tend to be so big that people don't really help each other in the same way that we do back home. That can mean that some people, either because they get addicted to substances or just because they do not have enough gold, get desperate. They might threaten or beat people for coin. It's worse in some places than others. There are some placed in Bravil that are much worse."

They took another few steps in silence.

"And your mother and father?" Rhazii asked.

Janius looked ahead. "I'm afraid that we should probably not visit them." He did not want to lie. "They think I am dead. I have not seen them since before both of you were born."

---

Fendros' initial reaction to Lorag's flurry of swings was a methodical control of the situation. At least, his defence was as methodical as he could make it. His stance switched a few times as he took two careful paces back in an effort to deflect away Lorag's brute force. Aging or not, he was still deadly.

Unfortunately for Lorag, such a long combination of strikes still held the patterns of his style, and Fendros had fought many savage and relentless foes before. He counter attacked with his sword held against his left shoulder, arm across his body. A swing coming diagonally down towards Fendros' left shoulder prompted him to duck and parry Lorag's sword with the edge of his shield such that it was guided over his head. Meanwhile, Fendros' sword travelled from his shoulder, over the rim of his shield, and towards Lorag's neck. Fendros was careful enough to stop before he made contact, in spite of the dull edge of the practice sword. But he didn't know if Lorag would let his mistake mean the end of the bout.

[EliteCommander]

Julan did not seem to be completely accepting all of Janius' reasoning. He looked up at him skeptically. "But no one can beat you, so surely we're safe? You're the strongest people in the world. That's why our, um...group is in charge of everything." He argued. Since they were walking into the city proper, he knew not to mention anything about lycanthropy. That was a lesson that had been driven into both he and Rhazii since they were old enough to understand it.

Kaleeth chuckled. "We're not in charge of everything, Julan. Just our own kind. The world is a very big place, and even though our home is big and important to us, we're just a small part of it. It's good to be careful."

While still unsatisfied, Julan cared more about the next topic than staying on the current one. "Well...still, I was really wanting to meet my grandparents. Are you sure we can't go see them? Even for a minute? If they think you're dead, don't you want them to know you're alive?"

Kaleeth tried to join in helping to dissuade him. "It's not that simple, Julan. It would just be best for them not to know about him."

"That's not fair." Julan said, crossing his arms. "I mean...that's lying, right? Lying by not telling them you're okay. You said I'm only ever supposed to lie about what I am and nothing else. If I'm not allowed to lie to you, then why do you get to lie to your parents?"

---

Lorag stopped in his tracks, immediately signaling the end of the bout. For a few moments, he remained still as he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Fendros would not have a hard time seeing that he looked defeated, in more ways than one. This was not the first time that he had lost a duel. With as many training matches as he had with Fendros over the years, he was bound to lose some of them, even when performing at his absolute best. However, this time he had saw his loss coming well ahead of time, relatively speaking. His shield had been in position to parry Fendros' strike. The blade had passed just over its rim, so it would not have taken much just to push it out of the way. He had identified that in his mind, but he had been too slow. He had started to try to deflect the blade just after Fendros' strike found its mark. He had reacted too slowly and made a mistake. It was a small mistake, but in a fight, that was all it took to lose.

From the sidelines, Ahnasha tried to insert some encouragement. "That was a close one, definitely. You really put on a show."

"Yeah, it was." Lorag responded, but his tone did not place him in a good mood.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius might have held a more humorous tone if it weren't for the subject. He answered Julan's concerns directly. "Because, son, I would still need to lie to them about what I am. As for being the danger of the town, being attacked is not as big a concern as either of you having your friends being scared out of their holdings."

Unfortunately for Janius and Kaleeth, Rhazii crossed his arms and took his brother's side. "I still don't understand. I got to meet my grandparents. Father told me that he caught up with them after being away from them for many years."

"It is not the same situation, Rhazii," Janius turned his head and picked up his tone. "Your father grew up with a different family that had different customs. My parents are not his. That is all that we shall speak of it for now. No more." He had not lost his patience yet, but his sharpness was indicating its limits.

Rhazii breathed in to protest, but closed his mouth and sighed instead.

About a minute later, the tension was still in the air, but Janius had found something to talk about. He gestured to the houses on either side of the street. They were all rather large and spaced out compared to the housing in other areas of the city. There were even nice gardens maintained. "This was the neighbourhood I grew up in," he said with more calm than before. "I had friends on this side of the street, and we all had something of a rivalry with the children on the other side of the street. Tricks were played, some humorous and some rather cruel. That one over there is the house I grew up in." Janius pointed to a house that had no less than three stories. It was primarily made from wood with a stone foundation and ground floor and a relatively smooth mortar finish. It was even larger than most of the houses in the Silent City.

---

With the end of the bout, Fendros stepped back and held the blade of his sword in his shield hand. He looked over Lorag with a knowing frown and sympathetic eyes.

Fendros decided to be forward. They all knew what the issue was, so he didn't even point it out. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

He didn't even mind that Ahnasha was listening. She knew what was going on as well as he did.

[EliteCommander]

Julan was resigned to being silent for a short while, though that did not mean he was happy about his father's refusal for him to be able to see his grandparents. Instead, his mind was distracted with all of the possible arguments he could think of as for why he should be able to see them. Though, at the same time, he was also afraid to bring up any of the arguments in his mind. He easily recognized his father's tone, so it made him hesitant to irritate him any further.

As Janius was describing his home and childhood, another idea came to Julan's mind, but it was not something that he could bring up at the moment, not in the presence of his parents. He would have to wait until later, likely that night. He would just have to make sure that he could speak to Rhazii privately. In the meantime, Julan thought of some questions that would probably not make his father angry. He took a few moments to look up at the house, which was a bit larger than he had been expecting. He guessed that his father was an important person even before he became a lycan.

"Okay, so I know I can't meet them, but...can I at least know what my grandparents are like? What are their names? Why do they live in such a big house?" Julan asked.

---

Lorag did not respond immediately. He turned around and walked sluggishly back to the weapon racks to hang up his sword and shield. The thoughts going through his mind had been there for a while, but his conversation with Meesei and his fight with Fendros had only strengthened them. As much as he did not like it, he knew the decision he was going to make. When he walked back over to Fendros and Ahnasha, he gave a brief nod.

"Yeah, I've got somethin' to say, but not now. We'll talk later, when everyone else is back here." He answered, not so much as waiting for a response before he started to walk out of the door.

[Muttonhawk]

Thankfully, there were enough people walking up and down the street on their own business that Janius was not afraid of eavesdroppers. However, standing in front of a house and talking about its occupants might draw unwarranted attention that he would rather avoid. He beckoned the group to follow him while he responded to Julan.

"Your grandparents are Remus and Aeramina Aetius. The family won favour in the legion many years ago and has lorded over a barony-worth of land ever since. We traded in horses, mostly, but also rented farmland out. All the gold meant that we were able to buy a house in the city to be closer to prospective traders and breeders. It's big because that's what the coin could afford. It's what you do with a lot of money." Janius' tone had a hint of regret as he continued. "Anyway, father kept up the martial tradition by being closely involved with the Fighters Guild. He was head of the guild in Bravil as well as a respected member elsewhere. So, he was...a busy person. Easy to anger, often arbitrary. He did not involve me much in his affairs except when I needed discipline. That was probably one of the reasons that I was drawn to being a troublemaker." Janius almost laughed. "As for mother, well, she was from the merchant family. She was almost always socialising, making connections. She spent more time at court than home. I hardly saw anything of her. In fact, it was really the house governor, maid, and butler that had a greater hand in raising me."

---

Fendros did not know what else to do but look on as Lorag made his exit. It bothered him to be of no more help, but he knew there was nothing else to do.

Once Lorag left, Fendros walked over to Ahnasha and sighed deeply, bowing his head. "I'm worried about him. I wish he wasn't so attached to his..." Fendros half-threw up a hand. "Orcish notions of what matters. He's done so much for all of us. He trained me and you and everyone else, he's been training Rhazii. Half the clan owes their skills to his tuition and experience. That's a legacy, isn't that enough?"

Fendros knew he was not being charitable. His frustration with Lorag's values was born out of his own helplessness in the face of it.

[EliteCommander]

Julan payed very close attention to every word that Janius said about his parents, and his childhood in general. He repeated each part of his story in his mind to try and commit it all to memory. He had a feeling that he was going to be needing all of this information fairly soon.

"So my grandparents were very important, then? Just like you are. And the maid and butler and everyone was like your, um, family?" Julan said, referring to the servants by the same word he sometimes used int he place of "pack" whenever they were in a town or city. He did not actually know what a maid, butler, or governor was, but he guessed that they were not related to him by blood.

As the group made their way over the bridge and across the canal, Julan started paying more attention to the city around him, asking questions about it instead. He figured that he probably knew everything he needed for what he had in mind.

---

Ahnasha looked towards the door, though Lorag was long gone by that point. "I don't think it's his legacy he's bothered with. Don't know if he actually even cares about his legacy. It's probably the here and now that is getting to him. He's getting older and can't do the things he used to do. I guess that would bother anyone, especially someone who is so dependent on his body. It might be that Orcish pride, wanting to find a 'good death' and everything. Or maybe he is just worried about disappointing us?"

Her eyes still lingering on the door, Ahnasha gave Fendros a pat on the shoulder. "He did say he wanted to talk to us all, though. Later, at least. Maybe with all of us there together, we'll be able to talk some sense in to him. In the meantime, I think I'd like to be filled in on everything that happened with that Thalmor. All I know so far is that Areldril isn't exactly a prisoner, and Lunise looked like someone stabbed her childhood pet to death with a rusty knife."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius shrugged. "I suppose you could call them important, but not quite with the same responsibility that we have in our family." Janius lowered his voice. "As for those that raised me, they were servants. It's not the same thing. They took care of the house in return for gold and accommodation."

The tour continued on. Janius pointed out a few more features in the upper-class district regarding his childhood. They passed the fighters guild hall where he had learned how to swing an axe and earned his own money. They passed an inn where Janius would spend time with his old friends. By the time they reached the canal, Janius' nostalgic description almost made the city seem pleasant to live in. The canal crossing began to change that impression.

The murky brown water below the bridge reeked from down the street. The runoff from the entire city went down that channel, yet still some ramshackle dwellings hung onto the edge of it for lack of other space. The buildings on the other side of the canal were not necessarily dilapidated or unsound, though they were cramped, wooden, and covered in damage that would no-doubt allow in many cold drafts during the night. This part of the tour outlined Janius' later youthful years, where his friends were more of a trouble-making gang and his haunts were more illicit in their business practices. Janius was never too involved to put himself into too much danger, though even after all these years, the atmosphere of Bravil was one of unwashed desperation.

Thankfully, there was not much left of the day to spend on the other side of the canal. The family headed back to the keep before the last orange light of the sun disappeared over the city walls.

---

Fendros angled his head to one side, tacitly agreeing with Ahnasha. The reasoning made sense but that did not make Fendros any happier about the situation.

Ahansha's next words made Fendros smile, at least. "It's not quite that. It'll make more sense once you hear what happened..."

---

Later that night, the pack was gathered into a private spot in the form of a storage room. Lorag had something important to speak to everyone about. At least, everyone in the pack but Meesei, Rhazii, and Kaj-Julan. When they had arrived back, Fendros dropped a hint to Janius and Kaleeth about what transpired in the training room. It quickly became clear what the meeting was about, but not what Lorag intended to announce.

Fendros leaned against a wall with his arms crossed while Janius took a seat on a crate. Neither of them spoke yet.

[EliteCommander]

The storage room was not particularly large, nor was there any source of light apart from the magelight spell that Sabine had helpfully provided. However, it was far enough from any important place in the castle that they would not be disturbed. Although the meeting started out with an awkward silence before Lorag remembered that he would actually need to be the one to start things off. His mind was quite obviously scattered between his thoughts.

Being the blunt individual that he was, Lorag started off by getting straight to the point, abruptly enough to almost be startling. "So, um...yeah, I've decided I can't be the Alpha's second anymore."

After what she had witnessed earlier in the day, Ahnasha was one of the first to let out a sigh. "Lorag, that's...ridiculous. Yes, you're not in your prime anymore. No one is going to lie and try to convince you that you are, but giving up your position? That's...Lorag, I know you're smarter than that. Just because Fendros beat you in a duel doesn't mean you're not still the best at what you do. You have more experience than half of us combined."

Predictably, Lorag was not even close to being convinced. "Yeah, I know that. If I dueled a child a thousand times, he'd win at least one on blind luck. It's not about some duel, and this isn't some spur-of-the-moment choice I'm talkin' about here. It's just, I've been thinking about this for a while. I've had a lot of time to think about it, so I know I don't got a choice. You know what it means to be Alpha's second? It means I become Champion if anything ever happens to her. That's not somethin' I can do. Maybe ten years ago, but not now. Bein' Champion used to be just about being the strongest, but now there's all this...politics and stuff that I can't do. Didn't used to think that was a problem. Thought that I could just listen you all your advice for the political stuff while I beat the war drums and inspire all the soldiers. All I'd have to do would be to defend my title. And sure, if I became Champion today, I could defend my title. For a little while. But what about a year or two from now? Five years? I'm too old for this. Meesei's second needs to be someone who can be a leader, and keep a hold of the title long enough to keep things stable. It needs to be one of you."

---

Meanwhile, Julan was in the pack's room in the barracks alone, apart from Rhazii. They had been given a room separate from the guards so they would not be disturbed, so now that Lorag had taken most of the pack to a meeting, and Meesei had gone to speak with Areldril, it was just him and his brother. Julan could not be more excited; he had expected that this would be much more difficult.

What would likely clue in Rhazii first to the fact that Julan was up to something would be the fact that he was still in his city clothes, despite the fact that they were supposed to be going to bed for the night. He opened the door to the room and peered into the hallway for a few seconds before retreating back into their room and approaching Rhazii in his bed. "So Rhazii, I've...been thinking about something. So you know how you were able to meet your grandparents a long time ago? Well...I don't think it's fair that I can't. It's not like it would be hard or anything; we're right here in the same city! I really want to meet them, so I think we should go do that. Sneak out into the city, I mean. The house he showed us isn't far from here, so it shouldn't take long. We might even have time to go explore some of the other parts of the city. He wouldn't hardly let us see anything earlier."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius tried to speak up partway through Lorag's explanation a few times. In most cases he was mistaken when he thought he was done. By the time he was really done, no one had anything to say. Not immediately. The realisation was universal amongst them. Lorag was right.

Instead of anyone giving a suggestion, Fendros spoke up to Lorag. "Lorag, even if one of us became Meesei's second, what does that mean for you? You've been a leader to us for as long as this pack has existed. We can't just switch places with you."

---

Rhazii was not dressed under his linen, but he had not fallen asleep yet. He was reading a book by candlelight by the time Julan reached him. He closed the book and put it aside when it was clear what Julan wanted to do.

"Is that what you've been giddy about all this time?" Rhazii asked. "Well..." He hesitated, baring his teeth tensely. "Kaj, are you sure you want to do that? If uncle finds out, he's going to be really angry with us. And I know you've been practising with your beast spirit for a while, but maybe he has a point about this place?"

With Julan being the smaller and younger one, he was naturally more impulsive and attention-seeking. Sometimes Rhazii had to reel him in when he got too excited, but Rhazii was young too. They could both convince each other to be rash.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag shook his head. "And who says you can't? Most of you have known each other basically as long as you've known me. You know each other, you trust each other. It's not like a stranger would be taking over. Besides, I'm sure in Oblivion not gonna give up all my authority. I'm asking one of you to step up and become the Alpha's second. Anyone else'll have to challenge me for my rank if they want to get ahead of me."

Lorag looked around the room with a demanding expression, reminiscent of the attitude he usually carried when training recruits. "So, whose goin' to step up? How many of you are goin' to try? I'm expecting volunteers here. I'll be honest, some of you are more qualified than others, but all of you are qualified in at least some way."

---

Since he had been thinking about his plan for hours, Julan had thoroughly convinced himself that it was a good idea, so Rhazii's doubts did not bother him. "He won't be mad, not once his parents know about him. I think he's just afraid or something. I don't know why. Who would be afraid of their parents? I'm sure they'll want to see him once I tell them about him, and I'm sure everything will be fine after that. My grandparents won't let him punish us."

Julan glanced quickly towards the door. He was eager to leave, so he wanted to convince Rhazii quickly. "And if they didn't want to come see him...well it wouldn't matter, since my father won't know we're gone. Uncle Lorag looked serious, so that meeting will probably take a while. And we can just leave a note here saying we went to the kitchen or something. For dinner. They didn't say we couldn't do that. It would give us plenty of time."

[Muttonhawk]

Just about everyone avoided Lorag's gaze, looking at each other or the ground instead. Janius twisted his mouth, Fendros had lowered his brow, and Sabine just held still with a blank frown.

"I'll be honest, Lorag," Janius began calmly. "I don't envy your responsibility as Meesei's second. The one that has to take up your mantle...It's not something to do on a whim. We're going to need time to think about this."

Fendros, still with his arms crossed curled his lips and quickly tilted his head to one side and up again. "No, if we're having this meeting, we may as well discuss it. Even if no one steps up, we'll have an easier time reflecting once we have talked about it. For instance, I think Sabine should do it."

Sabine's eyes darted up. Her mouth opened and her head turned towards Fendros in surprise. "Wh-...I do not understand." She caught a few words in her throat, sitting up straight. "I am not confident like Lorag is. I can make friends. I am not a nervous child anymore. But...I cannot..." She struggled to find the right word. "I am not knowledgeable about politics either. I am not qualified."

"Actually, I think you have a closer experience of what it takes to be in Meesei's position than any of us." Fendros gestured a hand forward. "You are closest to her. She tells you things that she hides from the rest of us. You know what her experiences are at this point."

Far from being encouraged, Sabine looked to the others. "Well, I think Ahnasha should do it. She has been in the pack the longest after Lorag."

It was a weak excuse. The pack assembled in the space of a few years, whereas they had been together for many more.

---

Rhazii angled his head back slightly and his ears straightened up. The corners of his lips lifted as he thought about what Julan said. "Okay, let's be really quick then." He chuckled and put his book to one side. "You've thought about this further than usual, haven't you, Frog Face? Just let me get dressed again."

Without wasting a second, Rhazii threw off his blanket and pulled on a tunic and trousers. "Hurry up and write that note!" He whispered to Julan while fussing with the laces of his boots. Once he finished, he stood up to his full height and prepared to follow Julan out of the door. They couldn't afford to waste any time.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha shifted with some discomfort, carrying a distinct amount of uncertainty in her expression. As competitive as she was, and as much as she had always liked to advance her position in the pack, this was on an entire other level of importance. Unlike Sabine, she did not necessarily doubt that she had the skill or experience to be Champion, but rather, what she had learned of politics over the last few years made her worry that it would not be a good idea.

"Sabine, I...well I won't say that I couldn't do it. I can fight in a lot of ways: magic, swords, bows. And I've been in leadership positions before. I know Vera and all the others from the old Bruma clan appreciate my role in saving their clan. But, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be the center of attention. I have...abilities that many in Tamriel don't appreciate. Having a necromancer as Champion...we could lose the cooperation of a few of the Morrowind clans just based on that alone. I know there are already people there who are not particularly keen on having an Argonian Champion. But you, Sabine, are not nearly as 'offensive' of a mage as a necromancer is. People can respect you as Meesei's apprentice, and I think you're more knowledgeable than you are giving yourself credit for. Not to mention, you can definitely protect your title. You have been training and practicing under her guidance for all this time. I mean, you are older and more experienced now than Meesei was when she first found you in the Cyrodiil wilderness." Ahnasha said, attempting to be as encouraging as she could to Sabine. Although, she did not lock herself into solely supporting Sabine as Meesei's second. In fact, her attention soon shifted to Fendros beside her.

"But...I would also say that you could do it, Fendros. Meesei has already trusted you as a leader for years. And you can definitely defend your title, just like any of the rest of us. I know you are not skilled with magic like Meesei, but you don't necessarily need to be, as long as you can protect yourself from it. I would say that you or Sabine would both be qualified." Ahnasha suggested.

---

Julan rushed to find some parchment and ink, then simply used his own claw to write out his message. It made his handwriting even rougher than usual, but the message was mostly legible. He wrote out, in Jel, that he and Rhazii headed to the kitchen, then placed the note on his father's bed. Julan could write in both Jel and Cyrodilic, but he had chosen Jel specifically because he knew that it would be his mother that would have to read it. While Janius could understand Jel by this point, he was rarely in a position where he would have to actually read the language, instead of just listening to it.

Although he did not have much of a specific plan for getting out of the castle, Julan fortunately did not need one. The guards were aware that their new guests were somehow associated with the Penitus Oculatus, and while most probably did not know why there would be children among them, they also did not question it. As a result, Julan and Rhazii faced no resistance in simply walking straight out the front door of the castle.

On the way, Julan spoke quietly to Rhazii. "Okay, so, I've been thinking about it. I know father probably wouldn't want me to say he became a lycan. That's the one thing we're all supposed to lie about. So, I think we need to come up with a reason to tell them for why father left them. Maybe just...change the real story a little bit? Father told me how he ended up joining the pack, did he ever tell you?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Me?" Fendros' previous confidence waned from his face. "No, I passed this off to Sabine so that I wouldn't be considered. I can do many things, but I cannot defend myself from the kind of magic that challenges Meesei. That is a skill that Sabine has."

Sabine squeezed one of her hands in her lap. "I do not know if I even want to be the champion. I like researching alchemy and helping the clans from the side. The decisions are too important, I would make mistakes."

The impasse made Fendros close his eyes and shake his head. He opened them towards the two who had not given their input to the reluctant candidates, besides Lorag. "Kaleeth, Janius? What do you think?" He craned his head optimistically. "Do either of you want to volunteer?"

Janius sucked in a breath between his teeth. "No, thank you. Look, Ahnasha is right, either of you are capable." He scanned his eyes at the others and raised a hand. "I think we can all agree, though, that none of us can completely replace Lorag and Meesei. Whoever steps up will have to just work on their shortcomings." He turned to Kaleeth. "What do you think, darling?"

---

Even if the guards questioned why two youths were wandering out of the castle, Rhazii drew their eyes the most. He had passed for an adult before, especially since he started growing a mane half a year ago.

"Uh, yeah, I heard it from my father, not yours, but I know," Rhazii mumbled. The city was quieter than he expected at this time of night. "He got caught in a giant spider nest or something. The pack dug him out, right?" Rhazii itched at his shoulder. "Maybe...um, he just got out on his own and ran away after that? Or maybe some bandits abducted him? No, that's too far-fetched."

[EliteCommander]

"I...think that either of them would be best for it." Kaleeth answered hesitantly. "Fendros can lead really well, I know. He's led me on missions before. But...Sabine is a strong mage, and people could see her more as being Meesei's successor?"

For Ahnasha, she was conflicted on if she even wanted Fendros to become Meesei's second or not. If he did, then he would eventually end up becoming the Champion, even if Meesei survived the war unscathed. Unless she started to pursue life extension as well, Meesei would die of old age before Fendros even started showing signs of aging himself. He would potentially be leading Tamriel's lycans for quite a long time, which could limit the kind of life they could live together. However, that also meant that Fendros could keep the clans more stable than Sabine could without life extension. However, one thing she did not question was his capabilities. Reaching over to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't count yourself out so quickly. Remember your birthsign: you're an atronach, Fendros. You're the kind of warrior that a lot of mages fear. With some training, maybe some enchantments, you could fight off pretty much any mage."

Lorag, with his arms crossed, huffed at the rest of the pack. "By Hircine, I don't believe this. I expected more of you all. The lot of you are tryin' to pass around the title like it's some kind of rotten meat. You know I'm right on this, you see the need to handle Meesei's succession, so I expect you all to be jumping on the chance to serve our clans to the absolute best of your abilities. I expect you to be enthusiastic about taking on this role. You think that if Meesei died, she's want you all to be fightin' each other trying to give away her title? No, she'd expect you to step up and make yourselves the best Champions you could be. Fendros, Sabine, you're both qualified for different reasons. Let's pretend for a second that Meesei died and the clans need a leader. Now are you going to both step up and make your claim for my position?" He said. His demanding, harsh attitude would be familiar to anyone who had even watched him training recruits.

---

Julan nodded to Rhazii. "Yeah, they were hunting bears I think, but were caught by giant spiders. He was working for that, um, guild. The fighters one. He killed the spiders, but got trapped. Aunt Meesei and her pack rescued him from the cave. But, we can't tell my grandparents that he was rescued by lycans, so we have to come up with something else. We also have to make it make sense that he wouldn't go back to them. It might make them sad if we make them think that he ran away or something."

Rhazii and Julan made their way outside the castle. It was past nightfall, though they could both see perfectly fine. The house that Janius had showed them was not far away, so Julan slowed down while they spoke. "I was thinking about it before. You know that guy that the pack has been helping? Marod, the Imperial? Well, he's a part of the...I don't remember exactly how to say it...the Oculus? Well, I really don't know what that is, but they're obviously important. The city guards gave us an entire room in their castle just because he asked them to, and they've been acting weird just because he's around. Imperials must think that Oculus group is really important and respectable and everything. So, what if we said my father was one of them? And the rest of the pack too? That could explain why father never went back to my grandparents. Do you think we could maybe say he joined them in secret or something? I think the Oculus are very secret, so it might make sense."

[Muttonhawk]

Both Fendros and Sabine were silent for a while after Lorag's outburst. His tone was treating the prospect of Meesei's death surprisingly lightly, as if it was just a selfish opportunity for the both of them, though the real meaning was all too apparent. The meeting was not about out selecting the perfect candidate to replace her. It was about duty to what Meesei and the clans had built over the last generation. One of them had to volunteer, whether they were prepared or not.

"I'll do it."

Fendros regarded Lorag with a determined look. "I won't pretend I'll be everything Meesei is, or that I can do this alone, but I'll do it." His eyes turned to Sabine.

Sabine had her attention on Fendros, but seeing everyone else's turn to her made her bring her hand to her upper arm. "I am no leader," Sabine murmured. "You are still a packmate, Fendros. I will help however I can. I do not want to be in charge, though. I will not challenge."

"Look, Sabine," Fendros unfolded his arms. He brushed his fingers over one eye. "If you're going to back down because I've volunteered, can you promise me something?"

Sabine looked Fendros down and up to avoid his direct eye contact, but she was listening.

"We're still in a war. You will have to be next in line if I die, understand?"

Looking blankly at the floor, Sabine went back to squeezing her hand. She looked like she was holding herself back. She mouthed a silent "Okay."

---

"Oculatus, bone head," Rhazii clarified. "Penitus Oculatus. You remember the first part because it makes you laugh by the way it sounds." He looked ahead. "It makes sense, though. If uncle Janius was recruited by Marod or something, then he could act in secret and everything, because his real name would, you know, belong to a dead person." He gestured. "He meets your mother in Black Marsh when they are both doing a mission together, it all works out!" Rhazii grinned at Julan and ruffled the top of his head. "Good thinking, brother."

As they approached the house, there were a few yellow lights flickering from the windows, but it was impossible to tell who was inside from the street. Rhazii put a hand on his hip and looked up to one of the windows on the second floor. "I think we should check to see if they still live there first. They might have moved to another house." He pointed to a sturdy tree growing at the side of the house. "Look over there, I could climb up and see who is in the window."

The tree's lower branches had been trimmed. It looked too sparse for Kaj-Julan to climb without help, but Rhazii could probably climb it quickly and easily.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag's attitude did not seem like it had changed in the slightest, even with a willing volunteer to take over his position. The meeting was evidently not going how he had expected. "Look, I can't make you volunteer, Sabine. Honestly, Fendros is the one who I thought of when I first know I was gonna have to do this. Whether you know it or not, you've learned about leading from Meesei, and you've learned fighting from me. You're experienced, and I know you're not just going to bring everything crashin' down around us if you ever end up in charge. And Meesei thinks you're even more promising than I do. I expected you were going to be the one to end up takin' over for me."

Lorag turned his attention to the others, more specifically Sabine. "But that don't mean I expected everyone else to give up. Honestly, I think this is Meesei's fault. With this whole war, she's been changing how we think. How we act. She's been getting us all to work together, to focus everything on fightin' the enemy. That's all fine and great for fighting a war, but that's not how lycans act. That's not how packs act. A pack of wolves compete. The strongest get to the top and the rest follow because they know their alpha is the best they have. They don't argue...politics. They fight, they compete, and they make each other better by doin' it. The Champion should make themselves the best leader, because they have to be. They should be the best fighter, because they have to be. The Champion should be the best because they worked to become the best. If none of you have to compete, have to fight to take over my role, then when you do eventually become Champion, you'll only be a shell of the Champion you could be. Fendros, can you beat Sabine in a fight?" He asked, somewhat impatiently.

---

Though he was still grinning and, internally, congratulating himself on coming up with a good story to tell his grandparents about his father, Julan showed some uncertainty as he looked at the house, running his hand through his head of red feathers that had started to grow somewhat recently. "Um, well...I was thinking we could just knock on the door and ask if my grandparents are there. But...if you think it would be better to try to look in there first, you can do that. Just don't get seen or we might get in trouble. Try to tell me if you see...um..."

Another thought came to Julan's mind, which furthered his uncertainty even more. "I, um...do you know what they look like?"

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros understood what Lorag was trying to say. It did not make his last question any less jarring. He looked at Sabine, she looked back. They knew each other's capabilities -- they had fought side by side for over a decade. Still, Fendros was uncertain.

After a moment, Fendros looked to Lorag again. "I don't know."

Sabine had her suspicions of where this was heading. She looked at the ground with worry.

---

"Don't worry about it." Rhazii shrugged and walked forward. "They're old, right? If I see some old Imperials, our chances are good." He put a hand on the low, decorative stone wall and vaulted over. "I'll just be a minute."

Rhazii quietly padded along the grass to the base of the tree he pointed out and jumped up to the lowest branch, pulling himself up effortlessly. A few branches later and he was standing with his face lit up yellow from the window across, looking in. He craned his head curiously, raising an eyebrow. Then his face turned neutral.

He was still watching for about half a minute before it became clear that he wasn't looking at an old Imperial couple.