EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan stood with his arms crossed, and a bit of a grin. "Hmm, biting a gland doesn't sound fun. It must be real scary to have to worry about poison like that." He commented, with no small measure of smugness in his tone.

Kaleeth too adopted a similar stance as Julan, though her satisfaction was coming from the fact that she was going to be knocking down his pride a peg or two. After all, she did not want her son being too boastful. She did not see it as a good trait. "Chaurus venom burns as well as poisons, remember Julan? It would hurt you almost as much as it would Rhazii."

"I can heal anyone that may get burned, but that will not stop it from hurting, so you would be wise to be cautious." Meesei added. Briefly, she looked up, though there was no sky for her to see. Even so, she, and the rest of the pack, could feel that the moons were getting close to the horizon. Even as far underground as they were, the influence of the moons could be felt as clear as if they were on the surface. They had some minutes yet, but it would not be too long before their transformations were upon them.

"I hope we are able to find prey in good time. I likely should be rested for tomorrow." Meesei continued, though her expression certainly soured with her last comment. It was clear that she was referring to her impending duel with her challenger. It was an event that she had made clear to her pack she did not enjoy. They did not necessarily have to end in death, but they were dangerous regardless.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan smiled and nodded to Rhazii. "Mamma says that werecrocodiles are the strongest of them all, but apparently we don't get along too well with others. I don't really understand it that much, but she says that only Miss Ri'vashi is as strong as her. But she's a giant cat, and also a bear. But, anyways, you think you'll kill anything hunting?"

"For a hunt like this, at least, it's been that long." Ahnasha chimed in. "There has always either been something for us to do, or Meesei needed to watch the children."

Meesei put on a light grin. "Well, I am certainly looking forward to it. It has been long enough that I worry I might have lost my touch. I will likely need to stay back somewhat with Julan, so I will have the pleasure of seeing how you have been hunting without me. Just based on some of the trails I caught on the way over here, there may be some wild chaurus in the area. Do you believe Rhazii will be okay trying to kill one?" Meesei asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hey, mangy-giant." Julan responded. It was not the first time that he had been present for one of their hunts, but this would be the first time that Julan had been present for a hunt during the full moons. He was not yet old enough to transform himself, but he had always known that there was something different about the full moons. For young lycans, they almost always caused nightmares until the point where they could transform. "You think you're going to transform tonight? It won't be too long before I transform too. Mamma says I'm going to be a big crocodile like her; then I'll finally be bigger and stronger than you, since you're just a werewolf. You'll be a big, uh, cat-dog."

On the other side of the hunting camp, Lorag gave a brief, amused grunt.

Meesei nodded to Fendros. "Yes, I shall be joining you. Kaleeth and Janius want Julan to see a full moon hunt himself before his first transformation. It could be more difficult for him to adjust, being that he is not a pack animal, so they wish to be prepared. I can keep a better eye on him to make sure he stays out of trouble. And, it has been quite a long time since I have hunted myself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha placed a hand on Rhazii's shoulder. Despite only being around thirteen, Rhazii was about at Ahnasha's height. He had not yet outgrown Fendros, but being Cathay, it would not be all that long until he did. "You'll forget any pain in a matter of minutes. I will be honest, you might have a hard time remembering some of what happens tonight. I don't have any memory at all of my first transformation, but I was infected later in life. Since you were born a werewolf, it will be a bit easier for you. You might keep some memory of it. Your beast spirit has always been with you, just...tucked away inside. It is certainly going to be enthusiastic to finally be let out, but from what I understand, I think you'll find that you're already familiar with it. You just don't know it yet."

Walking along the path from the direction of the city was the rest of the pack heading towards Fendros and Ahnasha's camp, Meesei included. Even on full moons, Meesei had no need to hunt due to her Ring, but she had elected to join this time. It had quite literally been years since she had gone on a proper hunt, since her duties had kept her busy most of the time, apart from when she had been absorbed into the book. The clan spread out in hunting parties in nearly all directions around the city, and they tended to need to move somewhat far from the city to actually find something suitable to kill. It had been easy at first, but over time, the Falmer had gained a sense for when the clan would be hunting and hid in response. There were other creatures to kill in the caverns, but the Falmer were some of the more numerous targets. Granted, they could also be dangerous, so some of the less experienced hunters made their way to the surface to hunt.

Meesei was in far better health than she had been months prior. She had put on some weight, and built up more of her former muscle. She still was not as physically fit as she had been in her prime, and it would take quite a while longer to get back close to that level, but she at least looked healthy again on the outside. She did not feel self-conscious about being seen by the clan, but in private, she confided in her pack that her bones were still brittle, she felt tired often, and she had to force herself to eat since she still had little appetite. The effects of her malnutrition were not necessarily permanent, but it would be almost a year before she was truly recovered, in all likelihood. But, her responsibilities would not wait. She had been challenged for her position again. The moons had caused some delay but she would have to fight in the duel the very next day.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think it would be fine to move on now. That makes up the last of the things I had in mind before starting the final act. Though, I suppose it could be beneficial to do a skip of a month or something for Rhazii's first transformation, and maybe to show Meesei recovering. Could be a short scene, or we could just move on past it entirely if you don't think it would be too important. Your choice.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei lightly shook her head. "Its only meaning to me was one of pain and loss. I do not even want to so much as think about it again."

Leaning against Sabine for support, Meesei took a few moments to breathe and calm herself. "I feel like I wish to return home. To have some...food and rest. I ceased using my magic on myself when I came out here and, well, I simply feel like I am on edge of death. My body aches, I can hardly stand, and it is difficult to keep myself awake. I...am worried about what I have done to myself. I am not completely certain if I can wholly recover. But, at least I can begin to try. Does anyone have any clothing or a blanket for me? The air out of the city feels so much colder than I remember." She requested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gripped the book tightly, her claws doing nothing to even scratch its surface. She could hear what the others were saying, but she was not paying particularly close attention to it. All she was focusing on was the book in her hands. After a few moments, and giving a low growl, she turned around wordlessly and stepped up to the cliff once more.

Regardless of any potential protests from the others, Meesei reared back, then threw the book over the cliff as hard as she could, sending it down into the waters of the river far below. Afterwards, she simply stared down into the water, breathing heavily with her hands clenched into fists.

Lorag crossed his arms and gave a simple grunt. "Hmph, good enough for me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I am Champion." Meesei repeated, though her tone carried little enthusiasm in the statement. "Though I expect, if I have any desire to hold on to that tile, I am going to have to defend it far more than I have before. I think the war kept most of the ambitious occupied, but now I have given them reason to act. That Altmer was probably just the first of many. But..."

Meesei took in a deep breath, trying to find in her mind any possible silver lining to the situation she had created. "Maybe I do not have to start from the beginning. At least I was wise at one point in my life: I have my council. Ri'vashi, Saras, the others, they have been managing the war in my absence, correct? I know they would not have given up. Perhaps, with their help, I can find my role again?"

Once Meesei set her sights on the Black Book in Fendros' hands, her expression became focused and severe. She fell into silence for a few moments, then extended out her hand towards him. With a surprisingly powerful burst of telekinesis, she yanked the book from Fendros' hands and pulled it to hers. She stared at the book, her hands trembling slightly as she bared her teeth angrily.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I have lost so much time with you, Sabine." Meesei said, her voice almost hoarse from her previous sobbing. Finally, she reached her arms around Sabine and pulled her into a hug. "I cannot ask you to forgive me. I do not deserve to be forgiven. I saw what I have done to you when I struck you, in far more ways than just a simple strike with the hand. You had been telling me for so long, but I always thought it would be worth it. I...I did do it for you, for all of you. I did not lie about that. I did not want power; I wanted to make our future brighter, but I fear I have just made it more bleak."

With considerable effort, Meesei started to pull herself up to her feet, using Sabine for support, and moved herself farther from the cliff's edge. Her legs buckled visibly due to her weakened muscles. "I believe I understand now. There are some things I simply cannot change. But...I believe I have changed the clans with my actions. I do not know if my name can ever hold the same confidence or authority it once had among them. Is there even a place for me anymore?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After a few, tense moments of silence, Meesei finally turned her head towards Sabine. The immense regret she felt was painted across her face. "I wanted to change things for us. I...do not think I was tricked. No, I was not lied to. Mora did not lie. I just convinced myself I could do the impossible. I thought it was all going to be worth it in the end. I thought all the time I sacrificed would be returned tenfold. I just hurt you, did I not? I hurt everyone. And squandered the time we do have doing it."

Meesei looked down towards the ground, though she also turned herself towards Sabine and somewhat farther from the cliff. "I do not know if I can recover from this. My body might heal, but can I be trusted now? Do I deserve to be trusted? How much doubt have I sown among the clans? I hardly even know what has been going on in the world since I absorbed myself into that book. I do not even know what has been happening to the clans in my absence. All I remember is vague pestering from Saras about responsibilities I was ignoring. Have the clans been faring poorly?"