"Huh, uh, no." Lorag responded, caught off guard that someone actually spoke to him. "Just...keeping track of what you're saying. Sounds like it might be important."

Meesei paused to think for a moment, unsure of what to think of Ariel wanting to share the information she had picked up in traveling with them. On the one hand, information was powerful, and anything she wrote would inevitably be found by their enemies. But, on the other, most of lycans' actual weaknesses were already well known, and she could not think of much that Ariel knew about them which could actually be harmful to them, apart from their identities. "I am not sure how I feel about that. There is quite a bit of misinformation out there about us, but that can sometimes play to our advantage. Our enemies do not always know what will work against us. However, many of those rumors paint us in a much more negative light than what is true. The truth of the matter is that we are people. People with a condition that some of us embrace and accept, and that others received unwillingly. I have heard of some lycans that learn to control their beast, then live successfully among non-lycans. In secret, of course. It is true that there are some wild lycans behave as little more than wild beasts, unable to control their instincts, but for those of us who have a pack, we are far more...civilized might be a word for it. I will not pretend that this blessing is without its disadvantages, but it is not something I would willingly give up, even if that was an option."

Meesei glanced over to Ahnasha and Fendros, then back to Ariel. "As for trying to study courtships among lycans, I think you might end up disappointed. There really isn't anything unique about them. The customs vary based on the people involved, for everything, not just courtship. There are some practices that pretty much all lycans adopt out of either necessity, or instinct, but the rest depends on the origins of the people who comprise the pack. Take Ahnasha and Fendros, for example. They both come from cities with Imperial culture. The beginning of their relationship may have been unconventional, but in essence, they found that they cared for one another and formed a relationship between only themselves. If this were a pack formed from members of an Orc stronghold, on the other hand, i would expect the Alpha to be something like a chief, with several wives. In my case, any advances on me from a member of a different pack would be based their own individual motivations. The title I bear carries with it prestige and authority among lycans, and that is something some find desirable. In any case, I do not believe it would be wise for me to embrace such casual encounters. This war between us and Vile is just that: a war. Lycan packs are not organized as some singular society, so I have no actual authority to order around other packs, but the title of Champion is something that any follower of Hircine would respect. I, and the rest of my pack, are symbols to the rest of Hircine's followers. We are meant to represent the best of his hunters. So, when dealing with other packs, I need to appear strong at all times. Even if I am broken and wounded on the inside, I need to appear strong for them. I do not like the idea of making myself appear more important or more powerful than I am, but for the sake of their morale, I need for us to essentially be a legend. If we can be heroes to them, then we might be able to inspire their confidence. I believe accepting such an encounter could serve to diminish that illusion. With my pack, with all of you, I show all that I am, my strengths as well as my flaws. I would have it no other way. But, when it comes time to deal with other lycans, I need to be flawless. We need to be flawless."