In order to get some short measure of relief from the jungle's humid heat, Gallus began to strip out of his mail armour. "Fortunately, none of us took hits. Maybe a few bruises. In the dim light it only had eyes for me while I had the torch, so I was doing most of the evading." Gallus removed his tunic so he could soak some water over it and revealed a massive, blotchy red welt on his chest. He was surprised by the mark it made, but not overly concerned, "Oh, I suppose there is this, too."

Ahnasha's recollection made Tzirret somewhat bashful about answering. I just stabbed it once, he thought. He angled his ears and scratched behind them nervously. "Err, it was luck, I think," Tzirret said.

"Tell us what happened," Sabine appeared behind Peiter with a curious smile.

"Well," Tzirret thought for a moment and concluded that it would probably be easiest to start from the beginning. "We found a cave sloping into the ground and moved to see what was inside." Tzirret wasn't used to telling stories, so he was stilted about it. He tried to play down the actions in an effort to not sound egocentric. "Gallus lit a torch so we could see better. There was blood smeared on the ground like kills being dragged. A fork in the cave saw the blood go in one of the two ways. We could not smell anything except blood and death. Gallus thought that if there was something dangerous, he did not want it cutting us off, so he told us to come with him to follow the bloody path. The path ended in a chamber with many carcasses and a little minotaur." Tzirret pointed to the kill Gallus brought with him, "That one, but alive. We didn't get a chance to do anything before it screamed in alarm and hid. Then its mother came." Tzirret put down the horns and started using his arms to show size, "It was...about as wide here...and had arms twice as thick as Tzirret's..." Tzirret failed to measure the last figure with his arms, "...and was twice as tall as this one. Gallus shouted to get out of the way. It charged out at him. He distracted it with the torch, but it was very powerful. Gallus couldn't hurt it with just his hammer. This one was so scared that he thought he would transform, but Gallus told him to flank it and kill it." Tzirret took on a minor look of worry as he remembered Gallus being struck, "This one tried to get into position while it was distracted, but Gallus got hit. The minotaur was about to charge him and kill him, but its side was exposed, so this one..." Tzirret took his spear in both hands and casually poked it forward, "...got it between the ribs. It was a lucky strike, but he didn't know that he could do it before." Tzirret held his spear vertical again and pointed out where the dried flecks of blood ended on its haft, "This one pushed it up to here. The minotaur threw him off then, it was very strong, but it was choking. I could see it dying. It backed away, but Gallus walked up and stabbed its heart with his hammer hook when it was too weak to strike back. It died very fast then."

Tzirret became awkward as he picked up the horns again. "It was lucky and I had help. Gallus should have these horns, really."

"Pish and posh, Tzirret," Gallus called out, "you were the one who defeated the minotaur, but you also showed real courage." He pointed to the horns, "You will keep them and that is my order to you as Alpha."

"That is amazing, Tzirret!" Sabine said with an impressed smile. Tzirret was the last person she had expected to pull something like that off.

Even Janius gave a smile. He was listening in as well, "Good job, Tzirret."

Meesei narrowed her eyes as she looked over the harsh red mark on Gallus' chest. It was quite evident that the minotaur had, in fact, landed at least one blow. "Hmm, if anything was broken, you would be very aware of it by this point. Regardless, it would do no harm for me to examine it. Hold still for a moment." She instructed as she placed her hand on his chest and charged it with magical energy.

Ahnasha seemed both surprised and impressed with Tzirret's recount of the fight. Given the difficulty of her first minotaur kill, she knew what it meant to bring one down for the first time. "You managed to kill it with basically only one blow? Now that, I wouldn't have expected. My first minotaur kill was filled with holes from my bound arrows; didn't leave me with much usable hide afterwards. Although, I do suppose it does only take one good, precise strike to kill pretty much anything, except for maybe a dragon or something. It's a good thing you didn't try going for the head; their skulls are like iron, as I learned the hard way. Regardless, you did very well. Getting it right through the ribs like that, you must have hit either its heart or lungs. A clean kill. After we get the corpse back here, I say we make you a good set of leathers out of it, or two. Mine barely had enough for a few loincloths, but you should be able to get a lot more. Not to mention those horns. Unless you want to use them for alchemy, or keep them in their natural state, you could make a nice bit of jewelry out of them." Ahnasha recommended.

Since Tzirret was receiving his congratulations, La'khay walked over and gave him a pat on the back. Even Lorag walked up to the group and gave an approving nod to the young Khajiit.

Now that he had seen the damage as much as felt it, Gallus did not resist Meesei's healing. He only spoke, "If you insist, Meesei." Had Meesei not administered healing, Gallus might have felt more pain that night. His bruising was so bad that it might have meant near-permanent damage to his sternum cartilage. How he was not wincing on the way back was a stoic act, if somewhat unnecessary.

Tzirret started to smile more at the congratulations. He was glad that it was not jealousy he received from Ahnasha or Peiter, not that it was particularly likely. He looked back at La'khay and smiled to her once more, but he actually grinned when he got validation from Lorag, even if it was just a nod.

In additional congratulations, Sabine stepped up and gave Tzirret a quick hug. "Well done!" She proclaimed before stepping back.

It was safe to say that Tzirret wasn't used to this kind of praise. He let out an uneasy laugh and looked down at the horns. "This one thinks that he will not carry these everywhere. I will cut a length of one to use as a signal horn, maybe." Tzirret didn't mention at that point that he would have to be taught how to craft these horns into anything. "This one does not know what to with the rest." He looked up at everyone else, particularly Ahnasha, who gave suggestions before, "What should be done with them?"

Sabine confirmed Ahnasha's previous suggestion, "I could use some for potions."

"They're quite valuable as well, if you wanted some coin," Fendros suggested, "But you would have to buy something equally as memorable."

Tzirret looked at the horns again, wondering something. "Tzirret will think of something."

Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. "Your trophy, your choice. Hopefully, you'll get to keep it through this whole mission. It's always a shame when we have to leave belongings behind, but it happens. Successes like this, though, I guarantee you'll remember forever."

La'khay stretched out her rather sore muscles as she walked over and dropped her clothing down with the rest of her belongings. "If only we still had wine to celebrate. Well, La'khay thinks it is time for us all to relax. It has been a long day for everyone."

"Agreed." Ahnasha responded. She sat down near the center of camp on a fallen log that Kaleeth had dragged in an hour earlier, followed shortly by Lorag. For those that had stayed behind to watch the camp, they had taken the time to arrange their supplies such that their meals for both that night and the next would be easy and quick to find. As well, they had a fire pit ready for when it was time to build a signal fire the next day. Their bedrolls were already set up, and they had cleared out some areas to sit. Next time they moved camp, it would be easy and quick to pack up. It did not take longer than a few minutes for Meesei to finish up her healing on Gallus, so it was not long before everyone was able to sit and relax from the day's events.

Peiter took his seat near Sabine, Tzirret, and Ciinriel. While the minotaur calf was a tempting meal, they had other meat that was going to start rotting much sooner if they did not eat it quickly, so he was eating the last of their stock of boar.

Everyone went about various routines to settle after the days searching. A party went out to retrieve the rest of the meat from the minotaur den, while others either maintained equipment or just rested. Janius did end up joining in with Kaleeth when receiving some instruction from Ra'kalesh, but they didn't get through much before dinner.

Tzirret and Sabine were not picky in their dinner, but they did sample from the leg of the minotaur calf that was getting eaten as a treat. Tzirret didn't look quite as withdrawn as usual where he sat, but he seemed distracted.

"Did anything else happen on your searches?" Sabine asked everyone, "Seeing Uthri try to talk with S'ajira was funny, but they got used to it quickly. You are right, Ciinriel, she is good with body language."

"Hm?" Tzirret glanced up at Sabine, "We did not find much of anything else, apart from the cave. Tzirret saw a strange colourful butterfly, that was about it."

Many of those who remained in camp simply picked a random cut of meat for their meals, though on Newt's request, Kaleeth gave him a cut of the minotaur calf for his dinner. No one spoke up immediately in response to Sabine, suggesting that the days of the other search parties had not been nearly as eventful as Gallus'. Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders, and decided to at least acknowledge Sabine's question. "Well, Colors fell out of a tree about half way through our search. I took over after that."

"As I said before, there was no way I could see that caterpillar against the tree. I doubt you would have hung on after a sting, or...bite, or whatever from that thing." Colors retorted.

Ahnasha laughed. "It was a moving, bright red and orange caterpillar. I saw it from the forest floor."

"Hmph, colors. Well, it was all grey to me. Sneaky little venomous beast; at least I crushed it in the process." Colors grumbled, crossing his arms.

Ahnasha could not help but to grin. "Yes, I'm sure it was cursing your name as you squashed it beneath your flailing arms."

Ahnasha and Colours' tale caused a bit a laughter from just about everyone.

The shrugs and silence from the others seemed to indicate that not much else really happened, so Uthri stood up to gather everyone's attention. "Now, Tzirret, we're all properly gathered, so I would like to take this opportunity to speak officially. In the past, you have always been cloudy cat for a reason. Today, you proved that you have some courage. You say it was luck, but you still acted. You saved lives today. Always remember that you have that in you. As your pack mate, I say congratulations!" She grinned, "I would propose a toast, but we don't have the drink so we'll just pretend with this fresh meat. Well done, cloudy cat!"

There was an echo of agreement through the group. Though he wore a smile, Tzirret shrunk a little with the continued attention.

"Now, could you catch some more minotaur for us? The meat is great and we'll not be suffering for food for the rest of our search!" Uthri said with a hearty laugh.

Tzirret took it seriously for just long enough to look a little afraid, but he soon understood.

"Here's to Tzirret," Gallus spoke up, "And here's to a successful search!"

After the congratulations died down, Sabine happily leaned into Peiter as she neared the end of her meal. She wasn't the only one tired after today. Tzirret looked at the both of them, then glanced at La'khay, but didn't shift as he continued eating.

"So, I imagine we are changing up the groups tomorrow. Who's going to be looking after the camp?" Janius asked.

Again, there was a short silence when no one immediately said that they would stay behind. And once more, it was Ahnasha who spoke up, though much more quickly this time. "Personally, I think Tzirret, Gallus, and La'khay deserve a break after their encounter, especially since Gallus probably needs time to heal."

No one outside Gallus' group protested, so Meesei nodded in response. "Very well, if you so choose, you three can stay and watch the camp tomorrow. If not, you can take anyone's place in the search. Now, I believe I shall get some rest."

As Meesei headed off to her bedroll, many of the others started to do the same. So far, their spirits were relatively high after their first day of searching, though it was easy to see how this routine might quickly become dull, and there was no real way of knowing how long it would last.

---

The next morning, everyone began to awaken with the first light that managed to filter its way through the trees, apart from Kaleeth who had awoken about half an hour prior to comfort Newt after a nightmare. A few of the group, like Meesei, Lorag, and Do'ajee were eager to get back to the search and forced themselves to get up despite their grogginess, while others were slower to rise. To help move things along more quickly, Kaleeth and Do'ajee started readying everyone's breakfast so they could start eating as soon as they were awake.

Ahnasha was normally quick to rise and start helping the others, but this time she sat up on her bedroll and paused as she watched Rhazii sleeping on the bedroll beside her. Sometimes, she found it nice to just stop worrying about their mission for a moment and spend some time with her family. Unless she stayed back to watch the camp, most of potentially the few weeks would be spent away from Rhazii, so she needed to take the time while she could.

Peiter awoke shortly afterwards, facing both Sabine and the sun. She was still asleep, but with the growing activity in the camp, she would not be that way for long. As such, he thought she might consider it sweet for him to lean in and awaken her with a kiss.

"It was only some bruises!" Gallus protested, "I can do some more searching tomorrow if someone else wants to stay."

Who would or wouldn't be staying would be worked out later. The rest of the night was short for most as everyone enjoyed their dinner and company. Everyone retired to bed eager to continue tomorrow. All except for Tzirret.

Tzirret couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. Between the anticipation of being with La'khay and the excitement of having temporarily defeated his cowardice that day, he had more than enough energy to sit awake for a while. It was not bodily energy - he felt as though he could sleep easily, but it was an anxiety. Once enough time had passed, he approached La'khay as he had the previous night.

With his feelings building upon themselves throughout the entire day, Tzirret was more determined this time around. Once he started kissing La'khay, he did not stop to ask questions. It went without saying that he didn't run off crying that night, despite taking a moment to get over residual nervousness and continually fumbling with inexperience. At any rate, his faults did not include lack of enthusiasm.

After all was said and done, Tzirret then opened up conversation with La'khay. They talked under the moons for a long while into the night, with Tzirret holding onto her with his arms and tail. As promised, the conversation included lessons on mating and with further depth into relationships and women in general where La'khay could help, but it also included getting to know one another on a more personal level. Tzirret in particular confided in La'khay his own secrets, filling the gaps in his past and how he was turned. It gave more context to his timidity. Later on, after a rest, the previous lessons even became more practical. Their tryst ended in the early hours of the morning, with Tzirret making a more appropriate compliment on La'khay's beauty out of nowhere. He commented on her kindness and her eyes. He claimed that it was just practising, but as they found their own bedrolls before sleeping, Tzirret wished he could stay holding onto La'khay for the entire night. The regretfulness showed in his expression.

---

Fendros had awoken early as well this time, taking breakfast with Meesei, Lorag, and Do'ajee. Rather than eagerness, it was a mix of a full bladder and a nightmare that woke him. He didn't disturb Ahnasha while she was still sleeping, but it was not as if she would be long out of bed anyway.

With Peiter's kiss, Sabine woke up from one dream to another. She opened her eyes for only a moment before she brought her arms around Peiter and returned the kiss in full. She didn't care who was watching, but after Janius gave a "'Morning, you two" as he passed by, Sabine pulled back and gave Peiter a wide smile. "Good morning, Peiter," she whispered.

Soon enough everyone was awake and eating. All except for Tzirret. He was sleeping in after staying up so late. He was even sound asleep through the noise of the morning.

Gallus noticed Tzirret and poked him with the toe of his boot. "Time to wake, Tzirret. You'll miss breakfast."

Tzirret groaned and tightened his closed eyes.

"Come on, kid, what's got you so tired?" Gallus started to lean down and caught a certain scent on Tzirret. He raised an eyebrow and stood up straight, looking confused. A possibility crossed his mind that made him chuckle, but it couldn't have been true.

Without words, Tzirret slowly sat up and opened his baggy eyes. He looked exhausted, but his ears were up, listening to everything. He was the last to join everyone for breakfast. It was clear to everyone that his grogginess was worse than anyone else's.

La'khay was tired as well, though she was more experienced at hiding it than Tzirret. She did show signs of fatigue, but not to the same extent. She joined the others for breakfast, thanking Kaleeth for having it prepared for her. Peiter reluctantly got up as well and grabbed both his and Sabine's breakfast before sitting back down beside her. Other than breakfast, there would not be much more to do before they started on their search once more, and Lorag was intent on finishing all of those things as quickly as possible.

"So, are we decided on who's stayin' back at the camp today?" Lorag asked.

After taking a moment to tear another bite from the ribs she was eating, La'khay gave a nod. "This one thinks she will stay with the camp today. La'khay is not as trained for all this walking as most of you." She explained.

Lorag nodded and waited for other answers, though Peiter spoke up first once he got a look at Tzirret. "Did you have trouble sleeping last night, Tzirret? You look like you're hardly awake. I know the heat has done that to me here a few nights."

Ahnasha gave a chuckle. "Well, Peiter, you know that might not happen if you weren't sharing your body heat with a certain other Breton..."

With a slightly embarrassed grin, Peiter turned his head to Sabine beside him. "Eh...it's worth it."

Sabine had returned Peiter's smile, "It is worth it until there is too much sweat. Then I push you away."

After taking in a deep, tired breath in through his nose, Tzirret thought of how to respond. "Mmmno, this one did not sleep well last night," Tzirret grumbled, "The heat made me wake up many times."

"I thought you said that you were getting used to the heat," Sabine said, confused.

Tzirret had forgotten about that, so he looked around nervously for a moment. "Um, I was wrong, yes."

"Well, while you stay back this time, you can get in a nap and catch up," Fendros said, before turning to the others, "I can stay back to take care of the children this time, if it's no trouble."

Gallus gave a wave as he chewed and swallowed a mouthful of his breakfast, "That'll be good, Fendros. You can take my spot. I'd like to keep searching today."

With a sigh of relief, Tzirret was glad that the events of last night were not pursued by the conversation. He would probably take Fendros' advice and nap that day, but he also wanted to see what he could make out of the horns and hide of the minotaur. Not to mention, he felt like spending time with La'khay.

After their breakfast, the teams split up and started their searches of their assigned areas. Unlike the previous day, none of the groups were forced into a fight. Lorag's group did spot a pack of durzogs, and Meesei'd group found another cave, but the former were able to to avoid them, and the latter found the cave to be empty. They moved camp once they had all returned for the night, relocated, then repeated the process the next day.

Eventually, the group settled into a pattern. To end any debates on who would be watching camp when, Meesei decided to simply establish a rotating order so that everyone would be able to have time to rest, whether they wanted it or not. The haul of meat they recovered from the minotaur den on the first day extended how long they would be able to go without interrupting their search to hunt. Although, the full moons a few days later did force them to hunt, but it also provided them with an opportunity. By necessity, Meesei was the one to stay behind with Leaps and the children to watch the camp, but for those who were able to make their kills, and retain control of their bodies, they were able to go on a less detailed, but wider search for any other lycans in the area. With the full moons, the clan would have been forced to go on a large hunt, and would be rather easy for another lycan to locate if they were in the area. However, despite the moons, none in the group were able to catch the scents of any other lycans. At one point, Peiter thought he had found a werelion from the clan, but it just ended up being Colors.

The fact that they did not find a trace of lycans during the moons was worrying, as it hinted that the clan might not even be in the area, but it did at least possibly give them some information. If they did not find any hunting parties during the moons, then that would mean they were searching too far from the clan's hideout. As such, Meesei decided to mark they would move their camp farther after the moons, towards the far side of their overall search area. From there, they would work their way back towards their starting point.

The group continued searching for a few more days, totaling about a week and a half. It had become routine long ago, and had now become a dull experience for most of them. For some, it was difficult to stay concentrated during their searches after so long of finding nothing. But, they still had ground to cover and would not be stopping now. It was early morning, and everyone was rising once again for their breakfast. Given how large their group was, they had run through the majority of their food supplies, even after recovering the meat from the cave. But, they still did have a few days' worth of supplies remaining. Today, it was Uthri, Peiter, Sabine, and S'ajira who were scheduled to watch the camp.

The days that made up the life of the group brought them out of the travelling mindset and into a pure wilderness living mindset. The cities and ships were far behind them, and even further was clan life. For Tzirret, Peiter, and likely Ciinriel, such an extended period away from civil conveniences for such a long time was new. It was not particularly difficult, as they were surrounded by experts, but putting in the extra work for something they wanted, such as something in particular to eat or living without strangers around, was something to get used to.

Lessons with Ra'kalesh became more in-depth with time. Janius found the basics to be fairly familiar when referring to footwork, but the ways in which Ra'kalesh taught to attack and defend was surprisingly passive and flowing. Every part of the body was used in a single movement. It was a contrast to blocking with a shield and parrying with a weapon. Regardless, it became clear after a few lessons that Ra'kalesh was not lying about proper training requiring years of dedication. Not only were the different techniques hard to master except by frequent practice, but they were very precise and required constant refinement to work properly. It was interesting to say the least, perfect for breaking up the monotony of the search.

In secret, Tzirret occasionally spent nights with La'khay when she didn't mind. They kept the nights shorter than before for the sake of sleep. So far, there had been few hints to everyone else as to what was going on, as whenever he spoke casually with La'khay in front of the others, he kept interactions short. Otherwise, for the most part, Tzirret had been standing up straighter and spoke more confidently. Others had attributed it purely to the minotaur. However, as the days wore on, he started to become more and more distracted and antisocial. By this point, it had turned into a noticeable downturn in his mood. His free time was mostly made up of crafting his new horn and processing the hide of the minotaur he killed. Lately, he had been making something new out of pieces of the leftover horn, but it was not clear exactly what he was making.

The routine of the search and the abundance of food for the days following the minotaur's den left Sabine with more free time than usual. When not spending it with Peiter - either teaching each other or just being with one another - she did what she most enjoyed; experiment with alchemy. She had been running through the various effects of all the local flora she could find, as well as some parts of the fauna. Right now, she was crushing the oil out of some kind of seeds she had found. The fragrance rising from them was heady, but surprisingly pleasant. The same as Tzirret's handiwork, it was not exactly clear what it was for.

Though, Sabine's mood was as pleasant as the aroma, though. She wore a smile and gave Peiter a look every now and then. She spoke curiously while crushing the seeds, as it did not require concentration, "Peiter? Did you ever get taught any alchemy?"

Uthri was sitting and watching the children while whittling something with a dagger and a lump of wood. She had garnered the attention of Rhazii and Newt with the interesting things she carved. Their rapt attention made them surprisingly quiet. It seemed a peaceful sight in comparison to S'ajira, who was currently dealing with Leaps' continued demands for attention and playtime. The body shape of the Pahmar was more similar to Leaps, which meant he probably thought she was a fuzzy wamasu.

Throughout the days of searching, La'khay spent many of her nights with either Tzirret or Colors. Of course, by this point, La'khay was a veritable expert at keeping late-night trysts a secret. Her pride only ever knew of her frequent mating with Colors because she never attempted to hide it from them. Otherwise, her career in Senchal had given her convincing acting skills. Currently, she was eating her breakfast before getting dressed for another day of searching.

While Sabine was experimenting with her alchemy, Peiter was simply sitting nearby and relaxing as he allowed himself time to wake up fully. He shook his head once Sabine asked him about alchemy. "No, not really. I can cook decently, but that's not really the same thing. Most of what I learned as a child was about farming. A little bit of fighting, but mostly I just helped with the farm. Tending crops is something I'm pretty experienced with. I could probably grow just about anything, but I wouldn't know how to use it for anything but food. Or making clothes; I can do that too."

While Uthri was occupying the children, Kaleeth had to go over and grab Leaps away from S'ajira. She knelt down in front of the wamasu before giving a glance over to the Pahmar. "Sorry about that. He used to play with dogs back in Bruma, but we never thought to stop him. We never imagined it would become such a...problem."

Looking Leaps in the eyes, Kaleeth gave him a disapproving glare. "Leaps, you need to calm down, friend." She commented, followed quickly by Leaps licking her face. She sighed, and closed her eyes as she lowered her head.

It was probably because Sabine had not witnessed Peiter do as much, but he was apparently more widely skilled than he had let on. "I do not know much about cooking. Alchemy does not teach that." Having finished crushing her seeds, Sabine retrieved two more ingredients from her shoulder bag; a bluish flower and a handful of different looking seeds. She emptied the oil that she was extracting into a vial and scraped out the husks of what she was crushing earlier, before putting the new ingredients in her mortar and handing it over to Peiter. "Try crushing these together. Look closely at what happens. You might learn something," Sabine suggested happily.

The mix in the bowl would create a magical light from alchemy similar to the spell that Peiter had been trying to cast for a while now. Sabine thought it might help Peiter to better understand what he needed to do, but she also wanted to share the wonder that made her passionate about alchemy.

"You need to be more firm with him," Janius said, walking up to S'ajira and Kaleeth. "Leaps! Heel!" Janius said more forcefully. As trained, Leaps backed off and stayed still and silent. He looked a little sorry for himself. Janius gave a half-smile, "See? Sorry about that S'ajira." Janius glanced to Kaleeth and to S'ajira in turn, "Not that I want to encourage him, S'ajira, but have you tried growling at Leaps to get him to leave you alone?"

Tzirret had not really spoken much to anyone else this morning. He hadn't been talking much for the past few mornings, actually. This time, however, he actually approached La'khay directly. It was strange, as he tended to avoid her while everyone else around, but he was nervous enough that he obviously was still uncomfortable with trying. He sat down nearby to her, barely making eye contact. "Um, La'khay?" Tzirret asked slowly and quietly, "Do you like jewellery? Like, necklaces?"

"Crush them together? Alright..." Peiter responded, not sure exactly where she was going with it. Perhaps she just wanted him to help while she worked on a different part of the potion? At any rate, he took the mortar and pestle and started to do as she asked. He was grinding the ingredients together fairly mindlessly at first, but after about thirty seconds, he noticed something in the periphery of his vision. Looking down, he saw something that appeared to be magic in his hands, and immediately panicked. He jerked back, and nearly dropped the bowl before catching it in mid-air.

Once the surprise subsided, Peiter finally examined the light in the bowl, which was quickly diminishing. "It's...a light?" He stated questioningly.

S'ajira looked over the now still and seated wamasu with a firm glare. She did not appear overtly threatening at the moment, but she was sure to convey to Leaps that she was not in a playful mood. She did not growl, but instead looked up to Janius and pointed her paw at the sun, then off to the west. Over the past week or so, they had learned a few of her signs. This one was her general sign for something happening in the future. She intended to convey that she would become aggressive later, if necessary.

La'khay was a bit surprised to see Tzirret sit down next to her. They had not spoken all that much over the past few days, apart from when they were alone at night. She raised her brow curiously as she turned her head to him. "Yes...La'khay likes to wear jewelry when she can. Not so much in the wilds, but in the cities and with the clan. She likes anything that is beautiful. Why...do you ask?" She questioned.

Sabine wasn't expecting Peiter to be so spooked by the light. She held the back of one hand in front of her mouth and laughed. "It will not hurt you, Peiter," she affirmed, before pointing to the bowl, "When you mix alkanet petals and the seeds from a common thistle, they do the same thing as a light spell. It is alchemy." Sabine craned her head to look in the bowl, "There are still some left. You can crush the rest together and you might see how they do it."

Though it was unreasonable to expect S'ajira to communicate with Leaps without being able to vocalise commands, it seemed the situation was resolved for now. Janius nodded to S'ajira. "Alright, just let us know if he still gives you trouble."

"Oh, there is no reason, really," Tzirret said, lying poorly. "This one was just...making some things." Tzirret looked to La'khay and held her gaze for a few moments, before he stood up and went back to getting ready to leave. "Good luck searching today."

Now that Peiter understood what was going on, he looked into the mortar with more interest. Upon Sabine's suggestion, he started to grind together the parts of the plants that he had not yet touched. Just as before, they started producing a dim light. Although, he did not feel any closer to understanding how it worked. He supposed that there was some way to make the light brighter, and to store the effect in a potion so that it would not create the light immediately, but those steps were probably a lot harder than just grinding together two plants.

"I didn't know alchemy's effects could be so...visible. I don't know if I really understand it, though. It just seems like magic to me. Though, I guess it really is magic, isn't it?" Peiter commented.

"Oh, thank you." La'khay said to Tzirret as he started to walk away, though her expression turned to concern once he was looking away. His behavior had been strange, to say the least, and she was beginning to worry about what might be the cause. Nevertheless, they still had their responsibilities for the moment, so those concerns would have to wait until they had found the clan. Everyone was close to being ready to begin the search, so they would be departing within a few minutes, leaving Uthri's group to watch the camp.

"It is...very similar." Sabine considered attempting to explain how the alchemy worked in more depth, but the more she though about it, the more she realised that it would probably be too much information at once. "There are few things that can be done with magic that cannot be done with alchemy. Many things are the same. It is not really the same as magicka, but it can still affect magicka."

Sabine reached and took back the mortar with a smile. She still had her previous project to continue working on. "I just thought it might be interesting. These two ingredients mixed like this is used for something I am making, but it is a surprise."

Soon enough, the groups all spread out and departed for the day, as was the routine. Tzirret concentrated on the search as well as always, but during spare moments, he pulled out a small piece of horn and carefully carved at it with a dagger or a small whetstone he carried.

Now that Janius and Kaleeth were not around, Leaps got a little braver in approaching S'ajira. After giving another rough figurine of an animal for Newt and Rhazii to play with, Uthri spotted the wamasu's antics and raised an eyebrow.

Once Peiter had ground up the remainder of what was in the bowl, he set it down in front of him and observed the fading light within. "Well, it can do more than I thought. I wouldn't have imagined that you could make a potion that makes a ball of light. The only ones I've ever used have been for simple things, like healing and stamina. What kind of effects can you create? Do you make mixtures like poisons for your pack to use?" He asked. He had known for a long time that Sabine was an alchemist, but he had never really spent time watching her work.

Leaps' insatiable curiosity was not something that S'ajira greatly minded at first, but it was now to the point where her patience was growing thin. Once more, the wamasu was approaching her for attention, so she decided to hold her ground more firmly. While Leaps would eventually grow to a massive size, he was currently cnotably smaller than a fully-grown Pahmar. She raised up her head to make herself appear even larger, then looked down at him while baring his teeth. She did not start growling yet, but was attempting to give the signals that he should leave her alone.