Uthri put up her hands, "Hey, I never said anything about making an entire clan cross the desert. I doubt that was part of the plan." She shook her head and chuckled, "Like I said, Meesei will fill the gaps. As for the fortress, I believe we found a map with the location marked when we rescued S'ajira. It was hidden, but the pride pointed it out."

With the strangers around them accepting some hospitality, Sabine felt a little more comfortable with them around. They were polite enough. When she got back to Peiter and the children, she had visibly release some of the tension in her posture. "I am not sure," Sabine responded with a shrug, "The same as before, perhaps? I still have my alchemy to finish."

"Well, it's good that we at least know where we can find our enemy." Vilana responded, though as soon as Uthri had finished speaking, she took on a curious expression and seemed to be in thought. After a few moments' pause, she leaned forward with a furrowed brow. "But you said...Meesei would fill me in? That's the name of Hircine's Champion, is it not?"

Peiter's reaction mirrored Sabine's. The fear that they had once again been ambushed by Vile's minions had hit him as soon as he saw the group approaching from up in the tree, but now that they were pretty much certain that they were allies, he felt an even greater relief. Not only would they not have to search any longer, but they finally had their answer on what happened to the Senchal clan. Despite what happened, they had at least survived. With her suggestion, Peiter nodded. "I suppose so. There isn't much else we can do but pass the time until everyone returns, I suppose." He began before putting his free arm around her shoulders. "And it would be interesting to see the master at work."

Quickly looking down to Rhazii, Peiter took on a more sympathetic expression. "You think you'll feel safe with Newt and Leaps, little one?"

While Uthri just gave a knowing smile, she internally felt a little foolish for disclosing that much information. Although, they had already established trust and she had already shared the plan. It would not to any harm to let Vilana know. "Yep. What did you expect?" Uthri said, "An entire large scale clan swallows up a number of messengers and gives no word at all? She saw fit to investigate, herself." Uthri spread her hands, "And here we are."

Rhazii had been looking up at both Sabine and Peiter while they spoke. He still looked worried, but not quite as much as before. "I want to stay near you and aunty Sabine," Rhazii responded, not letting go of Peiter's hand.

Sabine gave a small grin and knelt down to Newt and Rhazii. "There is no need to be afraid of these people any more," she said to comfort them, "but you can stay near us if you like. Just make sure we can see you."

"Okay," Rhazii said with a big nod.

Together, the group went to where Sabine had her alchemical equipment set up. Sabine knew that there wasn't anything inherently dangerous unless they ended up playing with her more fragile glassware or poking around her ingredients bag, so she let Rhazii and Newt play in front of her as they were before. At least, she did when they were no longer too nervous. Leaps decided to stay near them, but eventually became curious and did his best to introduce himself to the strangers. At least he wasn't bothering S'ajira any more.

As Sabine resumed what she was working on, she struck up another conversation. "You should know, Peiter, I am no master alchemist. It is just something I like to do." She glanced at him, "I would not mind becoming one, though. Is there something you want to master? My guess is swordsmanship."

Surprisingly enough, Sabine did not take long to finish her first potion. It appeared to be some kind of fragrant oil with a slight luminescence to it. She left it unmarked. Rather than pack up, she began on another substance. Funnily enough, it started with melting shortening fat from the last roast that the group had. Someone less alchemically inclined might have guessed that she was making some kind of soap.

"The Champion herself?" Vilana said, obviously still surprised. "That's a bit hard to believe, honestly. The Champion has been leading the war effort from Cyrodiil for so long, I figured that was where she was needed. If you're telling the truth, then I'm not really sure what to think. There are so many rumors that go around about her, I don't really know what is true. Her reputation is almost larger than life. Some people look up to her as a hero, others think she has somehow deceived everyone. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to think. I suppose Hircine picks his Champion for a reason. Our clan leader trusts her, but I won't lie, some people may not like her."

Peiter nodded in response to Sabine. "Well, you'd be right, mostly. I think most people want to at least try to become a master of what they're good at. It's not just swordsmanship that interests me, though, but close quarters fighting in general. Swordsmanship has that certain...nobility to it, but I can't deny how effective polearms are. They're weapons of war for a reason. Reach is just such a great advantage. What about you, though? You've been studying alchemy most of your life, haven't you; what else is left for you to learn? How long do you think it would take to be considered a master? Would you say that anyone else in your pack is a master of anything?" He asked. All the while, he was paying close attention to what she was trying to make. Although, just as before, he did not have much of a concept of what she was trying to create. Given what she was starting with, he wondered if he had a bad smell about him.

"That is understandable, I suppose," Uthri said with a shrug, before quickly looking up and continuing, "But not because any of the rumours are true or false, I don't know what you have heard. What I can tell you is that she knows what she is doing, and what she is doing is fighting this war. I have travelled with her long enough to know that she is wise and powerful, but not beyond an honest conversation." Uthri briefly flicked a finger in Vilana's direction, "I will tell you what. Come up with a few questions, I am willing to bet that she would answer you openly. You two may have plenty to talk about before she reaches your clan leader." Having reminded herself, Uthri narrowed her eyes and asked curiously, "Who is your leader, by the way? Did the one before the attack survive, or have you selected a new one?"

Sabine smiled and almost tuned out when Peiter went in-depth. It was his passion, but Sabine didn't quite share his fervour. Still, she considered what he asked, pausing for a moment. "I think...if I got to work with ingredients from each side of Tamriel...if I could experiment with ingredients from the planes of Oblivion..." Sabine looked to the sky and leaned on her hand, "If I could bypass some of the problems I sometimes with alchemy, the complicated ones, I think then I would be a master." She resumed her work and answered casually, "That might take thirty years. Maybe more." Sabine placed the now running shortening into her mortar and started mixing in a rough white powder, "Ahnasha is a master archer and Meesei is a master mage, but it is different with alchemy. It is not something you can master in one place. You have to go looking for new things all of the time. Every new place and every new ingredient expands your understanding. The techniques you have to practise when you experiment do not require as much time or effort as fighting or magic." In order for Peiter to not feel overwhelmed, Sabine turned, put a hand on his cheek, and smiled. "Thank you for the compliment anyway."

The next ingredients in the potion were some flower stamens and some dust scraped off a pale, flaky stone. It made the mixture gritty looking, but it began to thicken until it was a paste. There were no other observable effects as Sabine scraped the paste into a clay vessel to enclose it.

With the work done, Sabine turned to again Peiter, "I could show you how to make a potion to restore your stamina, if you like. It is the simplest thing to make." She put her hands into her ingredients bag and pulled them out, both full of seeds. When she opened her hands to show Peiter, one was full of dried corn kernels and the other was full of wheat kernels. "This is all you need, with some water as well."

Vilana gave a nod. "He's still alive, yes. He has been too old to fight for a while now, so he made it out alive. His name is Ri'nakhad, and he has been our leader for as long as I've been a part of the clan. As I said, he trusts the Champion, so I wouldn't expect trouble from him. One or two of his lieutenants, maybe, but not him. As for me, I, uh, I don't think I want to bother the Champion. I'm sure she has much more important matters to deal with than to worry what I think." She answered, with a hint of nervousness in her expression. It was almost as if she was afraid of the idea of speaking to Meesei.

"I think you're underestimating yourself, honestly." Peiter responded. "Thirty years sounds like a very long time for someone with your talent, and I'm not just saying that because it's you. You're only eighteen years of age, but you're at the very least an expert in the craft. Not to mention, you have connections. Bruma is a central location in Tamriel, and our clan is basically the center of all of the clans. And, your alpha is the Champion herself. If you want to get an ingredient, I'm pretty sure she can get it for you. All you have to do is ask."

When Sabine showed Peiter handfulls of wheat and corn, he gave her a look almost as if she were mad. To say he was confused would have been an understatement. "Corn and wheat? I mixed corn and wheat plenty of times back at home, but I never got any sort of magic out of it. Are you trying to play a joke on me or something? Saying it is true, what do you actually do to it to get it to be magical? It would have to be more than just crushing it together."

Uthri craned her head forward and raised an eyebrow. "You would be surprised. You are probably the first of your clan that she would speak to. Think about it, it would help her to know what the attitudes are towards her here. On top of that, there will be time to talk walking to the clan anyway. I doubt she would demand silence for the whole walk." Uthri snorted and brought her head back, "What? Is there a rumour that she bites people's heads off?"

Sabine was going to refute Peiter's claim that she could get any ingredient she could fathom with her connections, but she would admit that she had never tried. Granted, there were many things that Sabine had never even seen before, and she preferred to forage things herself, but there were some things in books that she had read about. It would be a way to fill gaps in her repertoire while in Bruma. She would consider it for later.

As for Peiter's reaction to the ingredients she presented, Sabine laughed at his expression. "It is not a joke. You might have got some magic when you mixed them before, but you have to treat it properly." Sabine extended her hands and gestured for Peiter to take the ingredients. She then washed out her mortar with some water and a cloth and placed it in front of Peiter with the pestle sticking out. "Now, put the corn and wheat in the mortar..."

What followed was a series of instructions that would seem awfully similar to crushing the ingredients together and making a lumpy and husky dough, but the way the water was added and the way the mixture was processed seemed to have some very pedantic and precise cues. To Peiter, the methods might have seemed inconsequential, but Sabine refrained from flooding his mind with the minutiae of alchemy. About five minutes later, the last instruction was to cut the dough into small pieces in the mortar and to pour a vial's worth of water over the top. In front of Peiter's eyes, the water began to take a vibrant green hue and clouded over. Once it stopped changing colour, Sabine instructed to carefully pour the water into a vial. The end product was weak, but unmistakably different to mere mixing. The remaining dough was grey and inconsistent, barely nutritious any more.

"Congratulations, Peiter," Sabine grinned, "You have just made a stamina potion. It will not be as powerful as usual, but it will work." Sabine purposely understated just how weak it would be - she could make a stamina potion orders of magnitude more effective with more a complex process - but she did not lie about it working.

Vilana shook her head. "No, but there's a rumor that she's very powerful. People can be afraid of those who can easily outmatch them. Some distrust her because she's Argonian, and others just see her as being far above themselves. For some people, especially ones who are really devout to Hircine, seeing his Champion is like seeing the Mane, or a better analogy for you, seeing the Emperor. There is fear in talking to someone like that. You're around her all the time, so you're used to it, but the Champion is second only to Hircine himself: the one who we all serve. Whether people think good or ill of her, they're not going to be able to just carry on a normal conversation with her."

Peiter had followed Sabine's instructions skeptically, but as accurately as he could. To have simple grains make a magical potion was hard to believe. It was not until the mixture he was making suddenly shifted into a green color that his eyes widened, still in disbelief. How could it be possible that something he had eaten his entire life, something that most people ate throughout their lives, could have magical properties. What was left over of the dough hardly looked edible, while the liquid had the familiar look of a stamina potion.

Once finished, Peiter held the bottle up against the light to get a better look at the liquid within. "Unbelievable." He said, with his mouth slightly agape. After a few moments, he turned his head to Sabine and raised his brow. "Hmm...how do I know this isn't an illusion? Like when you tricked me into thinking you were about to burn a hole in my stomach." He spoke with a measure of satisfaction in his voice, as if he had uncovered her scheme before it was finished.

Vilana's assessment was understandable to Uthri. She looked up, nodded, and pulled a deep, conceding frown, "That's fair. Doesn't mean you can't try." Uthri angled her head and looked at Vilana, "Are you afraid of her?"

"Not touching you," Sabine raised her open palms to Peiter, her wide smile suppressing laughter. "It is real, you can trust me." Sabine poked her head forward and spoke in a jokingly jerky and scathing tone, "If you don't, you can just wait for the illusion to wear off." Sabine extended a finger and poked Peiter on the cheek with her last word. She then brought her head back again and grinned, returning to a casual tone, "If you are out of breath and you drink it, it will work."

Sabine wondered in that moment how she would even create an illusion like Peiter described, let alone maintain it. She was not the greatest illusionist in Tamriel by a wide margin.

Vilana's expression overall was neutral, and contemplating of the question. The only thing that could be said for certain about her was that she was having a difficult time coming up with an answer. "Afraid of her? I've never met her. Like I said, I don't know what to think about her. I don't know what is truth, and what is a lie. I know she pretty much has absolute authority over me, so I do have a bit of a reason to be nervous, but I don't think Hircine would pick someone who can't handle power."

Peiter stared at the bottle for a few moments in thought. He swirled it around lightly in circles for a few seconds, as if that would somehow reveal any magic in the bottle. "Well, if I'm going to test it, then I suppose I'll need to do something that would get me tired. Maybe we can do something together? How about a quick jog? We could take the time to admire the forest without having to search every nook and cranny for the clan. This place is rather beautiful, when you can take the time to look at it."

"Nah, it is all fine," Uthri said with a wave of her hand. She then gave a glance around the camp site, "Anyway, get settled, grab a snack, introduce yourselves to the children, S'ajira, and the skink. Make yourself at home while you wait. If you or your friends need to borrow something, just ask." Uthri leaned back onto her hands, "Any specific questions? We are going to have plenty of time."

Maintaining her smile, Sabine looked up, then at Rhazii and Newt, then back at Peiter. "We could, if Uthri and S'ajira don't mind taking care of Leaps and the children for a short while," Sabine answered. She stood up to ask, facing Uthri and S'ajira both, "Would you mind if Peiter and I went for a run?"

Uthri was unsure at first, but she took another look at the abundance of new friendly lookouts around them and came to a quick decision. "I would say yes if you do not wander far, but before you go..." Uthri made sure to confirm with the other responsible party in the camp, "What do you think, S'ajira?"

Vilana shrugged her shoulders as she looked around the camp. "Not really. Though, perhaps you could just tell me about your pack in general? I could tell you about the clan. It might help to pass the day." She suggested. Though, she paused to allow Uthri to answer Sabine once she spoke up.

S'ajira looked around at Vilana's pride once she was asked for her input on the two youths going for a run, though it was impossible to tell what she was actually thinking. For a few moments, she raised her snout in the air and took a few sniffs, then returned her gaze to Uthri and nodded. She returned to laying down near the center of camp with no further "comment," so she seemed to have no issue with it.

"Alright, thanks. We'll make sure not to go far. Just want to get a bit of exercise today." Peiter commented. Walking over to his belongings, he started to put on his shoes. As he was tightening them around his feet, he gave a chuckle and looked up to Sabine. "Even as hot as it is, I probably shouldn't run entirely naked. I don't suppose you ever made progress on that potion to keep us cool, did you? What I wouldn't give to have a few...dozen of those. It's...really obvious that I'm from Bruma, isn't it?"

"Go have some fun, you two," Uthri said with a smile.

Sabine didn't stay idle as Peiter tied his shoes. She quickly gathered up the alchemical equipment she had been using and packed it away, placing it all to one side.

"You could be from Skyrim, or Morrowind, or anywhere cold, really," Sabine said, not entirely understanding Peiter's point, "Anyway, I could not come up with a potion to keep cool without bad side effects, but I thought of something else. We would need snake skins, though."

Sabine didn't give Peiter much time after he stood up again. She flashed a grin and started a swift jog away from the camp.

As the pair ran off, Uthri responded to Vilana's suggestion. "Sabine and Peiter have recently struck up a liking for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they are going to be doing more than just jogging," Uthri chuckled and returned her look to Vilana, "Anyway, my pack, yes. We are lead by a serial womanising Imperial named Gallus. He's alright when you're not romantically involved with him, but he's also a clever fighter; less strong than most alphas, but quick and intelligent. Then there's Irenya, she's a stick-in-the-mud Dunmer, but she isn't so bad. She is very good at magical healing, the best I know. There's Peiter," Uthri pointed forward, "You saw him, he's a young Breton, but he's okay with a halberd and he's got plenty to prove. He sometimes sounds a bit desperate that way. Then there's Tzirret, he's a bundle of angst and cowardice covered in grey fur. We call him 'cloudy cat' when he's especially bad. He's very young, though, still about sixteen or seventeen. He has some kindness, and he's still learning and improving. He actually saved a couple of lives last week." Uthri pulled a dubious half-smile, "That's my immediate family. There's also Meesei's pack and Ra'kalesh's pride, but I feel like I'm talking too much." Uthri shifted her weight such that she was supporting her body with one elbow rather than both of her hands. "Tell me about the Senchal clan. What is life like in your little outpost? Perhaps you could introduce me to your pride?"

Once he had his shoes, Peiter was about to walk over and grab his loincloth before Sabine suddenly ran off into the forest, prompting him to quickly run after her. "Ah, wait up!" He shouted, though if Sabine was being competitive, he knew his shouts would be falling on deaf ears.

At a quickened pace, it did not take Peiter too long to catch up to Sabine, since she likely did not want to exhaust herself just as their run was beginning. "In a hurry, aren't you?" He commented as he ran up alongside her and matched her pace. There were no real easy paths through the forest, so they could not run too quickly anyway. "I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic for a jog."

Vilana was attentive as she listened to Uthri's description of her pack. She had guessed that, with the size of the Champion's group, she had not brought just one pack, though she supposed that the Champion could have a larger pack. With how Uthri described it, she did wonder how her pack actually managed to get along with one another, but did not comment on it. "Living in the clan is...tense right now. We're not starving anymore, like we were when we first fled, but there's always that feeling that something could go wrong at any moment. We know that we can't survive another attack like the last one, so our patrols have been focused on finding enemy scouts before they find us. At the very least, we'd be able to flee before a large enemy force arrived. The outpost wasn't built to hold as many people as we have, so we've had to build up a camp on the forest floor beneath it for everyone else. At the very least, we have enough food, and a good source of clean water. Most days are spent hunting or training, though I have heard rumors that our leadership has been looking into how to safely get out a message. With you all here, though, that might not be necessary. No matter what they think of the Champion, a lot of people are probably going to be relieved to see you here. The hope that someone might be coming to help us will go a long way." She explained.

Sabine's running start was more out of cheekiness than competitiveness, so she allowed Peiter to catch up easily. The distance she ran had made her breathing heavier, therefore her response was disjointed. "I just wanted to see the potion work," she said, looking at him with a laugh, "Are you tired already?"

"It sounds like your clan has done well, given the conditions," Uthri said. Her demeanour had turned serious as was appropriate for the situation, "It is horrible to think that there was starvation. It is my wish that the hope we may bring will be followed by some better times for you all." Uthri took a slow breath, "Mostly, though, I am glad we did not come to find the entire clan annihilated. That has been a fear of mine since we set out."

Uthri let her head angle back again, "How about your pack? Well, your pride, sorry, it's confusing. Have you or your pride been affected by the hardship?"

Peiter laughed and gave a prideful grin. "Tired, me? We haven't run a fraction of the distance that Lorag had us running in training. Pretty sure I'll be going a lot longer than you." He teased. Although, the pace at which they were moving was not particularly draining, so they had the chance to take in their surroundings. Due to how thick the forest was, they were now out of sight of the camp, though still not that far away. Likely, they would run in a circular pattern around the camp, just close enough that they could run back quickly if something happened.

"So...you need a snakeskin. We might be able to find one, actually. I know I've caught the scent of a few of them during our searches. What do you plan on making with it?" Peiter asked between breaths.

Vilana let out a deep breath. "Just being alive is well-enough in my book." She commented. Like Uthri, she sat back in a more relaxed pose and started breathing slowly. Looking at each of her pride, most of them showed some signs of fatigue, so they had likely been walking for a while that day.

"Everyone's been affected by the hardship, but we're all alive, so at least there's that. We're all werelions, apart from Durloph." Vilana explained, pointing to the Orc. "He's a wereboar. As for everyone else, that's Zihla, Ja'sirahd, Do'raaj and his son M'basi." She explained, pointing to each of them in sequence. We're scouts, as you can probably tell."

Given that Sabine wasn't subject to Lorag's training, she knew that Peiter was telling the truth, but she didn't feel like encouraging his ego. She just returned the grin. "We'll see."

Soon enough, the pair settled into a rhythm. Sabine was becoming less invested in pushing herself and was instead taking in more of her surroundings. With the focus put into searces, Sabine had become familiar with most features of the jungle, but she had not before taken the opportunity to step back and appreciate the patterns from a distance. Peiter was right, it was nice. It had its own charm in comparison to other wildernesses.

Sabine entrancement was easily disrupted by Peiter's question about her new idea. "The snake skin is not an alchemical ingredient, it is a vessel," Sabine had to talk a little louder over the crunching of their feet on the forest floor. "An intact snake skin can hold liquid. Then I can make a potion that stays cold, but you do not have to swallow it. It can be put in the skin and worn around the neck." Sabine took a couple of breaths before adding, "If I cannot find enough ingredients to make the potion, we can just use water and freeze it with magic. It will not last as long and it could damage the snake skin. It will still be cold."

Uthri nodded to each of Vilana's pride as they were introduced. Giving a surprised and thoughtful "Huh" at the wereboar. "Well, hello to you all," Uthri said, slightly awkwardly. She felt strange that they had not been involved in the conversation up until now, but it was fair that they were more concerned with either resting or looking out for danger. "I was actually going to ask, are their many lycans other than werelions in your clan?" Uthri asked, reverting back to a more laid back tone, "Most in Bruma are wolves, with the occasional exception, mostly emissaries."

Peiter was actually rather surprised, and impressed, with Sabine's explanation. He raised his brow at her and smiled. "I'll be honest, that isn't close to what I was expecting. That's creative; I certainly wouldn't have thought of it. A snakeskin is thin, but tough, and is already in the perfect shape to wear around the neck. I really do think I understand why you like alchemy so much; you have the perfect mind for it. You seem to like creating things, and solving problems. Alchemy lets you do all that."

Since the forest was rather thick, they were running alongside, and sometimes through, various bushes and vines rather frequently, just as they had been for the past week. However, Peiter was not being quite as attentive as usual, so he did not manage to avoid a particular bush which he ended up running partially through. Almost immediately, he yelped and collapsed to the ground. He quickly curled into a ball and gritted his teeth as he hissed in pain. "Ahh...why...me?" He groaned.

Vilana's pride each returned Uthri's greeting, though they still stayed out of the conversation and instead focused mostly on keeping watch. Vilana herself had to think for a moment about Uthri's question. Although she had been a member of the clan for quite a while, she did not often think about its demographics. "Well, I wouldn't say we're mostly one kind of lycan, not like you describe anyway. I'd say over half of us are werelions, but it's not too big of a majority. The second biggest group is of course werewolves. They are found in every province in Tamriel, from what I understand. There is a group of werevultures among us, mostly from Valenwood, and a few individuals that are something else. Like Durloph. He's from Orsinium, and I think wereboars are more common up there." She explained.

Sabine breathed in to reply, but instead ended up gasping at Peiter's sudden stop. She slid to a halt and walked quickly to where he lay. "Are you okay?" Sabine asked. She leaned over him with a small smile, but was not sure of the severity of the situation.

"Impressive," Uthri thought out loud, "I'll get to meet even more kinds of lycans that I have not talked to before." Uthri sat forward again so she could gesticulate, "You know, before the champion came to Bruma and reformed everything, the werecrocodile in her pack, Kaleeth is her name, she was the only non-werewolf I had ever met. Now with this war, it is an ironic joy that I get to experience so many new people. I may not have even travelled to Elsweyr otherwise. Are you an Elsweyr native, Vilana, or did you move here?"

Once Sabine leaned over Peiter, she would easily be able to tell that he had ran through a thornbush. He had several cuts and scrapes across his stomach and legs, along with a few thorns that had detached and were still sticking out of him. While painful, this normally would not have elicited such a reaction from him. He was accustomed to dealing with such minor injuries, after all. However, he had left the camp in a rush before grabbing his loincloth, something that he was now regretting immensely. The fact that he was curled in a ball with his hands held precariously over his groin left little question as to the source of his pain.

"Ow, ow, I, uh...it's not dangerous. But...ahhh. Why am I such an idiot?" Peiter began. He was breathing rather heavily, gritting his teeth and looking up at Sabine with eyes that were quickly watering. "It was a...thornbush. And...ahh."

"My parents were from Kvatch, but I'm from Riverhold." Vilana answered. "It's not often that an Imperial citizen willingly moves to the Dominion, but the draw of profit is a strong one, I suppose. I've lived in Elsweyr my whole life, I just ended up moving south later on. As for the lycans here, I guess there's just more variety here than in Bruma. I can't say I've ever met a werecrocodile before. We have some Argonians in our clan, but I don't think most of them are even from Black Marsh. I'm not entirely, sure though. There aren't many, and I've only, um, spoken to one of them. But, he was a werelion, not to mention a low-down, good-for-nothing, colorblind scoundrel." She said, baring her teeth almost reflexively as she thought back. "He was a womanizer about twice as bad as you describe your pack alpha, but just good enough at sweet-talking a drunk woman to sound enticing. I don't think he's with us anymore, though, so you don't have to worry about him."