"That is at least something in our favour. I hadn't thought of that." Gallus nodded, "Still, I doubt we could effectively cover our tracks with such a large group. Weather or no weather, some of the journey will still be through the jungle. I think it will just have to be something to accept."

Gallus clasped his hands together, "Look, Meesei, I will not allow you to mistake this for a task that everyone will agree with. If we travel that distance, with this many people, over that terrain, I guarantee you that some people will not make it, even as lycans." He extended an arm to one side, gesturing to the door, "When you walk into the meeting tomorrow, the only way that the clan will move by the end of it is if the risk is justified. There are many details to consider, listen to them as much as they listen to you." Gallus turned his head slightly, still looking at Meesei, "I do not envy you in the position of the decision maker here, but I believe it will be just as difficult to convince everyone else. I don't think being champion will be all that it will take to win them over in this."

Sabine's face soured a little, but she still smiled. "The bandits were only once...or twice," she said, recalling the journey all the way back to the lake Rumare as well as the stream near Senchal.

At Peiter's comment, Sabine displayed a blush and a small laugh escaped through her nose. One eye twitched at the knots that Peiter caught as he brushed his hand through her frizzy auburn locks and she hummed to think of a response. It was true that she didn't normally care much for her appearance compared to other girls, especially her hair. She looked to Peiter's eyes and decided to be brief and honest, "I thought you might like it. I will not do it all the time, though."

"I do not doubt that it will be a risk." Meesei commented. She leaned forward with her hands clasped together similarly to Gallus. "The largest question will be if the risk is less than the other options we have. It is not on a whim that I am suggesting to move everyone. If I could keep them here without any unnecessary danger, I would choose that option without hesitation. But, in order to successfully attack the enemy stronghold, we will need a significant force from both this clan, and the Orcrest clan. If we just moved the warriors north, it would be easier, but we would then be leaving this clan almost defenseless. If they were attacked at that point, they would surely be wiped out. But, if we do not take those forces with us to Orcrest, then we run the risk of not having a strong enough force to capture the stronghold. Or, even if we did, we may end up with far more casualties than I would ever find acceptable. A solution to both of those issues would be to bring everyone, so that the Orcrest clan could provide protection to the non-combatants, but we would still have the forces to assault the enemy stronghold. But, I would only suggest doing that if what we risk losing in the journey is less than the risk of the alternatives. For that, I suppose we will have to wait until we can speak to one experienced in the desert. If it is not too much trouble, I would like for you to find Do'ajee tomorrow morning. Ask her who would be the most knowledgeable person in the clan on such matters, and bring that person to the meeting."

Instead of running his hands through her hair, Peiter started to gently rub the back of Sabine's head as he press his forehead against hers. "Well, I look forward to seeing what you try. I'm sure I will love it. Just don't think you have to try to impress me or anything. Though, it does make me wonder what I might do for you? You've never really said what about me you find attractive, or unattractive."

With a grin, Peiter let go of Sabine, then quickly stood up a short distance from the bed. With his hands on his hips and his muscles flexed, he took a pose as if he were showing off, or posing for a painting. Although, his overall attitude was more lighthearted and joking than actually vain. "If you were to change anything about me, what would it be?"

Gallus nodded and blinked his eyes down, "Of course. I'll go out and ask, first thing in the morning."

It appeared as though Gallus was mollified enough that Meesei was treating this matter seriously, but he was still upset that this was their best option. Other details swam out of reach in his mind, caught up in the anxiety over the move. He would have to consider them properly during the discussion tomorrow, but at least one more issue gained clarity in his mind. He looked up to Meesei again and breathed in, "Another thing; Orcrest..." Gallus shifted and curled his lips, "How much to we know about their situation? Do they have the means to shelter these people?"

As Peiter spoke with his forehead against hers, Sabine closed her eyes and was beginning to drift into sleep. She probably would have, had she not been listening to Peiter. She opened her eyes and looked at Peiter dubiously with a smile before he got up from the bed.

Sabine rolled onto her back and propped herself up with her hands to watch Peiter's display. She snorted in response and immediately had one answer to give, holding her chin forward, "I would stop you trying to show off like that." Sabine's wide grin sustained as she stood up from the bed and put her hands around Peiter's shoulders. She gave them a playful squeeze before continuing. "Almost every boy I know has lycan muscles like yours. That is not why I like you." Sabine's grin faded and she stepped up close to Peiter, moving her hands down to hold onto his. She seemed almost out of breath while she spoke, "I like you because you...do not treat me like I am strange. I feel like I can just talk to you." Sabine's eyes lowered to Peiter's chest, "I never asked why."

Meesei thought back to the reports she had read in the days before they left Bruma. "Orcrest? Their last correspondence placed them in a rather strong position. There were no indications that Vile had located the clan's stronghold, as their messengers were having no trouble. They had just made an expansion to their stronghold, and were about to secure a supplier for more raw materials. Taking on this many new lycans at once will of course cause them problems, but based on the last reports, it would be possible for them. They will need to ration and increase food production, but their leader is not the type who would turn away a fellow clan in need, as long as he has the means to help. I cannot say if anything has happened to them since those reports, but that is a risk we are going to have to take no matter what we do."

"You mean why I don't treat you like some of the others in the clan did?" Peiter began. He lifted up his hands between them as she held onto them, and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "You're my friend, first and foremost. There is more between us, of course, but I believe that any good couple should also be good friends. As for why you're my friend...I don't like to just dismiss people based on the impressions they give. Some people are just so judgmental, or presumptuous. I just wanted to get to know the real you, at your pace. And once I did? I saw that you are a beautiful woman, inside and out. You're kind, passionate about the things you care about, and dedicated to the people you care about. Me, your mother, the rest of your pack, I've no doubt you would do anything to help any of us if we were in need. You're the kind of person I hope I can be. You're not normal, but that's not a bad thing in my mind. If you were to ask me if there was something I would change about you, I would say not a single thing."

"I suppose it is," Gallus agreed, "It is better than them struggling to keep their clan together, at least."

Looking at the wall in front of him, Gallus brought his clasped hands up to his mouth and let out a breath, thinking. His mouth opened with a click a few moments later, "In that case, I cannot think of any greater obstacle for the journey than crossing the desert." He sighed through his nose, "I think, no matter how we put it, there will be those that will not want to move. You should be prepared to face them."

Another few seconds passed and Gallus' mind ran short of any further points for the time being. There was not much that could be guaranteed without consulting those experienced in desert travel. He lifted his brow and looked to Meesei, "Is there anything else?"

Sabine kept her eyes from Peiter's while he answered her. A smile twitched across her face on occasion, amused where she thought Peiter was gushing a bit much. However, Peiter's last comment was heartfelt enough for Sabine to look up at him and smile almost sadly. She felt an ache in her chest and held her breath as she stared at him. "You are too nice," she said simply. She wished she had more words for the moment, but she settled for lifting their hands over Peiter's head and drawing him into a kiss.

Meesei shook her head. "For now, I do not suppose so. Everything else will have to wait until we can have the input of our Anequina natives." She answered. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a moment, then laid down on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her mind was still racing with her thoughts and worries, which likely meant another restless night for her.

After a few moments, Meesei looked over to Gallus without the same sort of dire expression that had dominated their previous conversation. "Of course, I have a great deal on my mind at the moment. If you have any more questions for me, just in general, now is the time. Thusfar, I feel my interactions with your pack have been almost strictly professional."

Peiter returned Sabine's kiss passionately. Now that they finally had privacy, he did not have to hold back in his displays of affection. He put his arms around her, rubbing her back while they were locked in the kiss. To him, it felt like it went on for ten minutes straight, though it was mostly likely much less. When he finally pulled back, a wave of concern came over his expression. He cocked his head to the side slightly and gently brushed her hair to the side. "Is everything alright? You look...sad, almost."

Gallus raised an eyebrow and looked at Meesei again over his clasped hands. "What? Would you like to get unprofessional questions?" he joked, "There will be plenty of time for chatter on the road." Gallus took the time to think as he repositioned himself on the small chair. He leaned back and extended his feet out over his bedroll, crossing his legs to be more comfortable. His hands lifted over his head to support it. He didn't feel he needed permission to speak freely, but he felt as if he had it now anyway.

"Alright, well, I have been curious...all this leadership and status..." Gallus waved one hand out in front of him as if he were a magician, though the sour look on his face made his tone disapproving of the matter, "...far be it from me to doubt you, but does it get to you?" Gallus' hand returned to his head and he looked at Meesei. He nodded to her with some worry, "I can see even now that you're exhausted and tense." Gallus scrunched one eye shut and hummed for the words of an actual question, "I don't know, maybe it could be worth trying something to relax you? To get you well rested and chipper in the morning." Gallus snorted and smiled, "I only know three ways of possibly doing that, but I'll only suggest the one that won't be offensive."

Gallus looked to the wall ahead and spoke matter-of-factly, "My mother knew this trick to get me to sleep that was rather strange. It was like an oratory lullaby, almost. No magic, just coaxing the mind into focus with words. It is very relaxing, but it had an odd side-effect of releasing tension through inexplicable sadness or a sort of gallows laughter during the process, sometimes a mix of both." Gallus didn't turn his head to Meesei, but he looked at her again, "I could try it if you like. It will only require half an hour at most. Casual conversation might take us later into the night, you see."

Sabine was just as enthusiastic about the kiss as Peiter was, pressing herself onto him and taking in his closeness. There were few enough extended moments where they were alone together, so she savoured every second. Once their lips parted, Sabine leaned into Peiter and took a deep breath of his scent. "You say you do not want me to change, but..." Sabine lowered her chin onto his shoulder, "I am frustrating you. I feel bad."

Meesei smiled, returning her gaze straight up to the ceiling. "You know, I have practiced many forms of meditation in my time, but I can honestly say I have not heard of anything close to what you are describing. Overall, I would say you should not worry about me. With the responsibilities I have, stress is an unavoidable fact of life. But, I know I can manage it. There are times when I will end up exhausting myself and losing sleep, but it is a worthwhile sacrifice. Regardless, you have captured my interest. I am always willing to learn something new, so if you wish to share this technique of yours, please feel free to try." She answered.

Peiter's eyes narrowed into a quizzical expression. "Frustrating me? I can't think of how you'd be frustra...oh, you mean...what we talked about before, during our run?" He continued rubbing her back gently as his features became sympathetic. "You don't need to worry; I can wait. You're not really frustrating me; not my mind. My...body has become frustrated as you can, um, see at the moment. But, I care too much to try to force you into anything. Maybe to ease your mind we can just...talk about it openly? We're...mature, we can talk about this. If you don't want to, of course, just say so, but anyway. What do you think is making you hesitant to want to go through with it? I can think of plenty of very understandable reasons, but I'm just curious."

"Very well," Gallus sniffed and looked up at the ceiling, "Get yourself comfortable. You can sit or lay down. Close your eyes and concentrate on deep, slow breathing, just like meditation." Gallus glanced over to Meesei to make sure she was following his instructions. His voice then became slow and soft, "Now, concentrate on your breathing, but listen to my voice. Feel the sensation of the sheets on your scales, their softness, their texture. Feel the way the air fills your lungs. There may be sounds you can hear, a chirping insect, a bird call, but you do not have to worry about them if you wish. Notice that they merely exist...and move on." Gallus' voice was noticeably hypnotic at this point. "There may be footsteps on the platforms. Notice that they merely exist, and move on."

The more Meesei followed Gallus' instructions, as easy thoughts as they were, the more of the world started to seem insignificant around her without her realising it.

"And just notice...that there are things to do tomorrow." Gallus continued his slow speech, "You may worry about them if you wish, or not. It is your choice for now. Other thoughts may pass you by, you may worry about them if you wish, or not, it is your choice for now."

It may take a long or a short time, but the more Meesei slipped away, the more Gallus' voice drew her into a strange state of weightlessness.

"Notice how relaxing it would be...to lay on a beach, with the slow, rhythm of the waves in your ears...the sun embracing your skin. Your pack is milling around, peaceful and carefree. There is not a thing in the world that can find you all. Vile's forces exist, but they are not a threat today. Your ring is still on your finger, but Hircine has ordered you to relax. He will give instructions when he is ready. For now, there is only you, your pack, and the beach you lay upon. The future is something you may worry about if you wish, or not, it is your choice."

Gallus continued in this manner for however long it took to get Meesei into a focussed trance. At this point, her weightlessness was added upon, not by a numbness, but by a freedom of feeling. Long stored tensions started to manifest in Meesei's body. Gallus noticed her twitching and adjusted his words accordingly. "You may feel a twitching. Perhaps even laughter or emotion. This is natural. Allow it to flow, and move on."

Gallus intended to continue until Meesei fell asleep, but she had not instructed her not to talk if she wished.

The whole situation made Sabine uneasy and a little embarrassed, but Peiter's idea was probably a good one. She spoke with Meesei when such issues came up anyway. With how nice Peiter had been so far, she trusted him to be understanding.

Sabine pulled back from Peiter's embrace and regarded him for a moment, before seating herself on the bed and looking down at her tightly clasped hands nervously. "Back at Bruma, two years ago, do you remember when I was with Inderal?" Sabine mumbled her words.

Meesei had laid down when prompted and closed her eyes. She listened carefully to Gallus, though his words seemed strange to her. She supposed that with each item he listed, she was meant to attempt not to worry about it. As such, she tried to just focus on Gallus' words themselves. She found they had a strange, hypnotic rhythm to them, something that made it hard for her to focus on any of the actual concepts he was talking about. Instead, she was focused, but on nothing. Once free of thought in the trance-like state, it did not take long for Meesei's fatigue to take over, allowing her to fall asleep before Gallus had even finished speaking.

Peiter sat down next to Sabine and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. He tried not to let on to how nervous this conversation was making him, but he supposed that both of them were showing some signs of unease. It made sense, considering the topic. At the very least, they would be able to get their problems out in the open. Although, once Sabine mentioned Bruma and Inderal, his expression became notably concerned. He was not aware that her troubles were stemming from a recent event, and it worried him that something bad may have happened to her. "Yes, I believe so. Did something happen?" He asked with obvious concern.

Gallus stopped talking at the end of his sentence when he heard Meesei's breathing change. It was a whistling sound through her nose as if she was sleeping more than concentrating. At that, he quietly stood up, craned his head to double check that she was asleep, and smiled. It was surprising that it worked so quickly. "You really were exhausted, weren't you?" He asked rhetorically, "Sleep well, champion."

His work done, Gallus went about his routine for preparing for bed and was soon dreaming himself.

"Well..." Sabine didn't look at Peiter, "It was nice for a while, he was kind most of the time. We were together for about four months before he started...wanting to mate with me. I was nervous, so I kept telling him 'not yet.' When we separated, it was because we said some immature things to each other, insulting things, but that was not the problem." Sabine rubbed an eye in an attempt not to tear up, "Two weeks beforehand, he was pressuring me so much to try. I felt guilty. I had to do it." Sabine sniffed and her breathing became uneven as she recalled, "We found a quiet spot, but he tried too quickly and too roughly. I wasn't ready. He stopped when I said he was hurting me, but I did not want to try again. He became frustrated after that." Sabine's voice became much shakier and a tear fell from her nose, "I felt like I could not do anything. I just became angry at him instead for not understanding. I do not want the same thing to happen between us, Peiter."

With Sabine's explanation of what happened, Peiter rubbed her back in sympathy, but his expression became mildly angry. "Inderal should not have pressured you like that. Even if you did agree to it, he was still wrong to have...demanded it like that. I'm...glad he's not here right now, because I don't know what I'd say to him if he were."

Peiter closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he paused to calm himself. "I'm...sorry you went through that. It sounds like he took advantage of you. Don't feel bad about Inderal; it sounds like he didn't deserve to be with you. I just...I want to promise you that I'm not going to do that. Any of it. I won't pressure you, and, when you do feel like you're ready, I won't do what Inderal did. I'm...not an expert on this by any means, but I have heard that, um, for girls, it does...hurt the first time or two. I don't think that can be avoided unless...well, magic might help, but the point is, I won't be that rough. I'll listen to you."

"No, no," Sabine lifted a hand halfway through Peiter's reply to clarify, "He did not take advantage of me. He did not know and I did not know what would happen. It just...turned out badly."

Peiter's promise, however much he stumbled over his words, did cause Sabine to turned her teary eyes towards him. "You promise you will not hurt me?" she asked, "You will not mind if I'm not ready? If it...does not work, you will not get angry?"

Peiter looked into Sabine's eyes, staring for a few moments before he started to smile. "Now, how could I be angry at you? I promise, I will do everything I can to keep from hurting you. I care about you, Sabine, and I don't want to hurt you physically, or mentally. You don't need to be worried about what I'm going to think, or worried about what you should or shouldn't be doing for me. You just need to worry about what's right for you."

Pausing briefly, Peiter hugged Sabine for a few moments, then gave her a quick kiss. "If you just want to lay down and relax in each other's arms, I promise I will be happy with that. But...if you do think you're ready to try. If you think it would be something you'd enjoy, I'm ready too."

There was noticeable relief across Sabine when Peiter accepted and hugged her. From her angle, Sabine just brought her arms up to hug one of Peiter's arms and leaned into him. She breathed in to say something, but it didn't quite emerge. She just smiled widely and pressed the side of her head into Peiter's upper chest.

Sabine just sat silently for a few moments longer before she answered properly. "I...think I just want to cuddle tonight," she mumbled. Trying anything else was a bit much at once, but it was enough to know that Peiter was accepting of a slower pace.

When they laid themselves down to sleep, Sabine's grip was tight and affectionate around Peiter's body. "You are too nice, Peiter."

"If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." Peiter answered. They held themselves closely together as they laid down, not that there would have been a choice otherwise with the size of the bed. He closed his eyes and relaxed, glad to have just had that conversation, as uncomfortable as it was. Even if he had been hoping for a different answer to his last question, he was content with the knowledge that they could both be more comfortable with one another. He honestly had no problem waiting at the moment.

---

The next morning, most everyone was allowed to sleep as long as they needed. Several were resting well-past dawn, but Meesei forced herself awake as soon as the first light shined through her window. Although, she had managed to get to sleep early enough that she was reasonably well rested. Gallus was still asleep when she awoke, but as he was going to be needed for the meeting, she could not give him the luxury of a longer night's sleep. Once she had the chance to get up and stretch out her muscles, she knelt down next to Gallus' bedroll and started shaking him lightly. "Time to awaken, Gallus. There is much we need to do today."

The sudden awakening caused Gallus to raise one arm as if he was going to brush Meesei's hand off his shoulder, but her voice instead made him turn his head and open his eyes a sliver. "Hmm?" he groaned, before taking in a deep breath through his nose, "Yep, yep, one moment."

In the space of about half a minute, Gallus sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stood up to start getting dressed. "I'll speak to Do'ajee as soon as I can find her," he reminded himself as much as Meesei. While tying up his breeches, he looked to Meesei and asked, "You were out like a candle last night. Did the trance help?"

"I suppose so." Meesei answered while she was dressing herself. "I hardly even remember what happened before falling asleep. It had much the same effect as some other meditations I have tried."

Once dressed, Meesei grabbed the bag containing the maps and other important documents and tied it around her waist. "Find Do'ajee as soon as you can. If she is awake, the may be having her breakfast. If so, feel free to grab something for yourself as well. I highly doubt the meeting will start before you have a chance to finish. Honestly, I do not know when Ri'nakhad will call the meeting to start, but I want to be ready as soon as he does. I am going to go find Ri'nakhad and ask him for more details on the meeting."

---

Given the heat in the air, coupled with Sabine's body heat, Peiter was sweating when he awoke. Although, the feeling of being able to wake up holding her made the heat more than worth it to him. He waited for a while, silently and without moving, until he felt Sabine start to stir, then leaned over and kissed her just as she was starting to awaken. "Good morning." He said in an upbeat tone. Overall, he seemed to be in a rather good mood.

"Good, good," Gallus remarked, "The technique worked wonders with Tzirret in his earlier years. I'm glad it helped here."

It only took about a minute to don everything else, so Gallus was already walking towards the door when Meesei spoke. Gallus listened with a raised brow and responded, "Of course. Don't forget to grab some breakfast for yourself." Gallus opened the door and exited, "See you soon."

The orange light of the dawn still made the forest floor dim, but there were some people milling about nonetheless. As it was in Bruma, early morning routines were not universal, but they were prevalent. Gallus made a quick stop over at the store rooms for some food while he searched, but even from the platforms above, it was not easy to search for Do'ajee. He had to climb down a rope with his breakfast backstrap in his mouth to look more closely. Eventually, he found Do'ajee and waved as he approached.

---

Sabine was awoken in a similar fashion to the previous morning. She had woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, but did not bother Peiter for longer than the few moments it took to get back to sleep. Now, she had awoken in a sweat again, but not a cold sweat. The heat of the jungle might have overheated her had she slept in any longer.

She smiled as her eyes opened to Peiter's face. "Good morning," she replied, before tightening her embrace with Peiter and breathing in. She kissed him deeply for as long as it took for the sweat and heat to get too uncomfortable. At that point, she rolled onto her feet and stood up to stretch. Her smile was implacable. The sun was brighter than usual this morning. "I am hungry," Sabine commented with strain in the middle of stretching her arms out.

Do'ajee was sitting with Jo'rashaad, Ciinriel, La'khay, and two others from outside their pride. One was an Altmer man, but the other was a Senche. It was an exceptionally large quadrupedal form of Khajiit, being as tall as the Altmer while standing, and much more massive. He had tan, spotted fur and was, just in his normal form, larger than a werewolf. They all appeared to be waiting for the clan's chefs to finish cooking the morning meal.

Jo'rashaad waved to Gallus as he approached. "Good morning, Gallus. Did everything go well in your meeting with the clan leader last night?"

---

Peiter stood up shortly after Sabine and stretched out shortly before walking over to the room's window. Being that they were high in the trees, there were not as many leaves above them to block out the sun's light. He had become accustomed enough to the forest floor over the past few weeks that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be in the full view of the sun.

"Me too. I'm fairly certain we have some food in our bags if you want to just eat here with me. If not, we could go find some of the others." Peiter answered, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. "I'm..not really sure what we're going to be doing today, honestly. I know the Champion, and probably Gallus, are going to meet with Ri'nakhad again today. But, we haven't really been given anything to do. Hopefully, we have enough time to take a bath. I really feel like I need one right about now."