"We will try," Sabine laughed, "I am glad that we found you, La'khay. Thank you for everything."

Sabine stepped around such that she still had an arm around La'khay's torso but was turned to face Peiter and La'tahne as well. "I will miss you on the march. You take care of yourselves too." Sabine paused for a moment and her smile lowered, "Will we see you both before we leave or..." Sabine made sure to keep her voice such that everything seemed as business-as-usual, "...are you going to be busy?"

La'khay smiled cheerfully. "Oh, don't worry. We will be finished mating by then...or, well, we will be able to take a break, at least." She answered bluntly. "This one thinks that most of the clan will be there to see the warriors off, so we might not be able to speak, but we will be there to support you all."

Standing up from the bed, La'tahne walked over, put her arm around La'khay and Sabine, and even dragged Peiter into another hug as well. "You two are very brave to be doing this. You aren't members of either of our clans, but you are fighting for us all the same. La'tahne hopes that, once this war is over, we will keep all these connections our clans have made. The way all the clans in Tamriel work together now, how they communicate and how organized we all are, it wasn't always like that. La'tahne thinks it is a great thing. When you get back here, you all will deserve a celebration in your honor. Hopefully, we will have the supplies to have one for you and the other warriors."

"Thank you," Sabine said as the group hug continued, "I hope we can keep the connections too. It is not as lonely as travelling in the wilds can be."

The four of them eventually ended the hug. As much as Sabine didn't want to say goodbye, she did not want to continue imposing on La'tahne and La'khay and she had other tasks to complete. She took Peiter's hand again and addressed the odd khajiit couple once more. "We should be getting to other things now. Take care, La'tahne, La'khay. Thank you again for everything." Sabine's eyes focussed to La'khay, "...Not just the painting. We will see you again."

With that, Sabine gave Peiter a smile and let him say his farewells as well.

Peiter followed suit with Sabine and gave his farewells to the Khajiit pair. He personally had not spent as much time around La'khay as Sabine, but he would still miss her, and many of the others they had met from the Senchal clan, during the march. La'khay was an unconventional person in about every sense, but she was still caring in her own way, and at the very least, amusing to be around. Their separation was becoming sentimental enough that Peiter almost forgot about La'khay's immediate plans, until he saw La'tahne tackle her to the bed on the way out of the door.

---

Most of the final preparations for the march were made hours in advance of the actual departure. The warband had a fair number of carts at their disposal which would somewhat lighten the load for the soldiers along the march. They would primarily be pulled by camels purchased from Orcrest, though some of the Senche could also take on the burden when it came time to allow their pack animals some rest. The warband had ample supplies of food, and as long as they kept along their planned path, would be able to resupply their water reserved along the way. As an improvement from their last trek through the desert, the sand and sun would not be as much of a problem, since they were all now properly clothed for the journey. The most popular garb among the Orcrest clan for walking in the desert were cloaks made of linen: a fabric that could breathe enough to allow them to stay reasonably cool, while still fully protecting their bodies.

As soon as the sun was directly overhead, the soldiers, along with most of both clans, filed out onto the flat sands outside the stronghold. Ri'vashi had sent out multiple teams of scouts hours in advance to scour the area within line of sight of the stronghold to ensure that there would be no witnesses to the warband's departure. Given that a single outsider had never wandered close to the stronghold in all of its years of existence by accident, it was perhaps not a necessary measure, but she wanted to remain cautious all the same. All of the carts were packed, and they were ready to depart as soon as Meesei and Ri'vashi felt that enough time had passed for final goodbyes.

Among the many friends and family members seeing off the soldiers was all of Ra'kalesh's pride. Newt was in Jo'rashaad's arms, while Rhazii was standing alongside S'ajira. Even Leaps was present, though Ciinriel had to keep a hold of him to keep him from running up to Janius and Kaleeth.

As he had ordered before that day, Gallus had his entire pack present for a head count well before the time of departure. Meesei's pack followed suit as well, though their duties would not have them as distributed during the march, so they were going to be near one another anyway.

With everything set, goodbyes were in order. Sabine, Peiter, and Tzirret had all given a quick goodbye to Ciinriel and had wandered off to find M'ibasa and Qa'habi to give a quick farewell to them, too. The parents of Newt and Rhazii, however, were going to linger for a little longer.

Fendros began by kneeling down to Rhazii and giving him a smile. Rhazii did not exactly look enthused about the situation, but he was not crying as he had been when he first heard about his mother and father leaving temporarily. At least not yet. "Alright, little one," Fendros began, putting his hands on Rhazii's shoulders, "You stay safe now, take care of Newt and do what Jo'rashaad and S'ajira tell you."

"Dada..." Rhazii mumbled sadly, "I don't want you to leave."

"You'll be fine, Rhazii. You're a big strong boy, and I know you'll be brave." Fendros drew Rhazii into a tight hug and held him for a while. "We'll be back before too long, I promise," Fendros said before turning his head and laying a kiss on the side of Rhazii's head.

By the time Fendros and Rhazii finally reluctantly separated, Rhazii's face was streaming with tears and he was periodically sniffing up a running nose. By the way he held his face, Rhazii seemed to be at least trying to show courage, but wasn't quite succeeding. Fendros was better at it to the point where he was succeeding, but there were even hints on his own brow that betrayed how he felt.

Fendros made space for Ahnasha to say goodbye as well as he addressed S'ajira. "It goes without saying that Rhazii is the most precious thing we have. It is...hard to separate, but we trust you and your pride." Fendros gave S'ajira a pat on her shoulder, "Thank you for helping us. You are good friends."

A similar scene was playing out just adjacent as Janius stepped up to Newt in Jo'rashaad's arms. He was playing off his anxieties by acting more jovial about the situation than Fendros was. He gave Newt a reassuring grin and put a hand on his back, rubbing the back of Newt's neck comfortingly with his thumb. "How are you feeling, my little Newt?" Janius asked, "Ready? Brave?"

Now that she was standing on sand, S'ajira could articulate a more specific response to Fendros by writing out her response at his feet. S'ajira promises, we will give he and Newt every bit of care that we gave to our own daughter. As long as they are with us, they are family.

Ahnasha was having just as much, if not a harder time coming to terms with the fact that she would be separating from her son. She had, of course, been thinking about it near constantly since the moment they decided on it, but until this point, it had been something she would have to worry about later. Now, however, she had no choice but to face that reality. She had to hold back her own tears as she knelt down and drew in Rhazii for a hug, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We'll be back before you know it, son. Just...show Newt how to be brave for us, okay?"

Newt, meanwhile, was being more quiet than Rhazii. He was not crying outwardly, but his whole demeanor showed no shortage of sadness. Almost as if he was mirroring Janius, he at first tried not to think about being left with the clan. "I feel...hot." He answered, looking up towards the sun. But, it was not long before he lowered his head and continued. "...and scared."

Ra'kalesh, Do'ajee, La'khay, and Colors were not far behind in joining the group. La'khay's fur was uncharacteristically unkempt and ragged, suggesting she had rushed to join them. Colors stood uncomfortably in the dry heat, but even he appeared more uniform than La'khay.

"Ra'kalesh wishes he could have the company of his finest mage and Pahmar warrior on this march, but he can assure you that your children will be in safe hands." Ra'kalesh commented reassuringly.

Do'ajee gave a huff that might have been considered at least partially a chuckle. "Yes, there will be nothing that will bring them harm, as long as they can protect the children from these two." She said, motioning to Colors and La'khay.

Colors raised up his hands. "Oh, don't fear. I'm keen on keeping all my teeth when you get back, so I'll keep my distance from them."

Given all they had been through together, Meesei too wanted to give her farewells to the members of Ra'kalesh's pride who would be staying behind. She did not interrupt the conversation, but did smile in amusement, looking at Colors as she approached.

Fendros pursed his lips and nodded to S'ajira. "I am grateful," he said as he stood up, "We'll see you, then." Stepping away, Fendros went to give handshakes and more brief goodbyes to Colours and La'khay in turn.

Rhazii hugged Ahnasha as tightly as he could. His head rubbed against Ahnasha's as he nodded to what his mother requested. "I love you, mama," he said in a strained squeak. He seemed intent on not letting go, even when Ahnasha motioned to pull back.

"Ah, son, that is natural," Janius said, keeping his smile, "But I think you can do this. You're a clever kid, you'll have Jo'rashaad, S'ajira, and Ciinriel watching over you, and..." Janius ruffled Newt's scaly head, "...you and Rhazii can do anything if you put your heads together. Take care of him as well, alright? And watch Leaps doesn't get into too much trouble." Janius didn't let Newt answer before he wrapped one arm around Jo'rashaad and the other around Newt, holding the child close to his shoulder. "We'll be back before you know it."

Janius let Newt say what he wanted to say if there was anything, before letting him go and holding Jo'rashaad by the shoulder. "I don't think I need to repeat myself again," Janius said with a good natured tone. After a pause and a nod, Janius came up with only one more thing to say, "Take care, friend." Janius stepped back for Kaleeth to say goodbye as he farewelled everyone else in turn.

Seeing the entirety of Ra'kalesh's pack gathered had Gallus step up to speak to them as well. "Not even separated yet and Colours' teeth are in danger? When will you ever get a break?" Gallus laughed. He approached La'khay first as she was the closest from his position. He shook her hand and put a hand on her shoulder with a friendly half-smile, "La'khay, I have actually been meaning to mention my thanks to you. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but...about Tzirret, perhaps the way things panned out were unconventional, but you've been a help to him," Gallus said, not revealing how much he knew. "Thank you, and take care of yourself." Gallus let go, but raised a finger to her, "Perhaps don't make a habit of shaving any more of my boys, hm?"

Newt did not have much of a response to his father, other than to look down and rub his hands together nervously. He was afraid, and it was not likely that words alone would ease that fear. Kaleeth only hoped that time with Jo'rashaad and S'ajira would help to at least keep him comfortable while he waited for them to return. She approached him after Janius and took him in her arms to hold him one last time before they departed.

La'khay chuckled, and waved a hand at Gallus. "Well, he was the one to ask for it...after La'khay suggested it...and his mate agreed with her. Anyway, he did agree to it at some point along the way. Both of your boys are strong, passionate men, and this one is glad to have them helping to protect us. You just keep them safe, along with yourself too. It would be a shame if something were to happen to your handsome face." She said, reaching out and placing her hand gently on his jaw. "Maybe once you get back, La'khay can give you a shave as well...a very close and thorough one."

Once there was a break in the conversation between the group, Colors decided to speak up, albeit somewhat awkwardly. "So, um, I'm not usually an...emotional person, and I'm not really good at these kinds of things, but I really do want to thank you all. You saved me, you helped save my pride, the rest of my clan, and now you're going to try to save us even more completely. You've done so much for me, that I sometimes have a hard time believing you all can even exist. Really, you're the best of us."

Gallus gave a wide smile and laughed through his nose. "Never change, La'khay," he responded. "Although, far be it from me to take you away from La'tahne. I hear you've nary set out from your bedroom since you met her."

As for Colours, his words caught everyone's attention. It was surprising to hear him speak as he did, but the reception to it was warm. Janius ended up responding first. "Thank you, Colours. It's appreciated. Although, not as much as you saving our lives back at Senchal."

"Yes, don't think we deserve all the credit," Fendros added.

Gallus stepped up to Colours and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "And the ships. You saved more lives than you might think." Gallus gave a grin, "I'd count you amongst the best of us as well, Colours."

There were nods of agreement from Fendros and Janius.

La'khay laughed, putting her arm over Gallus' shoulder. "Don't worry, we can share." She answered, her tone leaving a good deal of uncertainty on whether or not she was joking.

Meesei nodded in agreement as well and smiled approvingly at Colors. "Indeed. I believe even you would admit that you are not the most likely hero among the clan, but even so, you did more to ensure its survival than any other. You took the risk to warn us of Vile's treachery in Senchal, you took us to your pride, and helped find your clan. When it came time to move your clan across Elsweyr, you provided to us the ships we needed to get everyone here safely. Without your help, it is entirely possible that we would not have found your clan. Or, if we had, we could have lost many more people in reaching this place. It is fair to say that both us, and your clan, owe you a great deal."

With the praise he was receiving, Colors almost looked to be genuinely embarrassed. He looked around wide-eyed, with his mouth slightly agape. "I, uh, oh...usually when I'm the center of attention, it's not so...positive. I, uh...I don't know what to say." He began. After a few seconds of speechlessness, his eyes nervously wandered beyond the group until they settled on something behind them, which caused an idea to flash into his mind. "Say, um, Champion...do you think you could say that again, next to her?" He asked as he pointed to a Redguard woman talking to one of the soldiers nearby. Meesei ran her hand down her forehead and collectively let out a sigh with a few of the others.

Rather than give La'khay a straight answer either, Gallus simply reflected her friendliness by bringing his own arm around her shoulder as he addressed Colours again.

"What's the matter, Colours? Are you afraid she wouldn't believe you if you told her?" Gallus asked before looking to Meesei, "What do you think?"

Meesei laughed lightheartedly, placing her hand on Colors' shoulder. "Colors, I have full confidence that you can handle that yourself. I am afraid that I do not currently intend to turn my praise into an aphrodisiac. Still, you do have my gratitude for all of the help you have given to your clan. Now, try not to anger too many of the Orcrest clan's women."

After giving her farewells to the remainder of Ra'kalesh's pride, Meesei moved on to find Ri'vashi and Ri'nakhad. Kaleeth set down Newt and, after a bit of convincing, persuaded him not to attempt to chase after them when they left. Leaps, luckily, was more keen to stay with the children than to follow Janius and Kaleeth, so they would not need to restrain him. As the minutes passed, more and more of the warband had given their farewells and were ready to depart. Soon, they would be setting out on the long road to the forests east of Corinthe.

The time soon came to finish goodbyes and set off marching. With a blast of a signal horn, the warband formed up and began to march. Cart wheels lurched and footsteps pounded as a pace was set much more brisk than the migrating clan. Many families stayed out in the beating sun to watch the warriors shrink into the horizon in a cloud of dust.

As the warband marched, forward scouts were sent forth to make sure that they would not be spotted. Apart from a trade caravan heading to Orcrest, there were no incidents that day where they had to divert course. Even that didn't prevent good progress being made before they had to set up camp.

Despite constantly running reports around that day, Gallus was still rather energetic as he went about his business at camp. He sought out Ri'vashi and Meesei after dinner for a particular reason. He caught up with them in one of the larger tents being used for meetings. It appeared as though they were finished tracking progress over a map of Anequina.

"Ah, there you are," Gallus said as he held up the tent flap. "Look, Meesei, I was thinking...with how the plan of attack is developing, I have been pondering more on this Do'rhajul character. If he's as good as the prisoners said he is, I think we should try to learn as much as we can."

Gallus stepped forward and let the tent close. "Might we try talking to Lorag properly?"

---

Elsewhere in the camp, Tzirret had only just been dismissed for the day by his superiors, one of whom ended up being Irenya. Even though no one had been injured yet, save for a couple of snake bites or scorpion stings, he was run around all afternoon checking supplies and swapping out water for the soldiers. He had expected his role to be easier, but evidently the healers wanted to make sure that he was not going to slack off.

Now that he was free, Tzirret of course went looking for Ma'tanza. He spoke quickly when he finally found her. "Hi! Ma'tanza! Sorry, Tzirret has been running all day. He wanted to catch up, but he barely got a break."

Meesei, at the current stage of their journey, was no less busy than usual. Once the warband settled into a pattern, she could perhaps get some respite from her responsibilities, but for now, there was still much organization and planning for her and Ri'vashi to do. Ri'nakhad, regardless of how much he would have liked to lend his leadership talents on the march, had stayed behind in the stronghold. As an old man, he knew he would be a burden if they encountered any trouble along the way. As usual, Ra'jorr was leading the Senchal clan's warriors, and had joined the others in the planning.

Though they still needed a definitive plan of attack on the stronghold itself, that would not likely be possible until they were in range to scout the stronghold once more. For now, Meesei supposed that Gallus was right. "Yes, I do believe there is more he can tell us. He did speak to me before about this General, after our meeting. He answered some basic questions about his description, training, and such, but I did not want to press the issue at that time. He may be at least...marginally more comfortable speaking about it now. Though, it is difficult to say. Lorag is not usually an emotional individual, so seeing him so deeply affected by this is concerning. We can go speak to him now, if you like. I am sharing a tent with him; he should be there now. I believe he is drinking some ale he stole from the kitchens before we left."

---

Ma'tanza was sitting outside her tent when she saw Tzirret approach. She actually appeared surprised when he mentioned how busy he had been on the first day of their march. "Really?" She asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. "Ma'tanza hasn't had to do anything other than walk today. Well, and make sure all her potions were stored in the right place, but she did that before the march started."

"Very well," Gallus said, "I take it he won't be too drunk?" The attempt at levity was short lived as Gallus looked to Ri'vashi. "You'd better come along as well, clan leader. We might not be able to think of everything to ask."

Gallus turned and walked out of the tent, trusting Meesei to emerge and lead the way. "Perhaps you could tell us what he told you on the way?"

---

"You only had to check your potions? Tzirret had to check everything." Tzirret spoke with wide eyes, "Irenya kept giving him checklists of inventory and he had to go through the carts to make sure it was all still there."

Tzirret sat down beside Ma'tanza and leaned back onto his hands. He held his head back and released a stressed sigh. "And then she sent him to refill everyone's water. This one thinks she was just assigning him work for the sake of it. Hopefully there is not so much tomorrow."

In an effort to take his mind from it, Tzirret straightened his head again and gave Ma'tanza a smile. "Anyway, how was Ma'tanza's morning with her brother and sister?"

Meesei's tent was located alongside those of the rest of her pack, on the other side of camp, so she had a few moments to share what she knew about Do'rhajul. "I know only the basics of who he is. Or was, rather. In all the time that has passed since Lorag knew him, I have no doubt he has changed considerably. According to Lorag, Do'rhajul was his commander in the Legion. He is a Cathay-raht, and a careered soldier. He led a battalion stationed at a fort in...the Pale, I believe, during Skyrim's civil war. I did not ask a great deal, but he was evidently a very effective tactician. Lorag thought he died along with the rest of his patrol when they were ambushed by werewolves in the mountains."

After a few minutes walk, the trio reached the tents of Meesei's pack. Turning to the other two, Meesei began to whisper. "We should take care in how we approach him. He has had some time calm down since the meeting, but it may still be a sensitive issue." She explained as she leaned down to the bags pushed up against the side of the tent. Digging into the bottom of one of Lorag's bags, she produced an unlabeled bottle of ale, then handed it to Gallus. "It may help to share a drink with him."

---

"Hmm...well you are one of the healers' assistants. Ma'tanza thinks it might make sense to give you a lot of the busy work. They probably don't want the healers to exhaust themselves doing all that; otherwise, we might make a mistake trying to treat someone. This one doubts they would just give you work for no reason." Ma'tanza reasoned. With a grin, she reached over and placed her hand on top of Tzirret's.

"This one is sure that what you are doing is very helpful. Anyway, this one's morning went well. Ma'tanza doesn't like that she won't be able to see her little brother for so long, but she is glad he is safe. S'nishi is more used to all of this, with her being a warrior." She explained.

Stopping to regard the bottle for a moment, Gallus thought about his approach. He knew that Lorag was blunt and practical, but what Meesei said made that assumption not quite as useful. He took the bottle, turned it to get a better look at the label, and then looked to Meesei and Ri'vashi. "I can give it a shot," he whispered, "Although, it might seem a little odd for you to join in on a drink as an Argonian, wouldn't it? Ah, never mind."

Gallus then started to slowly stride around the tent to see Lorag first. He kept his eyes on the bottle as he came into view. "Evening, Lorag," he began, "didn't know you'd managed to lift this before we left." Gallus held the bottle up and gave Lorag a half-smile. "Mind if I share a bottle?"

---

Tzirret gave an understanding nod. He didn't exactly know how to immediately respond, given that he didn't have to separate with any in his own pack this time. He spoke after a moment, peering around. "Where is S'nishi now?"

While Ma'tanza answered, Tzirret readjusted so that he was no longer leaning back and he could take Ma'tanza's hand in both of his. His previous question was really more out of curiosity, so he continued regardless of it. "And how is Ma'tanza feeling now?" he asked.

Meesei elected to join Gallus in the tent with Lorag. Being that she was the individual he trusted the most, she felt it would ease his mind further if she was present. Ri'vashi, meanwhile, decided to remain outside since she did not know him nearly as well, and to avoid crowding the tent.

Inside, Lorag was laying down on his bedroll with a half-empty bottle of ale in his hand. He was only vaguely paying attention to the world around him until Gallus called out his name. Letting out a sigh, he sat up lazily and stretched out the muscles in his arms. Lorag groaned as he stared at the bottle Gallus was holding before, with a hint of reluctance, motioning for Gallus and Meesei to sit down. “Whatever, as long as you’re sharin’ it with me.”

Lifting up his own bottle, Lorag downed a quarter of its remaining contents at once before returning his gaze to the other two apathetically. “So, you want somethin’. What is it?”

---

Ma’tanza shrugged her shoulders. “This one doesn’t know. She might be with the other warriors, or other Senche, or Bheja. Probably Bheja. She wouldn’t be hard to find if Ma’tanza wanted to look around.” She answered, though Tzirret’s following question gave her more pause.

Ma’tanza stared down at Tzirret’s hands as she answered. “Ma’tanza is worried about M’ibasa. She knows he won’t be hurt physically or anything, but he has never been alone like this before. Well, we left him in good hands, of course, but he doesn’t know them as well as he knows us. She just knows he will be so worried while we’re away.”

When invited to do so, Gallus took a seat and began to pull at the cork on the ale. "Well, I won't dance around it..." The cork popped free of the bottle. "Back in the council meeting a little while ago, I mentioned that the leader of Vile's forces in the stronghold we're going to is a canny cathay-raht named Do-rhajul." Gallus paused to take a swig from the bottle. It was a bit warm for his taste, but he could hide that easily enough. "You sounded like you knew something about him, or at least some other cathay-raht named Do'rhajul. Anything information that could help us with this attack, even the man's favourite food, well..." Gallus placed down the ale bottle standing between himself, Lorag, and Meesei, "...We'd like to hear it."

---

"You are a very nice sister to him," Tzirret said, giving Ma'tanza's hand a comforting rub. "This one wishes there was a way to reassure M'ibasa. He guesses...the best that anyone can do is to make sure everyone is unharmed when they return." Tzirret looked down at their hands as well. "Tzirret wishes he had better advice, but he is normally the one doing the worrying."

With a glint of curiosity, Tzirret peered back up to Ma'tanza's eyes. "The ones looking after M'ibasa, what are they like?"

Lorag grunted. "Like he'd have ever told me that. He was our commander, a real professional. With his men, everything was strictly business, by the...well, I'd say by the book, but he pretty much wrote his own book. From the time I was assigned to his battalion, to the time I was turned, he never lost a battle against the Stormcloaks. Only time he went through what you could call a loss was when a dragon ambushed us on the way to Fort Kastav, but...well, there wasn't much anyone could've done about that. Lost a good chunk of our force, but he lead us to a victory all the same. So yeah, unless you can get us a dragon, I don't got any surefire way of taking him down."

"We will find a way." Meesei commented, leaning forward towards him. She showed no interest in the ale for the moment, as it would not have any pronounced affect on her anyway. "We just need to get an idea of how he thinks. He was Imperial-trained, correct? Do you think he will employ those tactics."

Lorag hummed briefly as he thought. "Well, yeah, but nothin' like what you would read in some book. He took established Imperial tactics and built on them. Always in different ways; he was adaptable. He liked to set up his men by the book, but would mix things up when it came time to follow through on the attack. I guess at the very least, I'll be able to tell you the things he won't do."

---

Ma'tanza moved herself closer to Tzirret and put her arm around him. "You don't know them, Ma'tanza doesn't think. This one' mentor, Niryana, her assistant and her other apprentice are looking after him. Her assistant isn't a fighter, and her other apprentice is too young to join us. Her assistant is sort of a strange man, an Ohmes-raht that wants to be an author, of all things. But, he is a kind person. Her other apprentice is a Bosmer boy, but he is only a little older than M'ibasa. Honestly, Niryana's assistant will probably be watching after both of them. Ma'tanza trusts him to take care of M'ibasa, but like she said, it's his own worrying that concerns this one."

After letting out a deep breath, Ma'tanza turned her head to Tzirret and attempted to smile. "But, it won't help to dwell on it. We should just try to relax." She said before giving him a quick kiss.