Meesei could not help but to grin. She seemed to have no fear of the acid, given that she leaned over the fence to rub the chaurus' neck, specifically the points where the shell's plates met. "As much as I would like for my clan to be able to take all of the credit, the Falmer did most of the work for us. These chaurus are quite a bit different from those you might find up in Hjaalmarch. The Falmer trained the chaurus, use them for everything. They have been breeding them as their loyal servants for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. For these chaurus, it is already in their nature to serve their masters. We merely needed to take some eggs and raise them as the Falmer do. We were skeptical and cautious at first, but their behavior has proven to be as malleable as any dog, horse, or livestock. 

The chaurus, Ma'rasi, put two of its legs up on the fence to allow it to raise itself up over the fence, then lowered its head down closer to Meesei. It clicked a few more times, then rubbed its head up against her, all while Meesei smiled. "This is Ma'rasi. She is Ri'vashi's chaurus. She is one of the older ones that we have. Her trainer was going to gift her to me, but my pack already have our hands full enough with Leaps. Most of the time, chaurus go through a metamorphosis to turn in to a flying form, called a chaurus hunter. There are some, though, that just end up growing much larger: chaurus reapers. We are not completely sure why; perhaps because they are the chaurus that lay the majority of the eggs. Ma'rasi may be one of those, though we really do not know how to say for sure. What I can say, though, is that they are perfectly safe to be around. No trained chaurus has ever hurt one of us. Well...no more than any other domestic creature. They do not use their acid unless they are threatened. Or on our command. Their appearance is unsettling, I admit, but our clan has slowly grown used to them over the years."

[hr]

Ri'vashi crossed her arms, already appearing impatient before they even began. "The council came to a decision that made...plausible strategic sense. They believe that the General can be of sufficient benefit to us alive. That is a position that is defensible, and Ri'vashi cannot prove it wrong. It was not Khajiit's choice, but it is what we are doing. The only thing Ri'vashi wants now is for you to make sure it is worth it."