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"Oh, by Hircine, no." Meesei reacted immediately to Sabine. Her words were abrupt enough that there was a short, somewhat awkward pause before she hesitantly continued. "Well, I...did not mean it that way. Vee was a wonderful person when I knew her, and I am sure she still is. It is just that...I was reminded of intoxicated, passion-filled nights under the stars with my old lover. I feel I should...avoid thinking of that too much. My current mate would likely find that uncomfortable."

In the brief silence that followed, Meesei's gaze shifted between Sabine and Ariel. "So, are there any...other topics of interest to discuss?" She was eager to move on to a different topic, though the idea of returning to her village, even for other reasons, still weighed on her mind.
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Ariel wore a wide smile. "There is nothing wrong with those kinds of memories, Meesei. I would not assume anything of one I have never met but I doubt your current mate would be free of her own such thoughts." She grinned. "Even if she is an Altmer."

Sabine was more insistent, even if she did not meet Meesei's eyes as she continued. "If you change your mind, you should go find her. You should not wait. Not with...everything happening as it is."

Apart from a nod or two, there were no other responses. Everyone could sense Meesei's desire to change the subject.

"I believe, Sabine, you were trying to say something before," Karl said.

"Mm," Sabine breathed in. "Ariel, do you have hair dye I could use? And an eye colour tincture? Maybe also something that can make me look less pale. And could you cut my hair for me?"

Ariel lowered her cup. She struggled to answer, taken off guard. "Uhm...well...most of those, of course. Making them would be a triviality. And I can certainly cut your hair. Do you feel something is wrong with your appearance?" Ariel tilted her head. "You look beautiful the way you are, you do not need to change so drastically."

"No, it is not that," Sabine responded casually. "I need to look like a stranger. I am going to visit the Thorn clan soon. And some other clans later on. I, um, need to find people to join my pack."

Ariel glanced to Meesei and back. "You're looking for new members? But you have remained at your size for years now."

"Not for Meesei's pack." Sabine tilted her head forward. "For my pack. I formed a new pack."

"Oh." Ariel blinked a few times. "I am still somewhat confused."
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Meesei did not reply to either of the sisters, and inwardly thanked Karl for more strongly changing the subject. Now that they had more freedom to speak, they could address some of the other reasons they had for coming here. Although, as reserved of a person as she was, Meesei expected that Sabine would be hesitant to give the full explanation herself.

"Yes, it is something of a complicated situation overall." Meesei began. "Sabine made herself into a hero known across all of the clans of Tamriel. Accidentally. She managed to singlehandedly defeat a feared, long-standing enemy, accomplish a vital goal for the war effort, and kill a dragon. Such feats, especially among lycans, are hard to ignore. I am sure you know your sister does not enjoy having that type of attention on her, but the effect she has had on everyone's morale could be important heading into the final days of the war. People do love to be inspired."
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Many questions ran over Ariel's expression. Only a few were answered by Meesei's elaboration. She leaned back a little and focussed on what she thought she could comprehend. "Well, if you feel shy about visiting the local clan, I understand, but it sounds as if you will be received just fine."

"It is for other reasons, too," Sabine said, looking away. "With everyone treating me like I am more important than before, they do not act the same way. They are either scared or want to get something from me. I want to visit clans without anyone knowing me so I can meet the people who expressed interest in joining my pack and they can be honest. I can try to know them better. I do not want to form a pack with people who are not themselves around me."

Ariel deeply nodded. "I see, I understand now." She breathed a laugh. "It's not fair that I assume you were falling back on old habits. I'm sorry, Sabine."

"It's okay." Sabine had a small smile.

"But, I am still unclear..." Ariel lowered her brow. "What has prompted you to form a new pack? Is it some kind of custom after what you accomplished?"

Sabine frowned and shook her head, looking at the table in front of her. She partly opened her mouth but did not end up answering.

Karl carefully prompted to speak by taking a slow breath. "Sabine...survived a bad situation," he said quickly. "It suffices to say, she convinced the former General Do'Rhajul to join her in a new pack, that he might redeem himself for the things he perpetrated. She sealed that promise in the strongest bond us lycanthropes have. A pack."

"I can say what happened," Sabine mumbled. "Just not now. I do not feel like it."

Ariel was shocked to stillness and growing pale. She left her lips slightly parted. By her silence, she did not know how to interpret Sabine's heroic act, let alone what was left unsaid.
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Although Rukeewwei had stayed with the clan for a time while Ariel had worked to help them, he still lacked the context to truly understand the gravity of General Do'rhajul's defection. Still, Sabine's demeanor told the story that something about the whole situation had been far from pleasant for her. Unfortunately, it was not as if he would have any advice to help her, even if he were to understand everything that had transpired. "Well, I do hope you are able to find what...or who you are looking for. You told us that packs are like your families, so I can't really imagine what it would be like to try to choose your family. Though...I guess it could be better than the normal way. You'll get to pick who you like, instead of getting stuck with whoever you're born with."

Rukeewei's eyes briefly widened as he went through his own words in his head, then glanced aside to Ariel and cleared his throat. "Not...that you were born with a bad family, of course. I just mean that, um, some people are, and it's sort of random if you get a good one or not."
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The pause that followed only made Sabine look more withdrawn. She did not wish to dwell upon her memories any more than Ariel dared to speculate what they might contain. Rukeewei's attempt to steer on the conversation did not land gracefully, either, as Ariel did not so much as smile. His endearing nervousness brought her levity in almost any other circumstance.

"Are your okay, Sabine?" Ariel asked.

Sabine nodded and brought her eyes up to meet her sister's. "I am being helped by someone wise in the clan," she said. "I do not want anyone to worry. There are other important things to do."

Ariel cleared her throat. "You can count on my help with those alchemies. And...for anything else you might need." The way she spoke revealed her attempt to hide the discomfort she displayed.

"And it is not so simple as choosing who you like." Sabine turned to Rukeewei. "If it was, I would not be in the my previous pack until Lorag stopped snoring so loudly."

Karl snorted and stifled a laugh. Sabine's deadpan humour was only made more absurd by how fast it came from a serious and frightening topic. Even Ariel smirked through her pallor.

Sabine continued. "I want to find people who are dependable and kind hearted. I also need people who are better than me at other things. Fighting, speaking, planning, knowing people. A lot of people want to take advantage of me. I cannot be what everyone wants me to be without help, but I do not want to be manipulated either."
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Rukeewei did laugh, and fortunately, it did not seem inappropriate. Although, he was not sure what to say beyond that. He was sure he would be speaking at length with Ariel later about the no doubt serious troubles that Sabine had recently been through, but for now, he did not feel like he had near enough knowledge to broach the subject.

"Indeed, it is wise to realize your own limitations. No matter how capable you are, you would have to be far beyond mortal to be the best at everything." Meesei commented. "And I suppose I can think of some more advice regarding the Thorn. Black Marsh clans are mostly smaller, but more numerous compared to other places. You should expect a mix of werewolves and werecrocodiles that are, of course, mostly Argonian. You will perhaps find more non-Argonians compared to a clan in the deep swamps, but not a majority regardless. Werecrocodiles are somewhat odd compared to most lycanthropes, in that they are not naturally social. Kaleeth is something of an exception for them. Argonians tend to be strongly communal, but even so, it takes effort for them to go against their beast's instincts. They have formed together into clans now because of the demands of the war, but it is expected that the majority of werecrocodiles will leave the clans at the war's end. That means that, if you do find a crocodile willing to join you, they will not be as likely to have any motivation to take advantage of you. But, at the same time, it also means you would have a harder time finding a werecrocodile willing to stay with you for long after the end of the war."
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Sabine paid Meesei the required attention even as her eyes wandered back to the table. "I am unsure what kind of people I will find. I will remember what you say, though."

Ariel spoke up now that colour had returned to her face. "Are there other clans you are planning to visit soon?" she asked.

"Yes," Sabine replied. "Mostly the larger ones. Only a few. I sent word ahead that I would visit at particular times, looking for packmates, so I expect anyone interested would gather. They do not expect I would visit in disguise. The number of people I will have to meet is going to be overwhelming, but I have some time."

"Are you accompanying Sabine, Karl?" Ariel said after a nod. "I could help disguise you, too."

Karl smiled politely. "I have a number of duties at home that will keep us apart. But, if I've become used to anything about Sabine's talent for magic, she's never truly very far away."

Sabine glanced at Karl with an abashed smile. He brought a hand up to rub her shoulder.

Ariel hinted at her excitement with a broad grin, but she quickly brought her attention across the table again. "What about, Meesei? I imagine you are busy as well but do you have any short term plans for your own matters?"
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Meesei lightly shook her head towards Ariel, after another sip of wine. “Oh, no, nothing specific. I will be busier than most of my pack, so I believe I will just look to take whatever time for myself that I am able. Most likely just to spend with my other packmates. I feel fortunate to have been able to make time today, for multiple reasons. I was able to delegate my meeting with the Daggerfall clan leader to someone else. I do not enjoy speaking with that man; I just know he wants to usurp me, but lacks the strength to challenge me directly.”

Meesei gave a quick shrug as her eyes drifted over towards the kitchen. She could easily smell the dessert Rukeewei had prepared. Even she did not recognize it, but it was something warm and sweet. “Ah, but I do not fear any threat from him. He lacks any meaningful ways of attacking me. And if I speak on clan politics any longer, I may run the risk of boring you to death. In fact, I feel we have been neglecting you in this conversation. Are there any exciting events upcoming for the two of you, or your children?”




It had been several weeks, and Ahnasha finally had confirmation that her family wanted to meet with Fendros’ family. She had already suspected that was the case, but the situation was worse than she had feared. According to the letter they had received, her family was going to be making the trip to Cheydinhal, and had already left shortly after sending it. That would mean they would be arriving within the week, at most. Strictly speaking, the purpose of the trip was for a business deal that her father was going to be making with a supplier in the city, but Ahnasha had a feeling he had only pursued the deal because it would take him to Cheydinhal. Her family was not actually under the impression that Ahnasha or Fendros would be there, since they lived in Skyrim, but Ahnasha absolutely did not intend to allow her family to meet Fendros’ without the both of them present.

Rhazii had joined his parents in their room to wait for Meesei to come collect them. Ahnasha had seriously considered leaving Rhazii behind, given potential arguments and hostility they could be entering into, but in the event that everything somehow did go well, Ahnasha could not imagine how to explain his absence to her family.

Eventually, there was a knock on the door that Ahnasha quickly answered, though to her surprise, it was not Meesei on the other side. Rather, it was Lorag, standing awkwardly in a rough, somewhat dirty set of city clothes. “Um…hey.” He said tersely, offering absolutely no explanation as to his presence.




The search for Kaleeth’s village was taking longer than Janius might have expected, but Kaleeth continued to assure them that they had not left the area. She had pointed out multiple signs of their presence in the area, and, according to Kaleeth, it was just a matter of checking all of their usual locations. Still, it could not be denied that she had become somewhat more distant, especially in the last few days. She went to sleep earlier, and rarely spoke unless spoken to. For the most part, she looked trapped in her own thoughts most of the time.

This evening, Kaleeth had stepped away from the camp ostensibly to find sufficiently dry firewood, but had remained away far longer than she should have. She had already been acting strangely enough that Janius would certainly investigate, and she would not be difficult at all to track. She had not been attempting to hide, and had not gone too far. It was only one river away that Janius would be able to find all of her armor and belongings laying on the side of the river, as if she had decided to go for a swim. Though, it was obvious that she was not simply out for a recreational swim in the river. While she was indeed in the water, she was acting every bit as oddly as she had been the last few days. She was laying just underneath the surface of the water, almost completely still and with her eyes closed. Given the murkiness of the water, it was hard to tell if she was even awake.
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"Nothing quite so broad in scope, I'm afraid." Ariel laughed through her nose. "But there is a festival coming up next month that we're all looking forward to. It's always fun, but it's special for us because it's always been something of an anniversary for us..."



"You've packed your clean shirts, Rhazii?"

"Yes father," Rhazii said as he rolled up the last of his clothing tightly enough to fit in his luggage. They usually travelled light but they had to put on some kind of show to make it look like their journey was long.

"And you pressed them after you washed them, yes?"

"Yes father," Rhazii complained. "You're being nervous. I checked everything three times."

The knock on the door shut them both up. They were all nervous. It showed on their faces as Lorag saw them looking at him.

Fendros frowned and tilted his head. "Good morning, Lorag," he said unsurely. His eyes flicked to Lorag's clothing and back up to his face. "Do you need something? You look like you're ready to head out to a town."

Rhazii kept his mouth shut. He had a strong feeling he knew why Lorag had arrived. He had also been warned of Lorag's sensitivity regarding the matter.



The search started out with enthusiasm. However, the way Kaleeth changed brought Janius and Julan partly down with her. Janius was still in better spirits, lending buoyancy to the journey, but it did little to slow Kaleeth's behaviour.

As much as Janius wanted to put the matter off, Kaleeth's long absence from the camp prompted him to take action. He beckoned Julan to follow him before they worked together to find where Kaleeth had wandered to.

Janius spotted her first. No matter how many times he witnessed Kaleeth every being still under the water, the sight of her as such always caused a brief panic in his mind. Humans only assumed such positions when drowned to death. Thankfully, Kaleeth was Argonian. Still, he worried for her for other reasons.

He turned and spoke to Julan. "How about you wait nearer to the camp, Julan? Your mother and I need to talk."

Once Julan had made some distance, Janius stepped carefully into the water. He did not care whether Julan decided to eavesdrop or not.

Janius was as careful as he could be not to startle Kaleeth by placing a hand on her arm to stir her.
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Lorag had an unusual discomfort to his tone, though he was clearly trying not to let on too strongly about whatever he might have been feeling at the moment. "Uh, yeah, you all, um, mentioned you were goin' to Cheydinhal before, right?"

Regardless of how much Lorag might have wanted to hide it, there was little question as to his actual reason being there. Ahnasha supposed there could technically be multiple reasons he might want to return to his hometown, but it was highly unlikely that he would go out of his way to approach them for anything but the one, major reason. "Yeah, Meesei is going to take us there soon. I'm surprised to see you here; it didn't look like you were paying much attention when we mentioned it at dinner."

Lorag rubbed his neck with an annoyed huff. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not good at...talkin' about stuff, and you know that. You all know why I'm here, so can I come or not?"




Despite the fact that Kaleeth did not appear to be too attentive when Janius approached her, she did not act startled when he laid a hand on her. In fact, it took a few seconds for her to actually open her eyes and start to move around. Even then, she was slow to push herself back up against the riverbank just enough to get her head out of the water. Again, she took her time to take in a deep breath to get her lungs filled up with air once more, then finally actually turned to look at Janius. "Oh, um...sorry. Was I gone too long again?"
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Fendros only had to think about it for a second. "Of course," he said confidently. "It's a good thing, too."

He left it at that. However, Rhazii's curiosity got the better of him.

"What are you gonna say?" Rhazii's asked Lorag. His ears pulled back at the last moment but he otherwise kept his resolve.



Janius looked down at Kaleeth with just a hint of worry in his brow. He just stared for a few seconds before bring Kaleeth up standing with his hands on her upper arms.

"Are you okay, Kaleeth?" he asked. Though gentle as ever, the way Janius spoke and looked made it clear he was not going to be brushed off easily this time.
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"That's my business, cub." Lorag replied unusually harshly, even for him. Although, his irritation seemed to fade away just as quickly as he stepped into the room and headed over to the farthest chair in the corner.

Ahnasha sighed and glanced over to Rhazii, speaking considerably more softly. "Just leave him be. You know Lorag is someone who likes to keep his business to himself, for the most part."

"I'm not gonna be in your hair for too long." Lorag spoke up. "Alpha had someone keep an eye on her after we found her. They said she's moved out of the city, up to some cabin in the hills. A short walk from the city, but still outside the walls. Probably 'cause the girl was getting old enough that her lycanthropy was gonna be a problem."




Kaleeth nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess. I mean...there's nothing wrong with me or anything, I just..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over to the side across the river's surface. She seemed to be focusing on something, but all Janius would be able to see was water. Her silence went on for almost long enough to be worrying before she finally spoke up again. "I could never remember what happened when I went out into the swamp that day. I remember leaving the village, wandering around for a while...looking for something to hunt, since that felt like what I should have been doing. Then I came out into the water and...then nothing. I don't remember anything after that. Did I commune with Hircine? Did he appear to me like Ahnasha and say anything? Did he send a werecrocodile after me? Or did I just find one? Did he have some purpose for me, or was I just stubborn? I hoped I would start to remember one day, but I never did."

Finally, Kaleeth turned her head to make eye contact with Janius again. "Did you recognize this place? I can't remember if I was near here when you found me, but this is where I came. The last place I remember before I was infected. I thought maybe seeing it would remind me of something, but...nothing."
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Rhazii broke eye contact and sat still. He glanced up at Ahnasha with a guilty frown but otherwise only gave her a surreptitious nod to acknowledge her.

"I see," Fendros said. "She would be at that age by now, wouldn't she? That makes sense." Fendros lowered his brow again. "Our plans are relatively loose. We do not know whether Ahnasha's family are visiting for long. If do not stay at the vineyard, we may lodge with the local inn. I'm sure you and Meesei can coordinate how you wish to transport between here and Cheydinhal."



Janius took a moment to reassess the surroundings. No matter where he looked, nothing was particularly familiar. Either the marsh had changed since his last visit – as it was wont to do – or he had simply not committed the area to memory when searching for Kaleeth back when she went missing from her tribe many years ago.

He sighed. "It's...not ringing any bells. I'm sorry. You weren't injured or anything when we found you, you were just terrified. I seem to remember you mentioning making Hircine an offering?"

Janius let out the rest of his breath and refocused. "This has been bothering you for a while, hasn't it? I don't know if what happened was for a purpose or just a twist of fate. What's brought such thoughts to your mind, anyway?"
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"Don't bother worryin' about me." Lorag replied. "I'm not gonna be sticking around, and it probably won't take me that long. I just need to use the portal, then I'll go my own way."

Ahnasha shrugged. "Suit yourself, but if things don't go to your plan, you can probably stay with either us or Meesei, depending."

While not ignoring Ahnasha, Lorag still was not terribly receptive to the offer. "Hmph, well I'm sure I'll figure it out."

Lorag was clearly not interested in speaking, so after a while of waiting around in silence, Ahnasha finally sat back down next to Fendros, looking understandably anxious. She spoke softly, though not in a way that made any attempt to hide what she was saying from the others. "So...what kind of problems do you think to expect from your family? Or, well, no need to pretend it could be from anything else: what do you expect from your father?"




Kaleeth looked away again. "I...don't know what to tell them. I don't know if there is anything I can tell them. I'm their daughter, and I abandoned them. A year after their son, my brother, died, I just left them for someone I just met. Obviously, I don't regret it now. I love you, and my family, and I'd do the same thing again, but...I know I hurt them. I didn't understand it then, but now that we have Julan, I can understand what I did to them. I was a horrible daughter. Maybe if some divine being pulled me away for some higher purpose, then they might feel better about it, but...I just don't know. I don't know why I thought I would remember anything. It was a stupid idea."
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Fendros resumed his packing, if slower than before so he could talk. He hummed unhappily about Ahnasha's question. "At best, he'll just remove himself from the interactions, ignore any approaches from your family, and keep to himself out by the vines. At worst..." Fendros stopped and stared at the bag in front of him. He continued packing after only a moment. "He'll demand they leave. He may threaten to call the guard. Anything in between that is purely up to how much leverage mother and Llarasa can manage. I don't think Monderyn will want to go against father in something like that."

Rhazii sat down beside Ahnasha to pay attention to the conversation.

Fendros gave him and Ahnasha a quick sideways look. "Did your parents plan to send word ahead to mine, Ahna?"



"Kaleeth..." Janius gently guided her cheek until he could look her in the eyes again. "I still remember how upset your mother and father were when you said goodbye. I know the shame you felt – still feel. It's not wrong, what you're feeling, but...you're not being fair to yourself, either. You know why you had to leave in the end."

Janius' eyes went down and up. "Listen, I know that if Julan left on a whim somewhere we couldn't follow, I would want nothing more than just to know that he is okay. I want to know that he is coming into his own. To see him again? That would be a bright day indeed. You're going to give your parents that day."

In his answer, Janius deflected exactly what to say to Kaleeth's family. He only had one answer on the tip of his tongue that he hoped he would not have to suggest.
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"Um, well, to be polite, they certainly would..." Ahnasha answered, awkwardly running her fingers through the fur on her neck. "I never told them where they could send their letters, but your family name might be enough for a courier to figure it out. Honestly, I hope they didn't get one to them successfully, though. I would really rather it be us who are the first to tell them about it. We should have about a week to get ready, give or take a day or two."

Ahnasha leaned back her head, looking up to the stone ceiling and releasing a sigh. "I suppose it won't matter much either way. We're going to have to deal with the same things regardless. I know what the real problem is going to be. My family is going to want to get to know each and every one of yours. I'm sure most of them will be perfectly amiable; even Monderyn will probably be acceptably friendly. But I know my parents, and if your father tries to push them away, they'll just try to get that much closer. They're so...irritating like that. Just so kind and forgiving to a fault. I mean, you saw how easily they forgave me. They see people like that and just see it as a challenge to 'spread the love of the Divines' to them. If your father called the guards on them, that, honestly, would probably be the easy way out. I doubt they would go that far to keep trying after that. Oh, my parents are both quite stubborn, and my brother was too. I guess they passed that trait onto him."




Kaleeth gave a single nod, though she looked no less uncertain than before. "I...guess that is why I'm here, they do deserve to know. But...that still doesn't mean they're going to be happy about it. I mean, they could be glad to know I'm alive, but still end up mad at me for leaving once they know I'm safe. I wish I had something I could tell them to let them know that it was all worth it, from their perspective. I don't think my reasons for being happy will work on them."

Again, Kaleeth went briefly quiet and stared at the water. After a moment, she bared her teeth with at least slight irritation. "I still can't remember anything else about that day, but it's not like it would matter anyway. It's not like I could just tell them what I became, even if I did remember. It was a stupid idea, and I shouldn't have bothered going out of my way to come here."
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"It runs through both our families," Fendros added. "Even you, me, and you, Rhazii."

Rhazii conceded with a smirk.

Fendros quickly went back to a serious tone. "Friendliness and love, the rest of my family will tolerate. Proselytising will not be so politely received. If we can head off your family before they meet mine, perhaps we can at least warn the against that. If I can earn my family about the...enthusiasm they should expect, it may help their patience, too."

Fendros clenched his jaw for a moment. "Ahna, do you think if I explain the situation with father to your family, they will respect my request to keep away from him? To leave it as a private family concern?"

Rhazii's eyes glanced curiosly between Fendros and Ahnasha. "I still don't quite understand, papa. I know grandfather doesn't want to come out to see us but I never really worked out why."

Releasing a sigh, Fendros' face darkened. "He disowned me, Rhazii. When I told him about my lycanthropy, my relationship with your mother, and you, he since refused to acknowledge that I even exist."

Rhazii leaned back with a mix of shame and silent anger on his face.



Kaleeth inadvertently hinting at Janius' thoughts for a solution pushed the idea further in his mind. He took Kaleeth's hand and brought it up. His look of consternation gave way when he spoke.

"Kaleeth...do you think it might be time to tell them the truth?" Janius lifted his other palm to halt Kaleeth. "It doesn't have to be everything, granted. But if you asked them to hear you out about what you remember from the night you were turned and, more importantly, that you turned into a werecrocodile, would it give them some closure? Would it give you some closure?"
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Ahnasha shared Rhazii's expression for the most part, though hers was more strongly focused towards her anger. She grunted, showing her teeth just slightly as she looked at Rhazii. "Oh, trust me, I share that feeling. Judgemental wretch of a man that he is, if I ever ended up alone in a room with him, I'd..." Her voice trailed off, descending into grumbling and growls after a few words. With the kind of violence Ahnasha had come to accept over the last few years, it was difficult to tell if she was serious, or simply venting.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter. The rest of them at least make up for him, for the most part. But, as for my parents agreeing to leave him alone...I just don't know. I've only talked to them through the occasional letter for so long, it's hard to say if I really know them anymore. The parents I knew back when I was a cub, I would say...probably would respect your request. But, people can change. I can only really guess." Ahnasha answered.

A few moments later, there was another knock on the door, and this time, they were greeted by the expected person when Ahnasha opened the door. Meesei noticed Lorag as soon as she stepped inside, but showed no signs of surprise that he was present. She simply nodded towards him and greeted him, then returned her attention to the others. "Is everyone ready to leave?"




Kaleeth did not answer immediately, but the look on her face quickly told Janius that she was not keen on his idea. After a few moments of thought and apparent worry, she started to shake her head. "I...no, no I can't do that. It would be a bad idea. Very bad idea. They might go from hating me to fearing for my soul. Or just hating me even more. If they still love me, then they would not want to rest until I was cured and my soul could return to the Hist again. And if they don't care about me any more, they might just attack us. I don't think I could handle having to fight anyone in my village, not like that."
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Muttonhawk
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Muttonhawk Let Slip the Corgis of War

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"That's not fair at all," Rhazii voice gained volume. "You told me you were turned by accident, father. It wasn't your fault! How could he-"

Meesei's arrival distracted Rhazii enough to stop. Fendros only hummed acknowledgement before he gave her attention.

Fendros looked at their ready baggage. "Just about. Finished squeezing in the last things just a minute ago." He stood up. "We had better get going. Talking about all of this will only get us so far without knowing more."



Janius bit his lower lip tensely. He took another slow breath to speak. "First of all, I cannot imagine them attacking you. Not unless...I don't know, you walked into the middle of them in beast form. That is not worth worrying about. Secondly..." He let out his breath and shook his head helplessly. "I am unsure whether there is a way in which you can leave your parents happy with you. Not without making some great big lie that may not help matters at all and could very likely make things worse. The choice here, as I see it, is to have them resent you or have them sad about you. I know you do not want to make them upset but...they don't have to be angry with you." Janius hesitated, not knowing if he was making any sense at all. "It's your choice to make, Kaleeth."
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