"And thank you for your support. I don't think I could do this alone." Ahnasha responded, nodding to Fendros before retiring to her own bedroll, along with much of the rest of the camp. A short time later, Meesei finally returned from the river, carrying her jewelry and a few leather straps and pouches in her arms. Through great effort, she managed to wash the stubborn, foul-smelling substance off of her own scales. Anything she wore made of bone or leather could be cleaned as well, but it had soaked so deeply into anything made of fur that she was forced to discard it. She would begin work on crafting a new set of clothes after training the next day, but for the moment, she was just glad to be able to get some sleep. 

Instead of the usual restless, nightmare-prone sleep, Meesei received a rare blessing in the night: orders from her lord Hircine himself. She could see herself in her wolf form, kneeling on the ground before him, his massive stature, intimidating spear, and impressive antlers giving her a sight that inspired awe within her. There were dozens of other lycans around her, all bowing before him awaiting what he had to say. 

[i]"Listen, and listen well, my hounds. A new threat has arisen; a new challenger to my realm. This challenger has already taken to targeting my hounds, but this predator will soon find himself as my prey. You all will be the participants in a great hunt the likes of which has never been seen before, but first I offer to you, my chosen hounds, this: a challenge of my own to determine who shall be my champion in this hunt. In the eastern reaches of Vvardenfell, there is an Orc who serves our new enemy. He is a master hunter in his own right, but he has killed more of my hounds than any of my enemy's servants, including my former champion. Kill this Orc, take the ring he bears, and claim for yourself the title of my champion."[/i]

It was early morning when Meesei awoke. The others were just starting to wake up and get themselves ready for the day. She still intended to proceed with training for the day, but their path had now been irreversibly altered. 

The next month was a rather strenuous one. After explaining to the others what Hircine intended for them, they set out for Morrowind. The pack became focused almost entirely on two things: traveling, and training Fendros. With a new threat looming over the horizon, he would need to be ready much sooner than Meesei had anticipated. Luckily, he was a fast learner and was making definite progress. Each pack member had something to teach him, from combat tactics, to meditative techniques designed to help control his beast. It would take time, but he was definitely on his way. 

Travelling by foot was a long and arduous process, but the group eventually made it to Morrowind and took a boat to a small fishing village on the western shores of Vvardenfell. It took time to hunt enough creatures to trade for gold to buy passage, as well as more "civilized" clothing to help blend in, but they were well on their way to their destination. Once they were far enough away from the settlement, they took shelter in a cave for the night to protect them from the ashstorms that were all too common on the island. They packed away the clothing they had purchased as well in favor of their normal clothes, as they would need to keep them undamaged in case they needed to go to a settlement again. 

As Lorag and Janius were setting up the fire deeper in the cave, Meesei and Ahnasha were standing by the cave's exit, observing the ashstorm that raged just outside. 

"We should probably dedicate some time tomorrow to finding local creatures to hunt to make cloaks for ourselves. These storms can pop up at any time, and we are going to need them for protection." Ahnasha suggested. 

"Agreed. We need to keep up our pace as much as possible, but we do not need to take any extra risks, especially you." Meesei responded.

Ahnasha nodded. So far, she had shown no visible signs of pregnancy, but it would not be long before the symptoms, such as nausea and fatigue, began to set in. She would need to be prepared to deal with that, even in this harsh climate.