[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine's face tightened in sympathy and she sucked in a breath through her teeth. She knelt down beside Peiter and held her hands up, trying to assess the damage. "I'm sorry, I should have let you dress more," Sabine said, putting a hand on Peiter's arm and leg, "Show me. We will take out the thorns and I can heal you."

Inwardly, Sabine was too worried about Peiter to care about his personal space. What it made for outwardly was her being perhaps oblivious of it. She might have been more apprehensive under normal circumstances, but she was intimate enough with Peiter to feel comfortable.

With her head angled forward and her brow raised, Uthri snorted back a laugh. She carefully took a breath while trying not to become hysterical. "'Oh, my lady Nord,'" she pantomimed Sees-No-Colours' attempt to kiss a hand with the air, "'They breed them strong and sumptuous up in the frigid highlands! Yet for all your cold past...'" Uthri placed her hands over her chest with exaggerated wistfulness, "'...you have melted my Argonian heart!'" It was only then that Uthri curled forward and laughed out the rest of the air her lungs, snorting involuntarily to get some more air in. "Vilana, I hope that there is more than one colour-blind scoundrel werelion Argonian in your clan, or you are going to be sorely disappointed." Uthri sniffed and let out another chuckle, "Worry is a strong word, I prefer pity, in this case. Do you have a past with Sees-No-Colours?"

[EliteCommander]

"Heal me? But...that would mean you would have...to..." Peiter began, his eyes widening as a wave of nervousness came over him. It wasn't embarrassment that made him nervous, as he felt very comfortable with Sabine. Rather, it was the other...thoughts that this sort of healing would inspire that he wanted to avoid. "Oh, that's...I'll probably be fine, I just need to...owww." He said before being interrupted by a sharp pain once he attempted to move. He cringed, then rolled onto his back as he looked up to Sabine with his scrunched-up face. He continued, though in a slightly higher-pitched voice.

"Okay, okay. Healing would be...nice. Very nice." Peiter moved his hands and looked down, only to lay his head back and cringe once more. "That's really not where I wanted thorns to be. Why am I an idiot?"

At first, Vilana laughed, thinking that Uthri's surprisingly-accurate impression was simply an educated guess. But, as soon as she realized that the impression was inspired by someone Uthri had actually met, her expression soured. "I do not remember the name of that snake, but I pray to Hircine that this 'Sees-no-Colors' is not the same one. If it is, then mark my words, the moment I see him, I'm going to slap his snout straight to the twin moons. He thinks himself so charming and charismatic, but I guarantee he would never charm anyone without a gallon of alcohol to move things along. You know who I pity? Any woman who would actually fall for him while sober. They would have to have a pretty empty head, and that's just unfortunate."

[Muttonhawk]

If there was any shyness in Sabine's approach to treating Peiter, it was in an effort not to make the process any more painful for him. With one hand she attempted to dull the pain in the local area with magic, while with her other hand she carefully picked out the thorns and splinters around his legs and sensitive areas. Whenever Peiter twitched in pain or tried to move, she spoke quietly, "Hold still."

It took another few minutes to get all of the thorns out, but thankfully none of them had done any more damage than scratches and splinters by the looks. "If we keep jogging, we should head back to camp to get a loincloth and leggings," Sabine recommended.

"Now that is a slap that I would enjoy watching," Uthri remarked. Her chuckling was perpetuated by Vilana's words, but Uthri couldn't help but think that her passion spoke more than her sentences did. Uthri smiled and studied Vilana's response to what she was about to say, "That is true. I am glad neither of us have empty heads."

So as not to force the issue, Uthri looked away and continued, "The only one who I actually know has slept with him, as it happens, is one of his pride mates. Although, given her previous occupation, I think she is exploiting him more than the other way around. If anything, I think they have an agreement to just do it for fun and not actually have strings attached." Uthri pulled a sturgeon frown, "Sounds pretty good if you think about it, but I wouldn't choose Colours for such a thing anyway."

Uthri shrugged. "At least everyone else in Colours' pride are sweet people," Uthri turned and smiled at the resting Pahmar, "Even you, S'ajira."

[EliteCommander]

Throughout the whole ordeal, Peiter did what he could to keep his mind empty, but it was something he simply could not do. Knowing what was happening was enough to give him thoughts he didn't want at the moment. Her healing was good enough to keep him out of pain, at the least, but that also meant that there was less to distract. "Yeah, probably. It does feel nice running without them in this heat, but it's definitely, definitely not worth it."

Sabine was able to remove the thorns and heal the superficial cuts, but unfortunately, Peiter was starting to face a problem of a different nature. As soon as he could, he stood up and faced away from Sabine before it got worse. He stared off at seemingly nothing in the forest as his heart started racing. With more time to think, he might have faced towards the camp and started leading the way back, but currently, he was facing the wrong direction for that. He gave no explanation for why he suddenly jumped up and turned away, but he had appeared rather nervous beforehand.

Vilana put on a frown as well as she thought back to that particularly unfortunate part of her past. "Well, I never knew any of his pack, or cared to ask who they were. Honestly, I never wanted to see his face again. If he has an arrangement like that with someone...then honestly, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I prefer something more intimate, honestly."

Turning her head to S'ajira, Vilana's expression became a bit more positive. "Well, this...Colors not withstanding, I do look forward to meeting the rest of you all. You are the first real outside contact we've had since the attack."

S'ajira lifted her head up towards the pair and nodded, then stretched out her muscles in a relaxed fashion to demonstrate that she had taken no offense. She knew not only that Vilana's criticisms of Colers were valid, but that she was far from the first woman to make them.

[Muttonhawk]

Although Peiter got up quickly, Sabine just thought he wanted to get back to camp. She stood up as well. It was Peiter's standing still and silently facing away from her that confused her. She leaned to one side to try and catch Peiter's eye, but he seemed intent on not looking at her. Leaning a little further and taking a step revealed the reason for his reservations, as much as Peiter would have liked to hide it.

As much as Peiter might not have realised it, the time Sabine and Peiter had spent kissing in each others arms made Sabine thoroughly aware of his bodily desires. Rather than laugh or become offended by the situation, Sabine put a hand on Peiter's shoulder and spoke comfortingly, "Peiter, you do not have to be embarrassed." She kept her eyes on his face, but didn't force him to turn around, "If you do not want the others to see, you can just wait a few minutes, correct?"

Uthri grinned, "Yes, Colours is the bad apple, really. The others are mostly fine, even Meesei's pack." Uthri looked to Rhazii and Newt, still bashing together their wooden figurines. Hardly any of the wooden animals had limbs any more, but Uthri didn't mind. "That four of them are parents helps. The kitten is named Rhazii, his parents are Ahnasha and Fendros, an odd couple by race, but not by personality. They're both very proud and competitive, however Fendros is a little less patient and Ahnasha is a little more daring. They are nice people, though. So too are the parents of Newt, the other one. Janius and Kaleeth-Rei, also odd by race, but they are both very different people. Kaleeth was a Black Marsh tribal, naive sometimes, very sweet and kind, but also determined, and terrifyingly strong. Janius has been her mentor and partner for a while, good natured, patient, tactful, but a bit insensitive sometimes." Uthri counted her fingers to get to the others, "The rest of the pack is Meesei - I've already spoken of her. Lorag the legionnaire, he became a high ranking militia instructor, very strong and stoic, but a recruit's nightmare." Uthri took her eyes to Vilana with a look of warning, "Don't even insinuate challenging him, he's the kind to prove a point." Uthri then relaxed as she continued, "And of course there is Sabine, the Breton girl you saw. She's an odd case, that one. Meesei treats her like a daughter and she can be a bit childish, but she has a past if I am told correctly. She is an incredibly talented alchemist, however, one of the best in the clan. It is also quite difficult to get angry with her; she is also a rather sweet girl."

At that moment, Uthri exhaled through a pout, which inflated her cheeks in brief bewilderment. "There I go again, talking forever. I might as well give you my assessment of Ra'kalesh's pride at this rate, even if I have only known them for a few weeks."

[EliteCommander]

Closing his eyes, Peiter sighed as he turned around. He hung his head in shame, though not precisely for the obvious reasons. He put his hands on her shoulders as well, then finally made eye contact. "I know, it's just...I'm sorry. I try to hide it but...I know the things you want to do, and the things you don't want to do. You have to believe me when I say that I don't want to push you any farther than you would want to go on your own. I try to push away those thoughts, but...you're just so beautiful, and kind, and caring. I can't help but to want to get close to you, and when we get close...my body just wants to go farther than I know you do. I just don't want you to think that I'm upset, or trying to rush you. I...admit that I've wanted it, but I care more about what you want." He explained.

Uthri's description of each of Meesei's pack was a bit fast for her to fully take in everything, but she was able to get an overview. However, the mention of Ra'kalesh did spark a memory within her mind. "Ra'kalesh...now that's a name I recognize. I know he was a high-ranking member of the clan, but I didn't know who was in his pride. I especially didn't know that slimy Argonian was in it. Regardless, I remember him being fairly well respected. A...monk, if I'm remembering correctly. Ri'nakhad will be glad to have him back, I imagine. Really, he would be glad to have anyone back. The attack...it really hit him hard. The clan has been his life; he feels responsible for his people. I think he might blame himself for losing so many."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine gently lifted Peiter's chin with her fingers. "I understand," she responded, "You are being very nice to me. I am sorry if..." Sabine looked ashamed, "I am sorry if I am frustrating you...It is just that..." Sabine looked to one side and considered speaking more, but she couldn't quite find the words to start. Rather than let the silence linger, Sabine peered back up to Peiter, put her hands on either side of his head and laid a quick kiss on his lips. She wore a smile that belied her previous apprehension, but it was clear she wasn't going any further in any direction today. "I will go and get your loincloth and a short pair of leggings," She declared, stepping away from him and heading towards the camp site.

Uthri shook her head, "I can only imagine, but yes, you have the same Ra'kalesh in mind." Uthri lowered her brow curiously, "Although, I remember being told that you were struck with a gas that suppressed your beast forms, I should hardly think that could have been accounted for." Uthri looked to one side and spoke from the side of her mouth, "Even thinking about it is scary. Er, how long did you say Ri'nakhad had been leader?"

[EliteCommander]

"Alright, thank you." Peiter commented as Sabine stepped away. Deciding it best not to continue the line of conversation, he sat himself down against a tree and leaned his head back against it. He let out a long, deep sigh and closed his eyes. Given all that had transpired, he was glad that Sabine was as calm and understanding as she was about such matters. He reasoned that it came with being a healer, since she had to be intimately familiar with even the most unpleasant aspects of the body in order to be effective. He was also particularly glad that she was indeed a healer, since those thorns had been very, very painful.

Vilana thought back briefly, though it was not long before she gave up on counting. "Decades, definitely. I don't know exactly how long, but it has probably been most of his adult life by this point. He is seventy or eighty years of age by now. I know many leaders would have stepped down by this point, but his mind has held strong. Technically, anyone of sufficient rank could challenge him for his position. Any of them would easily win, but I don't know of any that would be willing to do that. It would almost be unthinkable. Honestly, he's probably one of the only ones that places any blame on him for the attack. He did nothing wrong, and I don't think anyone else would have done any better."

[Muttonhawk]

It was when Sabine was facing away from Peiter that she took on a sadder expression. She was frustrated with herself more than anything, but she wasn't going to show anyone. When she reached the camp again - barely a minute long jog - her expression was neutral in front of the others. She was surreptitious about collecting Peiter's clothing.

Uthri gave a hum of understanding to Vilana. The sombre topic caused a silence to grow until Sabine came through the bushes shortly after. Uthri lifted her eyes curiously. "Where's Peiter?" she asked.

"He ran into a thorn bush," Sabine explained, levelling her flat hand up to her waist.

Quite surprised, Uthri let out a laugh, "Is he alright?"

"Yes, I healed him," Sabine said as she walked away.

Uthri nodded, but shortly became confused, "Wait, if you healed him, why isn't he getting his own loincloth?"

Sabine just shrugged, "He is lazy."

"Oh whatever," Uthri said. Sabine disappeared into the foliage a second later. "Those kids will learn what they need to take with them for such occasions eventually." Uthri commented, before reverting to Vilana, "Anyway, you said you have water at your outpost, does that mean you have a place to cool off in this jungle heat?"

When Sabine returned to Peiter, enough time had elapsed for her to become upbeat again. She tossed his clothes nonchalantly into his lap. "Come, you still have to test your potion," she grinned. She would let him dress before running off again.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter had ample time to calm down before Sabine returned, at which point he stood up and gladly took the clothes she had brought. He dressed himself, then stood up and started moving around. Fortunately, all of the pain had passed, so he could continue the jog without issue, and, despite what happened, he still desired to do so. "I suppose I do. Though, I still think you'll be tired long before me." He grinned before starting his jog once again at a brisk pace.

---

Just as with every other day of the search, the groups started returning in the evening, within a few hours of sundown. However, this time they were greeted by far better news than any other day since the search began. Each time a group returned, they received an abbreviated account of what happened, and for the most part, they were just relieved that the search was over.

Meesei, Janius, and Ra'kalesh were one of the final groups to return. Ahnasha's group was still away, but it would likely not be long until they returned as well. The heads of each of Vilana's pack turned to the Champion as she stepped into the camp. A few stared at her as if they had been approached by royalty, while others turned and whispered to one another. Meesei did not give much of an outward reaction at seeing the new pride, except for a slight smile. "May I assume that our new guests are representative of some good news in our search?" Meesei asked.

Lorag was the first to respond with a short grunt. "Yeah, weeks of searchin' through this gods forsaken forest, and the only ones of us who ended up findin' anything were the ones stayin' back at camp. Just wonderful."

[Muttonhawk]

"Heheh, just doing our part, Lorag," Uthri quipped. She stood up to address Meesei with a more direct manner, "Meesei, this is Vilana and her pack. They are scouts for what is left of the Senchal clan." Uthri looked over at Vilana while she explained, "It was clever, what they did. To keep hidden, they masked their scents in a durzog perfume. We had the kids in the trees with Peiter by the time they came up to us. Oh yes, and, er..." Uthri leaned closer to Meesei and spoke quietly, "Your reputation precedes you with these fellows."

"Say what you like about our search effort, I'm just relieved that we came across anyone," Janius added. He was grinning widely at the prospect of ending the drudgery of their search.

Uthri narrowed one eye and looked to Meesei. "One more thing, Colours is searching with Ahnasha today, yes? Did you spot them on your way back?" Uthri failed to hide a sly smile, "One of our new friends is looking forward to seeing him again."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded. "Yes, Colors is with Ahnasha's group. They should be back shortly, I would imagine. Once everyone has returned, I am guessing you will be taking us to your clan?" She asked, directing her question towards the new pride in general.

Vilana stepped forward. Although, even after her long discussion with Uthri on the subject, she was still somewhat nervous to address the Champion. "Yes...I am Vilana, the leader of this pride. The clan is a few hours from here, straight to the north. I will take you all directly to our leader, Ri'nakhad. I am sure he will be relieved to see you. All of the clan will. Our situation has been desperate ever since the attack."

"It is my aim to eliminate the threat of the enemy in this area entirely. With luck, you will be able to rebuild your clan once again." Meesei responded. Shortly afterwards, Meesei's group started on their dinner, just as all of the other groups had after their return. Their food supplies were running low once more, but since they would finally be meeting up with the clan, they would be able to restock soon.

It was about half an hour before Ahnasha's group made it back to the camp. Like most of the others, her initial reaction was one of relief. "Oh, thank Hircine. We found them, didn't we?"

Colors too replaced his fatigued expression with a smile upon seeing Vilana's pride. However, the moment Vilana saw Colors' face, she stomped over to him with a scowl on her own.

"You!" Vilana shouted angrily. Then, just as she promised, she slapped her hand across his snout hard enough to be heard clearly through the entire camp.

Infuriatingly for Vilana, Colors' reaction ended up being an even wider grin. "Ah, well, I probably deserved that. But you...it's been so long since I've seen you, and I don't know how you've managed it, but you're even more beautiful than I remember. I was so worried you didn't make it. I still find myself thinking about you from time to time, about that wonderful night..."

"Gah, shut it you slimy lizard!" Vilana yelled.

Despite Vilana's anger, Colors still maintained a smile. "I can stop speaking, but I have to say, now that I've seen you again, I don't think I will be able to stop thinking about your stunning and powerful form. It was hard enough to get you out of my thoughts before."

Vilana growled and stormed off, while Colors walked away in a somehow even more upbeat mood than before. When he neared Uthri, he leaned in close to her and started to whisper. "What's her name, if I might ask?" He asked, pointing subtly to Vilana.

[Muttonhawk]

While the rest of the camp was silenced by the loud slap that sounded off Colours' face, Uthri did not seem to react at all for a second. "Worth it," she said through the silence. The scene gave her with a satisfied smile.

The fact that Colours maintained his oratory serenade with such passion, only to lean to Uthri and ask Vilana's name, did not earn him any favours. Uthri just crossed her arms and gave him an amused, if unimpressed look, raised eyebrow and all. "You want to know her name?" Uthri asked to confirm, speaking at his volume, "I'll tell you. Her name is 'I'm sorry I was such a codfish, I'll leave you alone now'."

It still struck Uthri as surprising how emotionally explosive Vilana was with Colours, even through this other hardship. Colours must have horribly betrayed her. Still, she wasn't going to directly involve herself in their personal issues.

"I wonder how many times we'll be hearing that slap when we arrive at the clan," Fendros commented quietly to Ahnasha.

Rhazii was sitting on Ahnasha's lap and had not missed the commotion either, but he was too young to know what was going on. Looking a little perturbed by the situation, he looked around to Ahnasha's face, "Mama, why did that lady shout and hit Colours?"

[EliteCommander]

Colors kept his confident grin, despite Uthri's dismissal of his question. "Ah, come now, I've been through so much trauma and hardship since I was...stolen away from all those I cared so deeply about. Surely you can forgive a...lapse of memory after such a horrible trial of the mind?"

Ahnasha lightly rubbed Rhazii's head. "I think it was about something that happened a long time ago. Don't worry, they're not really going to hurt each other." She explained, at least mostly honestly. She did not want him worrying about any of them getting hurt, so she made sure to downplay the tension as much as she could. Meanwhile, Newt had been somewhat frightened by the sudden violence, but confused when it suddenly stopped with no one else doing anything about it. He walked over and hid behind Janius' leg and looked around nervously.

To Fendros, Ahnasha leaned in and whispered quietly enough that Rhazii could not hear her quickly. "Don't know, honestly, but Colors doesn't seem like the type to give up. I guess we can always stick around him if we want some entertainment."

Meesei watched the exchange more neutrally, and waited until it was over to address Vilana. "Well, if that is over, that is the last group that we were waiting for. Are you ready to escort us to your clan, Vilana?" She asked.

Vilana turned to Meesei with a hint of embarrassment in her expression. "Yes, of course. I'm...sorry, Champion. We can leave whenever you're ready."

Giving a nod, Meesei spoke to the group in general as she walked over to her own belongings. "Very well, let us pack up the camp. With luck, we will arrive at the clan before sundown, if not shortly afterwards."

[Muttonhawk]

Both of Uthri's eyebrows raised up, surprised at Colours' continued brashness. "Don't ask me for forgiveness, ask her!" she said with a high voice, "I'm not going to help you play your game." Uthri let her arms loose and turned to pick up her luggage, "Just get your bags and lets move."

Rhazii seemed satisfied enough with Ahnasha's answer to turn forward again and look on. Fendros grinned, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the affected parties.

When Newt latched onto Janius after the episode, Janius stooped down and picked him up under the arms. "Hey there, little Newt. Are you alright?" Janius repositioned Newt such that he was being held up by one arm. They were heading out anyway.

[EliteCommander]

Newt kept his eyes on Vilana for a few moments, then shifted his gaze across the others, who were now acting as if nothing had happened. He was confused, but at least, he did not seem to be afraid any longer. "I think so." He answered softly.

As they were mostly already packed, it did not take long before the group set out to finally join with the clan. With Vilana's pride taking the lead, they headed along the quickest possible path to the outpost. As they were scouts, they were already familiar with the terrain, even more so than Ra'kalesh's pride. It was actually impressive how effortlessly they could move through even the thickest parts of the forest.

Even at their heightened pace, it was several hours of a walk straight to the north before they neared the clan's location. Had they not been discovered, it would have been at least another two days before they would have happened upon it. Perhaps longer, if there were any setbacks. It was already late evening when they left, so the sun had almost completely set by the time they drew close. In the dense forest, scarcely any light made it to the forest floor, and were they not lycans, they likely would not have been able to navigate at all.

The group was not even within sight of the outpost when the patrolling guards spotted them, and much like their first encounter with Vilana's pride, it was not the most peaceful encounter. Several archers, mostly Khajiit, revealed themselves from the bushes and trees around them. A few were even in the branches above. One of them, an Ohmes-raht male, kept firmly at a distance with his bow ready as he spoke. "Vilana! Who are these people? They...smell of lycans, but you know we're under strict orders not to bring anyone directly here. No matter who they are. Ra'jorr will have your head for this."

"Be calm, brother." Vilana said, moving to the side to allow Meesei to step forward. "This is the Champion of Hircine."

The Ohmes-raht's first reaction was, of course, skepticism. However, once he could see her ring clearly, his eyes widened. While he was staring, Meesei took the opportunity to speak up. "That I am. If possible, I would like to speak with your clan's leader right away."

"It is...everyone, weapons down. Now. Of course, Champion. Vilana, take them straight to him." He answered quickly, and somewhat nervously.

"Already on it." Vilana commented as the guards moved aside and allowed the group through towards the camp.

As they started to continue on once more, Peiter could not help but to shake his head and chuckle. "That seems to be a recurring theme today, doesn't it?" He commented, nudging Sabine's elbow.

After crossing over a shallow area of the river nearby, it was only a minute or so longer before the outpost came into view. The outpost proper was sturdy, and built up into the branches of the trees much like the first one they had seen. However, there were also dozens of other structures on the ground beneath it, ranging from tents to wooden shacks. Mostly, the clan had not quite retired for the night, so many were still awake to see them being guided through towards the lifts. From a distance, they could not see the Ring of Hircine on Meesei's finger, but the very fact that they were new arrivals was enough to cause a buzz of hushed conversation around them.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine gave Peiter a glance when she was nudged, but she wasn't quite as amused. "If you mean getting arrows aimed at us, I do not like the theme," she said. From her voice and posture, Sabine was a little tense.

Fording the river came with the relief that the water source was a sizeable one. As for the outpost, it was really more of a large encampment at this point. The eyes on the group were returned by the gaze of almost everyone as they passed.

"This place resembles how we lived in the clan before we found the Ayleid city ruins," Uthri commented, "But everyone here...they look quiet. Afraid."

Gallus responded, "I imagine several months of hiding would have that effect."

[EliteCommander]

The camp had several lifts which could be used to take the group up to the outpost proper in the trees above. Before they reached them, Vilana spoke up. "I can lead everyone up to Ri'nakhad, the rest of my pride can stay and rest." She commented.

"Ra'kalesh's pride can do the same, except you, Colors." Ra'kalesh added. "Ri'nakhad may want to speak with you himself, given all the time you spent with the enemy's agents."

With most of the two prides staying behind in the camp, they did not have to take quite as much time to bring everyone up the lifts to the platforms above. For those who still had the energy to climb, there were also ropes they could use to get up, much like the other outpost, which also shortened the wait. While it was no city, the outpost was significantly larger than the first they had seen. It had obviously been expanded upon since the clan first arrived to allow for more living space in the treetops. Although, it was quite obvious which structures were new, since the older structures were generally larger, and of a higher quality. From what they had been told, the clan had been cut down to a third of its original size in the attack, but it still had population enough to feel like a town. Tamriel itself had experienced a drastic rise in its lycan population over the past few years, so pretty much all of the clans had grown to sizes they never would have previously thought possible.

Vilana had to stop and explain what was happening to three separate guards before they reached the largest of the outpost's structures. Instead of being built around a single trunk, it was suspended between three separate trees and was of an appropriate size to be a town hall. Walking through the door led directly into the main room, with its primary feature being along table consisting of smaller tables that had been pushed together to accommodate almost twenty people. Vilana spoke with Ri'nakhad's assistant and, once she introduced Meesei yet again, he ran off immediately to wake the clan leader and bring him back to the hall.

As they were waiting, the group had a chance to make themselves comfortable. The room was large enough that it did not feel cramped, and there was enough seating for everyone. Meesei had not anticipated that the outpost would be as large as it was, which led her to believe that its intended purpose was actually to be a fallback point for the clan. If that were the case, then Ri'nakhad likely had considerable foresight, or at least strong planning capabilities.

Kaleeth sat with Leaps at her feet, rubbing the top of his head to keep him content. All the while, she admired the building around her. It certainly was not the largest or nicest building they had seen in their travels, but its location was enough to impress her. "I've never seen this many treetop buildings before. If this was an outpost, then I wonder what the clan's actual base looked like?"

[Muttonhawk]

The first treetop buildings that the packs had seen were a novelty back near Senchal. They were small and practical, their size lending to their hidden nature. The buildings in this outpost were more impressive, not because of any chance that they retained their stealth, but simply having something liveable of their scale suspended so far above the ground. The meeting hall in particular was surreal with the way it utilised multiple trees for support.

Janius sat next to Kaleeth with Newt on his lap. This time, he was amazed as she was. "I would think it nothing short of a city in the trees if it is anything like this," he answered.

Fendros took a seat across from the pair and commented as well, "I can't imagine how something like this would be built. This clan must have some very talented carpenters."

While everyone sat down, Tzirret hung back, trying not to draw attention to himself. Gallus made sure to drag him to a seat and sat next to him.

[EliteCommander]

"It is certainly an art, to build in these trees." Ra'kalesh commented, taking his seat near Meesei. "It is something learned from the Dagi, this one believes, and adapted for our purposes. These structures are easier to hide, and harder to attack with a proper defense. Ra'kalesh knows little of their actual construction, however."

Meesei had taken a seat on the end of the table as they awaited the clan leader. A few of the guards they had encountered on the way to the meeting hall had followed behind them, but were currently waiting outside at the door. Just from the reactions she had seen in the walk through the camp, she had a feeling that their arrival had caused some measure of chaos within the clan, but hopefully, it would turn out to be a positive sort of chaos. The kind that would involve hope being restored to their frightened minds. At the very least, most of the clan was already aware that a change was coming soon.

"This place is larger than what I would have expected from an outpost." Meesei explained. "Most of the buildings seem older, so it was built quite a while ago. I myself wonder if it was always Ri'nakhad's intention to bring the clan here in an emergency? If so, it would be a contingency many years in the making. That would explain why there are not enough living quarters for even a third of the original clan in the trees. The Senchal clan has grown just as much in the last few years as nearly every other in Tamriel. He likely would not have had the time or resources to have this place expanded."

Although Tzirret was trying to stay out of sight, Peiter certainly noticed how timid he was. The past few days had seen a return to Tzirret's former level of confidence; perhaps even less than before. He sat across from Tzirret, beside Sabine, and leaned in as he looked at him with concern. "Is everything alright, Tzirret? I know we didn't get the best welcome, but I don't think anyone in the clan is going to hurt us."