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

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine wasn't particularly aware of the cardinal direction that she was heading, but she checked the sun to make sure when Meesei mentioned the patrols. "Okay, we will not go south," Sabine said with a nod. She began walking again with Peiter without clarifying what they were going to be doing.

While listening to Ma'tanza, Tzirret found himself smiling at the thought of trying to build tree houses in the relatively smaller trees of central Cyrodiil. "Well, you can imagine how Tzirret felt when he saw houses in trees for the first time." It actually occurred to Tzirret that perhaps his and Ma'tanza's first experiences in their new environments overlapped quite a bit. "The air is dryer and cooler, yes. Not as cold as Bruma, but...this one likes it this way."

They did not have to move too far out of the camp to begin, so Tzirret stopped in a small, grassy clearing and turned to Ma'tanza. "Here should be fine," he said, "Tzirret thinks we will not be the only ones hunting right now. We should be mindful of others, perhaps we should even run for a short while to gain some distance."

Tzirret then stepped back and began to transform into a werewolf, as he had done plenty of times before. His figure snapped, warped, bulged, and elongated its way to a werewolf shape without him even letting out a pained sound. His stature was smaller than most werewolves; a juvenile, as reflected his age. However, his dark grey fur outlined telling muscular power all the same.

Once Tzirret opened his eyes again, he ended up leaning forward on one clawed hand and poking his head forward. He sniffed closely around Ma'tanza's head, not nearly as shy as before. Given his feelings towards Ma'tanza and his beast spirit's prior familiarity to werelions, it took a surprising amount of will power for Tzirret to restrain himself. He promised his mind a hunt, and that seemed to placate other desires for now. His entire being was actually excited to have a hunt without Gallus keeping him reeled in and under control.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter walked with Sabine far enough from camp to feel secure in their privacy, though was careful not to travel too far. After one last kiss, he quite eagerly transformed himself into his lycan form. On the way out of the camp, he had actually been worried about how his beast spirit would react to his intentions once it was released. He usually only transformed for the purpose of hunting, and any time he used it for something simple like traveling or climbing, it was to the irritation of his beast spirit. He had worried that he would have to fight his beast spirit through this entire event. However, as he quickly discovered upon shifting, his beast had adopted the frame of mind he had before the transformation, and was also quite eager to go through with his intentions.

Ma'tanza could not say how she felt about the climate. She felt more comfortable, true, but it was not what she was accustomed to. It was not so much that the cooler air was uncomfortable as much as it was just strange. Nevertheless, she followed along and began her transformation alongside Tzirret. While he was small for a werewolf, she was also around his age, and thus, the same relative stature for a werelion. As such, the size difference between them was obvious. In her werelion form, she was larger and stronger than her normal Suthay-raht form, but not to the extent of a werewolf. Her fur was short, and she lacked the mane of her male counterparts.

Once transformed, Ma'tanza's beast spirit was almost at a loss for what to do in the new surroundings. They were not too greatly different in appearance, but virtually all of the scents around her, apart from Tzirret himself, were unfamiliar. It was curious to investigate all of these new scents, but she reigned it in to focus on the matter at hand. She walked up beside Tzirret, waiting for him to take the lead on their hunt.

[Muttonhawk]

While Sabine was also unsure of how her beast spirit would react to Peiter's advances, it was not so easily convinced as Peiter's was. Perhaps it was Sabine's previous worries creeping up, despite that it was still Peiter that she was with, or perhaps it was something else, but she ended up resisting for a short while. At no point did they seriously hurt each other, but Sabine ended up flattening her ears and baring her teeth, clawing and biting Peiter away lightly, even growling a bit. It took roughly ten minutes of patient encouragement from Peiter for Sabine's beast spirit to submit. Sabine did seem to enjoy it, but interestingly, she tried to fight for dominance halfway through. Again, it was not particularly harmful, but Peiter had to work to keep in control. Sabine's attempts failed, of course, due to Peiter's relative strength, but it certainly sealed the experience as different in Sabine's mind. The animalistic bent of it all had its charm, but Sabine knew she would probably have some apologies to make after they shifted back.

It occurred to Tzirret that he had not seen Ma'tanza in her werelion form before. She was smaller than La'khay, but her appearance did trigger the memory of his last 'lesson' briefly. His beast spirit was as curious about her as she was about the environment around her, but he too had to focus. He was there to hunt, and this odd creature that he had not hunted with before would be joining him. It didn't feel quite as right as hunting with werewolves, but he could tolerate it. Ma'tanza was a trusted figure in Tzirret's mind, not to mention a potential mate. The latter concept that was still a little surreal in the mind of his beast spirit.

Tzirret stood up in the air and sniffed at the breeze. Just as he predicted, there were many lycans in the vicinity and not much game. He sprinted off in one direction rather suddenly to find their own hunting spot. The run itself was cathartic enough after so long being cooped up in a ship for a while. Tzirret felt fast, powerful, and free in his beast form, at least when he wasn't scared. He relished all the smells and sights that whizzed by, barely managing to remember to look behind to see if Ma'tanza was following.

Just as suddenly as he ran off, Tzirret dug his feet and hands into the ground and slid to a halt. He had his nose to the air. He had found something. A wild sow. A big one. His mouth watered already; he wouldn't have to share this with anyone! - except Ma'tanza, he reminded himself of that after a couple of seconds.

He glanced at Ma'tanza for just a moment. Such an odd creature, a werelion is. He found his mind wandering under his beast spirit's control and tried to refocus it. The sow! Yes! It was time to chase it down! Tzirret sprinted off again. This first catch would probably be an easy one, but not something to completely satisfy him in a hunt, like a wild horse or bear would be.

[EliteCommander]

While the instincts of Peiter's beast spirit had essentially taken over beforehand, Peiter had much more solid control after it was over. This time, he had collected a few small scrapes and bruises from the resistance Sabine had put up. Although, he doubted she could control that resistance, just as he could not control his own beast spirit's insistence to fight back. Nevertheless, it had been satisfying from his perspective. Now that he was back in control, he walked around in front of her and licked her snout, then nuzzled his head up against hers.

In contrast to Tzirret, Ma'tanza was quite used to hunting with werewolves, and as a werelion, she had absolutely no issue in keeping up with him. What she lacked in strength, she made up for in speed and agility. In fact, she could have easily overtaken him at any point, but she was following his lead. The only thing that was endangering her of being left behind was that she was continually distracted by the wealth of new sights, sounds, and scents around her. Even the songs of the birds above them were different from what she was accustomed to. They felt lighter, almost. But, as she could not hunt birds, her beast spirit eventually demanded that she refocus on the hunt.

It took a while of running before they caught the scent of viable prey, and this time, it was something that was also familiar to Ma'tanza. Swine were common enough in Elsweyr, so as soon as she recognized that it was nearby, she bolted off after the sow. Her speed easily outpaced Tzirret's, allowing her to get ahead of him. Their prey took off running as soon as it heard the rustling leaves and heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. But, a werelion was not one of the creature's usual predators, and her agility allowed her to maneuver between the trees and foliage seemingly effortlessly. It was only seconds before she was upon the sow, tackling it with her entire body and tearing into it with her claws and teeth. She was too distracted by it to pay attention to Tzirret, nor to his beast's reaction to her taking its kill.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine had tired out her beast spirit at this point and it was not putting up any protest to her rational mind. She twisted her snout around Peiter's in an effort to lick him in turn, ensuing a sort of playful fencing between them. Sabine found it amusing. Afterwards, she ended up bringing her arm up and around Peiter's shoulder and trying to pull him onto the ground with her so that she could lay her head on his chest and just be in his scent for a while. For all the fight that she gave beforehand, it seemed that it was more out of instinct than fear or trauma, thus her opinion of Peiter had not changed.

There was a shifting in the undergrowth ahead as Tzirret ran; a stout brown creature trying to bolt off. There it was, his prey. Tzirret was closing the distance fast, but he was surprised to see Ma'tanza shoot past him even as he was running full speed. She caught the sow first, making it squeal in panic before she cracked its neck into silence.

Tzirret slid to a halt again, kicking up leaves in the wake of air he displaced while running. His immediate reaction was a welling of primal anger. This werelion, this smaller creature, it was not powerful enough to challenge his right to a kill! Thankfully, Tzirret caught the thought in its tracks before he could so much as bare his teeth. Ma'tanza was a potential mate, so he implored his beast spirit to share. The conflict between mating and eating was not the easiest one to resolve in Tzirret's transformed mind, but mating eventually won out and he calmed down.

Still, Tzirret licked around his snout as he looked upon the sow being eaten. He was hungry. Perhaps Ma'tanza would not mind sharing either. He padded up to Ma'tanza, sliding up alongside her, and attempted to tear off a leg of the dead sow for himself.

[EliteCommander]

For a while, Peiter simply lay with Sabine, resting. He found himself not thinking about much of anything, and while he was certainly relaxed enough to transform back, he remained in his beast form for the moment. With Sabine's head resting on his chest, he occasionally looked down and licked the top of her head and snout.

Eventually, enough time had passed that Peiter felt rested from the exertion. It would be easy to transform, but the sensation of holding her so close in this form felt different than usual. They were both large and powerful beings, and yet her fur made her feel soft. He let out a low, rumbling sound, almost like a growl. Although, it had no anger behind it. "How, do you feel?" He finally spoke up.

Ma'tanza was not close to the highest ranking member of her pride, so she was accustomed to allowing others to eat first. In fact, when Tzirret approached, her first reaction was to tear off a large chunk for herself and drag it a short distance away, leaving the rest for Tzirret. Even though Tzirret was not a member of her pride, she was used to most of the others she hunted with outranking her. The leader of her particular pride tended to enforce clan structure and rank rather strongly, though Ma'tanza did not always like it.

Once she had finished the meat she had torn away, Ma'tanza started creeping up to what remained of the sow to hazard tearing off another piece for herself, while carefully keeping her eyes on Tzirret the entire time.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine was staring right up at Peiter, blissfully. The vocalisation he made, essentially a purr, even though he was not a cat, sounded relaxing to Sabine. She readjusted and wiped the side of her snout across the warm, soft fur on his chest and seemed to nestle in closer. "I feel...warm. Relaxed." Sabine's form of course made her voice deeper and scratchier, but she sounded content. "This is...new, but I liked it."

When Tzirret tore off the leg he had wanted to take aside, he glanced curiously at Ma'tanza as she stepped away with her own chunk of the kill. She didn't seem to want any conflict. Right now, Tzirret was so hungry that he just tore into the leg he had taken while she ate her portion. By the time Ma'tanza returned, Tzirret had partly sated his hunger and was in a little more control. Instead of snapping his jaw to warn Ma'tanza away, he actually nudged the rest of the corpse forward slightly with his snout and one hand. Then he backed off, motioning for Ma'tanza to eat what she wanted first.

[EliteCommander]

"That's good." Peiter answered simply. He was relaxed enough that he felt he could have a nap, though he did not attempt to sleep. In this place, he could actually enjoy Sabine's warmth without starting to sweat profusely, and he intended to enjoy that luxury. He tightened his grip around her, much as he would in human form, and took in her scent deeply.

Unfortunately, the nature of Peiter's beast spirit meant that he could not enjoy the peace and quiet for nearly as long as in Human form. His beast had initially been sated by their mating, but after around ten minutes, their inaction caused it to become restless. It felt like getting up and moving, or just doing something active in general. Likely, Sabine would be experiencing the same thing as well. They would need to do something to satisfy it, or transform back.

Instinctually, Ma'tanza was cautious when Tzirret nudged the corpse towards her. She approached slowly and tore away a few more chunks before leaving the rest to Tzirret. Between the two lycans, the sow did not have a great deal of meat left. Mostly, it had three of its legs, some organs, and its head left.

Once they were done feasting on their kill, Ma'tanza was not sure what they would be doing next. A single sow was certainly a meal, but it had not put up a great fight, and Tzirret had not even been able to kill it. However, the odds of actually finding another creature to kill, particularly with other lycans in the area, were not too great. And, if they ranged too far north, they could end up running into Imperial patrols or other settlements.

[Muttonhawk]

Taking the moment to relax was as enjoyable as ever for Sabine, but she too had to get up and move. She slowly pushed herself off Peiter and stood to her feet, looking around and sniffing the air. There was no game that she could detect save for birds. She did feel somewhat hungry, but she did not feel the urge to hunt as strongly as she would have thought. She just needed to do something, anything. Her eyes scanned around, but landed on Peiter again. She waited until he got up, then crouched low and pounced at him. She was not normally one for play fighting, but she was different in this form. It would be good for getting out some extra energy and having some fun before they shifted back.

The reluctant pieces that each Tzirret and Ma'tanza took from the sow made it look less like the strongest getting the biggest share and more like two people being polite to the point of fault. It dragged out the meal to the point where Tzirret actually felt surprisingly full by the end of it. Tzirret tore the last tendon off the now very skeletal looking sow and looked to Ma'tanza as he snapped it up. He licked at his teeth and the blood on his arms for a few moments, but found that he was at a loss. A werelion face was not as expressive as a Khajiit face, so Tzirret got the odd feeling that he was being judged as Ma'tanza looked on.

"Are you...still hungry?" Tzirret asked, speaking for the first time in this form today, "Not much game left in this place, this one thinks."

In an effort to be more friendly, Tzirret nervously strode over to Ma'tanza's side and seated himself. He did not quite resist his beast spirit's whim to lick the blood on her face until he had already done so once. This time, though, he tried not apologising.

[EliteCommander]

Peiter had not been looking towards Sabine when she decided to pounce on him, so it came as quite the surprise to him. Unfortunately, he had already started the process of transforming back to his Human form when Sabine struck, and he could not interrupt it. His body started shifting as he was being tackled, and a few seconds after he hit the ground, he was back to his Breton self. He was on his back, with Sabine's weight keeping him very easily pinned, though he could still at least move his arms.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you wanted to go again." Peiter commented. He placed both of his hands on either side of her head, then lifted up his own head to kiss her directly on the mouth. "You're just a big, cute puppy, aren't you?" He added with a chuckle.

Ma'tanza's face scrunched up when Tzirret licked at the blood covering it, though she did not actually say anything about it. Instead, she looked down at her own hands and started trying to at least lick them clean. Although, there was honestly not much of a point to it. Her head, arms, and parts of her torso were all covered thickly in blood. She would need a good wash in the river if she wanted to actually be clean.

"That wasn't much of a challenge, but it would be...hard to find anything." Ma'tanza answered. "Not hungry, I just feel like moving around. Maybe swimming."

[Muttonhawk]

Seeing Peiter shrink back into Breton form came as a bit of a shock to Sabine. While she was mildly disappointed that she wouldn't get to play fight, she found the situation funny in its timing. She gave Peiter a couple of enthusiastic licks on the face before she shifted back to a Breton on top of him. As soon as she became human enough, she broke into laughter. "I can be sometimes," she said through her grin. Once her laughter had subsided, she pushed herself up to Peiter's mouth and kissed him deeply.

As usual, the kiss was longer than Sabine had planned. She spoke softly after she pulled back, but still had a grin. "I am sorry if I hurt you before." She ran a hand down one of the still red scratches that Sabine had inflicted on Peiter's shoulder. "It is hard not to...well, act like an animal when in that form." Her eyes went to his again, "What did you think of it?"

Tzirret liked the idea. It would be a good way to expend some energy. "Let's swim, then," he said in as cheerful a voice as his form would allow. He knew where the river was, so he got up and ran straight for it at full speed. Observing Ma'tanza's pace meant that he knew that she could follow.

It took a few minutes, but once they reached the river, Tzirret did not hesitate. He rushed straight in, making a splash and a wake as the water slowed his body down. His beast spirit was always excited to swim when it wasn't hungry or afraid.

[EliteCommander]

"It's alright." Peiter answered, smiling as he rubbed her back. "It was more...instinctual than I thought it would be. I guess my beast spirit took hold more than I was expecting. Still, I was...mentally present for it all. It was a bit frightening at first, but, well, let's just say I certainly don't regret it. Though, at this point, I'm starting to wish there was clothing left over for us, or that I had armor. We might have to explain our cuts and bruises. At least what we're doing is all out in the open now, though; we don't really have to keep it a secret."

Given that the two were still in a rather romantic setting, some of Peiter's touches were of a more intimate nature. "Anyway, what shall we do now?"

Ma'tanza remembered her way back to the river as well as Tzirret, so she was right alongside him as they rushed back. She stayed right by him until the point where they could see the water, when she rushed ahead just as before. She took a deep breath, then dove straight in and kept herself under the water for several seconds longer than Tzirret.

With the energy Ma'tanza had built up from their time in the ship, she was glad for the exercise. Just as the hunt had been a great release for her beast spirit, this swim would be a great change of pace for her. Though she was underwater, she put on a mischievous smile as she looked up at Tzirret just in front of her. Kicking off of the riverbed, she suddenly leaped up out of the water and pounced on him, intent on dragging him back under.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine gave her opinion after Peiter did, "I think I prefer it when we are like this, instead of beast form. It is more gentle." Feeling a strain in her neck from keeping hear head above Peiter's, Sabine lowered her cheek onto his shoulder, "I do not think the cuts will be a problem. If they do not heal before we return, we can say we both ran into a thorn bush," Sabine giggled as she recalled that memory.

As for what to do next, Peiter's ministrations gave a suggestion. Sabine gave him an amused smile, "I can see what you want to do." She brought her hands to his to hold them away for a moment while she stared at him, speaking more seriously, "I have a magic lesson with Meesei later. Let us not take too long, okay?"

Once the water settled from Tzirret's entrance into the river, he raised his head and shook some of the water off, looking for where Ma'tanza might have surfaced from her dive. The water still rippled with their passing, but she seemed to just disappear. As easily as she did, however, Tzirret saw a light tan shape appear under the water. A fraction of a second later, there was a splash and the tan shape had collided with him, toppling him back under. Even through the surprise of the moment, Tzirret felt some deja vu.

While under the water, Tzirret was so shocked that he did not put up any resistance for a few seconds. He simply opened his eyes and saw the blurry shape of Ma'tanza's werelion form pinning him. He would have started laughing had he not needed to hold his breath. Unlike last the time he was in this situation, Tzirret's beast form lent him the strength to roll Ma'tanza off to one side, lifting himself out from her grapple. Of course, many things could happen in the moment that followed, but he intended to try and get back on his feet and wait until she tried something else. He wanted to dodge her once and then wrestle her in the water on equal footing instead of by surprise.

[EliteCommander]

Despite having the element of surprise, Tzirret had more than enough strength to throw Ma'tanza off of him. By the time she could re-orient herself in the water, he had already been able to return to his feet. Regardless, she stood up as well, just outside his reach. She stared him down, her expression regarding him much like prey. "It's been a long time since this one has fought a wolf."

Ma'tanza did not have any particular strategy for her next attack, and instead simply pounced for him again rather quickly. He was obviously stronger than her, but it was not as if she did not have the strength to affect him. Her charge still had a fair amount of weight behind it.

---

Back in camp, Meesei had ended her meditation and was simply walking around, observing the clan. She felt that she understood well what resources the clan had available, and what they still needed, but she did wonder if there was more she could do that did not relate necessarily to vital supplies. It was possible that the clan had other needs that she did not know of, and in her mind, the best way to learn them would be to walk among them. Unfortunately, her mere presence still tended to attract the attention of those who did not yet know her well, but it did at least give her something to do while she waited for Sabine to return for her lesson.

[Muttonhawk]

The short amount of time allowed for misinterpretation and confusion. Tzirret responded with his head angled to one side, "You fought a werewolf bef-?"

This time, Tzirret was not ambushed by Ma'tanza's leap, but he was forced back by it. Trying to dodge it was not especially successful, but he was able to grab her shoulders and take some steps beck in the water to avoid loosing his footing again. A short struggle ensued before Tzirret's strength prevailed. He threw Ma'tanza off to one side and dove under the water himself.

Tzirret was not the most elegant swimmer, especially not in beast form, but he was able to claw his way along the riverbed for extra control. He intended to get behind Ma'tanza when she stood up, then jump out, wrap his arms around her middle, and drag her backwards. He could throw her onto her front on the riverbed after that and hopefully win their little bout.

[EliteCommander]

Ma'tanza did not honestly expect to overtake Tzirret in a simple grapple, so she had the foresight to take in a deep breath before being thrown under the water. She did not try to stand up immediately, as Tzirret expected, but rather she looked around and noticed him diving under along with her. She did not know his exact intentions, but she was able to twist herself around to face him.

After managing to get her foot on the riverbed, Ma'tanza pushed off towards Tzirret and attempted to get her arms around him once more. She knew she had no chance of overpowering him, but it was possible she might be able to keep him under the water with her. From there, she was betting on the possibility that she might be able to hold her breath longer than he could. If so, he might be forced to give up, which was the best way she saw of actually winning.

[Muttonhawk]

So it was that Tzirret's plans had to change again. The momentum of Ma'tanza's underwater tackle left Tzirret unable to find traction. Ma'tanza's arms wrapped around him and his initial reaction was to try and kick through the water onto his feet. With Ma'tanza countering that, he was suddenly reminded of his urge to breathe. He wasn't quite panicked yet, but difficulty breathing tended to be a trigger for his claustrophobia. He did not want to panic in beast form.

With all his strength, Tzirret wrenched his arms free of Ma'tanza, wrapped her entire middle in a tight hug to trap her arms, and found the riverbed with his feet. Thankfully, he still had his bearings, so he kicked towards the shore with enough force to reach there in a couple of seconds. The water slowed them, but they slid to a stop when Ma'tanza's back was beached on the silt of the shore. They both had their heads above the water, so Tzirret gasped in a fresh breath of air. He almost forgot about Ma'tanza being trapped under his body weight, he just closed his eyes, laid the side of his head against the side of hers, and attempted to catch his breath and calm down.

---

After leaving Peiter to his own duties, Sabine had been wandering the camp in search of Meesei. Sabine hoped that she had not taken too long and was late for her lesson. In fact, that worry seemed to supercede the still visible claw and bite marks over her body. They had healed to the point of scabbing already, thanks to being a lycan, but they wouldn't disappear for another day or two.

Fortunately, Meesei was spotted patrolling the camp and Sabine was able to wave her down. She jogged up to Meesei and looked somewhat apologetic. "Sorry if I'm late, Meesei," Sabine said, "Time flew with Peiter. Shall we have a lesson now?"

[EliteCommander]

Admittedly, Ma'tanza's bid to keep Tzirret under the water had been a long shot. In a grapple, he was able to overpower her and gain the advantage, dragging them both up to shore. Not only was Tzirret able to get a breath, but he was able to pin her fairly completely under his weight. As a reaction, she opened her mouth wide, then bit down onto his neck; however, she did not actually apply enough force to break his skin. It was merely enough for him to feel the pressure. "Irrrthnnngggk..." She began, but quickly realized that she was not going to be speaking with a mouthful of Tzirret's fur.

Ma'tanza pulled away from Tzirret's neck so she could speak up. "This one does not think she can say she won this one." She commented. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to calm down, then shifted back to her Khajiit form underneath him. Although, his weight still kept her pinned.

---

Meesei had still been wandering the camp when she heard Sabine's voice, so she had no issue in stopping immediately. She responded to Sabine with a reassuring smile. "That is quite alright, as long as you are here now. I have something specific in mind for today. It will not be the sort of training we can do in a crowded area, so let us find an empty spot just beyond camp." She explained as she motioned for Sabine to follow.

The pair did not walk for long before Meesei noticed a few strange details about Sabine. The first, and most obvious, were the cuts and bruises across her body. They were old enough that they were scabbed over, and none appeared serious, but there were too many for them to have been an accident. Combined with the particular scents she could pick up on her, and Meesei had an idea of what might have happened. "Sabine, were you...hurt by something?' She asked. At the same time, her nostrils flared out, and she took in a few sniffs of the air.

[Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza's bite made Tzirret wince, but if anything, it just kept him from moving for fear of getting hurt. The discomfort made him open his eyes and be brought back to his senses. Ma'tanza had admitted defeat. Now that she was shifting back, Tzirret thought it appropriate to shuffle off her and roll to be seated next to her so he could shift back.

Tzirret shrank down into the form of a Khajiit again and brought his knees up a bit to lean his forehead on them. He was still catching his breath and waiting for his heart to slow down again, but he rolled his head to one side to look at Ma'tanza and pulled a wide grin. The relief of not panicking in his beast form brought a jerky sort of gallows laughter to his throat. "That was fun," he said as he settled down a bit. He let out an audible sigh through his laughter and laid back with his arms spread. Again, he turned his head, staring at Ma'tanza, but at her face this time. She looked lovely when she smiled. "This one was afraid that Ma'tanza would drown him," Tzirret said, still chuckling and grinning.

---

It was naive to think that Meesei would not notice Sabine's appearance and smell. Nevertheless, there had been a false hope held by Sabine that it wouldn't be brought up, right up until Meesei did just that. Sabine looked a little abashed, but as they were both moving through a crowd and would be at an isolated spot soon, Sabine decided to be honest.

"Well, Peiter and myself were curious what would happen if, um..." It sounded so ridiculous now that Sabine was talking about it with Meesei. Sabine wrung her fingers together and continued, "...if we tried mating in beast form." Sabine shot her eyes up to Meesei quickly to placate what the immediate thought probably would be, "We didn't hurt each other! Not really. We just..." Sabine lowered her voice, "We became excited. We might have lost control on one or two occasions." Sabine looked down and ahead again "We are both okay."

[EliteCommander]

"Nonsense, Ma'tanza would only do that if you didn't give up." She laughed. "Or...throw her onto the shore. That worked as well." She added.

Ma'tanza turned onto her side to face Tzirret, propping up her head with her arm. "This one is glad we were able to find something to kill. She doubts we will be able to do the same once we reach the desert. You knew right where to look, though; you must know a lot about hunting in this place." She reasoned.

"Anyway, this one is sorry if she took too much of the...what is that word? Sow.." Ma'tanza apologized, resigning herself to say it in Ta'agra after she could not think of the Cyrodilic word. "This one got excited and ran ahead; you didn't even get to kill it."

---

Naturally, Meesei's eyes widened. "Oh, you did...that...makes sense. I suppose. I haven't done that before, but it's...possible, I guess. It looks like it was rough, are you sure you're not hurt anywhere?" She asked, but immediately closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Never mind. No need to answer that. I...should stop asking these kinds of question, I believe."

Sabine continued to be a source of surprise for Meesei. She had been forced to accept Sabine's maturity a few weeks prior, but learning what kinds of things...appealed to her was more than Meesei wanted to know. Regardless, she did what she could to distract herself in the moment. As soon as they reached a relatively clear area within sight of the camp, the pair stopped.

"Okay...anyway. I have a question for you, about your training, that is. We have practiced extensively over the years with all forms of magic, but right now, I would like to focus on offensive magic. What is commonly taught as destruction. I have trained you as well as I have been able with fire, frost, and lightning. Out of those, which one would you say appeals to you the most, for whatever reason?"