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

[Muttonhawk]

Janius took a breath and looked away again, thinking further on Kaleeth's words while still stroking her arm. His mouth went to a frown with how complex it seemed to be. "I think..." Janius began, before taking another few moments.

Once he found a conclusion, Janius looked to Kaleeth and spoke sincerely. "Kaleeth, I remember the times when you really struggled to stay in control. You were always anxious, hating your beast spirit and yourself. Living in fear like that is not something I think is best for you. At the same time, if you continue down this path of letting it influence you, you could change into someone you're not. More of your compassion might be replaced with a sort of violence. At least, that's how I could see it playing out if you do not exercise some restraint, at least." Janius' voice became higher, making a suggestion that he could not know to be plausible, "Is it...possible to strike a balance, do you think? Some aggression would not do too much harm, but some control in return would do wonders. If you really listen to yourself and pay attention, who knows? You could experiment for a while."

Janius' smile returned and he rolled to be closer to Kaleeth. "And remember, I have seen the best and the worst of you and I still love you. Perhaps it might help more to think about what is best for yourself...and Newt." Janius craned his head to see the soft rise and fall of his son's breathing, "What kind of mother would you like to be for him?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth closed her eyes as she thought, with the only sound she made being the breaths she took. She was still indecisive for the moment, but Janius had at least given her a direction in which to think. "I want to be a mother he can feel safe to be around. I don't want him to think that I could lose myself at a moment's notice."

There was a pause while Kaleeth ran her hands down her face and let out a sigh. "But what if I lose myself anyway, just in a different way? I don't like to hurt people; I'm not bloodthirsty like this creature in my head. That's not who I want to be, but...maybe it's who I have to be. Just a little bit. I need an outlet, or my beast does, rather. It needs to be able to vent its own frustrations. I know it will make me a bit more aggressive, but...wouldn't that be better than being a danger to you and Newt?"

Reaching over to Janius, Kaleeth laid one hand on his chest and looked up to his eyes. "Maybe...I should get together some people in the clan to fight with, like on that ship?"

[Muttonhawk]

Janius grinned, "I think there would be some people willing to try that. Perhaps with a healer on hand in your case, but I would call that a good idea."

To Kaleeth's previous concerns, Janius brought his other hand up to hers on his chest and whispered on. "Like I said, try to strike a balance. I should think you occasionally being aggressive is definitely better than being a danger to our son. If it does become a problem, we can talk about it some more at any time."

With that, Janius wrapped both arms around Kaleeth and gave her a kiss. "Who knows? You might enjoy being more assertive," he added.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth chuckled. "Maybe. I just wish I didn't have to wait until we are out of the desert to do it. I doubt anyone will want to be fighting after walking all day, but I do want to see what this will do for me. I might not have quite as much aggression once my beast has something it can vent through. Maybe I won't be so...bitey next time have some time to be alone. If not...well, you could always gag me or something."

---

The next morning was just the same as any other, apart from the fact that Meesei, Ri'nakhad, Gallus, and Ra'jorr were all awake earlier than usual. They all knew what they were meant to do, so they mostly stayed apart as the clan was waking up. Ra'jorr took care of directing his warriors on their tasks. At first, just a few of them headed to the area around the soldiers' tents, striking up conversations with those who they needed to move away. The warriors were told not to be too specific with why they needed to move, but to make it clear that the order was coming from the clan's leadership. After the warriors returned, Ra'jorr prompted his Pahmar and mages to start slowly shifting into the area. S'nishi was brought close-by as well, though most of the Senche kept their distance so as to avoid being too suspicious.

Since the soldiers knew of Ra'jorr's role among the group, he kept his distance, while Meesei and Gallus moved closer. They sat down around a cooking fire that was just starting to be built by a few of the warriors looking to blend in. Quietly, Meesei glanced over and whispered to Gallus. "Are we ready?" She asked simply.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus was leaned forward while seated, looking into the small cooking fire. Having donned it for the occasion, his mail and leather armour itched with sweat already. He wordlessly glanced to Meesei at her question, and then looked around to check his surroundings one last time.

Only a sharp eye would be able to tell that the people surrounding the various cooking fires were not who they usually were, but it was still dim and early. It could be reasoned that the regular crowd had not arisen yet. If anything stood out, it was Gallus and Meesei. Thankfully, they were just a small detail in a wide picture.

As usual, the soldiers had left one of their number out on watch. He was in his armour, leaning lazily on his lance as he watched the sun rise. The guards had become less attentive after the first several days with the clan. Though they were still vigilant for any runners, they no longer appeared to feel threatened. A couple more of the soldiers were awake, but not dressed in their armour. They were instead knocking sand from their belongings and watering the horses. They had only just woken up, after all. After a moment, the guard on duty pushed himself to a proper standing posture and poked the blunt end of his lance into one of the tents. There was a sound of protest in Ta'agra, but it simply appeared as if they were changing the guard.

Gallus had his eyes locked on them, but he nodded to Meesei. This would be the best time possible. He stood up and clicked his fingers in the direction of the warriors around him. They all eventually signalled their attention and waited. Gallus had one hand on his hammer, but didn't draw it yet. They would all wait for Meesei's signal.

[EliteCommander]

Standing up from the fire, Meesei walked in the direction of the soldiers' tents. She wore the same robe as when they had first encountered the Dominion troops over a week prior. Unlike Ri'nakhad and Ra'jorr, the soldiers were not likely to know much about her, other than what they had said during their first meeting. She had not spoken to any of them during the week they had been traveling together, and had not said much in their first meeting. All they would know of her was that she was one of the two representing the non-Khajiit of the group. The fact that she was approaching them now would likely be seen as curious, but not necessarily hostile. Even if she had been, it was far too late for them to organize any sort of retreat now.

Meesei scanned across the group of Khajiit soldiers until she could pick out the highest ranking among them, whom she had made sure she could recognize the previous day. Her demeanor was not tense, but rather, she actually tried to appear non-threatening. She did not intend to escalate hostilities before it was absolutely necessary. As she approached their leader, she bowed her head politely. "Greetings. You are the ranking Dominion soldier here, correct? I believe I need to speak with you; it is...quite important."

[Muttonhawk]

The unarmoured Khajiit giving water to the horses turned his head to Meesei with one raised ear. "You are one leader, yes? We speak." The Khajiit quickly finished up and turned to Meesei properly. He looked and sounded slightly groggy, but he gave full attention. "Do she speak Ta'agra? This one speak small Cyrodilic only. He has apology."

The other soldiers gave Meesei an unsure look. They had not interacted with her before. The one brushing sand off their spare clothing made a comment under his breath in Ta'agra that made the leader scowl and give him a serious look. The leader said something firmly in return and the upstart went back to his duties after no more than a nervous affirmation.

"He has apology again." The leader faced Meesei again with his tired face again, "Destir is rude Khajiit. He will be punish. Now, what is speaking reason? Has one of Qito's men be rude Khajiit to tribe?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei shook her head. "I am sorry, I do not speak Ta'agra. I can wait a moment if you would like to have someone help translate for us, but I am afraid this is a rather serious matter. It is nothing you have done, I can assure you, but this is something we will need to resolve now."

Regardless of whether he wanted to have another of his men translate, Meesei allowed Qito a few moments to finish his task so that he could concentrate on their conversation. Once he was settled, she took in a deep breath before continuing in just as formal of a tone. "I do not wish to waste your time, or attempt to deceive you, so I will simply speak directly. I know what your mission here is, and I understand that you want to fulfill it, but our people cannot go to Orcrest. We are not fugitives, or spies, and we do not have any intention of harming you or your Dominion, but our reason for being here cannot be delayed. I am sorry."

[Muttonhawk]

The leader, Qito, turned his head slightly and narrowed an eye. He took a few moments to process what Meesei had said, trying to eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding her. Thankfully, his listending comprehension of Cyrodilic was much better than his speech.

"Qito never had thought that tribe of yours were fugitive or spy, but all must go to Orcrest to check and record." Qito spoke patiently, as if he was convinced that Meesei did not understand. "Qito must remain until all are at Orcrest. We go with you on your reason, then we go to Orcrest. Reason must be quick. Qito must know what reason is." Qito ended sternly, "We still finish mission by end."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei shook her head. "Again, I am sorry, but we cannot go to Orcrest. I have the utmost respect for you and your men, and I understand that you want to follow the orders of your commander, but to pull you along where we are going will only put you in danger. There are dangerous groups in Elsweyr, living in secret, one of which is our enemy. At this point, you and your men must separate and head to Orcrest on your own. We will give you enough food and water to make the journey. You can tell your superiors what you wish about us; I understand that we are disobeying the orders of your commander, but it is what we have to do."

Meesei still did not give the signal to Gallus. She only intended to give any show of force if the soldiers became violent, or otherwise threatening. It would be best for the clan if they could resolve this issue with as little hostility as possible, but Meesei was ready to escalate at any moment if it became necessary. And, of course, she was ready to react to any violent action on a moment's notice.

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's response only narrowed Qito's other eye in even more confusion. He spoke with an insistence that hinted that his patience had been chipped at, but for the sake of understanding, he did not lose his temper.

"Secret enemies? Dangerous?" Qito put up one hand and shook his head, "Qito reminds, this is Dominion soldiers. To danger us is to wake strongest fighting force in Tamriel. Dangerous groups are to handle only by us, in force, not by civilian tribe." Qito crossed his arms, again, finishing firmly, "Tribe and Qito go to Orcrest first. If threat is here, we take Dominion force to contain. Dominion land is made safe by Dominion soldiers. There is no split path. There is no speak of split path."

The new guard on duty made a nervous sound and spoke up to Qito in Ta'agra, he was looking out to the nearby tents. Qito turned and responded similarly to the other soldier, but with insistence, the guard kept speaking. Qito had an exchange with the guard for a few moments, and afterwards, Qito's face softened to curiosity.

"Leader of tribe," Qito remarked, turning his head slowly back to Meesei. He spoke cautiously, "Where are many family in tent normally close to tent of Qito? Where did many family go?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei held firm, uncompromising in both her expression and tone. "And what if I told you, Qito, that your government has been infiltrated by this secret enemy? We must be on our way."

Turning her head briefly towards the warriors behind her, she signaled for them to reveal themselves, but motioned for them to keep their distance. Despite Qito's resistance, she still did not want to escalate to direct threats. "I understand you do not know us; you have no inherent reason to trust us. In your position, I would not trust us either, but that is what I am going to have to ask you to do. We do not intend any harm against you, the Dominion, or any of its innocent citizens. We want to give you the food and water you will need to reach Orcrest, then allow you to go on your way. You can tell your superiors we were not compliant, and there was no reasonable way for you to force us to follow you." Meesei suggested.

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus understood the signal immediately and stood up with the others, pulling out his hammer and a dagger.

As soon as the warriors revealed themselves, the soldier on watch drew his sword and shouted. "To arms! To arms! This one knew something was wrong!"

The other soldiers immediately leapt into action. Whether they were armoured or not, they grabbed for their swords and their shields, falling into a practiced formation and looking this way and that. Fear and surprise was laced over their faces, but no inch of their bodies looked unprepared to fight.

The only soldier to not react to the alarm was Qito. He still stood completely still opposite Meesei, arms still crossed and his tail padding side to side deliberately. His stare bored into Meesei with equal parts intimidation and inquiry, trying to work her out as she laid out her ultimatum.

"Sir! They mean to kill us!-" One of the soldiers began, but was cut off.

"No," Qito turned his head slightly when he spoke, but did not take his eyes off Meesei, "Qito thinks not." Qito turned his head back to Meesei directly. His voice was low and careful, "This leader...her name, Meesei? Meesei...speak as if she not Dominion, as if tribe not Dominion, but she does not wish hurt upon Dominion. Qito wants to trust Meesei. Qito wishes to know what Meesei is enemy of here. However, Qito values the lives of his men and is oath bound to speak of all. So, he will give choice. One last choice."

Qito raised one arm from their folded position and uncurled one clawed finger. "One, Qito goes with tribe to Orcrest. He forgets about all this, for Meesei was misguided and was sick from the sun. There will be no punish of tribe for threat of Qito and his men. Tribe remains free and lawful." Qito then uncurled another finger, "Two - Meesei must be complete of sure - Qito accepts Meesei offer, Qito rides to Orcrest with his men and supplies to live. Qito will speak of all. All of threats, all of secret enemy, all of Meesei speaking not as Dominion, all of ruse that was slave ship. Meesei and Tribe will be hunt over desert until found. All of tribe will criminal. Lying to soldiers, threat of soldiers, trespass on Dominion." Qito slowly refolded his arm, "Meesei must make choice. There is no other but blood and greater crime. Qito knows she understands."

[EliteCommander]

"We cannot go to Orcrest." Meesei repeated. Behind her, even more of the clan's warriors, this time more visibly armed than the mages, started to reveal themselves, making the size of the force arrayed against Qito and his men even more apparent. "You see the force I have available, more than your commander perhaps realized. I am sure you can see, clearly, that if it was my desire, I could have you killed easily. My archers and mages alone would fell you before you could reach even me. Your weapons and armor would be of a great material benefit to us, but that is not what we want. None of us have any desire to harm your men, or the Dominion. If we killed you now, it would give us even more time to evade the search party that would come afterwards. But, we are not doing any of that. We have taken a considerable detour to bring your men close enough to Orcrest that you can get to safety. You and your men have, for the most part, been respectful and courteous, and we have gone through great pains to make sure you are not harmed. We have done all of this because we do not want to harm you, or the Dominion. We are allies to you, and what we do will be to the benefit of the Dominion, and Tamriel as a whole."

Regardless of what the warriors behind her were doing, Meesei maintained as nonthreatening of a demeanor as possible. "I intend no threat against you. You are free to leave unharmed, with all of your belongings and the supplies I have had prepared for you. You may say what you like about us, just remember all we did for the sake of you and your men."

[Muttonhawk]

"As she wishes," Qito said flatly. He unfolded his arms and looked to the increasingly uneasy soldiers behind him. "Stand down! All of you!"

"Sir? We're surrounded..."

"He said stand down!" Qito bellowed, "We are leaving. Get dressed and start breaking camp. You have ten minutes!"

"Yes sir!" All of the soldiers said in unison. They all discarded their arms and got to work quickly, though somehow they still managed to make themselves look reluctant in the process. This was obviously a new experience for all of them.

Qito himself wasted no time in donning his own armour and helping to pack things away. He did not give Meesei another word.

While the tents were being packed away, Gallus looked to a couple of the warriors that he had talked to earlier that morning. Gallus stuck his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and whistled them down, giving a beckoning wave. The warriors nodded and brought out a few small skins of water and some pouches that smelled like preserved food. The soldiers took the supplies carefully once Qito ordered them to.

Within ten minutes, all of the soldiers were as they were when they arrived; armed with shields and lances, armoured in pale golden bands, and astride their horses, rearing to move. Qito gave some parting words to Meesei, reiterating what he had warned. "Meesei and tribe are criminal now. Bear choice as you believe best. Farewell, and thank you for men spared."

Qito was about to order his soldiers to move out, but there was a moment for a final comment.

After all was said and done, Gallus walked up beside Meesei to watch the riders disappear in a cloud of beating hooves. "Well," Gallus put his weapons away, "That went as well as could be expected, didn't it? Hm?"

[EliteCommander]

As the soldiers turned to take their leave, Meesei gave only one final comment: a Khajiit expression she had learned. "May you walk on warm sands." She said simply before returning to the line of warriors at the edge of camp. Of course, Ra'jorr had already ordered that the warriors remain on alert, with double patrols for the next day as they traveled. While the soldiers would be making their way to Orcrest, the clan would be turning south for most of the day, before they turned towards the west. It would take an extra day of travel, but it would keep them safely away from the city.

Meesei gave a nod to Gallus. "It certainly could have gone much worse, yes. Regardless of what the soldiers do, I am glad we were able to end this without bloodshed. No doubt they will attempt to return with a search party, but our tracks will be long gone by then. The chances of us being discovered are slim to none. But, that struggle just leads into the next. Now, we have to contact the Orcrest clan. Fortunately, I have become quite familiar with all of Tamriel's clans over the past few years. Based on the description I have of their stronghold, it should not be difficult to find them. Now, we still need to pack up camp and get moving in case those soldiers change their minds. After breakfast, of course." She said with a slight grin.

[Muttonhawk]

"Quite right," Gallus said. Although it was a relief to see the back of those soldiers, he did not seem quite as joyful as Meesei. He had a strange feeling that this was not the last they would hear from them, if only because the movement of the clan had been secretive until they arrived.

Still, it served no use to be worried about it now. As Gallus turned to follow Meesei back into camp, another question came to mind. "Wait a minute, if the Orcrest clan is easy to find, then how do they stay hidden?" Gallus leaned forward to look as Meesei curiously.

Though Gallus paid it no need, both Meesei and he passed by a Khajiit woman who was looking off into the distance after the soldiers. She appeared to have a sad expression. It was likely that the soldiers had made some connections after only a few days, whatever circumstances there had been.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a light chuckle to Gallus. She had not yet shared the description of the Orcrest clan's exact location, at least not beyond Ri'nakhad, so his confusion was understandable. "I did not say they are easy to find, I said they will be easy for me to find. I know the details of their location and how to find it, but without that, there would be very little chance of actually locating them. They are a fair distance to the southwest of Orcrest, off of any trade routes and away from any mapped oases. And, if someone did happen to be in the area, it is my understanding that they could easily walk past it without noticing. You can rest assured that the Orcrest clan is not one that can be easily attacked."

Walking back over to the fire, Meesei grabbed a cut of meat from one of the bags nearby and decided to forego the hassle of cooking. For the past week, everyone had been eating their meals cooked in order to appear less suspicious to the soldiers, but Meesei was now free to do as she wished. Although, with the dried and salted meats the clan was carrying, cooking was honestly an improvement to the flavor. She simply did not want to waste any more time than necessary. "We will need to stay alert for the next day or two. It is always possible that the soldiers might still decide to track us, despite the danger it would place them in. Though, I highly doubt that will be an issue. Few people, even soldiers, are willing to march into certain death if given another option."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus gave a nod to one side. He had suspected that the Orcrest clanhome was as Meesei explained. As for the soldiers, Gallus pulled a tight smile. "We'll see, Meesei," he responded, "I just hope that no one gets too curious about the behaviour of our makeshift desert tribe here."

The next few days of skirting around the city of Orcrest itself came up with no further sightings of soldiers. The distance they kept meant that no one saw the city, but the trails of caravans heading in and out along the sands gave evidence of its location. During this time, the the true sigh of relief from leaving the soldiers behind left the clan very slowly. There were no sandstorms over those past days, only isolated pockets of wind that shifted the sands around and bit into uncovered eyes and mouths. Thankfully, it was all they needed to cover their tracks.

During this time, Tzirret had shifted his focus in learning healing such that he learned first aid from Irenya rather than forcing magic. He had a much easier time learning the easy techniques to save or preserve a life, while at the same time began to scratch the surface of anatomy. Again, it was a lot to learn, but it felt better to have tangible progress rather than pursuing something that required as much time and focus to break into as magic. It helped his learning immensely to also be able to revise what he had learned with Ma'tanza during the day.

As for interactions with Ma'tanza, Tzirret had been slowly getting over an awkward apprehension brought about by the start of their relationship, but the mix of breaking the ice with talk about healing and the sheer amount of time they got to be in contact meant that he was feeling much more comfortable around her again. Tzirret only regretted not really having much of any time alone with her, as it was only then that he felt completely open in expressing himself. There was always either M'ibasa, or S'nishi, or one of her friends around. He thought perhaps the Orcrest clan might be different, if only he knew what to expect.

After learning of Kaleeth's state, Janius decided to try something risky and experimental the next day. Normally, after setting up camp, they would spend a short time under Ra'kalesh's instruction, practising the techniques he had taught them. Most of the time, progress was slow, as precise drills were required to learn the proper movements. However, after their lesson, instead of going straight to dinner, Janius offered a short bout of contact hand-to-hand sparring. He kept it brief, unlike the ship fights, if only for the sake of not being beaten to a pulp. However, he hoped that regular little releases of energy and aggression might help Kaleeth's situation. At the same time, he got to try out and home his own attempt at Ra'kalesh's techniques, to varying degrees of success.

As the clan travelled, they came into sight of a ridge of low, red-brown, rocky hills. Hills and mesas such as these were common while they travelled the desert. Gallus was glad for the sight of them as landmarks of progress, as he had imagined the never-ending sea of dunes south of Orcrest to be a disorienting nightmare. These hills, however, were special. As they came close, in the middle of the day, Meesei ordered the clan to stop and set up camp. She recognised the formation as close to their destination.

"So, are they in caves up there or something?" Gallus asked Meesei, nodding up at the hills. Everyone else was excited to be so near the end of their journey, but Gallus was keeping himself contained, standing with one hand on his hammer and squinting at the hills ahead. "If they are up there, why have we still set down here in the desert? We have time to get closer." Gallus turned his head to Meesei, "Are we going to be part of an advance party to check the place out?"

Gallus honestly wished he had thought to discuss what Meesei had in mind to do upon their arrival earlier.

Sabine had kept up a busy routine these past few days; waking, eating, travelling, mixing balm, sleeping, and so on. This began to change two days after the soldiers left; there was a creeping worry brewing over her, but she had yet to tell anyone why. Her anxiety made her terse in speech, visibly stressed, and apparently on the edge of her temper. This was especially bad today - as soon as they set up camp, Sabine retreated into her and Peiter's tent and just laid down, out of sight.

[EliteCommander]

Once again, Meesei was dressed in the robe, though this time she was also grabbing a few pouches with water and other supplies. She was not expecting to be away from camp for more than a few hours, but she preferred to be prepared than to not. She had stopped the clan away from the Orcrest, rather than to approach with everyone at once. Fellow lycans or no, the Orcrest clan would feel understandably threatened by such a large group suddenly appearing right outside their stronghold. She intended to bring only herself, a few of her and Gallus' pack members, and at least one of the clan's lieutenants.

As Gallus approached, Meesei nodded to him. "Yes, I do not wish to alarm the clan by approaching with our entire force at once. A small group would be much better to make contact. I am going to bring a few of my pack members, as well as yourself, whichever of your pack you wish to accompany us, and one of the lieutenants. I have no reason to believe that the Orcrest clan has been attacked or otherwise compromised by the enemy, but just in case, I do want to have enough warriors with us that we could escape an ambush. However, not so many as to alarm the clan. Gather your supplies, and whoever you want to bring with you, and meet me at my tent. I will do the same." She explained.

Meanwhile, Peiter had taken notice of Sabine's behavior over the past few days. He was around her more than anyone, so he noticed her change in mood even before Meesei, as she was often busy with her duties. Now that they were in camp, he decided that it was time to speak to, and hopefully comfort her about whatever it was that was bothering her. Slowly, and somewhat nervously, he opened up the entrance of the tent just enough to poke his head inside. "Hello...love. Could I, um...come in? I've been noticing you've been acting unusual lately. Is there something wrong?"