EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's perfectly fine. Such responsibilities come first.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei noticed Ariel's hesitation to get in the water. She knew about her inability to swim, but had not thought greatly on the matter before this point. Being that they were in Black Marsh, water was ubiquitous, and flooding was a concern. Most of the cities were built in places that were safe from rising waters, but if she ever wanted to go elsewhere, being able to swim would be helpful. "You know, Ariel, I should teach you to swim. Well, maybe I should not be the one to teach you; I would not know the first thing about teaching someone else to swim, as it is basically instinctual for Argonians. Perhaps one of the others could teach you? As I am sure you can tell, there is no shortage of water in Black Marsh, so it is something you may want to learn. Failing that, you could always learn a water walking spell, although it may not be wise to rely only on your magic to deal with water."

Ahnasha paused for a moment in thought. She was relatively certain that a lycan could safely transform at any point during a pregnancy, but it would still be rather unfortunate timing if it happened exactly during the full moons. "I don't know, I think it would be fine. I mean, I know childbirth in and of itself is a dangerous thing. Mothers and children alike die all the time from complications. I admit, I get a little afraid when I think about it sometimes, but I do believe I have better chances than most. Khajiit cubs are born smaller than elven babies, so it is less risky by that fact alone. The bodies of lycans can live through much more punishment than those without the blessing, so that also helps me. Not to mention the fact that Meesei will be there to help with her magic. I don't think there is much of a reason to worry. It will probably hurt worse than anything I have ever experienced, but...there isn't much I can do about that."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei smiled, obviously pleased that Ariel seemed to like it, or at least not hate it. "Trodh are fairly common in Black Marsh, but there are other dishes that are actually dead before we eat them. With all the unique plants and animals in the area, Argonian cuisine is just as unique. I will warn you that you should always do research before trying a dish you haven't seen before. Some of the foods we eat are highly poisonous to other races. Anyway, I will catch a few more trodh later that you can experiment on. Do you feel like joining us in the water, in the meantime?"

Ahnasha nodded. "Yes, but not quite for the reason you are thinking. The phase of the moons associated with Senche is the full moons and, well, you know what happens to lycans in full moons. We've been through a few of those over the past few months. I'm not entirely sure what would happen if I started to lose control while giving birth. I mean, my beast spirit is instinct driven, so maybe it would know enough to try and stay calm for the ordeal. Perhaps it wouldn't even put up enough of a fight to make me turn? Either way, everyone else would be in their lycan forms, so I would be having to do it all alone...except for Meesei, I suppose. Her ring could keep her in her normal form, so she could help me. Still, I hope it happens after the full moon, and not during."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Site seems to be acting up today. I'll respond if it lets me.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded to Ariel. "He speaks the truth. Trodh produce a deadly poison shortly after death, but swallowing them whole prevents that." To reinforce the validity of what she was saying, she grabbed one of the creatures from the waterskin and ate it whole in front of her. "Feel free to join us in the pond if you like, and perhaps try one of the trodh. I won't force you to, but I will say, they are rather good. At the very least, I'm guessing you will want a few dead ones to experiment with. If they can produce such a strong poison naturally, I can only imagine what you could do with it. Though, with the concoctions I have seen you make, I wouldn't be surprised if you made a health potion out of it."

Ahnasha gave a slight laugh when Fendros touched one of the more sensitive areas of her foot, though she tried not to call attention to it. "The potions have taken effect, the salve is working, so overall, I feel fine." She placed her hands on her stomach and smiled to draw a bit more attention towards their child. "Only about three and a half more months to go. I'm about halfway through. Just think, in only a few more months, we'll have our own cub. I've been talking with Meesei about the phases of the moons, and it seems that there will be three different phases around the time I should be due. Based on that, we think it might end up being a Cathay, Cathay-raht...or Senche."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Huh, uh, no." Lorag responded, caught off guard that someone actually spoke to him. "Just...keeping track of what you're saying. Sounds like it might be important."

Meesei paused to think for a moment, unsure of what to think of Ariel wanting to share the information she had picked up in traveling with them. On the one hand, information was powerful, and anything she wrote would inevitably be found by their enemies. But, on the other, most of lycans' actual weaknesses were already well known, and she could not think of much that Ariel knew about them which could actually be harmful to them, apart from their identities. "I am not sure how I feel about that. There is quite a bit of misinformation out there about us, but that can sometimes play to our advantage. Our enemies do not always know what will work against us. However, many of those rumors paint us in a much more negative light than what is true. The truth of the matter is that we are people. People with a condition that some of us embrace and accept, and that others received unwillingly. I have heard of some lycans that learn to control their beast, then live successfully among non-lycans. In secret, of course. It is true that there are some wild lycans behave as little more than wild beasts, unable to control their instincts, but for those of us who have a pack, we are far more...civilized might be a word for it. I will not pretend that this blessing is without its disadvantages, but it is not something I would willingly give up, even if that was an option."

Meesei glanced over to Ahnasha and Fendros, then back to Ariel. "As for trying to study courtships among lycans, I think you might end up disappointed. There really isn't anything unique about them. The customs vary based on the people involved, for everything, not just courtship. There are some practices that pretty much all lycans adopt out of either necessity, or instinct, but the rest depends on the origins of the people who comprise the pack. Take Ahnasha and Fendros, for example. They both come from cities with Imperial culture. The beginning of their relationship may have been unconventional, but in essence, they found that they cared for one another and formed a relationship between only themselves. If this were a pack formed from members of an Orc stronghold, on the other hand, i would expect the Alpha to be something like a chief, with several wives. In my case, any advances on me from a member of a different pack would be based their own individual motivations. The title I bear carries with it prestige and authority among lycans, and that is something some find desirable. In any case, I do not believe it would be wise for me to embrace such casual encounters. This war between us and Vile is just that: a war. Lycan packs are not organized as some singular society, so I have no actual authority to order around other packs, but the title of Champion is something that any follower of Hircine would respect. I, and the rest of my pack, are symbols to the rest of Hircine's followers. We are meant to represent the best of his hunters. So, when dealing with other packs, I need to appear strong at all times. Even if I am broken and wounded on the inside, I need to appear strong for them. I do not like the idea of making myself appear more important or more powerful than I am, but for the sake of their morale, I need for us to essentially be a legend. If we can be heroes to them, then we might be able to inspire their confidence. I believe accepting such an encounter could serve to diminish that illusion. With my pack, with all of you, I show all that I am, my strengths as well as my flaws. I would have it no other way. But, when it comes time to deal with other lycans, I need to be flawless. We need to be flawless."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei laughed along with the others, quite surprised to see Sabine acting in such a way. She considered it a positive change, but she certainly wasn't about to mention it. She knew Sabine did not like to have attention on her, so calling too much attention to her might dissuade her from opening up in such a way in the future. Lorag ended up laughing harder than she had heard in a long time and ended up giving her an approving nod, likely because Runt pulling a prank was the last thing he expected.

"You're the epitome of desirability Janius, truly." Meesei joked. "I agree, though, that plan sounds much safer. Much simpler just to deal with other lycans. Thinking about it, I may end up getting a lot of propositions if we find other packs, given the title I hold. I'm not quite sure how I will respond to that. Certainly, it is not something I am used to. At any rate, Ariel, there is something you said that I noticed isn't actually accurate. I believe some of the material you researched wasn't completely true. Contracting lycanthropy can be quick, but not always. The majority of infections, especially with wild werewolves, come from contact with infected blood from scratches, or saliva from bites. Those infections can take upwards of three days to set in completely. It can happen more quickly, such as if there is a lot of blood, or if you actually purposefully ingest the blood. In that case, the transformation can happen in within the hour, if not immediately. I know this from experience. I do not think it completely invalidates your source, but there may have been some exaggerations, or false details.

Lorag was being quiet, but it was obvious he was paying close attention to the conversation. There were details of the conversation that may or may not apply to him at some point in the future, though he wasn't considering that the others might notice how intently he was looking at them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shrugged. "You know, I can honestly say I do not know. As much as I wish I did, I cannot say that I know every detail about lycanthropy. I have not bedded a non-lycan since becoming a lycan. It would make sense, though, or at least it could make sense. The blessing behaves identically to a disease. Although, like any disease, it does have an incubation period. During this time, it can be cured just as easily as any common disease. It can also be resisted with any kind of resist disease potion or enchantment. If you wanted to seek out those services, Janius, I wouldn't stop you. I understand where you are coming from. You would just need your partner to take all the proper cures. Might be difficult."

Ahnasha felt the sudden pressure on her feet and shifted uncomfortably for a moment before settling back down. She seemed minorly annoyed for a moment, but quickly returned to enjoying the massage. Holding back a grin, she subtly moved her tail behind him, then ever so lightly brushed the fur on its tip against his shoulder, only to move it out of sight if it looked like he was turning around. She was amused, but she suspected he was starting to get used to dealing with such trickery involving her tail.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "I've never actually been in an inn before, not since being in the pack, and not before. I know enough about cities to blend in reasonably well as long as I avoid interacting with too many locals. Beyond that, the culture is highly foreign to me. Much how you did not know a great deal about surviving in the wilds until we taught you." She responded to Fendros. "Ever since Vos, we've had more and more reason to be in cities and towns, and with this war against Vile, I suspect that is not going to change. I suppose it is time for me to learn more about them, more about their culture. It seems it will be you teaching me for a change. I may need to avoid Janius' advice, though." She said, turning her head towards him. "You would probably just end up taking me to brothels."

Ahnasha gave a slight laugh, but not because of Meesei's joke. Even with her feet being as calloused as they were, there were some spots that were still sensitive. She was quite a ticklish individual, something that she was yet to mention to Fendros. It was fortunate that he had done nothing yet to reveal that through his massages. She decided to play it off as a laugh at the joke and continued in the conversation. "Wouldn't surprise me. You really want some 'attention', don't you? Sometimes, I think you're jealous of me and Fendros. We have no need of those kinds of 'services." She said before looking at Fendros with a jokingly angry glare. "Or at least you better not."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for the delay, I was in PvP. I'll post now.