EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

That's what I meant, just relaxing in the water along the bank and he dozed off, somewhere shallow enough that he would feel safe closing his eyes to begin with.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

He could just end up giving them enough to convince them that they were in no immediate danger. I doubt he would want to talk about it too much.

He could also end up outside, perhaps if he fell asleep on accident while in the water.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There is nothing more for now. I can do a skip. Where would Janius be in the middle of the night?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth lowered her head again and nodded. "Okay." She said quietly, obviously saddened. She picked up her wamasu egg and started to lead the way back to the village. She wanted to keep herself in a good mood; after all, she had finally accomplished a dream she had been wanting for years, but...the day just didn't seem like much of a victory at the moment. It was a silent walk back, with neither of them really having anything to say to the other, not after such an emotional ordeal. After just under an hour of walking, they finally made it back within sight of the village.

Kaleeth looked over to Janius sheepishly, her disappointment with the situation still obvious on her face. "I need to go find other hunters, lead them to wamasu so we can bring them back. I...talk to you later, maybe?" She said. She tried to keep a smile, but it was obvious that it was forced.

---

Ahnasha grinned and gently placed her paintbrush on the rock next to the canvas. With Fendros still holding his pose, she walked over to him, put both hands on the side of his head, and kissed him deeply. She then pulled away slightly and laughed. "You know, you bargain too low. I would have done far more than that. You really need to take more time analyzing the relative value of the services you provide. Your loss, I guess." Giving him two light pats on the cheek, she then walked back over to where she was before to resume her painting.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth probably wouldn't give up yet. With potions, the chance of passing on the disease would be negligible, but things definitely wouldn't end up being simple. I'm far too good with devious plans to let that happen.

Sometimes, I just end up playing the really long game.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth lowered her head as Janius started to raise his voice. It was easy to tell that this was something that brought up a great deal of emotion for him, as it was for her as well. Though, most of her emotions right now were of disappointment and sadness. Killing the wamasu had made her happier than she had been in a long time, but the rejection by Janius had turned all those feelings bittersweet.

"What is risk?" Kaleeth asked in a meek tone. "If I drink a resisting potion before, and a cure after, what is risk?"

---

Ahnasha shrugged her shoulders. She had managed to finish an outline on Fendros' body, but now came the much longer and more difficult part of actually filling in the details "It wouldn't hurt to ask, I guess, but I also wouldn't expect many results. She is the leader of a fully Argonian village, so I don't see why she would have any real experience with live births. She is really old, so I guess she could have learned about it as some point during her long life, but I just wouldn't count on it."

Letting out a sigh, Ahnasha shook her head lightly. "I really don't want to worry about it right now, though. I would just like to relax and paint. Speaking of which, I appreciate you finally agreeing to do this. I suppose that means I owe you one, now. What do you want to do after this? If I can, I'll do it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

At first, Kaleeth seemed excited as Janius looked into her eyes. She liked being close to him, and wanted to be even closer. By his expression, he seemed to be sharing the same feelings, which is why it came as such a surprise to her when he suddenly refused. Even he seemed disappointed in it, which even further added to her confusion. She struggled to understand the words he was saying with how quickly he was speaking, but she gathered that he did not want to spread this werewolf disease. Even so, she did not want to give up. Surely it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be?

Kaleeth approached Janius with a confused, yet hopeful expression. "Are...are you sure there is no way? You say it is a disease, right? I could take potion...and I am Saxhleel. I resist disease. I have never even been sick before." She wanted to try and persuade him to reconsider. Disease was something she had never really worried about before, so she was sure that if she took a potion, she would be safe from whatever he had. Honestly, she was rather curious about werewolves and what it was like to be one. She wanted to ask him about it, but the current matter was much more pressing on her mind.

---

Ahnasha gave Fendros a stern stare for a few moments, but then broke the illusion when she couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Don't worry, I'm just joking. I know I am beautiful. Now hold still, I can't draw you properly if you move too much. I mean...I probably can't draw you properly anyway, but moving would make it harder."

After starting on her outline of him, she went back to answering his original question. "Anyway, I've been enjoying the rest. I didn't think too much of these mud huts when we arrived, but they actually keep out the elements really well. It is much more comfortable in that common hut than it is out in the marsh. I suppose it makes sense; Argonians like these have been living in the marsh for as long as it has existed, so they probably would have picked up on a few useful tricks by now. I definitely like that I can keep my fur dry now. All the rain Black Marsh gets has been weighing me down, quite literally. I'm enjoying it while I can, but it's making me dread the trek to Stormhold even more. I really wish we didn't have to go to a city, honestly, especially so close to a full moon. It seems risky."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Don't worry." Kaleeth said with a mischievous smile before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to hug him. "I do not mind hugging you." She continued to hug him for a rather long time before pulling away enough to speak to him. "I still am not really sure what a werewolf is, but I won't mention it to anyone. I promise. You have helped me so much; it would be terrible for me to not help you."

Kaleeth looked back at the cave and thought about the wamasu for a moment. They would need to return to village to get enough hunters to help move it, then she would need to use its hide to craft armor, which would also take time, but her time as an apprentice was essentially over. Even more, it was nearly unheard of for just a pair of hunters to take down one of the beasts. The circumstances of its death were certainly different than an average hunt, but she hoped her parents would be proud of her for the kill. When she turned her attention back to Janius, it became obvious she was looking him over. It was undeniable that it was because of him she had even survived the encounter with the wamasu, let alone killed it, so her opinion of him couldn't have been higher. She didn't think it was possible, considering he was not Argonian, but she now recognized that she was attracted to him. "You know...I really like you." She said, her tone just slightly suggestive.

---

After a few minutes, Ahnasha had set up her supplies at least adequately. The rock she was using to bare down on wasn't perfectly even and, considering the conditions they had been traveling through, her brush certainly wasn't in perfect condition, but it would be good enough. "While I really like the first pose, I would stick with something you could actually hold for a while. Besides, it's not like you have to strike a pose to look handsome." She complimented with a smile.

As she was starting her first brush strokes, she thought a moment on Fendros' question. The way he worded it seemed to have an accidental implication; it wasn't anything she was actually offended by, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with it. "What do you mean that sleep did me some good? Are you saying I didn't look good before? I try very hard, you know." She retorted, feigning a tone that sounded offended.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Unlike yesterday, I probably actually do not have enough time to write anything. It is halfway to 4. I think I'll be going to bed. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Before leaving the cave, Kaleeth made sure to grab her bow, as well as a wamasu egg from the nearby nest. She would have grabbed all of them, but a single one was about the size of her head, so that would have been difficult. She did not know why Janius wanted her to leave the cave, but she trusted him enough to follow his lead. The sounds echoing up from within the cave gave somewhat of an explanation as to what he was doing. While she was waiting, she examined the cuts on her arm, which had started to cause her some pain now that her adrenaline had worn off. Some of the cuts were pretty deep, but the potion was causing them to regenerate relatively quickly. Nevertheless she took her loincloth and used it as a bandage to wrap up her arm to help prevent it from becoming infected.

At first, Kaleeth thought Janius was trying to eat the wamasu, but when he emerged in his human form, it was the scent of ogre blood that covered him. She was still somewhat confused about what was going on, and why he had decided to eat the raw flesh of the ogre, especially in the current situation. Maybe there was more to his beast-like form than just a new body? When Janius asked about werewolves, she shook her head. "No, what is a...where-wolf? Is that what you turned into? I want to know where you learned the magic to turn into it. It made you very...powerful. I am glad you were there with me." Kaleeth answered. Even with Janius' transformation, she was beyond cheerful. The goal of becoming a hunter was something she had been working at for years, and she had finally attained it. She credited Janius greatly for helping her, as she knew it would not have happened otherwise. She found herself looking at him more often, and a bit...differently than just as a close friend, as Janius would no doubt be able to see in her expression.

---

Ahnasha gave a laugh as she set up her supplies. She did not exactly have a proper easel or anything, so she had to make due with a flat rock. While she was still by no means an expert painter, she had at least graduated to using color paint by this point. Luckily, with all the plants in the marsh, Sabine was able to create dyes easily. They may or may not have been poisonous, but as long as no one was eating her paintings, it would be fine. She rubbed her chin lightly as she looked over Fendros. She tried to look the part of an artist while he was trying to act like a model. They both probably looked ridiculous from the outside, but she didn't really care. She was both enjoying her painting, and the chance to do something different with Fendros, something she enjoyed.

"Hmm, let me see." She said, holding out her hands as if she were framing a painting. She wasn't actually accomplishing anything by doing this, she just wanted to look more like a painter. "I want you to strip down, then strike a heroic pose. Something strong, like you would see in a statue. Maybe I can do justice to all the muscle you've been building recently? It seems your training with Lorag has been going well, hasn't it? Not to mention all that practice with a bow. I've been raising the draw strength on your bow, so that might have had a bit of an influence."