EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, need to do something real quick, then I'll post.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do you want to actually go through the hunt, or skip to the next point of interest?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Thank you." Kaleeth said as she reluctantly released her grip on Janius' hands. Her entire future rested on the outcome of this hunt. Firstly, she would meditate among the Hist and find a tree from which she could consume the sap, but afterwards, she would have to not only find prey, but prey that was worthy of a strong hunter. It would be dangerous, but she had been in dangerous situations before. She could handle it.

"I will be back soon, I promise." She said, turning herself around to face away from the village. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, then walked out into the marsh.

---

The remainder of the day was uneventful, at least for the pack. Zharanthixil did have a few agitated words with Thorantilth, but he was not in a position to do much about his concerns, and he did not bother the pack. Meesei agreed to remain until Kaleeth returned, or until the village's hospitality wore thin. If she was going to be returning the next day, however, she doubted it would be an issue.

The next morning, the pack awoke in the common hut as per usual. The villagers awoke early amd prepared their breakfast in the center of the village. Everything was the same as it had been since they arrived, except that Kaleeth was still absent from the common hut. Unless she had returned and decided to relay her decision to her father first, it seemed she had not yet returned from her hunt. As the pack stirred in their bedrolls, Meesei observed the empty bedroll next to Janius with a bit of concern. From what she knew, Kaleeth did say she might arrive later in the day, but Meesei was almost positive that it would cause Janius no end of distress. She just hoped events would not proceed in such a way that she would end up needing to comfort Janius over the next few weeks.

The Depths of Deception

As more and more people arrived in the lobby, some of them started to exchange some basic introductions and small talk, but overall, they were mostly not very talkative. A few minutes passed before something else finally happened. A male tempu in formal, civilian clothing entered the room and started looking over each member of the group, comparing each of them to their profiles on his personal computer. After a few moments, he put his device away, then stepped into the middle of the room to get everyone's attention.

"Well, this makes it easy. Welcome, everyone. From what I see in this file, it appears you are all here for the same purpose, so if you could follow me, I can take you to where you need to go. It appears not everyone has arrived yet, but we can get you all started nonetheless." The Tempu explained. He waited for everyone to get up and gather whatever belongings they had, then trotted off with the others in tow. Once they were away from the more public areas of the building, he spoke up once more. "As I am sure you all know, your meeting with the Assembly will take place in two days. If you choose to accept it, we have arranged for complimentary lodging near the top floors of this building, in the executive suites. For your group, we have three rooms. I am afraid we could not spare one for each of you, but all suites and there should be enough bedrooms for each of you to have your own. The representatives in charge of your group have told me to encourage you to get to know one another, and inform you that you are likely to work together for the foreseeable future."

The Tempu led the group into the elevators and up near to the top floor of the building. They exited into a sort of common area for the suites, which had an abundance of furniture of all sizes, several large, currently unused holographic screens, and a few hovering mechanical servants of Rothian design. Unlike the lobby below, there were a few strangers in the common area, though from their business attire and the fact that they focused on their own personal devices, Rareth guessed they were diplomats who would be none too interested in a conversation.

"Here we are. Your rooms are the last three down that corridor." The Tempu said, pointing down one of the halls on the right. "They are all identical, so there is no need to worry that. If you have no other questions, I will leave you all alone. We will make sure to send your other teammates up here as well as soon as they arrive."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I...don't think there is anything I have not already talked about. There is just a lot to think about. A lot of good and bad in every choice. I want to be with you, but I want to stay at home, and I know I can't have both. It is a hard choice. After I go into the marsh though, commune with the Hist, and maybe Hircine, I will know. I am certain. I don't want to worry now though. In the time we have..." Kaleeth began. She held one hand in his and placed the other on his shoulder, just as he showed him, then pressed herself against him and gave him a light kiss and a smile. "...let's dance."

---

After a few hours together, it started to grow late, and Kaleeth knew she had to get started. She was reluctant to leave Janius, but nevertheless, she gathered her weapons and took the long-dreaded step of informing her parents of her intentions. No matter how much she had tried, there was no real way to prepare for this conversation. With Janius waiting outside, she stepped into her parents' hut, and there she stayed for the better part of an hour. At first, the muffled conversation inside was quiet, and relatively calm, but in an instant, the tones shifted entirely. At first, they started speaking more quickly, then there was shouting and sobbing. Most of the yelling was unmistakably from Zharanthixil, but there were a few, brief times where Kaleeth summoned up enough courage to raise her voice as well. Kaleeth finally left the hut after a particularly loud burst of shouting from her father. For a few moments after storming out of the hut, her expression was angered, but almost instantly, it turned to depression. Burying her face in her hands, she started to sob. The pain of upsetting her father, and even her mother as she had was almost too much to bear, but nevertheless, she stopped herself and approached Janius outside, with tears still in her eyes.

"I...am ready to go now." Kaleeth said with a sniff. "I should be back in the morning. Maybe later in the day if it takes me a while to find prey. I...love you, Janius, and I hope I will have an answer for you when I get back."

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I'm pretty much waiting for anyone at this point.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think I am going to put a bit of a timeskip in my next post.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was starting to become coordinated enough with the dance that she could speak at the same time without risking tripping over herself, or Janius. It was growing more complicated, but at least there was a pattern to the steps. "So...a city is like a lot of little villages all working as one big village? If someone doesn't have a family though, it sounds like they would be alone. That sounds like it would be terrible, especially with no one else to help them. I think it would be nice to see a city, but I would never want to live there."

The longer they practiced it, the more comfortable Kaleeth became with the dance, though she still misstepped frequently. Janius did not seem to mind how many times she stepped on his toes, though. Depending on the outcome of her excursion into the marsh, this could very well be one of their last moments together, so she wanted to enjoy it. "It is good to know that you enjoy the life in your pack. From what you said, you did not choose to go with them at first, you had to become a werewolf. It would be bad if you were stuck in a life you did not like. I am wondering, if after I get back from the marsh I decide that...leaving would be best, do you...do you think the pack would be enough for me too? Do you think your friends would like me being there?"

The Depths of Deception

It has been a few days with no activity, so I'll post as soon as I can in the morning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

might be delayed in my response.