EliteCommander

Shadows in the Moonlight

Sam walked to the clearing with Stevie and placed down the pieces of their tent at what looked like a good spot. He would set it up shortly, but for now they just needed to focus on unloading the car. "Yeah, I was careful in selecting this place. Nice, out of the way, and with everything we need nearby. The food and water we brought with us should be enough to last the week, but the lake is also nearby if we need it. The weather forecast says the weather should be pretty fair most of the week, though there is a decent chance of rain near the end of the week. Thursday I think. This would make for a nice relaxing camping trip were it not for, you know, the lycanthropy thing. You think we should try getting started on that today, after we get the camp set up? You didn't turn completely this morning, so I guess you would be able to do it again." He asked.

The Depths of Deception

Revealing the meaning of her mark might be a way for Shiva to make some friends outside the sovereignty. It is no secret that there is a lot of resentment for the sovereignty in the galaxy. Their philosophy involves waging war against other species, so admitting that one betrayed that philosophy is not likely to garner a negative reaction outside the sovereignty.

Of course, it really wouldn't be hard to figure out the meaning of the mark.A simple online search would do it. It is public knowledge.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth suddenly grew much more nervous once it was time for her to transform. Not only was she dreading the pain, but she had never done so willingly before. When she tried to figure out how to force the transformation, she felt the beast inside her trying to escape. Not knowing that she was meant to allow it loose, she did her best to hold it back in her mind, as she was afraid of it taking her over once more. Her expression scrunched up as she tried to figure out what to do, but after a minute or so of finding no luck, she opened her eyes and looked at Janius' wolfen form nervously.

"I...I can feel it trying to get out. How do I do it? How do I turn and keep it from taking me over? It's making me nervous." She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's rather late now. Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth could guess Janius' plan when he suggested getting away from the group, so she removed her armor and left it behind before following him out away from the camp. Even though the downpour wasn't particularly bothering her, the potential for flooding was concerning. A strong enough current could wash away even the strongest of swimmers, which carried with it dangers other than drowning. Regardless, the beast in her mind was a very present and real danger she couldn't ignore for much longer. She hated the thought of transforming, as everything about it seemed terrible. It was painful, she could lose control, and being a monster like that was disturbing to her.

Janius confirmed Kaleeth's guess about his plan once they were far enough away from the camp. She never thought she would be dreading a hunt as much as she was now, but if it was the best way to keep in control, then there was really no avoiding it. She trusted that Janius and the others knew a lot about lycanthropy, but she couldn't help but to worry that what they knew would not work for werecrocodiles. What if she turned and suddenly was not in control like they expected? How would they even start going about stopping her safely?

"I...am worried about one thing. What if I do lose control. I'm not a werewolf, what if I don't work the same? I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't think Ahnasha could get away from me, she can't seem to move quickly, since she is so big. How would you stop me?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth did not quite understand at first what Janius was trying to do, but she went along with it regardless. She had to admit that the act of focusing on her breaths did help rather well for the simple fact that it forced her to think about something else other than home, something that wouldn't conjure up any emotions. Maybe that is what they did to keep in control? Instead of trying to think of something to calm down, maybe they just thought about...nothing. By the end of it, she did feel calmer, but the strange feeling did not go away entirely. She still felt something at the back of her mind that wouldn't go away, no matter how calm she was.

"Yes, I don't feel as bad, but it...not gone. I still don't feel right, not like normal. It's like I'm hungry, but we just ate. I don't want to lose control again, how do you turn into that beast without losing control?" She asked with a hint of desperation and fear returning to her tone.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It did not take quite as long for Kaleeth to respond this time. Her mood had not changed, but she had at least accepted that Janius would be talking to her for a while. She did not specifically want to avoid him or any of the others, she just felt apathetic about everything. "Mother, father." She answered, pausing for a moment to bring her gaze up from the ground to look at Janius. "Treeminder, my friends, everyone I care about. I have no one anymore. I want to see them all again. I didn't want this."

Talking about the people she missed heightened her homesickness, and ultimately intensified the emotions she was feeling. She gulped and started breathing just a bit faster. Once again, she started feeling strange, which in turn added fear to the cocktail of emotions going through her mind.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a while, Kaleeth was silent. She stared straight at the ground and was almost altogether unresponsive. It wasn't only depression from being separated from her family that had overtaken her, though it was a factor, it was that she had still not completely accepted that she was never going to be able to return home. In the back of her mind, she still thought about going back to them, about the day she would be able to hug her mother's neck and see all of the friendly faces. It had only been a few days, but that was still the longest she had been away from the village since her trial.

There was about thirty seconds of silence before Kaleeth finally gave an answer to Janius, and even then, it was not a particularly descriptive one. "Home." She said in a meek and defeated voice. She looked at the ground in silence, and would probably continue to do so indefinitely until someone spoke to her again.

The Depths of Deception

Rareth gave a laugh in response to Shiva. "Hmm, how lucky you are. I wish I could find something like that for my superior. Influencing him is like trying to change the speed of light. I suppose that's a good thing, though, given his position. I've never met a Rothian that knows more about both tactics and diplomacy than he. He is just as comfortable around politics as he is a battlefield. Considering how different those two are, that is quite an achievement. One of them is filled with fronts, trickery, attacks and defenses of all sort, forcing those involved to both witness and carry out acts that no living being should ever have to face, and the other is a battlefield."

By the time Rareth's breakfast finished, Shiva went off to get dressed while Rareth ate and made small talk with the others in the suite, who were just waking up. Eventually, about an hour passed and they were getting close enough to the time of the meeting to start heading over. Rareth stood up from her place in the living room, then gave a glance to Shiva. "I think it's about time to go, but you know, we should talk a bit more when we get a chance. We can invite Ashley as well for drinks, I'm sure that couldn't go wrong." She commented as she headed to the door.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There were a few more words of goodbye, but it was not long before the pack finally took its leave, heading out north and west in the direction of Stormhold. Everyone in the village eventually dispersed to their own homes and tasks, including Kaleeth's parents. They returned to their hut and simply held each other wordlessly for a while. It was jarring to suddenly have their daughter leave their lives, and there were really no words that could help repair that pain. As a result, Zharanthixil had time to just sit and think. The stress of the past few days had more than distracted him, but even he had managed to notice the peculiar behavior of her daughter and the outsiders. While their explanations did seem at least somewhat reasonable at the time, there was a feeling that Zharanthixil just could not shake that something was amiss. And now that his daughter was gone, his mind started to wander.

The first few days of travel were uncomfortable in many ways. Periodic thunderstorms caused them to start at a slow pace, and they particularly held back Ahnasha, who had a hard enough time navigating the terrain in fair weather. Frequently, they would have to stop entirely and seek some form of shelter. As it was the rainy season, this was something they were going to have to deal with for their entire journey to Stormhold. If it rained too much, there was even a good possibility of floods posing a danger to them. Beyond that, Kaleeth was silent and distant, almost like Sabine before her ritual. She had a hard time motivating herself to talk to the others, even Janius, beyond what was absolutely necessary. Janius was prompt in teaching her how to modify her armor to handle a transformation, but again, she remained very distant.

Once again, the pack was caught having to make camp long before the end of the day. What had been a moderate shower in the morning had shifted to a torrential downpour, and they were not fortunate enough to have a cave or any other kind of solid shelter. They made camp on the largest hill they could find under a tree to wait out the storm. There was a river just to the west that they had no choice but to cross before moving on, and at present, it was nearly overflowing. They would need to keep a good watch on the water level overnight, just in case it started to flood. Even with that danger and the general discomfort the storm brought the majority of the pack, there were still issues they had to deal with. Namely, it had been four days since Kaleeth last turned, and she had mentioned that she was starting to feel strange. They needed to let her turn before she transformed against their will.

Meesei approached Janius as he was checking on some of their supplies and knelt down beside him. She had to speak up for him to even be able to hear her over the rain, but was careful not to let the others overhear. "I know it is not an opportune moment, but it is time for your first lesson with Kaleeth. She is going to turn soon if she doesn't do it on her own. Just be careful, the water itself can be a danger in the marsh, not to mention how deadly a werecrocodile can be while submerged."

For a moment. Meesei glanced over to Kaleeth across the camp. She was sat down next to a tree in her full armor with her knees brought up to her chest and a blank expression on her face. She seemed to be staring at the scales on her armor's sleeves and legs, though what she was thinking, Meesei could only guess. "You may also want to see if you can get to her on a more personal level. She has been quiet and distant. It makes it difficult to teach her when she does not seem to want to be around any of us. Not to mention the fact that she is no doubt depressed and needs the help. I know you have been trying, but...just try again. You might be able to get through to her eventually."