EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

From a completely objective perspective, the birth itself was absolutely disgusting, despite it often being described as a "beautiful" experience. There was screaming, crying, and a lot of blood and other bodily fluids. Being that everyone present were lycans who were accustomed to tearing apart creatures with their bare hands, it wasn't quite as repulsive as it otherwise would have been, but even so, many in the pack had a hard time watching. Even Meesei would have preferred not to watch, if it were not for the fact that she was serving a vital role. She tried her best to reduce the pain, but mostly, she was making sure nothing happened that would risk the life of Ahnasha or their child.

By the end of it, Meesei held in her arms a small Khajiit infant, a baby boy. His fur was covered in blood and Hircine knows what else, he was screaming at the top of its tiny lungs, an he appeared generally repulsive, but to Ahnasha and Fendros, that was not likely to matter. This tiny humanoid kitten was their son; Meesei could only imagine how they felt. Or at least, she could imagine how Fendros felt. Ahnasha looked to be in a daze from what she had been through, though Meesei was able to confirm that there was nothing wrong with her health. As a result, Meesei held out her arms towards Fendros, offering him the chance to hold his son.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The process of labor was not easy, no one expected it to be, but the pack eventually settled into a rhythm that at least seemed efficient. They made sure Ahnasha had a supply of potions to help numb the pain during the worst parts, though they were careful not to overuse them, as that would leave her without them during the delivery itself. At all other times, Meesei did her best to numb her pain without exhausting herself. It wasn't perfect, but they did everything they knew how to do to keep her comfortable.

With how stressful the situation was, it was difficult to tell how much time had passed, but it felt like hours. Ahnasha had never screamed so much at once, though due to the potions, the pain wasn't quite as intense as some of the injuries she had sustained in the past. The worst aspect of it was that it just never seemed to end. It was the most drawn out form of suffering she had ever experienced, and hopefully ever would experience. Over time, her contractions grew closer and closer, becoming more intense until eventually the time was upon her.

It was almost difficult to tell when the delivery was approaching, given that the contractions grew gradually in frequency, but once Meesei felt the child's energies moving downward, there was no mistaking it.

"Be ready, the child is coming now." Meesei said, still maintaining a calm tone. Ahnasha did not doubt for a second that Meesei was correct, as the pain from her contractions intensified beyond what the potions and Meesei's magic could help. Looking up into Fendros' eyes, she let out a pained scream and clenched his hand almost to the point of crushing it.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

It took about half an hour for everyone to gather what they needed for the attack, after which they met on the top deck, then headed out onto the docks. By this point, the sun had just set and most of Mistral's citizens had retired to their homes, but those that were outside still took notice of them. Mostly, it was the city guards that took interest in the armed and armored group of sailors walking through the town. Sharee did not like the extra attention, but there was no real way to get out of the city without walking through it, and trying to sneak through the town would just look more suspicious. Nevertheless, as long as they kept their weapons sheathed and just stuck to the road out of town, the guards did not bother them.

Once out of Mistral, the group stuck to the road heading to the east side of the island for most of the way. They passed by several moon sugar plantations as they walked, all of which had a night watch tracking their every move. A few of the plantations even had Senche serving as guards follow alongside them until they were out of sight of the property. Of all the forms of Khajiit, the Senche were perhaps one of the most intimidating. They were essentially large tigers built for speed and strength that could tear a person limb from limb if given the chance. They weren't so great for endurance running, using weapons or tools, speaking, or much else that a humanoid Khajiit was capable of, but they were deadly.

Sharee waited until they were getting someone close tot he bandits' cove to take the group off of the road. They took as much of a stealthy approach as possible, considering that most of the group wasn't especially adept at sneaking, at least not to the extent Sharee would have liked. Regardless, she knew where to guide them to keep them obscured by foliage, so as long as they did not make too much noise, they would be fine. Eventually, they made it to a rocky beach, though they stayed out of the open and instead stayed hidden in the foliage just beyond. The cove itself had a stone canopy, as well as walls of rock extending all the way out to the beach on either side, so there was no way to easily peer in from above, or the sides. In fact, the only way to actually get in was by the water, which would mean they would be left in the open if they were spotted while trying to sneak in.

"Alright, this is the part where we improvise. We don't know what's in that cove other than a makeshift dock and some bandits, and it's not going to be easy to get a look inside without being spotted. It might be possible to climb up on that stone ceiling, then hang down and look inside. I've done things like that before, but there is no guarantee that there will be enough places to grab hold to actually hang far enough down to get a good look. It's not like the rock was made for climbing, and we don't have any climbing gear. Another option is of course the water, but if you want to actually see anything, you have to surface, and invisibility won't stop your body from making disturbances in the water. Again, I'm well-trained in stealth and could probably do it, but even I have to admit there are no guarantees. Third option, we go in without scouting first. It's bold and very dangerous, but we could at least stick below the surface until its time to climb up on the dock." Sharee whispered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei had been preparing herself for the possibility of a birth in the wilds for the past few days, so when she was awoken in early morning, she knew what was required of her. She went to Ahnasha and without saying a word started to prepare the area around her with blankets and a surplus of potions. Many of the others seemed anxious to the point of panic, and rightfully so. None of them really knew what was going to happen, and that was a frightening thought. Some wanted to see if they could get to Stormhold in time to bring someone back to help, and while they could do so in a day, it would take many hours. They were not likely to have that much time, though it was possible.

Meesei resolved herself to not add to the panic, but instead to simply focus all of her attention on Ahnasha's health. She may not have been trained to deal with the Khajiit labor process, but she was still a healer. She could examine a wound and tell in seconds if it would be life threatening. There was no doubt that the energies of Ahnasha's body would be thrown into disarray by this experience. Indeed, Meesei could already feel the physical distress and could see blood, but she wasn't dying, that much was certain.

"Here, for the pain." Meesei said in a calm, soft voice, offering Ahnasha one of Sabine's potions. She drank the entire contents of the vessel in seconds, just before another contraction sent pain shooting through her body. Meanwhile, Meesei noticed Fendros looking at her, so she answered his unspoken question in the same peaceful tone. "I will look after her health. Just sit beside her, take her hand, and be there for her."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, I posted. Not sure what to do next, but I think we may need to skip something.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The next two days of travel were quicker than before, but still nowhere near fast. They moved beyond the full moons and therefore the possibility of Ahnasha's child becoming a Senche, but that hardly erased all concerns from her mind. The birth itself was fast approaching and could start at any moment. As they walked through the swamp, she felt wrong in many ways, though oddly enough, she felt more energetic and could breathe more easily. Her feet and joints were constantly sore, to the point that she used up Sabine's treatments faster than she could gather the ingredients. Since she had eaten so much during her transformation, the pack had no choice but to stop and hunt in the middle of the first day of travel. It wasn't too lengthy of a distraction, but it was a distraction nonetheless. When the pack stopped in camp on the second night, the weather was fair, and would hopefully remain so for the duration of the next day. By this point, Stormhold was close enough that they would arrive before nightfall the next day.

Ahnasha did not awaken peacefully the next morning. It was early, before the sun had even risen, and she felt wrong in about every way. She felt a pain in her abdomen unlike any she had felt before. She sat up breathing rapidly and looking around in a panic. When she noticed that she felt more wet than she expected, even in the marsh, she knew immediately what was happening. Frantically, she looked to Fendros beside her, grabbed his shoulders, and started shaking him violently. "Fendros! Get Meesei! Get Sabine and her potions, get...everyone and everything! NOW!!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I'll move us on in the next one, though I am playing Destiny at the moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha smiled and put her arm around Fendros as they started to walk. . "Always trying to encourage me, aren't you? Can't you just let me sulk in peace?" She joked. Even she had to stop and admit she was being too hard on herself at times, but regardless, she still did not like the idea of being weak. She had hated it ever since her pregnancy had started influencing her mobility, she hated it now, and she would continue to hate it until the day she died. She was just not the kind of person who could deal with inactivity and inaction, and she had been putting up with months of it. Of course, that would all be ending soon.

Kaleeth had been silent while she gathered up her belongings and put on her armor. She did not much like to wear it in camp, but she never liked to move anywhere without it. She only spoke up when Janius questioned her, and even then, she was quiet and kept her head held low. "It was...scary. The beast, I've never felt it so strong. I remember some of it, but other parts are just...black. I don't like that feeling. I don't like that it can take over my mind so much that I don't even remember what I did. I...I'll be fine, though. I just didn't expect it. You said it will get better, and...I trust you."

The Depths of Deception

The representatives waited patiently while each member of the team signed their contract, with each holographic screen deactivating once they submitted the form. Once every form was signed, Ghirn continued from where he left off.

"Alright, with that settled, we can move on. my name is Ghirn'Lors. The other representatives are Aminata Faye of the United Nations, and Zinzech and Beni of the Sovereignty." Ghirn introduced.

Unlike some of the other members of the team, neither of the Sovereignty representatives showed any reaction to August's question. Of course, that did not mean they did not pass judgement on him, it simply meant they were practiced enough in politics to avoid displaying their inner thoughts. Beni, the Tempu representative, took a glance at a few reports on his screen, then continued onto the subject of the meeting.

"Now, as for why you are here. The purpose of this meeting, and indeed this entire initiative, is to stop a new threat that has come to light in recent months. They are a cell of rebels, insurrectionists. Sovereignty citizens are among them, so normally, we would handle the situation promptly, but this situation is not so simple, and the Assembly has reconciled that no one government has jurisdiction here."

Aminata, the Human representative, activated a three dimensional holographic model of what appeared to be a space station in the center of the table, then proceeded with her part of the briefing. "This station was recently the target of an attack by these rebels. It is located close to the border of Rothian, Human, and Sovereignty territory, not all that far from Pax. The world it orbits is an uncolonized, terrestrial planet with a toxic atmosphere called 39048 Sarentanza. It does not yet even have a common name. The only thing of interest about the world is its high mineral wealth, which was the purpose of the station. Its inhabitants were mostly geologists and other employees of a mining corporation based out of Pax, along with their families. Now, we have reason to believe those people are being held hostage by this rebel group. The planet does not yet officially belong to any of the governments, and both the insurgents and civilians contain citizens of all of our nations, so we have come to the conclusion that it would be mutually beneficial for all involved that we all work together."

Ghirn sent each team member a copy of the intelligence on the station and the attack, which both appeared in the form of a screen in front of them. "These are the scouting reports we have on the situation. You may read over them now, and we will also make sure to forward the information to your ship before you leave. The basic plan is this: you will infiltrate the station undetected to locate the hostages. From the plans the corporation that built the station has provided, we have determined a way to jam the station's communications and sensors, so you should be able to slip in undetected. Provided most of them are still alive, there are too many hostages for you to extract alone. As such, your task will be to locate where on the station the hostages are being held. If they are smart, the rebels will be holding them in various locations across the station. We will also be sending a modest sized joint-species fleet with your team. You will relay the hostages' locations to the fleet, then signal their attack. Provided you are fast enough, you should be able to extract the hostages with minimal casualties. From there, you will then aid the assault force in recapturing the station. That is the summarized version of the plan, does anyone have any specific questions?"

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I did kind of post that one quickly, as I had an assignment to do. You can post preparations if you like, but I'll be sure to add more or make another post tomorrow. Though I have a lot to do tomorrow too.