EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shook her head slightly. "I didn't say they would be happy." She commented, her tone solemn and serious. "Don't you see? It's not about making them happy, for my family or yours. I think that my family is going to be furious with me, especially if I put them through as much pain as I fear. As for what I am, they might disown me and think of me as a failure who betrayed their trust for the rest of their lives. I don't expect it will go well, but...I think it's worth it. Like I said, I just don't want to keep up this lie anymore, even if it ends with my family hating me. You remember what your sister said about your Father, how he changed after he thought you died? Your loss hurt him, and from what Llarasa said, he hasn't gotten better. He might be blaming himself for your death and thinking he failed somehow. Don't you think he has a right to know the truth? Like you said, it will probably end with most of your family hating you and disowning you, but...maybe it will let them get their lives back together again? Maybe they will end up pushing all of their hate and sadness off onto you, and not onto each other. Maybe, for both of us, that is a sacrifice we will have to make to put our families right again?" Meesei too heard Ahnasha and Fendros' conversation, or at least enough of it to get a sense of what they were talking about It had serious implications, but she would wait to give her input until after they actually reached a decision. For the moment, she smiled and nodded to Sabine beside her. "We can certainly look and see. How about we head straight to the couriers' office as soon as we reach the city? Also, I think you should be the one to find their office. You will need to ask around to find it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Even though she had been the one to start the conversation, Ahnasha hesitated a moment in her response. She had something to suggest, but it was not a suggestion she was comfortable making, and she was not even sure if it would be a good idea. Regardless, she took in a deep breath, then continued in the same quiet, worried voice. "Meeting your siblings back in the capital, it...it got me thinking. The meeting with Monderyn was not pleasant, I know, but...your sister was beyond happy to see you, at least after getting over her surprise. I would wager that seeing you again was the best thing to happen to her since you were forced to leave them. It has been longer with my family, but...I just started thinking about what I must have done to them. My parents were rather distant from in the months before I faked my death, and I've always used that as a reason for thinking that they would be able to move past it, but...I think I've just been making excuses. They were distant because they were busy, not because they didn't love me. And my brother might have had different interests, but he always cared enough to talk to me, even about my hunting. I...I think I hurt them; I think I hurt them a lot more than I wanted to. I don't know what they would think about me now, but...I think I made a mistake, not so much in leaving as in lying. Fendros, I...I want to tell them. I want to find them; I want to show them that I'm alive. No matter what happens, whether they accept it all and rejoice, or have me chased out of town, I don't want to live a lie anymore. And I think it would be best to do the same with your family. Someday, we should find them, then deal with the consequences instead of hiding from them like we have. I don't want our lives together to be a lie anymore." Ahnasha explained, her words almost painful for her to say. She felt a great deal of uncertainty towards what she was suggesting, but it was clear she felt strongly about it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag shrugged his shoulders after Llarasa's story about the pair of Orcs who recently died. It definitely could have been his parents, as they were old and it sounded like what they would do, but it also sounded like what most Orcs would do. There were no shortage of Orcs in Cheydinhal, and no shortage of warriors among Orcs. Contrary to what most people would want, Lorag hoped that they were his parents, as it meant they would have received good deaths. Each of the pack said their goodbyes, and while it was not too directly emotional for most of the pack, Fendros was of course the one most heavily affected. As they waved goodbye and started off across the bridge, Ahnasha took Fendros' hand lightly in hers, not speaking, but giving him her sympathy just the same. As they had already paid, there was no issue in boarding their carriage. It was fairly large and pulled by several horses. The caravan driver was an Imperial man who, by his account, had been carrying people and cargo across Cyrodiil, and occasionally Hammerfell, for fifteen years. Considering the size of the pack, they were actually the only passengers on this trip. There was some other cargo, but there was still enough room for all of the pack to fit in the back at the same time. According to the caravan driver, the journey would take roughly a week, which was considerably faster than they could cover the same distance on foot. --- The journey proceeded pretty much exactly as expected. They north, then east along the Ring Road until they reached the Silver Road to Bruma. The pack was watchful for danger, but the only people they met on the roads were fellow travelers and Legion patrols. Bandits were a possible threat, but the Legion seemed to at least be doing a decent job of keeping the roads secure. Otherwise, the only deviation from the pack's normal traveling routine was that they were not free to hunt as openly as usual. However, with how long it had been since any of them had turned, all but Meesei's beast spirit had started to grow restless. Fortunately, it was an issue they were able to solve. Instead of hunting all at once, they waited until they made camp, then had one or two people go out at a time to satisfy their need to hunt, each on separate nights. Meesei explained it by saying that they were avid hunters, which was at least a partial truth. On each hunt, Meesei instructed the others to bring back some meat if they were successful, as well as whatever part of the hide did not show damage from claws or teeth. It took several nights, but eventually, all of the pack were able to satisfy their beast spirits. Roughly the first two thirds of the journey was through fairly pleasant, temperate forests of Cyrodiil that most of the pack was accustomed to. However, as they started heading up into higher elevations, the temperature started to drop until they were close enough to the Jeralls that snow coated the land around them. It was worse for some than others. Meesei was not happy with the cold, but as she had experienced it before, she at least knew what to expect. Lorag was moderately uncomfortable, but as he had been to Skyrim before, he had experienced far worse, which he was not hesitant to boast about. Ahnasha, with her fur, was perhaps the most comfortable. It took longer for her to require the same furs that the others were wearing. As could be expected, Kaleeth was almost miserable. She was in awe of the beauty of the snow-covered land, but she absolutely hated the way the cold bit into her scales. While she normally disliked wearing excessive clothing, she was more than happy to pile on layers of fur now. Often, she would wear one of the fur cloaks that Meesei had made sure to buy while holding tightly onto Janius, as she learned quickly about the advantages of sharing body heat. Of course, if Janius was not with her at the moment, she had no qualms about latching onto someone else. Just as scheduled, the carriage was nearing Bruma about a week after they departed. It was snowing, adding more to the thick white blanket around them. According to the the carriage driver, they were less than half an hour from the city, which brought with it hope for some relief from the cold. Like Kaleeth, Ahnasha was leaned up against Fendros with Rhazii wrapped in a blanket between them. It was difficult to tell behind her fur hood, but her face showed that there was something upsetting her. The encounter with Fendros' family had planted thoughts in her mind which had now sprouted into a mixture of doubt and regret. "Fendros." She said in a near-whisper in his ear to get his attention. "There's something I've been thinking on, about your family...and mine."

The Depths of Deception

There are limited forms of that, though nothing over too wide an area, as it takes a lot of energy. It could be applied to parts of a large ship, but not the entire thing.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was a pleasant surprise that Llarasa decided to buy the pack freshly baked bread, especially considering how light of a breakfast their coin had bought them. Even Lorag, who usually ate foods other than meat only begrudgingly, seemed glad to have it. It was regretful that they did not have the hours required for Fendros to truly catch up with his sister, but they could at least take advantage of the time they had. Given that Ahnasha and Llarasa had already been introduced, Meesei was the first to answer. "My name is Meesei; I am the alpha of this pack." She explained briefly. "I wish we had more time. Even if Monderyn does not want to have anything to do with your brother, it is good that you do. I...would suggest that Fendros might be able to send you letters, but there is the matter of allowing you to receive the letters without your parents knowing. I do not imagine that they would be happy if they learned that you knew he was alive, but did not tell them. Still, it might be possible for you to arrange some form of communication. But, introductions first." Moving on, Kaleeth gave her introduction, her speech still much more heavily-accented than Meesei's. "My name is Kaleeth-Rei. It's a pleasure to meet you...and thank you for the bread." She said, not really knowing what else to say beyond it. Lorag gave a nod as he started, with his overall body language being much more casual than the others. "Name's Lorag. Lorag gro-Konesh. Say, while we're talkin', you're here from Cheydinhal, right? You know Gharzal gra-Yurnol, old head of the fighter's guild chapter there? Her and her husband Konesh, they dead yet?" He asked, his tone surprisingly casual.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The pack was quick to rise and prepare to leave, even after the previous night's events. After all, they had paid for transport with a carriage, and it would not wait too long on them if they were late. The city streets were not nearly as crowded in early morning as they were at midday, but for the Imperial City, crowded was a relative term, as there were still quite a few people outside preparing for their day. As a side effect of their search for Sabine the day before, Meesei was knew enough about how to navigate the city that Fendros and Janius did not necessarily have to guide the way to the front gate. As planned the pack met Llarasa just before the front gate. Their carriage was directly across the bridge and would be leaving in just over half an hour, so they had some time to talk. Even after a night's rest, Ahnasha's mood could still hardly be described as "good." She was still angry, stressed, and had a nagging urge to give Monderyn a solid punch to his face, but knowing that this could be the last time Fendros would see his sister, she tried to elevate her own mood. She gave a smile, even if it wasn't a particularly large one. "Yes, we really do come from all over. Well, if you consider a few Cyrodilic cities, Morrowind, and Black Marsh to be 'all over.' Anyway, we are all fine and unharmed. Monderyn is the only one who might have a few bruises. He did frighten Rhazii and threaten me, but I'm keeping his dagger, so I'll consider that a good enough repayment. It will sell for a decent amount."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Monderyn was leaving, Ahnasha laid Rhazii back down in the bed, hoping he would be able to get back to sleep. She then moved back to the foot of the bed and sat down beside Fendros and started to rub his shoulder lightly. She wanted to say more, to have something with which she could comfort him, but she had no experience or advice that she could give. All she could do was to give silent comfort in the form of her presence. For Meesei, there was much she wanted to say, but at the moment, there was little she felt that she should say. In his current emotional state, Meesei guessed that he would need time to calm down and clear his mind. She could any advice she could think of later. "I will let you two rest, but...Fendros, if you need to talk to me, I am always here for you." She said reassuringly before leaving to return to her own room. Kaleeth let out a relieved sigh, then reached over and set down her mace on the end table at the foot of their bed. "That is good, at least. If anyone can help, it is Meesei. I would hate it if I knew that my family didn't like me, and...I just hope things get better for them. I...will make sure I know where my mace is, for next time." Following Janius' recommendation, she returned to the bed and covered herself in the fur blanket, rolling over and almost immediately taking up more than her fair share of their bed without realizing it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Meesei expected, their resolution was not exactly ideal. Monderyn still could not be rid of all of his resentment for Fendros, but at least he seemed to have improved somewhat. He did not like who Fendros had become, but he could accept it, and, more importantly move on. Meesei wished she could have helped them to restore their relationship, but that did not seem possible. Their mutual goodbye would have to be enough. "Go." Meesei answered Monderyn, stepping to the side to allow him to pass. "...and I wish you well." She added. No matter how he felt about her, she could remain civil. --- Almost from the moment the noises in the other room awoke her and she darted up from her bed, Kaleeth had been frantically searching through her bags. It sounded like an attack, so she wanted to arm herself, but unfortunately, she was not quite as certain as she thought she was on the location of her weapon. She had to search through several bags to find it, during which time Janius walked next door much more calmly to check on the situation. By the time he returned, she was standing in the middle of the room with her mace, looking both guilty and embarrassed. "I...was too slow, wasn't I? Is everything alright?"