EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth stood up and walked slowly in Meesei’s direction. She had to warn her, but unfortunately, she was currently in a conversation with Ra’maranja. She had to think of some way to pull Meesei away without altering the Khajiit. If Ra’maranja, or any of the others in his group caught on that she was suspicious before the packs were ready, then there was no telling what might happen. When Kaleeth finally did reach them, Meesei looked up at her curiously, so Kaleeth said the first thing that came to mind.

“Meesei, I…I think I’m…with egg.” Kaleeth said, doing her best to sound concerned. Certainly, it was enough to get Meesei’s attention, and that of a few others in the pack.

Meesei’s eyes widened. “What? Kaleeth, I thought I gave you enough potions.”

Kaleeth lowered her head to mimic shame. “I know, but I…forgot to drink it last time. Everything happened so fast, and now it is taking too long to…can you just please take a look at me? We can head over to one of the other buildings.”

Meesei nodded. “Very well. Hopefully, you are mistaken.”

The pair of Argonians stood up and started to head outside. Their conversation had gathered strange looks from Ra’maranja’s group, but not necessarily suspicious ones. Once outside, Meesei’s expression towards Kaleeth was disappointed, as she had made sure to warn both Kaleeth and Ahnasha of the importance of drinking those potions.

“Kaleeth, I am surprised at this. For three years, you have been diligent and approached mating safely. If you forgot the potion, you should have come to me afterwards to allow me to use my magic instead. You and Janius are mates, there is no reason to be ashamed of…” Meesei began, but Kaleeth stopped in front of her and cut her off as soon as they were out of earshot.

”That is not what this is about.” Kaleeth said in Jel. ”Sees-No-Colors, he hinted in Jel that this is a trap. I think Ra’maranja is a traitor, or something. Janius got the children out, but we need to do something.”

Meesei nodded affirmatively. She had noticed some strange details and behavior as well throughout the day, and she trusted her pack, so she did not argue. ”Then we need to hurry. Let us try to warn the others.”

The pair turned back and returned to the main building with the others. However, their quick return was not overlooked by Ra’maranja. As Meesei walked back towards her pack, Ra’maranja stood up and looked at her curiously. “Well, that was certainly fast.”

“Yes, it only took a quick reading of her energies to rule out her fears. I was able to do it on the way.” Meesei answered simply. Unfortunately, Ra’maranja was unconvinced. He had been paying close attention to Colors’ behavior, and had seen how visible his stress had become. He had made note of the fact that Janius suddenly left with the children, and while he had not been close enough to hear what Colors had said to Kaleeth, he did take notice when his healer had interrupted them. Now, the Champion had left with one of her pack, only to return minutes later. Each of them alone would not be too suspicious, but together, they were too much to ignore.

As Meesei was about to speak to Lorag, Ra’maranja subtly grabbed hold of a knife on his belt, then quickly drew the silver blade. The Khajiit was standing right beside Meesei, so she was able to notice the motion near its end, but the only reaction she had time for was to bring her arm up to protect her chest or head. As such, Ra’maranja quickly stabbed her in the stomach. He pulled back the blade and was going to do so again, but by that point, Meesei had time to cast a spell, and a strong one it was. She blasted him back with a wave of telekinetic force, infused with lightning. He shouted out in pain and stumbled back against the tree trunk at the center of the room, which saved him from falling.

Ra’maranja’s group had all scrambled to their feet as soon as he had attacked, apart from Colors, who had dropped to his knees and raised up his hands nonthreateningly. Even so, they were severely outnumbered by Meesei’s packs.

“Run!” Ra’maranja shouted, prompting his allies to all run for the door. Ra’maranja quickly did the same, but not before launching a fireball at one of the bags his group had brought in from the city. Evidently, whatever was in the bag was highly flammable, because it exploded in fire.

Clutching her wound, Meesei shouted to her pack. “After them! Do not let them escape!” She commanded. With her free hand, she sprayed a wave of frost magic over the growing fire to prevent it from spreading, especially to the other bags. At the same time, she started to hear distant shouting coming from the direction of the forest floor, but she had to focus on stopping the fire for the moment. If it was not extinguished, there was no guarantee that her pack would all be able to get to safety in time.

---

Peiter ran as fast as he could, but with his wounds, he was having a difficult time keeping up with Sabine. Of course, she was not going to leave him behind, but that meant she had to slow down. Even so, they were still moving faster than any biped could hope. It did not take long for them to get out of sight of their pursuers, but they had to assume that they were still being tracked. The followers of Vile they had been fighting for the past few years were generally either hired lycan hunters, or trained by them.

Eventually, Peiter had to stop. He could not keep running with a silver arrow lodged in his back. Luckily, they had likely put enough distance between them and their pursuers that they could take a moment to deal with the issue. They needed to stay in their lycan forms, so Sabine could not heal him, but she could still help.

“Wait…this arrow…I can’t keep running.” Peiter said, turning so she could see the arrow. “Please, pull it out.” He asked in a tone that was almost begging. Normally, it was best to leave an arrow in a wound to prevent excess bleeding, but in the case of a silver arrowhead, that was not the case. The metal burned at his flesh and would just end up causing even more damage if it was not removed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I'll include it in my next post (after your next one).

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

He probably would have, but I'm writing my next part for Kaleeth and Meesei right now. They would be happening concurrently. I'll be mentioning the commotion in my post.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The waves of frost were certainly enough to stop many of the archers in their tracks. The spells, while not always lethal, hindered movement intensely. In total, four were caught in the waves of ice at least partially, while the others ducked into cover between the frost and fire spells. For those caught in the ice, they were sapped of their stamina as their bodies tried desperately to fight off the cold, and the ice itself cut them on the outside, and from the inside some water froze within them. One of them, who was caught in the direct middle of the wave, fell to the ground showing no signs of life, while two of the others were able to get back up and move into cover.

The last of the archers who was hit by the ice was none other than the Cathay-raht leader, but he was not so easily deterred. Cathay-raht were the tallest and most massive of the Khajiit, apart from the Senche forms. In height, he was taller than even a werewolf, though did not have as much mass or strength. Even so, he could challenge a lycan in melee combat if he was skillful enough, and that seemed to be what he intended to do. He rushed through the cloud of ice, ignoring the bleeding, and ran straight at the tree Sabine was hiding behind. However, Peiter was not far behind, and was closing fast.

Peiter ignored entirely the line of archers in cover, instead leaping over them and sprinting at the Cathay-raht. The large Khajiit ran around the tree and raised his silver blade to strike at Sabine, but it was at that point that Peiter pounced onto his back. Quite surprisingly, the Cathay-raht was somehow able to avoid being knocked off his feet. Instead, he used Peiter's own momentum to throw the werewolf to the ground in front of him. He had a few gashes from Peiter's claws, but was still more than able to fight. Fortunately, Peiter recovered quickly and was able to retaliate within seconds. Given that the Cathay-raht was wearing chainmail, a slash would not be effective, but piercing still could be. With as much force as he could manage, Peiter thrust his claws forward into the Khajiit's chest. Three of the claws did indeed pierce through, but did not penetrate as deeply as it would have an unarmored target, and it came at the cost of the Khajiit slashing his blade across the inside of Peiter's arm, as well as diagonally across his abdomen and down to his leg.

Peiter jumped back and glanced over to see if Sabine had finished her transformation. Together, they could perhaps fight the Cathay-raht, but his men were already getting out of cover and drawing their bows. They needed to run.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter wasn't sure about this plan. Granted, his own plan had its problems, but there were just so many of them, at least twelve. He did not see how they could hold their attention for long enough. At least, not without being killed themselves. Regardless, it seemed like Sabine's mind was set as she shoved him away. Reluctantly, he dropped his halberd and started to transform as he ran over to the north-east. He was fully in his beast form by the time Sabine launched her fireball, and at that point, he had no choice but to attack.

Like a bolt of lightning,, Peiter sprinted out from the bushes behind the archers' northern line. They were not grouped closely enough together that he could jump them all at once, but two on the side to his left were close enough. On the first Khajiit, he pounced before she had even had time to turn her head. His claws ripped into her throat without effort, dooming her to bleed to death. The Bosmer beside her raised his bow to Peiter on a reflex, but did not have time to draw before the werewoulf swiped at his weapon and forced it out of his hand. From there, Peiter dug his claws into the Bosmer's collarbone, then smashed his head into a nearby tree hard enough to split his skull.

By this point, the next closest hostile, a Cathay, was in the middle of drawing his bow, so Peiter sprinted towards him. Even a Cathay could not resist the mass of a werewolf barreling over him, so he was knocked to the ground and received a slash across his chest. It was not likely lethal, but Peiter could not stay to finish him off. As quickly as he had arrived, Peiter sprinted away briefly to the north, then to the west. Arrows were loosed in his direction, but just as Sabine had predicted, there were too many trees and bushes in that location for them to get a clear shot. Unfortunately, not everything was going to plan.

On the archers' southern line, one of the archers looked up to a Cathay-raht in chainmail beside him an shouted out. "Ah, it's an ambush, sir! Ra'maranja must've been found out!"

The Cathay-raht growled. "Bah, we can't stay here, but we're not leaving empty handed." The Cathay-raht, who was likely their leader, glared at Peiter to the northwest, but before he could give an order, another of his men shouted to him.

"Sir, I think I saw one to the south!"

Peiter's heart dropped. The archers had been alert when they attacked, and evidently, one had managed to spot Sabine's movement after she moved.

"Get the mage!" The Cathay-raht shouted, preferring the closer, slower target. Immediately, the entire southern line was running in Sabine's direction, and the northern line started to recover and move as well. Peiter was meant to keep harassing them with hit and run attacks, but there was no way he could allow Sabine to be overrun. Despite the plan, he sprinted straight to the south towards Sabine...and across open ground. The remaining four in the northern line, seeing their target once again, drew and fired. Peiter was an incredibly fast-moving target and difficult to hit. He heard an arrow hit the ground to his left, then a tree to his right, but on the third, he felt a sharp pain in his pack, which was quickly drowned out by adrenaline. Even if he could not feel it clearly, though, he knew he had been hit. He stumbled slightly, but did not stop. As a werewolf, he could take a few hits and keep fighting. There were six or seven hostiles between him and Sabine, but again, he did not need to kill them. He just needed to make sure Sabine could get away.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll include a part for the rest of the pack up top in a post or two. Just need the scene with Sabine and Peiter to move a bit first.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

To say that Peiter was surprised was an understatement. After she tapped his stomach, he rolled over onto his side and looked at her, confused. He was afraid that his nervous stammering had offended her, and he was not quite sure what to do next. "Wait, are you sure? I didn't, I didn't...mean...to..."

Peiter cut himself off when he started to notice something on the wind, something that immediately frightened him. Even more quickly than Sabine, he climbed out of the water, but instead of going for his clothing, he grabbed his halberd. "Shh, get down. Do you smell that? On the wind?" He warned. It was the scent of people, mostly Khajiit, coming from the west, and they were not lycans.

Crouching down, Peiter moved forward towards a small hill which separated the stream from the tree which held the ropes. He laid down, then crawled up the hill just enough so he could peer over. It was difficult to see at first, but to the north and south of the ropes, there were two groups hiding among the bush which would be difficult to see unless one was looking specifically for them. Most were bipedal Khajiit, with a few Bosmer mixed in, and all that he could see were archers. In each group, there were about six of them, so he and Sabine were very outnumbered.

Looking back, he motioned for Sabine to crawl up beside him. "This is...this is not good. They must have tracked us." He whispered. Fortunately, it did not seem like he or Sabine had been noticed yet, as the stream was out of earshot. "There are so many of them, but...we can't just do nothing. Who knows what they have planned?"

Suddenly, several of the mysterious archers shifted in place and nocked their arrows. At first, Peiter thought they had been spotted, but looking closer, he could see that they were not looking east, but up. Peiter looked up as well and focused on some movement he could see past the branches, along one of the walkways. It was too high for Peiter to make out exactly who it was, but he could tell that whoever it might be was holding two children.

Peiter looked back to Sabine, now panicked. "We have to do something, quickly. Maybe...maybe we don't have to kill them all, just keep them from doing whatever they're planning. Distract them. We could circle around to the north, then...attack from behind. I could transform and run in, and you can help with magic. Once they're paying attention to us, we can both turn and run away into the forest. There's no way they could catch us." He suggested. It was a desperate plan, quite reliant on their element of surprise, but there was not exactly a lot of time to think.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors' eyes widened. "Oh, no, I'm fine. It's just..." He began, pausing for a moment as his eyes twitched almost frantically. "I never thought I would be able to meet the Champion herself, and her pack. It's a bit overwhelming."

Colors was quick to shift his attention back to Newt, who was playing with Rhazii a short distance away. "Have you...thought about what you're going to name him? I think a good one would be 'It's a trap'."

Immediately, Kaleeth's eyes widened at the Jel "name" Colors had suggested. His Jel was strangely accented, but clear nonetheless. Quickly, she looked around the room. Meesei was nearly on the other side of the tree trunk the structure was built around, talking to Ra'maranja, so she had not heard. However, when she looked into Colors' eyes, the pieces started to fit together in her mind. The way he was acting, his stress, and the look in his eyes suddenly became recognizable: desperation.

Evidently, one of the others in Ra'maranja's group, the Khajiit healer, noticed Kaleeth's reaction, because she looked at them with a suspicious, almost angry gaze. "What did he say?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing." Kaleeth answered quickly. She faked a yawn to give her a moment to think of something more to add. "It's just...I don't think my son would want a name like 'Loves-Many-Women'."

The Khajiit shook her head and gave a brief laugh before turning her head away. However, once Kaleeth was sure that no one else in Ra'maranja's pack was watching, she looked to Janius with a frightened expression. She did not want there to be any doubt that something was wrong.

---

Peiter looked away briefly. "My sister was with me on the way to Bruma, when I was turned. She...didn't make it."

Looking back to Sabine, Peiter made eye contact once more. "But, don't worry. I healed from that long ago." He said reassuringly. He wanted to at least try to ensure she did not feel bad for bringing up the topic.

"As for your parents, I can't say I know what things would have been like with them, but I'm sure if they met you now, they would be proud of their daughter. They would still love you. After all, you're a very lovable person...or, um, I mean you're...easy to love..or like...or..." Peiter stammered out almost incoherently. He had to stop himself and take a deep breath before continuing. "They wouldn't be disappointed in who you've become. I'm sure they would be glad to know you have a family now."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Colors nodded with a grin. "Oh yes, there are many women in the clan who I consider quite dear. The longer you say here, the more I think you will find that there is a lot of...beauty in the Khajiit people. Of many kinds."

Looking away for a brief moment, Colors' expression quickly returned from lighthearted to serious. He frowned, seemingly at nothing, then looked over to Newt. "Ah, but, not like you. You have a cu-, or, um, hatchling. That's the word. What is his name?"

Kaleeth seemed slightly confused. It was a strange question for an Argonian to ask, as most hatchlings of Newt's age would have no name. It seemed like any Argonian would know that a name was not given until the child's naming day. Although, given that he had almost forgotten the word for an Argonian child, it was possible that Colors was raised far from Argonian culture.

---

Peiter had been looking up at the canopy while Sabine was laying down, so he was somewhat surprised to feel her at his side, and that she was resting her head on his shoulder. Regardless, he did not move from his position. When she asked about his parents, he raised his head up slightly to look down at her curiously. The question seemed rather random, so he had to think for a moment to answer.

"My parents? My...father was a guard in Chorrol, and my mother was a farmer. They didn't own any land, though. My mother worked for a local landowner just outside the walls. Or, well, I shouldn't say 'was.' They're not dead or anything, at least not that I know. It's just that, once I turned, all of that started to seem like a whole different life. They're good people; not perfect, but good people. My father makes more gold than my mother, but...isn't that great at saving it. Even so, they probably could save enough to buy some land of their own, but my mother never wanted to take the risk. They cared about me, and all my other siblings, though. The reason they were sending me and my sister to Bruma was because one of my uncles has a farm near there, and they were hoping that, if we helped to work it long enough, we might inherit it one day, since he didn't have any children of his own." Peiter explained, though the entire time, he did not even notice that he had not stopped looking down at her.

"Why do you ask?" He said with genuine curiosity in his tone.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, my memory is failing me. I recall that Peiter was turned on the way to Bruma, but I don't recall who was with him. I don't think his parents were there.