EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter raised his brow at Sabine. "Am I afraid of anything? Well, of course. All the normal things that one would be afraid of. Being seriously hurt or killed, or having someone I care about being harmed. Or...well there is one other thing, I guess. Undead. Ever since I was a young child, I've had this really strong fear of the undead. Ghosts, spirits, zombies, skeletons, anything that shouldn't be alive. They...show up pretty often in my nightmares."

Thinking back, Peiter recalled some rather unpleasant memories, though they were not strong enough to cause any sort of irrational panic within him. As such, he did not mind sharing the details. The event he was recalling was more just frightening than traumatic. "I remember one day, outside the walls of the city not far from our farm, I was playing in the forest. I can't remember exactly how old I was; maybe ten or so? Anyway, I remember hearing this...groaning behind me. Like someone who was very, very sick. I turned around and saw the bushes in front of me start to shake. I was curious and stupid, so of course I just had to walk closer. After a few seconds this...thing emerged in front of me. Some undead monstrosity of rotting flesh and bone. I wouldn't call it the stuff of nightmares as much as it was the stuff that creates nightmares. I panicked, froze up, and probably would have died if that thing had actually cared in the slightest about my presence. It just shambled past me without so much as looking at me. I remember seeing its putrid, rotting flesh, some of it cut away to reveal bone underneath. There were holes in its skin from where the maggots were eating through it and...well it was a lot more than I needed to see. I have no clue why that thing was there to begin with. It was the middle of the day, right outside the city walls, and this bonewalker just walks right past me. Maybe it was the property of some nearby necromancer and was just concerned with getting back to its master. No matter what it was, it did not make me fond of the undead."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, six years old. I guess you can learn quicker when you're a child, but still. Your instructors don't sound like ones I would want to have." Peiter responded. "I'm glad you were able to get away from all of that, and not just because I wouldn't have met you otherwise. You are just such a beautiful person, in mind and body, and you deserve a lot better than to be treated like that."

As Sabine was flexing her fingers, Peiter raised up his hand and intertwines his own fingers with hers. "Lorag, he trained us as soldiers. I recognized a lot of it from watching the guards back in Chorrol, actually. He was definitely strict, and kept a lot of discipline with us, but I wouldn't call him abusive per ce. We were punished for doing things wrong, but that came more in the form of extra physical conditioning. Like, more running, or lifting more weight. Painful punishment still, but...in a different way. Everything he made us do pretty much served some sort of purpose. Speaking of, maybe we should start doing some of that physical conditioning. Like, running and such. You're probably going to be stronger than most of your opponents just by being a lycan." With his other arm, Peiter ran his hand down Sabine's arm and lightly squeezed her bicep. "But, it might help to build some endurance. I know you have magic that can energize you, but you never know when you'll be without it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Between their bouts and the more formal instruction that Peiter gave Sabine, their training had certainly allowed Peiter to expend some of his energy. He breathed heavily as he walked up to Sabine, dropped his sword, and sat down beside her. "Well, I had some before your pack arrived, but most of my training has been under Lorag for the past three years. I'm not a master or anything, obviously, but that is more formal training than most new soldiers get."

Peiter put his arm around Sabine's shoulder and allowed his head to rest against hers. "You're making good progress, for the fact that you're just starting out. I know sword practice is a lot...rougher than magic, but I enjoy it. We can try magic again next time. What about you? How long did it take you to first be able to manipulate magic?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I need to go to bed soon. I'll try to make one quick one before going to bed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I definitely want to summarize the lesson part. As for the opening sparring match, I wouldn't mind going through it, but it's your choice. I have no preference. If you do want to skip anything, we can just stay in the scene with them immediately after the lesson.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Sabine went to grab the swords, Peiter went over to a spot that seemed clear enough for their purposes, just on the other side of Tzirret. "Oh, we picked up some swords back in Senchal. The both of us decided it would be interesting to teach each other some tricks. I've been trying my best to learn how to use magic from her. Unsuccessfully so far, but I'm trying. Swordplay is a bit easier to grasp starting out, so Sabine has been a bit better off in sparring."

Once Sabine returned, Peiter took his wooden sword and took his position, turning back to Tzirret as he allowed Sabine to get ready. "Teaching someone techniques like this can sometimes be boring, I'll warn you, but we will at least start off with a good duel. Maybe you can pick up some pointers as well, if you pay attention."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Sabine's kiss, Peiter could not bring himself to even act upset in any seriously convincing manner. Instead, he took her hand and stood up to his feet. "Well...that's actually a tough question. On the one hand, you're making this magic stuff look really tempting. But, on the other, I feel like I'll be able to get a lot more payback sooner in a sword duel." He said, smiling. He looked over and motioned his other hand towards Tzirret.

"Plus, Tzirret here would probably find a lot more interest in watching a duel. That is, if you were intent on doing it right now?" Peiter added. They had not been doing much all day, other than anticipating when they would finally be ashore. As such, Peiter had quite a bit of energy he needed to expend.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's...a movie.

Dun dun dun.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I went to see Star Wars. Just got back an hour or so ago.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ra'kalesh smiled. "This one will help anyone who wants to learn. Again, do not expect miracles, but Khajiit may have some advice for you both. Speak to me tomorrow, once we have returned to camp. Right now, Ra'kalesh would like some dinner." He chuckled before heading over to their bags to find their stores of meat.

Kaleeth got out of her wet city clothes, then sat herself down on her bedroll, next to Newt's. The camp was situated in a circle as usual, though no one had even thought about building a fire. Some in the packs preferred to eat a cooked meal from time to time, just for variety, but at the moment, no one wanted any extra heat in the camp.

Peiter was looking at Tzirret just before Sabine laid her hand on his stomach. "Well, the ocean's nearby, but I don't think..." He began, interrupting himself when he felt Sabine's hand on his stomach. It only took a brief moment of seeing the fire for him to panic. "What are you doing, what are you doing?!" He shouted in a frenzy as he tried to swat her hand away and stand to his feet. Once he was up, he patted his own stomach down frantically, but felt, and saw no burns. And, once he had time to actually think, he recognized that he felt no heat. He let out a sigh, then knelt down in front of her. "Very...funny. I said I felt like I was on fire, not that I wanted to be on fire."