EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay was confused by Tzirret's reaction, but as soon as he began to hug her, she returned it just as tightly. She was not quite sure why he felt he needed it, but if it was helpful, she would not argue. After a few move moments, she began to chuckle. "You are a strange Khajiit sometimes, Cloudy-Cat, but that, you shouldn't change. Some of these quirks of yours may be cute to some girls."

Once Tzirret eventually ceased his sobbing and pulled away from La'khay, she looked him in the eyes with a grin, and a hand on his shoulders. "La'khay hopes that was what you needed. If you're absolutely sure you don't want to mate, we can head back. You have a clan to explore."

---

As expected, Meesei's was not exactly met with smiles and applause. Instead, they received a mix of grim stares and worried glances. Ri'nakhad leaned over the table with his hands on either side of map, visibly frowning. "That is...a lot to ask. To move the entire clan such a distance...We have made a journey like that before, when we moved from Senchal to here after the attack. But, that was not as far, and we did not have to cross a desert. This one fears the losses we would take."

"I understand, Ri'nakhad, but this time, you would have much more of an opportunity to prepare." Meesei responded with a respectful tone, then motioned to Do'ajee. "That is why I have requested Do'ajee's presence. She was raised in Anequina and has lived a large portion of her life in its deserts. Your tribe was as large as this clan, correct?"

Do'ajee nodded. "Yes, this one's tribe was around the size of the clan...in it's current state. She knows the paths between the desert's oases. It would be possible, but...not easy. If Do'ajee is not mistaken, Ra'jorr is also a native of Anequina, correct?"

The Pahmar-raht gave a nod, but then, the gemstone on his pendant began to glow with a bright blue light. Shortly afterwards, it produced a strange, almost ghostly voice. "Yes, this one knows the desert well. It is possible for large groups to survive it, and he has no doubt that his warriors have the constitution for it, but to ask that everyone else in the clan, all of our young, injured, and elderly, make such a journey is a dangerous suggestion. Ra'jorr will not say it is impossible, but they are not accustomed to what they will need to face. If you wish to do this, you need to be absolutely certain it is necessary."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Just a quick comment. The enemy's stronghold isn't near Torval, but rather Corinthe.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay smiled towards Tzirret and began to pat him on the back. "You do not need to say goodbye yet, Tzirret. La'khay is not going anywhere, and there will be plenty of time for goodbyes when your pack leaves. She understands you are hurting right now, but she knows you will feel well once you start opening up to others. You may always think of La'khay as a friend, one who will be very upset if you keep letting fear dominate you." She answered, though her tone was friendly.

"Ah, but to your question, of course. La'khay will be more than happy to mate with you. You are becoming skilled." She said, sitting herself down on the ground in quite the seductive position. Evidently, she had interpreted his words as a euphemism. No matter what happened to her, it seemed as if there were some aspects of La'khay's personality which would never change.

---

Ri'nakhad nodded. "Yes, this one has spoken with his lieutenants. But first, there is another matter he should bring up first. Ra'kalesh, as you have likely noticed, Ishora...did not survive the attack, and we have not filled the position she left behind on this council. You were her second, and her friend. There are few among the clan who have served it as faithfully as you, and it is truly a blessing from Hircine that you have been returned to us. This one has spoken with the other lieutenants, and we believe it would be best for you to fill her position. This one would like to offer you the rank of lieutenant within our clan."

"Thank you, Clan Leader." Ra'kalesh said, breathing in deeply and with a solemn expression. "It is...unfortunate that this has occurred under such circumstances, but Ra'kalesh is honored to be selected for this role. This one swears that he will do all he can to live up to Ishora's example, and to serve the clan to the best of his ability."

"That is all we can ask." Ri'nakhad responded before turning his attention back to the others. "Well, this one supposes we should begin."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"And I love you. If you want to try again so soon, I'm certainly willing. I might, uh, need a few minutes, but it will take a bit to get back there anyway." Peiter answered. After rubbing his hands across her stomach for a few moments, he reluctantly let her go, as he needed to gather his belongings as well.

Once they were both ready, Peiter walked up and took Sabine by the hand. He did not think he had stopped smiling since they climbed out of the river, and looking at her only made it grow wider. He was not sure how long they simply stood looking at one another before Peiter realized he should probably say something. "Well, after you, beautiful."

---

La'khay did not quite smile, but her expression became more satisfied when Tzirret took the pendant. She patted his shoulder and looked at him approvingly. "Good, good. Make sure you do it alone; La'khay will not ask you to prove that you went. This is something you need to do for you, not anyone else. If you refuse to try, you will not be hurting her, it will only hurt you. This one would wish you luck, but she knows you do not need it. She has seen what you can do when you have the confidence to try, so she knows you can succeed. La'khay would still be glad to mate with you if you wish, but she understands if you do not want to do that any longer. Either way, she trusts that you will keep your promise."

---

Up in the outpost, Meesei, Gallus, Do'ajee, and Ra'kalesh entered the meeting hall within a few minutes of one another. At the table at the room's center, near the end, Ri'nakhad and three others, presumably his lieutenants, were waiting. One was a brown, black-striped Dagi-raht male with more covering clothing than the others, like a robe made of leather. Around its edges, one might be able to see the faint tinge of magic. Another was a light-haired Bosmer woman with a scent that was that of neither a werewolf or werelion, and the last was a Pahmar-raht. He had a similar fur pattern as S'ajira, but was much larger, though not to the extent of a Senche. Interestingly, he also had what looked like a steel amulet with a blue gemstone tied around his neck, from which Meesei could also feel the presence of magic.

"Excellent, everyone is here. Please, take a seat." Ri'nakhad said once everyone had arrived. After they all complied, he motioned towards the others with him. These are my lieutenants, Jo'akith, Miranor, and Ra'jorr." He introduced, pointing to the Dagi-raht, Bosmer, and Pahmar-raht respectively.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed her on the cheek. "Dear, love, beautiful, the light of my life, there is a lot I could call you. I feel...well it's hard to put words to it, exactly. I'm sure I made some mistakes, but I feel good. I feel almost peaceful and, well needless to say, I really enjoyed that. Are you feeling good? Did I do alright?" He asked in a noticeably nervous tone.

---

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy, Tzirret." La'khay said firmly. "La'khay has been nice to you, but she is nothing special. Your friends, your alpha, this one has seen that they are just as nice to you as her. The only difference is that you are not attracted to them. If you were attracted to more than only Khajiit, then this one does not doubt you would already have found a girl for you before we even met. Your problem isn't that no one is willing to be nice to you, it is that you are not willing to talk to them. It is true that most people will not approach someone who does not look like they want to be approached. People like La'khay, or your friends, are unusual like that. La'khay is willing to bet that, since you joined your clan, you have never been the one to approach a stranger, unless it was absolutely necessary. You have always waited for others to come to you. What you must do is to open yourself up to others. What you must do is to be the one to approach them, and most importantly, you must have the courage to be patient. You may not be staying with our clan for too long, so you may not find your mate here. But, you may find friends, or at least a girl willing to mate with you a few times. If you start talking to people at all, it will be a step in the right direction."

Standing up straight, La'khay extended her hand with the pendant down towards Tzirret. "La'khay wants you to agree to something. Later in the day, when others in the clan are swimming in the river, this one wants you to come out to the river again. Alone. This one wants you to approach people you have never met and talk to them. Learn about them, share stories with them. Some will be nice and friendly like La'khay, some will be mean, rude, and maybe even insulting towards you. For that kind of person, you will want to avoid them, but under no circumstance should you give up. Now take this pendant and keep it. Keep it until you find the girl who is willing to be your mate."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter had a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swirling in his mind as he laid on the shore with Sabine. He doubted everything was perfect, given their inexperience, but he was not disappointed. He smiled and watched Sabine as she stood and walked over to her belongings, his gaze loving, rather than lustful. After only a few moments, though, he stood up as well and walked up behind her. He started rubbing her shoulders gently, careful not to disturb whatever she was doing with her alchemical supplies.

Peiter whispered in a voice that was as gentle as his touch. "So, how do you feel...dear?" He asked, giving a grin at the last word.

---

"Tzirret..." La'khay began, closing her eyes and letting out another sigh. "Maybe it is true that you feel that way. Maybe you just think you do, and don't know any better. But La'khay is not the right woman for you. She isn't a person who forms bonds like that, she can never have cubs, she does not like the same things as you, and she has never been loyal to a single mate. La'khay is happy with who she is, but she is not the one for you. You like La'khay because she was nice to you, but there are many nice Khajiit. Maybe you were unlucky and couldn't find any in Bruma, but La'khay can think of dozens of girls she has met who you would simply love."

Although she had tried to be gentle at first, La'khay's frustration had been building since she had started chasing him, and right now, she was starting to feel like he needed some sense shouted into him. Suddenly, she grabbed his shoulders surprisingly forcefully and stared straight into his eyes. "Tzirret, you need to listen to La'khay. This one is sick and tired of seeing you beat yourself down at every turn. Every time you fail at something, it seems, it's because you make yourself fail. You said you were acting like a coward the past few days? Well, you were. You were afraid to say anything to La'khay, so nothing happened except you worrying yourself. You did nothing, so you gained nothing. But La'khay knows that is not who you really are. La'khay has seen your confidence; she has felt it intimately. La'khay did not give you a second chance because you were afraid, or because she felt bad for you, she gave you that chance because you had the courage to accept, despite your fear. She has not been mating with you out of charity, she has been doing it because you have given her greater pleasure than Colors has for a while. Because you have the courage to try, and the passion to give it your all. You did not kill the minotaur because you were a coward, you did it because you had the courage to thrust that spear into the beast, despite what it could have done to you. Every single time you have broken out of your fear and shown your courage, you have accomplished something. How much have you done over just the past few weeks that you never would have imagined before you came here? All of that has happened because you broke from your fear and did something. That is what La'khay wants you to do. She wants you to stop imprisoning yourself to this fear, take this pendant, and promise her that you're going to find a girl who deserves to wear it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

You can do a short one if you think you can, but otherwise, goodnight, then.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter followed Sabine into the water without hesitation or question. He would have gone anywhere that she felt like taking him. He made no effort to keep track of time, or much of his surroundings. All of his senses, everything he touched, heard, saw, and even smelled, was dominated by Sabine's embrace. In the passion of the moment, his hands wandered to places he had not been comfortable touching before. Now, just as he had mentioned before, he felt like grabbing her and never letting go.

Several minutes passed, not that Peiter had much of a concept of the time. When they finally pulled away from their kiss for a moment, he stared into her eyes, his mouth slightly agape as he took in heavy breaths. Desire and passion filled his entire expression, but there was also a hint of fear. He knew what he wanted to ask, but he did not know if he should. "Sabine..." He began, his voice trailing off as his eyes told of the desires he held.

La'khay was able to keep up with Tzirret long enough to see him fall, then curl up next to a tree after a short limp. She knelt down in front of him, ignoring his demands that she leave. She was resolute that she was going to fix this problem, and if she was lucky, maybe even help him out more. "Tzirret...you're right about some things, but you're wrong about that. It is...true that La'khay does not feel that way about you. But it is not because of you; she has not loved anyone in that way for years, and never will again. That is just not who she is. La'khay knows very well that it is painful not to have your feelings returned, but this one still cares about you, Tzirret. You are still her friend. And your friend still believes that there is a girl out there who is worthy of this pendant." She said, opening her hand to reveal the small, carved trinket.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite the passion between them at the moment, Sabine's question gave Peiter pause. He stared into her eyes and well, and breathed in very deeply as he thought about how he could answer in a way that would be accurate to how he felt. "I've...been thinking about that question. A lot. It's not an easy one to answer, is it? Ever since I first got to know you years ago, it was easy to tell that I liked you as a friend. Just like most of the others in the group. Coming on this mission and spending time together, that fondness has obviously really, really grown. Just before we first got together, I felt a bit curious, and majorly confused. Being around you wasn't the same as...anything really. It felt entirely new. I didn't know what love was, and honestly, I still don't know if I do. I could just be wrong about it all, and everything I'm about to say could be a mistake. But...I know how I feel when I'm around you. It's different from what I feel towards close friends; it's different from the lust I feel towards other attractive women. It's new, it's frightening, and I think it may be love."

Peiter tightened his grip around her. "I do feel that I love you, Sabine." He said, followed by among the most passionate kiss he had given her thusfar.

La'khay was unsure of what to say through Tzirret's entire breakdown into despair. She knew even before he said it how he felt, but Tzirret was also correct in how she felt. She did like him, but only in the sense that he was a friend. She cursed herself about not being more clear with him on how she felt, and not trying to do more to curb what feelings he might develop. She knew she needed to do something to help him, but he started to run before she could speak a word.

As Tzirret was running away, La'khay knelt down and grabbed the pendant he had dropped. She gave a low growl of frustration, both at how he was acting, and the fact that she had not prevented it. However, she was not just going to leave it at this. She had to make him see how wrong he was. Taking the pendant in her hand, she took off in a sprint after him. "Stop, Tzirret! La'khay...needs to speak with you." She shouted ahead.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A little bit.