EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmph, well you certainly know how to raise my spirits." Peiter grumbled sarcastically, though he decided to take it as a joke. He watched her walk over to their tent, and was not ashamed to stare as she leaned forward into it. Once she had drank her potion, he stood up to his feet and stretched out his muscles before taking her hand. With a grin, he gave her a quick kiss before they started to walk hand-in-hand towards the edge of camp.

On the way out of camp, the pair happened to pass by the spot where Meesei had set up her tent. She was sitting on her bedroll, and looked as if she were about to start meditating. Regardless, she opened her eyes and looked at the pair as they passed. "Ah, hello. Are you heading out for a hunt, or a swim?" She asked casually. "Just be careful not to head straight south. Colors says there may be Dominion patrols in that direction."

Ma'tanza was not fortunate enough to have any of the clothing they had on hand, so she was simply able to follow Tzirret as soon as he was ready. They were farther away from her home than she had ever been, so she naturally had a certain curiosity about the area. The forest was far different from the jungle of southern Pelletine, so the creatures, plants, and even the air itself was all new to her. Once they walked out of the camp, her eyes scanned the whole landscape around her, to the point that she nearly tripped on one of the roots of a tree they passed.

"This place is...nothing like home. It's a forest, but it's so different. The air is just so cool, and the forest isn't nearly as thick. It doesn't even look like you could make a building in these little trees." Ma'tanza observed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter was a bit disappointed that Sabine gave no real reaction to his jokes, even if just to roll her eyes at it. Regardless, he stayed in good spirits as he answered her. "Well, I only mention it because my beast spirit has been a bit restless and I feel I need to let it out. Our beast spirits are instinct-driven, and mating is pretty...instinctual. We are mates, so your beast spirit would probably just do what comes naturally." He reasoned.

Peiter made no comment on the fact that Sabine had watched her packmates in an intimate moment. She did not specify for how long she had watched them, so he simply assumed that she had saw them only briefly before leaving.

Ma'tanza turned around to ask the others, but before she could even say a word, M'ibasa was already taking off running, quite literally, through the camp. He may not have heard what they were talking about, or, had heard them and decided to get away before she could ask him. Shrugging her shoulders, she asked the others who were still present. "Say, would any of you want to join us for a hunt?" She asked.

Qa'habi had just finished stringing his bow when Ma'tanza posed the question. "Qa'habi was planning on hunting, but he really wants to use his bow. It sounds like you want to hunt with your beast spirits. This one would probably just get in the way."

Bheja had his attention occupied with S'nishi while Ma'tanza and Tzirret had been speaking. He had his arms wrapped around her neck and had just given her a kiss on the snout when Ma'tanza questioned him directly. "Huh? Oh, no, not right now. I think I'm going to spend some...quality time with my little kitten here."

Ma'tanza looked back to Tzirret, not acknowledging the irony of Bheja's nickname for her sister. "Hmm, looks like it will be just us."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter started to snicker as his smile grew wider. "Oh, you want another sword lesson?" He said, putting extra emphasis on the euphemism. "Well, it has been a while, and I do really enjoy them. In fact, I think it would be fun to head out into the forest and have another lesson right now. What do you think?"

Keeping his arm around Sabine, Peiter turned onto his side as well to face her. "You know, something I was thinking about on the ship, I wonder if it would be possible to do in beast form..."

Ma'tanza readily moved over slightly to give Tzirret room to sit. Overall, she was in a cheerful move now that they were off of the ship, so she smiled warmly at his suggestion. "A hunt does sound good. Ma'tanza has nothing else to do, really, so she can come. Honestly, she has been wanting to find an excuse to stretch her legs for a while. Ma'tanza is not used to being unable to run, or swim, or do much of anything else for so long. This one does not know how sailors stand it. Though, she supposes they do have to deal with their duties on the ship. Well, anyway, Ma'tanza would love to hunt. When do you want to leave? This one is ready at any time. Did you want to invite the others?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I was caught up in a discussion, getting to a post now.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for the delay, I was in a game.

Also, they are releasing this skin for Kukulkan in the next patch. It is the single best thing since this skin.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter turned his head and kissed Sabine's cheek. "Don't worry, I won't be depressed exactly, just, you know, cursing fate for shoving me on board one of those cursed things. I know I'll probably be regretting these words later, but I think I'll prefer the desert to being cramped in a space like that again."

With a smile, Peiter tightened his grip on Sabine and gave her another kiss. "But, I suppose I should just be glad to be here now. This place is leagues better than Pelletine, but not freezing like home. I think I actually feel comfortable for a change. There aren't as many insects buzzing around everywhere, and the trees aren't thick enough to block out the sun. Mostly, though, I'm just glad we'll be able to do something more than just stare at wooden planks." He said before putting on something of a smirk. "And, you know, it has been weeks since we've been able to actually be...alone."

Ma'tanza had finally been able to get M'ibasa to settle down enough that they could have a seat. Though, she honestly felt like finding something more active to do after being trapped inside the ship for so long. She was sitting next to M'ibasa, trying to get a tick off of his back that he had somehow already managed to pick up. Qa'habi was nearby, stringing up his bow presumably for some archery practice, while S'nishi was laying down on her side, with Bheja laying against her.

"Oh, hello Tzirret." Ma'tanza answered, only briefly glancing over to him before returning her attention to M'ibasa's fur. "It is astounding how quickly M'ibasa can get into trouble. He already cut his leg on a thornbush and picked up a tick that...hold on." She started, interrupting herself once she spotted the insect. With the smallest charge of magic, she paralyzed the insect, then was able to simply pull it off of his body and incinerate it with a small amount of fire. "There you go. Now, try not to pick up any more."

Looking to Tzirret, Ma'tanza finally gave him her full attention. "How are you feeling? This one guesses you are glad to be back on land. Everyone else is, Ma'tanza included."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Meesei and the others climbed out of the boat to help get it back up onto the deck, she heard Gallus' question. She could not help but to chuckle to herself as she mused on recent events. "More than you know." She finally commented.

---

The ships were back on track just as quickly as they had stopped. The two "trading" vessels were able to sail past Leyawiin without incident, as was common for ships bound for the Imperial City or Bravil. They would indeed be heading to Bravil, but would continue on past and head back down towards Elsweyr. From there, they would embark on the longest, but hopefully not the most difficult leg of their journey.

The remainder of the trip up the Niben was fortunately much less eventful than their departure from Elsweyr. The greatest enemies the clan faced along the river were boredom and uncomfortable beds. Although, both of those still took their toll on the clan's members. By the time they were within sight of Bravil, the clan in general was overjoyed to see that their time at sea was finally near to being at its end. From there, it was only another day of sailing at most.

Under Colors' direction, the ships were able to make it past Bravil without arousing suspicion, then head southwest along the Larsius river. The river could bring them a short distance into Elsweyr, though Colors stopped them before they reached the farthest point that their ships could take them. According to him, they would need to be cautious to avoid Dominion patrols when crossing the border, but again, he just happened to have the experience required to get them through.

The ships were finally stopped for good after just under two weeks of sailing. They had successfully moved the clan to the exact opposite side of Elsweyr, and had covered most of the distance to the Orcrest clan. However, the remainder of that distance would likely take just as long, so they were only at roughly the halfway point of their overall journey. Meesei ordered that everything of any potential use be stripped from the ships. If possible, she would send some scouts later to see if the ships were salvageable, but she honestly doubted that they would be there for long. Fortunately, the clan had been able to make enough tents to keep them protected in the desert, and they even had enough bedrolls that most of them would be able to sleep at the same time. They would simply need to have a higher-than-average number of lookouts at once. They were definitely short on clothing, and Meesei recommended giving it first to the children and elderly, as they would need it most in the desert. Even she relinquished her robe to Ri'nakhad, so as not to appear above the struggles of the rest of the clan. Luckily, their food and water reserves were looking much more promising. They were carrying with them enough food to get them to their destination, even with some delays, and they were able to completely replenish their reserves of water from the river.

As it was later in the day, the clan was setting up camp not too far from the ships. There was still some to be salvaged from the ships, but those who were working on that would be finished within a few hours. Most of the others were simply glad to finally be able to get off the ships and stretch their legs. M'ibasa quite literally took off running as soon as his feet hit solid ground, and it did not take long for Ma'tanza to give up on chasing him, instead returning to camp to set up their tent for the night. Nearby, Peiter did the same for himself and Sabine, after which he laid down on his back in the grass with his arms stretched out wide.

"If I never have to step foot on another ship again, I think I could die happy." Peiter commented to Sabine, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air around him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The next point I intend to skip to is the ship's destination.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza was certainly confused by what Tzirret was saying, and her mind was full of ideas on what she thought his meaning could be. Some of them were distant guesses, while others were not far from the truth. However, before he could stammer out anything more, the others returned from the basement and beckoned for them to leave. She continued to give Tzirret a confused gaze for a few moments before catching back up with the group and following them out of the chapel.

Just as Meesei had indicated before they left, the group did not waste any time in the city. It was now late enough that shops were starting to close, and night would not be far away. Even going as fast as they could, it would be dark by the time they got back to the ships. They exited out of the same gate they had entered through and made their way north briefly before cutting west into the forest, then south down back towards their boat. It was about half an hour of a walk to reach the the coast once more, then another half an hour to get back to their ships.

In their absence, anyone who wished to trade ships had made the switch with the rope ladders, which were still hanging over the side on both vessels. Colors and the other "captain" had made sure that one ship did not take on too many more passengers than the other, so both ships were currently available to be boarded.

Once they stopped, Ma'tanza climbed out of the rowboat and looked towards the ship with her brother, sister, and now presumably Bheja and Qa'habi. She was about to head over to its ladder before she glanced back to Tzirret. "Oh, um, Tzirret. Were you going to switch ships with this one, or stay with your friends?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained calm and collected, but allowed herself to show some emotion in the moment. She smiled, and nodded slightly to the family. "We did what I would expect anyone to do in our position. Slavery is a vile institution that destroys families, and anything that I can do to help its victims, I will. I regret that I cannot stay longer, but my responsibilities require that I take my leave of Leyawiin. Good luck with your life here, or wherever else you might go. Perhaps I will be able to write to you someday?"

Overall, Meesei's words were genuine. It brought her great satisfaction to see Pudaga's family have not only safety, but a decent chance at re-establishing their lives. Though she often keeps strong feelings to herself, Meesei did not lie nor exaggerate about her opinion of slavery. If it were her choice, she would free any and every slave she could, as well as personally punish their former owners. For the moment, however, she could be content with the fact that she had helped at least one family of would-be victims.

Ma'tanza had been observing the other stained-glass portraits when Tzirret suddenly asked for her hand. She looked at him and raised her brow with both curiosity and confusion. She could not think of what he would want with her hand at the moment. Perhaps some joke or trick? Nevertheless, the extended her hand towards him and continued to stare into his eyes to try and discern his intentions. "Um, alright? What do you need Ma'tanza's hand for? This won't be like that time Bheja tricked this one into holding a spider, will it?"