EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha too was carrying Rhazii, walking alongside Fendros, Janius, and Kaleeth. By far, she, and the rest of the Khajiit, were suffering the least out of all of the clan, with perhaps a few exceptions. Their bodies were, unsurprisingly, naturally well-acclimated to the desert. Their skin was protected from the sun by their fur, and even with the fur, they were quite good at expelling heat. Granted, the ability of Humans and Elves to sweat gave them even greater control of their body temperature, but the sun’s light was much more of an enemy to them. Fendros, at least, did not seem to be having much of an issue. He could sweat to keep himself reasonably cool, and his dark skin was unburned by the sun. Unlike some of the non-Khajiit couples, she could actually touch him without worry.

“You will need to pass on the burden at some point, Janius. We still have over another week of this left.” Ahnasha warned. “If only we had more Senche to pull more carts. Then, we could cover them up and let most of the Humans and Elves ride in them. As it stands, we barely have enough space for the elderly to trade out with the carts. Maybe we should have tried to buy camels in Senchal. It would have been harder to justify to the slavers, but we’d be having a much easier time right now.”

Peiter huffed, intending for it to be more of a laugh, but finding that too painful to attempt. He looked over to Tzirret, and immediately hated the fact that he had to move his neck. “Trust me, if I could take your fur right now, I definitely would. I would put on one of those thick, fur coats from Bruma if it meant protecting me from this sun. It’s strange, this place doesn’t feel as hot as the Tenmar forest. Down there, it was so humid, and I was constantly drenched in sweat. I don’t feel as hot overall, it’s just that my skin feels like it’s on fire.”

Ma’tanza looked to be more uncomfortable than most of the Khajiit, but for different reasons. For her, it had started even before they reached the desert, as she did not perform well on these long journeys, not without help. She rubbed her back uncomfortably as she looked at Tzirret. “Ma’tanza’s back hurts, and her chest feels sore.” She commented before glancing over to Sabine with nervous curiosity. “Sabine…the ointment you gave to Ma’tanza before. Does it use any of the same ingredients as your skin balms?” She asked. While she wanted relief, she would not ask for it if it meant taking away from the treatments of the non-Khajiit who needed protection from the sun.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I was just about to head to bed. I'll respond tomorrow. Although, I might not be able to get to it in the middle of the day, and I get home not long before you usually get online. Regardless, goodnight.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Now, it may not apply to me or anything, but I'm sure you know that I just can't help but to apply my knowledge if there's a place for it. You mentioned in that critique that with really sensitive hearing, you could hear the inside of your own ear. Technically true, but it wouldn't matter. The brain blocks out constants, it's why you can't see your own nose, or constantly smell yourself. You can already hear your own blood with your normal hearing (it's right next to it, after all), it's just that your brain ignores it. Really interesting, the brain is.

Anyway, no other comment on anything. I just couldn't help but to say that.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza's eyes widened slightly when Tzirret moved his head closer to hers, but relaxed once he stopped with his forehead pressed against her. "Well, Ma'tanza will not say it is easy, but she does think it is worthwhile. Don't worry if you don't understand it at first, and keep trying. Ma'tanza can help if you need it." She commented.

---

The clan finished stripping the ships of everything useful that night, so they were able to begin the overland portion of their journey the very next day. They had to move carefully in order to cross the border safely, but Colors was able to get them through without incident. From there, the traveling became surprisingly easy. The forests of northern Elsweyr were not nearly as thick as the southern jungles, so the clan was able to move with relative ease. Unfortunately, that lasted only a few days before the jungle transitioned to desert.

For most of the clan, the desert was an environment unlike any they had experienced before. Only those from Anequina, like Ra'jorr and Do'ajee, had any experience traversing its sands. The first day in the desert was not actually terrible for most of the clan, but by the third day, the stresses of the environment became more apparent. It was excessively hot and dry, but despite the thirst they all inevitably developed, they had to keep their water strictly rationed if they were to have enough for the journey. Kaleeth, Meesei, and any other Argonian had a particularly difficult time with the lack of humidity. It felt as if their scales were tightening around their bodies, putting them in a mild, but persistently uncomfortable state. However, they were not the only ones who faced issues. One problem that few in the clan foresaw was caused by the sun itself. The Khajiit's fur, and the Argonians' scales served as protection against the sun's light, but most of the non-beast races, especially the fair-skinned, had to deal with some rather comprehensive sunburn on their bodies. To make matters worse, even if they redistributed clothing to the Humans and Elves, what they had was not nearly enough to protect their whole bodies.

It was starting to reach evening on the third day, so the sun was not directly overhead, but that did not mean it was not still uncomfortably hot. For Peiter, the heat of the desert, even at midday, did not feel as hot as the thick, humid jungle of Pelletine. Rather, it was the other aspects of the environment that were causing most of his discomfort. Other than his bags and pouches, he had nothing to wear, so much of his skin was bright red. The sand was still hot under his feet, though the pain of that sensation had been dulled long ago. He walked along with Sabine, Ciinriel, Tzirret, and all of the other friends they had picked up in the clan. It would not be too long before they set up camp, which would come as a great relief after another day of constant walking.

"My skin feels like fire. Just...pure fire. I don't think I've ever been this angry at the sun before." Peiter commented with no shortage of agitation.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I was caught in a discussion. I'll try to finish it quickly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for the delay, I've been caught up in things.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do you think this would be the point to do the skip, or is there more you want to do?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza maintained her lighthearted grin as Tzirret gave his thoughts on her, but internally, his words were more flattering that he likely realized. By the end of his short speech, she was actually beginning to tear up slightly. Without hesitation, she enthusiastically gave him another hug. "Thank you, Tzirret. That means a lot to Ma'tanza. People never care about what's in her mind."

Still holding him in a hug, Ma'tanza pulled her head back just enough to look him in the eyes. "But you shouldn't be jealous. This one...won't lie. You aren't actually the...bravest person, but that doesn't matter. You care about people. You care about who they are, and how they feel. You care about keeping yourself from hurting them. Ma'tanza wishes we weren't in this war; you're too good for all of the fighting and killing. This one thinks you would be much happier helping people than hurting them, like as a healer, or something else that keeps people safe. Or even just happy and comfortable. Ma'tanza admits, she doesn't like to fight. She likes to study the kinds of magic that makes life easier, instead of more dangerous."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza could not help but to laugh. "This one would think you would be less nervous now that you are together with her. Yes, Ma'tanza is very used to boys staring at her, mostly her chest. Honestly, it is hard to say how it makes this one feel. Beautiful, yet...ignored might be a way of saying it. You would think that it would make her the center of attention, and it does in a way, but this one doesn't like how her body basically becomes her identity to some people. It's not that Ma'tanza doesn't want to feel beautiful, it's just...there is so much more that Ma'tanza cares about, more that she can do."

With a brief pause, Ma'tanza decided to try to move past the more negative tone she had created. "Ah, but maybe you're jealous of Ma'tanza. Maybe you want people to stare at you?" She said before making an exaggerated motion of looking over his lower body. "But, more seriously, Ma'tanza does appreciate that you tried to be more respectful. She likes that you are more interested in who she is than anything else. Even if you did end up using them as pillows." She teased.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Tzirret's scene is over, I think I'll skip us forward. We can finish anything you have in mind for it, though.