EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once Meesei had her belongings, she went through the camp collecting those she intended to bring with her. From her own pack, she decided to bring Fendros and Ahnasha. Normally, she would bring Lorag along on such tasks, but being that she was with the clan, she decided it was best to always leave someone behind to represent her in her absence. Being that he was her second, he was the best choice. Fendros and Ahnasha were having breakfast when she approached, and were fortunately nearby to Janius and Kaleeth, so they were able to leave Rhazii in their care right away. Afterwards, Meesei sought out Ri'nakhad and asked for a lieutenant to accompany her. For meeting the Orcrest clan, Ri'nakhad himself would be the ideal representative, but Meesei had to plan for the possibility of danger. As such, he recommended Ra'kalesh, who readily accepted along with Jo'rashaad. All three headed back to Meesei's tent together to join with the others.

Everyone had gathered what they would need to travel by the time they gathered at Meesei's tent, though they would not be going far. "I am guessing everyone knows what it is we are doing? Our destination lies within those tall, rocky hills in the distance. There is a secret entrance that I should be able to find, though from what I understand, they should be able to see us coming."

Sabine's silence gave Peiter pause, further growing his uncertainty. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset her, but without an actual answer, he was not sure what he should do. If there was anything he could do to help, he wanted to at least attempt it. He steeled himself to be shouted at, then climbed into the tent. He carefully looked her over to make sure she was not sunburned, then started to rub her shoulder lightly. "You know I don't like to see you like this. If there's something wrong, I'm sure there is someone who can help you, even if I can't. I do want to help you, though. It couldn't hurt to tell me, could it?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for the delay. I spent about six hours today working on a few algorithms, and just getting visual studio to work at all. The latter took a lot longer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once again, Meesei was dressed in the robe, though this time she was also grabbing a few pouches with water and other supplies. She was not expecting to be away from camp for more than a few hours, but she preferred to be prepared than to not. She had stopped the clan away from the Orcrest, rather than to approach with everyone at once. Fellow lycans or no, the Orcrest clan would feel understandably threatened by such a large group suddenly appearing right outside their stronghold. She intended to bring only herself, a few of her and Gallus' pack members, and at least one of the clan's lieutenants.

As Gallus approached, Meesei nodded to him. "Yes, I do not wish to alarm the clan by approaching with our entire force at once. A small group would be much better to make contact. I am going to bring a few of my pack members, as well as yourself, whichever of your pack you wish to accompany us, and one of the lieutenants. I have no reason to believe that the Orcrest clan has been attacked or otherwise compromised by the enemy, but just in case, I do want to have enough warriors with us that we could escape an ambush. However, not so many as to alarm the clan. Gather your supplies, and whoever you want to bring with you, and meet me at my tent. I will do the same." She explained.

Meanwhile, Peiter had taken notice of Sabine's behavior over the past few days. He was around her more than anyone, so he noticed her change in mood even before Meesei, as she was often busy with her duties. Now that they were in camp, he decided that it was time to speak to, and hopefully comfort her about whatever it was that was bothering her. Slowly, and somewhat nervously, he opened up the entrance of the tent just enough to poke his head inside. "Hello...love. Could I, um...come in? I've been noticing you've been acting unusual lately. Is there something wrong?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

My Saturday has turned out to be annoyingly busy, so my next response may be delayed. If you'd like to do the next timeskip, though, we're can probably do it right now. We could skip to the point where we're about to send a group to make contact with the Orcrest clan. The location would be in the desert, in view of a few rocky hills in the distance, much like many others they likely would have passed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei gave a light chuckle to Gallus. She had not yet shared the description of the Orcrest clan's exact location, at least not beyond Ri'nakhad, so his confusion was understandable. "I did not say they are easy to find, I said they will be easy for me to find. I know the details of their location and how to find it, but without that, there would be very little chance of actually locating them. They are a fair distance to the southwest of Orcrest, off of any trade routes and away from any mapped oases. And, if someone did happen to be in the area, it is my understanding that they could easily walk past it without noticing. You can rest assured that the Orcrest clan is not one that can be easily attacked."

Walking back over to the fire, Meesei grabbed a cut of meat from one of the bags nearby and decided to forego the hassle of cooking. For the past week, everyone had been eating their meals cooked in order to appear less suspicious to the soldiers, but Meesei was now free to do as she wished. Although, with the dried and salted meats the clan was carrying, cooking was honestly an improvement to the flavor. She simply did not want to waste any more time than necessary. "We will need to stay alert for the next day or two. It is always possible that the soldiers might still decide to track us, despite the danger it would place them in. Though, I highly doubt that will be an issue. Few people, even soldiers, are willing to march into certain death if given another option."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As the soldiers turned to take their leave, Meesei gave only one final comment: a Khajiit expression she had learned. "May you walk on warm sands." She said simply before returning to the line of warriors at the edge of camp. Of course, Ra'jorr had already ordered that the warriors remain on alert, with double patrols for the next day as they traveled. While the soldiers would be making their way to Orcrest, the clan would be turning south for most of the day, before they turned towards the west. It would take an extra day of travel, but it would keep them safely away from the city.

Meesei gave a nod to Gallus. "It certainly could have gone much worse, yes. Regardless of what the soldiers do, I am glad we were able to end this without bloodshed. No doubt they will attempt to return with a search party, but our tracks will be long gone by then. The chances of us being discovered are slim to none. But, that struggle just leads into the next. Now, we have to contact the Orcrest clan. Fortunately, I have become quite familiar with all of Tamriel's clans over the past few years. Based on the description I have of their stronghold, it should not be difficult to find them. Now, we still need to pack up camp and get moving in case those soldiers change their minds. After breakfast, of course." She said with a slight grin.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright. I'm a bit busy at the moment as well, as it happens.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We cannot go to Orcrest." Meesei repeated. Behind her, even more of the clan's warriors, this time more visibly armed than the mages, started to reveal themselves, making the size of the force arrayed against Qito and his men even more apparent. "You see the force I have available, more than your commander perhaps realized. I am sure you can see, clearly, that if it was my desire, I could have you killed easily. My archers and mages alone would fell you before you could reach even me. Your weapons and armor would be of a great material benefit to us, but that is not what we want. None of us have any desire to harm your men, or the Dominion. If we killed you now, it would give us even more time to evade the search party that would come afterwards. But, we are not doing any of that. We have taken a considerable detour to bring your men close enough to Orcrest that you can get to safety. You and your men have, for the most part, been respectful and courteous, and we have gone through great pains to make sure you are not harmed. We have done all of this because we do not want to harm you, or the Dominion. We are allies to you, and what we do will be to the benefit of the Dominion, and Tamriel as a whole."

Regardless of what the warriors behind her were doing, Meesei maintained as nonthreatening of a demeanor as possible. "I intend no threat against you. You are free to leave unharmed, with all of your belongings and the supplies I have had prepared for you. You may say what you like about us, just remember all we did for the sake of you and your men."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei held firm, uncompromising in both her expression and tone. "And what if I told you, Qito, that your government has been infiltrated by this secret enemy? We must be on our way."

Turning her head briefly towards the warriors behind her, she signaled for them to reveal themselves, but motioned for them to keep their distance. Despite Qito's resistance, she still did not want to escalate to direct threats. "I understand you do not know us; you have no inherent reason to trust us. In your position, I would not trust us either, but that is what I am going to have to ask you to do. We do not intend any harm against you, the Dominion, or any of its innocent citizens. We want to give you the food and water you will need to reach Orcrest, then allow you to go on your way. You can tell your superiors we were not compliant, and there was no reasonable way for you to force us to follow you." Meesei suggested.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei shook her head. "Again, I am sorry, but we cannot go to Orcrest. I have the utmost respect for you and your men, and I understand that you want to follow the orders of your commander, but to pull you along where we are going will only put you in danger. There are dangerous groups in Elsweyr, living in secret, one of which is our enemy. At this point, you and your men must separate and head to Orcrest on your own. We will give you enough food and water to make the journey. You can tell your superiors what you wish about us; I understand that we are disobeying the orders of your commander, but it is what we have to do."

Meesei still did not give the signal to Gallus. She only intended to give any show of force if the soldiers became violent, or otherwise threatening. It would be best for the clan if they could resolve this issue with as little hostility as possible, but Meesei was ready to escalate at any moment if it became necessary. And, of course, she was ready to react to any violent action on a moment's notice.