EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza patiently listened to Tzirret with a smile slowly growing on her face. Despite his stammering, she simply listened for as long as it took to convey his meaning. She had heard his compliments before, but she certainly did not mind hearing them again. Being that she was covered in fur, he could not see her blush, except for a slight flush of red on her nose.

"You're just too sweet, Tzirret. A bit inarticulate, maybe, but you're so nice to Ma'tanza. And not just nice...a lot of people have been nice. You're...genuine. This one can really believe everything you say about her. She doesn't ever get the feeling that you're just lying to her so you can get what you want from her body. Thank you for that, Tzirret." When Ma'tanza finished speaking, she leaned forward further to give Tzirret a kiss on the cheek. It was not quite the passionate kiss on the lips he might have been wanting, but it was a definite display of affection. Although, in Ma'tanza's expression, there had been a hint of nervousness as she leaned in. It was possible she might have wanted something more as well, but if she did, Tzirret would have to be the one to find out.

---

"Ri'vashi...would not quite say that. Dro'cahi has never really been in a position of military leadership before, true, but she does not have a reason to believe he could not command our soldiers. She is just not sure if he would put as much focus on our warriors as we need right now. We are in a war, and that has to be our priority. Many of the things we have disagreed on have been sacrifices made in the name of the war. Limited conscription for able-bodied men and women, purchasing more metal instead of extra food stores, those sorts of decisions. Honestly, Ri'vashi does not think she is any great military leader, but she is doing what needs to be done for the safety of the clan. That is why she cannot step down." Ri'vashi answered.

Against Gallus' attack, Ri'vashi once again proved her innate skills. Gallus did manage to trap Ri'vashi's sword in his initial strike, but her composure was as touch as steel. As he had struck, she had, almost on reflex, brought up her free hand to put it in a better place to defend herself. As such, when he made a wild swing up towards her head, she did not blink, but instead shot her hand out to grab his wrist while pulling her head back to avoid the swing. She then attempted to twist his arm around behind him and pull him in for a grapple. Ri'vashi did not seem to have too high of an opinion of herself, but her actions were telling the story that her words were not. She had excellent observational skills, and in combat, could plan ahead almost on instinct. Of course, that did not necessarily mean that she could lead troops, but it spoke of her familiarity with combat.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

By this point, the sun had nearly gone down over the horizon. A small upper portion of it was still visible, and while there would still be some light for a short while, darkness would fall over the desert shortly. With the moons and stars above, coupled with their night eye, they would likely have no issue being able to see, but the air did become rather cool at night.

Ma'tanza expression appeared uncertain. "This one...does not really like doing that. Not remembering them, but...dwelling on them. She loved her parents, and her old pride. She always will love them, but thinking back on them is painful, especially if she is alone. Ma'tanza feels better if she has her friends and family with her when she thinks about them. It reminds her that she still has people who care about her. Mostly, though, Ma'tanza likes to focus on the present. Like being here with you. We should find something more cheerful to talk about."

---

Ri'vashi's thrust was met with a parry as she had expected. She had intended to follow through with a different attack, but just as with his feints, her sharp eyes spotted his hammer. With a quick, deft step, she dashed to the side, on the opposite side of Gallus from his hammer. She kept her blade pressed against his to guard, then rushed forward in an attempt to use her weight to throw him off balance.

"It's...not quite like that, not really. The arguments do not get heated in the sense that we start shouting at each other, it's more like...we relentlessly deconstruct each others' points. We argue about every detail, every potential failure in our plans. Ri'vashi cannot refuse to argue, because then she would essentially be acting without her council. Ri'vashi knows that he wants her to step down, and...he probably would be better at managing such a large clan. But Ri'vashi also needs the authority to keep her people safe. She worries about how Dro'cahi could handle the war." She explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ma'tanza does not spend that much time with them, really. Other than S'nishi and M'ibasa." Ma'tanza answered. "Bheja and Qa'habi aren't actually a part of this one's pride. Her siblings are, but not them. This one's mentor is our pride leader, and there is another Suthay-raht named Hizhar. He's a hunter, but not very, um, kind. Well...he isn't really unkind, he just seems indifferent towards everyone."

Ma'tanza shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "This one used to spend a lot more time with her pride, but that was...before. The attack, that is. Other than S'nishi and M'ibasa, they all died, so we had to be placed in a new pride. It never really felt the same."

---

While she did put her blade in position to guard each time, Ri'vashi did not even bother parrying any of Gallus' feints. Each time, she seemed to recognize that the attack was not genuine, and instead pushed the attack to force him to back off. It was not her speed that defined her as much as it was her predictive capabilities. She was exceptionally observant, as it seemed that he could not do anything without her seeing it coming.

"It is hard to say. Maybe the clan would live better with him at the lead. Ri'vashi does not exactly know what she is doing wrong. There have been some more...complaints than there used to be when father lead us. Small things here and there, nothing serious, but things that this one does not know how to solve. No one has made any serious challenges against Ri'vashi yet, even Dro'cahi, but she wonders what will happen if she makes any larger mistakes. Perhaps everyone is simply happy that we are safe? Our defenses have been impregnable the last two years. We have stopped dozens of enemy patrols, mercenaries, and other groups associated with Vile. None have come even remotely close to finding this stronghold...until the impostor arrived, of course." Ri'vashi explained. This time, she started going on the offensive with a simple, direct stab towards his torso. Though, with how she had performed so far, it would be difficult to believe that there was not more to it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Following Tzirret's lead, Ma'tanza leaned closer to him and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder, though her tone was still simply a friendly one. "S'nishi? Eh, not really. She likes to play jokes every now and then, but not ones like Bheja. She's just...oh what is that word? Stoic. She also isn't easily shamed, it's just that she doesn't go out of her way to embarrass others with it. Honestly though, she was probably laughing on the inside earlier."

Ma'tanza gave a brief chuckle as her grin became more thoughtful. "Bheja can go a bit too far with his jokes sometimes, but he is a very kind person. He loves his friends just like they are family, and he'll do anything for them. M'ibasa's nightmares have started getting worse recently; we think he is about to have his first transformation soon. Not long before you all arrived, M'ibasa was too afraid to get to sleep, so Bheja sat next to his bedroll, told him stories, and even sang him a little song, for a full three hours one night. All without even being asked, and without asking for anything in return."

---

Ri'vashi looked down, lightly rubbing the pommel of her weapon with a single claw, as if to attempt to distract herself from her thoughts. "The problem isn't that Ri'vashi is angry, or offended at Dro'cahi's objections to her authority...it's that she fears he is right."

The Cathay turned away and started walking back towards the weapon racks, but stopped as she passed through one of the sand pits. Looking down at her feet, she ran her toes through the sand as she let out a sigh. "Father must have saw something in Ri'vashi. That is what her friends and confidants told her when she was appointed. He never did anything without reason. This one just needs to find what he saw."

Turning back to Gallus, Ri'vashi planted the tip of her weapon in the sand and gave him a brief nod. "Say, would you like to pick up a practice blade and join this one for a bout?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza chuckled as she reached over and put her free hand on Tzirret's shoulder. As she had many times before, she attempted to look encouraging towards him. "Tzirret, you're always thinking that you're embarrassing yourself. Even when you don't admit it, she can see you retreating back onto yourself. Or hear you stammering and having a hard time thinking. Ma'tanza knows when you start getting nervous, but she doesn't care, Tzirret. You don't have to be embarrassed around this one. We're together, aren't we? We can talk to each other openly and honestly, and everything."

Pausing briefly, Ma'tanza looked back out over the sands. The sun was getting rather low in the sky by this point, and it would not be too long before nightfall. "Now Bheja, he's the one that should be embarrassed. Unfortunately, he has no shame. At all. None. You heard the things he said to us; Ma'tanza would just die if someone told other people those kinds of things about her."

Ri'vashi was silent for an almost uncomfortably long amount of time a she stared ahead in thought. The tip of her practice blade was resting on the ground as she leaned lightly onto the weapon. Eventually, she let out a sigh and turned her eyes towards Gallus. "Two years. It has been two years since father died. It wasn't a surprise, or anything. He was an old man in failing health, so Ri'vashi and the clan had time to prepare. It's just...everyone assumed Dro'cahi would be his successor. He was his most trusted adviser, and a good friend. Dro'cahi had been with this one's father almost as long as Ri'vashi has. He was a part of his sleuth up in High Rock, and stuck together with us no matter what. Everyone was expecting him to pass his title onto Dro'cahi; Ri'vashi was expecting it, and would have been happy with it. This one did not ask to be made leader, but...that was his word. It was a surprise to everyone. He had never given Ri'vashi special treatment for anything like that before. This one had been refused leadership of a pride twice until he thought she was ready. Then, on his deathbed...he just gave Ri'vashi everything."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think it's time for me to get to bed, goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Um, yes, it is." Ma'tanza responded, somewhat awkwardly. Regardless, she took a few more bites, then smiled at Tzirret. "Thank you for bringing Ma'tanza up here. She doesn't think she will see a place like this again when we finally leave the Orcrest clan. It isn't a place she would want to live, but...she doesn't mind visiting. And...it is nice to talk to you alone. Ma'tanza is never really away from her friends. So, uh, what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

The sun was still visible, but the air was already starting to cool somewhat. In contrast to the blistering hot days, nights in the desert could be downright cold, during which Ma'tanza was certainly glad for her fur. Already, she moved herself a bit closer to him, enough that their sides were touching.

After another swing, Ri'vashi closed her eyes and sighed. Already, she regretted the comment, and blamed herself for letting her emotions get the better of her to the point that she would mention it. "Some would say so, yes. Ri'vashi is a strong warrior, and few doubt that." She explained before interrupting herself with a few swings. "But, some might disagree. They don't necessarily say Ri'vashi isn't a good leader...well, some do, but they mostly say that there are better choices. Or...a better choice. Some might say that Ri'vashi was given the leadership by her father just because of who she was, and not what she could do." Again, she struck against the dummy; her precise form was quickly giving way to raw strength. "Some might say that an elder, more experienced councilman like Dro'cahi would have been a better choice to lead our people. Some people still think that Ri'vashi needs to prove herself worthy of the title."

With her final few swings, Ri'vashi managed to make tears in the stuffed cloth dummy with the blunted blade, after which, she stood still, breathing heavily. "Ri'vashi...should not be bothering you with this. It is unprofessional."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza sat down beside Tzirret as soon as he laid out the bedroll. They had seen the sunset over the desert many times along their journey, but never from such a high vantage point. The light changed the entire color of the landscape, while their height above the dunes gave them perspective on how truly vast it all was. In all directions around them, there was nothing but sand for as far as the eye could see.

"Oh, definitely. Ma'tanza almost did not realize how hungry she was after we got into the stronghold. She was too distracted trying to get situated in the new place." She answered, rather enthusiastically. Once he produced the goat meat from the satchel, she was quick to help him divide it between them, and even quicker to bite down into it. It was quite pleasantly sweet, and by her guess, likely contained moon sugar. Though, that did not cause her to hesitate eating it in the slightest.

Ri'vashi shook her head. "Oh, no, this one does not believe it would ever come to that. Dro'cahi tends to oppose Ri'vashi, but he is loyal to Hircine. Ri'vashi...would be lying if she said the arguments have never been a problem, but this one believes he contributes far more to the clan than he costs. He will be glad to hear that your people will be willing to help. Ri'vashi is willing to let your people rest a few days, but there is always work to be done."

Once Ri'vashi had removed her pouches and set them aside along with her katana, she removed her rather bulky cloak, leaving her in a simple leather loincloth. Without her cloak, the patterns on her fur became more clear. Brown spots, each encircled by a black ring, covered her light tan fur. Interestingly, she was more muscular than one would expect from a werelion, even a Cathay. She grabbed one of the practice blades from the weapon racks. It was metal, so it had the proper weight, but was entirely blunt. "Dro'cahi...he just wants what is best for the clan, like all of us. He is a respected man, and a good leader." She commented as she gave her first, heavy swing against the dummy. "Probably a better one than Ri'vashi."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, Ma'tanza has seen one or two before, but she was more talking about all of the plants in there. Some of them she had never seen before. It was almost like being in the forest again, with all that life everywhere. Whoever tends to those gardens must have a passion for making them beautiful. La'khay will probably like them." She answered. Since people were still bringing in supplies from the outside, the cave leading outside was lit with magic-fueled, smokeless torches, which were the primary light source for the majority of the stronghold.

It did not take long for the pair to make their way outside. There was a light wind blowing over the area, but otherwise, the weather was perfectly clear, as always. The sun was already beginning to get low in the sky, so they would need to get to the top of one of the hills soon, but Ma'tanza still took a moment to pause and look out over the vast expanse of the desert before them. "The desert is amazing in its own way, but...it's just so barren. So...dead. Ma'tanza would not want to live here."

"Well, you are with the Champion, so Ri'vashi does not think she has any right to keep any matter relating to the clan from you. The disagreement was over how quickly this one decided to bring your people into the stronghold. One of Ri'vashi's council, Dro'cahi, felt that bringing everyone in at once would put undue strain on our supplies. By no means does did he just want to abandon your people, but he wanted to leave them outside for a few more days while we rationed out supplies for them, then bring them in gradually. He fears that, after so long in the desert, many of your people may not be conservative with the food we have. His arguments are...not without merit, but Ri'vashi did not want to subject the Senchal clan to any more suffering than they have already experienced. It may cost us, and we may have to purchase more supplies from Orcrest as a result, but Ri'vashi stands by her decision."

As they spoke, Ri'vashi had walked over to one corner of the room, near the weapon racks, and began untying her satchel, pouches, and scabbard. It appeared she intended to train at the moment. "It's just, arguments between this one and Dro'cahi get heated...frequently." She added, though by her expression, she immediately regretted mentioning it.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza too was impressed by the grandeur of the stronghold's main chamber. The entirety of the hill had essentially been hollowed out: a feat which she could hardly imagine that anyone completed. She stretched out her hand and ran it under the waterfall as she walked by, grinning at the feeling of the water flowing through her very dry fur. "It is more than Ma'tanza expected to find. She had hoped for just enough to take a bath, but this is almost like being back in Pelletine. This one supposes there is a good place deeper in the stronghold to bathe? These streams seem to shallow. Actually, she's not really sure what these streams would be good for. Ma'tanza supposes you could drink out of them, but she hasn't seen anyone else doing that. Are they really just for decoration?"

As it happened, Ri'vashi was near to her destination when she encountered Gallus. By the time he called out her name and ran to catch up to her, she had already turned a corner into one of the nearby rooms. Based on its appearance, it was obviously a training room. Compared to some of the others, it was a rather large chamber, with a good deal of open space in the room's center, with dummies and other training equipment scattered around. Closer to the back of the room, there were two square sand pits, presumably for sparring, with weapon racks on the wall behind them.

Ri'vashi stopped and looked down at Gallus as soon as she noticed him beside her. She seemed surprised that he was even present, suggesting that she had been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she had not even noticed him. "Oh, Gallus. This one sincerely apologizes. This one did not see you. There is...nothing wrong, she can assure you. At least, nothing threatening as before. All of the prisoners are still alive and securely detained. There was simply a...disagreement between this one and a few of her council members in her last meeting. But, we resolved the issue, and your clan will not be impacted, rest assured." She answered; although, her diplomatic answer did not explain the obvious frustration she held.