EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza shook her head, still appearing confused. "Ma'tanza wasn't trying to say anything. She was just surprised. This one is not used to...those kinds of thoughts. Well, she is, kinda, but not from people she cares about. She isn't used to those kind of thoughts being normal. Ma'tanza will be fine, though. She knows you don't actually want to do that right now." She answered with a reassuring voice, even going as far as giving Tzirret a smile.

---

Ri'vashi gave a brief chuckle. "Well, perhaps we should wait on giving our thanks; we could both be horribly wrong about everything we've said." She joked as she stood up to her feet, stretching out her muscles once more. "But, having a plan is better than not. This one thinks she will have a quick wash, then get some rest. Ri'vashi suspects she is going to be quite busy over the next few weeks. Though, perhaps not as busy as she could be. At least one silver lining to the traitor's presence here was that she was having us ready our soldiers for a long journey, so we are already mostly ready in that regard. If you need any assistance, or think of any suggestions for Ri'vashi, feel free to find her. She does appreciate any assistance she can get."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Neither Ma'tanza nor Tzirret knew exactly where to go find what they were looking for. She guessed that the largest pool of water would probably be lower in the ruins, where she guessed the source would be, but their search was really little more than random. Still, they were learning their way around the stronghold, so it was not wasted time. She was focusing enough on searching that she did not notice how Tzirret was behaving until he spoke up once more.

Ma'tanza looked to Tzirret with obvious confusion. "What do you mean? There isn't anything wrong anymore, why do you ask? Did Ma'tanza make you think something was wrong?"

---

Ri'vashi leaned forward towards Gallus. She allowed her elbows to rest on her knees, then clasped her hands together in front of her. She stared him down, as if she were giving him an examination with her eyes. In particular, she focused on his face and the changes in his expression. It seemed like minutes of silence before she spoke, though it was only seconds.

"Hmm...this is not about them, is it? You haven't really experienced the pain of loss as you fear he will, have you? Ri'vashi can say that it is a growing experience, no matter the age at which it occurs. It is not a pleasant experience, by any means, but letting go is an important lesson to learn. Ri'vashi sees that you want the best for them, which is far more mature than you describe yourself. Try to look at yourself honestly. Do you think your own experiences color how you see theirs?" Ri'vashi asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"No, it's fine, it's...fine." Ma'tanza stammered out nervously. She tried to appear calm, almost professional in her demeanor. She stood up to her feet and extended a hand towards Tzirret to help him up. Ma'tanza shouldn't embarrass you like that; she was just surprised is all. She knows you feel that way about this one, but, um...well...she just...it's fine. We can head back and find a place to have a nice bath. Does that sound good?" She asked.

---

Ri'vashi raised her brow curiously at Gallus. Of all the things he could have asked of her, this particular question was far from what she expected. "Ri'vashi will not lie, that question is rather strange. But, she supposes she did make the offer. Unfortunately, this one does not know of how much help she can be. Ri'vashi has never had children of her own to raise, and there were never any boys of her age around growing up. Even if there had been, there were not many in High Rock who would have interest in a Cathay."

Rather than continuing to make excuses, Ri'vashi paused a moment to think on what practical advice she could offer. She walked over and sat down on a wooden bench near the chest of staves to rest as they spoke. "Still, Ri'vashi tends to approach such things the same way as you. Hands-off, that is. She believes in allowing her pride to be their own people. But, if they are young, this one supposes you just want to be able to give them advice? This sounds like an experience they could both learn from, you just have to make sure nothing happens that could permanently impact their lives. Or, irreversibly, rather. Perhaps you could look to yourself for advice as well? Did you have similar experiences at their age? What did that do to you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza started to laugh. "A cat? Well, this one has a cat and a dog all in one." She responded. For a while, they lay together in one another's embrace, exchanging hugs, kisses, and other shows of affection. As they could not simply lay there in the cave the rest of the night, however, they did need to figure out something to do next.

"Well, we could go find the others if you want. Or maybe just look around the stronghold and learn our way around? We could try to meet new people in the new clan, or just sit down in that beautiful garden. Or go find a good place to take a bath. Ma'tanza knows she needs one." She suggested. As she was throwing out suggestions, however, she seemed to notice something, causing a strange expression to come over her face. She could feel his physical desires, which caused her noticeable embarrassment. She sat up onto her knees and looked him over while rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Oh, um...sorry."

---

Ri'vashi simply shook her head as she closed her eyes. It took a few minutes, but she did eventually manage to shift back to her Cathay form. Standing back to her feet, she walked over to Gallus while stretching out her freshly-transformed muscles. "Ri'vashi will likely have another when she can first have a fight. She should be satisfied for now."

Pausing for a moment, Ri'vashi looked over Gallus quickly, then smiled. "This one would like to thank you, Gallus. She appreciates your advice, and that you took a few minutes to help relieve her of her frustrations. Mostly, though, she finds it helpful to have outside opinions. Fresh perspectives. Seeing as you are new in this clan, is there anything Ri'vashi could do to return the favor?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza could not quite get out from underneath Tzirret in his werewolf form, and no amount of force she could produce would push him off of her. Instead, she reached up and scratched his ears, and kissed him once more on the snout. At the same time, she started rubbing his stomach with her feet, allowing the claws on her toes to scratch him gently.

"You know, Ma'tanza always wanted a dog. You're a bit bigger, but...you're close enough, she thinks." Ma'tanza joked. Lifting up her upper body, she wrapped her arms around Tzirret's neck to give him a hug.

---

The moment she saw the jackal on the floor in front of her, Ri'vashi's beast practically pounced to tear into it. She had refrained from putting too much thought into what she was doing until the beast had already started eating. Fortunately, she was paying enough attention when Gallus spoke up that she understood what he asked, though she did not answer him immediately. She waited until she had finished the entirety of the carcass before looking up from her meal, which only took a minute or so given the size of her lycan form.

Although the meat had been raw, it had been dried enough that her fur was not terribly bloody. It was not ideal for trying to trick her beast spirit, but it was enough for the moment. After her brief meal, Ri'vashi stood up straighter to indicate that she was back in full control of her own mind. As for Gallus' question, she started to laugh. Or at least, she gave a few low huffs that might pass for laughter. "Not quite." She answered. "La'tahne is a...popular and unpopular woman. She's our gardener. Her solution to her beast's restlessness is to use that form to mate with as many people as she pleases. It does nothing to satisfy bloodlust, obviously, but it does serve as a distraction...as Ri'vashi has been told, that is. Personally, this one thinks fighting would be more effective."

As she spoke, Ri'vashi sat herself down near to Gallus and did what she could to focus on calming herself. A single scamp was not exactly challenging prey, so her beast was more than wiling to continue its hunt.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma’tanza personally did not thing that the path down seemed too difficult, but she did not argue when Tzirret offered to carry her down. Although, she did let out a brief yelp when he quickly scooped her up into his arms. It took only a few minutes to reach the cave, then head inside until they reached the gate. While the stronghold was cooler than the desert in the daytime, its insulation meant it still remained at a comfortable, if slightly cooler temperature at night.

After the pair stopped, Ma’tanza rolled up what little they had carried with them into the bedroll, but at that point, she found herself having to wait for Tzirret to shift back into his normal form. Given that he had not hunted in a while, and he had not sated his beast’s hunger during this transformation, it would take a few moments for him to be able to calm his mind. However, Ma’tanza started to look at Tzirret with a playful expression. Walking up in front of him, she at first simply planted a kiss on the end of his snout, but then, without warning, she took a few steps back, then ran forward and jumped at him. She attempted to use her momentum to tackle him to the ground, though that would be difficult considering his mass.

---

“Just keep the creature standing right there. It will attempt to fight this one once she attacks, but it will be banished long before it can do any harm to her.” Ri’vashi explained. “Once it disappears, Ri’vashi needs you to throw the meat at her feet. The trick to this technique is that you need to stop thinking about what you are doing. Our rational minds know that the meat does not come from the scamp, but if we allow ourselves to act on pure instinct, just for the duration of the kill, then we can trick our beast spirits, in a way. It is not as good as an actual hunt, but it is helpful. Now, give Ri’vashi a moment.”

Ri’vashi closed her eyes briefly, then allowed the transformation to take hold over her body. As she was a Cathay, and a powerful clan leader in addition, her beast form was quite large. In terms of overall mass and strength, she could match a werecrocodile. While impressive, those traits were something Gallus might have expected. What was most interesting about her beast form was that she was neither a werelion, nor a werewolf. The beast which she transformed into was much more bulky and muscular than either of those, as she was a werebear. Her spotted fur was replaced with a thick, solid brown coat, and she let out a brief, distinctive growl. Notably, werebears were a type of lycanthrope that was not commonly found in Elsweyr, or any of the regions around it.

As it was bound to Gallus’ will, the scamp did not attack as the massive werebear stomped up to it. The creature did not even seem to show any fear, likely because the Daedra was not a creature that could actually experience death. It did nothing until Ri’vashi swiped her massive claws across its back, immediately forcing it to the ground. The scamp was still alive, and tried to stand up to fight back, but Ri’vashi was easily able to get her jaws around its throat to bite down. Her beast felt the satisfying taste of the creature’s blood running into her mouth for a brief moment before the scamp dissipated back into Oblivion. At that point, Ri’vashi’s eyes began darting around the floor in front of her, searching for the corpse of her kill.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For Ma'tanza, she simply enjoyed the passion between them enough that she did not pay particular attention to how much time was passing. It was not the first time she had shared such an intense kiss with another, though it had not lasted quite as long before. Although, it seemed to be an even more significant experience for Tzirret. She doubted his words were an exaggeration, given the problems he generally had with socializing.

"This one is glad you are happy. Really, she is just glad to be here with you in general. You are a very loving person, Tzirret." Ma'tanza commented. Another gust of wind passed, prompting her to shiver and tighten her grip around him. "We should probably head back at some point...eventually."

---

Ri'vashi hummed and curled her lips slightly. "Oh yes, this one supposes you did transform earlier, didn't you? Well, it is still best you know our solutions. You see that long chest over there in that corner of the room? Could you head over there and grab one of the staves out of it. It does not matter which one, they are all the same. Oh, and there should also be some preserved meat in the cabinet next to it, provided the last ones to use it restocked it." She requested. It was quite strange that a training room, of all places, would have a cabinet full of meat, but it seemed to make sense to Ri'vashi.

Removing her loincloth, she placed it over with the rest of her belongings, then stood in the open space at the center of the room. "Those are summoning staves. Weak ones, but that is all we will need. Using it will conjure a scamp. Ri'vashi will transform and kill the scamp, then she wants you to quickly throw some of the meat to her. It will help to satisfy her beast's need to kill, and to eat. It is not perfect, but it sort of...tricks the beast spirit into being satisfied. Or at least complacent. There are some other techniques we use to keep our beasts calm, like fighting before a kill, but this should be fine for Ri'vashi. Feel free to ask around if you are ever having trouble with your beast; it is something most of the clan is experienced dealing with." She said before giving a light chuckle. "Just don't ask La'tahne what to do about it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Goodnight.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza was not expecting Tzirret's kiss, if for no other reason than it required him to be much more bold than usual. While his eyes closed, her eyes widened. However, she did not protest, and after a few moments, she reciprocated his show of affection. Slowly, she put her arms around him and pulled him close. It would seem natural that they would pull away from one another at some point and say something about what had just happened, but Ma'tanza did not. Instead, she kept her arms around him and continued to kiss him for as long as he would go on. The air was cool, and there was a breeze making it feel even colder, but as long as they were close together, their mutual body heat could keep them somewhat comfortable.

---

Once their current bout ended, Ri'vashi took on a relaxed stance, planting her blade in the sand and leaning onto it. "Ri'vashi will do what is needed of her, as she always does. She has the utmost respect for Dro'cahi, but she will heed your advice. You are a companion to the Champion herself, after all. That you are trusted by the most powerful of our kind speaks very highly of you, Gallus. This one thinks she can learn from you. She would go and speak to Dro'cahi immediately, but she suspects he wants to have his dinner and get some rest at the moment. That seems like a conversation for calmer tempers."

Ri'vashi briefly took in a breath, then walked back over to the weapon racks and put back her practice blade. "With all of this frustration, Ri'vashi needs to sate her beast spirit. When was the last time you were able to hunt? This one suspects you have been unable to in the desert, correct? As you might have guessed, there are nowhere near enough animals in the area around the stronghold to satisfy this many lycans. So, we've had to find other ways to satisfy our beast spirits."