EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay smiled cheerfully. "Oh, don't worry. We will be finished mating by then...or, well, we will be able to take a break, at least." She answered bluntly. "This one thinks that most of the clan will be there to see the warriors off, so we might not be able to speak, but we will be there to support you all."

Standing up from the bed, La'tahne walked over, put her arm around La'khay and Sabine, and even dragged Peiter into another hug as well. "You two are very brave to be doing this. You aren't members of either of our clans, but you are fighting for us all the same. La'tahne hopes that, once this war is over, we will keep all these connections our clans have made. The way all the clans in Tamriel work together now, how they communicate and how organized we all are, it wasn't always like that. La'tahne thinks it is a great thing. When you get back here, you all will deserve a celebration in your honor. Hopefully, we will have the supplies to have one for you and the other warriors."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Say, Aarem is one of the gods, right?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay patted Sabine's back with one hand as she tightly returned the hug. "Oh, it was just as much of a joy to create, this one can assure you. She wishes she could paint the entire background for you, but she doesn't think she has the ability to do it without her models. The lighting would be all wrong."

"I don't think that's a problem at all, it might even be better this way." Peiter commented. "The real focus of the painting has wonderful detail, and there isn't anything to distract from it. I've never even seen a painting like this before, much less one where I'm the subject."

When La'khay finally pulled away from Sabine, her expression showed her obviously wonderful mood. "You both are just too kind. It has been a pleasure traveling with you, and the rest of your packs. If La'khay were able to help in this march, she would join you all in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, she can't help enough to justify the food she would take. You just...take care of yourselves, okay? La'khay does not want to see a single blemish on either of your beautiful bodies when you get back, you hear?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

La'khay grinned as she sat up on the edge of the bed. La'tahne followed suit, through she was still quite affectionate at the moment. She placed her hand on La'khay's cheek, turned her head towards her, and gave her a rather long kiss. La'khay was glad to return it for a few seconds, but she eventually pulled away. "In a minute."

Turning her attention back to Peiter and Sabine, she continued in an almost casual tone. "Oh, it is no bother. We are always glad to see you. La'khay thinks your painting is done, and she must say it is beautiful. This one can keep it here while you two brave warriors join in the march; she promises it will be in perfect condition when you get back."

"Thank you, I doubt a canvas would last too long on the march, especially once we reach the forest." Peiter commented. He was trying to act comfortable, though his eyes kept moving between La'khay, and La'tahne's hand, which was creeping up La'khay's leg.

La'khay nodded. "Yes, just make sure you're careful with it when it's finally time to take it back to Bruma. Now, this one will get it for you." She answered as she finally stood up from the bed and walked over to the easel in the corner of the room. She pulled off the cloth covering it, revealing the completed painting. While not perfectly realistic, it was a rather good representation of the scene they had modeled. La'khay had put almost all of her focus into Peiter and Sabine themselves, so she had intentionally made the background blurry and washed out to save time. Their bodies, and particularly their faces, however, were surprisingly detailed to Peiter. He had not seen such a painting before in person.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a quick yelp of surprise from within the room, followed by some shuffling and creaking wood. After a few seconds of movement and whispering from within, La'khay's voice finally sounded out in response. "We are here, you can come in."

With a brief, uncertain shrug, Peiter stepped inside with Sabine. Looking at La'khay and La'tahne all but confirmed his suspicions. Their clothing was strewn haphazardly across the floor, and both of them were laying on the bed, with La'tahne holding her arms around La'khay in an impassioned embrace. She was holding her in a way that even Peiter would be hesitant to do with Sabine in front of others. If this was what the pair of Khajiit was comfortable with them seeing, he wondered what it was they made an effort to hide.

"Hmm...good morning. It is morning, right?" La'khay asked. "Well, anyway, it is good to see the cute couple. Is there something we can do to you...um, sorry, for you? Ah, sorry, this one's mind is a bit...distracted."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter chuckled. "She is certainly working hard on something." He commented as he followed Sabine out the door. He was perhaps more aware of what was potentially happening between the two Khajiit, and honestly, was a bit worried about what they might be walking into. However, this would be their last chance to see the painting before the march, so they could not delay if they wanted to see it. Knowing La'khay, it was very unlikely that she would have any sort of embarrassment if they happened to interrupt an intimate moment. Indeed, Peiter mostly just hoped that she would actually stop before letting them into the room.

La'tahne's room was farther away than La'khay's but Peiter and Sabine had been there once before to model for the painting, so they knew where to find it. The hallways were much more crowded than usual with warriors carrying their equipment, and their family members who were taking whatever time they had together before the march began. For Peiter, all of his pack would at least be joining in the march, though there were some in the clan, like Ciinriel, who he and Sabine would miss while they were away.

As they approached the room, Peiter actually found himself a bit nervous to knock, so he allowed Sabine to lead the way. He could hear some muffled noises from within, but they were not clear enough to place with certainty. The door looked to be slightly ajar, so it was possible there was nothing happening out of the ordinary...unless they simply forgot to close the door completely.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Jo’rashaad shrugged briefly. “Well, none of us are priests by any means, but the power Hircine has over his domain, and over us, is undeniable. Serving a Daedra is nothing like worshipping the Aedra. Apart from major events in history, those beings give very little evidence to their followers that they even exist at all, let alone that they hold any measure of power over the world. With Daedra, however, their power is very tangible to their followers. Even if a worshipper does not experience their presence themselves, they usually witness the influence of the Daedra’s power on their leaders, or others around them. Daedra have artifacts in Tamriel imbued with their power, they commune directly with followers, and sometimes even appear to them. For us, as lycans, with our transformations, Hircine’s power could not be any more obvious. None of us spend our days hunting sacrifices for his glory, but with the power he holds over our souls, it would be foolish not to give him the proper respect.”

Among the rest of the group, only Ciinriel was slowly finishing the last of her breakfast. They could continue their conversation for a while yet, though they would need to finish their preparations for the march soon enough.

---

Peiter noticed as she was doing it that Sabine was putting on his thin linen shirt backwards, but he allowed her to finish before saying anything. He placed his hands on her hips and gave her a kiss before laughing and pointing a finger to his own shirt. “You know, I think you are a lot better at undressing me at night than dressing me again in the morning. I don’t blame you; the former usually comes with something much more exciting.” He grinned. Peiter took a few seconds to turn his shirt around to the proper direction before continuing.

“Anyway, La’khay should still be staying in La’tahne’s room. I don’t think she leaves it very often. Actually, apart from us, I don’t think many of the others have seen her for the last few days.” Peiter commented.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak would save them, but instead, he is trying to bash in the skull of someone he doesn't know, for reasons he assumes are justified.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth started to turn her head to return another kiss to Janius, but all of the movement above him piqued Leaps' curiosity enough that he lifted up his head and licked the end of Kaleeth's snout. "Ah!" She exclaimed quickly, before letting out a sigh and rubbing Leaps' side. "Well...that is true, but it wasn't exactly the same. Hircine didn't lead any of you to my village; you just happened to end up there. It seems more like an...opportunity he took, instead of something that was planned. I honestly don't know how much of an opportunity it was, really. It has taken years of training just for me to become acceptable in a fight."

Most of the group was finishing their breakfast by this point, but Jo'rashaad had stopped as he listened to the story. "What exactly did Hircine do with you when you were turned?" He asked.

"I don't really know, exactly. I have no real memory of being turned. I just remember I was trying to hunt a crocodile in his name to commune with him, I was wounded in the process, then I woke up as a lycan. I do remember a presence that might have been Hircine, but it is all very hazy." Kaleeth explained.

"Hmm, you say all of that as if it is something normal. Your pack seems to have almost frequent contact with Hircine himself. There are worshipers that follow him their entire lives and never hear his voice." Jo'rashaad remarked.

---

Peiter pushed aside the bedding and stretched out his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Well, if you're not hungry yet, we can hold off a bit on breakfast. Maybe go ahead and bring the bags we have packed up to one of the carts, if there is space. And of course, we could try to find La'khay and see our painting one last time before we go." He suggested.

Glancing down to the end of the bed, Peiter spotted Sabine's clothes on the ground at the foot of the bed. Without a word, he walked over and picked them up off the ground, then approached Sabine. Grinning, he took it upon himself to begin to dress her. "I'll leave it up to you to decide; I don't mind regardless."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I am not entirely certain of the current situation in the hunt, just that Ssarak and Meirin are going to try to hit that knight like a truck. Is there anyone else fighting in view of that high-speed impact? Also, @Rtron, you're in charge of the knight, correct?