EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag looked over the sketches and shook his head. "Doubt it. Do'rhajul wouldn't have his men sleepin' outside the walls like that unless he had no choice. Maybe if all the barracks inside were filled to the brim, but everything we know says half their soldiers are gone right now. If there's anything at all in those buildings, it's nonessential supplies. There'd be soldiers out there to guard the workers, but if we're attackin' in the middle of the night, then it'll probably all be empty."

"We can have some of our warriors move through the area just in case." Ri'vashi suggested. "It will not slow them a great deal to check for hostiles, and if there are any, they can ensure we will not be flanked. If they are part of the groups who will be attacking with ladders, then it is not essential that they reach the wall as quickly as those charging the front gate. Miranor, were there any other observations that could have a chance of altering our plan?"

There was no hesitation from Miranor in her response. "No ma'am. Nothing changed from our last scouting mission apart from their construction process. The treeline on one side of the stronghold is slightly farther away now, likely because of their use of lumber for the buildings, but we should easily be able to reposition our forces without any impact on the plan."

---

As soon as Ma'tanza was sure of where Tzirret was going, she became immediately, and rather drastically, nervous. She looked away and started breathing more heavily. "Oh...this one thought...she thought it was possible you could be...Ma'tanza isn't...sure. Isn't is too soon to do...that? You're young, and Ma'tanza doesn't think..."

Ma'tanza stammering quickly became more incoherent than even Tzirret's, and the fear in her expression was obvious. Clearly, the idea of mating was not something she had been considering.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei acknowledged Gallus, then gave a quick nod to Miranor. "This should be everyone. Miranor, you may share your report." She instructed. Miranor reached into her back on the table and produced a few fresh sketches of the enemy stronghold.

"Overall, not a great deal has changed about the stronghold since we first scouted it. The strength of their forces seems unchanged, and there is nothing else that I would consider to be a surprise. The greatest change, as expected, is that the construction on their expansion of their stronghold has progressed. The buildings they have constructed do not seem to be anything more than additional barracks, or possibly storage buildings. It does indicate that their forces are growing, but it does not seem to present any immediate threat to us. The walls to enclose this new area are not completed, but they have kept the old wall standing for now. We did notice that there is now some scaffolding on the new wall which is somewhat close to the old. In lycan form, a werewolf or werelion might be able to make the jump, but the enemy could collapse it easily, so I don't think it would make for a good entry point." Miranor explained.

---

Ma'tanza was laying against Tzirret with her arm across his chest and her head resting on his shoulder. They had been quiet for a few minutes, so Ma'tanza had been lost in her thoughts when Tzirret finally spoke up. She did hear everything he said, though her reaction was not quite easy to read. She did not look particularly surprised or confused, but neither did she do anything to suggest that she knew where he was going with his apology. If she was aware of the reason behind Tzirret's recent strange behavior, she was not letting on to it at this point.

Looking away from the stars, Ma'tanza sat up and turned her attention to Tzirret. "Of course, what is wrong?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi finally released her grip on Gallus to allow him to swim freely. "Well, seeing as we're already in the water, we should just keep swimming for now. Maybe we can talk about something besides fighting and business. This one rarely talks to you about anything else. So...what kind of hobbies do you have, other than sparring?"

---

The journey to the forests southeast of Corinthe was long, and thankfully, dull. The walk through the desert and into the forest took two thirds the time as their entire journey from the Senchal clan to Orcrest, since they did not have a boat to expedite their progress. Though, they moved comparatively faster on land than they had before. The transition from desert to forest was a reminder of home for the warriors of the Senchal clan, and brought about a sense of awe for some from Orcrest. For those who had lived in the desert their entire lives, a forest was something they had only heard of in stories. Some of the officers even had to go as far as reprimanding a few of the sentries who were a bit too distracted by the massive trees towering over them to keep watch on their perimeter.

True to her word, Ri'vashi made an effort to socialize outside of a professional setting, though it was almost always with Gallus. When not working or training, she was outside of her element, and turned out to be surprisingly awkward for one in her position. While she was not as bad as Tzirret, she sometimes became nervous enough to almost be amusing.

Eventually, the warband drew close enough to the enemy stronghold that they were forced to remain at constant high alert for any enemy patrols. They made camp mere hours away from the enemy in order to send scouts ahead to scan their path through both magical and physical means. Miranor once more led a group of werevulture scouts to gain updated information on the fortress itself. Unless they learned something which would make the attack impossible, they intended to launch the assault the following evening, so tensions in the camp were understandably high. It was already past nightfall, though many intended to remain awake so they could sleep through the next day, and be well-rested for he attack.

Once the scouts returned, Meesei called together a meeting of the same group that had formed their original plan. If there was no new information which would be helpful, this meeting was likely to be much shorter.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think it's about time to skip ahead to the next part, which is the prelude to the attack.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi straightened up and started swimming around Gallus, trying to keep her mood more upbeat. "Well, Ri'vashi can think of a lot of bad that could happen if she starts to shirk her responsibilities. Still, if you are so insistent, Ri'vashi supposes now is as good of a time as any to try. Strangely enough, Ri'vashi has had more free time on this journey than she has had in years with the clan. Now that we have our planning out of the way, it is mostly just walking, and since most of us here are warriors, they are fairly self-organizing. It is nice not to have to micromanage everyone."

With a brief chuckle Ri'vashi swam up beside Gallus and put her arm around him, pulling him to her rather tightly. She did not squeeze him hard enough to harm him, but she held him with just enough force to ensure that he could not go anywhere without her releasing him. "Since you are giving the advice, Ri'vashi supposes you are volunteering to spend your time with her. If she wants to see how much being social will help her, she may as well not let you out of her sight."

---

As Peiter started to walk along with Sabine, he raised his brow in response to her. "As single minded as me? You know, love, it takes two to mate, and you always seem to be just as enthusiastic as me." He said, grinning as he rubbed her back. "But regardless, for Tzirret, I think Ma'tanza's opinion on the matter would be the thing that decides it. Assuming Tzirret has the desire and courage to ask, she still might not be as open to it as you or me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi's first reaction was to be defensive, but she knew that Gallus' words held some truth. Leaning back, she allowed herself to float on her back as she gave a sigh. "Ri'vashi...isn't a social person. She doesn't really have people to go to for socializing like that. This one does have people she would say are friends, but not those kinds of friends. They are people she respects, and that respect her. Ri'vashi would call most of her council friends, but she never wanted to show any favoritism towards them. And...well, she never really felt like she even wanted to be especially outgoing like that. It hasn't really been about free time. Ri'vashi has always been content with her life."

Despite her words, Ri'vashi gave a quick, nervous glance to Gallus with some doubt in her expression.

---

Peiter nodded. "I suppose you're right. I'm expecting that he'll be pretty upset in the short term, but hopefully he doesn't change too much in the long term. That is, I hope he can stay so outgoing. I'd hate for him to get so depressed that he falls back into his old ways. With the confidence he has now, I think he can find someone new back home."

Seeing as he did not want to give away what he and Tzirret were discussing, Peiter tried not to give much of a reaction when Sabine mentioned the potions. He simply smiled and gave a brief laugh. "I don't know if I would expect that. Tzirret has improved a lot, but he is still a pretty nervous cat. Regardless, I suppose I don't mind sharing. If we do run out, there are always...other things we could do to enjoy ourselves." Peiter said, grinning.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi dove in shortly after Gallus. In an absolute sense, the water was warm, but compared to the air, and especially her body, it was refreshingly cool. She remained underneath the water's surface for about ten seconds before surfacing once more. Ri'vashi attempted to use the time to come up with a truthful answer for Gallus that would not be embarrassing, but she had no such luck. She came back up close by to him, but quickly looked away with a hint of shame. "Ri'vashi...does not have many friends. No one that she spends time with like that. As a cub she did, but the more responsibilities she gained, the less time she had for all that. Ri'vashi has never been one to get together and spend time with people like that. She is not sure what makes her do it with you, honestly. Perhaps it is the stress she has been under?"

---

Peiter watched Tzirret as he walked away, but did not attempt to follow. For now, it may have been best that he be allowed to be alone. "We were just talking about a few things. It would probably be best if I not talk about most of them; he would likely want to keep them private. I can say that he is starting to think about our return to Bruma. He's not looking forward to leaving Ma'tanza, and I can certainly understand why. It's a problem I knew would be coming since they first got together. I just hope he doesn't come to regret it; being with her, I mean. It is almost hard to believe how far Tzirret has come since we left Bruma."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once her armor's plates were removed, Ri'vashi rather enthusiastically started pulling off her gambeson. The thick cloth padding, while it served as an effective defense to help soften blows, also held in far too much heat for her liking. "You would be correct. Leading a clan is demanding work. It seems like every time Ri'vashi thinks she will have a break, something else comes up. Always just one more thing. The clan has very much become her life, not that she regrets it. It is an honor to serve them as their leader. And, this one does suppose she does get at least a small amount of time to herself."

Setting aside her gambeson neatly, Ri'vashi was down to just her fur, which was already slightly moistened with sweat. She stood at the edge of the pond, with the water coming up just above her ankles, looking out to the other side. Across the pond, most of those that had been swimming were starting to climb out to dry off. "She does not get any time with others, though." She muttered.

---

Peiter's only response to Tzirret was simple, and direct. "Right now, I want to be right here with you, brother." He said firmly. He could not help but to think about what he would be going through himself if he knew he would have to separate from Sabine potentially permanently. Regardless of how true his advice to Tzirret was, it would do nothing to reduce the pain in the moment. So, he had no problem being there to support Tzirret for as long as needed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ri'vashi doesn't have anyone assigned to her specifically or anything. She usually just pulls in the nearest person who doesn't seem busy. In this case, that would be you." She answered with a grin as she set aside her helmet, then started unfastening a leather strap. "Start with the ones on this one's back. She'll deal with the front."

As the two started removing the pieces of her armor, Ri'vashi continued the conversation. "Are you sure you have everything you'll need for the attack? We brought spare arms and armor, if you need any more equipment. This one tries to carry something for any situation. A spear is the standard weapon of any infantry, with good reason. If you have never fought in a formation before, giving everyone the maximal reach possible is essential. Ri'vashi will have her katana as a sidearm, as well as a small hammer or mace, so she can at least have an option against armored foes. She is not particularly skilled with a bow, at least not enough to justify carrying one, but she does usually carry a scroll or two. Just in case."

Just as she was finishing speaking, Ri'vashi caught herself and sighed as she shook her head. "Oblivion, can Ri'vashi ever stop talking about fighting?"

---

Peiter pulled Tzirret closer, then smiled encouragingly. "It will be the first time of many, Tzirret. And I'm not talking about love. I don't know what will happen with you and Ma'tanza, long term, but all of this has really let you break out of your shell. Maybe something will happen after we return and you'll be able to see her again, maybe not, but no matter who you're with, I have faith that you'll be happy. I don't want to lie to you, Tzirret, there is a chance that you won't be able to see Ma'tanza again after our mission is over. I know it hurts to think about, but I can't deny it. Even if that does happen, though, there are other people in the world that you would be happy with, and now, I know you have the confidence to meet them."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"For fighting, this one prefers it to the heat." Ri'vashi answered. "Her fur is better in the heat, true, but she is, or at least was, very used to the cold. Ri'vashi is from High Rock, remember. It's eastern mountains are no less frigid than the Reach. It has been a long time since she lived there, though. If she went there now, she would probably be shaking like a frightened kitten."

Leaning forward, Ri'vashi started to run her armored hand through the water. "Anyway, this pond is certainly looking tempting. Ri'vashi just has to spend the next twenty minutes getting out of this suit. It's joints are not as restrictive as most, but it's also more of a pain to put on and take off."

---

Despite Tzirret's words, Peiter was not blind to his demeanor. He had noticed the sudden shift in his expression, and could guess the reason behind it. "It'll be okay, brother. You knew it wouldn't be easy, but I know you can handle it. Just...try thinking about what you want the end of this to be. You've learned a lot, and you've grown a lot. When it's all over, and when it's time to head back home, what would you have wanted out of the whole experience? It doesn't have to be such a sad day when it happens."