EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha already had her arrow nocked by the time Fendros had spoken a word. The energy emanating from a bound weapon could be somewhat disruptive visually, but Ahnasha was more than accustomed to it, and the glow of the arrows made them easier to track. The range they had placed their targets was a rather long one, so even Ahnasha did not expect to be perfectly accurate. Still, she aimed to impress.

The first arrow Ahnasha released missed its mark only barely, but it allowed her to more accurately range her following shots. For the five targets, it took only six more arrows to hit them all, one after another. She had fired rapidly, just as Fendros had challenged her. Though, even with the long range, Ahnasha was quietly disappointed in her performance. Missing her first arrow felt acceptable at that range, but she knew she should not have missed any more. With all the practice she had been putting into Necromancy, she was worried she was neglecting her other skills.

Kaleeth started to shake her head. "Oh, I don't think I'd be good at that. I tried it before, back when I was but a hatchling. I got as far as being able to cast some simple spells, but those spells rarely went well. I remember finding this colorful little frog with a broken leg. It looked so pitiful, so I tried to heal it, but I, uh, accidentally turned its skin inside out. I must have cried for half an hour straight."

Meesei looked to the couple with a grin. "Well, regardless, perhaps the next time Sabine is...available, we can hold this competition. It has been quite a while since she has been in anything of that nature, so it would help her see how far she has come."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll just be nonspecific.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I feel I should also mention that two hundred paces would be an exceptionally far range for archery practice. It is about 150 meters, near double an olympic archery range. It's not a world record, but pretty far.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, probably.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I could do that with my eyes closed." Ahnasha retorted as she walked closer to the edge of camp. They would still be within line of sight of the others around the firepit, and would be shooting away from camp. She had made shots like this on stationary targets many times before. It was not easy per ce, but she knew she could do it. What she did not know is if Fendros could make the same shots with the same level of confidence as quickly as she could. If so, she would have to come up with a greater challenge

Meesei did not react to Janius' confidence other than with a slight grin. She of course wanted all of her pack to improve their skills as much as possible, and promoting competition between them was one way to motivate them. To her memory, none of the others in her pack had ever suggested that they could outmatch her in a contest of magic, so such competitiveness with magic had never been possible in her pack, given that Ahnasha and Janius practiced entirely different schools. But, now that Sabine was learning, there could indeed be a more fair competition. Sabine certainly had a greater range of magical instruction compared to Janius, but it remained to be seen how they compared in the school of destruction. "She has taken an interest in frost. It is not my specialty, but until she reaches the level of a master, I will have more I can teach her about it. Still, I hope to encourage her to want to study it on her own. What about you? Have you been placing more focus on your magical, or martial skills?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's about time for me to head to bed.

Also, it was frost that Sabine focused on, right?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could not help but to smile wryly as she clasped her hands together in front of her and looked to Janius. "I would not be so certain with yourself, Janius. It has been quite a long time since you have had a lesson from me, and Sabine has been my apprentice for over three years now. There are aspects of magic in which she is certainly your superior. I will admit that I have not seen how far your destruction skills have progressed recently, but...it would be an interesting contest to observe. If nothing else, it might persuade you not to be so content in your position."

Ahnasha, meanwhile, was far more expressive in her defensiveness. "You want a challenge? Oh, I'll give you one right now." Holding up her hand between them, she conjured a bound bow inches in front of his face. The ethereal energy surrounding the glowing weapon lit up their faces, and made clear Ahnasha's confident grin.

Nearby, Ra'kalesh could not help but to laugh. "There is nothing wrong with an archery contest, but this one might have to step in if any of these challenges come to blows. This one would prefer that none of our warriors head into battle already beaten and bruised."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was going to elaborate on her training, both personal and with Sabine, but the mention of Sabine and Peiter's "quality time" caused her to pause from the conversation momentarily in discomfort. She knew well what went on between them, but it still made her uncomfortable thinking about it.

Ahnasha started to speak up before Meesei could continue. "You know, love, you do make a point there. I think we all know a lot less about each other than we used to. Back when we were living in the wilds. I remember we all followed Sabine's progress in pretty much anything pretty closely. Really, it was hard for any of us to do anything without the others knowing. After we win here, we should really start doing more things together; perhaps have some competitions with each other. I know we are all supposed to have our 'pecking order', as it were, between us in the pack. But, since I don't really know what half of us are capable of anymore, I've just kind of been assuming it is still correct. It might be time for some...reordering." Ahnasha said with a grin. "By this point, Sabine might be a more powerful mage than you, Janius."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ri'vashi looked down uncomfortable. "It really was that obvious? Well...at least you feel good now. Ri'vashi does as well. This one did not know what it would be like with someone your size, but she is glad we tried it. This one does feel...tired, though. It is always that exhausting? She wishes she could rest her eyes, but it is not quite time to sleep yet. If we sleep now, we won't be well-rested for the attack itself. Still...she does not mind laying here with you."

---

While not at the level of Ahnasha's confidence, Meesei's answer to Fendros was firm and unwavering. "We would not be going through with this attack if I did not believe we would succeed. Eliminating Vile's stronghold here would be a great victory for us, but it is not absolutely vital that we make this attack. It is an option for us to retreat and attempt to win smaller victories against them. It is impossible to remove the risk from an attack like this, but I have agreed to it because I am confident in our chances. Besides..." Meesei said, turning her head towards Lorag with a slight grin. "I am sure my second will look forward to seeing the effectiveness of some of my newer abilities."

Lorag let out a grunt. "Hmph, like you need any more power. Keep it up and we'll be able to just throw you into Oblivion and let you kill Vile yourself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After everything had settled down, Ri'vashi was still feeling particularly affectionate. Though, her affection consisted of holding Gallus in a grip as tight as a snake, with his breathing slightly restricted and his head forced up against her chest. The blankets had been thrown to the far corner of the tent, but Ri'vashi's body still felt incredibly hot from the exertion. She was practically panting from the beat, but still did not move from the embrace. She would not have had much of a concept of how much time had passed, were it not for the fact that she felt the moon sugar had worn off. Since she knew how long that would take, she had an idea of how much time she could still spend in her tent.

"Are you feeling good? Is anything broken?" Ri'vashi asked.

---

Ahnasha's expression was mostly neutral until she had the opportunity to speak. Contrary to some around camp, however, she did not appear to be nearly as anxious. "I don't think I've ever been as prepared as I am now, honestly. My aim is as sharp as it has ever been, and I have more, uh, magical knowledge than I ever have. We have the largest army of lycans I've ever seen, and the element of surprise. I think we'll be fine. Just keep alert." She said confidently. Only a week or so prior, she had been in much the same frame of mind as Fendros with her worries for Rhazii. But, the more she thought about the dangers of the attack, the more she was just glad that Rhazii would not be exposed to it. She had managed to convince herself that Rhazii was in safety, so she was actually able to free herself of some of that stress. Now, some of the near-arrogant confidence Ahnasha had been overflowing with before Rhazii's birth was starting to show in her demeanor.

Kaleeth started to laugh. "I wish I could be that brave. I sometimes find my hands shaking just thinking about the attack. Last time we were in a fight like this, I couldn't even count the number of times I was stabbed, slashed, and shot. Xuth, silver hurts. My goal is to keep my scales intact this time."