EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei looked up to Fendros from her place on a log next to the fire just as she was finishing the last of her meal. He was indeed correct that it was a foolish question, but she could not fault him for asking it. "In a word, no. We have troll fat that could be used for that purpose, but we prefer that Sabine use it in her alchemy, and we would rather not soak the furs we use to keep ourselves warm on cold nights. Just take a swim in the river, the water alone should suffice for your purposes, then dry yourself in the sun."

Meesei stood up and grabbed the waterskin that was attached to the leather strip that served as her, then took a drink to finish off its contents. "Come, I will take you to the river. I need to refill my waterskin anyway." She said, walking off to the west and motioning for him to follow. It was not far at all to the river. In fact, the only reason it was not visible from camp was because there were a few trees blocking the line of sight. She knelt down next to the flowing water and dunked her waterskin into the river to refill it. The water was decently clear, and just deep enough to swim in closer to the middle. Such rivers were common enough in Cyrodiil, though they could hardly match the swamps of her own native Black Marsh.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As the others congregated around the center of the camp and partook in the meal, Meesei joined in as well. She avoided the meat that had cooked on the fire and instead took the other half of the liver Lorag had grabbed. In the case of a kill, it was always the custom that the Alpha would eat first, but no such rule existed for stored meats. On the surface, the entire event would likely seem barbaric to one from the civilized world, with most of them ripping enthusiastically into the raw meat with claw, tooth, and nail, giving no attention common Imperial manners. For Meesei, however, meals such as these were beautiful things. They all bonded together over the fruits of their labors, instead of taking only for themselves. Unlike those in the "civilized" world, they did not horde the food for themselves if the others could not pay, they shared the spoils of their kills to keep the entire pack healthy. The strongest hunters did not look down on or disrespect those beneath them, instead preferring to train and improve one another's skills, strengthening the entire unit. Their pack did not abide the selfish nature Imperial culture cultivated, and that, to Meesei, was far more "civilized" than anything towns and cities had ever achieved.

Fendros did seem to at least be comfortable enough to speak to the others, which was a good sign. He was curious about how long they had been werewolves, and Meesei was more than happy to answer. "I have had the gift of the beast blood for eight years, and have led this pack for six. I was a worshipper of Hircine beforehand, and accepted his gift willingly."

Lorag bit off a large chunk of the liver, and did not quite wait to finish before he gave his response. "Nine years for me, though I'm no chosen of Hircine like our Alpha. I was up in Skyrim, fightin' against the Stormcloaks during that war a few years back. Ended up getting it the same way you did. Patrol got ambushed, killed one, got wounded, turned a bit later. You know the drill."

"Lorag was the first member of the pack, other than myself." Meesei added. "He was the first Hircine guide me to find. He is the most experienced warrior among us, and is second to me in both power and rank, until such a time as someone challenges him and takes that title."

Lorag grunted slightly. "Hmph, good luck."

Meesei continued. "My skill with magic grants me greater strength, but his skill with fighting is unquestionable. You would do well to heed his advice, should he give it to you."

Ahnasha finished off her boar leg, then turned her head towards Fendros to give her answer. "Right, and I guess I can teach you some of what I know when it comes to archery." She said, nodding toward his damaged bow. As per her usual, she assumed she had greater skill than Fendros, and would be more than happy to try and prove it. If it somehow happened to be that Fendros could outmatch her with a bow, then Meesei had no doubt she would practice night and day to change that. If there was anything she hated, it was complacency. She was raised in an Imperial city, and though it did reflect in some of her mannerisms, especially her style of speech, she hated everything about that lifestyle and how boring it could be. She always looked to improve herself which, although she was still young, meant she was a contender to rise even beyond Lorag in rank.

"Anyway, I have been a lycan for five years, though I have been hunting in the name of Hircine for most of my life." Ahnasha said proudly.

Lorag stood up and walked over to Ahnasha, chuckling. "Always looking to impress, aren't ya? Why, I remember when you first came scurrying into our camp. Such a young and energetic little...kittenpuppy. Ah, but you've grown since then, yes you have, yes you have." He said with a laugh, rubbing her head like a housecat. She hissed in response, leading to round of laughter from a few of the others, even Meesei.

"I was in my seventeenth year when I came to you. I was hardly a 'kittenpuppy', I was a catdog...wait, no! Cat...I mean, Khajiit!" She said, stammering over her words and regretting it all immediately. Lorag could do nothing but laugh heavily in response.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm rather enjoying throwing Fendros straight into the fire when it comes to living in the wilds.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Following the trail of blood was easy enough, and Meesei had to admit that Fendros did have a good eye for detail. He seemed to be able to spot his belongings in the foliage almost as well as she could, to the point that he actually managed to find all of his belongings, by his own admission. His clothing and leather armor had of course been destroyed, but many of his weapons and much of his equipment was salvageable. Granted, much of it was in bad condition, and she did not know if Fendros had the knowledge to repair it himself, though she supposed it did not matter, as Lorag would be able to make it all twice as good as it had ever been, with the proper tools.

Once Fendros was satisfied with what he had recovered, Meesei nodded to him. "Good, then we are done with everything I had planned to do today with you. Come, let us return to camp." She said, motioning for him to follow. She had walked back and forth between this area and camp several times that day, so she knew her way back quite quell by this point. The two remained mostly in silence on the way back, with Meesei running through her evaluation of the boy in her mind. Lorag had mentioned his parents were owners of a vineyard, which meant he was likely used to wealth. This did not bode well for his ability to adapt to the wilds, but then again, Janius had endured the same transition. Perhaps his experiences could help this Dunmer shake off the influence Imperial society had and bring him closer to the pack. Before being damaged, at least, his weapons appeared to be of good quality, so that meant he either used them enough to warrant the quality, or his family simply had the wealth to spare to buy them. Either one seemed likely at this point, though Fendros had managed to kill a werewolf himself, which did speak to his skill.

The pair arrived back in camp after about another half hour of walking. It was not yet noon, so most of the day was ahead of them, but now was not quite the time to start the boy's training. Instead, she simply turned to him to give him her final instruction for the day. "Now, that is the last I will ask of you for today. For now, you can do as you like. In the dark leather bag closest to the fire, you will find an assortment of salted meats: venison, boar, and so on. You are free to take any amount you like, as are all of us. You will find that you can make use of everything in this camp, as it all belongs to all of us. We have no personal belongings here, though it goes without saying that you still may not be wasteful with our resources. There is river just outside camp to the west, if you have need of water, or wish to wash the blood and grime from your body. We have enough food for the moment that we do not need to hunt, so it is likely that all of us will remain in camp for today. If you have any questions about me, I will answer anything and everything; I have no secrets to hide from my brothers and sisters, yourself included. You may do the same with the others, though they may not all be as forthcoming. Regardless of what you choose, today is your day to rest and relax. Enjoy it, because you will not likely get the same opportunity again for quite some time."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was completely unmoved by the rotten smell ahead, as she had experienced much worse before. It was good that Fendros seemed to be growing accustomed to his new senses, though his reaction to the smell left something to be desired. Lycans were all completely immune to disease, so they had little to fear from what lesser mortals would consider filthy. Personally, Meesei preferred the taste of raw meat to anything cooked, and all in the pack except Janius seemed to share that opinion, though she was not sure about Sabine. That girl never seemed to talk about her own preferences and would simply eat whatever they had on hand, in whatever state it was in.

As Fendros rushed ahead to the lycan's body, Meesei simply followed behind at a walking pace, observing her surroundings closely. She doubted Fendros would be able to pick out any more subtle scents with the smell of rot and decay overpowering his senses, so she scanned the area to pick up on the trail of where he may have ran on the previous night. Certainly, there was a lot of dried blood in the area, and the scents of both Fendros and the lycan covered the area, but in the end she did not need to find his scent, as she caught a glimpse of dried blood smeared against a tree a short distance away. She approached the tree and, surely enough, saw traced of dried blood on the ground nearby, leading off to the north. Kneeling down next to it, she picked up a bloodied blade of grass, taking in its scent to confirm that it was indeed from Fendros.

"I believe I have found where you ran off to. There is a trail of blood leading off to the north, and it seems to be your own. If you wish to collect a trophy from your kill, do so now. Whether you recognize it or not, you will come to see that kill as a significant moment for you." Meesei commented.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I'm imagining Aliara being in crippling pain from the psychomancy, but also loving her for it, because of the psychomancy.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Turn them into guards, that would be amazing.

I'm starting to wonder if Satori secretly controls the entire college. Certainly, if she wanted a student to like her, they would like her, end of story.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

As I said, I'm a pacifist and would not be able to bring myself to hurt anyone, or knowingly help someone hurt anyone. Still, whatever works for you. Hopefully you can find suitable employment.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

I personally would never consider a job in military in any aspect, though I guess that is just me being a pacifist. I just hope whatever you do works out.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

Hailfire said
Posted! Sorry. I have been very busy over the last few days with work and various distractions around the household. Managed to post now though and for a while now I should be able to post with relative impunity. Unfortunately I am no longer employed. On the plus side I will be able to post more when I am not busy sending out applications and attending interviews. Hopefully (for the sake of my waller) it won't be for too long though.

Hopefully so. What would you want to do, employment wise?