EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As the passion started to subside, at least slightly, Ma'tanza pulled back just enough that they could speak more normally. "Sure, Ma'tanza has not yet eaten her dinner. S'nishi and M'ibasa, and the others have probably already finished eating by now, but Ma'tanza certainly wouldn't mind eating just by ourselves. In fact, she wouldn't mind spending the rest of the day together, just the two of us."

---

Ahnasha was, quite understandably, overwhelmed at the sudden development with Fendros. It was just about the last thing she expected that day, or any other day, really. Given that followers of Hircine, such as herself, did not practice marriage, and Fendros had never shown an interest in it, this was an incredibly sudden turn of events.

"This...is more of a surprise than I could have imagined. I mean, Hircine does not require an actual marriage between mates. We are mated, which is just the same as a marriage, so of course I am not going to say no or anything. There is nothing that's going to stop me from spending the rest of my very long life with you. It's just...where did this come from? What has caused you to want a ceremony?" She asked. It was not quite the emotional response that usually went along with marriage proposals, but given that she already considered them to be bonded just as close as a husband and wife, that was perhaps understandable.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza grinned. "Well, you will just have to learn, because Ma'tanza expects to be hearing from you once you get back." She responded.

Ma'tanza broke up the conversation with another, longer kiss. Despite the fact that they planned to keep in touch, the thought was still in Ma'tanza's mind that their relationship would likely end once Tzirret left. If she ever actually saw Tzirret again, it would likely be many years into the future. She would not expect that Tzirret would remain alone for so long, nor was she sure that she would want to. But, that did not mean that she regretted having the relationship in the first place.

---

Ahnasha was not focusing on Fendros when she opened the cylinder, so she did not connect it to what he was doing at first. Her initial reaction was for her eyes to widen in shock. "What in Oblivion? Is that an actual, real gold ring? What kind of madman would put that as a reward?" She commented as she discarded the cylinder and took the ring in her hand. "This actually looks like real gold, and they're just giving it away? I guess the Dominion really is as wealthy as their propaganda makes them seem"

It was only after her surprise settled that Ahnasha turned around, after which that surprise resurfaced immediately. Among the pack, they did not have any proper jewelry apart from Meesei's ring, so the fact that Fendros was holding two amulets caught her attention. Though a worshiper of Hircine, Ahnasha had a more traditional religious upbringing, so it did not take long for her to recognize what they were. "What...is going on?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza spoke softly, with something of a solemn tone. She did not like to think of their inevitable separation any more than Tzirret, and was always hesitant to bring it up. "Ma'tanza understands. She doesn't want you to leave either, but...some things we can't change. You have your pack; your family. It wouldn't be right for you to leave them, and Ma'tanza certainly can't leave hers. We...we always knew that we couldn't stay together forever.

Ma'tanza brought her hand up to Tzirret's cheek. "You will have to go home soon, but that doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. At least, we can hear from each other. This one doesn't see why we couldn't send letters, or something like that."

---

Ahnasha's bound arrows had been disappearing not long after they came to rest, so she had considerably less to clean up after her and Fendros' target practice had ended. She dispelled her bow as quickly as she had summoned it, and crossed her arms in pride from her victory. Of course, she was still Fendros' mentor in archery, so her victories rarely came as a surprise, but her accuracy had still been quite good even without the need for comparison.

When Fendros pointed out the hollow weight, Ahnasha eyed it skeptically. "A reward? Well I can see that being easily abused. It probably isn't anything valuable, else someone would just come up here and take it whenever they were alone. Probably just a trinket or something, but still, it might be something I can show off." She reasoned. Picking up the weight off the ground, she shook it lightly before looking it over for some way of getting it open.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While initially cautious, Ma'tanza was indeed enjoying the show of lights before her. As one familiar with alchemy, it was in her nature to avoid coming into direct contact with any ongoing alchemical process, But, the process was calm enough that she could at least stand safely at the edge of the room alongside Tzirret.

By the end of Tzirret's little show, Ma'tanza was smiling ear-to-ear. Her first reaction had indeed been correct; none of her partners had gone through so much trouble to do something romantic for her before. It was enough to soften the fear she had felt last time Tzirret had expressed similar feelings.

"Aw, that's just...so sweet Tzirret." Ma'tanza finally said after a few moments of speechlessness to take in the moment. She extended her arms out wide and wrapped her arms around him as she planted a kiss on his lips once more.

---

While she would not say it aloud, Ahnasha could honestly admit that she was surprised by Fendros' initial shot. They were aiming for small, moving targets, and even if the range was not extreme, it was no simple test. She knew Fendros had improved, but even she was not expecting all of her shots to be hits. She supposed that he could have simply been lucky on his first shot, but she would do the best she could regardless.

Drawing her bow, Ahnasha was patient with her initial shot. She paid attention to the wind, and tried to see if there were any patterns to how long it would blow at once. If the target was moving at a constant rate, she was confident she could hit it reasonably reliably, but the windmill was not so consistent. She just had to try and time her shot with the bursts of wind. Eventually, after about fifteen seconds straight of aiming, Ahnasha loosed her arrow. It was quite close, but instead of cutting one of the cords, it deflected off of the side of one of the weights themselves. It caused it to spin, but the cord was intact.

Ahnasha did not make a comment on her shot, but instead simply stepped back to allow Fendros to take his next shot. Even with a miss on the first shot, Ahnasha had her range dialed in, and had a better idea of how the wind was behaving. She was confident that her shots would average out to be more accurate than his.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Acknowledged.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

As Ma'tanza learned more about what Tzirret had set up, she tried to make a guess at what he was planning. But, she could already think of a few ideas on what Tzirret could be doing with watermelon seeds depending on what liquid was actually in the cups. There were some that could cause them to grow quickly, some that could make them grow in an unusual way, and others that might do something more spectacular. She still could not say what Tzirret was going to attempt.

Once Tzirret started to explain why he was going through with this surprise, Ma'tanza almost started to tear up. The thought that Tzirret would be leaving had certainly occurred to her before, but she had been trying to avoid thinking about it. Whatever Tzirret had planned, she certainly appreciated the sentiment. Shortly after Tzirret dismissed his candlelight spell, Ma'tanza took a moment to lean in and give him a quick kiss. Afterwards, she did as he said and began to toss the seeds into the vessels.

---

As Ahnasha was following Fendros, she spotted the strange-looking targets that Fendros had set up for them. Though, hearing his explanation, their design certainly made sense. In the hills, they could set up the targets at both short and long ranges, and the hills themselves would help them catch the wind. Coupled with the fact that the actual targets they were aiming for were rather small, and she could see how it could be made into a challenge.

Ahnasha held up her finger to test the wind, then, with a flick of her wrist, conjured up a bound bow in her other hand. She nocked an arrow and aimed for a few seconds, but did not fire before lowering her bow once more. "An interesting idea for training, definitely. Though, you know these shots won't be easy, even for me. So, don't be too disappointed if you can't get a hit." She joked. "Why don't you take the first shot?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza's first reaction upon seeing the cups and bowls laid out on the floor was that Tzirret had prepared a private dinner for them, but the strangely large number of vessels quickly made that seem unlikely. She closed the door behind her and allowed herself a few moments to adjust to the relative darkness. A closer look suggested that he was attempting something with alchemy, though she had no idea what it might be off the top of her head. She thought she recognized the scents of some of the ingredients present, but she would not be able to know for sure without being able to examine the contents of the cups.

Ma'tanza was not certain if she should sit or stand, but seeing as Tzirret was trying something with alchemy, without much experience, she elected to keep her distance. "This is...well Ma'tanza honestly doesn't know what this is. It isn't dangerous is it?" She asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Upon reading the letter, Ma'tanza had quite a few questions in her mind. She had an idea of why Tzirret was doing something special for her, but she hadn't the faintest idea of what that might be. He wanted her to meet him at dinner time, so it was probably something that would take some time for him to set up, but beyond that, she had no guesses. Overall, she was greatly intrigued. She had been in relationships before, but none of her partners had something so elaborate for her. Thinking about it, she could not help but to smile.

---

As Tzirret had requested, Ma'tanza waited until dinner time to start making her way towards the room Tzirret had specified, after having spent the majority of the day looking forward to it. She had not seen Tzirret around the clanhome during the day, though she also had not been looking for him. Whatever he had planned, she knew he wanted it to be a surprise. She was not entirely certain if he wanted her to arrive before or after she had eaten, but her impatience drove her to pick the former.

The storage room Tzirret had selected was not one that was often used, so the hallway outside was not particularly crowded, apart from a few people making their way to the west wing of the clanhome. Taking in a deep breath and putting on a smile, Ma'tanza opened the door and stepped inside.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since Ma'tanza was not a member of the Orcrest clan, she did not have any official duties among their clan. Before she left in the warband, she had helped the healers and alchemists, but since they had just returned, the warband was being given time to rest. After her breakfast, she decided she would simply return to her room. It was a room she shared with her brother and a few others, though he was away at the moment. In the time they were away on the attack, he had made a few friends within the Orcrest clan. They had spent much of the previous day together, but now that they had caught up, he was returning to the routine he had developed over the past month.

Strangely, Ma'tanza noticed a note posted on her door when she returned. It had either been placed on the door after she left, or she had not noticed it when leaving in the morning. Either way, the fact that it bore her name meant that it was certainly hers. Heading into the room, she sat down on her bedroll and opened the letter curiously.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm doing some things at the moment, so I may be delayed.