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As soon as they had reached an acceptable spot, Ahnasha practically tackled Fendros to the ground. She had already begun undressing when he gave his concerns, to which she grinned. "I think I'm willing to take that risk." She answered, interrupting any response he might have with another kiss.

---

It took two more days before the memorial was ready, as Ri'vashi had instructed a few of their woodcarvers to make a small statue in memory of those who had been lost. In that time, she also created a stir when she announced her intentions to leave the clan and join the Champion. Some were upset by the news, others relived, but it remained on everyone's minds up to the day of the memorial.

It was not safe to hold the memorial outside, since it would be far too difficult to get everyone inside in the event of danger. Since it was not posisble to fit everyone in the main chamber at once, it was decided that it would be a more personal affair for those who had lost loved ones. Everyone would have an opportunity to approach the memorial and say their final words in remembrance of the lost. Some had brought personal effects of the deceased, such as jewelry and other trinkets, to leave at the memorial, where they would remain for as long as it was standing.

The statue itself was made of wood, and about half as tall as the average Suthay-raht. It depicted three figures: a lion, a wolf, and the classic representation of Hircine behind them. Though, unlike most statues depicting the Huntsman, the lion and wolf were clearly the focus of the piece. Given the time in which it had been created, it was not exceptionally detailed, but the woodcarvers had obviously put in a great deal of effort to the statue.

The main chamber was packed with as large of a crowd as it could hold, with even the scaffolding above them holding some onlookers. Though they had not lost anyone themselves, Meesei and her pack were all present. Indeed, the only people who would not be present were those scouts who had volunteered to keep watch outside the stronghold during the memorial.

Hircine's followers did not have "priests" exactly, but there was an elderly Suthay-raht from the Orcrest clan who was well-versed in Hircine's rituals and traditions, who was presiding over the memorial. "We are all here today to remember those who sacrificed their mortal bodies for our defense. Against the enemies of Hircine, those enemies who label us monsters to be destroyed, they fought with all they had. Whether mage or warrior, archer or healer, they were all hunters for our great Huntsman. For those of us who are still here to honor them, we should remember their sacrifice, but also what they have achieved through it. We are all not just hunters. We are werewolves. We are werelions, werebears, werevultures, and werecrocodiles. We...are lycans. We are his hounds, his chosen hunters on Nirn, and eventually, his chosen for his Hunting Grounds. We should remember that we are all brothers and sisters, bounded in blood; tethered to our lord Hircine. When our mortal bodies wither and die, our eternal souls will find their way to his Hunting Grounds, where we will find again those we have lost today. You may begin approaching the shrine, and please, be patient and courteous to those paying their respects."
Hmm, didn't expect you to be awake at this time. Goodnight.
Ahnasha held up the ring and examined it closely. There were no scratched or other blemishes on the metal, and at least at the moment, it was shiny enough for her to see her own reflection in it if she looked closely enough. She slipped it onto her finger, then held out her hand in front of her. "I've never actually owned anything made of gold." She commented.

Ahnasha did not actually answer Fendros' question aloud. Rather, she stepped up closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself tightly against him. There were a few seconds where she simply held her head a hair's breadth away from his, staring into his eyes lovingly. Eventually, she pulled him into a kiss, one far more passionate than usual. Her hands were all over him, leading to an embrace with far more energy than the norm.
Time for me to go to bed. Goodnight.
Ahnasha chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "I don't know in what way that could be considered superficial. It sounds like you've been through a small existential crisis...or a crisis of faith, or something like that. Anyway, with as much thought as you've apparently put into it, it sounds like something that matters to you. If you think a ceremony would be good for us, then I am with you."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Ahnasha curled her lips with uncertainty. "You do have a point, though. What kind of traditions will we even use? Hircine worshipers have none, obviously. Might want to go with something in a temple of the Divines. If we're going to have a wedding, I know my family would want to be there...or, no, they think we're already married. I guess it could be anything, then. I don't really know a lot about Dunmer marriages."

Again, Ahnasha began to laugh softly as she looked down at her amulet. "Though, I some of your research into marriages with the Divines might be a bit...off. I don't think this is how you're supposed to use an amulet of Mara. If memory serves, you're supposed to wear one to show that you're available. But to be fair, if you had done that, it probably would have given me the wrong idea."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Acknowledged.
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