EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei spoke up to spare Ahnasha or Fendros from having to give an answer. "Unfortunately, we have spent as much time as we can spare here. We can stay the night, but we need to leave in the morning. Our business in Black Marsh cannot be delayed too much longer." She explained.

The group was starting to get close to the vineyard, based on the distance they had traveled so far. Ahnasha wanted to stay with Fendros' family for longer, certainly, but she saw some obvious complications with that plan. "I certainly would want to stay with you all for as long as possible in the time we have left, but...that would require us to be at the vineyard with you. I...well I would not know as much as you if that would be a good idea or not."

---

"Uh, yeah, hey." Lorag responded with something approaching nervousness, giving only a passing glance to Narsi. Despite the fact that he had went through the trouble of coming to Harriet's house to begin with, he did not want to get close to Narsi in any sense, and he certainly didn't want her knowing that he was her father.

"Just, uh, remember all that. And, uh, if she wants to when she's older, make sure she knows she's not exiled from the clans or anything. It's better for our kind there than in places like this." Lorag added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"How long do you think it could last?" Ahnasha finally chimed in. She had seen that Monderyn had been distant for most of the ceremony, though she was not sure how to approach him until now. As she might have expected, it was concern and uncertainty that seemed to trouble him the most, so the most effective way to deal with that would likely be actual, realistic answers.

"You, your mother, your sister, and even your local priest all seem to be of the same mind on this issue. But your father stands alone. Now, I do not know him even remotely as well as all of you, of course, but I do know people. I was raised to be able to read people, to understand them. And people do not like to be alone. For how long will he be able to denounce Fendros with no one supporting him? He is a Dunmer, and therefore patient, but even Elven patience is not eternal. How many nights will he have lying in bed thinking on the son he used to have? How many dreams will he have to remind him before the thoughts of his family weigh too heavily on him? In a group, people can validate their opinions with one another, but if your father has no one to agree with him, I don't think it will last forever. Eventually, he will find an excuse to speak with Fendros again." Ahnasha said, looking to Monderyn with confidence.

---

Lorag kept his arms firmly crossed, his whole body unconsciously taking on a defensive posture. "That girl ain't my responsibility. She's gonna stay with you, unless you turn traitor again or somethin'. I just came here to make sure you were doin' it right. You've got to be out of practice by now, but I guess you can teach the girl something 'bout how to fight. I don't care that much, but..."

Lorag let out a sigh, lowering his guard at least somewhat as he finally brought himself to look Harriet in the eye. "Look, the city's nothing compared to the wilds, but it's got some decent options. My mother ran the Fighter's guild here back before I turned. Don't know if she still does, or if she's even alive, but if she chose her successor herself, then they'll still be tough. They'll train kids once they're old enough for gold or labor. Oh, and there's been skooma traders working out of the city's east neighborhoods for as long as anyone can remember. Keep her away from those. Oh, and let her learn magic if she wants; just don't let her go anywhere near those 'College of Whispers' idiots. Politicians is all they are. There's this older Dunmer that works for the Fighter's Guild. Mostly just does paperwork, but he teaches magic on the side, and he's decent for an elf."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha stepped slightly ahead so she could look over to Monderyn. Again, she could not give any kind of normal, reassuring expression, so she had to settle for focusing on what she said, instead of how she said it. "Think about it this way, I am now your friend. A member of your family. Someone who is willing to help you when you need it. If you are ever in trouble and need help, then there are lycans who would do so just because we asked them to. You would probably be surprised at how many allies you now have in the world, with your connection to us."

---

Lorag did not take a seat, instead just standing with his arms crossed and staring down Harriet. "I don't care about your house. An Orc can be raised under a bunch of sticks and leaves and be stronger for it. You don't even need any other Orcs to raise a child right, you just need to be strong yourself. And you need to have the mind to be able to pass that on. So assuming that you're not lyin' through your teeth and that girl really is mine...well, I'm not gonna let any blood of mine be raised like some dainty Elf. I want to know she's bein' raised like an Orc should be."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha was genuinely amused at Llarasa's comment. She could not laugh in any recognizable way, but she did give a distinctly non-threatening grunt. "I think that is the first time I have heard of anyone being jealous of a lycan. Well, anyone other than me before I turned. It is a burden, of that there is no doubt. It can destroy a person if they try to deal with it alone. But, I would not change what I am. It makes us into the perfect hunters, suitable for Hircine's domain. Even in our normal forms, our strength and senses are enhanced beyond that of a normal person. If you want to have a short weightlifting competition, Monderyn, I could demonstrate."

Shortly after mentioning him, Ahnasha looked to Monderyn, and after a brief delay, continued more seriously. "How are you feeling, Monderyn?"

---

"I don't even know why I bothered coming here." Lorag snapped back, being perhaps the most truthful thing he had said so far. He looked away for a few moments and considered just leaving before deciding to continue. He would go inside if she did, but he was not about to rush through the door.

"Look, let's just pretend I really am the father for a second. I didn't want a kid, didn't ask for it, didn't pick a spoiled potion. But if she's my blood, then she's my blood. I want to know she's bein' raised like she should be." Lorag said firmly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth smiled at Llarasa. "Thank you. It was scary at first, but we've found ways to deal with it. Now I just get nervous in cities because of all the little weird things that city people do, instead of me worrying about accidentally eating any of them."

"It is not too much trouble." Ahnasha responded, shaking her head lightly. "Transformations never quite stop being painful, but you do stop being bothered by it after a while. Right now, I scarcely feel any different than you likely do; just more...capable than usual. My beast spirit is more present in my mind, but I have control over it."

When Monderyn mentioned heading back to the farm, Ahnasha gave a look in its direction. "If you do not mind walking through the forest, we could walk back with you. It's on the way to camp anyway. I just can't transform back so soon; my beast spirit would not be keen on that. I could force it, but it would not be that pleasant."

---

For all that had been going through Lorag's mind leading up to him knocking on the door, he ended up almost freezing in thought when Harriet immediately opened with a question he did not know how to answer. Regardless, after a few seconds of just staring at her, he did manage to at least say something.

"I want to know how you're lyin' to me. I want to know whose kid that is." Lorag demanded.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha looked down to Rhazii and scooped him up in one arm. "Well, we're not going anywhere, but you can come up." She answered, raising him high enough that he could climb up on her shoulders.

Refocusing on Llarasa, Ahnasha felt free to move around more, since she no longer had to worry quite as much about intimidating the others. She moved forward, allowing Rhazii to look almost straight down onto Llarasa. "There are some lycans who are little more than animals. Can't separate the beast from themselves. They are very dangerous, and you'd be right to be afraid of them. But, anyone can learn control with enough time and patience. Lycans without control are usually ones without packs. Some kinds of lycans do have harder times learning control than others, though. Kaleeth had some trouble, and she is the largest and strongest of all of us. That was a bit frightening, even for us. Luckily, Janius has a way of calming her down."

"I'm a werecrocodile." Kaleeth added. "Crocodiles don't live in packs, so it was harder for me to get used to it."

---

Back inside Cheydinhal, at the hovel which Harriet called her home, there was a knock at the door, which quickly turned into a loud pounding on the door before there had been any chance to answer. Lorag had finally made the decision to pay a visit by himself, though it would be hard to tell what his intentions were, especially since even he was not sure what he was doing there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Ahnasha responded to Fendros, tilting her head towards him. Overall, she felt to be in a good mood. Calia's fearlessness spoke of some trust for her and the pack. Ahnasha was undeniably dangerous in this form, so some amount of trust was mandatory in order to be comfortable in the presence of a werewolf.

Since Ahnasha's beast spirit would be reluctant to transform back so quickly, Ahnasha decided to give a bit more information. "The amount of control a lycan has really depends on a lot of things. Training, experience, how recently we have fed. Our beast spirits, the part of us that comes from Hircine, they hunger to hunt. Some myths say we have to eat other people to sate them, but that is not true. Any animal will do, if it's enough of a challenge to hunt. The only other time we would lose control is if both moons are full. When that happens, we must hunt. We always plan carefully around those days. Only Meesei is the exception, because of her Ring. It gives her perfect control, so she can transform whenever and however often she wants."

After her explanation, Ahnasha looked particularly towards Llarasa. She did not do anything just yet, but she wanted to see how Llarasa would react to merely having her attention. If she was becoming less afraid, Ahnasha might approach closer.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha slowly rose herself up onto her hind legs as she finished her transformation. In this form, she towered over all of the others, which, in addition to her sharp teeth, long claws, and distinctly muscular physique, made it rather difficult for her to make herself less intimidating. She was not the largest of lycans, but even so, was still likely the largest, most threatening predator that either Llarasa or Monderyn had seen alive, in person. Calia did not seem phased in the slightest, perhaps because of her inability to see her, but Ahnasha was worried about the perception of Fendros' siblings. And the caution with which Fendros was suddenly treating Ahnasha was not helping.

"Don't worry...husband. I'm perfectly fine. Perfectly in control." Ahnasha said in her deeper, gravelly voice. "No need to treat me like a stranger's dog."

Ahnasha largely ignored Fendros' obvious efforts to ensure she was calm and simply leaned in her head towards Calia to allow her to feel of her head and body as much as she wished. There would, obviously, be no doubt in what she was, and she did not expect too much more skepticism from Calia on their story

Ahnasha waited for as long as required for Calia to finish observing her. However, Ahnasha spent most of the time being worried about Llarasa and Monderyn. She could see the fear in their expressions, whether it be fear of what Ahnasha had revealed herself to be, or simple surprise, she did not like that they viewed her as something threatening to them. It was perfectly understandable that they would look at a lycanthrope with such trepidation, but Ahnasha still wanted to do something about it. Unfortunately, Ahnasha had few options. She could not laugh in any recognizable way, she could do little to change her voice, and could not make herself appear less "powerful." She had to be creative if she wanted to shift the mood. She could not make herself seem more normal, but she could take advantage of her canine features.

Turning her head towards Fendros, Ahnasha cocked her head to the side slightly, then suddenly leaned her head forward and licked his face straight up from his chin to his forehead.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Everyone collected outside the temple as their gathering was coming to a close, apart from Lorag. He had left the temple shortly before, and without explanation. Meesei could have confronted him, but she expected that he would end up back in their camp eventually. In the meantime, Meesei found herself surprised by Calia's sudden request. "You do? It is...irregular for anyone to actually desire to see that. Are you sure?"

"We talked about it earlier, Meesei. We can just go somewhere isolated on the way back to the vineyard, it should not take too long." Ahnasha interjected.

---

With Meesei's agreement the rest of the group had headed off out of the city and towards the vineyard. However, before reaching the Avarul family home, the group took a detour off into the forest. Meesei remained attentive to their surroundings, but there was nothing to suggest that anyone was near close enough to witness anything incriminating.

Meesei still had her gaze back in the direction of the road as they came to a stop. "So which of us shall transform?" She asked.

Ahnasha stepped forward into the clearest spot she could find. "I'll do it." She answered as she began to untie some of the strings on her dress. Modesty was not something that tended to cross Ahnasha's mind, though it was of course not relevant to Calia at the moment. Although, Llarasa and Monderyn could see her, including the very prominent scars across her torso that she had received from her torture in Black Marsh.

Regardless, Ahnasha did not wait long before beginning her transformation. She would not be aware of the reactions of Fendros' family while she was transforming, but she took care to seem as unintimidating as possible once she was in full control once again, as difficult as that would be for a werewolf.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry for not responding yet. I'll make sure to do so before going to bed. Do you want me to go ahead and take us to the forest? Where would we be going, specifically?