EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"So you really are wanting me to leave here." Rukeewei said, looking away for a moment. It seemed as if he were speaking to himself more than anything. "But, there is no way for you to 'fix' anything. Things happen as they are, and that can't be helped. Doing something nice for me now isn't going to change what happened. All that you can do anything about now is the things you haven't done yet."

Again, Rukeewei looked away uncomfortably. "I...still really don't want to leave here. This is home. But I know your sister is in trouble, and I know this is the only way you have to help her. And, like I said, our lives are one. What happens to you, happens to me. So, this is the only choice. I suppose...if you want to do something, is there anything you want to tell me? Anything at all, about anything? Any secrets you don't want to keep?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei breathed deeply. "Okay." He said simply, followed by another, somewhat tense pause. He was having almost as much trouble speaking as Ariel, though for different reasons. He had clearly been upset, but he had not shown any sort of anger. "You know that, and you should always remember it, but there is still the here and now to deal with, so we need to figure out what to do together. I know you want to keep your sister safe, so I do too. Your family is my family. What do I need to do to help you do that?"

While he had been hurt by Ariel's secrecy, Rukeewei was sounding just as supportive of her as ever. Even after a three-year long lie, his tone made him sound more disappointed in her than actually angry.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Ariel." Rukeewei interrupted, though the pause lingered in the air for several seconds before he finally continued. "You told me all of this yesterday, and I've had..." Rukeewei exhaled. "...plenty of time to think about it. You should have told me all of this before, or at least told me you are acquainted with lycanthropes. I know you said that it was Sabine's secret to share and everything, and I would normally agree with that if it only meant something to her. But this is something that you knew could come back into your life. Something that has come back into our life."

Rukeewei walked up to Ariel and took the hand bearing her wedding ring, holding it up between them. "You remember the vows? That we would be 'as one with each other until we become one with the trees.' Our lives became one life that day, so when something happens to one of us, it happens to both of us. I had a right to know that this could happen." Rukeewei's voice was firm, but not exactly angry. Evidently, he had thought about the matter enough to rid himself of any rash emotions.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While Ariel had convinced herself to hold off on speaking to Rukeewei, he was a bit more impatient. He had skipped his breakfast entirely and persuaded his brother to watch the inn for a short time while he sought out Ariel. He entered her shop before she opened for the day, unlocking the door with his copy of her key, and made his way nervously upstairs. He was quiet as he stopped just outside her door, and paused to collect his thoughts.

Rukeewei had been almost as sleepless as Ariel the previous night, as he had spent most of it thinking on every angle of this situation that had been suddenly dropped on them. He thought about it at every angle he could. At some points, he went back to feeling fear at the thought of lycans in his inn, while at others, he felt nothing but sympathy for Ariel about everything that had happened to her sister. The thoughts of what he would do for his brother if he were in similar trouble kept him from being too angry at Ariel for lying to him for so long. After a few moments, he opened the door slowly to Ariel having her breakfast withing. "Ariel...dear, I...think I'm ready to talk."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei would probably come to her. For Gallus, you could have him speak to Ri'vashi, or Meesei, or anyone really. Probably do that one at the same time as the pack's return.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

We should probably skip ahead a bit soon, just need to decide to where. Rukeewei would be ready to talk to Ariel by morning the next day. I don't have anything else specific in mind to do in the city. I would, however, like to go through their eventual arrival at Blackreach, rather than summarizing that part.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei placed her hand gently on Ariel's shoulder after she lowered her head. "I am sure you did what you felt was best. It might help you to try to get your mind off of it for a while. It is probably too late in the day to accomplish anything as far as preparations are concerned, so you should take the time to relax. Do something you want to do. Perhaps...is there anywhere in the city you would like to show us, now that you have lived here a few years? Or perhaps you would just like to catch up with your sister alone?" She asked

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei could sympathize with Ariel, particularly the uncertainty of what Rukeewei was going to do or think about the whole situation. Meesei had left her home without a word, so she had not experienced it herself, but she had seen the effects of fear and uncertainty before among members of the clan. "For people who have only known a normal life since hatching, it takes time to come to terms with this kind of information. All of us, our lives have been filled with turmoil, but I suspect this is all new for Rukeewei."

Standing up from her bed, Meesei approached Sabine and Ariel. "Is there anything you need from us? Anything you feel that might help? I have always found that people are more accepting of us the more they can relate to us. You would know better than I what your husband might find the most sympathetic about us." She suggested. Of course, that was only if Ariel felt that any further action was needed. Doing nothing could be the best choice to allow Rukeewei to calm down.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei stopped only briefly to turn back towards Ariel. His expression held both fear and regret, for different reasons. He was not quite as afraid of Meesei or the rest of her pack as he was when their conversation began, but he was still afraid of how this was going to affect their lives. He was afraid that he was going to be leaving his life behind, but at the same time, he understood completely why Ariel was doing what she was doing. His personal wants, the needs of his family, and the needs of his wife were all pulling in different directions. Needless to say, he was feeling torn and wanted to find a way to calm himself down.

"I know, I know, I just...still need some time, okay?" Rukeewei responded as he continued out of the door.

Meesei knew that there was little she could, or should, say in this situation. She was much more of a stranger to Rukeewei than Ariel, and it was Ariel who would be able to reach him most effectively. "If you need any time with your husband, we are not in any rush that would require us to take action today."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It's just...I never expected this. I thought you left all that crazy stuff in your life behind when you came here. I knew you didn't have a normal past, but I didn't think that would be coming back here to us. I thought we would just live in peace." Rukeewei said, speaking as much to himself as he was to Ariel

Rukeewei breathed out slowly and deeply. "I think I need some time. Just some time to myself to think, to figure things out. This is all just so confusing." Quickly letting go of Ariel, Rukeewei stood up to his feet and took a few unsure steps towards the door. "I just need some time."