EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I...think that either of them would be best for it." Kaleeth answered hesitantly. "Fendros can lead really well, I know. He's led me on missions before. But...Sabine is a strong mage, and people could see her more as being Meesei's successor?"

For Ahnasha, she was conflicted on if she even wanted Fendros to become Meesei's second or not. If he did, then he would eventually end up becoming the Champion, even if Meesei survived the war unscathed. Unless she started to pursue life extension as well, Meesei would die of old age before Fendros even started showing signs of aging himself. He would potentially be leading Tamriel's lycans for quite a long time, which could limit the kind of life they could live together. However, that also meant that Fendros could keep the clans more stable than Sabine could without life extension. However, one thing she did not question was his capabilities. Reaching over to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't count yourself out so quickly. Remember your birthsign: you're an atronach, Fendros. You're the kind of warrior that a lot of mages fear. With some training, maybe some enchantments, you could fight off pretty much any mage."

Lorag, with his arms crossed, huffed at the rest of the pack. "By Hircine, I don't believe this. I expected more of you all. The lot of you are tryin' to pass around the title like it's some kind of rotten meat. You know I'm right on this, you see the need to handle Meesei's succession, so I expect you all to be jumping on the chance to serve our clans to the absolute best of your abilities. I expect you to be enthusiastic about taking on this role. You think that if Meesei died, she's want you all to be fightin' each other trying to give away her title? No, she'd expect you to step up and make yourselves the best Champions you could be. Fendros, Sabine, you're both qualified for different reasons. Let's pretend for a second that Meesei died and the clans need a leader. Now are you going to both step up and make your claim for my position?" He said. His demanding, harsh attitude would be familiar to anyone who had even watched him training recruits.

---

Julan nodded to Rhazii. "Yeah, they were hunting bears I think, but were caught by giant spiders. He was working for that, um, guild. The fighters one. He killed the spiders, but got trapped. Aunt Meesei and her pack rescued him from the cave. But, we can't tell my grandparents that he was rescued by lycans, so we have to come up with something else. We also have to make it make sense that he wouldn't go back to them. It might make them sad if we make them think that he ran away or something."

Rhazii and Julan made their way outside the castle. It was past nightfall, though they could both see perfectly fine. The house that Janius had showed them was not far away, so Julan slowed down while they spoke. "I was thinking about it before. You know that guy that the pack has been helping? Marod, the Imperial? Well, he's a part of the...I don't remember exactly how to say it...the Oculus? Well, I really don't know what that is, but they're obviously important. The city guards gave us an entire room in their castle just because he asked them to, and they've been acting weird just because he's around. Imperials must think that Oculus group is really important and respectable and everything. So, what if we said my father was one of them? And the rest of the pack too? That could explain why father never went back to my grandparents. Do you think we could maybe say he joined them in secret or something? I think the Oculus are very secret, so it might make sense."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shifted with some discomfort, carrying a distinct amount of uncertainty in her expression. As competitive as she was, and as much as she had always liked to advance her position in the pack, this was on an entire other level of importance. Unlike Sabine, she did not necessarily doubt that she had the skill or experience to be Champion, but rather, what she had learned of politics over the last few years made her worry that it would not be a good idea.

"Sabine, I...well I won't say that I couldn't do it. I can fight in a lot of ways: magic, swords, bows. And I've been in leadership positions before. I know Vera and all the others from the old Bruma clan appreciate my role in saving their clan. But, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to be the center of attention. I have...abilities that many in Tamriel don't appreciate. Having a necromancer as Champion...we could lose the cooperation of a few of the Morrowind clans just based on that alone. I know there are already people there who are not particularly keen on having an Argonian Champion. But you, Sabine, are not nearly as 'offensive' of a mage as a necromancer is. People can respect you as Meesei's apprentice, and I think you're more knowledgeable than you are giving yourself credit for. Not to mention, you can definitely protect your title. You have been training and practicing under her guidance for all this time. I mean, you are older and more experienced now than Meesei was when she first found you in the Cyrodiil wilderness." Ahnasha said, attempting to be as encouraging as she could to Sabine. Although, she did not lock herself into solely supporting Sabine as Meesei's second. In fact, her attention soon shifted to Fendros beside her.

"But...I would also say that you could do it, Fendros. Meesei has already trusted you as a leader for years. And you can definitely defend your title, just like any of the rest of us. I know you are not skilled with magic like Meesei, but you don't necessarily need to be, as long as you can protect yourself from it. I would say that you or Sabine would both be qualified." Ahnasha suggested.

---

Julan rushed to find some parchment and ink, then simply used his own claw to write out his message. It made his handwriting even rougher than usual, but the message was mostly legible. He wrote out, in Jel, that he and Rhazii headed to the kitchen, then placed the note on his father's bed. Julan could write in both Jel and Cyrodilic, but he had chosen Jel specifically because he knew that it would be his mother that would have to read it. While Janius could understand Jel by this point, he was rarely in a position where he would have to actually read the language, instead of just listening to it.

Although he did not have much of a specific plan for getting out of the castle, Julan fortunately did not need one. The guards were aware that their new guests were somehow associated with the Penitus Oculatus, and while most probably did not know why there would be children among them, they also did not question it. As a result, Julan and Rhazii faced no resistance in simply walking straight out the front door of the castle.

On the way, Julan spoke quietly to Rhazii. "Okay, so, I've been thinking about it. I know father probably wouldn't want me to say he became a lycan. That's the one thing we're all supposed to lie about. So, I think we need to come up with a reason to tell them for why father left them. Maybe just...change the real story a little bit? Father told me how he ended up joining the pack, did he ever tell you?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag shook his head. "And who says you can't? Most of you have known each other basically as long as you've known me. You know each other, you trust each other. It's not like a stranger would be taking over. Besides, I'm sure in Oblivion not gonna give up all my authority. I'm asking one of you to step up and become the Alpha's second. Anyone else'll have to challenge me for my rank if they want to get ahead of me."

Lorag looked around the room with a demanding expression, reminiscent of the attitude he usually carried when training recruits. "So, whose goin' to step up? How many of you are goin' to try? I'm expecting volunteers here. I'll be honest, some of you are more qualified than others, but all of you are qualified in at least some way."

---

Since he had been thinking about his plan for hours, Julan had thoroughly convinced himself that it was a good idea, so Rhazii's doubts did not bother him. "He won't be mad, not once his parents know about him. I think he's just afraid or something. I don't know why. Who would be afraid of their parents? I'm sure they'll want to see him once I tell them about him, and I'm sure everything will be fine after that. My grandparents won't let him punish us."

Julan glanced quickly towards the door. He was eager to leave, so he wanted to convince Rhazii quickly. "And if they didn't want to come see him...well it wouldn't matter, since my father won't know we're gone. Uncle Lorag looked serious, so that meeting will probably take a while. And we can just leave a note here saying we went to the kitchen or something. For dinner. They didn't say we couldn't do that. It would give us plenty of time."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The storage room was not particularly large, nor was there any source of light apart from the magelight spell that Sabine had helpfully provided. However, it was far enough from any important place in the castle that they would not be disturbed. Although the meeting started out with an awkward silence before Lorag remembered that he would actually need to be the one to start things off. His mind was quite obviously scattered between his thoughts.

Being the blunt individual that he was, Lorag started off by getting straight to the point, abruptly enough to almost be startling. "So, um...yeah, I've decided I can't be the Alpha's second anymore."

After what she had witnessed earlier in the day, Ahnasha was one of the first to let out a sigh. "Lorag, that's...ridiculous. Yes, you're not in your prime anymore. No one is going to lie and try to convince you that you are, but giving up your position? That's...Lorag, I know you're smarter than that. Just because Fendros beat you in a duel doesn't mean you're not still the best at what you do. You have more experience than half of us combined."

Predictably, Lorag was not even close to being convinced. "Yeah, I know that. If I dueled a child a thousand times, he'd win at least one on blind luck. It's not about some duel, and this isn't some spur-of-the-moment choice I'm talkin' about here. It's just, I've been thinking about this for a while. I've had a lot of time to think about it, so I know I don't got a choice. You know what it means to be Alpha's second? It means I become Champion if anything ever happens to her. That's not somethin' I can do. Maybe ten years ago, but not now. Bein' Champion used to be just about being the strongest, but now there's all this...politics and stuff that I can't do. Didn't used to think that was a problem. Thought that I could just listen you all your advice for the political stuff while I beat the war drums and inspire all the soldiers. All I'd have to do would be to defend my title. And sure, if I became Champion today, I could defend my title. For a little while. But what about a year or two from now? Five years? I'm too old for this. Meesei's second needs to be someone who can be a leader, and keep a hold of the title long enough to keep things stable. It needs to be one of you."

---

Meanwhile, Julan was in the pack's room in the barracks alone, apart from Rhazii. They had been given a room separate from the guards so they would not be disturbed, so now that Lorag had taken most of the pack to a meeting, and Meesei had gone to speak with Areldril, it was just him and his brother. Julan could not be more excited; he had expected that this would be much more difficult.

What would likely clue in Rhazii first to the fact that Julan was up to something would be the fact that he was still in his city clothes, despite the fact that they were supposed to be going to bed for the night. He opened the door to the room and peered into the hallway for a few seconds before retreating back into their room and approaching Rhazii in his bed. "So Rhazii, I've...been thinking about something. So you know how you were able to meet your grandparents a long time ago? Well...I don't think it's fair that I can't. It's not like it would be hard or anything; we're right here in the same city! I really want to meet them, so I think we should go do that. Sneak out into the city, I mean. The house he showed us isn't far from here, so it shouldn't take long. We might even have time to go explore some of the other parts of the city. He wouldn't hardly let us see anything earlier."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

If you wanted to move us on, Lorag would call a private meeting for everyone in the pack that night, apart from Meesei, who would be speaking with Areldril, and the children.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan payed very close attention to every word that Janius said about his parents, and his childhood in general. He repeated each part of his story in his mind to try and commit it all to memory. He had a feeling that he was going to be needing all of this information fairly soon.

"So my grandparents were very important, then? Just like you are. And the maid and butler and everyone was like your, um, family?" Julan said, referring to the servants by the same word he sometimes used int he place of "pack" whenever they were in a town or city. He did not actually know what a maid, butler, or governor was, but he guessed that they were not related to him by blood.

As the group made their way over the bridge and across the canal, Julan started paying more attention to the city around him, asking questions about it instead. He figured that he probably knew everything he needed for what he had in mind.

---

Ahnasha looked towards the door, though Lorag was long gone by that point. "I don't think it's his legacy he's bothered with. Don't know if he actually even cares about his legacy. It's probably the here and now that is getting to him. He's getting older and can't do the things he used to do. I guess that would bother anyone, especially someone who is so dependent on his body. It might be that Orcish pride, wanting to find a 'good death' and everything. Or maybe he is just worried about disappointing us?"

Her eyes still lingering on the door, Ahnasha gave Fendros a pat on the shoulder. "He did say he wanted to talk to us all, though. Later, at least. Maybe with all of us there together, we'll be able to talk some sense in to him. In the meantime, I think I'd like to be filled in on everything that happened with that Thalmor. All I know so far is that Areldril isn't exactly a prisoner, and Lunise looked like someone stabbed her childhood pet to death with a rusty knife."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think we can skip to after nightfall after the conversation with Janius, unless you have anything else specific in the city that you wanted to play out him showing to the others.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan was resigned to being silent for a short while, though that did not mean he was happy about his father's refusal for him to be able to see his grandparents. Instead, his mind was distracted with all of the possible arguments he could think of as for why he should be able to see them. Though, at the same time, he was also afraid to bring up any of the arguments in his mind. He easily recognized his father's tone, so it made him hesitant to irritate him any further.

As Janius was describing his home and childhood, another idea came to Julan's mind, but it was not something that he could bring up at the moment, not in the presence of his parents. He would have to wait until later, likely that night. He would just have to make sure that he could speak to Rhazii privately. In the meantime, Julan thought of some questions that would probably not make his father angry. He took a few moments to look up at the house, which was a bit larger than he had been expecting. He guessed that his father was an important person even before he became a lycan.

"Okay, so I know I can't meet them, but...can I at least know what my grandparents are like? What are their names? Why do they live in such a big house?" Julan asked.

---

Lorag did not respond immediately. He turned around and walked sluggishly back to the weapon racks to hang up his sword and shield. The thoughts going through his mind had been there for a while, but his conversation with Meesei and his fight with Fendros had only strengthened them. As much as he did not like it, he knew the decision he was going to make. When he walked back over to Fendros and Ahnasha, he gave a brief nod.

"Yeah, I've got somethin' to say, but not now. We'll talk later, when everyone else is back here." He answered, not so much as waiting for a response before he started to walk out of the door.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan did not seem to be completely accepting all of Janius' reasoning. He looked up at him skeptically. "But no one can beat you, so surely we're safe? You're the strongest people in the world. That's why our, um...group is in charge of everything." He argued. Since they were walking into the city proper, he knew not to mention anything about lycanthropy. That was a lesson that had been driven into both he and Rhazii since they were old enough to understand it.

Kaleeth chuckled. "We're not in charge of everything, Julan. Just our own kind. The world is a very big place, and even though our home is big and important to us, we're just a small part of it. It's good to be careful."

While still unsatisfied, Julan cared more about the next topic than staying on the current one. "Well...still, I was really wanting to meet my grandparents. Are you sure we can't go see them? Even for a minute? If they think you're dead, don't you want them to know you're alive?"

Kaleeth tried to join in helping to dissuade him. "It's not that simple, Julan. It would just be best for them not to know about him."

"That's not fair." Julan said, crossing his arms. "I mean...that's lying, right? Lying by not telling them you're okay. You said I'm only ever supposed to lie about what I am and nothing else. If I'm not allowed to lie to you, then why do you get to lie to your parents?"

---

Lorag stopped in his tracks, immediately signaling the end of the bout. For a few moments, he remained still as he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Fendros would not have a hard time seeing that he looked defeated, in more ways than one. This was not the first time that he had lost a duel. With as many training matches as he had with Fendros over the years, he was bound to lose some of them, even when performing at his absolute best. However, this time he had saw his loss coming well ahead of time, relatively speaking. His shield had been in position to parry Fendros' strike. The blade had passed just over its rim, so it would not have taken much just to push it out of the way. He had identified that in his mind, but he had been too slow. He had started to try to deflect the blade just after Fendros' strike found its mark. He had reacted too slowly and made a mistake. It was a small mistake, but in a fight, that was all it took to lose.

From the sidelines, Ahnasha tried to insert some encouragement. "That was a close one, definitely. You really put on a show."

"Yeah, it was." Lorag responded, but his tone did not place him in a good mood.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since they were starting from the castle, the closest destination for Janius to show them was the city's upper class housing. Granted, even the wealthy of Bravil did not have homes that were as large or valuable as those of nobles in other cities. Regardless of their own, personal wealth, it was simply not worth investing too much gold into property in the city, as its criminal element made such investments risky. Even Julan had seen more impressive buildings in some other places that they had visited, but that did not stop him from being curious.

"What's so rough about the city?" Julan asked as he looked around at the tall, wooden buildings."It's just a bunch of people and buildings. Why would that be deadly? It's like home, but with wooden houses instead of stone and metal. And a sky. Anyways, are we going to go meet my grandparents soon?"

---

Fendros' aggressive attack landed quite close to its mark, a hit only being avoided by a last-second adjustment on Lorag's part. It was a closer call than Lorag was used to, which prompted an even more aggressive retaliation from him. Using his shield, Lorag pushed back hard against Fendros, though Fendros was able to keep his footing enough to retain his balance.

With a bit of distance now between them, Lorag took a moment to just watch Fendros' stance and movement in order to figure out how he was going to attack. He looked for even a slight weakness to exploit, but unlike lesser opponents, Fendros was not just going to give him an opening. He would have to try and make one himself.

Lorag stepped just within reach of Fendros and shouted as he swung, repeatedly and aggressively, at each of the vulnerable points in Fendros' own armor. He parried with his shield when needed, but mostly focused on overwhelming him with his attacks. However, even with as precise and forceful as Lorag's strikes were, he was still struggling to land a hit that would end the bout, and to protect himself from counter attacks. The normal tricks he had to quickly win duels were not working, and he was in danger of slowing down from fatigue brought on by his aggression.

The duel had attracted a crowd in the form of the guards that had been training before they came in, being that they were quickly able to tell that it was a duel between two skilled opponents. Lorag's fighting style obviously had roots in his legion training, but he had evolved his style into something unique over the decades. The guardsmen could not predict what he was going to do next, though Fendros was, of course, much more familiar with him.