EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was glad the others seemed keen on joining them in the water, as it was a good chance for them all to get to know one another. Relaxation and conversation were probably the easiest and best ways to help Fendros feel more accepted by the group, a fact the others were likely well-aware of. Just as he had promised before, Lorag had finished sharpening his blade to the degree one would expect from a fine Orc smith such as he. Fendros seemed impressed, though he wasted no time in snatching back the blade and pushing the Dunmer into the water, an act that was of course followed by a round of laughter. Each of the others undressed and waded out into the river, with Meesei getting in behind them.

Meesei listened to their conversation, though did not join initially. First, she did her best to wash away the dried blood from her scales. Unlike fresh blood, its scent was not exceptionally pleasant, and while knowing its scent could be useful for tracking, she didn't especially want to be covered in it any longer. Once she was satisfied that she had washed away at least the most stubborn blood stains, she decided to chime in. "I let Fendros take the lead in both the tracking and the kill. It took him forever to find it and he attacked the thing like a rabid dog, of course, but he was successful without my help. He just needs some training to realize that potential."

"Ha! Well we'll be gettin' plenty of that, wont we?" Lorag said with a laugh, wading over to Fendros and giving him a few hard pats on the back. I can train you in just about any weapon there is. Need to get some muscle on you first, though. I can't be training some scrawny kid." Lorag commented, looking Fendros over and squeezing one of his biceps. While the Dunmer was not really a small or weak individual, he certainly looked like it standing next to the overly-muscular Orc.

"Please, what good is all that force if you can't hit anything? I've seen his bow and sword; I'm sure you respect accuracy and agility far more than brute strength. I can teach you how to shoot an arrow wherever your heart desires, and to wield a blade like an extension of your own arm." Ahnasha interjected, swimming a bit closer to Fendros.

"Hmph, there's as much skill in strength as there is in any bow. Besides, you can't tell me you don't want to look like this." Lorag said confidently to Fendros, crossing his arms over his chest in a way to accentuate his muscles.

Ahnasha laughed. "And you say I have an ego..." She said before quickly casting a spell to conjure up a bound bow. With lightning fast speed, she nocked an arrow and aimed it at the apple tree overhanging the river just upstream about fifty feet away. She loosed the arrow, striking the a branch in just the right place to drop one of the apples into the river beneath it. She dispelled her bow as she waited for the apple to float downstream, then plucked it out of the water and tossed it to Fendros. "Here, have an appetizer." She waded over to Fendros and stood just opposite Lorag next to him. They both stood silent, seemingly waiting on Fendros' response for his opinion on the matter.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

You definitely seem to write Lorag well. He is very blunt and tends to joke around pretty much all the time. Ahnasha has a very polar personality, being very serious when it is time to work, while being more lighthearted during times like this.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sorry about the delay, got caught up in a conversation.

I think it might be a good time for Fendros to get to know some of the others a bit better. I find myself enjoying writing their banter, especially between Lorag and Ahnasha, though I admit I am hesitant to write for Janius and Runt.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It took a few hours for the pair to make their way back to camp, with Meesei being particularly attentive to their surroundings the entire time. The scent of fresh meat had the potential to draw scavengers or even predators, and while she had no doubt she could fight off anything that threatened them, she didn't particularly want to be ambushed. She did notice a few creatures tailing them while they were walking, but fortunately, they seemed to identify their scents as being lycans and kept their distance, eventually losing interest.

As they made their way back to camp, they were greeted by the rest of the pack, with Lorag and Janius making a special point to congratulate Fendros on his first successful hunt, though they quickly returned to what they were doing before. Between her transformation and the long walk, even Meesei was beginning to feel fatigued, though Fendros likely had it much worse. "Just set the sack down near the campfire; we will have plenty of time to deal with preserving it all. For now, I feel it is a good time to rest, perhaps go for a swim, if you would like to join?" Meesei asked. A few of the others also seemed to take interest in Meesei's plans, perhaps desiring to join in as well.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We do have some writing supplies, but not much. You may make use of them, just be conservative. Like I said before, I understand your pain, so I would like to help you as much as I can. If you don't plan on telling the truth, just ask if you need help coming up with something convincing. Remember, you are family now, so do not hesitate to ask your fellow pack members for assistance with anything you need." Meesei responded, trying to be as supportive as possible. It was hard to tell how he would take it, but the sentiment was genuine. She remembered that Janius was rather suspicious at first, and it was possible that Fendros would be the same way. Those from Imperial cities often had trouble understanding how pack members could be so open with one another, and how they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice their own well-being for their brothers and sisters. Even the most charitable in the cities seemed downright selfish by comparison.

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

We still need the distraction to start before we can move.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded, understanding his issue. When she ended up leaving her own village, she made sure to make them believe she had perished, as she preferred they believed her dead than having abandoned them. Ahnasha had done something similar, so it was far from a rare desire. She recognized that it was important to him to give them closure, so she was more than willing to help. "I understand. I faked my death upon leaving my village to give them closure over my fate. It would not be too difficult to give them a message, but you need to decide what kind of message that will be. Do you think it would be better if your parents thought you were dead, or that you had become something that, in their eyes, is a monster? It would be easy enough to create a convincing death scene using some of your belongings where the guards might find it. I think we even have some cuts of meat from a Dunmer highwayman back at camp that could be useful, and Lorag could easily make replacements for anything of yours we use. You could also give them a message saying you are leaving, without mentioning your lycanthropy, though that may make your parents more upset than if they simply thought you were dead. You know your parents better than I, however, so it is up to you to decide which option to take. I just ask you to understand that you cannot return to them now. In your current state, you would end up hurting, or even killing them eventually. You need far more experience before you can exist among normal mortals for any extended duration."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I think it is entirely possible that some of the meat Fendros already ate had a bit of bandit in it, which probably wouldn't be comforting to him.

Anyway, I'll be back on tomorrow/today/whatever.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We use whatever we can from the things we kill. To do anything else would be wasteful. I know cannibalism has a certain taboo about it in your culture, but it is not as if we are the only ones who practice it. The entirety of Valenwood falls under a pact that compels its citizens to cannibalism, and they have a civilization much like your own." Meesei commented. Hopefully, the fact that an entire nation regularly practiced cannibalism would help him see that it was not as "evil" of a practice as he had been taught. Before Fendros tied up the sack, Meesei threw a few of the ogre's teeth in the sack as well, as they could be used for alchemy and other purposes.

They had packed as much meat as possible into the hide, so it did have significant weight by this point. Fortunately, it was nothing a simple spell couldn't solve. Meesei placed her hand on the sack and charged a spell of feather into it, drastically reducing its weight. As it was Fendros' kill, she allowed him to carry it. "At any rate, we should head back. I could use a swim to wash this blood away, though it will take a few hours to get back."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, ogres are much larger, obviously, but other than their basic form, there isn't much to relate us to them. They have rudimentary intelligence similar to goblins, but still are not very complex creatures. Their meat contains a lot more fat than that of humans. Some people find that desirable, but I prefer the latter, personally. At the very least, you can get a lot of meat out of a kill." Meesei said as she finished cutting away the meat and dispelled her dagger, subtly acknowledging Fendros' point about cannibalism. He would need to get over that taboo eventually, though she knew it was a rather deep-seated one. It would have been so much easier if he had been a Wood Elf instead of a Dark Elf.