EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag had an unusual discomfort to his tone, though he was clearly trying not to let on too strongly about whatever he might have been feeling at the moment. "Uh, yeah, you all, um, mentioned you were goin' to Cheydinhal before, right?"

Regardless of how much Lorag might have wanted to hide it, there was little question as to his actual reason being there. Ahnasha supposed there could technically be multiple reasons he might want to return to his hometown, but it was highly unlikely that he would go out of his way to approach them for anything but the one, major reason. "Yeah, Meesei is going to take us there soon. I'm surprised to see you here; it didn't look like you were paying much attention when we mentioned it at dinner."

Lorag rubbed his neck with an annoyed huff. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not good at...talkin' about stuff, and you know that. You all know why I'm here, so can I come or not?"

---

Despite the fact that Kaleeth did not appear to be too attentive when Janius approached her, she did not act startled when he laid a hand on her. In fact, it took a few seconds for her to actually open her eyes and start to move around. Even then, she was slow to push herself back up against the riverbank just enough to get her head out of the water. Again, she took her time to take in a deep breath to get her lungs filled up with air once more, then finally actually turned to look at Janius. "Oh, um...sorry. Was I gone too long again?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei lightly shook her head towards Ariel, after another sip of wine. “Oh, no, nothing specific. I will be busier than most of my pack, so I believe I will just look to take whatever time for myself that I am able. Most likely just to spend with my other packmates. I feel fortunate to have been able to make time today, for multiple reasons. I was able to delegate my meeting with the Daggerfall clan leader to someone else. I do not enjoy speaking with that man; I just know he wants to usurp me, but lacks the strength to challenge me directly.”

Meesei gave a quick shrug as her eyes drifted over towards the kitchen. She could easily smell the dessert Rukeewei had prepared. Even she did not recognize it, but it was something warm and sweet. “Ah, but I do not fear any threat from him. He lacks any meaningful ways of attacking me. And if I speak on clan politics any longer, I may run the risk of boring you to death. In fact, I feel we have been neglecting you in this conversation. Are there any exciting events upcoming for the two of you, or your children?”

---

It had been several weeks, and Ahnasha finally had confirmation that her family wanted to meet with Fendros’ family. She had already suspected that was the case, but the situation was worse than she had feared. According to the letter they had received, her family was going to be making the trip to Cheydinhal, and had already left shortly after sending it. That would mean they would be arriving within the week, at most. Strictly speaking, the purpose of the trip was for a business deal that her father was going to be making with a supplier in the city, but Ahnasha had a feeling he had only pursued the deal because it would take him to Cheydinhal. Her family was not actually under the impression that Ahnasha or Fendros would be there, since they lived in Skyrim, but Ahnasha absolutely did not intend to allow her family to meet Fendros’ without the both of them present.

Rhazii had joined his parents in their room to wait for Meesei to come collect them. Ahnasha had seriously considered leaving Rhazii behind, given potential arguments and hostility they could be entering into, but in the event that everything somehow did go well, Ahnasha could not imagine how to explain his absence to her family.

Eventually, there was a knock on the door that Ahnasha quickly answered, though to her surprise, it was not Meesei on the other side. Rather, it was Lorag, standing awkwardly in a rough, somewhat dirty set of city clothes. “Um…hey.” He said tersely, offering absolutely no explanation as to his presence.

---

The search for Kaleeth’s village was taking longer than Janius might have expected, but Kaleeth continued to assure them that they had not left the area. She had pointed out multiple signs of their presence in the area, and, according to Kaleeth, it was just a matter of checking all of their usual locations. Still, it could not be denied that she had become somewhat more distant, especially in the last few days. She went to sleep earlier, and rarely spoke unless spoken to. For the most part, she looked trapped in her own thoughts most of the time.

This evening, Kaleeth had stepped away from the camp ostensibly to find sufficiently dry firewood, but had remained away far longer than she should have. She had already been acting strangely enough that Janius would certainly investigate, and she would not be difficult at all to track. She had not been attempting to hide, and had not gone too far. It was only one river away that Janius would be able to find all of her armor and belongings laying on the side of the river, as if she had decided to go for a swim. Though, it was obvious that she was not simply out for a recreational swim in the river. While she was indeed in the water, she was acting every bit as oddly as she had been the last few days. She was laying just underneath the surface of the water, almost completely still and with her eyes closed. Given the murkiness of the water, it was hard to tell if she was even awake.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I can move us there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rukeewei did laugh, and fortunately, it did not seem inappropriate. Although, he was not sure what to say beyond that. He was sure he would be speaking at length with Ariel later about the no doubt serious troubles that Sabine had recently been through, but for now, he did not feel like he had near enough knowledge to broach the subject.

"Indeed, it is wise to realize your own limitations. No matter how capable you are, you would have to be far beyond mortal to be the best at everything." Meesei commented. "And I suppose I can think of some more advice regarding the Thorn. Black Marsh clans are mostly smaller, but more numerous compared to other places. You should expect a mix of werewolves and werecrocodiles that are, of course, mostly Argonian. You will perhaps find more non-Argonians compared to a clan in the deep swamps, but not a majority regardless. Werecrocodiles are somewhat odd compared to most lycanthropes, in that they are not naturally social. Kaleeth is something of an exception for them. Argonians tend to be strongly communal, but even so, it takes effort for them to go against their beast's instincts. They have formed together into clans now because of the demands of the war, but it is expected that the majority of werecrocodiles will leave the clans at the war's end. That means that, if you do find a crocodile willing to join you, they will not be as likely to have any motivation to take advantage of you. But, at the same time, it also means you would have a harder time finding a werecrocodile willing to stay with you for long after the end of the war."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although Rukeewwei had stayed with the clan for a time while Ariel had worked to help them, he still lacked the context to truly understand the gravity of General Do'rhajul's defection. Still, Sabine's demeanor told the story that something about the whole situation had been far from pleasant for her. Unfortunately, it was not as if he would have any advice to help her, even if he were to understand everything that had transpired. "Well, I do hope you are able to find what...or who you are looking for. You told us that packs are like your families, so I can't really imagine what it would be like to try to choose your family. Though...I guess it could be better than the normal way. You'll get to pick who you like, instead of getting stuck with whoever you're born with."

Rukeewei's eyes briefly widened as he went through his own words in his head, then glanced aside to Ariel and cleared his throat. "Not...that you were born with a bad family, of course. I just mean that, um, some people are, and it's sort of random if you get a good one or not."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei did not reply to either of the sisters, and inwardly thanked Karl for more strongly changing the subject. Now that they had more freedom to speak, they could address some of the other reasons they had for coming here. Although, as reserved of a person as she was, Meesei expected that Sabine would be hesitant to give the full explanation herself.

"Yes, it is something of a complicated situation overall." Meesei began. "Sabine made herself into a hero known across all of the clans of Tamriel. Accidentally. She managed to singlehandedly defeat a feared, long-standing enemy, accomplish a vital goal for the war effort, and kill a dragon. Such feats, especially among lycans, are hard to ignore. I am sure you know your sister does not enjoy having that type of attention on her, but the effect she has had on everyone's morale could be important heading into the final days of the war. People do love to be inspired."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Oh, by Hircine, no." Meesei reacted immediately to Sabine. Her words were abrupt enough that there was a short, somewhat awkward pause before she hesitantly continued. "Well, I...did not mean it that way. Vee was a wonderful person when I knew her, and I am sure she still is. It is just that...I was reminded of intoxicated, passion-filled nights under the stars with my old lover. I feel I should...avoid thinking of that too much. My current mate would likely find that uncomfortable."

In the brief silence that followed, Meesei's gaze shifted between Sabine and Ariel. "So, are there any...other topics of interest to discuss?" She was eager to move on to a different topic, though the idea of returning to her village, even for other reasons, still weighed on her mind.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite the nature of Ariel's question, Meesei maintained a good-natured grin as she answered, showing no change in her mood. "Oh, I am quite alright. It simply brought up some old memories for me, and not unpleasant memories, mind you. Just some memories that I find...awkward to dwell upon now. It just reminded me of sharing a bottle of Argonian bloodwine with someone else a long time ago in my village. My, um, first love. Again, not a painful memory by any means, but now that my life and my affections have moved on, I do not feel that I should dwell on it for too long."

Regardless of her words, Meesei did have a hard time preventing herself from thinking back to that point in her life. It had always been somewhat painful for her to think of what she had left behind in her former life, but the rational part of her mind knew that the way she went about leaving it had been for the best.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Is there anything you want to have Sabine do aside from the dinner? If so, you can take us there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Hmm, yeah, it's not the only time I've heard that kind of story either." Rukeewei remarked before stepping away for just a few moments to grab another bottle of wine. "I guess fire is just alluring for a child. Something simple to cast, but fun to play with. I'm surprised more cities don't burn down." He laughed.

Rukeewei uncorked the wine and continued while he poured himself another glass. "I don't think I would even have any kind of talent for magic, but I can say that it is useful. Enchanters in the city charge a horn and a tail to ply their trade, but my dear Ariel has really done wonders for my business. Casks with magic to keep the spirits cool, alchemical concoctions to keep the fleshflies out of the inn. The Wamasu's Nest has really started to seem like more of a...high class establishment. Not exactly, but closer."