EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The four of them started towards the city gates as soon as Lorag went off his own way. Although, Ahnasha did not quite agree on where they should go first. "Eh, based on when they sent their last latter, I don't think I would expect them this soon. The earliest they could get here from Leyawiin would be about a week from now. Give or take a day. Or two, I suppose. Still, we should be okay to just go straight to your family. Besides, on the off-chance that my family is somehow here so soon, but hasn't met your family, I would want to warn them as soon as possible." Ahnasha argued.

---

Lorag had not expected much difficulty in finding Harriet. Regardless of the means, he doubted he would be able to miss the signs of lycans when he saw, or smelled, them. He continued heading along the narrow dirt path, still finding those hints of blood along the way. His pace held steady, and his demeanor completely firm, regardless of any uncertainty that might have lurked beneath the surface within his mind. He was not armored like a soldier, though he was armed as usual. He did not move as if he were on-edge, or expecting any conflict, yet it could hardly be said that the Orc had any sort of "peaceful" look about him. He was serious and severe, without being outwardly aggressive.

Eventually, the small path ended at the cabin Meesei had described. It was small, likely only containing one or two rooms, and did not have much in the way of a clearing surrounding it. Lorag did not say a word, nor do anything else to otherwise announce himself. He did not approach any closer to the cabin, instead opting to wait. He had not made any effort to hide his approach, and certainly would have been noticed if anyone was present.

---

Again, Kaleeth was silent for a short while, but her worry soon gave way to a look of realization. "Huh, that is...you know, maybe that is the answer." She began, looking up at Janius with the hint of what might have been a smile. "It was a mistake. A stupid mistake. It's not a mistake I regret, and I would make it again every time. But, it was just the mistake of two stupid children thinking more with their loins than their heads."

By this point, Kaleeth was outright laughing. "My parents were young once; they can understand that. I don't need to explain it, or...come up with an excuses. You're right, I just need the truth. Or, a truth, at least."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei was not privy to the conversation that had been going on before her arrival, but the outburst she had heard from Rhazii upon entering gave her enough context to guess at the topic. Regardless, she agreed with Fendros' assessment. Whatever problems may or may not come in the future, they would only be able to deal with them in person. As such, she created her portal as soon as she was able.

As usual, Meesei brought them into the forest some distance outside of the city, and it was a few minutes worth of a walk before the walls came into view. Although, the moment they saw Cheydinhal, Lorag was the one to stop her, pointing his finger up to the mountain overlooking the other side of the city. "So...she's up there, right?"

Meesei nodded. "Yes. From the reports, about halfway up the mountain, along a small path that splits of from the main road."

Lorag let out a long breath, still staring intensely towards the mountain. "Hmph, well, best get this over with."

"Are you sure you do not want some company for this?" Meesei asked.

Lorag stopped after a few steps, though did not even turn around before shaking his head. "I can deal with this on my own."

It seemed that Lorag had meant his words when he said he would not stay in their hair for long, as it seemed he did not even intend to go into the city with them. Meesei did respect his self-reliance, though she did hope he would not do anything drastic. Regardless, she did not think that she should serve as any more than an observer in these situations. "Would you like for me to wait in the inn?" Meesei asked Ahnasha and Fendros.

---

There was little that seemed to be changing about Kaleeth's uncertainty. Indeed, she appeared even more confused than when Janius had first arrived. She could not deny that Janius made reasonable points, but her doubts had been gnawing at her for weeks at this point. "I just don't know. I mean...maybe you are right? Maybe they won't be angry, and will just be glad to see me. That could always happen, but I just don't know. They could also be really angry, and I don't know if I can handle that either. I'm just so terrified of seeing them again, I can hardly stand it. Part of me wants to just run away, and part of me just wants to get it over with."

There was another pause, and another obvious look of worry on Kaleeth's expression, followed by another question out of nowhere that would likely take even Janius off-guard. "Do you think you really loved me back then?" She asked, lowering her head almost as if ashamed. "I mean, I thought I did, but looking back with all I know now...I don't know if I understood love when I was so young. I was only in my nineteenth year back then; I was barely more than a hatchling. I know now that I love you, that I fell in love with you over time. But, I had only known you a few days back then. I can't help but think that I just made a stupid, childish mistake back then that I got lucky enough to end up being the right choice. I don't know how I can defend that to my parents."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha shared Rhazii's expression for the most part, though hers was more strongly focused towards her anger. She grunted, showing her teeth just slightly as she looked at Rhazii. "Oh, trust me, I share that feeling. Judgemental wretch of a man that he is, if I ever ended up alone in a room with him, I'd..." Her voice trailed off, descending into grumbling and growls after a few words. With the kind of violence Ahnasha had come to accept over the last few years, it was difficult to tell if she was serious, or simply venting.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter. The rest of them at least make up for him, for the most part. But, as for my parents agreeing to leave him alone...I just don't know. I've only talked to them through the occasional letter for so long, it's hard to say if I really know them anymore. The parents I knew back when I was a cub, I would say...probably would respect your request. But, people can change. I can only really guess." Ahnasha answered.

A few moments later, there was another knock on the door, and this time, they were greeted by the expected person when Ahnasha opened the door. Meesei noticed Lorag as soon as she stepped inside, but showed no signs of surprise that he was present. She simply nodded towards him and greeted him, then returned her attention to the others. "Is everyone ready to leave?"

---

Kaleeth did not answer immediately, but the look on her face quickly told Janius that she was not keen on his idea. After a few moments of thought and apparent worry, she started to shake her head. "I...no, no I can't do that. It would be a bad idea. Very bad idea. They might go from hating me to fearing for my soul. Or just hating me even more. If they still love me, then they would not want to rest until I was cured and my soul could return to the Hist again. And if they don't care about me any more, they might just attack us. I don't think I could handle having to fight anyone in my village, not like that."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Um, well, to be polite, they certainly would..." Ahnasha answered, awkwardly running her fingers through the fur on her neck. "I never told them where they could send their letters, but your family name might be enough for a courier to figure it out. Honestly, I hope they didn't get one to them successfully, though. I would really rather it be us who are the first to tell them about it. We should have about a week to get ready, give or take a day or two."

Ahnasha leaned back her head, looking up to the stone ceiling and releasing a sigh. "I suppose it won't matter much either way. We're going to have to deal with the same things regardless. I know what the real problem is going to be. My family is going to want to get to know each and every one of yours. I'm sure most of them will be perfectly amiable; even Monderyn will probably be acceptably friendly. But I know my parents, and if your father tries to push them away, they'll just try to get that much closer. They're so...irritating like that. Just so kind and forgiving to a fault. I mean, you saw how easily they forgave me. They see people like that and just see it as a challenge to 'spread the love of the Divines' to them. If your father called the guards on them, that, honestly, would probably be the easy way out. I doubt they would go that far to keep trying after that. Oh, my parents are both quite stubborn, and my brother was too. I guess they passed that trait onto him."

---

Kaleeth gave a single nod, though she looked no less uncertain than before. "I...guess that is why I'm here, they do deserve to know. But...that still doesn't mean they're going to be happy about it. I mean, they could be glad to know I'm alive, but still end up mad at me for leaving once they know I'm safe. I wish I had something I could tell them to let them know that it was all worth it, from their perspective. I don't think my reasons for being happy will work on them."

Again, Kaleeth went briefly quiet and stared at the water. After a moment, she bared her teeth with at least slight irritation. "I still can't remember anything else about that day, but it's not like it would matter anyway. It's not like I could just tell them what I became, even if I did remember. It was a stupid idea, and I shouldn't have bothered going out of my way to come here."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Don't bother worryin' about me." Lorag replied. "I'm not gonna be sticking around, and it probably won't take me that long. I just need to use the portal, then I'll go my own way."

Ahnasha shrugged. "Suit yourself, but if things don't go to your plan, you can probably stay with either us or Meesei, depending."

While not ignoring Ahnasha, Lorag still was not terribly receptive to the offer. "Hmph, well I'm sure I'll figure it out."

Lorag was clearly not interested in speaking, so after a while of waiting around in silence, Ahnasha finally sat back down next to Fendros, looking understandably anxious. She spoke softly, though not in a way that made any attempt to hide what she was saying from the others. "So...what kind of problems do you think to expect from your family? Or, well, no need to pretend it could be from anything else: what do you expect from your father?"

---

Kaleeth looked away again. "I...don't know what to tell them. I don't know if there is anything I can tell them. I'm their daughter, and I abandoned them. A year after their son, my brother, died, I just left them for someone I just met. Obviously, I don't regret it now. I love you, and my family, and I'd do the same thing again, but...I know I hurt them. I didn't understand it then, but now that we have Julan, I can understand what I did to them. I was a horrible daughter. Maybe if some divine being pulled me away for some higher purpose, then they might feel better about it, but...I just don't know. I don't know why I thought I would remember anything. It was a stupid idea."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"That's my business, cub." Lorag replied unusually harshly, even for him. Although, his irritation seemed to fade away just as quickly as he stepped into the room and headed over to the farthest chair in the corner.

Ahnasha sighed and glanced over to Rhazii, speaking considerably more softly. "Just leave him be. You know Lorag is someone who likes to keep his business to himself, for the most part."

"I'm not gonna be in your hair for too long." Lorag spoke up. "Alpha had someone keep an eye on her after we found her. They said she's moved out of the city, up to some cabin in the hills. A short walk from the city, but still outside the walls. Probably 'cause the girl was getting old enough that her lycanthropy was gonna be a problem."

---

Kaleeth nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess. I mean...there's nothing wrong with me or anything, I just..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over to the side across the river's surface. She seemed to be focusing on something, but all Janius would be able to see was water. Her silence went on for almost long enough to be worrying before she finally spoke up again. "I could never remember what happened when I went out into the swamp that day. I remember leaving the village, wandering around for a while...looking for something to hunt, since that felt like what I should have been doing. Then I came out into the water and...then nothing. I don't remember anything after that. Did I commune with Hircine? Did he appear to me like Ahnasha and say anything? Did he send a werecrocodile after me? Or did I just find one? Did he have some purpose for me, or was I just stubborn? I hoped I would start to remember one day, but I never did."

Finally, Kaleeth turned her head to make eye contact with Janius again. "Did you recognize this place? I can't remember if I was near here when you found me, but this is where I came. The last place I remember before I was infected. I thought maybe seeing it would remind me of something, but...nothing."

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."