EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth seemed to be ignoring most of the villagers, though it was hard to tell if she was doing so on purpose, or if it was because of everything she had on her mind. She did not say where she was going, and indeed, was not consciously thinking about it herself. She brought them towards Thoranthilth's hut, perhaps just because she had comforting memories of the Treeminder.

There was a hunter on guard outside of the Treeminder's hut, which, to Kaleeth's memory, was not normal unless there was a potential danger in the area. If Juran was the Master-Hunter, Kaleeth wondered if he considered her or Janius to be sufficient as a threat. However, the guard was not openly hostile towards them, and stepped aside as they approached.

"The Treeminder will see you." The woman announced in a fairly cordial tone.

Thorantilth's hut itself was not terribly different in size or material than any of the others around it. Only the belongings within identified him as the Treeminder, though most of what would have normally been decorating the home had been packed away into bags for the coming move. All that was left to remind Kaleeth of childhood visits to the Treeminder's home were a few small, scattered carvings and the scent of burning incense. Thorantilth was faced away from the entrance, working on brewing some sort of potion when Kaleeth pushed through the curtain and stepped inside.

"So, you have finally returned to your people." Thorantilth said without so much as even looking back at Kaleeth.

Kaleeth froze in place, her heart beating anxiously. At this point, she was was worried about how many people in the village disliked, or even outright hated her. "You...knew I was coming?" She asked.

Thorantilth placed down his mortar and pestle on his small, wooden table. "I knew you were back in the village, yes." He said before finally turned around, bearing the warmest of smiles. "Although, to be entirely honest, I also ended up saying that to the second hunter that came to inform me as well."

With no further hesitation, Thorantilth stepped forward and hugged Kaleeth tightly, despite the rough armor she was wearing. It was an even more friendly welcome than her father had given her. "It is wonderful to see you again after all this time, Kaleeth-Rei."

Even after releasing Kaleeth and facing Janius, Thorantilth remained almost as friendly. "And it is good to see you too...I am sorry, but I lost your name."

---

Vasiq and Shevari did have a few bags they were carrying, but Vasiq had not yet recovered from the sudden surprise, and remained frozen in place. "I, um...yes, we were going to our rooms. My...our parents are still downstairs. Father got talking with the bartender, then pulled mother into it, and it seemed like it was going to take a while, so we were just going to put away our things. I just, um...sorry, it's just that this is all very, well, 'surprising' is an understatement."

Now that he was able to get a longer, closer look at Vasiq, Rhazii would be able to see the resemblance between him and his mother. Their fur had similar shades of color, and even the same style of patterns, but those similarities ended with their natural traits. Just about everything else about them was as different as could be. Ahnasha was in peak physical condition, while Vasiq was actually somewhat rotund, having put on some weight since the last time they had met. It could not be said that he was not financially successful.

The surprise war off sooner for Shevari, but she seemed almost entranced in amazement looking at Rhazii. She hardly thought before speaking her mind. "You are Rhazii? I was told you were a different kind of Khajiit, but...I was not expecting you to be like this. You were so small when I first saw you. And you look like you could wrestle a troll." She commented, taking note of his muscular form.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I'm sure that they would be able to find some way for us to do that." Kaleeth agreed. She was no longer sobbing, but was far from having recovered. She took in a few, deep breaths, then slowly brought herself back up to her feet. "I just don't know if my father can be happy with that. I think he wants me to be home."

Kaleeth wiped away some of her tears, then at least attempted to put on a strong face. "We should just go talk to the Elders. Reanaseer or Thorantilth might even have advice. Just...let's hope we don't have to talk to Juran."

---

"Well, we repeat it because of how important it is." Ahnasha commented. She had put on a long, green dress, which was not terribly expensive, but consistent with something a merchant might wear. It was somewhat odd to see Ahnasha in a dress, and it tended to be obvious that she was not comfortable wearing it considering that she frequently repeated the same few complaints about it. For now, however, she was more focused on preparing herself mentally to meet with her family again. In this case, she expected they would be understandably surprised.

Ahnasha delayed only briefly to collect her thoughts before heading out of the room. However, that short time was just enough to be able to keep them from getting downstairs in time. The moment that Ahnasha turned left out of the door into the hall, she found herself face to face with her brother, and his wife. Vasiq had been speaking with Shevari, so he did not recognize her until he went to move to the side and happened to glance over at her. Immediately, he stopped right where he was and paused mid-sentence. Ahnasha also looked briefly startled to see him so suddenly, but was more prepared to actually speak up. "Oh, um...hello brother. Sorry for, uh, startling you."

Shevari, being less familiar with her, did not recognize Ahnasha until she identified herself, at which point she turned her head to Vasiq in confusion. "Your sister? I didn't think she was going to be here."

Vasiq had not moved from staring at Ahnasha, but he finally managed to speak. "Neither...did I. How...how did you..."

Ahnasha held up one hand. "I know, I know, all the way from Skyrim. It's, um, kind of a long story. Well, not really long, but...complicated. I'll tell you once everyone is together, but...it's not coincidence. We did come here to see you again."

"I...okay." Vasiq replied with a nod. He was clearly still confused, but was at least accepting what Ahnasha said for now. He finally managed to break his focus off of Ahnasha for long enough to notice Fendros and Rhazii just behind her. "So you brought Fendros here too, and..." He began, raising his gaze up to make eye contact with Rhazii "...it really has been a long time."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For the moment, Kaleeth simply appeared to be lost. She was looking in Janius' direction, but seemed to be staring past him off at nothing in particular. It took a while before she finally responded. "I don't want to lose any of that either. Our lives, Julan's life, I wouldn't want to give any of that up. But, what do I say to my father? If I refuse to come back, then I'll be betraying him all over again, and after he has already lost everything else."

---

Few in the inn had reason to pay attention to Rhazii. Only one of the group, the male Khajiit, even noticed him. Though, his eyes did linger on Rhazii, squinting with an uncertain expression, but any resemblance between them would be hard to confirm from just a few seconds of a glance.

Ahnasha let out a sigh after they were interrupted by Rhazii. For a few seconds, her arms remained wrapped around him, and her lips just barely touching him. "That is why we were waiting in the inn, I suppose. We'll just have to improve with telling your siblings the cover story. Hopefully the topic won't come up before we have time to mention it to them. Or at least allude to it.

Ahnasha stood up from Fendros' lap, looking disappointed, and leaving him and his tunic covered in a light coat of Khajiit hair. "Come on in, Rhazii." She said before beginning to get dressed.

Once Rhazii was in the room, Ahnasha spoke quickly, and in somewhat of a hushed tone. "Okay, so we've decided on a story for how we got here. Mostly, we're just telling part of the truth. We befriended a mage years ago, and she knows how to move people long distances with magic. The fact that Meesei is a powerful mage is not really what we need to keep secret from my family, it is our lycanthropy. And teleportation is really the only reasonable explanation for how we got here so quickly. Now, you're sure it is my family? A Bosmer, two Suthay-raht, and a pink Argonian?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave a single nod, tightening her fingers around Janius' hand. "We don't have graves, or do anything with bodies. Our bodies don't mean anything; they just return to the marsh. Saxhleel become a part of the Hist again. We mourn by communing with the Hist. Since they're part of the Hist, it's sort of like communing with them. We do it to honor them, and...hope to see them again." She paused, sobbing once more. Having her soul separated from the Hist was something that had bothered Kaleeth before, but these events were bringing all of that pain to the surface once more. It was enough that she soon pushed away from the subject.

"I didn't expect my father to want me to come back. I though...I don't know what I expected. But, he's lost everything. He's willing to forgive so much, even you. He's even willing to wait until after we've finished with our...business, but...that would mean leaving everyone else. I don't know if I want that." Kaleeth said, turning her gaze back up to Janius. "Could you ever even be happy in a place like this?"

---

Rhazii was mostly by himself in one corner of the inn downstairs, having his breakfast. Although, there were plenty of patrons closer to the entrance, mostly locals having a meal or a drink. However, there was one group that entered which might have drawn Rhazii's eye, if he was paying attention. Two Khajiit, an Argonian, and a Bosmer who went straight to talk to the innkeeper. Rhazii had been far to young to remember Ahnasha's family when they first re-united, but there was no denying that the group quite closely matched the description of who he was supposed to be looking for.

---

Keeping her hands around Fendros' shoulders, Ahnasha spun herself around the chair and sat straight in Fendros' lap, pushing aside the clothes he had been patching. Already, her mood seemed to have been improved tenfold, which showed with the even more enthusiastic kiss she quickly gave him. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, what better way is there to see the glory and power of a werewolf than to see one in the hunt? We have a sort of...majesty that any real hunter would have to appreciate. Then again, it would also be fun to show off my archery skill to someone who might appreciate it."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There was a good ten seconds of silence from Kaleeth as she looked up to the Hist tree. She had felt their presence more strongly in her mind since they had returned to the Marsh, which had served to calm her at least to a degree as they had been searching for the village. To Janius, it would seem that focusing on them had started to calm her again. "Saxhleel souls are all bound to the Hist, and the Hist are all bound to one another. Our souls return to them when we die, until we are eventually reborn again."

However, that sense of calm was short-lived for Kaleeth. She looked down at her own hands, which were shaking slightly, but noticeably. "Except me. Once I die, I'll never see any of them ever again."

---

Ahnasha shrugged. "It's only been a week. If Rhazii has taken to his training as much as I think he has, he should be fine. I personally am not in danger of anything happening; I'm just feeling...annoyed. I don't really want to miss my parents' arrival, and they really could arrive at any point. At least now, I'm already not feeling as worried about seeing them again. I just know my mother is going to interrogate me for twenty minutes straight about the safety in using magic for travel, but that won't be as bad as the alternatives."

Slowly, Ahnasha started to bring herself to finally climb out of bed. Despite having been awake for most of the past hour, she still looked like she had been up for only a few minutes at most. She was not yet dressed, and her much of her fur still looked scruffy and tangled. She walked up behind Fendros' chair and started to rub his shoulders. Grinning, she leaned over him and looked down on him from straight above. "Of course, I definitely wouldn't mind a hunt once we get a good opportunity for it. Do either of your siblings like to hunt? It could be fun to have company."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius was correct on why Kaleeth was breaking down before him. There was little else that could be so devastating as the knowledge of her mother's death. "There's...so much I didn't get to say to her. She never got to learn that I was okay, that I was happy. She never got to meet Julan, because I didn't come back soon enough. Why did I have to be so afraid to come here? Why did I have to do that to my own mother?"

Kaleeth raised up her head just enough to be able to see Janius, albeit unclearly through her tears. "What can I even do now?"

---

Ahnasha rolled over onto her back, letting out a long breath. She stared straight up at the ceiling in thought, tapping one of the claws on her feet rhythmically against one of the bedposts. "Yeah, I didn't worry too much about it before. The important part was just getting here, making sure we were ready. Making sure that your family knew to expect them. I just figured that I would come up with something to say if I thought about it for a week." Ahnasha shifted in place and leaned her head back off of the edge of the bed, looking upside down at Fendros. "That did not happen."

"My family are not stupid; I don't think we'll just be able to brush it aside. They will probably get suspicious if we try to tell them something too unlikely. Honestly, as much as I would hate worrying about it, it might be best to leave if we can't come up with something. We've warned your family what to expect, which might have to be enough. A weak, contrived story about how we're here might just make things worse. I just don't know if there is a good enough story we can tell them." Ahnasha said, with no real confidence. Although, after one particular thought crossed through her mind, her ears twitched and her eyes grew slightly wider. "Unless...maybe we don't tell a story? Maybe we just tell the truth? Not all of it, of course, but...just the right pieces. We say we've befriended a mage. Someone friendly, maybe a bit eccentric. A mage who was kind enough to send us here. None of my family is educated in magic; they won't really understand how difficult or rare that kind of magic is. I mean, they would probably understand that it's not something most mages can do, but they won't find it unbelievable. Besides, it's not like Meesei's teleportation has anything to do with lycanthropy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was slow to move, and seemed altogether uncertain as she left her father's hut. Zharanthixil had given them directions to find the elders, but she still ended up looking around the village aimlessly, unmoving from the front of Zharan's home. Most of the village were going about their business, but of course, visitors to the village were more than rare enough to attract quite a bit of attention. Even moreso once people began to recognize who Kaleeth was. She felt their eyes on her, which only served to put more pressure on her, though she did not know why. She had hardly began to process everything that she had just learned, and it was already overwhelming her. She was only a few steps away from the front of Zharan's home before she leaned up against the nearest hut, and lowered herself down to the ground. Without so much as a word to Janius, she lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, and began cry without reservation, despite the eyes on her.

---

Ahnasha, Fendros, and Rhazii had been in Cheydinhal for the majority of a week. Meesei came and went occasionally to check up on them, but they had been staying in the inn for the most part, when they were not visiting with Fendros' family. Though, even then, they tended to stay away from the vineyard, just to avoid any potential unpleasant confrontations. Already, Ahnasha was starting to show some hints of frustration at the fact that they had been in the city for so long. Compared to their livelihood in their clan, being in Cheydinhal was restrictive. There was some entertainment to be had in the city, but she could not leave to hunt, since her family might arrive at any time. She was stuck exclusively in her Khajiit form for longer than usual, and though she had more than enough control to deal with it, it was still irritating to have a frustrated beast spirit. She had no outlet for training, physical or magical, so when away from Fendros' siblings, she was mostly doing nothing.

Despite the fact that it was well-past morning, Ahnasha was still laying in the bed. She and Fendros, of course, shared a room, while Rhazii had his own, since they had intended to stay a while in the city. Ahnasha had been awake for a while, but was in no hurry to get up. She was stretched out and splayed across the bed, looking lazily over at Fendros across the room. She could tell he had been having an easier time in the city; even for a lycan, Ahnasha did not particularly like to feel trapped. "Say, have you thought of any actual explanation for why we're here? To tell my family, I mean. I've been trying, but it's hard to come up with some believable reason that we could be here, all the way from Skyrim, before my family even arrived."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Stick to your training, and you just might pull that off sometime [/i]before[/i] I die of old age." Lorag replied. Since the fight seemed to be over, most of the crowd that had been watching started to get up and disperse, after exchanging a few coin purses. Lorag, meanwhile, gave Narsi a simple wave for her to follow him.

"What you're going to do for now is rest and recover at least a few hours while the potion does its work. No one ever made themselves stronger by givin' themselves a permanent injury. Now, I doubt you've got much of an understandin' of magic. Relying on it can make people soft, but even I've got to admit that mages do have their place. I've seen too much to not have learned that. A good healer can help you get every last little bit you can out of your training. They can help you find exactly where your limits are before you're doin' more harm than good. We've got a lot of healers in the city assigned to the training areas; never fight without one. They let you fight harder to get more out of your training. Less limits than what you had with your mother. As long as you're not afraid of some pain, of course. I'm gonna go make sure the instructors know they're gettin' a new recruit. You...go find something to do. I don't care, really. Get to know the place. Meet in the square in five hours."

---

Zharanthixil acknowledged Janius' answer, though did not say anything in response. He turned his attention back to Julan, then took the time to kneel down in front of him, which took no small amount of effort for him, as he had to use his cane to carefully support his weight as he lowered himself down. Zharan examined Julan closely, from his scales to the clothes he was wearing. He was not dressed much differently than anyone else in the village would be, but some of his belongings were clearly foreign. He had a satchel with metal buckles, filled with glass potion vials that his parents had given him for emergencies. He did not carry any weapons, apart from a knife that was meant more for utility. Although, its blade was clearly made of solid Dwemer metal. Zharan noticed all of the details, but focused more on Julan himself. "Hmm, well maybe some of what your father says is actually true. You do have the build of a hunter. Perhaps even more muscle than I would have expected."

Some of Zharan's prior harshness appeared to fade from his expression, and he took on a more friendly tone. "I don't care what else is in your bloodline, if any of it is from my lineage, then you've had the makings of a great hunter from the day of your hatching. It has been the honor of our family to serve as warriors of this village for generations."

Zharan gave a quick glance up to Kaleeth and Janius. "I wish to speak to the boy for longer. You go and speak with the Elders, and try not to get yourselves removed from the village." Julan looked nervous to stay behind with his grandfather, but Kaleeth did not actually have any reason to deny her father.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After a few moments of silent thought, Lorag shook his head. "No, not yet. Nothing to be gained from me just slapping you around again. I'll teach you techniques, we'll spar, but it's gonna be a while before you're ready to actually fight me again. You need to train, you need to get better, and you'll need to prove to me that you're ready for that kind of a chance again. If you want that chance, then you'll need to agree to stay here and train. You'll be goin' through the same lessons as all the rest of the recruits.

Lorag grabbed a hold of Narsi's shoulder and pulled her up to her feet after Alain stopped his healing. He looked her over for any leftover wounds, then took a few moments just to stare at her eyes to see if there were still any signs of disorientation. "Hmph, you look fine. Good enough, at least. Potion'll take care of the rest. You know, I think I'll at least give you somethin' solid. If you can get good enough to at least beat the other children in my pack consistently, then we'll fight again. You've got Kaj-Julan and Rhazii: a lizard and a big cat. Their parents ain't Orcs, so they're bein' raised soft, but they do got the advantage of better trainin' than you, so they're still tougher than you. Lizard's about your age, little younger. but Rhazii's got a few years on you. Don't matter, though; you'll need to get better than both."

---

"No, I doubt I ever did." Kaleeth answered, shaking her head. "He's not someone I would have wanted to be around. We can talk about it later."

Kaleeth looked nervously back to her father. "Actually, if he is Master-Hunter, then we should probably speak to the other Elders soon. I think they can help keep everything civil. Do you want to come with us, father?"

Zharanthixil was quick to shake his head. "No, you can handle that yourself. I want to speak to your son."

Immediately, Julan appeared to be nervous to finally have the attention on him. His grandfather had done little to make himself seem approachable. There was only the occasional glimpse of anything other than a severe, serious attitude from him. Zharan was not trying to be intimidating, but his stare still had the same effect as he looked down on Julan.

"You said your name is Kaj-Julan, yes? And you have been raised entirely outside of Black Marsh?" Zharan asked.

Julan kept his answer short and direct. "Yes, sir."

Zharan looked up again, somewhat more towards Janius than Kaleeth. "Has he been allowed a proper naming ceremony? Does he know of our customs? Has he been taught to hunt and care for himself as a Saxhleel boy should?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

By the time Narsi had completed her transformation, the Breton, Alain, was already standing over her. "Alright, hold still, unless you want something to break in that head of yours." He commented as he placed a bright, glowing hand onto her forehead. Almost immediately, any pain she was feeling would begin to dull, and her senses would begin to clear. "And drink this." The Breton ordered, practically shoving the potion into her hands.

Meanwhile, Lorag was still standing over Narsi within her view, looking down onto her with his arms crossed. "This is one advantage to all this magic stuff, I've got to admit. Train as hard as we want, within reason. You'll be fine. Magic can stop damage from settin' in permanently. Train hard enough, and I might actually have to use a weapon next time."

Lorag too knelt down, bringing himself closer to Narsi and speaking more intensely. "That is the kind of strength I'm offerin' to you here, girl. The kind of strength that lets you stare certain death right in the eye, then gouge it out. Back in her day, your mother was the strongest there was in this place, but that bar's only gotten higher and higher in this war. I can't really say if your mother's gotten soft but she hadn't been gettin' any better loungin' around in that city of yours. We've been in a war, fightnin' for our own survival. No surrender, no option for defeat. We've gotten stronger, because we had to get stronger. Now? Your mother's hardly even average compared to the warriors I've been trainin'. You want strength? This clan is where you'll find it."

---

"Treeminder Thorantilth lives in his hut nearest the Hist tree, and Elder Reanaseer should be in her hut on the other side of the tree with her attendants." Zharanthixil answered to Janius, though he received a curious look from Kaleeth.

"Reanaseer is still the Elder? I did not expect her to still be...alive, after all this time." Kaleeth said, finding it useful to try and distract herself from her guilt to keep it from showing.

For the first time in their conversation so far, Zharanthixil actually showed a smile, if only for a moment. "Nor did any of us, I would imagine." He said, returning to his serious tone just as quickly. "Master-Hunter Juran-Selth lives in the largest hut on the very south edge of the village, along the stream. Though, he will most likely come looking for you."

Again, Kaleeth appeared surprised, but there was a hint of something more negative in her tone. "Juran is the Master-Hunter now? But he was...is so young. He's hardly any older than me."

Zharanthixil remained firm. "You know very well that the Master-Hunter is not a position for the aged and feeble. And he is capable; I selected him personally as my successor. Your personal history with him had no bearing on his ability, or judgment. You will simply have to get past that if you want his approval."

Kaleeth lowered her head and gave a sigh. "I understand."