EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth practically looked like she was exhausted from all of the conflicting thoughts going through her mind. "He was...mean. Growing up, he was a bully to me, one of the worst. I wasn't as good as most of the other apprentices, and he made sure I knew it. Any way, and any time he could. He was so cruel, and...hurt me in so many ways. And then Deerz...he was my friend. I thought he wanted to be my mate for a while, before he found someone else. None of this makes any sense to me."

---

Even if the Imperial had heard Rhazii, he did not even attempt to reply, and certainly did not listen. Although, the panicking, frightened Imperial also did not simply attack immediately. He was alone, and surrounded by obviously powerful opponents, so he showed himself to be smart enough to want to flee and tried to take off in the opposite direction from Rhazii. Unfortunately for him, Ahnasha had no intention of allowing him to escape. A quick mental order to her thrall, and her storm atronach struck the man with a painful, but non-lethal lightning bolt. He hit the ground face-first, and while he was trying to scramble back to his feet, Ahnasha's atronach moved past him to block his escape. "There will be no fleeing. Sorry, but your crimes have caught up with you." Ahnasha announced. "You can do this, Rhazii. Give this murderer what he deserves."

The Imperial managed to get back to his feet, but was still in a panic looking for a way out and pointing his sword at the whoever was the closest.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan hesitated, but a few moments of thought did not come up with anything more he could say. "Um...no, I don't think so." He answered, though he was sure he would have plenty of questions pop into his head in a matter of minutes.

"Then I will return to my duties." Juran-Selth replied, though before he turned to leave, he focused clearly on Kaleeth. "I am glad that you were able to return, Kaleeth-Rei."

Again, Kaleeth did not reply before Juran left, but also could not hide her dumbstruck expression. She felt like an idiot, having been unable to say anything during the entire conversation. It was only once he was gone that she hung her head low and managed to speak. "This is all just...making so little sense to me."

---

Ahnasha took just a few moments to size up Rhazii's choice of opponent. "Okay, I can make that happen. I wouldn't expect any of them to be much of a challenge, but be careful all the same. Get to the ground and hide behind the tree; I'll open up our ambush. The moment I take my first shot, start running in. I'll be able to support you the whole time."

Ahnasha used the leaves as visual cover to silenly conjure up a bow, then took aim through the gap in the trees. She waited until she was sure that Rhazii was in position before drawing and firing her first arrow. The range she was firing from was not exceptional, and her first target was stationary, which allowed her to make her first shot that much more precise. The Breton woman making arrows a short distance from the fire was suddenly struck by a glowing arrow, straight through the center of her head: an unquestionably immediate death. The Khajiit was looking in her direction when the arrow hit, but it still took her a few seconds to process what was happening through the shock of it. "I...what? A-attack! We're under-".

The Khajiit's alarmed warning was punctuated by a shrill scream after an arrow pierced through her stomach. The remaining three, at this point, were just starting to scramble to their feet and trying to figure out what was going on around them. Just a few seconds later, the sound of a portal from Oblivion demanded their attention, along with the storm atronach that Ahnasha had summoned forth in front of them. One of the Imperials jumped in front of the other with a ward raised, but the swirling storm of rock and magicka unleashed its thunderbolt onto the Nord instead. He collapsed to the ground in an instant, unable to breath or move voluntarily. The bandit mage struck the atronach with an exploding fireball, but the fractured rock was not enough of an injury to prevent the atronach from discharging another bolt of lightning into the downed Nord.

It was not terribly likely that the bandit's ward could stand up to the Daedra's lightning, but it would not be tested before another arrow flew past Rhazii, who was just now making it to the camp, and pierced through the Imperial's chest. The ward provided some measure of physical resistance, but not close to enough to stop a direct hit from a bound Daedric bow. He had only a second or so to pull at the arrow in a panic before he, like the Nord, was finished by the Daedra's lightning bolt.

The deadly efficiency of Ahnasha's ambush could not be understated. She scouted and planned it quickly, and executed it flawlessly. Her attacks flowed one after another to avoid giving her opponents any time or opportunity to react. It was as if such ambushes were simply routine for her. When it was all over, Rhazii's chosen target had managed to run to one of the shacks to grab a sword, but with all of his allies dead or incapacitated around him.

"Now that all of the distractions are gone, you can make your kill, son." Ahnasha's voice sounded out from behind Rhazii. She had jumped down from her perch in the tree and was now walking in no particular hurry towards them. The storm atronach was closer and bristling with lightning, but on Ahnasha's command, was not attacking.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Be prepared to defend yourself, but do not allow them to entice you to violence with just words." Juran answered. "I will protect my own, but I will not support them if they attack you. I will tell my hunters that you are to be recognized as our guest, and that your wife, and now your son, is still one of our own. Those that disobey will know they do not have my support. Just be sure that you prove worthy of the trust I am placing in you. I am the one who is charged with protecting my village, and I take that role every bit as seriously as my predecessor. I will also speak to my hunters about the rite and see who is willing to fight. By tradition, you will have a choice of who you fight from those who volunteer, young one."

Kaleeth was as surprised as she was confused. Janius had likely gathered that she did not expect such an open welcome from Juran, specifically, and she was not sure how to respond to him. Julan, while he did adopt some of his mother's anxiety, had enough questions about the upcoming fight to overcome it. "I understand, but...how will the rite work? I mean, what are the rules? Do I need to fight with certain weapons, or without magic?"

"There are no such rules. Only that you must not take any killing blow against your opponent. Accidents have happened, but the fight will be watched closely. You may use any weapons or armor you have, and though this is not a magical challenge, any magical ability is still permitted. Our hunters are expected to be able to deal with any threat to our village, including magic, so do not expect to surprise your opponent with it. You may also use alchemical concoctions, but only if you make them by yourself, under observation from the Treeminder." Juran answered.

---

Ahnasha remained alert, particularly once Rhazii conjured his blade. Unlike her, his casting was not silent, but that was why she had made sure to stop short for him to conjure it. "I think that will be find. Though, do remind me to give you some more lessons later. I think it's my fault for not being available enough for you. I am sure your teachers have been perfectly skilled mages, but...you're not going to find a conjurer anywhere in the clans better than your mother." Ahnasha smiled. "Anyways, what about other spells? Something like stoneflesh for protection? I wouldn't really call myself much of an alterationist, honestly, but I can do the basic spells. They are generally useful to have when you can't always rely on your equipment. If nothing else, I can cast it on you before we start. Now, we should get moving. The trail is still fresh, and I would like to catch them off-guard."

From that point on, Ahnasha took the lead, instructing Rhazii to follow her path precisely. She knew how to avoid making any unnecessary noise almost on instinct, and as they drew closer, positioned herself to be able to approach unseen. The glow of Rhazii's sword had the potential to give them away, so she showed it how to carry it to keep it out of sight of the direction he was facing, and how to move with awareness to what angles it could be seen from. Ahnasha was starting to understand why these bandits had not yet been caught, despite having been rumored to be operating in the area for over a month. They had traveled quite far from the road, and there were no landmarks of note that might draw anyone to the area. The bandits were relying upon remaining hidden for their safety, but unfortunately for them, that meant they were not adequately prepared to actually be found.

Once Ahnasha's ears started to pick up the sounds of talking and a crackling fire ahead, she scaled one of the nearby trees to get a better view. It took some time repositioning for her to find a line of sight through the leaves, but she eventually spotted the camp ahead, and motioned for Rhazii to join her. She remained as silent as she could, but at their current distance, they could whisper safely. "Seems we're in luck. It looks like you will get to have your first kill today. I count five. No one on lookout, so I don't think they expected to be found. They've got a few makeshift...I guess you could call those shacks, but there's a whole lot of nothing this far out from the road. The Legion would never find them, barring blind luck. But, we're going to put a stop to them. I see...two Imperial men, average looking builds. One is still wearing some basic leather armor. There's a big Nord man and Khajiit woman skinning that deer. They don't look armed, except for their knives. The last one is that Breton woman, but...she has her bow on her. I'll need to take care of her. I would rather just leave one opponent for you, so which would you prefer to kill? I can kill the rest."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Juran took a moment evidently to size Julan up. "A bold choice. Most apprentices choose the rite of the predator. It is usually easier. Not many can overcome a warrior beyond their years at his age. For the young, the difference between just a few years can be like the difference between a hackwing and a leviathan. He is not one of my hunters; he has not trained with them, killed with them, or bled with them. It is my right to refuse him, but...I respect your desire to submit to your people's traditions when it is not required of you, Julan. And I believe that the son of one of our own should have the chance to prove his worth. It is a decision that will anger some, I do not doubt."

---

Once they found a place to stop, Ahnasha stashed away her dress and most everything else she had with her, apart from her leather satchel, which mostly held her potions from Sabine. Most of them were simply for healing or magicka, though she did have one rather enervating poison.

The two of them were silent once they started tracking their prey, mostly out of necessity. Given the sort of prey they were hunting, remaining silent was even more important than usual. Ahnasha stayed behind Rhazii to observe his tracking ability and decision-making. Although, he could be forgiven for thinking he had left her behind at points with how quietly she was able to move. It was rare that Rhazii would be able to hear anything but his own footsteps, and Ahnasha never made any noise louder than a few rustling leaves.

Tracking down a specific group of bandits was by no means easy, especially since they did not want to be found. Rhazii did not have as much experience tracking as Ahnasha, but she did not notice any glaring flaws watching him, or at least nothing that would warrant stopping to correct him. They spent several hours scouring the forest to the north of the road, and Ahnasha was sure to pay attention to any alternative prey, should their hunt have failed. They still needed to allow their beasts to feast, whether on animal or man. However, all they needed was to find one scent to put them on the trail: one that was far enough from the road to rule out travelers as being the source. It took about two hours, but Rhazii was eventually able to find that scent, which led even deeper into the forest.

Their path through the forest only grew more certain as the scents they were following grew stronger, and more fresh. Eventually, Ahnasha felt that they were getting close enough that she finally stopped Rhazii with a simple tap on the shoulder. She scanned the area carefully for several seconds, then sat down on the ground among the bushes and other foliage to limit her visibility to any potential onlooker. She motioned for Rhazii to follow suit, and spoke at a whisper that was quiet even to Rhazii's ears. "It is likely that we are getting close. I haven't sensed too many unique scents, which is a good sign. We need to scout them carefully before surprising them. If there are more of them than I am expecting, then we will need to back off carefully. We are not going to take the fight if I am not completely confident we can win it. I have been impressed with your tracking so far, but I should probably take the lead from here. I believe that it is important we keep the element of surprise. Do you want to work on conjuring your sword while I can help?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Yes, it is good that you are unharmed, but to be clear, they did not do anything to harm you, correct? That influences how I must deal with them." Juran clarified.

"They...didn't hurt anyone. Not really. Deerz pushed me a bit, but nothing else." Kaleeth answered, still somewhat frightened, and quite confused.

Juran hummed a moment, then nodded. "Thank you. I will order them to no cause you problems no longer, but do not let down your guard while you are here. Now, why is it that you were searching for me?"

---

"Sure, if you're still in the mood for it when we're done." Ahnasha answered. "Your beast should be reasonably satisfied either way, as long as you give it a chance to feast. I might be able to help you with the bow, depending on how much of a drop we can get on them. There is no guarantee we will be able to find them, I should say, but I think we have a pretty good chance at it. They would be making camp at some distance from the road, and I doubt there would be any scents other than them in the area, aside from wild animals. If we do catch their scent, then it shouldn't be hard to follow them. I'll let you take the lead on this hunt, so you can practice your tracking skills. I haven't seen you hunt in a while, so I do look forward to seeing how you've improved."

Ahnasha stopped in place and took a hold of Rhazii's hand. She was smiling warmly, then after a moment, pulled Rhazii into a hug. "Look, I know this isn't easy. The first kill is never easy, but you are brave for being willing to try, and strong enough to push through your fears. I am proud of you, Rhazii. I'm proud of how far you've come, and I know you'll make for a powerful warrior. Now, why don't you find us a spot to offload whatever we don't need. I will not be hunting in a stupid dress." She laughed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Deerz was surprised enough by Janius' swift intervention to not be able to resist him, though his companions certainly reacted. One woman raised a spear towards Janius, while an archer nocked an arrow, though did not draw it. The tension was thick in the air, and Julan looked as terrified as Kaleeth, but the silence was interrupted before Deerz could finish climbing back up to his feet.

"Stand down. You step too far." A voice called out nearby. It belonged to an Argonian hunter bearing a spear made from a single, rather long carved bone. His scales were as black as night, and his tattoos were unlike any of the others Janius had seen thusfar. The tattoo on the front of his torso depicted a reptilian creature with large teeth and a head not unlike a dragon, a large spinal crest along its back, and a tail that wrapped around one of the Argonian's arms.

Deerz, by this point, had finally scrambled back up to his feet and picked his spear back up from the ground. Though livid towards Janius, the other hunter seemed to demand his attention. "Master-Hunter, this Human..."

"You. Step. Too. Far. Return to your homes, now." The hunter, evidently Juran-Selth, was not shouting and, in fact, had hardly even raised his voice. However, he was every bit as firm and intimidating as Zharanthixil had been when he held the position. Even the hatred and anger that the hunters obviously had towards Janius was not enough to make them defy their Master-Hunter.

While the group of hunters were clearing out, Juran-Selth approached Janius and the others. Despite his intervention, Kaleeth still looked just as nervous around him as before, though Julan was confused on how he should feel about him. For the moment, Juran was focused on Janius. "Did they cause any injury to any of you?

---

"Wonderful. Now, I would not expect lowly bandits to be particularly well-trained, nor will they be equipped with silver, but you should take them seriously regardless. Even inexperienced fighters can get lucky. If we are outnumbered, then I will take care of most of them myself. I'll just leave you to fight one yourself, that way you can just focus on what you need to do. Oh, and I would stay in your normal form for this. If you transform, your beast spirit will get too much sway in your mind and make it too easy for you to make the kill. The whole point of this is that you need to have the mental strength to do it yourself. Can you conjure bound weapons yet? Bows, swords? It's not too complex of a spell." Ahnasha asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Once again, Kaleeth looked lost, having been caught completely off-guard. Her head was low, and her body language verging on meek. "Deerz, I...don't understand. You were so supportive when I left; you said I should be happy, I...you were my friend. That doesn't have to change. I haven't changed."

While he was obviously hostile towards them, even Kaleeth did not expect him to become so quickly aggressive. Deerz suddenly grabbed Kaleeth's shoulder and pushed her back against the nearest hut, sneering at her. "But you HAVE! And that's the problem. You left, but then never returned. Not for far too long. You decided to breed with this hairless Igma, instead of a proper Saxhleel. Do you even feel the Hist anymore? Or have they rejected you like you rejected them? You insult all of us by bringing these outsiders here."

---

In stark contrast to Rhazii's anxious surprise, Ahnasha actually chuckled in response. "Bandit hunting is a common past time for adventurers, you know? Even non-lycans. Granted, they usually do not eat them afterwards, except for Bosmer. The people we will be hunting are thieves and murderers, undeserving of the lives they have. Killing them will give justice to the innocents they have killed, and make the roads safer for travelers. We will be performing a public service."

Ahnasha placed a comforting hand onto Rhazii's shoulder. "Don't worry son, you're not going to suddenly go feral if you feast on some bandits. You learned those lessons because that is what children need to be taught to learn control. Now, you're basically an adult, and you can be trusted to keep better control of yourself. And you need this practice, Rhazii. You need to expose yourself to the act of killing against a weak opponent, so that you do not find yourself hesitating when it really matters. I'll be right there with you to help."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Then we shall see if you are correct, or if you are overconfident in your own style of training." Zharanthixil remarked. Now that Julan was settled on his intentions, Zharan looked more relaxed. He slowly laid himself down in his hammock, then carefully placed his cane within his reach. "I am feeling tired now; I need to rest. You should speak with the Master-Hunter so he can know to prepare the rite. And likely the Elder as well. There is not space for all of you here, but the Elder can decide on your accommodations."

Kaleeth had to hide her surprise until they were out of the hut, this time being joined by Julan. Part of her had wanted to stay and spend more time with her father, but she had a feeling that the real reason he had laid down was to encourage them on getting started with Julan's rite. She felt that she had a good idea of how important Julan's success was to her father. "I never thought I would hear my father say something so nice about you." She commented to Janius. "Well...nice by his standards, at least. I think..."

Unfortunately, the three of them were interrupted rather abruptly when a group of four stopped them in their tracks on the way to find the Master-Hunter. Just by their weapons and clothing, Janius would likely have been able to identify all of them as hunters, but Zharan had given him enough of an explanation for him to interpret their tattoos as well. Like Kaleeth's, they were quite extensive and reached all across their body, but three of them had designs resemblings snakes wrapped around them, while one depicted a vicious lizard surrounded by lightning: the marks of the viper and wamasu, respectively. Even between individuals with the same marks, the designs were not identical, but shared the same themes. Unfortunately, this group of hunters were not there to give them a friendly greeting.

"So it's true." The tall, bronze-scaled male said, baring his teeth at the three of them. "You have returned, with your Human and your..." He began, practically growling as his glare fixated on Julan. "...abomination. Just leave, Kaleeth-Rei. You were happy to abandon your people when your family needed you the most, so it shouldn't be a problem for you now. You have become an embarrassment to us, and you never should have returned."

---

Ahnasha allowed Rhazii enough time to have a fair chance to respond before she continued. She had expected this to be a somewhat difficult subject for him, but considering his training, she was not quite sure if she expected him to be entirely speechless. "Well, I know this might seem like a strange time for this, but I do think it helps put this whole business with my family in perspective. I mean, I do want to avoid upsetting my family, it's not the most important thing in the world. It's not worth worrying ourselves to death about. After tonight, I don't think it will seem nearly as stressful."

Ahnasha paused for just a few seconds to take a few sniffs of the air before continuing on. "Anytime our pack goes basically anywhere, Saras gives us these security reports with any scouting information that we might have on wherever we're going. Personally, I think he's a bit overzealous about it, especially since we were just coming here to visit our families, but I've given up on arguing with that Dunmer. Anyways, the point is, I read that there's been rumors of highwaymen operating to the west of Cheydinhal. They've robbed some travelers, killed a few, and there probably aren't any more than a few individuals in their little gang. So, they would be the perfect prey. If we can manage to find them, then we can kill them together. They're just bandits, so their bodies would do far more good in the world being food for you than whatever their worthless souls are going to use them for." She said, rather harshly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With all the eyes in the room on him, Julan could not help but to feel nervous. He felt that his parents would want him to be cautious, especially since this rite wasn't really necessary for him. After all, they would be leaving the village sooner or later, and it would not really matter if he was officially one of the tribe or not. But, he knew his grandfather would be disappointed if he refused, and probably even more angry at Janius. Even Julan had picked up on the fact that it was not difficult to get Zharan upset at his father. "I can do it, I think. I don't think they would want to let people die in the rite, so it shouldn't be that bad. Right?"

Zharanthixil nodded. "Correct. Deaths are quite rare, as there are potions and healers available to assist. The rite of might is often attempted, though still the most rare to complete, aside from the rite of endurance. It is not often that an apprentice can outmatch a more experienced, physically superior opponent. You must be confident in the training your father has given you."

Zharan walked straight up to Janius, stern as usual, but perhaps less aggressive than before in his posture. [i]"I will admit, it is a surprise to me that you are even allowing this opportunity for your son. I had assumed an Imperial would be too soft to allow his son to take these risks, but I was obviously mistaken. I had feared you had turned Kaleeth away from the ways of her people, but perhaps she has helped to make you more like us? Indeed, you are...not at all like what I expected. Perhaps I am guilty of misjudging you."

---

Ahnasha grunted briefly and started to continue on forward deeper into the forest. "And that is the real trouble, isn't it? The ultimate purpose of any fighter is to be able to kill when needed, but you have no way of knowing if you have that strength until the time is upon you. It is not easy, not at first, but I cannot understate how important it is to be able to go through with it when it does happen."

It was as if the forest itself grew quieter as their conversation grew darker. Ahnasha continued on in the same neutral tone, regardless of how uncomfortable the topic may have made Rhazii. "Whole graveyards could be filled with the corpses of those I have slain, even just by my own hand. I am far more closely acquainted with death than any woman probably should be. I know well what killing is like, and I have seen what can happen to warriors who hesitate. I have seen new recruits in the heat of battle, fearing for their lives, but able to carry out their training just on instinct, until they get to the part they're not trained for. I remember one time pretty clearly; a skirmish, I think somewhere in the West Weald. There was this young, fresh-faced Imperial in a scouting party we were working with. We got into a fight with some enemy scouts, and naturally we were winning. The Imperial ended up outflanking the guy I was fighting and jabbed him in the gut with his sword, disarmed him and everything. The boy moved in to finish him, and he looked like he had it handled, so I moved on to the next target. But, the Imperial boy stopped. He hesitated. The enemy scout was terrified, begging for his life, probably soiled himself out of fear. Maybe the Imperial boy had never killed before, or had just never had to finish someone who didn't die right away, but all he got for his brief moment of mercy was a silver dagger through his heart. Killed him pretty much right away; nothing we could do for him."

Ahnasha finally looked back at Rhazii. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be a warrior. I'm just saying that, as your mother, it is my responsibility to make sure you are as safe as I can make you, and that you're prepared to do what you need to do. You've grown up most of your life around Nords, so I'm sure you've heard all about the honor and glory of battle. Really, you're probably more like a Nord child than a Khajiit, if I'm being honest. But, fighting isn't all glory. It's dirty, bloody, nauseating at times. And it's brutal. You have to be able to watch a man's life fade from his eyes because of the sword you just jammed into his ribs, or kill someone who, in their final desperate moments of terror, is begging for their life. It's not pretty, and it's not easy, but it is reality."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's expression held much less certainty than Janius might have expected. She hesitated, and just hummed to herself for a few seconds as she tried to collect together her thoughts. "I...don't know, really. Back them, almost all the other apprentices were better than me. I couldn't beat anyone, except people younger than me. It's been so long that I don't know if I really remember enough from back then to be able to tell."

Guilt was starting to surface in Kaleeth's mind once again, though this time just for the fact that she did not feel like she was being helpful. After another few moments of hesitation, managed to come up with something that could be considered reassuring. "But...Julan doesn't have to fight the best hunter or anything. He just has to fight a full hunter who is older than him. And he can fight however he wants, with any weapon. He won't have to do anything unfamiliar to him."

"I could probably at least...try." Julan commented.

---

"Oh, you definitely are a good fighter. There is no mistaking that." Ahnasha replied with an encouraging smile back at Rhazii. "You're much better in a fight than I was at your age. Mind you, that's not really surprising, with all the training and support you've had access to, but still, that fact remains. Me, our pack, we learned our lessons in combat so you didn't have to. We figured out the techniques the hard way so we could pass them on to you, and so you could get even better than we are. I've been told that's the goal of any master for their apprentice. I've seen you training, seen you fighting, and I do really and truly believe that you can eventually outpace anyone in the pack if you keep at it. Your ability or potential is not why I am bringing this up. What you are saying you want to do with your life is not just about the actual act of fighting. To be a powerful fighter like you want to be, you have to have a strong mind, and I am not just talking about magic."

Ahnasha stopped in place and locked eyes with Rhazii. "Your actual combat experience so far has been against animals, maybe Falmer at most. I know you can fight, but..." She said, any last hint of a smile or levity leaving Ahnasha's expression, instead replaced with the most severe gaze she had ever given him. "...can you kill, Rhazii?"