EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan paused in place and scratched his head. "A flower, but...wait, I thought I wasn't supposed to do the same thing you did with mother? Wouldn't that make her like me more? I'm...this is all just so confusing." He replied, his shoulders sagging down along with his mood. "Maybe I should just focus on the rite or something."

---

Ahnasha let out an enraged growl, and every part of her beast spirit wanted to act on it, but she reined herself in. Although, that did not stop Rhazii from immediately receiving a hefty blow to the side of the head in return. Unlike Rhazii, Ahnasha was controlling the force she used and ended up dazing him long enough to wrestle her arm free from his jaws. His teeth had ripped through even her thick, werewolf hide and blood now covered her arm, but adrenaline helped her to fight through the pain for now. She struck him again with her now-freed arm to give her enough time to climb off of him, staying close enough to pounce at a moment's notice.

"You know I can't let a half-feral werewolf rampage across the countryside, Rhazii. If I have to fight you into submission, I will! You know you can't escape me. Whatever part of you that still has some shred of sanity left needs to take back control and back down." Ahnasha shouted at Rhazii.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst gave a concerned look towards Mevenn. "That was...quick. Whatever was said in that message could not have been any more than just a few words. And yet, it was enough to compel your squad to take up arms against a close friend? This does not bode well. I do feel this should be reported directly to the Jedi Council, but this darkness we have felt, this...pain and suffering seemingly from everywhere. It has me concerned."

"Back to Coruscant...I almost forgot." Eeruna began as she started to search through her datapad once more, along with mumbling under her breath. "Can't believe I almost forgot. Had to be about the best news I'd heard all year, then all this craziness happened..."

Eeruna started to seem mildly frustrated with her datapad, then soon stopped searching through it entirely. "Look, we also started getting another message, not encrypted, from Coruscant. The Jedi Temple, specifically. It's ordering a full retreat for all Jedi back to the Temple, and saying the war is over."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan only started to understand the point that Janius was getting to at the end, though it was hardly an encouraging message. "Oh." He said, lowering his head and letting out a long breath. Although, he quickly thought to make at least some attempt to defend his intentions. "I mean, I didn't want to...drag her away with us or anything. That would be crazy, I just..."

While not close to tears by any means, Julan did look defeated. "I wish there were Argonian girls back home. I like having someone to feel that way about. The only ones I've ever seen just visit for a little while, and I'm not allowed to use the propa...propyl...teleporting stones to go to other clans."

---

Ahnasha paused in place, though only briefly. Now, she was not sure what to think. Was the beast in control, or somehow influencing him? In any case, she was not sure what would cause him to have such a harsh and sudden reaction. She had expected him to perhaps be uncomfortable, but she genuinely could not make sense of what likely would have been obvious to most others.

Just as before, Ahnasha quickly chased after Rhazii, and it proved equally as fruitless for him to attempt to flee. Even if he could have managed to work up a faster sprint, the skill with which she could maneuver through the trees made catching him an inevitability. When he tried to turn sharply around a tree, she ended up turning on the other side and pushing off of it to launch herself at Rhazii, tackling him once again. This time, she did her best to try and hold him down. Rhazii was the stronger of the two of them, but in their beast forms, the difference was not as pronounced.

"Submit, wolf!" Ahnasha demanded, though her expression quickly became more pleading. "Rhazii, if you really are in there somewhere, talk to me, please! I'm begging you; I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan was still not sure what Janius was intending with his story, but he supposed he did see the parallels with him and Leeus. Still, he was not sure what to say and just nodded along with faint uncertainty until Janius questioned him again.

"Um, well, not really. I know she said she agreed to it, but she didn't say how. I asked how and she just said: 'I don't know'. Is it some big secret or something?" Julan asked.

---

Ahnasha was now quite legitimately worried. For whatever reason, Rhazii's emotions had gotten a hold of him strongly enough that he had actually lost control. This was not something she could just be patient with, or talk him down from. Without control of his beast spirit, he was, at the moment, no different from any feral werewolf. If left unchecked, he could be hurt, or do something he would regret. Ahnasha had to act, and everything she did, everything she said, would have to be directed towards the beast spirit itself. Not Rhazii. It was no longer him that she was dealing with.

Immediately, Ahnasha chased after Rhazii into the forest. Though the Cathay-raht werewolf was stronger, Ahnasha was still faster thanks to her training, control, and experience. Not only could she best him in speed, but she could quickly and deftly avoid every tree, root, or other obstacle between her and her target. It hardly took much time at all for Ahnasha to catch up to him. Even a feral beast could notice that she was close, and it tried to avoid her, but it was a predictable opponent for Ahnasha. She pounced on him, but without the desire to harm him, she did not use her claws or teeth to latch on and drag him down to the ground. So, both of them ended up tumbling head over heel. But, for Ahnasha at least, she was expecting it enough to be able to recover quicker.

Ahnasha marched towards Rhazii as he was scrambling to his feet and struck him across the head, though with her fist closed to avoid using her claws. "Stop and submit, wolf! You do not command Rhazii; you listen, and you follow. Now, submit, and kneel to your superior!" She barked towards the beast.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan followed alongside his father, looking at everything he was looking at and listening to him in silence. He was reassuring him that his feelings were natural, though it did not explain why he was feeling them in the first place. Julan had only really just met Leeus, and even he knew that he did not really know her.

Julan scratched his head and shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. You met in this village, when you were coming here to help aunt Sabine. She said she was curious about you and started talking to you. Is there more than that?"

---

Ahnasha had to suppress the instinctual reaction of her beast spirit, which was far more aggressive than she wanted to be towards Rhazii. She stood up tall, taking on a less bestial stance towards Rhazii, despite his apparent threats. "What is getting into you, Rhazii? Are you losing control to your beast? Hmm...emotion can weaken control, and you are not yet used to dealing with them. Just take a moment, breathe, focus. Your beast has its desires, but you are still the one in control. You know you don't want to attack your own mother."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan shook his head. "No, I didn't say anything. I'm not sure what she thinks about me. She's just been nice. I just haven't felt this kind of...thing before. Is it because she's also Argonian? I didn't think that was supposed to matter, like with you and mother. There, um, aren't really any Argonian girls my age back home, but I didn't think it would be anything special. Is it wrong for me to like her that way?"

Julan did not hide that he was now watching Leeus, at least not from Janius. "She really wanted me to join the game."

---

Ahnasha too dropped what she was doing to search for a scent, though after scouring the camp and having that search go on for far longer than she expected, she realized that there was no trail of a Khajiit leaving the camp. "Hmm, odd. I can't seem to find a scent. That could mean magic is involved, unless..."

Ahnasha's voice trailed off as she started to look around and listen more sharply to her surroundings with her other senses. She remained completely still, and completely quiet until, finally, her ear twitched and her head turned towards a small tent close to the center of camp. She walked towards it with as slow, soft steps as her wolf form would allow, then quickly tore away the tent flap. There was a shrill, terrified scream, followed by Ahnasha dragging out the Khajiit bandit by her leg and throwing her into the middle of the camp. The bandit screamed in panic and terror, not so much trying to fight back as just trying in vain to run from Ahnasha. But, despite her tears and overall helplessness, Ahnasha did not falter. She kicked the Khajiit down to the ground again, then stomped her foot down on the bandit's skull, crushing it near-flat almost instantly without hesitation. Without feeling.

"That's a relief. Would have been dangerous having someone like that out there, maybe wanting revenge. Not to mention, I was really looking forward to eating this one." Ahnasha commented, now grinning towards Rhazii. Despite the blood caked in her fur and staining her teeth, she was practically upbeat. "I'm not sure if you've had the pleasure of trying Khajiit in recent memory, but our livers are just divine. Anyways, we can relax now, and have our fill."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Though nervous, Julan did not take as long to reply now that he had finally admitted to the real issue. "Her name is Hal-Leeus. We spent a lot of time together yesterday, after I picked my opponent for the rite. She's...curious, I guessed. Asked me a whole bunch of questions about other places I've been. I don't think the people here get to see much from the outside. Just some rare travelers, and a few books that some of them have traded for. Only a few people can read Cyrodilic, though. Like the Treeminder."

Julan was sidetracked for a few seconds as he watched Leeus. "Anyways, she's...nice. She's a hunter apprentice, so she explained a lot about their training. They're supposed to be really good at fighting in the swamp, against animals or people. They're meant to be fast, quiet, and all of that. I think she was explaining more detailed things too, but I, um, got distracted. I just start feeling so...strange around her. I don't know why; I'm friends with plenty of girls back home, and I don't get that way. It wasn't like that at first, but then we were alone just talking, joking, and I started looking at her, and..." Julan turned his head to Janius, looking confused. "...I don't know why she's so different."

---

Ahnasha had already left her dress behind, so she just had to drop her bag with the rest of Rhazii's belongings before transforming herself. The point of the hunt was for Rhazii's benefit, but with her beast spirit front and center in her mind, its instincts still informed her decisions. She was higher in rank, so she grunted sternly at Rhazii to follow, then briskly ran back to the bandit camp.

Again, being the current ranking pack member, Ahnasha did not hesitate a moment to begin her feast. The closest body to her was one of the imperials, so she ripped away his shirt, jammed her claws into his ribs, pried them apart, then sank her teeth into one of his lungs. She mostly gave her beast spirit freedom to act as it willed, but Ahnasha still kept out an alert eye around the camp between bites, and her conscious mind was still present enough to notice that something was missing. Namely, there was no Khajiit body where they had left it. Ahnasha's arrow only hit her in the stomach, so it was not an immediate or guaranteed kill.

Ahnasha growled briefly. "I think the Khajiit survived. Probably got away. I don't see a blood trail, though. Might have taken a potion, bandaged herself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan was quick to snap back in defense of his own excuse. "There's nothing really going on, okay? I don't know their game's rules, and I really wanted to play, but now I can't. That upset me, so now I'm...upset. There's nothing embarrassing, it's just that."

Given his unconvincing expression, Julan focused back on the game to avoid making eye contact with his father. Regardless, he could feel Janius' eyes on him, making his discomfort even more palpable. He tried to ignore it, but ended up watching Leeus again. He had actually understood the rules of the game, so he knew that, from the perspective of the game, there were other players that were being more impactful and would be more interesting to watch. Still, his eyes were on her, at least until he grew anxious enough to look away from everything once more.

"There aren't many Argonians back home. Not my age." Julan finally said softly enough that even Janius would have to concentrate to hear him. "She's very pretty."

---

Ahnasha let out a long breath, this time looking more sympathetic towards Rhazii. "You know we shouldn't waste meat, Rhazii. We are hunters of Hircine: his hounds in this world. It's...I guess you would say blasphemous not to use every part of your kills that you can. You don't want to anger our patron Daedra. Don't worry, if you transform, your beast spirit will help make things easier. Indeed, whenever you fight in your wolf form, you will consume the flesh of your enemies. It is natural for a lycan, and it would be unwise to try and fight it. You just get to choose who you consider an enemy."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan poorly hid a surprised reaction towards Janius' thinly-veiled guess at his true issue. He now forced himself to keep his eyes off of the game entirely and just stared at the water unflinchingly. "Yes...the rite. It's, um, a...really big deal, I think. I need to make sure I...win, since my grandfather really cares about it. And mother. Or, well, I guess, um, mother really just cares that her father really cares about it. I shouldn't let everyone down."

Despite the fact that Janius had not yet responded, Julan was already looking more nervous. He glanced up at his father, and would have been sweating if it were possible for an Argonian. He broke eye contact quickly, just feeling his heart start to beat faster until the silence finally got to him. "I just don't know the rules to their game, okay? That's it." He lied.

---

"I...don't think so." Ahnasha answered. "It's not harmful, painful, or dangerous. I would need to teach you some of the basics of necromancy, just to be able to manipulate the magic in the ritual properly, but I could do most of the hard work. For the most part, though, you don't need to worry about the ritual itself. Just worry about making your decision. The average person might be concerned about hunting enough grand souls, but we're not average. We could go on some mammoth hunts together, or maybe minotaurs or goblins. It honestly sounds like fun."

Finally, Ahnasha stood up, then offered her hand to Rhazii to help him up as well. She was smiling now, despite some of the uneasy topics they had just discussed. "Why don't we go ahead and transform. We can look around for a water source later. Even my beast spirit is starting to get restless, so I have to imagine yours is practically clawing its way out of your mind. I am starving, and we have a whole feast waiting for us back at that camp."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan jumped slightly when Janius suddenly spoke up behind him, despite the fact that he should have been able to hear him coming long before he spoke a word. It was obvious that he had been lost rather deeply in his own thoughts. "Oh, um, yeah, I guess." Julan replied, unconvincingly.

Glancing up to Janius for only a moment, Julan returned his gaze back down to the water. "I guess I...really don't know what I'm getting into. I mean, I don't know any of the hunters, so I don't know how skilled they are. I am worried about it." He said, however; his insincere tone, coupled with the fact that he was quickly glancing over at the apprentices playing their game in the river every few seconds, did hint that it was something else which was really bothering him. If Janius was particularly observant, he might notice the violet-scaled girl that Julan was looking at more than the rest.

---

Ahnasha did hesitate, flashing a brief, worried expression on her face as she tried to come up with the best way to word her answer. She had never told Rhazii, or most others, before, but she had used multiple black souls in the spell to extend her life. "It...doesn't have to." Ahnasha finally answered. "The spells in the ritual require soul energy to reinforce the bonds of your own soul to your body. There are many rogue necromancers who do not care about killing innocents, and will use black souls for those sorts of spells. It requires fewer gems, and is easier to accomplish overall with black souls. But, other strong souls can accomplish the same task. Only those that will fully charge a grand soul gem, though. It can be a challenge to collect them, but hunters like ourselves should not be afraid of a challenge."