EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I, um...okay. Just give me a minute" Julan replied, moving slowly and lingering around in the water for a minute before finally climbing out of the river and following after his father. At the very least, it did look like he had actually been cleaned reasonably well.

Janius' deception seemed effective, as Julan seemed genuinely confused about what he wanted and why they would be speaking in private. He just looked up at his father, curiously and somewhat confused.

---

As demanding as Shevari was, there was something impressive about how she managed to cook so many meals so quickly and efficiently, and while still paying close attention to the fine details of each dish. She was going to be able to make a much larger meal for them in the few hours they had than Fendros might have expected.

Given Cheydinhal's proximity to Morrowind, Shevari had access to the right ingredients to make the core of their meal from Dunmer cuisine. She was making a special stew from a recipe that had once been popular in Vivec, which she had learned from a former resident of the city. At the same time, she was preparing a Telvanni frittata, similar to the popular kwama egg quiche, a side dish of Redoran peppered melons, and even an Ashlander nix-hound chili. Although, she gave no explanation on how she came across that sort of recipe. Provided Ahnasha was able to find their main course, they would also be having a kagouti roast. Beyond Dunmer cuisine, she was also planning on a few dishes from Imperial and Breton cuisine, with a dessert of Summerset rainbow pie, Sun's Height pudding, and her own personal sweetroll recipe.

Shevari grabbed the bittergreen from Rhazii and gave him his next command before she had even turned back around. "Get the cabbage to the frittata and stoke the fire under the chili. That should've already been done by now." She began, interrupting herself as she dashed over to the chili and sniffed the air over it. "No, no, the fire wasn't hot enough. If we don't get the sausages going now, they'll never be done in time. Get another fire going! Quick, quick!"

A few more minutes, mistakes, and delays later and Shevari was dashing between fires, muttering angry-sounding words in Jel to herself. She eventually stopped in front of Rhazii, looking as if she were going to expel all of her frustration at once. "Rhazii, this is not..." She began, but all at once, stopped in silence. Her Argonian eyelids blinked upwards a few times, and all of the tension in her body suddenly deflated. She stood up straight in front of him, smiling with her hands clasped together. "Oh, um...my apologies. I got a little carried away there. I sometimes...forget myself when I'm cooking."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The scene that Janius stepped into for the second time was distinctly different from the first. They were still sitting in the river, close together, but Leeus was rubbing Julan's already-cleaned back with her knuckles, as if to scrub away some invisible dirt. Julan attempted to hide his anxiety, even if he did not do so particularly successfully. To his credit, he managed so look up at Janius calmly, without showing too much surprise. There was just a light, perhaps forced worry in his expression.

"Um, yes father, I'm here. Is everything alright? Does...the Treeminder want me back...or something?" He asked hesitantly.

---

For the rest of the evening, at least, Ahnasha was able to avoid any new crisis. They had their dinner, then returned straight back to Cheydinhal after nightfall. They had a short conversation with Ahnasha's brother when they passed by them in the main room of the inn, but nothing important was said beyond confirming that they would all be having their picnic at Lake Arrius north of the city, shortly after midday.

Ahnasha did not sleep terribly well, but nevertheless, made sure she was up early in the morning, then woke up Fendros and Rhazii in turn. While she was not quite as worried about her family as she had been before, she still felt it would be best if she was there at the lake long before her family arrived. She wanted to avoid having her family meet Fendros', without either of them being present. She had even given her family a slightly later time to arrive, to avoid having them meet Fendros' family on the path up to the lake.

Ahnasha had volunteered herself, Fendros, and Rhazii to help Shevari prepare their picnic, which is what they spent most of their morning doing. Shevari gave Ahnasha a long list of ingredients, substitute ingredients, and, if needed, substitutes for the substitutes to buy. Meanwhile, Fendros and Rhazii headed up to the lake with Shevari to set up the fires, cooking pots, and a cooking spit for their planned main course. The lake itself was small and idyllic, with its waters constantly moving from the small waterfall that flowed into it. There were clouds filling the sky, but it did not look like rain would be coming anytime soon, or at least not soon enough to bother them.

After Ahnasha brought up the first bag of ingredients, Shevari went ahead and started cooking what she could with what she had. Interestingly, Shevari seemed to act quite differently once she started her work. All morning, she had been friendly, if not somewhat shy, but after only a few minutes of cooking, she became quick, decisive, and focused. She had three dishes going at once, and did not show a hint of struggling to keep track of what she needed to do for each of them. Since Fendros and Rhazii were meant to be helping her, she became surprisingly...assertive in giving out her orders to them.

"I need the smallest kwama egg and two pinches of shredded bittergreen. Quick, quick." Shevari shouted out, holding out one hand expectantly while focusing on the stew she was stirring.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There were indeed many places one could bathe in and around the village, with as much water as flowed through the swamps. But, Julan had made no attempt to hide his path to the very edges of the village. It was easier to pick up his fresh scent once Janius was beyond the huts, but curiously the pair had not stopped at the nearest section of river. Julan's scent carried Janius along the riverbank, through the trees, and out of the direct sight of the village.

Kaleeth's suspicions were proven reasonable when Janius came into sight of the pair. Julan and Leeus were sitting together along the edge of the river, kissing one another. However, it was not as if Janius was entirely wrong either. This was not like Janius and Kaleeth's passionate romance shortly after they met. Julan and Leeus were young, and still acted their age. Julan and particular was nervous and awkward, if his poor attempt at kissing was any indication.

---

"Lucky she didn't get poisoned..." Ahnasha muttered with a harsh scowl coming across her expression, though only for a few, fleeting moments. "But, I'm sure Shevari will impress. She is a professional, after all. Her whole business relies on cooking well enough to convince people to spend their gold on her food, instead of their own."

Ahnasha served a bowl of her stew to both Rhazii and Fendros, and there had even been more than enough utensils in the camp for all of them. It was a decidedly average meal in quality, but at least some of the meat was indeed quite good. Although, with as exhausted as both Ahnasha and Rhazii likely were at this point, anything they could get on their stomachs would be welcome.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Zharanthixil, of course, was not one to smile at Janius' gratitude, but it was not to notice that he was being more willingly and openly friendly with Janius than he had been even just a few days before. "Shouldn't surprise you that I want the best for my grandson. I have to admit, you've done an adequate job with his training, even if he does have stubbornness bordering on stupidity. That can be fixed, though, with the right kind of discipline. He's a boy who could have a place here, and knock the teeth out of anyone who claims otherwise. If you want my advice, I say let him get close to the girl. Make friends, fall in love, become mates if they want. That could make it easier to convince him to want to settle down here when you're finally done with whatever business you have out there."

Kaleeth was behind Zharan, looking visibly uncomfortable at her father's suggestion. Zharan was clearly still under the impression that she intended to settle back down in her village at some point in the future, and she did not know how to break the truth to him.

---

On Fendros' cue, Ahnasha reached over and grabbed some wooden bowls she had stacked on top of one another, then placed them out in front of each of them. "I certainly would like some time to relax over a good meal. Or...at least as good as I could make it. It was slim pickings to find fresh meat that hadn't turned from sitting out all day. The bandits did have some salted meats and vegetables laying around, though, so I was able to get a decent stew going."

Ahnasha continued as she started to pour some of the stew into her own bowl. "Hopefully, it will be as good as what we have to look forward to tomorrow. Is your mother okay with not doing most of the cooking herself, Fendros? You probably don't remember this, Rhazii, but Shevari is quite the accomplished cook. She and my brother have their own business in Leyawiin doing just that. Based on all the letters I've gotten from my family over the years, she's learned a lot of different styles. Argonian, Khajiit, Breton, Imperial styles: both Nibenese and Colovian. She could make Dunmer-style cooking when we last saw her, and she's added some Bosmer and Altmer styles to her repertoire over the years. She's asked me a few times in my brother's letters if I could help her learn Nordic cooking since we've moved to Skyrim, but I keep telling her that Nordic cooking isn't...that great."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth let out a sigh and shook her head. "I can't believe you told him anything else other than to avoid getting close to her like that. Whenever we come back here again, she'll surely have moved on with her life."

Finally, Kaleeth uncrossed her arms and relaxed, at least somewhat. "But, you might be right. He is young, and I doubt he's going to be like...us. Maybe I'll go talk to Juran-Selth. I feel like there is a lot the two of us should talk about, with the bad history we've had. Clearing the air, and everything. Maybe you should go check on Julan?"

---

Ahnasha hesitated a moment on how to phrase her answer. "I can make that promise...to the limits of what I know. In the moment. I can't promise to never be wrong, get bad information from scouts or spies, or anything like that, but no warrior is all-knowing. We can only fight for what we believe in, fight to defend ourselves and loved ones, and make the best judgments we can. I think you will make for a great warrior, Rhazii. You have strength, skill, and most importantly, a good heart. If there is one thing I trust you for, son, it is that you will do what is right."

"You do have a lot to learn, Rhazii." Ahnasha said, putting on a smile as she moved over close beside Rhazii and wrapped her arm around him. "But, who knows, maybe I can learn something from you too?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes noticeably. "The worst that could happen? I'm pretty sure that I'm the example of what could happen. Obviously I don't regret what we have together, but...we shouldn't let it happen again. He's young, he's emotional. And now he's around Argonian girls for the first time in his life, he might not be thinking with his head. Yes, we should let our son make mistakes, but not when he could force someone else's to change forever." She argued, unable to say her meaning openly in the presence of her father, though Janius certainly understood.

Zharanthixil huffed. "Hal-Leeus? Probably shouldn't be a surprise that she's taken a liking to your boy. She's too curious about the outside for her own good, and her father encourages her too much. Letting her talk to the traders, teaching her Cyrodilic. She'd need to know more about the outside than most to take over his role, sure, but her focus should be on the village first and foremost. If Juran isn't careful, he'll end up raising her to leave, instead of as a hunter."

Kaleeth turned her head slowly towards her father. "Juran? You mean...she is the daughter of the Master-Hunter?" Kaleeth stopped and leaned in close to Janius, staring intently into his eyes. "This story is starting to sound a bit...familiar, isn't it? Maybe we should step in before it gets too familiar?" She appeared genuinely worried. It was not as if Leeus being related to the Master Hunter made the situation any more than a strange coincidence, but it did not take much for her to become protective over her son. Anything that she could point to that might strengthen her case, she would.

---

Ahnasha looked down, staring into the warm pot of stew that had been yet untouched. "There is a lot I wish could be different. I wish there had been no war to force this on us. But, maybe there won't be soon. The only real battle ahead of us will be against Daedra, not people. Then, for better or for worse, it will be over. Maybe there will be no more killing?"

As hopeful as she wanted to be that her statement was true, Ahnasha knew that she could not leave it on the flimsy hope that she would never have to kill anyone else in potentially hundreds of years of life. "But...I am not any different Rhazii, you know? For as long as you have known me, as long as you can remember, I haven't changed. This isn't anything new for me. The mother that loved you, still loves you. All those good memories you talked about were made by the very same person that I am right now. Maybe I will have to fight and kill again, but I am not going to go killing innocents. I am no murderer, no monster. No matter how I do or don't feel about it, I know that about myself."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Despite Janius' answer, Kaleeth's worries were not entirely calmed. "You already knew about it? I don't think it's something we should take lightly. I mean...are you sure Julan is ready to deal with that? Getting close to a girl that he obviously likes, then just leaving? Is he old enough? Mature enough? In this part of his life, he's probably nervous, confused, emotional..." She argued, her words quickening as she listed off the worries in her mind. "You told him the boundaries, but...what if he makes mistakes? Or did you tell him not to get too close to her? To just be friends?"

---

Ahnasha was not at the point of wanting to lie quite yet, so she shook her head lightly. "I didn't. Killing is something...common for me. You have to understand about this war we've been fighting for, well, most of your life. I've seen, felt, experienced so many horrible things. I've seen people killed mercilessly by the enemy, by Vile's soldiers. People who serve him, worship him, and are determined to destroy us for who we are. I've witnessed them commit atrocities against us, but then, when I have the advantage on them...when it is me bringing the blade to their throats, they look just as afraid as that woman did. I explained it to you before, and I wasn't lying. I've experienced that so many times that it...changed me. Maybe it broke me, I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't be this way, but it's what war can do to you."

Ahnasha sighed. "I don't mind you training to be a warrior, Rhazii. It could be a good path for you, but I want to try to make sure that you never have to live through a war. Being able to fight, to protect yourself, the innocent, the people you care about, that is honorable. But, war can demand something else entirely, something that can be much worse."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Kaleeth told me." Zharan explained. "I expected there would be some who would not take kindly to your presence here. Perhaps not him, but it also is not too much of a surprise. He is both stubborn and proud. A good hunter, loyal to his people, and well-liked, but not kind towards outsiders. But, Master-Hunter Juran has recognized Kaleeth, and now your son, as hunters, and Deerz has no right to show such disrespect. And you, my daughter, have every right to challenge his insults to your honor."

Kaleeth was not entirely dismissive of the idea, but she was also far from enthused about it. [i]"I know I can do it, but I don't know if I want to fight him. Deerz used to be my friend, and I don't know if embarrassing him would really make things any better between us. He'd probably just be even more bitter."

Zharan shrugged. "It's your choice, but I don't think you should let him believe he can just walk over you without you making him pay for it."

Kaleeth looked down with her arms crossed. "I'll have to think about it." She replied noncommittally. Feeling her father's eyes on her, she quickly looked to Janius to change the subject. "There was something I noticed...did you see how that girl, Leeus, was acting towards Julan? And how he was looking at her? It has me concerned."

---

"I thought you were." Ahnasha said, making a conscious effort to keep eye contact with Rhazii and avoid acting too ashamed. "You did do well, but...I don't know if it was fair for me to expect you to do it. My first kill was more dangerous for me; I was more afraid. I didn't make any major mistakes then, but knowing what I know now, I know that I could have made mistakes easily. I wanted to keep you safe. You're serving as a scout now, or an apprentice scout, rather. I know you mostly stay within the cavern, but you do go to the surface. Anything could happen up there. I know your duties don't have you seeking out fights, or looking for the enemy, but...it could happen."

Ahnasha leaned forward slowly, placing a hand lightly on Rhazii's knee. [i]"You have to believe me; I didn't want to hurt you, Rhazii. And I don't mean physically, though I didn't want to hurt you that way either. I just wanted to make sure you were ready, and I thought the experience would make you safer. Even if it's not very likely, and not the job that you're supposed to be doing right now, there's still the fact that you are at a point in your life where you could, conceivably be forced to defend yourself against someone who wants to kill you. I was worried about you, and I just...wanted you to be ready."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Thorantilth hummed a moment to himself. "Yes, the young ones always seemed to be surprised at how long a wound can bother them. It is often much worse later than it was when they received it. But, I am sure you know your son better than I. I will let you know when I have prepared the ink. Unless there are any delays, I should be able to have his marks completed just in time for our migration."

Once the three of them did take their leave, Zharan decided to bring up a point that had piqued his curiosity, almost as soon as they were out of the hut. "You said you two still fight? I didn't expect you to keep to a warrior's life after you left, Kaleeth. You always seemed convinced that you would forever be horrible at it. Do you mean to tell me that the armor you showed in was not just for show?"

Kaleeth was briefly hesitant, if only to try and think about how to avoid revealing anything she would not want to reveal. But, she could not delay too long without it seeming unusual. "Yes, I do still fight. Janius kept training me, and I kept getting better. I know I was never very good back when I was young, but...I guess I just eventually found the right motivation."

Zharan expression actually went as far as to show a smile, which was perhaps a first for Janius to witness from the man. It was more subtle on Zharan's face, but Janius could see something recognizable as pride for his daughter. "Hmm, suppose I should have guessed it, with all that muscle you have on you now. You look to be in peak condition, really. I'm just glad all the effort I went through to train you didn't end up going to waste in the end."

"So..." Zharan continued, his fleeting, heartfelt pride quickly giving way to a much harsher, more familiar attitude. "Why in the void haven't you challenged that kuuda Deerz yet and broken his ugly snout? You're still a hunter, you still have that right."

---

Despite all of the preparation Ahnasha had made, thinking of what she might say to Rhazii when he returned, she still took a short while to respond. There was little effort for her to hide her own regret. "I do not even remember the pain anymore, Rhazii. I have been hurt in so many ways, so many times, that it is just a vague blur to me. All that I am going to remember out of this is the fact that I hurt you."

"I never want to hurt you, Rhazii." She added.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan did exactly as his father instructed and thanked Thoarantilth before leaving with Leeus, though Kaleeth did seem to show some amount of concern as she watched the pair exit the tent. However, she did not say anything out loud at the moment, in their present company.

Thorantilth remained polite and friendly towards Julan until he left, and continued to remain busy working on his potions afterwards, but his words lost much of their obvious emotion as he continued. "I can make something for you to give to Julan if any pain happens to return to him later. I have to say, I am somewhat flattered by your apparent faith in my abilities. I have had to treat such wounds from rites like these before, and their parents are usually less...contained."

Finally turning back to face them, Thorantilth smiled at Kaleeth. "I suppose you do take after your father after all, Kaleeth. At any rate, as I said before, there does not seem to be much to worry about for Julan. Considering the depth of his wound and for how long he was fighting on it, he lost much less blood than I would have expected. And those spells must have healed him significantly as well, for as much as the lacerations had already closed. He is remarkably durable."

---

Ahnasha's time was mostly spent, as she had told Fendros, cleaning herself, then preparing some sort of a dinner for them all, in the event that Fendros did actually return with Rhazii. By this point, there was not too much meat left from the bodies that Ahnasha would still consider to be in a state to be eaten. Strictly speaking, werewolves, being disease-immune, could eat even the most foul, rotten carrion safely. However, that was not something that Ahnasha, or any sane lycan, would willingly do outside of the most desperate situations. Fortunately, the bandits did have enough preserved meats and vegetables stored for a decent meal, and Ahnasha had actually started to butcher some meat the last time she waited in the camp, though had left it behind when Rhazii did not return to her. She decided to throw it all into a stew, in order to make the more heavily salted meats seem a bit more pleasant. However, she did not eat one bite by herself, and instead just kept feeding the fire enough to keep the pot warm while she waited for Fendros and Rhazii.

For Ahnasha herself, she, of course, had much time alone to think, but tried to avoid it as much as she could. At this point, she was not completely sure what kind of a problem she had, or if she even had a problem at all. Rhazii certainly seemed to think so, but there were realities of the war that he could not understand, and that she hoped he never had the misfortune of understanding. Whatever the right answer was, she did not think she was going to reach it alone.