Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, if the desert is any dryer than the forest, I might be willing to try it," Fendros said.

Janius gave him a smile. He had heard of what deserts were like from more sources than Fendros. He gave a quick warning, "Be careful what you wish for, brother."

The groups started to gravitate together without much consideration once Meesei gave the order. Sabine gave Peiter a smile and a nod and they paired, with room for another. Fendros stuck with Ahnasha, but didn't display any preference beyond that. Janius, on the other hand, didn't feel as adamant in staying with Kaleeth, but not because he was trying to avoid her; he simply wanted to witness how well werelions did their tracking. He could likely find out either way. Uthri gave no preference, but modestly professed her relative experience and offered to join with younger members. Tzirret just wanted to stay around until everyone else had organised before joining anyone, but Gallus gave him a hard pat on the back and asked to join him with a grin. The rest coalesced as appropriate, though no one volunteered to guard the children immediately. Uthri was the only one who respectfully expressed her preference to go tracking, but everyone else didn't seem too bothered. If there was anything left unresolved, it was likely that the alphas could sort it out.

Tzirret didn't really get the opportunity to continue the conversation with La'khay, not that he had much to say in front of everyone. Why she would be nervous was an odd thought in his mind. Anyway, with how Gallus approached Tzirret, it seemed like his alpha was less mystified by the night time crying he had failed to hush. It wasn't the first time he had cried during the night and found Gallus trying to help, but this time it was for reasons neither of them were likely to anticipate.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh yeah, I thought the Nuremberg rally re-enactment was a bit indulgent.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hahhaa, oh man, that would give the kiddies a fright!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Yeah, they kept it fairly simple and familiar, and they kind of had to, I guess. It was a step above 'meh', not a masterpiece. I can see it having some potential, though.

As for Kylo, I hope I don't get disappointed with where he's going moving forward. They've drilled the set up for this redemption story in him, so in a morbid way I would be kind of entertained if that redemption didn't end up working out.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Alright, now I've seen Star Wars 7. That was about as good as I thought it could have been without pissing people off. Honestly, I thought it would be mediocre, but I'm curious for more.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Tzirret tensed up a bit when he heard La'khay, but it was followed by a wash of relief once he processed her words. He gave her a sad look, before looking down at his food. When he answered, it didn't sound like he cared about being called cloudy-cat as he usually did. "This one did not sleep well," he said with truth, "He will manage." Tzirret gave another quick glance up at La'khay. He wished he could thank her. "How about you?"

Even with the few words they spoke, Sabine found Tzirret and La'khay's interactions to be a far cry from the previous night. Perhaps La'khay was just not in a teasing mood and Tzirret more nervous than he looked. She took a bite from the liver she had picked out for breakfast.

Now apart from Tzirret's conversation, Fendros spoke up with the others. "So, we have a day, or a few weeks at least, of searching through the jungle to look forward to. I would say I prefer the calm, but-" Fendros stopped and swatted an insect on his chest, "-the sooner we find the clan, the sooner we'll have time to find a place to cool off."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It can't have been in our heads then. Was anyone crying last night?" Fendros asked everyone awake. There was no response. Tzirret didn't even make eye contact. Fendros shrugged, "This jungle must be haunted."

"Good morning," Sabine said to everyone as she sat down with her breakfast. There was a smattering of responses in kind. There were a couple of things she noticed about Tzirret that morning, so she turned to talk to him. "Are you okay, Tzirret? I doubt there are any ghosts here. Fendros was joking."

"What?" Tzirret looked up at Sabine with surprise, realising he probably should have given more of a reaction to cover himself. He would normally be upset by the suggestion that the jungle was haunted, after all. "Oh, this one knows Fendros was joking. I did not hear any crying in the night like they did."

"Was there crying in the night?" Sabine asked everyone curiously.

Tzirret closed his eyes and quietly groaned. He felt like an idiot.

The Jade Stream

I just assumed that Xin recognised the name, but I'll let you guys sort it out.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine gave a wide smile. She was so relieved that Peiter was understanding that she almost shed a tear of happiness. "Thank you," she whispered so quietly that she was mouthing it more than saying it. It was far too warm to cuddle, but Sabine still brought a hand up to Peiter's head and drew in close to him, giving him a long kiss. Afterwards, she pressed her forehead against his and just enjoyed his contact. They eventually separated to keep cool and fell asleep.

With his hand still on his cheek and his mouth still hanging open, Tzirret stood up to his feet and went to his bedroll listlessly. When he laid himself down, he found his rushing thoughts and panic started to subside, but they were replaced with questions that he kept repeating to himself. Being an adolescent boy, his apprehensive fears were assaulted by other desires that kept him awake for a couple of hours straight. He considered going off to hide behind a bush and rid himself of it, but there was an opportunity right in front of him that he was curious to attempt, daunting as it may be.

Once everyone was fast asleep and all that lit up the jungle was the speckled light of the moons, Tzirret carefully stood up from his bedroll and padded over to La'khay where she slept.

When the next morning came over the horizon, Tzirret awoke in his own bedroll. He did not seem any more confident than he did before. In fact, whenever he caught sight of La'khay, his ears drooped a little and he looked away. He really hoped that she could keep secrets.

The rest of the group arose in a the short time following Tzirret fetching his breakfast. Fendros was the not the first to sit down with Tzirret, tucking into his own breakfast. "I had a strange dream last night," he mentioned casually to anyone listening, "Someone was crying through the whole thing, but when I woke up, Rhazii wasn't crying at all." He shook his head, "Maybe I ate something strange."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Haha, sure thing. It's reasonable on another continent, perhaps.