Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine's face tightened in sympathy and she sucked in a breath through her teeth. She knelt down beside Peiter and held her hands up, trying to assess the damage. "I'm sorry, I should have let you dress more," Sabine said, putting a hand on Peiter's arm and leg, "Show me. We will take out the thorns and I can heal you."

Inwardly, Sabine was too worried about Peiter to care about his personal space. What it made for outwardly was her being perhaps oblivious of it. She might have been more apprehensive under normal circumstances, but she was intimate enough with Peiter to feel comfortable.

With her head angled forward and her brow raised, Uthri snorted back a laugh. She carefully took a breath while trying not to become hysterical. "'Oh, my lady Nord,'" she pantomimed Sees-No-Colours' attempt to kiss a hand with the air, "'They breed them strong and sumptuous up in the frigid highlands! Yet for all your cold past...'" Uthri placed her hands over her chest with exaggerated wistfulness, "'...you have melted my Argonian heart!'" It was only then that Uthri curled forward and laughed out the rest of the air her lungs, snorting involuntarily to get some more air in. "Vilana, I hope that there is more than one colour-blind scoundrel werelion Argonian in your clan, or you are going to be sorely disappointed." Uthri sniffed and let out another chuckle, "Worry is a strong word, I prefer pity, in this case. Do you have a past with Sees-No-Colours?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine breathed in to reply, but instead ended up gasping at Peiter's sudden stop. She slid to a halt and walked quickly to where he lay. "Are you okay?" Sabine asked. She leaned over him with a small smile, but was not sure of the severity of the situation.

"Impressive," Uthri thought out loud, "I'll get to meet even more kinds of lycans that I have not talked to before." Uthri sat forward again so she could gesticulate, "You know, before the champion came to Bruma and reformed everything, the werecrocodile in her pack, Kaleeth is her name, she was the only non-werewolf I had ever met. Now with this war, it is an ironic joy that I get to experience so many new people. I may not have even travelled to Elsweyr otherwise. Are you an Elsweyr native, Vilana, or did you move here?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Given that Sabine wasn't subject to Lorag's training, she knew that Peiter was telling the truth, but she didn't feel like encouraging his ego. She just returned the grin. "We'll see."

Soon enough, the pair settled into a rhythm. Sabine was becoming less invested in pushing herself and was instead taking in more of her surroundings. With the focus put into searces, Sabine had become familiar with most features of the jungle, but she had not before taken the opportunity to step back and appreciate the patterns from a distance. Peiter was right, it was nice. It had its own charm in comparison to other wildernesses.

Sabine entrancement was easily disrupted by Peiter's question about her new idea. "The snake skin is not an alchemical ingredient, it is a vessel," Sabine had to talk a little louder over the crunching of their feet on the forest floor. "An intact snake skin can hold liquid. Then I can make a potion that stays cold, but you do not have to swallow it. It can be put in the skin and worn around the neck." Sabine took a couple of breaths before adding, "If I cannot find enough ingredients to make the potion, we can just use water and freeze it with magic. It will not last as long and it could damage the snake skin. It will still be cold."

Uthri nodded to each of Vilana's pride as they were introduced. Giving a surprised and thoughtful "Huh" at the wereboar. "Well, hello to you all," Uthri said, slightly awkwardly. She felt strange that they had not been involved in the conversation up until now, but it was fair that they were more concerned with either resting or looking out for danger. "I was actually going to ask, are their many lycans other than werelions in your clan?" Uthri asked, reverting back to a more laid back tone, "Most in Bruma are wolves, with the occasional exception, mostly emissaries."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine's running start was more out of cheekiness than competitiveness, so she allowed Peiter to catch up easily. The distance she ran had made her breathing heavier, therefore her response was disjointed. "I just wanted to see the potion work," she said, looking at him with a laugh, "Are you tired already?"

"It sounds like your clan has done well, given the conditions," Uthri said. Her demeanour had turned serious as was appropriate for the situation, "It is horrible to think that there was starvation. It is my wish that the hope we may bring will be followed by some better times for you all." Uthri took a slow breath, "Mostly, though, I am glad we did not come to find the entire clan annihilated. That has been a fear of mine since we set out."

Uthri let her head angle back again, "How about your pack? Well, your pride, sorry, it's confusing. Have you or your pride been affected by the hardship?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Go have some fun, you two," Uthri said with a smile.

Sabine didn't stay idle as Peiter tied his shoes. She quickly gathered up the alchemical equipment she had been using and packed it away, placing it all to one side.

"You could be from Skyrim, or Morrowind, or anywhere cold, really," Sabine said, not entirely understanding Peiter's point, "Anyway, I could not come up with a potion to keep cool without bad side effects, but I thought of something else. We would need snake skins, though."

Sabine didn't give Peiter much time after he stood up again. She flashed a grin and started a swift jog away from the camp.

As the pair ran off, Uthri responded to Vilana's suggestion. "Sabine and Peiter have recently struck up a liking for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they are going to be doing more than just jogging," Uthri chuckled and returned her look to Vilana, "Anyway, my pack, yes. We are lead by a serial womanising Imperial named Gallus. He's alright when you're not romantically involved with him, but he's also a clever fighter; less strong than most alphas, but quick and intelligent. Then there's Irenya, she's a stick-in-the-mud Dunmer, but she isn't so bad. She is very good at magical healing, the best I know. There's Peiter," Uthri pointed forward, "You saw him, he's a young Breton, but he's okay with a halberd and he's got plenty to prove. He sometimes sounds a bit desperate that way. Then there's Tzirret, he's a bundle of angst and cowardice covered in grey fur. We call him 'cloudy cat' when he's especially bad. He's very young, though, still about sixteen or seventeen. He has some kindness, and he's still learning and improving. He actually saved a couple of lives last week." Uthri pulled a dubious half-smile, "That's my immediate family. There's also Meesei's pack and Ra'kalesh's pride, but I feel like I'm talking too much." Uthri shifted her weight such that she was supporting her body with one elbow rather than both of her hands. "Tell me about the Senchal clan. What is life like in your little outpost? Perhaps you could introduce me to your pride?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Either's fine by me. It's got to be early hours over there.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hah, you're still online? Are you coherent enough for a response or did I catch you before you're retiring for the night?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Nah, it is all fine," Uthri said with a wave of her hand. She then gave a glance around the camp site, "Anyway, get settled, grab a snack, introduce yourselves to the children, S'ajira, and the skink. Make yourself at home while you wait. If you or your friends need to borrow something, just ask." Uthri leaned back onto her hands, "Any specific questions? We are going to have plenty of time."

Maintaining her smile, Sabine looked up, then at Rhazii and Newt, then back at Peiter. "We could, if Uthri and S'ajira don't mind taking care of Leaps and the children for a short while," Sabine answered. She stood up to ask, facing Uthri and S'ajira both, "Would you mind if Peiter and I went for a run?"

Uthri was unsure at first, but she took another look at the abundance of new friendly lookouts around them and came to a quick decision. "I would say yes if you do not wander far, but before you go..." Uthri made sure to confirm with the other responsible party in the camp, "What do you think, S'ajira?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'm going out today, I'll be back in a few hours.

The Jade Stream

Kyang counted it as fortunate that everyone present was at least literate. Though, it appeared as if she was the only one who had read extensively at first blush. It made sense given what the others said about their backgrounds. Kyang was likely the only one with the spare time to sit down with a book or a scroll earlier in life.

The tea was welcome, as it dampened the effect that Xin's courtly manner and speech was having on Kyang's patience. She held the cup in both hands and sipped just as Xin addressed her directly. Her eyes flicked up to him and one of her eyebrows lifted. She spoke only when she had carefully put the tea cup down. It was in that short moment that she managed to contain her anger. "No. I've not found work yet," she said firmly.

After a quick sigh, Kyang actually gave the idea some consideration. "Never tried bounty hunting before," Kyang glanced at her glaive, "I've fought bandits, but only to defend myself. I don't have experience going out to hunt them." She looked around the table, finding Liu, "But we have a hunter here," Kyang smiled and found Torako and Xin, "and a couple of fighters, both well travelled. And me, well..." Kyang straightened up, "I've read of the great ambushes of general Chin Po Shin. I'd bet I could organise you all into a precise strike team! What do you guys think?"

Kyang put both of her hands on the table and leaned forward with a grin. Her eyes flicked between them. She failed to realise that there was little she had put forward for incentive.