Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I have to get to work soon. I'll see if I can get another post up on the bus, but for now, g'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It's okay. Tzirret will speak to Meesei after he has eaten," Tzirret said, before looking to one side, "...well, he will probably talk to Gallus first, but he is sure that there will be no problem." Tzirret still found it strange that Ma'tanza and other clan members seemed just as afraid of Meesei as reverent of her, but not all of them could travel with her pack for a time like Tzirret did.

After just a moment, Tzirret glanced to Qa'habi and noticed that he had been quite rude. "Oh, er, do Qa'habi and Bheja want to come along to the temple as well?" Tzirret asked with a hint of apologetic apprehension.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We will do our best, then," Ti'drissi responded.

Sabine gave Meesei a nod. "I can make enough to last them a few days. The doses are small." She looked to F'sresa and smiled, "She might have to be carried to Leyawiin. She will live, though."

Tzirret tried to reassure Ma'tanza. He angled his head to one side "Well, it will not be a long visit, but it will be worth it to see the windows from the inside. Tzirret is sure Gallus and Meesei will not mind if we ask them. They would trust us not to cause trouble." Tzirret paused and found it amusing how much he was sounding like Peiter. Tzirret was normally on the receiving end of this kind of encouragement. "Just think, we will not be stopping at any other cities. This might be Ma'tanza's only chance."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Up until that point, the family had been under the impression that they would be left in Leyawiin with only the clothes on their backs. The extra charity from Meesei spread a look of relief and gratitude over their faces. Pudaga responded, "The world needs more souls like Meesei. We cannot thank her enough."

"It is a shame that so many must walk around cold in this recent weather," Gati said from her seat while she continued knitting, "If this one had more time and enough yarn and cloth, she would see everyone snuggled in good clothes before she left this ship." Gati glanced up to Meesei, "We really do wish we could do more than simply thank you, but we will respect Meesei's wishes to move on."

Tzirret nodded in agreement. He had seen the temples in all the cities in the central-west and north parts of Cyrodiil, and they were all equally as impressive as the last. Ma'tanza's wish made him glance up with an idea, however. "Actually, Gallus is going to drop off the family with a few others tomorrow. He says he is taking them to the temple, so...if clothing could be found, maybe you could come and see?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

F'sresa still smiled, "Thank you. You saved our lives."

This time, it was Gati, the grandmother, that responded. She gave a warm smile and a deep bow to Meesei. "Meesei's hospitality has been most generous. Gati could not be more comfortable, except to be back on land as soon as she can."

"Gati, do not be more polite than your health." Pudaga said, before looking to Meesei, "Gati's teeth are not very strong. If it is not too much trouble, may her next meal be cut up finely? We have only been given spoons with our meals."

"Oh, this one will manage. It is only another day and her jaw needs to get stronger so she can be more threatening to slavers!" Gati let out a jolly laugh, revealing many missing or crooked teeth. Given her age and stature, she was probably the least threatening person on board.

Pudaga smiled and sighed, bowing his head, but looked to Meesei again with curiosity. "There is one more thing. This one assumed that all of those who were nude were escaped slaves, but...they are still walking around without clothes. Are there not enough clothes to go around?"

Tzirret was glad to hear that he would be welcome on the other ship. He took another bite of his meal as Bheja answered his question. "Hmm, Tzirret's caravan did not go as far south as Borderwatch, but he remembers hearing stories about it. Something about a bunch of people going mad there many years ago. But it must be fine now." Tzirret decided not to keep to that topic, it was a very strange story that he had heard long before he reached the Bruma clan. "But, this one believes that Ahnasha, from Meesei's pack, she is from Leyawiin as well. Her family is still there, if this one remembers correctly. Perhaps Bheja knew of them? Tzirret thinks her father was Bosmer and they had a shop, that is what Sabine said."

While they spoke, Tzirret noticed that Bheja and Ma'tanza were about done with their meals. If they decided to move on soon, Tzirret thought he might take the opportunity to ask Qa'habi about his history with Ma'tanza. Tzirret's curiosity had been growing ever since he had heard about it.

The Jade Stream

It was precarious and clumsy at first, but by planning her routes and moving carefully, Kyang was able to get the hang of travelling through the tree branches behind Xin.

It was quite the workout as their search was fruitless for a while. Kyang thought she had regained her patience, but even she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose when Torako took the idea of luring the bandits out a little too seriously. Nonetheless, Xin's question made one of her eyes shoot open. She let go of her nose and examined the area from the perspective of an ambush force.

"Mmwell, I guess you could hide a good number of people up that way," Kyang murmured, referring to the trail Xin spotted, "That's just one route, though. There would have to be another hiding place behind or ahead so that they could easily surround whoever came by. Of course, if they did that..." Kyang realised something just in time to see Xin's eyes widen and splay with some other ki power. She didn't feel the need to ask what he was doing this time. Instead, she spoke quickly, with eyes flicking around the trees themselves, "Xin, keep an eye on the trees as well. There may be a lookout ready to give a signal. Or more."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

F'sresa closed her eyes and shook her head, before beginning to mumble in response. Her voice was tired and quiet, so the guard had to lean down to hear her. "F'sresa is fine. You are Meesei, aren't you? Father told me about you. Thank you for rescuing us. Did you really take these ships just to help us?"

"Tzirret is...unsure," Tzirret looked down to his hands, where he was holding onto one of his fingers, "His pack is all on this ship now, but he wanted to stay with you three." Tzirret looked up again, gesturing to the group. "You are his friends as well," he looked down again, "He knows Gallus has been told to stay with Meesei and Ri'nakhad on this ship, so this one doubts that his pack will move. With S'nishi stuck on the other ship as well..." Tzirret sighed, "...this one does not know yet."

In an effort to change the mood, Tzirret looked up with a slightly brighter expression and changed the subject. "Anyway, have any of you been to Cyrodiil before?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The contrast of space and freedom that everyone had on the ships at present compared to the first night aboard meant that few complained. It was a good thing, too, because there was plenty to complain about. Everything was rationed and preserved, making every meal either briny, salty, stale, or a mix of all three. Not to mention, meals were relatively small. Living space was at a premium as well; below decks was always crowded, with nary a space for one to be alone with one's thoughts. The clan was used to communal living, but at least individuals could find privacy in the wilds. There was no such luxury here.

The rescued slave family were kept under constant watch, with a strict quarantine of information upon them. As a result, the only people they could converse with in the clan were guards and a nurse. There was very little to talk about.

Sabine got to work with the sick girl after the most exhilarating few seconds of her life. Transferring ships meant flying for the first time and she was still giggling with the thrill of it as she introduced herself to the family.

After examining F'sresa in turn, Meesei, Irenya, and Sabine were able to put their heads together to properly help her. Some restoration magic would keep her strong, but she was dehydrated, starved, and infected in the stomach. After some initial magic treatment, Sabine was able to provide a medicine to purify her stomach. However, it was Irenya's experience in diseases and more mundane treatment that filled the required gaps in their capabilities.

Now, three days had passed. What Meesei beheld when she entered the tiny cabin that was the family's temporary home held some more hope than before, but not an ideal situation. Ti'drissi and Gati were sitting on one of the two bunks in the room, knitting a tent. Giving them something to do had kept them calm. Pudaga sat on the other bunk, next to where F'sresa lay sleeping, holding her hand as she softly breathed through her mouth. All of the family had gained weight to the point where they were looking healthy again, though F'sresa still seemed weak.

Sabine was replacing a moist cloth on F'sresa head when she turned to face Meesei entering. "Hello," Sabine said with a small smile, before returning to her task, "She has improved, but she will not be completely healthy for another day or two."

When Sabine spoke, F'sresa opened her eyes slightly and mumbled something in Ta'agra. Pudaga responded with soft reassurance, but she seemed interested enough in Meesei to stay awake.

"She is coherent again, as well, if you wanted to speak with her," Sabine added. F'sresa had been delirious up until today due to her fever.

The days of the voyage were somewhat nicer for Tzirret with Peiter and Sabine on board a day early. It meant that they got to swap stories with one another about the experience of capturing the ships. In fact, with the focus that Sabine had to put into treating the sick Khajiit girl, Peiter could actually occupy his time chatting with Tzirret one on one again. It was only then that he might have realised just how much more open Tzirret had become in conversation. Sure, he still worried about innocuous or unlikely events, but it no longer dominated him.

Still, most of Tzirret's spare time was spent with Qa'habi, Bheja, and especially Ma'tanza. Ever since the night in the hold where Ma'tanza calmed Tzirret's panic, he seemed to stammer less and appeared more relaxed in general around her.

After collecting some food for lunch, Tzirret sought out Ma'tanza to eat with. He approached with something on his mind. "Hello, Ma'tanza," he said casually. He took a seat and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Um...Tzirret was wondering something. Others have been talking about switching ships when we reach Cyrodiil." Tzirret curled his lips and held his ears half-perked, "Matanza probably wants to be with S'nishi and M'ibasa, doesn't she..."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sure thing. Also, Tzirret and Ma'tanza may get another scene around then. G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I have to head to work in about twenty minutes. I think I might nap on the bus, so no guarantee for a bonus post this time.