Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros inhaled slowly, considering for a moment. "Yyyes..." He said slowly, "there are several bottles of Avarul wine that my brother and I kept hidden. The hiding place is close to Cheydinhal, however. Hidden beneath an outcrop about three hundred paces east of the north-easternmost vineyard of the winery. It's heavily wooded, so as long as no one is passing through that way, we shouldn't be spotted." Fendros wondered whether it would take too long to travel out that way, but if his sense of direction did not fool him, a good pace should only take about two or three hours to pick the cases up and take the wine back.

"Actually... before we rush off..." Fendros' expression turned solemn, "I think I would like to write a note for my brother. My family does not know my whereabouts, and I've yet to decide how to let them know that I'm not coming back." Fendros addressed Ahnasha, "I have a feeling that staging my death like you did would be sufficient, but my brother would not likely believe it. He might come looking for me. If I can leave a note that only he would read, perhaps I can stop any harm befalling him."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It's not until now that I realise that disease-immune werewolves might not be intoxicated by the effects of alcohol, but should we worry about that?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Uhm, well, ok," Fendros struggled for words between the two. Lorag has such strength that his arm felt like a rock, and Ahnasha's fur was of course sopping wet, like a cat. Or a dog? Fendros considered. "Well, I didn't get very many opportunities to... celebrate," Fendros said, "but when the opportunity arose, my brother and I would sneak out occasionally to drink. We would gamble and sing with the tavern patrons." Fendros raised one hand up to his eye level and pointed upwards for emphasis, "if there is drink, I remember a few games that didn't require septims, but were still highlights, especially as the night wore on." Fendros looked over to Meesei, still floating in the water, for confirmation, "We might try playing?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll be out for the next few hours, so you don't have to stay up until 4 tonight x) . G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Listening to her account intently, Fendros quickly realised that he would have to train to far beyond his current capabilities in order to try and commune with Hircine and question the lord of the hunt about why he was chosen for the pack. Beyond training and hunting, Fendros figured that it would only be with luck that he would be directed to hunt a challenging beast and get an audience with the Daedra that had caused all of his troubles. With that kind of objective, it's almost as if I'll be worshiping with spite. What a novelty...

"That is very impressive. I've only seen minotaurs in pictures," Fendros replied, "I hope one day I'll get to talk to Hircine. Perhaps I could get some answers out of him."

"Hircine? Talk to you?" Janius raised an eyebrow, "well, it's as well meaning an objective as any I suppose. You Dark Elves have more experience with Daedra, if I'm not mistaken."

"Mmm, that's not necessarily true. We're taught the lore of some of them, but they aren't like Hircine from what I gather," Fendros said to Janius, "and they aren't very keen on talking to everyone, either. Not only that, but fewer and fewer Dunmer practice such worship of the Tribunal and such in Cyrodiil. Between the Stendarrites that barge in and smash up shrines and the general taboo of Daedra worship." Fendros recounted what his parent's told him of their experiences in Skyrim, with the xenophobic Nords tipping off the Vigil of Stendarr in a particularly hairy incident. "I could just as well assume that you Imperials listen to the voices of your Divines all day long."

"Okay, touche, Dunmer," Janius snorted.

"I don't suppose anyone else has had an audience with Hircine, here?" Fendros looked around. Janius shook his head.

It wasn't until he looked around that Fendros noticed Runt in his peripheral vision. She was sitting by the shore staring at them all. Despite probably hearing the question, she did not react.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros looked back at Ahnasha rather blankly, not knowing exactly how to respond. It was enough concern that at least another of the pack was a Hircine devotee, though Fendros knew he should have expected as much. To think that everyone else presumably earned their place by Meesei's side by very evident means caused Fendros to perceive the others seeing him as a threat. At least, that's how he saw it through Ahnasha's words. Perhaps the friendly veneer isn't so transparent, Fendros thought.

"I had been wondering about that myself, actually," Fendros admitted, scratching one shoulder to occupy himself, "perhaps I'll find out someday." I'll find a big stag and try to talk to him like... that's right, Ahnasha did that, Fendros remembered, and suddenly his demeanour changed to coincidentally reflect Ahnasha's own curious look. "Ahnasha, Meesei told me you once spoke to Hircine directly when you were shown to the pack. Could you tell me more about that?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Well, yeah, there was that one guy. He wasn't too smart, I don't think," Janius said.

With that thread of conversation apparently resolved by a moment of time where no one had anything else to add, Fendros tried to think of another talking point. "So, Lorag was in the legion, Janius was in the Fighters Guild, Meesei was a shaman," Fendros began, "Where did you learn your skills, Ahnasha?"

Fendros knew hardly anything about the Khajiit in general, apart from the pickpockets and hawkers that turned up outside the gates of Cheydinhal. His impression of them was that of opportunistic conmen that were expatriates of a barbarian nation that was out-conned into servitude by the Aldmeri Dominion. To call himself an expert would be a blatant lie, he could admit that much.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

4 am? Hahah, solid effort. G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros caught the apple in both hands and looked down at it. He was at a bit of a loss, they both seemed to be quite skilled individuals. Besides, he didn't feel particularly hungry right then and there, what was he going to do with the apple? "I usually... I think that I could learn from both of you," Fendros said "I mean, I fight with a sword and shield and shoot well enough, but you two both seem more skilled than I. It might be a matter of taking turns."

Fendros heard Janius chuckling behind him, he turned to face the Imperial. "What is it?" Fendros asked.

"Oh, nothing really," Janius said innocently, "it's just that they have enough trouble sharing inanimate objects. Excepting of course, their burning passion for each other." Janius shielded his face from a splash of water cast from Ahnasha's hand. "There's a desire for burning, that's for sure, Janius!" Ahnasha retorted. "Maybe a good place to start would be to explain to us where you learned to fight. I don't think it's purely luck involved when someone slays a werewolf and lives. Even Lorag-" Janius gestured to the orc, "-was a legionnaire, and he had a... similar turning from what I remember him telling me."

Lorag thumped his fist on his chest, "Damn right, remind me to tell you about that sometime."

"Yeah. So, what about you, Fendros?" Janius asked.

"Well, the past few years I've been involved with the Fighters Guild. They and my father taught me most things about fighting," Fendros replied, "the bow was mostly self-taught."

"A fellow guilder, eh? Fancy that," Janius beamed, "I myself was a Journeyman at the Bravil branch. Many a noble soul in the fighters guild."

Lorag snorted, "As long as they're not breathing down our necks."

"Oh, when was the last time that happened, Lorag?" Janius said, "Besides, what could they do to us that we couldn't do to them first?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I left the recount of the hunt hanging in case of interrupting for banter purposes. If you would like to write for Janius, just write a sort of moderate deadpan personality, maybe brag a bit, or make quips about racial stereotypes or something. As for Runt, I'm not sure if banter would be that prolific, but getting her involved by creeping around and staring at people would suffice. Have her speak more with actions rather than words. Also, let me know if I'm butchering what you had in mind for Ahnasha and Lorag, I'll rewrite or remove dialogue if need be.