[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha nodded. "There is, but I can't say I know a great deal about it. My parents were more Imperial in culture, if you recall. They followed the Eight, or Nine in my parents' case. I know the Khajiit pantheon, of course. They're almost the same as the Imperial pantheon, really. Some think they might be different manifestations of the same entities. Gods can do that sort of thing, I guess. There is a different story for how they were all create, of course, but they still bear their similarities. Alkosh, Azurah, Baan Dar, Khenarthi, Jode, Jone, Lorkhaj, Mara, Merrunz, Rajhin, Riddle'thar, S'rendarr, Sheggorath. There are some in common. I particularly like the one comparable to Mehrunes Dagon, Merrunz. In Ta'agra, it means 'kitten'. Fitting, if you think about it."

[Muttonhawk]

"Kitten?" Fendros laughed a little. When he looked back at the image of Mehrunes Dagon he saw in books, he hardly thought of the many-armed, destructive and furious humanoid creature as akin to a kitten. Perhaps there was some truth in it, though. Kittens are sometimes the cause of destruction without thought of consequence, if at a smaller scale than a daedric prince. Ahnasha did dodge the question somewhat, but maybe it was that she simply didn't know what her original fate was. She was lucky in that regard, Fendros thought.

Fendros was going to inquire how both Aedra and Daedra seemed to be mixed into the Khajiit pantheon, but was interrupted by Janius returning with a look across his face that Fendros couldn't quite read. Was the other pack on the move? What happened? Fendros raised a hand to greet him, but returned a questioning look.

Janius was inconsistent with his tone, as if trying not to sound like he had made a mistake. "Alpha, I... accidentally ran into our forewarned apothecary. -Don't be alarmed, I don't think she recognised me as a lycan or anything." Janius raised both hands to try and stop any backlash arising, "I was trying to find a bookshop, and couldn't read the signs, I just... stepped in. She spoke Imperial, so I asked her directions. That wasn't the strange thing though." Janius shook his head and lowered his hands, "The shop was Montgrave remedies. That's Runt's last name isn't it? Well, this apothecary, Ariel was her name, she was the spitting image of Runt, but a few years older. I think the apothecary might be related to her."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei crossed her arms, obviously deep in thought, though she did not seem surprised. She would have liked to see this apothecary herself, but she would need to take Janius' word on their resemblance. Meesei had a hard enough time distinguishing the facial features of non-Argonians to identify them visually; so she did not expect to be able to tell the subtle differences between any two humans. "I had suspected there was more to it than Sabine was suggesting. It troubles me that she would not be honest with her alpha, and I intend to confront her about it, but we should not worry about it right now. When we return to camp to collect Sabine, I want no one to mention this, not until after we deal with the Orc. We cannot afford any distractions on this hunt. Afterwards, however, I intend to have a talk with her. I would like you to be present, Janius, as you were the one who met her."

[Muttonhawk]

"Of course," Janius nodded. This was a revelation for all of them, but Meesei was right. As long as they had the situation under control, it would be no help to put Runt under more pressure.

"I wonder why Runt would act in such away about a family member, does she think we would harm this relative?" Fendros asked.

Janius shrugged, "I don't think so. I think she has been with the pack for long enough to know that if anything we try to avoid running into old family. She definitely seemed to want to avoid this Ariel with a degree of distress, likely fear." Janius shook his head, "I don't know."

The atmosphere became a little more nervous as they sat and waited for time to pass. Eventually, they began to relax again as their conversation resumed.

Before too long, it was time to start moving again. Under direction of Ahnasha, the group made their way towards the last known location of the rival pack and followed their scents. Lorag and Fendros worked together on their trail, but Lorag proved his expertise even within the city. Fendros had to occasionally ask pointers from Lorag, expanding his own knowledge, but there was at least one occasion where Fendros was able to pick up a dwindling or lost trail before Lorag did. Although it may have just been Lorag making sure that Fendros was keeping up with the trail as well as he was rather than just bumbling behind him.

They followed the trail through a variety of areas that suggested a number of lines of questioning. Most of the movement was through the market, that was starting to quiet for the day, but there was a sojourn into the residential district for some reason. Perhaps they talked with someone in their own home? After following the trail for a while, the pair managed to spot the same Redguard that had been in the general store earlier that day, accompanied by a short woman, a Bosmer by the looks. They was a distance down the road from them, walking somewhere. Lorag and Fendros weren't sure whether they had bribed people for information yet, or whether they were heading to meet up with their pack, so they kept their distance and continued to follow.

[EliteCommander]

Before splitting up, Meesei gave one of the two enchanted bone necklaces to Lorag, though she doubted they would need to use them yet. As she was walking through the street, she pulled the necklace from her satchel and grasped it tightly in her hand to test it. The enchantment she placed on it bound it to the other necklace, allowing them to be used to locate one another. When concentrating, the enchantment would give her a strong sense of which direction to go to find the other necklace. As long as Lorag had his necklace, she could be guaranteed she would be able to find him. That would not help her locate the others, but since the rival pack would need to meet back together again before leaving the city, she was fairly certain they would be able to reunite with ease.

Ahnasha found herself in the city's wealthy district, tracking the Cathay-raht Khajiit she had saw earlier. It was fortunate that she was the one to locate this particular lycan, as he would have an even stronger sense of smell than most others. Her illusion magic allowed her to mask her scent, though she relied on more traditional methods of concealment to remain hidden, in order to avoid magically exhausting herself. She was not quite sure where this Khajiit was going, and by the looks of him, neither did he. By the way he was acting, it seemed as if he either did not know what he was looking for, or he knew, but did not know where exactly it was.

Meanwhile, Meesei managed to spot the Altmer Ahnasha had described. Just as Ahnasha, she too was able to use illusion to suppress her scent, so she did not need to worry about wind direction or using crowds to her advantage, which was fortunate, as the Altmer led her straight back into the city slums. She remained out of sight, using invisibility when necessary, or visual cover. She was able to avoid detectrion from the Altmer, but unfotunately, there were others who took notice of her. As she was waiting around a corner from the Altmer listening to him to make a move, three Dunmer men approached her from the other side. They smelled of sujamma and matze and walked together with looks of anger and disgust on their face.

"What's this lizard doin' in our part of town?" One of the men said, his voice slurred. He stopped in front of her, with the other two moving to surround her.

"More like what's this lizard doin' in our town at all. You're a long way from your swamp, tree-licker. Why don't you just head on back?" Another added.

"No, no, I think she should stay right here." The last one commented, lifting his shirt over his belt to reveal the iror dagger he had hidden underneath. "There's a lot we can do with our own lizard."

Meesei maintained a perfectly calm composure, but anger was growing within her, not because of the ignorant comments of a group of drunken fools, but because they were keeping her from her target. Right now, the Altmer was either getting away from her, or being attracted to the commotion. Either option would not be good. She needed to settle this, quickly. "I will warn you that you are making a mistake. Just. Walk. Away." Meesei said, her tone forceful.

The drunken group laughed, while the Dunmer to her right drew his dagger before turning his expression to a glare and waving the weapon slowly in front of her threateningly. "Oh, the lizard thinks its tough? Make us."

Meesei sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Very well."

[Muttonhawk]

"Lorag, where do you think-" Fendros was stopped by Lorag's hand covering his mouth. "Shut up for a sec, would ya?" Lorag muttered almost inaudibly. Likely at a level impossible to hear for any passers-by. They had followed the other pair of lycans for a few minutes, trying to keep up with them amongst the people who hadn't yet returned to their homes for the day. Lorag spotted an opportunity in an alleyway near to the group and waved for Fendros to follow as he ducked behind the alley wall and listened around the corner. The pair they were following had slowed their pace and they were walking while talking. There was a small window of opportunity where Lorag listened in.

"Should we even bother with the gate guards? We can't be sure that they'll just arrest us for trying to pay them for information." The Redguard asked.

"I was just thinking the same thing," the Bosmer replied, "Halmar can ask the guards himself if he's so lax about it. We should just head to the meeting spot and if no one has found out anything, then we can risk asking those bonemold-clad uptights."

"Hold on a moment..."

"What is it?"

Lorag and Fendros both held their breath, if there was a sudden unwelcome gust of wind, it could compromise them on the spot.

"... Nothing. There are so many lycans in this city now you'd think they're marking their territory with how the wind is starting to smell. Let's go."

The voices faded as the two continued on their way. "Probably not the smartest thing to do in this weather, let's not do that again," Lorag said quietly after enough distance was between them and their targets.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei stepped out from the alleyway, wiping the blood from her claws. It had been over quick, but not quick enough. The Altmer had evidently not decided to investigate the source of the noise. Perhaps the thought drunken brawls were common in the slums, which they likely were. Nevertheless, he had escaped her sight. She searched the area and could find his scent, but in a city, scents became so mixed and diluted that it was difficult to track them for long, especially considering that lycans had been in the city for some time. Meesei spread her search for the Altmer outward, but every moment that passed reduced the chances of finding him. Vos might not have been the largest city in Tamriel, but it was large enough that she couldn't simply guess where he was going. Meesei could only hope the others were having more luck than herself.

Ahnasha had confirmed that the Cathay was definitely lost. At first he had been somewhat subtle in his movements, but now he was just leaning around every corner, into every alleyway. Unlike most Khajiit, the Cathay-raht, were not known for their agility or subtlety, and they were prohibitively large for anything other than a direct approach. She almost wanted to give up on the Khajiit until he finally decided to walk down one of the alleyways he approached. Curious, Ahnasha ran over and peered around the corner in complete silence, due to the effects of her muffle spell. She could not see clearly around the Cathay's large body, but he was just starting to talk to someone who appeared to be wearing old, torn clothes that were practically rags. A strange sight in the wealthy district. Interesting. She thought.

[Muttonhawk]

Ghosting the Bosmer and the Redguard continued on a more direct path. Fendros and Lorag kept even more distance as they followed as the number of pedestrians thinned around them. By their own caution, and by a proportion of luck, they followed the two to a spot obscured by a few surrounding buildings. The buildings surrounded the local well of the district in a tiny square. Judging by the pair stopping and waiting there, this was likely going to be the meeting place. Waiting around at close proximity was not going to be an option, so Fendros and Lorag had to situate themselves across the street from one of the alleys into the square, keeping under the shady eaves out the front of what appeared to be a closed cobblers shop. The low light hid them well enough, and they could peer into the alleyway to see what the rival pack would do, but they had to strain to hear anything.

There was no activity for a while. The only thing they could see was the Redguard occupying himself by rolling a septim coin over the top of his hand and talking occasionally with the Bosmer, who was out of their sightline. The topics of conversation weren't really relevant to the hunt itself, more to do with recalling some kind of troll hunt. It made Fendros realise just how many similarities he spotted with their tones toward each other and that of his own pack. They had different personalities, sure, but the resemblance was uncanny. "I hope we weren't being watched like this, or are still," Fendros whispered.

It was then that Fendros detected a new smell in the area. It had traces of something he recognised. "Is that...?" Fendros started.

"Hey Janius," Lorag whispered casually. Some footsteps sounded behind Fendros and he turned around with his hand on his sword. He relaxed as Janius raised a hand, then put a finger to his lips to quiet them all. As they stood and watched, another member of the rival pack marched into the alleyway that lead to the meeting square. A woman, an Imperial, or a Nord, Fendros couldn't tell from this distance. She was tall and strongly built, wore leather and mail armour and a large sword in a sheath across her back. "Quite the looker, isn't she? A shame that we're rivals." Janius whispered with a smile.

The Redguard and the Bosmer greeted the tall woman with familiarity. From what could be gleaned from their words, the woman had thought she found an informant, who then tried to run with her money. She hunted the informant down and found out that he knew nothing before she knocked him out. Or did she kill him? Fendros missed that part.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha listened in on the conversation, peering ever so slightly around the corner to get a look at the pair. The old man the Cathay was speaking to was some type of human, perhaps Imperial or Breton, with thick grey hair and a bushy, unkempt grey beard. He looked up at the Khajiit with a sort of haze over his eyes and a slight grin over his face.

"Oh, now this is a sight I haven't seen before: a big cat!. How exciting! What does the big cat want with me?" The human said, with small laughs dotting his sentences.

The Cathay did not seem nearly as amused as the old man, returning a serious expression. "Do not play games, you should know of this one. A few weeks ago, our associates spoke with a few of your...friends, regarding some information. You offered to sell the information, and we took some time to decide. We wish to take the deal."

The old man cackled for a few moments before finally giving his response. "Yes, yes, I was told about a big cat I might be meeting...but how do I know that you are the right big cat? What's the password?"

"Password? We were given no such information. However, we have been here for weeks, and this one has not seen a single other Cathay-raht in the city. There are none others here besides this one." The Khajiit said, obviously annoyed.

"Weeks? Ha! I've been here half my life. I might as well be a Dark Elf. Oh, I wonder if...never mind. Not important." The Human retorted, his voice and mannerisms beginning to hint at some mental instability.

The Cathay-raht crossed his arms and glared at the man. "So, you've been here for years. Have you ever seen a Cathay-raht before a few weeks ago?"

"Big cats like you? Nope."

" So you admit that this one is the only Cathay-raht in the city?"

"Yep,"

"Then will you give us the information?"

"No."

"How does that make any sense?" The Khajiit asked, now yelling with visible anger.

The old man gave a dismissing wave to the Khajiit and stood up slowly from where he was sitting. "You see, I know that there was only one big cat in the city. But, how do I know that you don't know that I know that? You could use the fact that you know I know it to trick me into thinking you're the one I know I saw, even when you know that you're not the one I know." He said, making motions with his hands as if they were actually helpful.

The Khajiit cocked his head to the side and stared at the man for a few moments. "...what?"

The man let out a sight, genuinely disappointed that the Khajiit did not understand. "Look, no password, no information."

The Cathay, obviously still confused, took a few steps back and put his hands up in front of himself. "Just...you were told to expect a Cathay-raht, correct? A 'big cat'."

"Yeah."

"You know you had never seen one of my kind until a few weeks ago."

"Indeed"

"You know you were told to meet someone meeting this one's exact description."

"Quite."

"With how far Vos is from the Khajiit homeland, you have to recognize that the odds of another Cathay-raht arriving at the exact same time as us is almost none, right?"

"Probably."

"So will you give the information?"

There was a pause of a few seconds as the man stared up at the Khajiit. "...what's the password?"

Both the Cathay-raht and Ahnasha let out a sigh simultaneously. It seemed this was going to be a long conversation.

[Muttonhawk]

Yet more time passed. Lorag, Fendros and Janius remained still, but vigilant. There wasn't much more information to be had from eavesdropping it seemed, as the pack they watched passed the time with their own idle conversations. Occasionally, they would rhetorically ask why other members were taking so long and wishing they could get going, Fendros found himself agreeing with them somewhat.

Some movement heralded more activity. From the far side alley of the square, Fendros could see a shadow. The pack looked towards it and greeted it by name. As the shadow revealed itself, it appeared to be a well tanned Imperial man. He didn't look especially remarkable in his plain clothing and dagger on his belt, but he arrived with an accomplished look. This member of the pack had better luck gathering information by the sound of it. Fendros' fellow eavesdroppers noticed, and became so quiet that they almost held their breath while they listened.

"... talked to the bard who plays at the Sleepy Scamp, you remember he sung a song of a great hunter passing by in the wilds? I was able to convince him... through various means... to recount his experience."

"Did you succeed?"

"It's not much, but I found out that he had his encounter north and east of here, about three hours travel on foot. He saw the Orc himself shoot an arrow into a great beast, probably a lycan. As you can probably tell, not many people believe him."

"What was that bard doing so far from the city?"

"It's sketchy, he said he was to meet a beautiful Dunmer maiden out there that he had met earlier that week, but he never caught sight of her from that day forward."

"It sounds to me like that bard was bait."

"Did you get anything else from the bard?"

"He mentioned that the Orc had four other hunters accompanying him. Three men and a mer. He didn't seem to remember any more than their silhouettes, or the brown veils they wore across their faces."

"There's got to be more than that."

"Yeah, but at least it's something. We'll see what the others find out. Oh yeah, and Halmar, we decided it was too risky to ask the guards, they might not like bribery."

"What? but they see everything that comes in and out of the gates, I say it'll be worth it..."

An argument escalated from that point about asking the guards, but otherwise, the situation was good. They hadn't been spotted listening in yet, and they had some information to boot. Fendros didn't think that the hideout would be so close to the city, but then again, the bard didn't seem to mention a hideout.

Now they had four, there were only three more to arrive. It would soon be so dark that the the light of the moons would be their only confirmation of new arrivals.

[EliteCommander]

After what seemed like an eternity, the Cathay-raht managed to convince the old man to divulge his information. Evidently, the password he was looking for was simply "password." Once the Khajiit handed over the payment, the man informed him of a camp to the northeast of the city which could hold their target. The Cathay was all too eager to leave, along with Ahnasha. She hid herself away while the Khajiit exited the alley, then shadowed him as she had before.

Meesei could not determine where the Altmer had gone and was forced to abandon her search. Enough time had passed that the others in the rival clan had either found information, or were returning to their own meeting point. Hopefully, Lorag and Fendros had been able to track one of the lycans, as they were the only ones she could easily locate. Taking the enchanted bone necklace from her satchel, she clutched it tightly in her hand and allowed it to guide her in the direction of her pack member. She was, of course, cautious in this process and payed close attention to the people around her. It would be unwise for her to openly approach Lorag and Fendros while they were stalking the other lycans, after all. She continued to mask her scent via illusion and eventually grew close enough that she spotted the rival clan. Remaining out of sight, she used the necklace to hone in exactly on Lorag and quietly joined their group.

After a short time, the Altmer leader and another of the rival pack joined with the rest of the group and exchanged the information they had gathered. It seemed as if the leader had little luck in his search, but the others had gained some indication that the Orc's camp lay to the northeast. The last of their pack took quite a while to arrive, well after nightfall, but when the Cathay-raht returned, he confirmed their suspicions, producing a rough map that indicated the approximate location of the Orc's camp. Now, there was nothing stopping their rivals from leaving in search of their quarry.

Ahnasha followed the Cathay back to his pack and hid herself around the corner in the shadows, under the influence of a chameleon spell. All of the lycans she had observed earlier were present, so it was pretty much a guarantee that at least some of her own pack members were nearby as well, watching from the shadows. She could not catch their scent on the wind, though it would not exactly be a good thing if she could. Still, it would be easy enough to locate them. All she would need to do would be to watch the city gates after the rival pack left the city. Her friends would need to pass through the gate at some point.

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei joined the stakeout from a similar approach to Janius, to it came as less of a surprise to Fendros. More of the rival pack gathered. The Altmer, the apparent leader, was filled in on what the Imperial had discovered while they waited for the final member to arrive.

It was so dark that Fendros didn't immediately recognise the large final member as a Khajiit. He was a giant in comparison to any other Khajiit he had seen, but he still had a tail and a Khajiit head. That must have been one of the different breeds that Ahnasha mentioned, Fendros thought. The large Khajiit had a far more precise set of information, information that included a camp location. Fendros exchanged glances with everyone, this was what they were waiting for.

The rival pack almost immediately started to move out. As planned, Lorag shoved off the wall he was leaning against and tailed the rival pack as they moved, he sent the rest of the pack off with a silent wave. Once out of lycan earshot, the rest of the pack started to walk towards the city gate to return to camp. So far the plan was working, except for one thing. "Has anyone spotted Ahnasha?" Fendros asked gingerly.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha had moved ahead of the rival pack and activated an invisibility spell near the city gate to wait for them to exit. After they passed, Ahnasha remained, watching the road and waiting for her own pack to arrive. Just as she thought, she saw her friends following behind shortly afterwards, far enough from the other pack so as not to be suspicious. They were passing close by her when Fendros asked his question, so she heard clearly enough to understand. She grinned slightly. It was no surprise to her that Fendros was the one to bring up his worries first.

Maintaining her invisibility, Ahnasha joined with the group and walked up directly beside Fendros. "I haven't, have you?" Ahnasha whispered, dispelling her invisibility as she spoke and giving an almost inaudible chuckle.

The group had been forced to wait for a considerable amount of time before exiting the city walls in order to avoid being seen by the rival pack. As a result, they were well out of sight by this point, but fortunately, their scent trail was very much fresh. Without the city to dilute their scents, they would much more reasonably be able to follow it. Meesei nodded to Lorag once they were out of sight of the gate guards and he split from the group to track the other pack. Once the rest of them returned to the camp to arm themselves and collect Sabine, they would be able to use Meesei's enchanted necklace to regroup with Lorag, who hopefully would have found the rival pack by that point.

[Muttonhawk]

Suddenly sensing Ahnasha right next to him shocked Fendros for a moment, but it turned into a small laugh. He didn't need to worry at all. "You were waiting to do that, weren't you?" Fendros accused her with a grin. Fendros didn't even catch on to her scent until she revealed herself, she could have been following them the entire time.

Apart from the guards at the gate eying the pack on their way out, yet another group of travelers leaving the city during the night, there was no trouble on their way back to the camp. Once away from the walls, Janius felt that is was safe to talk. "So, what has everyone found out? The lady I tracked just killed a beggar when I found her, and judging by what we heard at the meeting spot, she didn't accomplish much else."

"Lorag and I followed two of them through the city. Through the markets and the not quite as wealthy residential district, I believe. I think we came by them after they finished with their leads. Not much else," Fendros added, "we were the first at the meeting though. I think Janius saw as well, the first to mention the camp in the north-west was that Imperial man. The rest of you likely heard what he had to say when he recounted it to the Altmer."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha laughed along with Fendros, though as they were leaving the city, she realized something that caused her to be a bit surprised with herself. Being around Fendros made her act...differently than normal. At any other time, there was no way she would start joking with the others during a mission, even in the most innocent or harmless fashion. When it was time to be serious, she was always serious, and yet she had broken her own rules without even realizing it. Honestly, she rather liked that being around Fendros could put her so at ease, but she needed to be careful not to let it cloud her judgement. After all, this was a serious mission with serious consequences. She needed to be at her best.

Meesei listened to the others give their accounts of what their targets had discovered, which had thankfully been more helpful than what she had managed to do, though it was nothing she had not gathered from the conversation they overheard. "As you heard before, the Altmer learned nothing. I tracked him for a while, but was beset by a group of drunken vagrants as I was following him. I dealt with them, but lost the Altmer in the process."

"I followed the Cathay-raht. He ended up talking to an old and...mentally questionable human. They ended up talking in circles for a while before the human gave him anything useful. Honestly, I do not know why they are trusting the information he gave them. The Khajiit did mention that he had spoken to some of the Human's friends, so perhaps he was part of a larger group? They might know more about him than we do...or at least they might believe they do. Who knows who in that city is in the pocket of our quarry. They could be heading into a trap." Ahnasha added.

[Muttonhawk]

"True. Hopefully it is sprung before we're the ones to fall into it," Janius said as they approached the camp.

Runt was sitting near the fire heating something in a small dish, but her head shot up once she heard the pack approaching. Instantly, she got up, ran over to Meesei and almost tackled her over with a hug. "Did you stay away from her?" Runt whimpered into Meesei's chest. Runt clutched her so tight it was as if she thought that her alpha had just returned from death. There was an awkward pause from the rest of the pack, complete with a few exchanged glances. Runt usually avoided physical contact as much as she could, but these past couple of days had continued to show a new kind of anxiety from her.

"I'll... I'll go and get ready" Fendros said, breaking off from the situation. He was unsure of exactly how he could help in that situation, but he doubted standing around and gawping was going to make Runt any calmer.

Janius followed suit, though without any words. He was still curious what might have happened to make Runt so terrified of one apothecary. A few theories whirled around his mind, but he didn't pay them more heed than the current mission.

[EliteCommander]

"I did not see her, nor did I seek her out." Meesei answered truthfully, allowing Sabine to hug her for a few moments before she finally let go. "We have something much more pressing to deal with right now, however. We located a rival pack who are currently on their way to finding our quarry as we speak. Lorag is following them right now. Gather whatever you need quickly, we cannot afford to delay."

Meesei immediately moved on to preparing herself, not allowing the conversation to continue partially to avoid speaking about the apothecary, and partially because what she was saying was true. They needed to return to Lorag, and they needed to do so quickly. If they kept up at least a jogging pace for most of the way, they should be able to catch up. Each of the pack members gathered what weapons, armor, or supplies they would need in a fight. Meesei and Ahnasha changed into their normal attire, while Sabine distributed the proper types of potions to everyone. Everyone received at least one health and stamina potion, while Meesei and Ahnasha also received a magicka potion. She gave Janius an agility-enhancing potion, and Fendros a potion that would enhance attributes that aided in marksmanship. She kept others which would be useful in her own bag and would distribute them when needed.

Once her preparations were complete, Meesei stood at the edge of camp, grasping the bone necklace in her hand. The range on the enchantment was not unlimited, but Lorag was still close enough that she could still get a sense of direction from it, albeit a bit weaker. She turned back to the others and looked over the group. "Is everyone ready? We will need to keep up a quick pace to catch them."

[Muttonhawk]

Runt, after letting Meesei go, nodded at her new orders, somewhat consoled. If anything, she seemed more relieved at putting distance between herself and Vos.

Fendros hurried to don his Chitin armour over the top of the clothes he already wore. It would be a shame if it was to be damaged if he had to transform, but he didn't have time to modify it to fall off if that were to happen. With his sword, shield, bow, and quiver of arrows, he stood ready. Runt handed him a potion that she only described as to 'help you shoot straighter', and he wasn't sure whether he should be offended or thankful, but in the end he figured that he would need all the help he could get.

Janius also rushed to put on his armour and equip himself. With his axe and shield he would be using less magic than Meesei and Ahansha, so he didn't complain that Runt had prepared a potion to make him a little faster rather than something for his magicka.

After handing out the potions she had prepared, Runt shouldered her bag and left her cloak behind this time. With her frailty, she was likely going to stay away from the front line, instead making herself useful by scouting, or by tending to wounds, or handing out extra potions if needed. Of course, if it came to it, she could easily transform and at least harass the enemy.

Feeling as many parts fearful as excited, Fendros stood ready with them all. He shot a quick smile over to Ahnasha to reassure both of them, then looked to Meesei, "Let's go."

The pace set was not so strenuous, but it was enough for Fendros to feel like he wasn't as aware of his surrounding to be comfortable. He suspected that things would be easier once they caught up with Lorag, but if these hunters had illusion skills like Ahnasha, then trouble could come from anywhere.

[EliteCommander]

The group kept up a steady pace until Meesei's necklace indicated they were growing close enough to Lorag to warrant slowing down. They moved cautiously and quietly until they spotted Lorag, then fell in behind him to follow his lead. He pointed out the faint silhouettes of the other pack in the distance, which allowed Meesei to take over the lead. It was easy enough to keep up, as the rival pack was moving cautiously...or at least they thought they were.

The rival pack had been following the map given to them by their contact, but when they reached the final location it pointed them to, they located the hunters in a way they never would have wanted. The other pack was between two hills when the ambush started. Without warning, blindingly bright balls of magelight emerged from the forest and landed near them, completely obscuring their view of their attackers. Lycans were able to see more easily in the dark than other mortals, with the exception of Khajiit, who they were on par with, but that meant that they were also more susceptible to drastic changes in light levels. Before the lycans could even move, the hunters ignited two walls of flame erupted ahead of and behind them, which were thick enough to prevent escape. The only ways for them to move now were up the hills on either side, towards the hunters. Then, came the arrows.

Meesei and the rest of her pack were laying on the ground, peering over a nearby hill out of sight. A wall of flames blocked their view somewhat, but they could see well enough to know what was going on. Meesei could hear the distinctive sound of crossbows emanate from the forest on both sides of the rival pack. A barrage of bolts came down on the pack, who had only recovered and were preparing to fight back. The Redguard was killed almost immediately by a bolt through his chest, which Meesei could only assume was made of silver. Others were struck in non lethal areas, but they were just as debilitated. Meesei could make out the faint outlines of ropes attached to the bolts, which were tied to trees on either side. If the lycans tried to move, especially if they had been hit from both sides, it would rip out the bolt, causing further damage. They would be forced to cut the ropes, which would serve a brief, but deadly distraction. The werewolf hunters were intelligent and calculating in their prioritization of targets. The lycans with ranged weapons and spells were targeted first, even if they were too blinded to shoot back accurately, while the hunters with destruction magic fired spells of flame and frost at the lycans with armor too thick to penetrate with bolts, such as the Cathay-raht.

The attack happened quickly, but even so, the Altmer leader managed to reorient himself and charge up one of the hills, shouting for the others to follow while using his shield to block bolts, arrows, and spells. Just as it seemed he might reach the top, a loud crashing sound rang out and a line of logs came tumbling down the hill ahead of him. He tried to move out of the way, but unfortunately was unsuccessful. He was tripped up by the first log, then crushed and sent rolling down the hill by the following ones. He and a few other of the surviving lycans began their transformations as a last-ditch effort to survive, but their fate seemed grim. Meesei could see the faint outlines of hunters emerging from the forest to finish off their weakened foes while they were vulnerable.

Ahnasha could hardly stand the sight of the slaughter before her. Even if the other pack were rivals, they were not enemies. They were all competing towards the same goal, for the same master, so she couldn't bear just to let them die. "Meesei, we need to do something. We can't just let them be killed like animals." She pleaded.

Meesei did not like the idea either. She wanted nothing more than to save their fellow hunters of Hircine, but unfortunately, that did not seem to be an option. "No, we cannot. As much as I want to, we might just end up in their trap as well. Besides, we have no guarantee the Orc is with this particular group. If we cannot track them back to their camp, we may never find him." She responded regretfully. Ahnasha nodded and lowered her head, unable to watch the slaughter any longer.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros had expected there to be a trap. Like any good trap, it came out of nowhere. Fire, frost, arrows, ropes, rolling logs, none of it was quite as terrifying as what it wrought; a seven-strong pack of werewolves in such a position of hopelessness. It was almost too much to bear, but he tried his best not to let it bother him. Hearing words exchanged beside him, Fendros took note that even Ahnasha could not stand the sight of it. Fendros put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her and silently prayed that the hunters didn't have a similar gambit while they would follow them. Janius glared on silently, not giving away whether he was angered or calculating, likely both. Runt was the same as ever.

"We're in their territory now, everyone keep an eye out for traps." Janius reminded them almost needlessly.

"I can hardly make the hunters out against that light," Fendros said, "how many of them are there?"

With the ambush quickly over, Fendros observed the hunters begin to collect their arrows and haul the corpses back, tying their arms and legs to wooden poles as if they were deer. Judging by the shapes of their weapons, it looked like they used crossbows predominantly. Must be faster to aim and fire than a bow and arrow, Fendros thought, I'd bet the arrowheads are silver as well. When the hunting party had packed up and started moving out, the pack crept behind them to follow. Fendros kept his eyes in as many places as he could as they progressed, but predominantly on the ground for tripwires, pressure plates, magic runes and other traps. The scent they got from the ambush sight was distinct to track the hunters, but as they progressed it got weaker, as if it was being masked by the scent of the flora around them. If they weren't already looking for the hunters, they would likely have not been able to even notice their smell had they come across their trail by coincidence. "Water and crushed plants," Runt explained quietly, "they are pouring it over their tracks."