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

[Muttonhawk]

Walking around and inspecting the area around the dead lycan yielded no immediate finds, save for a single rivet from Fendros' leather armour and a few threads from his clothing. Meesei's suggestion to take a trophy from the dead beast seemed inappropriate to him, savage even. He was about to shout out in denial of stooping to the level of an uncivilized brute, but short of clenching his fists, he just couldn't find the energy. Fendros instead took a breath and replied, "I think the memory was horrible enough to remember on my own." Thinking back to yesterday, Fendros touched his hand to the exposed, but mostly healed scars that the claws before him had rendered. Even past these scars, I'll be remembering this on my dying day. As the sun moved over a particular spot in the undergrowth, Fendros detected a bright glint in the corner of his eye. On the grass nearby, he found his sword, encrusted in dried blood. He approached it and picked it up. To his dismay, Fendros saw some faint lines of rust that had formed on the edge of where the blood was. He would have to clean it off and oil it, he hoped the pack had the necessities.

Fendros then followed Meesei's lead of his blood trail. It wasn't long before they found more scraps of torn leather and clothing. Under some dirt, Fendros found his shield, its handles in need of repair but otherwise intact. Nearby were his spilled lunch pouch that the local wildlife had fed upon, his bow, string broken, and his quiver, a few arrows had spilled out and the shoulder strap was torn like his shield's handle. Fendros' belt must have hung onto his body for longer, as they had to hike further along the blood trail to find it, but it still carried his knife, his scabbard, and his water skin. Tracking a little further only found more scraps of leather armour, but it was hardly worth keeping most of it.

Now Fendros had his bearings, he knew the direction of home. He felt he had more control now, even if he wouldn't escape. "I think that's everything. I'm glad I was able to salvage this much." Fendros said, looking at the hilt of his sword and the Avarul crest etched onto it. At least this will remind me of home...

[EliteCommander]

Following the trail of blood was easy enough, and Meesei had to admit that Fendros did have a good eye for detail. He seemed to be able to spot his belongings in the foliage almost as well as she could, to the point that he actually managed to find all of his belongings, by his own admission. His clothing and leather armor had of course been destroyed, but many of his weapons and much of his equipment was salvageable. Granted, much of it was in bad condition, and she did not know if Fendros had the knowledge to repair it himself, though she supposed it did not matter, as Lorag would be able to make it all twice as good as it had ever been, with the proper tools.

Once Fendros was satisfied with what he had recovered, Meesei nodded to him. "Good, then we are done with everything I had planned to do today with you. Come, let us return to camp." She said, motioning for him to follow. She had walked back and forth between this area and camp several times that day, so she knew her way back quite quell by this point. The two remained mostly in silence on the way back, with Meesei running through her evaluation of the boy in her mind. Lorag had mentioned his parents were owners of a vineyard, which meant he was likely used to wealth. This did not bode well for his ability to adapt to the wilds, but then again, Janius had endured the same transition. Perhaps his experiences could help this Dunmer shake off the influence Imperial society had and bring him closer to the pack. Before being damaged, at least, his weapons appeared to be of good quality, so that meant he either used them enough to warrant the quality, or his family simply had the wealth to spare to buy them. Either one seemed likely at this point, though Fendros had managed to kill a werewolf himself, which did speak to his skill.

The pair arrived back in camp after about another half hour of walking. It was not yet noon, so most of the day was ahead of them, but now was not quite the time to start the boy's training. Instead, she simply turned to him to give him her final instruction for the day. "Now, that is the last I will ask of you for today. For now, you can do as you like. In the dark leather bag closest to the fire, you will find an assortment of salted meats: venison, boar, and so on. You are free to take any amount you like, as are all of us. You will find that you can make use of everything in this camp, as it all belongs to all of us. We have no personal belongings here, though it goes without saying that you still may not be wasteful with our resources. There is river just outside camp to the west, if you have need of water, or wish to wash the blood and grime from your body. We have enough food for the moment that we do not need to hunt, so it is likely that all of us will remain in camp for today. If you have any questions about me, I will answer anything and everything; I have no secrets to hide from my brothers and sisters, yourself included. You may do the same with the others, though they may not all be as forthcoming. Regardless of what you choose, today is your day to rest and relax. Enjoy it, because you will not likely get the same opportunity again for quite some time."

[Muttonhawk]

At the mention of food, Fendros had to admit that he was feeling hungry. After picking a spot to lay down his belongings, he looked in the aforementioned bag of food. Fendros was surprised to find that the different meats had not been separated, hardly sanitary. He was too hungry to immediately care, though. He reached in and pulled out what appeared to be a venison leg with much of the meat already cut off, but still enough for a meal. Over the campfire, there was an unused spit that Fendros decided to use to cook the meat. At least he knew how to do this much. Occasionally cooking fowls over a campfire while hunting earned him at least some experience with spit-roasting.

Not even five minutes into cooking the venison, Lorag approached. "This looks about done!" He said, before grabbing a rag and taking the spit off the frame without Fendros' permission. Fendros stood up, "What do you think you're doing?!" He said, "That meat isn't cooked yet, and I picked it out for my-..." As if Fendros had said nothing, Lorag bit a chunk out of the venison and handed the spit back to him. "You're going to dry out the meat and ruin it if you cook it any longer." Lorag said between chewing, he swallowed and continued, "Sorry, it just smelled too good. Now are you going to eat it, or am I going to have to take this off your hands again before you learn to appreciate the meat we have."

Fendros was furious, "I-... argh! To you expect me to poison myself? The meat in the bag is mixed together. To eat it so raw is to condemn yourself to vomiting and worse! Have you got that through your thick skull?!" Throughout Fendros' rant, Lorag wore a grin that only grew wider over time. A couple of seconds after Fendros' last sentence, he couldn't help but burst out laughing, he then shook his head and spoke, "Heheh, you talk to me of having a thick skull! I'll let you off this time because you're new, and I'll bet you haven't been told yet. We're werewolves, boy; there are no diseases to us." He began to turn around, "Now eat up. I think it's time I had my own lunch."

Lorag pulled out what seemed to be a chunk of liver and an entire boar leg. When Fendros sat down again, he was amazed to see Lorag start to eat the liver raw. Surely not. He must be telling the truth. Fendros thought. Soon enough, the smell of food attracted Ahnasha, Janius, and even Runt. They all took turns taking out a few pieces of meat, and most of them ate it raw, save for Janius, who was employing the use of the spit that Fendros had just taken his venison off. Fendros was surprised just how communal the meal seemed. All of them had picked out small pieces of flesh or offal, but Lorag and Ahnasha had taken out large legs of meat and were slicing pieces off to hand to everyone. Fendros was offered some of their food, but he stayed chewing on his undercooked venison. It seemed that Lorag did have a good eye, as Fendros' food was probably at the tastiest it ever could have been in terms of cooking. It made him wonder why Lorag didn't cook his meat if he was so good at it.

"Fendros, that was your name, yes?" Janius addressed Fendros, not taking his eyes off his meal "How did you kill that werewolf that attacked you? It must have been quite the fight."

Fendros swallowed his mouthful, he was surprised that any of them would be interested, but then again, these people seemed to value different things to him. "I don't remember much." Fendros said, "It came out of nowhere, knocked me off my horse. I think it was more interested in eating my horse than me. There was no use running, so I shot it in the arm. Probably just annoyed it." Fendros pursed his lips as he felt a tingle down his shoulder again. "I tried to keep a tree between myself and it, it was relentless. I went for its neck while it lunged at me and it didn't make an effort to defend itself. My sword went right through its neck but its claw found me as well. I'm lucky to be alive."

"Hah, if you hadn't regenerated, you'd be dead meat by now, that's for sure. It sounds like that feral almost killed you and saved your life in the same instant!" Janius pointed out.

Fendros didn't immediately respond. He didn't really see how the irony formed outside of a circular argument, but that wasn't important. "How long have you all been werewolves, if I may ask?" Fendros asked them all.

[EliteCommander]

As the others congregated around the center of the camp and partook in the meal, Meesei joined in as well. She avoided the meat that had cooked on the fire and instead took the other half of the liver Lorag had grabbed. In the case of a kill, it was always the custom that the Alpha would eat first, but no such rule existed for stored meats. On the surface, the entire event would likely seem barbaric to one from the civilized world, with most of them ripping enthusiastically into the raw meat with claw, tooth, and nail, giving no attention common Imperial manners. For Meesei, however, meals such as these were beautiful things. They all bonded together over the fruits of their labors, instead of taking only for themselves. Unlike those in the "civilized" world, they did not horde the food for themselves if the others could not pay, they shared the spoils of their kills to keep the entire pack healthy. The strongest hunters did not look down on or disrespect those beneath them, instead preferring to train and improve one another's skills, strengthening the entire unit. Their pack did not abide the selfish nature Imperial culture cultivated, and that, to Meesei, was far more "civilized" than anything towns and cities had ever achieved.

Fendros did seem to at least be comfortable enough to speak to the others, which was a good sign. He was curious about how long they had been werewolves, and Meesei was more than happy to answer. "I have had the gift of the beast blood for eight years, and have led this pack for six. I was a worshipper of Hircine beforehand, and accepted his gift willingly."

Lorag bit off a large chunk of the liver, and did not quite wait to finish before he gave his response. "Nine years for me, though I'm no chosen of Hircine like our Alpha. I was up in Skyrim, fightin' against the Stormcloaks during that war a few years back. Ended up getting it the same way you did. Patrol got ambushed, killed one, got wounded, turned a bit later. You know the drill."

"Lorag was the first member of the pack, other than myself." Meesei added. "He was the first Hircine guide me to find. He is the most experienced warrior among us, and is second to me in both power and rank, until such a time as someone challenges him and takes that title."

Lorag grunted slightly. "Hmph, good luck."

Meesei continued. "My skill with magic grants me greater strength, but his skill with fighting is unquestionable. You would do well to heed his advice, should he give it to you."

Ahnasha finished off her boar leg, then turned her head towards Fendros to give her answer. "Right, and I guess I can teach you some of what I know when it comes to archery." She said, nodding toward his damaged bow. As per her usual, she assumed she had greater skill than Fendros, and would be more than happy to try and prove it. If it somehow happened to be that Fendros could outmatch her with a bow, then Meesei had no doubt she would practice night and day to change that. If there was anything she hated, it was complacency. She was raised in an Imperial city, and though it did reflect in some of her mannerisms, especially her style of speech, she hated everything about that lifestyle and how boring it could be. She always looked to improve herself which, although she was still young, meant she was a contender to rise even beyond Lorag in rank.

"Anyway, I have been a lycan for five years, though I have been hunting in the name of Hircine for most of my life." Ahnasha said proudly.

Lorag stood up and walked over to Ahnasha, chuckling. "Always looking to impress, aren't ya? Why, I remember when you first came scurrying into our camp. Such a young and energetic little...kittenpuppy. Ah, but you've grown since then, yes you have, yes you have." He said with a laugh, rubbing her head like a housecat. She hissed in response, leading to round of laughter from a few of the others, even Meesei.

"I was in my seventeenth year when I came to you. I was hardly a 'kittenpuppy', I was a catdog...wait, no! Cat...I mean, Khajiit!" She said, stammering over her words and regretting it all immediately. Lorag could do nothing but laugh heavily in response.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros couldn't help but smile a bit while everyone laughed. Everyone seemed friendly enough.

Janius was the next to speak. "I've only been a lycan for about two years. I'd lived in Bravil beforehand. Didn't like it at first, got turned under duress from Meesei." He lifted the spit from the fire and began to eat, "Once I got used to it, I realised that my new family was worth it." He began to eat. "Judging by your equipment over there, you use the sword and shield some. Maybe we could spar together, swap some advice." Fendros didn't return Janius' grin. He couldn't really know why Janius was so happy to be part of the pack.

After a pause, Fendros looked over at Runt, who was eating a boar shank with both hands, her knees close up to her chest. "What about you, Runt? What's your story?" Runt stopped eating and looked at Fendros for a moment, but returned to her food without a word. "She doesn't talk much." Ahnasha said, "She's been with us for about a year and a half. A talented girl, especially with medicine and poison." Fendros found this odd, but didn't express it. He asked Ahnasha further, "Does she have a proper name?" Ahnasha looked over to Runt, waiting for her to answer that question, when she apparently wouldn't, Ahnasha looked back to Fendros and opened her mouth to speak when Runt's small voice was heard. "Sabine." Ahnasha sighed, partly with annoyance, partly with pity, "She also does that as well."

"The name 'Runt' stuck before she decided to start talking," Lorag mentioned. After finishing his final mouthful, which he had reached long before Fendros had thought to keep track of the speed he was eating at, Lorag went over to Fendros' belongings and picked up his sword. Lorag inspected the sword and started walking away with it, Fendros shot up and followed him. "Wait, what are you doing?" Fendros asked with a concerned tone. "I'm going to clean and touch up your sword, what does it look like?" Lorag stopped and turned around, holding the flat of the sword across Fendros' eyeline, "I hate to see good steel like this go to waste. We have precious enough as it is." Lorag turned again and continued, waving a hand behind him to dismiss Fendros, "Don't worry about it, I'm a professional orc, you'll get it back better than new." Lorag stopped in his tracks to say one more thing, "And go wash yourself kid, you still stink of that feral you slew."

Defeated again, Fendros walked back to the campfire. "Meesei, if I may. This is probably a foolish question, but do you make use of soap and towels here? Lorag just notified me of the smell of the dead feral werewolf, that I only just recognised."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei looked up to Fendros from her place on a log next to the fire just as she was finishing the last of her meal. He was indeed correct that it was a foolish question, but she could not fault him for asking it. "In a word, no. We have troll fat that could be used for that purpose, but we prefer that Sabine use it in her alchemy, and we would rather not soak the furs we use to keep ourselves warm on cold nights. Just take a swim in the river, the water alone should suffice for your purposes, then dry yourself in the sun."

Meesei stood up and grabbed the waterskin that was attached to the leather strip that served as her, then took a drink to finish off its contents. "Come, I will take you to the river. I need to refill my waterskin anyway." She said, walking off to the west and motioning for him to follow. It was not far at all to the river. In fact, the only reason it was not visible from camp was because there were a few trees blocking the line of sight. She knelt down next to the flowing water and dunked her waterskin into the river to refill it. The water was decently clear, and just deep enough to swim in closer to the middle. Such rivers were common enough in Cyrodiil, though they could hardly match the swamps of her own native Black Marsh.

[Muttonhawk]

The water was cool at Fendros' feet as he walked, and started to wade, into the river. He figured he would just scrub himself for a few minutes to get the grime off, but he found he needed to scrub harder to get most of the new smells off his body. Before getting as far as grazing his own skin, Fendros decided that the final scent was probably just a mix of himself and the river water. I hope slaughterfish haven't wandered into this water, Fendros thought as he cleansed himself. When he was nearly done his eyes wandered down the river. He stood and watched the light dance on the ripples that the wind made. Why did Hircine decide I was worth keeping alive? What is his charge in life that he needs some Dunmer vintner's son? Fendros sat down in the water with his head and shoulders still over the surface, They'll come looking for me in a couple of days. I don't know what I'm going to do. Under the protection of some savage lizard shaman, I suppose that's my life now... Fendros closed his eyes and felt the river water rise and fall on his skin. I never learned Daedric lore in detail, but maybe I can bargain with this 'Lord of the Hunt', Hircine. If I even get to speak with him. It might just be reserved for the alpha-lizard.

Fendros decided to hold onto that last thought. It was a direction to go at least. Some kind of ambition. He got up and walked out of the water, before finding a large rock to sit on and wait to dry off, "Meesei, how much do you know about Hircine? Why did he want you to find me?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei laid herself down by the edge of the water, enjoying the head of the sun bearing down on her. Perhaps in a while she would opt for a swim, but for the moment she was content in her relaxation. Cyrodiil occupied an awkward place for her in terms of its natural environment. Its beasts were not quite as dangerous as those found in the marsh, so it was harder to locate truly worthy prey. Additionally, while it was adequately warm for her tastes in the daytime, the night was annoyingly cool. Overall, the province was just slightly suboptimal, but it would have to be good enough as, for the moment, it seemed that Hircine wished for her to remain there.

Meesei glanced over to Fendros when he addressed her. She grinned slightly, as this was a topic she was very pleased he was asking about. "I know a good deal about the lord of the Hunt. I would think you already know the basics. His domain is the wilds and, of course, hunting. Beyond that, his gift to our world is lycanthropy, though werewolves are not the only lycans in existence. Werebears, werecrocodiles, wereboars, and werevultures are all have different variants of the beast blood. Werewolves are simply the most common. Generally, Hircine is pleased by sacrifices made in his name, specifically of a hunter's prey. Particularly strong or rare creatures can gather his attention more directly. It is said that there are certain unique creatures in the world that a hunter can slay to be granted an audience with Hircine directly. I have never had the fortune of speaking to him in this manner, but I have contacted him through more indirect means. It is how I know he wanted me to find you. As for why he wanted me to do this, I do not know exactly why. Our lord is an enigmatic being. He is no different from other Daedra in that regard. The reason he wanted me to find you is because you will strengthen our pack, but he did not say how or why you would be able to do this."

[Muttonhawk]

"I suppose that makes sense." Fendros said under his breath. I should have known that a Daedric Prince would only talk if you nudge their domain hard enough. Fendros thought, It's not like anyone in my family talked to Azura on a regular basis.

Fendros continued to sit in the sun, pondering. "Has anyone in the pack caught game that prompted Hircine to talk to them directly?" Fendros asked. He suspected that it would take more than some bear or stag to impress the patron of hunting as a whole.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded. "Yes, at Hircine's request, Ahnasha hunted and killed a specific minotaur as proof of her dedication to him. As she described it, Hircine appeared in the spectral form of the beast she killed and spoke to her, giving her instructions to seek me out. At the time, I had just begun to form the pack and had only found Lorag. Finding these creatures can be difficult, but it is not impossible. Hircine will sometimes give hints of their locations to aspiring hunters, then from there, the word of their locations can spread in the form of rumors. Still, none of the hunts are simple by any means. Either the creature will be strong and dangerous to kill, or exceptionally difficult to track. If you speak to Hircine directly, then you have certainly earned the right." She explained.

[Muttonhawk]

Something to think about in the long term, then, Fendros noted to himself, looking out at the water again. He sat virtually in silence while he dried off, which didn't take too long with the weather the way it was. His own smell made him feel as if he would never be clean as long as he was a lycan, but that was just another thing to add to the list of things to get used to.

Once he felt that he was dry enough, Fendros made his way back to the encampment. The rest of the pack had dissipated from around the fire and were attending to their own activities. Watching them all, Fendros found himself at a loss as to what to do. He wasn't strong enough yet to spar or to shoot, like Janius and Ahnasha appeared to be practicing some routines for, he could hear the sound of metal being worked from wherever Lorag had set himself up, but Fendros doubted he would have anything to add, and Fedros couldn't even pretend to know what concoction Runt was mixing up.

Fendros' eyes found the equipment that he had retrieved earlier in the day, some of it was damaged, and much of it was dirty. He decided that he would spend the rest of the day cleaning and maintaining his equipment. In the end he repaired his belt and its accessories, making sure to use the same technique as he was taught making his loincloth to make sure that his belt wouldn't break again if he transformed. This time, he was more careful with the blade he used. Apart from occasionally asking his new packmates where certain resources were kept, there wasn't much interaction. Fendros suspected that they could tell that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Once he was all done, it was past sunset, and everyone was preparing to retire for the night.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei remained where she was as Fendros returned back to camp, content with relaxing for a while longer. There was nothing more she needed to do for the day, as she already had her plan of what to do the next day. She would go to sleep a bit earlier that night, so that she could wake just before the sun began to rise. Fendros' training for the next day would begin with a lesson in using his lycan form effectively. It was about time they replenished some of their food reserves, so it would be an excellent opportunity to go for a hunt with Fendros. It would allow her to go over basic motor control and how to effectively use his senses to track prey, as well as offering a useful lesson in how to properly skin an animal once they were done.

After swimming for a while, Meesei returned to camp and conversed with a few of the others to pass the time until nightfall. She went over with each of them how they intended to to help Fendros over the weeks to come. Other than hunting and training, Meesei had no other plans for the next couple of weeks, as she had been given no further instructions by Hircine. As such, their plans were simply to survive and strengthen themselves for such a time as their lord needed their services. Eventually, it grew late enough for Meesei to retire for the night. Gathering up a few furs to keep her warm during the moderately cool Cyrodilic night, she laid herself down as close to the fire as was safe and drifted off to sleep.

---

As per usual, Meesei's sleep was not particularly restful. For lycans, nightmares were commonplace and they had to sleep longer in order to achieve the same restful effect as normal mortals. It was a disadvantage to the beast blood, but it was one that she had become accustomed to over time. There was a faint glow in the sky to the east, but the sun had yet to crest the mountains to completely illuminate the area, not that it mattered with the strength of a lycan's night vision. Meesei packed away the furs she had used for blankets, then walked over to where Fendros was sleeping and knelt down beside him.

"Wake up, it is time to get to work." Meesei said, grabbing his shoulder and shaking his body. After a quick breakfast, she intended to delve straight into training.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros grumbled as he was shaken awake. He felt just as drowsy as yesterday, even though the sun was dawning behind the mountains. He rose slowly, figuring he would eventually wake up as soon as he walked around enough. Normally at this time at home, Fendros would sit down to whatever had been laid out for breakfast by his mother. They were a well-off family, but adverse to having servants in the house, partly because they wouldn't be Dunmer in cyrodiil, but mostly for the extra cost. This time, however, it was only meat over a campfire. Fendros already began to miss the bread, cheese and and other such things as he chewed on boar racks he had roasted. Without Lorag in the immediate area to stop him, Fendros did a good job of burning the meat, but it was a thick enough piece that at least some of it was edible.

"So, what happens today?" Fendros asked Meesei, the alpha eagerly making quick work of her breakfast.

[EliteCommander]

Since Meesei had no desire to cook her food, she finished her cut of venison not long after Fendros had started on his. They still had enough meat left over for the rest of the day, so the purpose of this hunt would be to help build their reserves.The others were still asleep, though Meesei was not particularly concerned about waking them. Lycans often awoke in the middle of the night due to the restless nature of their beast spirits, so it would be nothing new to them.

"We will essentially be multitasking today. We need to build up our reserves of food, so we will be going on a hunt. This will also serve as an introduction for you to your abilities as a lycan. We will both take on our werewolf forms for this hunt, then I will show you how to use your new abilities. You will need to get used to your enhanced sight and smell, as well as be familiar with the proper strategies for taking down prey. This will not be like hunting with a bow, you will need to run straight up to your target. Most new lycans are not accustomed to their newfound speed and power, and only firsthand experience will solve that. I don't expect you to be an expert by the end of the day, but we will be practicing this for the next few weeks. We won't be delving too far into it today, but the other important aspect of lycanthropy you will need to overcome is the tendency of your beast spirit to take control. When you come across potential prey, or if your beast has not fed in a while, it may transform you against your will. Meditation and understanding of your beast spirit, as well as experience, can minimize that influence, however. As I said, though, we will get to that part later. Now, do you have any more questions before we start?" Meesei asked.

[Muttonhawk]

"I have a couple of questions." Fendros said, wiping the juices of his breakfast from his lips, "Firstly, what are we hunting? And, how do I transform? The last time it was very much beyond my control. In fact, I didn't think I could have any control over the beast." Fendros didn't make much eye contact. If he were frank, then he would admit that he didn't like the idea of transforming again. The last time, it was simply looking through the eyes of a single-minded hunter, ripping and tearing away at whatever it found. It didn't make Fendros any calmer that it was a fact of life for him now. As long as I don't kill anyone... but how would I control that? Fendros thought, Does the beast know where Cheydinhal is? Where the vineyard is?

[EliteCommander]

"We shall hunt whatever we find that can provide sufficient meat: deer, bear, troll, whatever we find." Meesei responded, standing up from her place next to the fire. "As for your transformation, you need not worry about losing control for now. If you enact the transformation yourself, then it is much easier to maintain control. Even a novice such as yourself should be able to control it without issue."

In preparation for her transformation, Meesei walked over to her bedroll and began removing her clothing and jewelry. Just as she had showed Fendros, her belongings were designed with weak points that would cause them to fall apart if she transformed, but that would still require that she put them back together afterwards, so it was preferable to remove them beforehand. After shedding all she was wearing, she walked over to a clear area nearby and looked to Fendros. "Now, to begin the transformation is also no difficult task. I am sure you have some memories of what it was like to be in your beast form, you just need to let it out again. Even now, you should be able to feel the presence of the beast withing you; it is not something that ever goes away completely, even after a feeding. Just concentrate on it, focus. It should become more powerful in your mind, then...just let it do the rest. Do not worry, you will still be in control afterwards." She explained, before beginning her own transformation. Her body started to reshape and reform increasing in size and muscular density. Her scales made way for thick, black fur, her muzzle morphing in shape and her teeth sharpening and growing. While she held no exceptional size or strength (for a lycan) in her normal form, her werewolf form had stature befitting an alpha, a testament to the favor Hircine had placed on her.

"Your turn." Meesei ordered, her voice lower and more menacing.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros couldn't help but furrow his brow questioningly at the mention of hunting trolls for meat. He didn't even know that they were edible. Less of a surprise, but what Fendros quickly realised was to be expected, was when Meesei prepared to transform by stripping down completely and making no effort to cover herself. A nude Argonian just seemed strange to a Dunmer such as Fendros more than anything else, but it would be a waste to just tear clothing apart to transform he supposed.

Before Fendros could remind himself that Meesei was just a savage anyway, the next few moments released a form far more savage than anything he had ever seen before. Meesei didn't yell in pain like Fendros had done as she her body contorted and morphed into its werewolf form, testament to her experience. What shocked Fendros into staggering back a couple of steps was how she took a form much larger than the creature he had slain before. Meesei was an alpha in strength as well. Nothing was left in her visage that hinted of her Argonian form.

Fendros stood agape for several moments before the words that the alpha had uttered were processed in his mind. "Right... er..." Fendros looked around himself and found his pile of belongings, he walked up to it and slipped off the loincloth he had made, with his back to the alpha. Without facing her he closed his eyes and tried to breathe, listening in his mind for the beast that had taken over him two nights before. It didn't take long before he felt its anger and determination lingering in a corner of his mind. Just as Meesei had said, Fendros concentrated on the beasts, slowly inviting it out. It started off slow, but as if the creature pounced onto the rest of his mind, he was taken completely. Before he knew it, he was morphing back into his lycan form. He still felt pain as his body transformed, but he felt as if he was more prepared for it, knowing what to expect. When he opened his eyes, he looked down at his hands and found two large, grey, fur-covered hands in his regular hands' place, each finger with a long black claw grown from their ends.

Immediately, Fendros felt like running off, chasing something. He almost did, but he could feel the gaze of Meesei transfixing him in place. Meesei seemed to be serving as an anchor for Fendros' mind. He felt as if he has direct control this time, he felt as if he was keeping his beast somewhat pacified for now. Perhaps it was still tired. Fendros tried to speak, but the words only came out in wheezes and growls. After a little while, he learned how to move his new tongue and tried to articulate some words, "Now?..... Hunnd-...Hhhun.... Hunnt?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded to Fendros, who had successfully managed to take on his werewolf form. She was pleased so far with his willingness to cooperate, and with his success in calling on his beast spirit, though she did not let it show. She let out a grunt, and motioned for him to follow as she took off running on all fours to the west, away from the city. Even though he was still in control of his body, his beast spirit would now be much more pronounced in his mind, which had both positive and negative effects. Anger would come much more easily to him, and he would have a harder time refusing his natural instincts. Prey of any form, whether it be animal or man, would be harder to pass up, though Meesei had no doubt she could keep him in line. Whether Fendros himself agreed or not, his beast spirit was a pack animal by nature and would undoubtedly recognize her place in their hierarchy. If necessary, a show of force would be enough to put his beast in its place. On the plus side, his beast spirit's instincts would help him to control his new body's motor functions. Fendros likely did not know how to run on all fours, but it was ingrained in the mind of the beast within him.

With how inexperienced he was, Fendros would not be able to keep up with Meesei's full speed, so she held back enough so he could follow. Even so, their pace was far beyond anything that could be accomplished on two legs. As Fendros became more used to running, he grew closer to Meesei, so she in turn increased her pace. Though Meesei did catch the scents of a few creatures along the way that might be worth hunting, she decided to continue running with him a bit longer to help him become comfortable with running. Besides, she wanted to find some prey that would fight back.

Meesei continued the pattern of allowing Fendros to catch up, then increasing her pace for a while. He would probably be surprised with how long he could keep it up, though he would still undoubtedly be getting fatigued. They had covered quite a bit of ground, and they would still need to drag what they killed back with them, so Meesei finally slowed her pace and started paying closer attention to the scents around them. She detected traces of deer and boar in the area, some old, one fresh, but that was not the prey she sought at the moment. She had given him a test of speed, and she was about to introduce him to tracking, but she wanted to test his strength as well. They continued walking around the area for a short time until Meesei finally caught something of interest on the wind. Glancing around, she saw a tree that had halfway fallen and was currently leaned up against the trunk of large oak. She ran up the trunk of the collapsed tree to bring herself to a higher vantage point, effortlessly balancing on the trunk beneath her. Lifting her nose up in the air, she sniffed the winds as they passed, paying close attention to its direction. As she had hoped, there was something just to the west that would be worthy of hunting, an ogre. They were semi-intelligent creatures which could be a great threat to the average traveler, bandit, or adventurer, but they were not much stronger than a werewolf, so their advantage over them was greatly diminished. Still, it would prove to be enough of a challenge for the new blood, and she would be there to kill it if he was unable.

"You smell that? Living prey, nearby. Track it, and I will follow." Meesei ordered, looking down on Fendros from above. Hopefully, his beast's instincts would be enough to guide him, though it was no guarantee.

[Muttonhawk]

It was liberating to run and release energy in Fendros' werewolf form. He had started by trying to awkwardly run on his hind legs, but as he sped up he quickly found that he had to use his arms to support himself while he ran. His run turned into a gallop on all fours before he realised how natural it felt. Occasionally, Fendros ground to a halt and sniffed at the air when he smelled or heard game, but with the alpha continuing to run, he had no choice but to leave each scent behind and keep up with the pace that she set.

Soon, they stopped by a leaning tree and Meesei stopped to climb it. With Fendros looking up at her, she gave him a command to track the scent in the area. Fendros wasn't immediately aware of the scent, so he stood and sniffed at the air and at various places on the ground until amongst all the dung and the foliage, he detected a scent of unwashed flesh. Strong, bulky, humanoid, but not human, bigger. What exactly it was, Fendros wasn't sure, it didn't seem to matter to him. He began to run in the direction of the tracks, correcting himself whenever the scent faded. At one point, he had to backtrack for a substantial distance, but for some reason he didn't feel frustrated so much as enjoying the hunt. With each stop to smell the area, with the scent becoming stronger each time, Fendros' anticipation grew.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei followed Fendros, pleased that he at least seemed to be going in the right direction. As she expected, he didn't exactly know what he was doing and almost lost his way a few times.She could have easily corrected him, set him on the right path, but she refrained from doing anything except following, as this was a learning experience for him. If need be, she would intervene, but fortunately, he managed to find his way each time, despite having to backtrack a few times. When the scent grew strong enough, she could tell they were growing close, so for the last few feet before the ogre came into view, she moved in front of Fendros and slowed down, signalling for him to stop as well. She crept forward slowly and silently, peering through the brush at the ogre on the other side, which seemed to be simply relaxing on a large rock. It looked to be a young one, large, but not exceptionally so compared to others of its kind. Nevertheless, it was stronger than a werewolf, though not by too much. With his claws and teeth, Fendros should be capable of killing it. His inexperience with fighting in his lycan form would make it difficult, but she would be there to make sure he was not harmed too seriously.

Meesei turned around, bringing her head close to Fendros. "Good work. Now, kill it." She whispered. Unless he got himself into too much trouble, she had no intention of helping and would simply remain close by while he fought.