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

[EliteCommander]

"Alright. As long as we avoid the slums, I think we would be fine going anywhere in or around the city. From my experience in Leyawiin, at least, guards do not tend to patrol slums as often or as fervently, so criminals tend to be more bold." Ahnasha commented.

As they moved away from the crowds, Ahnasha was thinking on more they could do. There was one idea in particular which stood out, but unfortunately, it would not be a good idea to try it at the moment. "You know, there is one idea I had, but we will probably have to save it for later. I was just thinking, every time you have used your lycan form, it has always been for something serious. Every time I can think of has been for training, or hunting, or fighting. I consider all of those things pretty exciting, but they all carry with them some sort of expectation for performance, something to worry about. Have you ever transformed just to see what it has to offer? Just to see how fast you can run, how high you can jump, that sort of thing. The capabilities of that form are invigorating to say the least, as I'm sure you know. If it weren't for the fact that we might need to use that form later tonight, I would suggest making use of it. Perhaps some other time?" She asked.

[Muttonhawk]

"Well..." Fendros had to take a moment to think about it. It so happened that they had reached the gates anyway, so it may not have been wise to give an answer in front of the guards while they walked. Once they were clear of them they could speak again. "I don't know. I've always been afraid of losing control and hurting people in my lycan form, so I've really avoided it for the most part." The began to wander down a road that went along the side of the city, "I guess it's turned more into a respect for the form rather than a fear after all the training on how to control it, but still... maybe away from a populated area."

Part of Fendros wished he could embrace the same attitude to being a werewolf as Ahnasha. It was something that she had obviously always wanted and garnered much enjoyment from, but for Fendros it was still something that he did not like hanging over him. It was as if the beast form was completely antagonistic in his mind, but more of a helpful companion in Ahnasha's.

The found themselves wandering into what appeared to be a farming area. There were fields of vegetables growing either side of the road. They were not plants that Fendros immediately recognised, as they were vegetables that could survive the ash storms that frequented the land. They passed by a stable for a moment, causing the horses nearby to become restless at their smell. "Don't you get afraid that maybe the beast will go and kill people for its own enjoyment? Without being able to stop it?" Fendros asked, trying to sound curious rather than accusing.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha observed the crops curiously. Even if she didn't prefer meat, they were not the types of food she would think of as a first choice. Although, she supposed the crops they were growing did make sense for the area. They were all accustomed to ash, which was all-too common on Vvardenfell. Fendros' answer was about what she expected. Even through all of his time with them, he had still not truly grown accustomed to his beast spirit. He had not embraced it like the rest of the pack. Ahnasha hoped that time would change that attitude, as she did not believe he could be truly happy with his life otherwise. How could he be if he was always dreading the emergence of something so intertwined with himself? At least now it seemed that his opinion had turned a bit more positive, if only slightly. Now, it seemed that fear of hurting others was the main fear he had.

"Perhaps when I first gained the gift, but once I learned more about it, I became more confident. I understand my beast spirit now, I understand what it wants and what it needs. At its core, it is an animal, not some monster. It is no more evil than a wolf, or tiger, or any other predator. They all simply do what instinct drives them to do. I understand that, as long as I keep my beast spirit's hunger sated, it will not try to resist my will. For instance, normal predators, like wolves, commonly avoid people. We are far more dangerous than them, and not worth the risk to hunt. But, if a starving wolf comes upon a traveler, it may attack. It ignores the risk because it is desperate to survive. You would not consider the wolf a monster for such an act, as its only alternative is starvation. In the same way, your beast spirit becomes more desperate the longer it goes without hunting. Even if you are well-fed, your beast spirit has the need to hunt. The more desperate it becomes, the more willing it is to risk subverting your will." Ahnasha explained, hoping he would start to understand his beast spirit in the way she did. If he could view it as just another kind of creature, perhaps he could start to become more accepting of it.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros sighed. "That's similar to how Meesei put it, and I know, that makes sense and all, it's just..." Fendros trailed off, looking down. "Each time the beast killed, whether it was an animal or a person, it... I don't know if that was just how the instinct worked, but it enjoyed it." Fendros put his hands up low in front of himself, "Seeing the light go out of their eyes, tasting their blood..." Fendros shook his head, "When you're in that moment, when you are the wolf it... it's hard to tell whether it's yourself or the wolf doing the thinking, and..." Fendros lowered his hands, closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at Ahnasha, "I know it's a simple creature at heart, but the beast form makes me afraid that I might get similar enjoyment out of killing, and that scares me." Fendros looked ahead again, "Janius told me a while ago that the wolf will not stop me from being who I want to be as a person. I just wish I could trust him and not worry. I really do."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha stopped and put her hand on Fendros' shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "Do you trust me enough? All my time as a lycan has been spent with the pack, and in those years, the only people I have ever killed have been people I wanted to kill. Under Meesei's guidance, I learned how too keep myself under control . There have been a few animals I did not intend to kill at first, sure, but I did not put up near the mental battle I would have for a person. I know you have no qualms about hunting, and as long as you follow our training, killing animals will be all you will have to do. Yes, there have been, and will be times we will kill people, but those people are ones we select consciously, intentionally, and with good reason. I'm just afraid you won't be able to attain the same level of control as the rest of us unless you become closer to your beast spirit. You can't think of it as some monster or enemy, you have to be able to get close to it to understand it. I know it is a frightening prospect, but people tend to be afraid of the unknown. Once you understand your beast, you will have no reason to fear it."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros raised his hand placed it on Ahnasha's. What she said was what he needed to hear. After a pause, he returned her look. "I trust you, Ahna." He managed a smile through his anxious mood. It was the comfort he needed right now to be reminded that things would be okay in time. All it in the meantime was unnecessary worry. There was a part of Fendros that knew that all along, but was not getting represented in his mind beforehand.

Lifting his other hand, Fendros held Ahnasha's shoulder, then gently brought her into an embrace. "It's these times that I'm glad I fell in love with you." Fendros said. He closed his eyes and let Ahnasha's touch calm him down over the space of a long moment. As they came out of their embrace, Fendros felt a tiny weight on the side of his leg. He felt at it with his hand and a realisation came to his face. "That reminds me, I bought something at the market that made me think of you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small chain loop of yellowish metal, secured to it was a charm with what looked to be an arrowhead with a small purple gem at its base. "This pendant is made out of Dwemer metal and gold, I know you're fond of your jewellery and archery." He held it up for her and smiled, "Do you like it?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha took the pendant in her hands and examined it quizzically for a few moments before putting it around her neck. "Always thinking of me, aren't you? I think it fits me perfectly. I've never actually seen anything made of Dwemer metal before; it's not too common in Cyrodiil, and the gem is my favorite color. All-in-all, it is a wonderful gift. I think I love it almost a...tenth as much as you." She said with a smile, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss. "I'll do my best to keep it safe. With are way of life, it can be difficult to keep belongings, but I'll certainly try. It's the thought I appreciate more than anything. I feel bad I didn't get you anything. I suppose I'll have to make that up to you later." She said with a grin.

Ahnasha looked up to the sky at the position of the sun. There was still plenty of time left in the day, but there was a possibility the raid on the witch's coven could be that night, so it would probably be best to get back. "I guess we might want to think about starting to head back. We can take the slow and scenic route though; I'm in no hurry."

[Muttonhawk]

"You said it yourself, coming out to Vos was something special you wanted to do." Fendros said with a chuckle, putting his arms around Ahnasha in return, "It's been a great day, and I got to spend time with you. That's gift enough for me." Fendros looked at Ahnasha with a warm smile and nodded, "Thank you, Ahna."

With Ahnasha suggesting that they make their way back, Fendros had a glance at the sun as well. "Very well. Meesei probably has need of the soul gems by now." Fendros took Ahnasha's hand and walked with her amongst the fields before heading in the general direction of the hunters' cave, taking their time amongst their surroundings. He was in a much better mood now. He glanced at Ahnasha and began to smile at a joking thought. "Is that dress you have more comfortable than the last one? I remember you were quite... fond of it." Fendros teased with a cheeky grin.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha glared at Fendros jokingly. "Yes, I just love it so much that I'm going to throw it into the wall the moment we step back into the cave. If I didn't think I might need it again, I would toss it aside right now. Really, I don't understand why 'civilized' women insist on wearing these things. They are so annoying to move around in, and are much less practical than other clothes. I would much rather wear something like what you have. Seems like it would be much easier to work, or fight, or make jumps between rooftops in."

By this point, they were still in sight of Vos, but far enough away that there beyond any outlying farms. They were not taking the exact path back that they took to get there, as they wanted to see different sights, and they both knew well enough where the cave was to find it. "Say, I have a question for you. You've been learning a lot from us since you've been with us. We have been training nearly every day, and you have certainly improved. All the things we have been teaching you, tough, relate directly to your ability to hunt, fight, or control your beast spirit. Those are all very important, but I was wondering if there is any skill you want to pick up that you're not already learning? Something you want to do."

[Muttonhawk]

Once they began to walk beyond the farms, the foliage became repetitive and a little disorienting apart from the odd large stone or ruin. They had not lost their way yet, though.

After a quick chuckle at Ahnasha's reaction, Fendros started to think out loud about her question. "Well, I've been so focussed on the training that I hadn't given it much thought," Fendros said. He looked up partly in thought, party to look at the underside of a mushroom tree they were passing under, "Back home it was just vintage and the Fighters Guild." Fendros looked ahead again, "Vineyard management and dealing with wine wasn't exactly a passion, rather an expectation. The Fighters Guild was something I chose to join, but that sort of tuition is being all but completely covered by the pack now. As for other things..." He trailed off and exhaled through his nose slowly as his thoughts whirred again. Nothing immediately came to mind.

There was a point where Fendros thought of whether he wanted to be taught how to be a father, as that was one thing he wasn't confident about, but he didn't really know how he would go about learning such a skill without raising a child first. Luckily something else came to mind before the topic was lost. "I think language is one thing. I can speak Cyrodiilic and the language of this land. That was mostly because both were spoken at my home, but I studied them for a short while, just to get more... confident in sales, I think that was the rationale." He looked to Ahnasha, "I found it rather interesting to notice the patterns and details of the two languages." He shrugged and looked ahead, "It might be nice to learn other languages as well." He glanced sideways at Ahnasha, "How about you? Was there anything you always wanted to learn?"

[EliteCommander]

"Languages can be hard to learn, especially as an adult, though there are no shortage of languages known in our pack. Cyrodilic is obviously our common tongue. It's the only one we all know, but I also know Ta'agra, We mostly spoke Cyrodilic in my home, but my mother simply did not think it proper that a Khajiit would be unable to speak it. She embraced Imperial culture just as much as my father, but she was originally born in Senchal, you see. My father hardly even knew Bosmeris himself, so I didn't really learn of that. Beyond that, I also taught myself the Daedric language, and not just reading the runes. Seeing it in its written form is easy to read, but I have trouble hearing it spoken aloud. The pronunciations on some of their words are strange, to say the least. Lorag, being as proud of an Orc as he is, of course knows his own people's language. Meesei was born in a small village in Black Marsh, so as you can probably tell from her accent, Cyrodilic was her second language. I think the Argonian language is called Jel. It's not an Ehlnofex language, so it is entirely different from Cyrodilic in pretty much every way. I've heard her speak it before, it sounds strange." Ahnasha explained. Upon Fendros' question on what she wanted to learn, she paused to think. There was much in life she had wanted to pursue, but never got the chance to.

"As for me, well, all the skills I needed for hunting, I learned. Other than conjuration, I know plenty of the magical schools that interest me, but...well I always did have an interest in art. As I mentioned before in the temple. I find different races' artistic styles rather interesting. With how busy I've always been, though, I never really had time for more than just a passing interest. I always wanted to take up painting, but never got the chance. I don't know how practical that would be to learn out here."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros wanted to disagree with Ahnasha about learning languages being particularly hard, but with so few people to converse with he had to admit that it wouldn't be easy either. Other than that, he was surprised that so many of the pack knew different languages. Orcish, Ta'agra and Daedric sounded like they were interesting, but Fendros had also heard Jel a number of times before and couldn't make any sense of it. Still, if he ever wanted to try and learn another language, it seemed as though he was spoiled for choice within the pack.

Ahnasha's interest was more artistically inclined. It made Fendros feel a little bad for her that painting was something that would be more difficult to pursue. Fendros looked at her and smiled, "Well, you might sometime. I don't know about carrying around big canvases and easels, but..." He looked down at her stomach, "... once the child gets to the point where you won't be moving around as much, I have a feeling books are only going to occupy you for so long." Fendros looked at the ground and waved his other hand at their surroundings, "Out her in the wilderness, most wildernesses, there's plenty to paint. My sister used to carry around a blank book. She would sketch just about everything she saw. Sometimes in ink, paint, charcoal, whatever was on hand." Fendros smiled at Ahnasha again, "If we found one, like one of the old journals that we sometimes find, perhaps that could be a start." Fendros grinned and nearly laughed, "And if you wanted to do portraits instead of landscapes, I'm sure Lorag and Janius would be climbing over each other to show themselves off."

[EliteCommander]

"That...is a very good point. I didn't even think about that." Ahnasha said, scratching her head. "I shouldn't have to stop practicing with archery, but a lot of my other daily routine will be a bit too strenuous. Maybe I will have time? I could start with just sketches and work my way up. Although, I think it would be much more interesting to paint your body than anyone else's." She said with a smile.

"Unfortunately, you might not have the same free time as I will. you're probably going to be busy for the foreseeable future working on your more...practical skills. Still, you might be able to find some time if you're still interested in languages. You would just need to pick the one you're interested in. I'm pretty sure Janius just speaks Cyrodilic, same with Runt...well, maybe Runt. I've only ever heard her speak Cyrodilic, but if she was raised in Morrowind, it would stand to reason that she could speak Dunmeris, not that it would help you if she could. Anyway, if you think you can spare the time, I would approach whoever is appropriate for the language you want and ask them about it." Ahnasha recommended.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros didn't know how he felt about being Ahnasha's sketch model, but he figured he probably wouldn't stop her. "Perhaps I'll do that," Fendros agreed in regards to learning lanuages, "I don't suppose you could teach me a little Ta'agra at some point? I've not heard much of the language, but I think it would be interesting to learn." Fendros smiled, betraying in his look that his preference was mainly drawn from wanting to spend more time with Ahnasha.

As they walked, their surroundings started to show familiar details. They were likely getting close to the cave.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha nodded. "I can try, though like I said before, you may not have enough time to devote to studying it to really learn it properly. Maybe we can multitask. I should start giving all of your archery lessons completely in Ta'agra. I'm sure that won't lead to any confusion." She said sarcastically.

As they drew closer to the cave, Ahnasha's thoughts turned to their more immediate future. They were all going to be stepping into danger yet again with this raid on the coven. Because of Meesei and Ariel's scouting run, they had a much more concrete plan than when they killed the Orc, so in theory, they would be in much less danger. Still, Ahnasha could not help but to be worried. Not to mention the looming threat of Clavicus Vile. "I wonder what Meesei is going to say about our encounter with Mephala?" Ahnasha wondered aloud as they approached the cave's entrance.

[Muttonhawk]

"We'll see." Fendros' smile dimmed when the subject turned back to their daedric encounter. He was disappointed that Mephala had left a mark on what was otherwise quite an enjoyable day. He was still a little angered and honestly spooked by it, but there there wasn't much to do except let Meesei know.

Fendros was quiet as they made their way through the chamber, but when they reached the chamber with the ramp, Fendros stopped Ahnasha for a moment. He placed the bag of soul gems on the ground and put his hands on Ahnasha's shoulders. "Look, Ahna, whatever our run-in with Mephala means, let's not let it ruin the day." Fendros said softly, "We'll let Meesei know, but then let's just stay focussed on the raid, okay? One thing at a time." He ended his sentence with a reassuring smile. Fendros' words were somewhat directed at himself almost as much as Ahnasha, but he doubted that she was free of similar anxieties.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha gave Fendros a reassuring look. "Don't worry, I have no intention of letting the webspinner get her claws into my mind, and I wouldn't worry about Meesei either. She'll probably handle it better than we have." She said before picking up the pouch and continuing with him to the main chamber.

Meesei had been working constantly on understanding the skeleton, though it was a rather repetitive and boring task. She mostly unbound the being's soul, made a few observations, then set everything back to normal countless times through the day. Each time, she gained understanding of how the skeleton was made, and how it could be quickly unmade. She was in the middle of unbinding its soul when Ahnasha and Fendros entered, so she did not notice them immediately.

Ahnasha quietly placed the bag of soul gems near Meesei so as not to disturb her, then, true to her word, immediately removed her dress after setting down her other bags and pouches. She tossed it across the room with a satisfied grin; wearing just her own fur was far more comfortable than that inconvenient collection of thread. By this point, Meesei had finished rebinding the sentinel's soul and had taken notice of the two.

"Good to see you two are back. Were you able to afford any soul gems?" She asked.

Ahnasha nodded. "Yeah, they are in the bag beside you."

"Excellent." Meesei commented as she opened the bag and looked inside. "I should be able to make more than enough enchanted weapons, then. How much time is left until nightfall?" She asked.

"I believe it is mid-afternoon right now." Ahnasha answered.

Meesei stroked her chin and looked over the thrall in front of her, deep in thought for a few moments. "Hmm, later than I thought. I may be able to finish the enchantments by the end of the day, but I think it would be safe to push the attack off to tomorrow night. I would not want to rush on these enchantments, especially considering how many sentinels the witches have. There is no question that they will be done by tomorrow night."

Ahnasha nodded once more, glad that they would have another day to prepare. Even though she knew it would be less dangerous, she was experiencing considerably more dread for this raid than the last. She knew it was just because of her new perspective on danger, but she could not shake the fear in the back of her mind. "There is one more thing we should probably mention, though. While we were in Vos, well...we spoke to Mephala." Ahnasha said. She paused for a moment as she tried to think on where to begin. Certainly, speaking to a Daedric prince was no everyday event. Perhaps Fendros would take over for her while she thought on how to explain.

[Muttonhawk]

As Fendros followed Ahnasha into the main chamber, his thoughts weren't immediately on removing his clothing as hers were, but he couldn't help but smile at remembering her previous comments as she threw the dress aside. A shame, for all its inconvenience, the dress was still a pretty one. He stopped himself from calling out a greeting to everyone else upon seeing Meesei concentrating on the thrall.

When Ahnasha began about the event in the temple and paused, Ariel spoke up before Fendros really got the hint to take over. She was still sitting by Sabine and Meesei by the thrall, trying to keep up with Meesei's inspection of the creature. "Mephala?" She said with a hint of disbelief as she looked up to them, "The daedric prince Mephala?"

"That's right," Fendros said with a serious tone, "I thought we could visit the new temple, just to see it, and... well, while we in front of the statues of the good daedra, the world seemed to... go quiet. It was like it had stopped and gone dark and no one was around." Fendros faced Meesei while he explained, but avoided eye contact. "One of the priests appeared in a strange manner, he talked with a sort of loud whisper. Blank faced. Afterwards he seemed normal and greeted us as if he hadn't seen us before. I think he might have been possessed." Fendros was trying to recall the memory beyond the dread that it had left them with, and even explaining it made him look nervous.

"What did she say?" Ariel asked, obviously concerned at their meeting with an arguably very dangerous being.

"The priest- Mephala, recognised us as lycans. We didn't know that he was Mephala at the time. He- she was quick to give us a warning; something along the lines of not accepting Clavicus Vile's offer of immortality. I asked who she was, she just said that she wanted revenge on Vile for something." He forced a breath before continuing, "Ahnasha said that we would be fools to accept such an offer anyway, and rightly, then Mephala replied that it would be more subtle than that. The only other detail we were able to get about the offer was that a Breton would deliver it. It was too well placed to be anything but sowing distrust. Thus, that's when I knew that it was Mephala, and I said as much." Ariel looked to Meesei for a moment, then back to Fendros as he continued. "She seemed to indicate that I was right, then said that we could have one more question answered. We didn't want to ask anything else. Knowing her, it would only have made things worse. After that, the world returned to normal and so did the priest." Fendros itched his head, "It was... not comfortable."

[EliteCommander]

"I do not trust a word the Daedra said." Ahnasha added. "The only thing I could agree with her on would be that none of us should accept any deal from Vile, but I would think that would be obvious. He is our enemy, and we should treat him as such. For Mephala, I don't think we should take her words to heart. She specializes in sowing discord. She could be with Vile for all we know. Unlikely, but nothing is impossible."

Meesei nodded. "I agree completely. The only Daedra I will put my faith in is lord Hircine. It would be foolish to attempt to guess at Mephala's motivations, but wise to approach her with caution. If anyone approaches us with a deal from Vile, we shall consider them an enemy. Such would be true regardless of Mephala's words. I find it concerning that Mephala has become involved at all, though. If she is being truthful and is angry at Vile, then it means he believes himself powerful enough to work against multiple Daedric princes. If she is lying and is secretly working with him, then it means that Vile has allies. Neither situation is good. I will need to think on this, perhaps commune with Hircine for guidance. In any case, our current plans remain the same. The gas these witches are producing is a definite threat that we must eliminate. Thank you for purchasing the soul gems, and for relaying this news, even if it is not positive. Rest well tonight, because we will likely spend much of our day tomorrow preparing and refining the details of our plan." Meesei said gratefully before renewing her work on the skeleton.

Ahnasha took a seat on a nearby rock, one that wasn't quite secluded, but was also away from the campfire. She had packed away all of her belongings with the exception of the pendant Fendros had given her, which she still wore around her neck. There was a lot going through her mind, especially about Mephala. But, as Meesei said, it was folly to try and guess at her motivations. There really wasn't much of a point in worrying about it when there was nothing she could do to change it. For now, it would still be a few hours before nightfall, so there was some time to kill. She couldn't help but to keep glancing at Fendros, wondering about an idea she proposed earlier.

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's words included considerations that hadn't occurred to Fendros, but it was reassuring to hear that she would speculate further. If Hircine could give them clarification on the matter, it would make things much easier in the event that Mephala showed herself again. They were dismissed to their own devices then. It put Fendros on edge a little to hear that the raid was postponed, but if Meesei thought that it was for the best then Fendros would trust her.

As the enchanters went about their work again, Fendros stood for a moment and looked on. Ariel seemed to be quite shaken by hearing that a Breton might be the agent of vile that would try to trick them, knowing that suspicion would be directed toward herself. Sabine didn't seem phased, but she was Sabine. Not showing emotions was normal from her.

Quickly confounded by what they were doing to the thrall, Fendros moved on to their food stores to grab something to eat. He pulled out a strip of meat that probably used to be attached to the leg of a hunter. He bit at it raw. He didn't really feel like putting forth the effort to cook it this time. The raw meat was a taste he hadn't quite acquired yet, but he could bear it. After swallowing the first bite, he wondered where Lorag and Janius were, but with Janius' shield not being present where it was normally kept, he assumed he was sparring, or simply being coached by Lorag somewhere. Before he took his second bite, his eyes caught Ahnasha's from across the room. Fendros walked up to her and sat next to her. "What are you thinking?" Fendros asked idly while leaning forward and looking at her face.