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

[EliteCommander]

"I was thinking about what you said actually." Ahnasha answered. "About not letting Mephala's words ruin the day. Being that she is a Daedric prince, that is kind of a lot to ask, but I had an idea on the matter. You remember earlier when I suggested taking on your wolf form more freely, just to let it out of the cage, so to speak. Well, now that we're not attacking until tomorrow, that is something we could do. A day is more than enough time to recover after a transformation. We could head up top, run through the forest together. We could hunt if we felt like it, but there would be nothing compelling us to. I think it would be good for you to let your beast spirit out under less stressful circumstances. After all, if you only ever let it out when we plan on killing something, then what is it going to start to expect every time it is released?"

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros looked to the fire from where they were, still a little apprehensive. "You make a good point," He said, looking down at his food, "I don't know though..." he paused to think and took another mouthful. "I'm not sure if..." He said through a mouthful, trailing off to chew and swallow, "I'm not sure if I trust myself just yet." While he spoke Fendros thought of something. He looked to Ahnasha again, "I'll go, but Ahna, your beast form is still stronger than mine so... Please do not put yourself in danger, but... would you stop me if, you know, I attacked someone?" The concern on Fendros' face was genuine. As much as he tried to rationalise it and remind himself that the beast spirit was just an animal like any other, he still had a fear of losing control. It was a fear that would probably only be fixed by doing what Ahnasha was suggesting and just letting it run free for a bit, but still...

[EliteCommander]

"Nonsense. Your beast is well fed from the hunt to kill the Orc, you should have no problem keeping control. I think this will be a great opportunity to help you get closer to your beast spirit. Just get out of those clothes and meet me outside." Ahnasha said, smiling reassuringly as she stood to her feet. Before leaving, she removed the pendant from her neck and placed it with the rest of he belongings, then proceeded casually out of the chamber. Once out of sight, however, she started to run towards the exit of the cave to give herself a bit more time.

After making it out of the cave, Ahnasha immediately took on her wolf form. As always, once the initial pain of the transformation subsided, she felt the full power of her beast form come over her. She felt alive, energetic, capable. The heightened senses and abilities were invigorating to her, and she hoped that the same thing would one day be true for Fendros. For him to embrace his beast in the same way she had would be a dream come true for her. Looking around quickly, she spotted an outcropping of rock just above the mouth of the cave. It was easy enough for her to scale a few rocks to make it on top of the cave, so Fendros would not initially see her when he walked outside. Once he turned around, however, he would see her imposing form above her. She did not plan on pouncing on him or scaring him, but she thought she might look particularly majestic in this light.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros took another bite of his food as Ahnasha got up and left. His eyes tracked her on her way out and he started to wonder. He could trust her. He knew he could trust her. Swallowing and looking at the pendant from across the room, he sat still for long enough to fully convince himself that this whole venture was ultimately a good idea. Then, he got up, finished his meal, and stripped out of his clothing before heading outside with a walk.

When he reached the entrance of the cave and took in the warm, cloud-obscured afternoon light, he looked around and couldn't quite find Ahnasha. Did she run off and get a head start? Her smell was still in the vicinity. He looked up to the trees, then spotted a large shape in the corner of his eye above the cave mouth. There she was, Ahnasha in her beast form. Fendros smiled up at her, then bowed his head down and began to transform himself. The pain, the warping and the noise was something he was used to by now, but he still held his eyes shut until the transformation was done.

His breathing now deeper and his entire body abuzz, Fendros reopened his eyes and found his claws. All the smells were stronger now, all his senses heightened again. He craned his neck up to Ahnasha and felt a torrent of good feelings wash over his mind. It was like the love he had been feeling, but different. In her wolf form, where she stood, she suddenly seemed just as beautiful as ever. He didn't know that such a state of mind would carry over to his wolf form in that way, but perhaps his beast spirit and his emotions were more subtly conjoined than he thought.

Just as Ahnasha had promised, Fendros didn't feel a particular urge to feed, or even to kill. He was so lucid that he almost felt as if he could talk. Right now, though, he had a lot of energy to burn. Clambering up the rockface with probably less finesse than Ahnasha had displayed, Fendros clawed up to her and joined her. He stopped for a moment to nuzzle at the side of her face before leaping down and stopping to turn around. He was sprung to run, he really felt like running. He looked back at Ahnasha and emitted a muffled and impatient bark.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha couldn't quite chuckle in this form; speaking was hard enough, but she was amused nonetheless. After he nuzzled her, she returned the favor by licking him repeatedly in the face for a few moments before jumping down from the rock. She looked back at him, not saying a word, but letting her body language speak for her. With a quick nod, she motioned off into the distance, challenging him to catch her. With no further warning, she took off like a bolt of lightning into the forest, away from Vos. To avoid any complications, she intended to keep them away from settlements and roads.

Running on all fours, Ahnasha readily displayed the speed and endurance her lycan body held. Even horses could not keep up with a werewolf in full sprint. She ducked and weaved between the trees with practiced precision. Fendros might not have had the same type of experience, but he did have the same raw power as herself. Even if he did not use his beast form enough to know it, his lycan form was just as potent as the rest of them. It was quite impressive for a new lycan, really. With her beast spirit melded into her own mind, she even got the sense that it held some form of curiosity for him. While in lycan form, Ahnasha's spirit and that of her beast were not exactly two separate entities as the were in her Khajiit form, but neither were they of the same soul. The beast spirit's mind melded with her own, though her thoughts were still her own. Given that her and Fendros were mated, her beast spirit naturally regarded him the same way and would act as one would expect of a wolf towards its mate.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros kicked up divots in the dirt as he sprinted after Ahnasha. He accepted her challenge wholeheartedly and held nothing back as he ran on all fours through the foliage and around the trunks of the mushrooms trees. As Ahnasha ducked and weaved her way between the obstacles in front of her, Fendros made an attempt to mimic her movements, to varying success. He felt a sudden recollection of the last time they were in this situation. This time, however, they were in their beast forms, stopping would not probably not come so soon. He kept up the chase without stopping, his ears perked and adrenaline flowing.

Some trips and run ins had Fendros bruise himself on occasion, but that didn't stop him, especially as they nicks and bruises healed away. It was a while, though, before he could close much distance between himself and Ahnasha. They came across a spot where there was something of a clear corridor of trees to run through and he was a thumbnail away from being able to jump and catch her. Just a bit further.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha pressed on with Fendros right behind her. His performance now was a farcry from when he first began. While perhaps not as agile as her, he could move with just the same speed, perhaps even a bit more. Being that he was male, his muscles were naturally stronger than her own, which extended to the leg muscles propelling him forward. She could outmaneuver him, but he could gain ground while moving straight ahead. She had to be alert to avoid the trees, so she could not look back, but she could hear him right behind her. If she had been capable of smiling in this form, she would have been. Without warning, Ahnasha suddenly stopped, twisting herself around to get a hold of him as he tackled her.

Given the speeds they were traveling at, they tumbled on the ground for a fair distance before finally coming to a rest. Using what leverage she had, Ahnasha managed to pin Fendros to the ground on his back, with her on top of him. With his strength, he could probably force her off of him if he really tried, but for the moment, she stared him dead in the eyes, growled slightly as she moved her head closer to his, then...started once more to lick him repeatedly in the face as if she was an excited puppy.

[Muttonhawk]

Less out of dominance and more out of playfulness, Fendros growled in return and tried to squirm his head to nip at Ahnasha's hand and to get around her licking face. Opening his mouth and showing his teeth, he brought his arms up and tried to lift her to one side, succeeding to a point before allowing her to fight back. He growled and struggled happily with her to see who would be the winner of their little game. With another push, he rolled Ahnasha and himself until he was on top of her and started to lick at her in return. Not wanting the game to end Fendros allowed himself to roll back.

There was a childish enjoyment that ran through Fendros' mind as they had something of a playfight. Is was the kind of feeling like an infectious laughter, late at night; not stopping, but so mirthful that he didn't really want it to stop, even if the cause for it was so simple. It was this simple enjoyment that made him forget all his worries at that moment. He forgot about how dangerous his beast spirit was, the words that Mephala had said, the raid they were going on, everything was just... fun.

After a bit more a struggle and rolling about, Fendros leaped free of Ahnasha and perked his ears, looking at her. He let out a short growl before bolting off himself. You're it, Fendros thought.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha could not admit to having done anything of this sort in her wolf form before, and the last time she had been able to do any sort of play fighting with anyone was with her older brother when they were both still cubs. Still, this was something she enjoyed wholeheartedly, even if it was childish. Since they had fed in beast form only a few days prior, their beast spirits put up no resistance to the fact that they were not hunting. Ahnasha even had the feeling that her beast spirit was going along with it willingly.

Ahnasha was right behind Fendros as he ran. He was, of course, playing to his strengths by sticking to straight paths as much as possible, but the forest did not always accommodate him. After he narrowly missed a mushroom tree, he was slowed enough that Ahnasha gained considerable ground. In fact, she was close enough behind him that she was able to reach out at bite at his tail. it wasn't enough to actually harm it, but enough to let him know that she was right there, and hopefully enough to distract him.

[Muttonhawk]

The next round of chasing became tighter far more quickly. As much as Fendros tried, Ahnasha had an advantage in this terrain. Fendros couldn't spare a moment to look behind, but hearing Ahnasha's running gait behind him drove him forward. The bite at his tail came as a surprise though, one that ran up his entire spinal column. He kept forgetting that he had a tail in this form. After recovering from the jolt while he ran, Fendros tried to glance behind himself and saw that Ahnasha was closer than he had thought.

Feeling his limbs reaching their limit in terms of speed, Fendros opted to try something a little unexpected. He looked forward and steered his course towards the trunk of a mushroom tree, then just at the right moment, he jumped at the right of the trunk's centre. Fendros then brought up his arms and legs and grabbed onto the trunk, spinning to a stop while scratching through the trunk's outer layer. He held onto the tree and began to try and jump up its length. His plan faltered when he was reminded that there were no branches on these trees and the cap would stop him ascending. Still, it might have thrown Ahnasha off for a moment.

Wait, Ahnasha is better at climbing than I am. Fendros remembered. In that instant there was a wide eyed moment for Fendros. He didn't dare look down.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha could not say she expected Fendros' sudden maneuver, but her extensive experience chasing prey allowed her to react quickly when facing an unexpected move. She did not quite know what he expected to accomplish climbing the stalk of a mushroom tree, but she was all too happy to take the opportunity. Just as Frendros had sunk his claws into the stalk to scale it, so too did Ahnasha follow suit. She climbed down from below and wrapped one arm around his waist to pull him down with her. He wouldn't be able to brace for the impact like she was, but the impact would really only be enough to knock the breath out of him.

Just as before, she threw herself on top of him to pin him to the ground, but instead of ferociously licking him, she slowly brought her muzzle closer to his while keeping her eyes locked onto his own until their noses touched. "Got you." She said before licking his nose once, her tone as upbeat and happy as a werewolf's voice could manage.

[Muttonhawk]

As much as Fendros would have liked to hold on, his best efforts only meant more marks on the mushroom tree as he was dragged down. Even though there was a moment where he was winded and coughing a little after he landed, internally he was laughing at his own mistake and the thrill of the chase. Ahnasha didn't waste any time in pinning him down. Fendros closed his eyes to avoid getting her saliva in them, but opened them when there was a pause. There was a cold nudge on his nose as Ahnasha locked him in her eyes.

The look was only broken when she licked his nose, causing him to snort and contort his face for a moment. Fendros was a little confused in his mind as to what was going on. His head reared and his eyes closed, then his head shuddered suddenly while he whistled a surging breath out of his nose. Blinking a couple of times, Fendros pondered his first werewolf sneeze.

The moment didn't last long as his eyes found Ahnasha again. Perhaps he could get her back for that. Fendros didn't wrestle her around like before, but instead tried to poke his head up and lick her on the tip of the nose as many times as he could. From his position, that was quickly easier said than done.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha quickly pulled her head back, relenting to finally climb off of him to let him up. She was panting rather heavily by this point. Her stamina was considerable, but even in werewolf form, not unlimited. After such a long, intense run, she felt it was about time to take a break. She stood up on two legs, which was a natural position for a werewolf. Raising her nose up in the air, she caught what scents she could find on the wind, not for the purpose of hunting, but just to take in and experience the area around her. This land was foreign, with animals and plants she had never seen before. To experience these new scents was exciting for a hunter such as her.

Ahnasha took a few steps to approach the mushroom tree Fendros had attempted to climb. Their claws had cut deep into its stalk; a testament to the power they held. Looking down at her hand, she balled it into a fist and flexed the muscles in her arm. This form brought with it capabilities she wished she could have in her Khajiit body. There was so much potential held with in her, but which she could release only occasionally. "This is one of the greatest feelings I am capable of experiencing. We have such power. It is an even greater difference for you. Dunmer senses are not as acute as Khajiit, but we are equal in this form, and I suppose you also get to know what it is like to have a tail. It's an improvement, no?"

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros got up as well. He looked at the stalk as Ahnasha was and was surprised how deep their claws had cut. He knew of his beast form's power, but it was always humbling to see it up close. He looked at her while she talked. Werewolf speech was generally deep and clumsier than regular speech under any circumstances, but Ahnasha seemed more practiced in it than Fendros was.

At her final comment, Fendros craned his head around his shoulder to have another look at his tail. He reached back to grab at it and experienced its alien sense of touch agian. Between breaths, Fendros attempted to speak, "It's bizarre." His talking was at least understandable, but pronouncing zeds was difficult in his mouth. "The senses are amazing," Fendros said slowly while forming the words in his mouth, looking to Ahnasha again, "The tail... is strange. Very strange."

As they both caught their breath, Fendros realised just how much control he had right then and there. It was as if his beast spirit was just quietly watching on, letting him think for himself for the most part. The fact that he was able to articulate that many words without problems was testament to it. Funnily enough, he even felt safe. He had been feeling safe since shortly after they transformed. Fendros stood up close to Ahnasha, brushing shoulders. He brushed the side of his snout against her neck and licked at the side of her face. Fendros realised that his beast spirit was still being playful and tried to heel it for a moment. It complied, but Fendros could feel a slight disappointment. A change from the vicious protest it normally displayed. "I think my beast spirit likes you," Fendros said, trying his best to pronounce the words through his wolfish face.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha laughed internally as she watched Fendros grab at his tail. She could just imagine him chasing it around as if he were a playful puppy, but unfortunately, he wasn't amazed enough to put on such an amusing display. Ahnasha returned Fendros' lick with a nuzzle and gave the closest thing to a chuckle a werewolf could produce. "We are mates, of course it does. Actually, it doesn't just like me, it positively loves me, if I had to guess. Mine is the same way. Their affections are much more instinctual than ours, not as complicated. Normally, wolves are not locked into one mate forever, but, if you combine their instincts with out desires, it makes them loyal.. That is what dogs are known for, right?"

Deciding she still needed to rest for a few minutes, Ahnasha relaxed herself at the base of the mushroom tree, laying down on her side. They would probably find something else exciting to do shortly, but for the moment, it was enough for her to take in her surroundings for a moment as she relaxed. After a few moments, she looked up mischievously.at Fendros beside her as an idea came to mind. She started pawing at his tail; perhaps she would be able to coax him into doing something entertaining yet.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros was content to stand for a moment while Ahnasha laid herself down for them moment. There was a hint of something in the air that had caught his attention, and he was sniffing at it further to try and work out what it was. Before he could fully work it out, there was something he felt on his tail. Like the bite, it was unexpected. Had he caught some mud on the end of it? He craned his neck around again, stepping on the spot to slightly turn as if it would help him to reach his tail. He couldn't see anything on his tail, perhaps it was on the underside. He took a couple of attempts to grab his tail again, it seemed to evade his grasp as if it had a mind of its own. He didn't quite spin in circles, but he almost did. It didn't help that the tail was relatively short in comparison to his body. He thought that if his tail had the proportions of a Khajiit's like Ahnasha's human form it would be easier to get a hold of. She seemed to be able to move her tail around gracefully and with complete control, unlike his. Perhaps it was a feline feature of the Khajiit that allowed such a thing. When he finally got a hold of his tail and twisted the tip over to the point where he could still see the underside without it hurting, he found nothing.

When Fendros let go of his tail and looked at Ahnasha, she didn't quite give away her mischief in her expression. Fendros was still bad at reading wolf faces' more subtle expressions. "Do tails often get things caught in them?" He asked obliviously, turning away from her again to face the direction of the smell he was trying to discern before.

[EliteCommander]

"Not if you know what you are doing with it." Ahnasha responded, inwardly entertained by Fendros' confusion. Still, she did not let on to her deception and instead took interest in the fact that he seemed to have caught a scent. Standing to her feet, she stood alongside him and raised her nose in the air. There were plenty of scents floating around, so it was hard to tell which had piqued his interest.

"This land is all the more beautiful when you experience it with the full breadth of your senses, is it not? Without the stress of fighting, how do you feel about your form now? You should take a moment to see what that body can really do. You've already seen the speed, the smell and hearing is much more acute, how about the strength? Have you ever tried to see what limits you can push with your new muscles. I hate to admit it, but you are even stronger than me...in raw strength, that is. I have no doubt I could whip your shapely tail if we were to spar" Ahnasha commented, doing her best to convey a joking tone.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros glanced at Ahnasha while he sniffed at the air some more. He almost took up the challenge on testing his strength against hers, or rather his beast spirit seemed to, but all it took was the memory of Meesei forbidding any sparring with Ahnasha for the beast spirit to rescind its intentions. With all the activity this afternoon, Fendros wondered whether the child would be in similar danger if they sparred in their beast form, but he didn't want to tempt fate. Still, the notion of who would win was an amusing one.

"I have not tested the strength to its limits." Fendros said, "But now that you say so..." Fendros looked at Ahnasha, then lowered himself, getting ready to run "... I can smell a Kagouti. South-East. The last one we found, we shot dead. Let's hunt it."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha adopted a similar stance to Fendros. "Now you are talking about my kind of fun. My beast spirit would love to tear the flesh from its bones, and I'm right there with it. I'll let you lead this one." She answered. Meesei had usually been the one to take him hunting in his beast form, so she was curious to see how he fared when he was in charge of the hunt.

With a mutual nod, they both darted off in the direction of the scent, though not at a full sprint as before. They would need to keep a more cautious pace in order to avoid startling their prey, and to allow them proper time to plan their ambush. As far as prey animals went, kagouti were on the more dangerous end of the spectrum, but with two lycans and the element of surprise, it should be a simple matter to take it down. Ahnasha also found it pleasing that Fendros seemed to be finding hunting more enjoyable than before, specifically hunting with his own claws and teeth. Perhaps the influence of his beast spirit was at least partially responsible for that, but she was seeing that he was becoming more like them. She guessed that Fendros would still probably have some problems with his beast spirit in the future, especially if he were ever forced to go a while without letting it hunt or feed. Right now, since they were in ideal circumstances, however, both he and his beast seemed much more complacent with their situation.

[Muttonhawk]

It wasn't until Fendros was running that he felt a sudden nervousness about leading a hunt for the first time, even if it was just with Ahnasha. Every other time, Meesei had been there as a guide as well as a leader. This time, he and his beast spirit looked forward to feeding on their prey without having to wait for the alpha to take her pick first. Ahnasha might posture to eat first though, technically Fendros was still less experienced than her and probably lower ranking. Fendros' Dunmer side pondered letting her eat first anyway, with her being his mate. The thought seemed to make his beast spirit ambivalent about it more than anything. The back and forth in his mind between his beast spirit and himself fascinated Fendros. He felt as if he would have benefited from transforming without obligations earlier.

They came across some tracks fairly quickly. Fendros slowed to a stop to sniff at them and discern the direction that the kagouti was traveling. He had gotten better at tracking in his lycan form since Meesei had started training him, and he swiftly found a heading that he confidently followed. He glanced over to Ahnasha to make sure she was still following. The beast was close. They kept moving.

The trees became more sparse as they followed the tracks. A rustling sound in the distance caused Fendros to slow to a halt again and look ahead, his ears high and listening. He raised a clawed hand to gesture Ahnasha to stop as well. The rustling sounded again, and a few hundred metres in front of them Fendros spotted the kagouti. One of Morrowind's many odd and dangerous creatures. A little bigger than his lycan form, two large tusks, and two bulky clawed legs. It hadn't noticed them yet.

A consequence of the kagouti's physicality was that its neck was not an easy place to get to without putting oneself in danger of the creature turning its head and bringing its dangerous tusks, or its raking feet, to bear. As much as Fendros wanted to test his strength, an ambush was still the first consideration. "Circle around left. I will go right. Do not let it impale you, but it can only face one direction at a time." Fendros kept his eyes on the creature, but explained his initial plan in as a quiet a tone as he could manage to Ahnasha, "If it stands to fight, one of us will try to take the creature from behind and kill it quickly." Fendros had a feeling that his words would not nearly be as coherent if he hadn't fed his beast spirit the day before. Indeed, a part of him was apprehensive that his plan would be sufficient, though that might have just been nervousness at dictating an ambush plan for the first time.