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

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha nodded and moved to her position. All things considered, Fendros was doing well. It was perhaps not ideal to have to give his plan vocally, but it was the best way he had available. Normally, Meesei used visual cues and relied on her pack's understanding of hunting to issue commands for an ambush. Regardless, the kagouti did not hear them, so it would do nothing to compromise their ambush. As she settled into cover behind some foliage, she kept an eye on the location Fendros said he was moving to, waiting on him to strike.

The very moment she saw Fendros start to move, she bolted from the bush straight at the kagouti. Her position was a bit closer than his, so she would end up reaching it first. In order to draw its attention, she let out a fearsome growl as soon as she was visible. Naturally, the creature turned its head to face her and took on a defensive posture and prepared to gore her with its tusks. Instead of going for an attack, however, she slowed herself just before reaching it and grabbed a hold of both tusks, intending to hold it in place while Fendros finished it off. Given its size, the kagouti was quite powerful, but Ahnasha did not have to hold it still for long for this ambush to be effective. It's normally well-protected throat would even be vulnerable if Fendros was quick enough.

[Muttonhawk]

While Ahnasha followed his directions, Fendros stalked the kagouti from the other side. Once they were in position, Fendros waited until he was sure that the creature was in an ideal space, before springing out from behind his concealment to strike. Ahnasha took the role of attracting the creature's attention, a role Fendros would rather have done not only to test his strength in a direct confrontation, but to keep Ahnasha out of danger. It was no matter now, though. The kagouti's tusks were in Ahnasha's grasp and it was unaware of Fendros running up behind it. Fendros' beast spirit drove them on with excitement.

Fendros jumped, but there must have been a sound that betrayed him, as the kagouti lifted its head to protect its neck with its bony head crest as Fendros latched on. Fendros tried biting the creature, but all other exposed areas were not carrying anything vital. Fendros had a contingency, however, one that would put him in a bit more danger, but was unlikely to kill him. The creature thrashed away from Ahnasha with cries of panic as it tried to throw Fendros off its back, but Fendros was heavy and latched on firmly. It made the contingency more difficult, but he wasn't going to give up. While still holding on with his fore-claws, Fendros slid his body down the left side of the kagouti and held his feet against the ground. In another motion, he brought his right hand around and under the creature's left leg and began to try and lift it. The kagouti was heavier than he thought it would be. Perhaps he had overestimated. Still, while the left leg thrashed and managed to rake at his right arm and cause a shallow scratch, he slowly began to tip the creature over while he followed its hops away from him by stepping forward.

Fendros had hoped that he would be able to reach the creature's neck from the position he held it, but with how heavy it turned out to be and the nature of the position he had put himself, he needed to tip the creature over completely to reach its neck. He didn't quite have the required strength though, he was only holding the creature up nearly to the point of tipping it over. He bared his teeth and growled in frustration, trying to find the extra strength. He needed Ahnasha to provide an extra push against the kagouti's body.

[EliteCommander]

After the kagouti managed to free itself from her grasp, Ahnasha circled around it to find a good place to strike.Just as planned, Fendros attacked quickly, but unfortunately it did not go as smoothly as they hoped. After a brief struggle, Fendros and the creature became locked in a stalemate, with the kagouti pushing back with all its might to not be thrown off of its feet. Ahnasha dropped down to all fours and backed up slightly, giving herself a bit of distance to gain momentum. Where as Fendros was pushing against it with sustained strength, Ahnasha dashed forward and jumped before pouncing, adding a sudden, strong impact to the force Fendros was providing. With both together, the kagouti was knocked clean off of its feet, which exposed its underbelly to the two lycans.

Neither of them wasted a moment in capitalizing on the creature's weakness, using claw and tooth to rend its flesh and tear open its stomach. It thrashed around for a few moments, aiming its tusks towards them, but after Fendros crushed two of its ribs into its heart, it very quickly fell limp. Ahnasha left Fendros with little time to ponder whether or not he should eat first, since she began immediately to consume the organs she had tore out of it. Since they had not eaten all too much while in the city, there would not likely be much left over after they were done with the corpse, not that it especially mattered, in this case. They had more food than they could realistically carry back at camp anyway, so there was nothing compelling them to bring the kill back with them. While this outing had not been the most...traditionally romantic evening, Ahnasha could easily say she was enjoying herself. Hunting by itself she enjoyed, and to do it with Fendros made it all the better.

[Muttonhawk]

The moment the creature was overbalanced and slammed onto its back, Fendros lunged and latched his teeth on its throat, holding it in place with both hands and tearing away at it. He lost himself in the smell and the taste as they killed the creature. Its death throes and pained sounds were quickly drowned out by the sound of its body being torn open and apart. A slam against the creature chest by Fendros to crack its ribcage was the act that silenced it.

Fendros' beast spirit was craving to feast by now, especially as the blood dripped from Fendros' mouth and onto the edge of the dead kagouti's open wounds. Fendros looked to Ahnasha before making a decision. She was happily eating away at the creature's entrails, and Fendros bade that his beast spirit let her eat first. Ahnasha was not their alpha, but she was their mated partner. At least his beast spirit was somewhat understanding of the concept of a gifted favour to the one that they loved. Fendros stepped back and salivated while he waited his turn.

After Ahnasha pulled away the meat that she wanted from the kagouti's corpse, there was still plenty for Fendros to choose from, courtesy of the creature's bulk. He stepped up to eat as well. He was spoiled for choice in comparison to when he hunted with Meesei. Fendros enthusiastically began to feast, ripping and tearing, letting his beast spirit eat its fill.

Once he swallowed his final mouthful, Fendros' energy began to slow. His beast spirit was satisfied now that the hunt was over. Without any words, he sat at the base of a mushroom tree and looked at Ahnasha. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to transform back yet or not, but looking at Ahnasha seemed to be the thing keeping his beast spirit from receding of its own volition. Khajiit or lycan, she was still lovely. Even just looking at her was enough for Fendros to feel awash with euphoria, just as it was in their normal forms. With one hand, Fendros bade her sit down with him and rest for the moment. Fendros felt like being close to her again.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha lost herself in the moment as she feasted. She found herself considerably hungrier than during most hunts, and with only two of them sharing the meal, she ended up eating quite a lot. Eventually, as her hunger subsided, she took a few steps away from the now flesh-stripped carcass and glanced around for Fendros, who she spotted beneath a mushroom tree. Both of them were covered in kagouti blood, perhaps Ahnasha a bit more-so, but blood and gore had stopped being repulsive to her long ago. Looking over his form, she found him just as attractive as always, in part due to the instincts provided by her beast spirit.

Ahnasha laid down beside him, resting herself against him with her head laying on his upper chest. She looked up and licked some of the blood away from the bottom of his snout. Naturally, the taste of blood was pleasing in this form, though she was nowhere near hungry after indulging in such a feast. For the moment, she was content to rest in the warmth of Fendros' soft fur, which gave her a bit of insight into what it was probably like for him to embrace her normally. "You know, it's about time you took me out to dinner." She said with the closest thing to a laugh she could produce.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros held Ahnasha in his arms and shared her chuckle as far as his physical form would allow. "We should do this more often," Fendros grumbled through his fatigue.

After a moment. Fendros looked back down at Ahnasha and licked her in return. There was a bit more blood soaked into the fur on her head than his. It was like a little extra sample of their decadent meal, even if it wasn't exactly a formal sit-down three course affair. With the amount of blood that had run down her front, Fendros began to lean forward to lick further down her neck. Once he had tasted all he could reach, his own playfulness and desires got the better of him and he turned over to lick at Ahnasha's front. Leaning over her, his beast spirit was back with a new prominence again. He felt different carnal desires that just eating starting to develop. Fendros took a while to realise it, but went along with it if Ahnasha would. They still had plenty of time before they had to head back after all.

One last lucid thought ran through Fendros mind. My father is going to kill me...

[EliteCommander]

Fendros seemed to be just as fond of the taste of blood as Ahnasha was, judging from his response. For a few moments, she simply closed her eyes and relaxed as he licked away some of the blood, though they were both coated in far too much for anything less than a full bath to take care of. Eventually, he started to lean over her, so she glanced up and saw a very unmistakable look in his eyes. His intentions were quite clear, and Ahnasha was obviously surprised at first. Clearly, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind up to that point, although she definitely wasn't going to argue.

---

Ahnasha and Fendros were close to reaching the entrance to the cave. It had been a long walk, and after three different exhausting activities, it had taken most of the rest of their energy out of them. Night had fallen a short while ago, and Ahnasha guessed they would easily be able to get to sleep, perhaps even before the others. Ahnasha was walking directly alongside Fendros with an arm around his waist and a smile on her face. Their excursion into the forest had been longer, and certainly ended differently, than she anticipated, but she had enjoyed herself all-around. Anything that could help bring Fendros closer to his beast spirit was worthwhile, in her mind. "You know, I'm going to be honest, I had never even thought to do that before, not in that form. You surprised me, certainly, but I'm glad you're getting along better with your beast spirit. I would definitely be fine with joining you to release your spirit more often."

[Muttonhawk]

As much as Fendros would have liked assistance from his beast spirit in getting back to the hunters' cave, he and Ahnasha had transformed on their way back. Fendros was in a similarly glowing mood to Ahnasha as they reached the end of their trek. This was probably a day that he would never forget. Even with the stench of blood over their nude bodies capping it off.

"I didn't either. My beast spirit seemed to be the main driving force. It was a different experience, I have to say. Here I thought my urges were strong in adolescence." Fendros shook his head and grinned. "You know, after all this, I think I understand what you mean when you talk about your beast spirit. Before, I was afraid, now," Fendros looked at Ahnasha, "Ahna, I feel as if I can trust it now. Thank you again." Fendros smiled gratefully and kissed Ahnasha on the forehead. "I look forward to hunting with you again."

They entered the cave at the end of dinner, but Fendros wasn't hungry, in fact he always felt slightly overstuffed after feeding his beast spirit. The rest of the pack as well as Ariel were gathered around the fireplace. They all turned to see the pair as they walked in. Ariel's look was uneasy at all of the dried blood that coated them, but was slightly relieved when she realised that it wasn't their own. Slightly relieved.

"Hey! We were wondering when you'd get back." Janius said, leaning to one side and seeing their state, "I take it you already ate," he said, looking them up and down, "I hope not the townsfolk."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha and Fendros approached the campfire as Janius greeted them, though Meesei seemed to be the first to notice them, probably because of the skeleton standing watch near the entrance of the chamber. As usual, it simply stared blankly at them as they passed by.

"No, not this time." Ahnasha said with a chuckle as she took a seat next to the others, beckoning for Fendros to join her. "We had a taste for kagouti that we simply couldn't pass up. We ran for a while, and just...enjoyed ourselves. Fendros is becoming more comfortable with his beast spirit, so we may end up going out like that more often. Not tomorrow, of course. We will need our beast forms for our raid tomorrow night. Speaking of that, I notice you're not studying that skeleton anymore."

Meesei nodded. "Indeed, I figured out how to create the enchantment. After repeating the unbinding of its soul enough times, I am now confident I understand the patterns enough to replicate it instantaneously. I haven't made the enchantments yet, so I will start making and testing those tomorrow morning. We will definitely be beginning the raid tomorrow night, and you will each have a weapon or item capable of destroying their sentinels in a single hit. Clearly, that is an advantage they will not be expecting."

[Muttonhawk]

"You ate a kagouti?" Ariel said, sounding a contrived surprise tone to try and mitigate her uneasiness, "That would explain the blood." She attempted a smile and laughed nervously. Perhaps she didn't see the jest behind Janius' previous words.

Fendros seated himself beside Ahnasha by the fire. As soon as he sat down, he breathed out a long, relaxed breath through his nose and his eyes began to droop. He hadn't felt this tired since the first time Lorag dedicated a day to 'intensive' training with Fendros. Well, technically back then he felt like throwing up after that day. Tonight was more settled. Judging by the welt across Janius' face, Fendros figured that their sparring this afternoon may have been an 'intensive' one. Either that or Janius didn't keep his guard up. It would heal by the middle of the night anyway.

It was good to hear that Meesei was successful in finding something to deal with the sentinels. If they were as tough as Ariel had mentioned, then the danger they presented was more than worth putting the extra time into such an advantage. Fendros opened his eyes again to speak with the pack. "Have there been any changes to the plan?" He asked Meesei.

[EliteCommander]

"No, and I wouldn't expect to unless there is some problem with the enchantments." Meesei answered, shaking her head. "We may refine it tomorrow and add more details, but as it stands, our plan is pretty much set. For now, just take the chance to rest and relax; we likely won't get another opportunity before the raid."

"Yeah, no need to get all worked up tonight, or at all, really. You just remember what I taught you, and you'll be fine. If not, you could always hide behind Janius. You'd be surprised at how well his face can take a hit; it's almost like he likes it." Lorag joked, giving Janius beside him a nudge. For obvious reasons, he was avoiding alcohol this night, which took a disproportionally high level of self control for him compared to the others.

Ahnasha was still obviously tired, but she felt it couldn't hurt to stay up and talk to the others for a little while. "I am sure we'll all be fine; this shouldn't be near as dangerous as killing that Orc. These witches are powerful, but they're not actual lycan hunters. Besides, we have a much stronger plan than last time, even if it does end up keeping me out of the fight." Ahnasha commented. She shifted slightly to her right, bringing herself closer to Ariel beside her, and gave her a smile and a pat on the back, seemingly unaware that her bloody, undressed form might make her uncomfortable. "Don't worry though, I'll still be able to keep you safe if anything goes wrong. I don't know if you've ever fought alongside a lycan before, but, well, there is a reason people are afraid of us. Hopefully, though, it doesn't come to that."

[Muttonhawk]

"I still say that was a lucky hit," Janius retorted, lightly touching at his bruise, "it's not as if the witches are likely to grab my shield, pull it off my arm and sock me in the cheek with it."

Ariel tried not to breathe too deeply as Ahnasha shifted to reassure her, but she tried to keep up the act of not being too bothered by it, to varying degrees of success. The nudity and the blood was one thing, but the smell only made things worse. "Oh, I'm-I'm not worried, thank you." Ariel glanced to Sabine, then back to Ahnasha, "I remember what Sabine was capable of before we restrained her, as well as the night that she was infected." Ariel looked down for a moment, but didn't dwell on the memory. She looked back up at Ahnasha, "I'll be bringing along the potions from our scouting run, so I think we'll be keeping each other safe." Ariel nodded quickly. She was a bit out of breath by this point.

Sabine leaned around Ariel to look at Fendros and Ahnasha with her blank stare. "Wash," Sabine said in an almost demanding tone.

Ariel was slightly relieved that Sabine had picked up on her insecurity in the situation, but didn't want to impose. "Oh, it's nothing really- I mean, y-you don't-" She stammered along, then Fendros raised his hand and bowed his head.

"It's alright, calm down," Fendros moved his hand to Ahnasha's shoulder, "How about we clean off this blood, Ahna? A bath will be relaxing before sleeping."

"Wear yourselves out a bit today?" Janius asked them from across the fire, observing their fatigue.

Fendros chuckled. "It was a big kagouti, the hunt was tiring." He replied.

"Right." Janius said sarcastically with a knowing smile. It was still fun to tease them.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha yawned and stretched out her muscles. "Yeah, I think that would be a nice relaxing way to end the day." She commented before looking around at everyone else. "What about all of you? Care to join? Having a nice conversation in a hot spring is even better than one around a camp fire."

After a few moments of consideration, Meesei nodded and stood up. "Sure, I could join you. My entire body was aching from my wounds last time I made use of it, so getting in the spring now would probably be even better. Just make sure you two sit near the pool's outlet so the blood doesn't wash over the rest of us."

Lorag shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, why not? I guess sitting around in a pool doing nothing beats sitting by the fire doing nothing. I haven't got in that thing yet, so I might as well see what all the fuss is about."

As everyone was deciding what they wanted to do, Ahnasha gave Ariel a friendly, welcoming smile to extend the invitation to her as well. They were going to be working closely together and risking their lives tomorrow night, so she felt it couldn't hurt to get to know her a bit better.

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, it would be nice to go to sleep not feeling so itchy." Janius stood up and made his way over to the pool to strip down.

Even Sabine got up without a word and followed Janius and Meesei.

Fendros joined Ahnasha in giving Ariel an encouraging look, but her reaction was neither here nor there. He attempted some more direct encouragement, "The water is nice, Ariel. Why don't you join us?"

"Well..." Ariel glanced away nervously, "I'm not sure, I don't normally... you know, undress in front of people."

Fendros smiled. He was empathetic to her, but from his perspective, it did seem silly to have a problem with nudity. He breathed in to try and console her, but Janius beat him to it from across the chamber.

"Come on! We saw you in your undergarments when we met you, we don't care!" Janius' words echoed through the chamber and caused Ariel to form a small frown and her face to redden. Janius lowered himself into the pool and followed up, "We won't stare, we promise."

Ariel held one of her upper arms in her hands and curled her lips. "I suppose there's no harm in it?" She asked rhetorically.

"Good, come then," Fendros said, standing up and making his way to the pool with Ahnasha's hand in his. Once the rest of the pack had submerged themselves in the spring and were sitting relaxed, Ariel furtively slipped off her robe and shoes and followed them in. She still wore her undergarments, but by her expression, the water seemed to be worth it anyway.

Janius held both his arms spread on the edge of the pool and held his head back. "See how nice it is to wash every now and then, Lorag? You've been missing out until now."

[EliteCommander]

"Yeah, yeah. You're still a city boy at heart, aren't ya' Janius? I guess we should start keeping everything nice and clean and proper for you. We could build you some furniture and make that skeleton over there into your servant. It'd be just like home, wouldn't it?" Lorag teased in a joking tone as he took his place in the pool. He wouldn't admit it verbally, but it was surprisingly relaxing, and he kind of regretted not using it before.

Ahnasha sat down near the pool's outlet next to Fendros. Before speaking up, she took a deep breath and submerged herself completely underwater and started to try to wash the blood from her fur. Her feast before ended up coating parts of her head, neck, chest, and hands in blood. It was more difficult to wash fur than skin, but after a few times dunking herself underwater, she washed at least most of it from her face. Once she settled down, she wrapped her arm around Fendros' shoulder and her tail around his waist.

Ariel was sitting to the left of Ahnasha and had taken her spot in the pool not long before Ahnasha was completely settled. Ahnasha gave her a smile. "See, told you it was relaxing. I can't believe you have never even gone swimming with others before. Do you not have many other friends in Vos? Or is swimming just not a common activity for them?"

[Muttonhawk]

Apart from an "Ah, shuddup," Janius didn't react to Lorag's comment.

Ariel held her shoulders hunched forward, she was enjoying the spring, but was still a little nervous. She turned her head to reply to Ahnasha. "Well, the friends I do have don't really go swimming, but even then," Ariel looked forward, "I never learned to swim. In the coven and otherwise, I've not really stayed long in any waters deeper than a bath. And bathing has normally been... a solitary affair."

Having finished cleaning the blood off himself before Ahnasha, Fendros was paying attention. He had learned to swim in none other than the waters near Cheydinhal with the assistance of his father. The biggest assistance being tossed into the water and left to struggle. "Wait, I've seen Runt swim before, was she taught by the pack?"

"I don't think either of us were taught to swim in the coven." Ariel added, "We didn't really live near many water bodies, and the ones that were nearby were not very clean."

Sabine seemed to stay quiet, content sitting with his eyes closed and her head above the water. She had submerged her head as well and it was a bit odd to see her hair flattened and somewhat straightened by the water rather than a mat of frizz. Fendros wasn't even sure if she was listening to the conversation, but he knew that it was her habit to take in everything anyway.

[EliteCommander]

"I gave her some instruction." Meesei chimed in. "Though I admit, the concept of having to teach someone to swim seemed strange to me at first. For Argonians, it is almost an instinct. Walking and swimming are learned just as easily. It seems inconvenient to me that you have to have to stay above the water most of the time. Gills, waterproof scales, and a strong tail make swimming much easier, to say the least."

Ahnasha gave a short grunt. "I wish I had waterproof fur. You wouldn't believe how long it takes to dry. Some Khajiit do not like to get in the water because of it, and I cannot say I blame them. It's worth it to me, though. Anyway, do you happen to know the owner of the bookstore, Earondil? We stopped by his store earlier, and he turned out to be a very kind individual. He overheard us talking about how we didn't have enough coin to buy one of the books I wanted, so he let us have two for the price of one. He said we reminded him of himself and his wife."

[Muttonhawk]

"The bookshop owner?" Ariel replied, "I am... acquainted with him, I suppose? his shop is just across the street from mine." Ariel squinted her eyes thoughtfully, "He generally keeps to himself, but he seemed a reasonable man the last I talked with him. The other townsfolk don't seem to like him, but that was because..." Ariel then looked at Ahnasha again, somewhat confused, "You say that Earondil was reminded of his wife by you two? That's strange, his late wife was an orc if I remember what I was told." She shrugged, "Perhaps its more the different race fact."

At the mention of Ahnasha being compared to an orc, Janius couldn't help but chuckle. From his position with his head back and his chest out, the laugh resembled more of a mix between hiccups and a coughing fit until he decided to lift his head again and laugh more conventionally. "Perhaps Ahnasha has some orcish features," He quipped breathlessly through his laughs.

"Did you meet his wife, Ariel?" Fendros asked, smiling at Janius' antics, but genuinely curious.

Ariel closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I set up the alchemy shop after she died." She opened her eyes and spoke to the rest of the pack, "From what I heard about her, though, she had a thick skin, even for an orc. In the social sense, that is." Ariel looked down slightly, "They both did. They suffered a lot of discrimination from some of the less savoury citizens. That was all before my time, however."

"This Earondil, he's the bosmer, right?" Janius asked, "I think I purchased a book from him a few days ago."

Ariel and Fendros nodded.

"Wow, an orc wife and a bosmer husband. That's different." He leaned his head back again.

Ariel turned her head curiously to Fendros and Ahnasha. "You probably wouldn't get much trouble for your relationship, being in the pack, right?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha shook her head. "No, we do not often find our way into cities, so there is little opportunity. Although, I suppose Vos is the first city we have really been in since we got together. Fendros has only been with us for a bit over a month. Our usual territory is in Cyrodiil, though, so I doubt we'll face many problems there; it is probably the most cosmopolitan place in Tamriel."

"We will probably be heading to Black Marsh soon." Meesei added. "If you face any problems there, it will not be because you are a Dunmer and Khajiit couple, it will be because you are Dunmer and Khajiit. Of course, it has been hundreds of years since their have been hostilities with either group. We do not have the lifespans of elves, very few Argonians today were alive when the Dunmer were causing problems for us, and it has been centuries since the last conflict with the Khajiit. Tensions are not nearly as high there as they used to be. That being said, Argonians are a very independent people. Respect their ways, and you will probably be fine, but be careful not to offend. Some clans can be more dangerous than the marsh itself."

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros stared into space thoughtfully, putting his hand around Ahnasha's waist. Courtesy of his upbringing, he had noticed a less than favourable disposition towards both Khajiit and Argonians was common for him. At first, he had thought that he had mitigated that kind of attitude by getting to know Ahnasha and Meesei, but from Black Marsh came stories of savage tribes and barbaric rituals. That wasn't even touching on the deadly environment and flora and fauna that would see you dead before you knew what they were.

"Hmph, can't say I'm looking forward to the humidity." Janius said.

The comment was something of a reality check for Fendros. So much had changed for him now. There would be no disease and likely few creatures that could harm the pack, and if Meesei was any indication, the tribal Argonians were not likely to be all a backward and limited race. The realisation caused Fendros to laugh quietly. "I think I would do well to forget all I was taught about Black Marsh before I became a werewolf. I'm not sure how much is true, especially with my previous family's... former business." Fendros shook his head, "I doubt the Argonians would be very forthcoming if they knew that."

Ariel turned her head to Meesei again. "Do you have any other business in Black Marsh, or is it only Sabine's ritual?"