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

[EliteCommander]

Meesei hummed a moment, lifting up her hand and glancing down at her ring. "Hmm, it is sometimes easy to forget how much my ring does for me. Lycan spirits are restless, and most tend to suffer nightmares from time to time. I cannot remember the last time I slept without it."

Meesei laid back shortly after Lunise and just allowed the silence to fill the air for a while. It was peaceful, especially with the enchantments blocking all sound from passing through the walls. Though, she did eventually continue from the thoughts passing through her mind. "I am dreading the politics I am going to have to deal with for the next few months, but at least Ri'vashi will be handling most of the actual military details of the invasion. And perhaps she will have better luck getting along with Teroiah. She is Khajiit, a race I assume a Thalmor would be accustomed to working with, and she understands Imperials through her upbringing. I at least expect to be somewhat less busy than I have been. Most of my pack intends to visit their families and loved ones with their time...I am not sure what I should do."

[Muttonhawk]

"Teroiah may have worked with Khajiit enough times in the past," Lunise said. The way she lay on the bed gave her a relaxed tone. "However, your general Ri'vashi will have to contend with Teroiah's lack of humility. At the very least, Teroiah will not let her pride get in the way of victory after the blow to her reputation you gave."

Lunise rolled her head partway to look at Meesei. "On the note of you, I do not believe I have asked if there are member of your original family that you ever visit. When was the last time you saw any of your tribe?"

[EliteCommander]

"I would think self-preservation would be as much of a motivator to Teroiah as her reputation. She is going to be in Oblivion with the rest of us, and I doubt she has any intention of dying there. Particularly since Vile could claim her soul if she were to die in his realm. A danger all of us will face, really. If we defeat him as planned, then he will lose his hold over any souls lost during the fighting, but if we fail..." Meesei's voice trailed off. The stakes of the invasion had never been in question, but even so, speaking them aloud never failed to be unsettling. She was quick to move on from the subject.

"I have not seen nor spoken to anyone from my family since my youth. I never had any siblings, and my parents both died before I left. The rest of my family, or indeed, the rest of the village, believes me to have died as well. I was raised to be someone of importance to my people. A Treeminder, a sort of shaman, as you may think of it. I was to be a leader of my village, but I ultimately found my purpose elsewhere. I faked my death, as I believed it would be easier for them in the long-run. It likely was, but naturally, I have not had contact with them since." She explained.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise lowered her eyes and slowly rolled her head back to face the ceiling. She had a small frown. "I see," she said simply. Meesei knew Lunise was never good at showing sympathy, even if it hinted under the surface.

After a long pause, Lunise breathed in through her nose and spoke. "It just occurs to me, all the family you mentioned your pack revisiting over the years. Even Sabine found her sister. I know you are not the envious type, Meesei, but even if I still have my father, I know the...I suppose it is yearning one feels sometimes. I see people with mothers and I want to see mine again. That could only be a part of what you must feel about it."

She turned her face away. "But! Far be it from me to impose such immaturity in assuming free time is always for bloodlines," she said with a clearer voice. Her head turned to Meesei again and caught her eyes. "Surely, in all this busy work, you've had one thing you have wanted to do. Speak it."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei started to open her mouth, but there were no words to follow. In Meesei's professional life, she was a leader, one whose ideas and judgement were meant to be every bit as valuable as her magic. So, it was rare for her to look simply and completely lost, as she did now. She thought back on the last few months, on the wants that she knew she must have been having, but her mind came back empty. She could fill tomes with all she wanted for her pack and her friends, but when she needed to think about herself, there was nothing.

"I...do not know. I, well...I know I want to take some time with my pack, of course. It is such a rare opportunity for us to do so now, but I have not thought about doing something just for myself for...I am not sure how long. Nothing like what my pack are doing. Nothing that would take me beyond the clan." She replied.

[Muttonhawk]

Lunise wove her fingers with Meesei's fingers between them and held on. "You are too altruistic for your own good, my dear. Or, perhaps, all this time, you have already been doing what you desire?" The corner of Lunise's mouth Meesei could see hinted a small smile for a moment. "There is a bittersweetness to that, I think."

She took another quick breath. "That does it. I will have to think of something for you. Over a century your senior and connected with the greatest educational institutions in the Dominion, I am sure there is something you have not seen that will be worth this little chapter of free time." She blinked. "Hmph. But what?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a particularly curious look towards Lunise, thinking silently for a few seconds with a grin on her face. "Hmm, I actually find myself quite curious on what kind of an idea you might come up with. I have never thought about what kind of a gift-giver you might be. My hatching day is next month, after all."

Meesei tightened her hand around Lunise's, then rolled over onto her side, towards her, and rested her other arm on Lunise's hip. "Though, it is not as if I know for sure when my free time will be. My responsibilities always have the chance of demanding my attention. Regardless, I do not think I would mind a surprise from you, if you decided to give one. I can take us anywhere in Tamriel. Or beyond, if I was somehow able to form a connection with the destination."

[Muttonhawk]

"Hmmm." Lunise pondered. Her body was relaxed but her mouth tightened with a kind of agitation. When Meesei turned close to her, Lunise followed suit, bringing them together as she wrapped her arm around and up Meesei's back. However, Lunise stopped abruptly before she closed the gap between them. Meesei's clothing caught Lunise's critical eye.

"You wore this to your duel, hm? In front of Siloune and Teroiah?" She said before tsking and shaking her head. "Now I know exactly where I am going to take you, and I guarantee you have never experienced such a thing."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei could not help but to laugh. "I just knew you would have something to say about that. Well, I will be looking forward to it. Hopefully we can find the time sometime soon."

---

Despite completing their most important tasks leading up to the invasion, it still took about a week before anyone in the pack was able to carry out any of the plans they had made. Meesei still had to meet a few more times with the Empire's Legate General, as well as Teroiah, and introduce Ri'vashi to the both of them. Fortunately, once they were acquainted, Meesei merely had the task of teleporting Ri'vashi to the right places so she could handle the more detailed military planning. As for the rest of the pack, they still had their normal responsibilities, from which they would need to prepare to be absent.

As they had planned beforehand, Janius, Kaleeth, and Julan were going to join Sabine in traveling to Thorn, then make their own way to the likely location of Kaleeth's former tribe. She knew roughly where they would be, but expected to be away for at least a few days. Sabine, of course, could return home at will, but would need to check back in Thorn each day to see if they had returned. They were all finally able to coordinate their free time together, so they would be leaving within a few hours.

It was early in the morning, a few hours before the group intended to leave, when Meesei knocked on Sabine's door. She had been able to pull herself away from her responsibilities as well, so she felt it would be a perfect chance to spend some time with her.

[Muttonhawk]

"Come in," Sabine's small voice spoke through the door.

Meesei entering the room beheld Sabine alone at her desk, looking over writing on paper under a magelight. There was no sign of Karl, likely he had work at this hour. His smell, as well as the scents of Yerig and Do'rhajul, could be perceived.

Sabine turned in her seat and smiled at Meesei. On Sabine's desk were letters written in Dunmeris and Cyrodilic. Curiously, Sabine had a bandage tied around her palm. She quickly obscured it with her other hand before any more attention could be drawn to it.

"Good morning, Meesei," Sabine said. "Do you need something?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei nodded and greeted Sabine, closing the door behind her. She pulled over a wooden chair next to the stone one built into the floor at Sabine's desk and took a seat beside her. "Yes, I have a question. Or...more of a request, really. I know you are planning on taking Janius, Kaleeth, and Julan to Black Marsh today, and to visit your sister. I managed to convince Saras to handle the meeting with the Daggerfall alpha today, so I will also have some time to myself. I was wondering if I might join you today? I do not want to get in the way of you spending time with your sister, but perhaps before or after that, we could take some time together as well?" She suggested.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine's smile brightened a little. "I would like that," she said. "I doubt you will be any hassle. Ariel has been wanting to meet you again, too." She almost laughed. "By the way she describes her children, you may need to be prepared for their being enthusiastic to meet new people, but that is all that you will contend with, I think."

From Ariel's steady letters that eventually reached the Silent City, Sabine and the pack learnt of her decision with Rukeewei to try for offspring of their own. The eldest daughter would be six years old by now. The younger two girls, the twins, would be four. The constant work of the war had kept everyone in the pack from seeing them, even Sabine.

"I had actually been thinking to speak to you about a few other things," Sabine continued, her smile fading as she looked to the letters. "It will be nice to do that, as well as just to spend some time."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, I have to wonder what she has told them about us. I cannot imagine she has told them the full truth; children of that age are not terribly reliable at keeping secrets. Perhaps we are the eccentric mage aunt and her former master, wandering the world in search of adventure?" Meesei grinned. "At any rate, I suppose I will just wait and see what story Ariel has concocted for us. I also am looking forward to seeing what she has done with the shop. What we paid her was more than enough to repay her loan, and perhaps invest more into it. She deserves all of the prosperity we could give her after what she did for us. It is hard to appreciate how many lives you and her helped to save with the antidote you developed."

Meesei's gaze moved to the desk, and the letters that Sabine had been writing. Despite Sabine's efforts, Meesei had noticed the bandage, and she did find it curious that she was attempting to hide it. Minor wounds were far from uncommon in the pack, from training and the like, and Meesei would have thought nothing of it otherwise. "Did you do something to your hand? Or have you begun to use your blood for ink?" Meesei joked.

[Muttonhawk]

"Oh, aheh..." Sabine breathed an uneasy laugh. A brief flush of red came over her cheeks. "No, no, it is just a silly thing. I healed, see?" She pulled away the bandage to show a thin pink line across her palm. She stared at it with a blank expression. "I cut my hand last night while sharpening a pen. I was tired and not focussed. It was nothing bad, just a lot of blood, and..." She swallowed hard. "I was suddenly very cold."

Sabine slowly breathed in and out through her mouth. "My mind kept seeing that tree I was stuck to."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei tried not to shift away from positivity too suddenly, though her voice did become distinctly more serious, but supportive. "That would weigh on the mind of anyone, no matter how strong. And we lycans are beings of passion and intensity, but that can work against us. Our emotions can hold more sway over us, even the painful ones. But, I am still confident in you, Sabine. I know it will not plague you forever. You have recovered from worse."

Especially now, Meesei did not wish to dwell on the topic. She did not believe it would be healthy for Sabine to keep it on her mind so frequently, and being able to move on from it quickly whenever it entered her mind would be helpful for her. "Does Karl intend to come as well? I have to imagine Ariel is just as excited to meet him, if you have been exchanging letters. If he has any duties tying him up, I will personally excuse him from them. Some might say that would be abusing my influence, but I would say...I do not care." Meesei smiled.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine at least hummed acknowledgement. Her eyes told that she was not exactly cured by Meesei's reassurance. However, she was receptive to changing the subject. She smiled at Meesei's candid words and peered up with her head held forward.

"I offered," Sabine said. "You guessed right that he said he is busy. But that is an excuse, he is simply nervous." She clasped her wrist. "He thinks he will make a fool of himself because he has not spent much time...outside of lycan clans in general. I understand but I want him to come meet Ariel. I will try to convince him."

Sabine's eyes swept back to he letters. "I have not given much time to think of how. Finding new packmates has kept me busy as well."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, well my offer may at least force him to have to abandon his excuse. He will not need to maintain any secrecy around Ariel and Rukeewei, so perhaps that may allay some of his fears." Meesei suggested. "Though, I suspect you would know better how to convince him than I."

Meesei noticed Sabine looking to the letters, which gave context as to their likely recipients. No doubt, Sabine was finding the task she had given herself more difficult than she had likely anticipated at first. "You need not rush in selecting your pack. They will be important decisions for you, as I am sure you know. Given your fame among the clans, there will be no shortage of volunteers from all across Tamriel. With your position, they do need to be capable, of course, but I would say to be patient with your selections. Take your time and meet with them, get to know them. They will need to be your family just as much as they need to be warriors. They will need to be people who can get along with you, and Do'rhajul. The latter perhaps being more difficult than the former."

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine sighed. "I know. There are fewer than I might have thought because of Do'rhajul, but there are still many of them. I have always been nervous when meeting new people, and now, not only do I have to judge them, get to know them, and sort through the ones who just want to manipulate me like the Daggerfall clan leader tried to...I have to find enough to fight alongside before the invasion."

She attempted a thin smile. "I wish I did not have to sort through so many. I wish Hircine could guide me to them, like he did for you."

[EliteCommander]

"Well, he had purpose for us. He knew what was coming, and what would be needed to stop it. I suspect he guided many packs together, but we were the ones who emerged as the strongest. Your pack, unfortunately, will need to be assembled through far more mundane means. Although, you will have a far more expansive list of options than most pack alphas, and hopefully, your pack will not be fated to carry the weight of the world on your collective shoulders as ours has." Meesei replied, smiling, though she was serious in her sentiment. She had long wanted Sabine to be able to live a more normal life, so she genuinely hoped that Sabine and her pack would not face the same challenges and responsibilities. that had filled most of her life so far.

Meesei placed her hand lightly upon Sabine's shoulder, looking in silence for just a few seconds. "It is still hard for me to imagine you not being a member of my pack, but I still could not be more proud. You are more than capable; you will be an excellent leader. Had you chose to pursue it, I would have had complete faith in you as my second. You could fill my role better than I have. Though, whether technically in my pack or not, I do still hope to have you at my side when the invasion is finally upon us."

[Muttonhawk]

"And I would prefer to be alongside you as well." Sabine looked down and then up to meet Meesei's eyes. "I might be making my own pack but you are still my mother."

Sabine half-stood from her chair and wrapped Meesei in a warm hug. "I do not think I could be a better champion than you. I just hope I can be a good leader. I just might need your advice sometimes."

After holding onto Meesei for a while, Sabine pulled away and resumed her seat. She shifted a sheet of parchment to reveal a letter in scratchy Cyrodilic. "I am actually planning to stay in Thorn for short while longer after visiting Ariel. There is a clan further south, near the coast, that has been looking forward to meeting me for finding a packmate or two. Perhaps someone will be there?"