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

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha shook her head. "They did not get that specific in their letter. My father said that he would be in the city on business, so they intended to stop in for a visit. I suppose it will depend on how long his negotiations take him...and how long they decide to keep their trip going after that. I have no doubt they are mostly just using business to justify a long family trip. It is not often that most people have the luxury of traveling, I suppose. That would be the only reason I could think of that my brother will be coming as well."

---

Lorag had his eyes firmly on Narsi for every step she took out of the cabin. Her tears left little doubt that such a drastic change was unquestionably frightening for her, though Lorag showed not a hint of sympathy on his part. He just watched her, judging everything from her posture to how much muscle she had managed to put on. He narrowed his eyes, then finally returned his gaze to Harriet. "Well, then as much as it sickens me to say it, there's at least one thing in this world that you and me actually agree on."

Taking a few steps closer to Narsi, Lorag stared down on her once more in silence for a few seconds. "In that case, maybe she'll end up stayin' a bit longer, then. We'll walk down to the city, we'll meet with the Champion, and she'll send us back to our clan. Can you control yourself in a city, girl?"

[Muttonhawk]

"That actually sounds rather manageable," Llarasa said.

Fendros' head turned at her optimism.

She continued. "Not only would a business negotiation not last too-too long, it means mother and father will not be continuously giving them hospitality. A break here and there could be helpful."

"Hopefully it will make the difference," Monderyn responded. "Well, we had better let mother know now. We can all meet up later to see if we have any strategies..."

"Wait, brother." Fendros half-raised a hand before Monderyn could stand up. "In all fairness, we're not in a rush. Do you have time to stay and share a few drinks with us? Without worrying about all this? It's been so long since we've spoken to you both."

"It would be nice to catch up," Llarasa said with a smile. "I can stay a while."

Monderyn clutched the arm of his chair and was silent for a moment. He exhaled through his nose and relaxed back into his chair. "Very well," he conceded.

---

Harriet kept her cross-armed, eyes-down posture and let Narsi answer.

Narsi took a moment to clench her hand into a fist. She didn't look up at Lorag, but he could see her lowered face looking stern as a wall. "'Course I can," she said indignantly.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha smiled, taking up her drink in her hand. "Yeah, that is part of why we came early. I didn't want everything to be rushed and frantic. It would be nice if our visits could be exclusively positive events. And maybe this won't be so bad. It's not like my parents are bad people or anything."

Meesei had been allowing the others to have their conversation, but Fendros' suggestion had her raising up her mug a bit more enthusiastically than Ahnasha. "I am happy with the idea. I certainly would not mind a few more drinks. It has been a long time since I have had this kind of company outside of my pack. Well...a week or two, at least."

Ahnasha laughed briefly before returning her attention to Fendros' siblings. "At any rate, how have you two been faring? Have there been any interesting developments for either of you?"

---

Lorag simply gave a single nod. "Good. Guess that's it then. I'll have her back here at some point. After she's had her fill of the place. Come on, girl, and stay close. I might be gettin' older, but I promise that runnin' off ain't gonna work on me."

Lorag did not give Harriet any more time or attention. It was no question that neither of them wanted to be around each other, so he had no reason to stay around for any longer than his business required. Narsi's feelings on the matter were, at the moment, also irrelevant to him. It would probably take a while for him to even figure out what kind of stories Harriet had been filling her head with, but he felt like starting on that right away. "So, girl, what's Harriet's version of all this that she told you? I've just got to hear that." He asked in a rather demanding tone once they were halfway down the path to the main road.

[Muttonhawk]

Llarasa and Monderyn each waited for the other to answer first. After a while, Monderyn adjusted his cuff and sighed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it has not felt for me like these past years since talking to you last were such a long time..."

Shortly into the conversation, Monderyn's statement was more or less disproven. Their memories jogged as various events came to mind. Between the yearly to weekly to daily routines of running the winery with their father, Monderyn and Llarasa had plenty of things to talk about. New friends had been made and old friends moved onto new stages of life. The winery had expanded marginally, with more experience and networks earning them a reputation for quality. Llarasa even mentioned her cat dying of old age a year before their conversation. Monderyn had to call out why she mentioned that instead of all the spare-time canvas painting she had been doing over the years, but Llarasa insisted that was just a hobby.

Perhaps the most impactful period was the time spent putting together eye medicine for Fendros' mother Calia. Over a year-long treatment process, she regained use of her sight enough to travel slowly without assistance. Sadly, she never regained full use of her eyes, though the skills she learned when blind more than made up for her remaining deficiency.

Of course, most overarching events had already been conveyed through letters. The real substance of the conversation set in when everyone had finished at least two drinks. By then, they were relaxed enough to settle into more general conversations about mundane, if often wholesome, aspects of life.

Rhazii even contributed to the conversation, though he mostly kept his distance. A combination of anxiety and the age disparity left him far less to relate to. Fendros and Ahnasha pulled him into the conversation numerous times in the capacity of proud parents, letting slip non-harmful accomplishments he had made. Rhazii kept himself humble at first, though he acted in contrast to the self-assurance he otherwise expressed if his capabilities were even subtly brought into doubt.

Many hours of catching up eventually had to end as dinner was approaching. Llarasa and Monderyn were adults, it was true, but missing the family dinner without notice would bring undue suspicion. They took their leave with gracious farewells, hugs, and promises to speak tomorrow. This time with mother in tow.

---

Narsi walked with a surprised start at Lorag's turning and leaving. Once she caught up with him, she looked back at her mother Harriet. Harriet returned her look, scowling, but she brought her fingertips to her lips and then lifted the hand to wave her off. Narsi's face twisted and she looked away and down. Lorag could hear her breathing unevenly, but she did not sob once. No tears dropped from her lowered face.

By the time Lorag asked Narsi about Harriet's side of the story, she had only just started calming down. She was just as petulant in her tone as before. "She didn't lie if that's what you wanna know," she said. "How do I know you're even smart enough to understand? Not like I can just say she killed the guy and you'd be satisfied."

[EliteCommander]

"I know what she told us." Lorag replied. "She thought the clan should be run differently, had all kinds of ideas on how to make us more prepared. But, for reasons she never said, she was apparently too cowardly to challenge Jerrick the right way. Then she bought in to the opportunity that snake of a lizard offered her. Whole reason I ended up siring you was just because she wanted a, what's it called...alibi. She was with me when Jerrick died, but the Champion figured out it was poison, so that meant nothing. She figured Harriet out eventually, and after she was caught, your mother challenged the Champion to a duel. Had that lizard toss her this ring that made her immune to magic, but even with that, the Champion didn't have much trouble with her. We made her help track down the lizard after he ran, but she ended up runnin' too after we had to fight off an attack."

The pair soon made it to the main road, then started off down the mountain towards the city. It was not a long walk at all to reach the walls. "So that's the story we saw. The version she gave you any different?"

---

Kaleeth was quiet, and still visibly anxious. She did not seem as bad off as she had been for most of the week, but she clearly still had a lot on her mind. For one, her village was finally in view. Herself, Janius, and Julan were all standing far from its edge, just close enough that they could make out the forms of compacted mud huts through the trees. Kaleeth had stopped, and did not seem like she was eager to keep leading them forward. "Okay...so we're finally here. My home. My...first home."

Julan looked to be at least partially confused, at least for the fact that they had been stopped for a minute or so no. "Should we, um get closer? Is there someone we're supposed to talk to first?"

"The hunters have already seen us, I'm sure. They'll come out to meet us. I just..." Kaleeth began, looking slightly more anxious and avoiding eye contact with Janius. "It's not too late for us to leave, still."

[Muttonhawk]

"Not by much," Narsi said. "You just left out the part where she was decided she was going to go out fighting after everything went to shit. She was ready to die and kill as many of those Vile fuckers as she could along the way. She only ran 'cause she learnt I existed." She caught herself before she raised her voice any further. "She wasn't tryin' to get out of it for herself."

---

"Finally here, after all this time," Janius said during their wait, taking in the air.

His demeanour was much more high and confident. An effort put on for Kaleeth -- he was internally nervous and looking at every errant shape in the marsh trees. Janius did not think in his rational mind that they would be attacked on sight but his gut told him just enough lies to put him on-edge. However, in the face of Kaleeth's voiced doubt, he did not feel the need to speak. He simply gave her a smile, took her hand, and held on reassuringly.

They had come this far together. They could take this step.

[EliteCommander]

"Hmph, well I guess that's the story she told ya. No idea how much is true. Don't really matter, though. It doesn't change much." Lorag replied, finally looking down to make eye contact with Narsi. "She don't know how much she's missed this last decade or so. She couldn't have told you the truth 'bout the clans, 'cause she don't even know the truth. That's why you're gonna see it for yourself. You're gonna be staying a while, but I'll go ahead and tell you that I won't bother tryin' to make you stay there. I sired you, so I'm still responsible for you, kind of. So, I'm goin' to make sure you stay there long enough to see everything on the table for you if you wanna stay. If you see all that, and decide to be stupid enough to give it all up, then that'll be your problem, not mine. I'd have done my job."

The pair were starting to get close to the bottom of the hill, and the Cheydinhal gates, so Lorag quickly changed the subject. "Alright, so we're going to take you into the city, and I'll show you to the Champion. She's my alpha, the alpha of every lycan in Tamriel, and the strongest person you're ever gonna meet in your life, so show some respect. We'll probably get out of the city, then she'll teleport us to our clan. It's far from here, but we'll get there instantly. After that, I'll show ya 'round a bit, then I'll get you to a room where you'll be stayin'. You're going to get some rest after that. You were in your wolf form when I got here, and for what I plan to do to start things out, you're going to need that form again."

---

It was not solely out of anxiety that Kaleeth was not moving farther towards the village, as it was quite a rare event for the village to receive unannounced villagers. Rarer still was when such visits remained amicable. Regardless, staying still and out in the open ensured that the reaction of the village's hunters was not a particularly aggressive one. A group of five emerged from the trees off to the left, all armed with spears or shortbows. The garb of the tribal Argonians was hardly any different from most of the lycan clans, with simple loincloths, hide belts, and worn jewelry made from trophies from their hunts. Although, their own customs also showed through in their appearance in how their jewelry was arranged, and the fact that they were all heavily tattooed, just like Kaleeth. The designs were all different, and reflective of their accomplishments.

The largest, dark-green scaled Argonian man stepped forward with his spear in hand, though not pointing at any of the three of them. "Speak your business here, strangers. If you are lost, we will give you a meal and directions to send you on your way, but otherwise our village is preparing to move. We are not taking on visitors."

The light-scaled man to his right, meanwhile, squinted his eyes and leaned his head slightly forward towards the trio; Kaleeth in particular. Just after his leader finished speaking, he quickly turned his head to him. "Xur, I could be wrong, but isn't that Zharanthixil's girl?"

The leader paused, and stared closely at Kaleeth, examining her face's features. "Kaleeth-Rei...I didn't recognize you. You've grown a lot."

"It's okay, Xurkith. It has been a while." Kaleeth answered, though in truth, she was unsure whether she should be glad that they were starting to be friendly towards them, or upset that she had forgotten. "We're just here because I want to see my parents. Can you take us to them?"

The hunters exchanged a few, uncertain glances, but said nothing to each other before Xurkith gave a single nod. "Very well, I will take you to your father. But, I need to know who the two of you are before I can take anyone into the village." He said, pointing his finger to both Janius and Julan.

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi followed along passively. When she wasn't keeping her eyes down on the ground in front of her, she was looking out at the forests and fields away from Lorag.

When Lorag finished talking at the gates, Narsi was quiet for a moment, before starting to blow frustrated breaths from her nose. A few seconds passed before she wrinkled her nose. "Screw this," she said under her breath. She spun on her toe and started on a walk away from Lorag and the city.

---

Janius' Jel was much more practiced than the last time he was in the marsh, though he remained less than confident speaking it. He cleared his throat. "My name is Janius," he said slowly enough in Jel to be understood in spite of his accent. "I am Kaleeth-rei's partner." He looked down at Julan and gestured to him. "You should introduce yourself, son."

Julan had been taught the basics of Jel, at the very least.

[EliteCommander]

Narsi hardly had time to take a step before Lorag grabbed a hold of the collar of her shirt. "Hold on there, girl. You can choose to leave once you've seen everything I've got to show you. Not before."

Lorag took a hold of Narsi's shoulder and turned her around to face him. "Sure, you can walk yourself up that mountain if you want, but as soon as you do, your mother's just gonna kick your hide right back down it 'till you go where I'm takin' you. Don't even try to pretend you don't know that's true. So, you can spend all day walkin' up and down this mountain, or you can get this over with quicker, so let's not waste both of our time and just get goin'."

---

As was often the case when he was prompted to speak with the adults his parents dealt with, Julan kept his answer short and quick. "I'm Kaj-Julan. I'm, um, their son."

The leader, and most of the others, just looked surprised at Janius' and Julan's stated relationships with Kaleeth, though one in the back gave a visible sneer towards them. Regardless, Xurkith accepted their answers enough to lead them into the camp. They spoke no further on the way, though the moment they entered the village, they could hear the whispers among onlookers, particularly once they noticed Janius. Many were just surprised that the village had visitors at all, but there were perhaps a few who recognized Kaleeth's return. In any case, the village was a small enough place that it hardly took any time at all for them to reach a small, nondescript mud hut on the very edge of the village. Xurkith pulled aside the hanging cloth that served as the doorway and motioned for the trio to follow him inside.

The hut was small and, naturally, had only a single room. There was a small firepit in the center that Kaleeth noticed immediately, due to the aroma of the soup that was cooking on top of it, which filled the entirety of the hut. There was no furniture only cloth mats on which to sit and a single hammock in the far corner. Kaleeth could see what looked like a few hunting trophies nearby to it, but it appeared that no one had bothered to actually display them properly. That, or they had already been taken down in preparation for their impending migration. Regardless, there was only one other person in the hut aside from them, and Kaleeth could hardly bring herself to breathe when she saw him. It was her father, sitting in front of the firepit, looking up at his guests. His dark green scales had lightened a shade or so since they had last seen him, but his tattoos looked like they had maintained their color. He had on only his loincloth, and not the usual adornments of a ranking hunter in the village.

"Zharan, you have...visitors." Xurkith announced, though Zharanthixil was hardly even paying attention to him. His eyes were unmoving from Kaleeth, who was filled with more fear and nervousness the longer he looked at her. "Father, I..." She started, unable to come up with any conclusion to the thought.

In contrast to Kaleeth, Zharan's words were soft, perhaps even carrying some sadness to his tone. "My little girl...after all this time." He began; however, his gaze focused more sharply onto Janius once he took notice of him. "I see you brought him here again."

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi tried to wrench herself free to no avail. She stopped for a moment when Lorag clamped his hand around her shoulder. Halfway through his attempt at persuasion, she pushed her lips together and tried to push Lorag's wrist away. Curiously, Lorag found her grip stronger than both Rhazii and Julan's, but Narsi was still no match for him.

She grunted angrily when Lorag finished talking. "Fine!" She stopped and caught her breath. "Fine. I'll go. Just...let go'a me, alright?"

Narsi pushed Lorag's hand off her shoulder and followed along with her head down.

She had nothing else to say before meeting Meesei. Whether Meesei had held back on her drinks before they got there was up to fate.

---

Janius felt his own heart beating faster as he approached Zharanthixil's hut. He held optimism that did not quite comfort him. His mind was not willing to think about the most likely response Kaleeth's father would have to seeing his face again, but reality soon played it out for him.

Keeping himself reserved, Janius clasped his hands together in front of himself when Zharanthixil addressed him. Janius bowed his head respectfully. "Hello, Zharanthixil," he said with a neutral look. "It has been a long time."

Only then did the details come out in the corners of Janius' eyes. His mother-in-law was conspicuously absent, in body and in trace. An invisible ribbon tightened around Janius' throat.

He checked to make sure Julan was still beside them.

[EliteCommander]

With Narsi's reluctant compliance Lorag was actually able to lead her to the inn without further issue. Once again, Meesei was surprised to see her packmate back so soon, and even moreso with a little girl in tow. Meesei of course knew that Lorag had intended to speak to Harriet, but he had given her no further details beforehand. Lorag was quick to pull Meesei away from Ahnasha and Fendros so they could have some privacy away from any potential prying eyes in the inn. Although, Meesei did not see any need to go any farther than the room she had rented upstairs.

Meesei had not stopped drinking at any point before Lorag returned, and at least he could see it in the way she moved, and the hints of intoxication in her tone. Still, her constitution was enough that she had not yet lost most of her more rational mind. "So, I see we have a guest, Lorag. Is...Harriet still alive up there, or..."

"Relax, Alpha, the traitor's still alive. I just went to talk. She agreed to this on her own. Surprised me too, honestly, and the girl's not happy with it, but she's gonna see the clan whether she likes it or not. Could use a portal back home." Lorag replied.

Meesei gave a single shrug. "Sure, why not? Probably fine to just do it here. I doubt anyone will pay attention to you two not going back down later. People pay less attention to strangers than you would think."

Aside from speaking somewhat more slowly than usual, Meesei's mood was more outwardly cheerful than she would normally allow around strangers, even a child. She grinned, and took a few moments just to look at Narsi before continuing. "It's been a long time since I have seen you, Narsi. I don't think I would have expected Lorag's child to be such a cute little girl."

---

Julan was right beside Janius, but he was unsure what, if anything, he should say to his grandfather. Although, Zharanthixil had no intention of waiting on everyone to have a turn to speak. He started to move to stand up, but before getting up off of one knee, he reached over and grabbed what appeared to be a cane propped up against the wall of the hut. It was a simple carved wooden branch with a wide base to make it less likely to become caught in the mud. With the cane in hand, he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He did not look to have any visible injuries on the outside, but he was clearly favoring his left leg in his posture. "I'm not sure if I ever expected this day to come. I had given up on it. I wish it had come sooner."

Zharan soon shifted his gaze to Janius, and became markedly more stern in his expression. "So you are still in the company of this Imperial.

[i]"It is more than company, father. Janius is still my mate. Kaj-Julan is our son." Kaleeth replied, motioning her hand towards him.

The look that Zharanthixil gave towards Julan was difficult to read. His whole demeanor was borderline to threatening, but it was not precisely directed at Julan specifically. "And after all this time, I do have a grandchild. It is just one who is tainted with your blood." Zharan glared at Janius. There were a few long, tense moments of silence, and Kaleeth was unsure if her father was going to escalate his anger any farther. But, to her surprise, he eventually closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "But, he is my daughter's, and that is enough."

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi remained glum and grumpy, if quiet. She regarded Meesei with sideways glances only, especially when hints of Meesei's inebriation became apparent.

When Meesei made her comment -- even if it was only meant as a jab against Lorag -- Narsi showed more of her teeth. She only took a second before she talked back. "With respect to your strength," she said, quirking her head to one side, "you can fuck off."

---

Some of the words Zharan used were not common in the conversations Janius thought Julan engaged in. It left a hope that Julan did not even think to take his grandfather's criticisms personally. Still, Julan could know the words, and he could probably pick up on the sentiment.

"I can see your opinion of me has not changed. I did not expect a change, though we still wished for you to meet our son." Janius stepped aside to allow Julan and Zharan to face one another. He tried to touch upon the obvious in a gentle manner. "You...and Kaleeth's mother."

[EliteCommander]

Fortunately for Narsi, intoxication did not make Meesei more prone to anger. If anything, it simply made her more willing to be more expressive as she laughed in response. All the while, she held up one hand beside her, which started to glow with pure magical energy. "Well, then I was mistaken. You most definitely are Lorag's daughter." She said, looking at least slightly more serious as her laugh started to subside. "Probably a lot of Harriet in you too. Hmph, hopefully that washes out."

Meesei was not concentrating as strongly as usual, so it took closer to a minute for her to complete her portal, which led to the front steps of the Silent City. Once it was ready, a flick of Meesei's wrist opened up a brilliantly glowing portal in the center of the room. "Here you are, one doorway to the greatest home a lycan could hope for. Just step through; it is perfectly safe."

---

The expression on Kaleeth's face became almost pleading. While he did not yet appear angry towards her, his open hostility towards Janius was something she had hoped would have changed in all the time that had passed. It was starting to kill the measure of hope she had that this could all end happily. "Father...Janius has been wonderful to me. We have a family now, and we love each other even more than when we first met. He is the kind of mate you always wanted me to have. And even more the kind that mother wanted me to have. She will love to meet him again and get to know him. I am sure of it."

"Your mother wanted you, Kaleeth." Zharanthixil snapped back immediately. He seemed even more emotionally charged than they might have expected, and he appeared to have an almost pained look in his eyes. "You never came back. We never knew what became of you, and had no way to find you. In just a few seasons, our children were gone. One returned to the Hist, and the other...lost to the world. You could have been happy, or you could have been dead. Or in pain, or suffering. We had no way to know." There was a pause, and Zharan took a slow step forward towards her. He leaned heavily on his cane, evidently hesitant to put any weight at all on his right leg. "We missed you."

Kaleeth could not contain the conflict she felt inside. This was not the joyous reunion that she had ideally hoped to have, but at the same time, her father was far from angry to see her. He was clearly willing to admit that he had missed her. Despite being on the verge of tears, Kaleeth tried to hold herself together to respond. "I know; I can't even describe how much I regret it. I'm so sorry, father, I was horrible to you for leaving. Having Julan now, I...understand that better than I ever could have then. I was horrible to you, but...I'm here now, and I missed you too. I want to try to make it up to you, and mother. Where is she? I have to see her again."

Zharanthixil's sadness grew all the more evident. He let out another long breath, and could not bring himself to make eye contact with his daughter. "Kaleeth...your mother is not here. She returned to the Hist three seasons ago. Sickness took her."

Kaleeth had been too caught up in her own emotions to see the signs that Janius had recognized shortly after arriving, so the revelation that Zharanthixil gave her was as shocking as it was horrifying. "She's returned to...she's dead. I...I don't...but she was always so healthy...I don't understand how..."

Kaleeth broke down into tears, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands. Argonians were naturally highly resistant to disease, but not entirely immune. Large plagues were non-existent among them, but individuals could occasionally fall to a particularly virulent disease. Such occurrences were usually unpredictable, and quite sudden for family and friends.

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi fell once more to ignoring Lorag and Meesei while they waited for their portal. The only time her eyes left the floor was when she hazarded long looks out the window, into the daylight beyond. Lorag may or may not have noticed as easily as Meesei the way Narsi held herself. Her stillness and shallowness of breath betrayed just how much emotion she was holding back.

When the portal appeared, she turned to look at it and found herself unsure. She looked at Meesei as if she did not wholly believe her reassurances. Still, she acted without further encouragement, stepping up to the portal with her left hand outstretched. Her fingers phased through the threshold. With no sensation but the coolness of the cavern beyond, she slowly stuck her head through, and then stepped all the way through.

Narsi stood without words, panning her gaze around her. She had as much curiosity as could be expected, but her impression remained surprisingly subdued.

"What is this place?" She asked without checking whether Lorag had followed her.

---

Janius wished he had not been correct in his suspicions. The forethought allowed him to temper his reaction, but even then, seeing Kaleeth so distraught, he had to breathe slowly with his mouth ajar not to be moved to tears himself.

He spoke once confident his voice would sound composed. "Zharanthixil, I'm...so sorry."

[EliteCommander]

Lorag stood just behind Narsi, the portal disappearing soon after just behind him. Before them was the Silent City, its long staircase leading up to the Dwemer buildings towering over them. At the base of the staircase on either side were numerous stables and pens they had built for horses, chaurus, and any other creature they used regularly. They were well-within view of those working the stables, but Meesei's teleportation had become such a common occurrence for them that it did not garner more than a glance from them. "Our home. Our clan. Obviously, we're underground. Don't know if you've ever seen anything Dwarven before livin' in Cyrodiil, but we built it out of the ruins of one of their cities. It's somewhere in Tamriel, and any entrances are hidden. Visitors like you don't get to know where it is. Only way we let people in is by teleporting, so it's hidden from the enemy, and anyone else. Even if they did find it, defenses are strong enough that we could hole up for months. Maybe years. So, long story short, it's a place where we can fight on our own terms, hunt on our own terms, and live on our own terms."

Lorag stopped looking up to the city and focused more on Narsi herself. "Anyways, your mother's probably taught you a whole bunch of rules about bein' in a city. How to dress, how to act, how to deal with your beast and all that. Well, most of those prob'ly don't apply here. It might be a city, but it's still a lycan clan. Your clothes don't matter, we don't expect those 'Imperial" manners you got in Cheydinhal, and everyone's gonna know you're a lycan. You can transform whenever you want, wherever you want, and for however long you want. If you want to be a werewolf for the next few days, weeks, or whatever, be my guest. All you need to know is to not start trouble. You'll be given food and all that basic stuff, just don't go breakin' or stealin' things that ain't yours. No different than your city there. If someone ends up pissin' you off, you can fight 'em. You just gotta do it the right way. You challenge them, and if they accept, you fight in one of the training rooms with someone else there to make sure you don't kill each other. We can hunt regularly, on the surface, or in the cavern. Other than that, don't kill any of our tamed creatures. We do mark them. Oh, and there are some people here that aren't lycans themselves. Not many, but don't go crazy if you meet one."

---

Zharanthixil's gaze towards Janius was just as harsh as ever. "I've had my time to come to terms with it. It is not me who requires sympathy, fool. It's my daughter." He chided. Indeed, Kaleeth seemed to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown, and may not have even been hearing what the others were saying.

Julan, meanwhile, looked up to his father with clear confusion in his eyes. "Does this mean my grandmother is...dead?" He asked, perhaps holding on to some naive hope that he had mistranslated what Zharan had said.

[Muttonhawk]

The way Narsi kept her eyes on her surroundings gave the impression that she was only halfway paying Lorag any attention. However, his last remark drew her eyes. "Pfft, I didn't go crazy in Cheydinhal, did I?" she said sarcastically.

Narsi just as quickly broke eye contact. She sniffed once an shrank slightly into and anxious slouch. "How many people are here?" she asked quietly.

Lorag was used to the smell of a crowd of lycans before. Narsi was not.

---

Janius knew at this point that whatever he did would probably annoy Zharanthixil. Still, he reached for Kaleeth's shoulder and very carefully drew her into a hug while she cried.

To Julan's question, Janius looked at him over Kaleeth's shoulder, curled in his lips, and nodded sadly.

Janius wished they had been here earlier, if only they knew. He did not feel the need to say as much; he had no doubt everyone was thinking the same thing.

[EliteCommander]

Lorag shrugged. "Not sure. Not my job to know that. Thousands, I guess. Still more lycans out in other clans, but this is the biggest one in Tamriel."

Lorag waved to Narsi for her to follow him as he started towards the steps. From the ground, the Dwemer buildings at least seemed imposing, but it was only once they were walking through the main square that it really started to seem more like a city. It could not compare to the size of a place like Cheydinhal, of course, but there were more lycans just in Narsi's current field of view than she had likely expected to see in her entire life. Wooden structures were mixed among the original Dwemer buildings, and filled with people that gave the city square life. This was a place with stores, commerce, and proper homes. None of it was on the scale of a major city, but all of its elements were present, along with the more primal influence of lycanthropy. From the square, one could see a few soldiers sparring in a nearby outdoor training yard, in and out of their lycan forms. A young werelion almost brushed against Narsi as he sprinted past, calling attention to a group of children even younger than Narsi playing and chasing one another. Lorag paid no mind to any of it, but he was going slowly enough to allow Narsi to properly take in her first impression. "I'll show you around the basics of the place, then get you a place to rest your head. After that, you rest up 'till you can take your werewolf form again."

---

Julan was not sure what to say, or how to feel. He had never met his grandmother, so the news did not hit him nearly as hard as Kaleeth. Her mind was a flood of despair and regret. Zharanthixil was keeping his distance, so Kaleeth clung tightly to Janius. "I...didn't get to see her again. I didn't get to talk to her, I...never told her I was sorry. She died hating me, and it's my fault!"

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi did not have time to rationally process the existence of a werelion running by her. She dodged aside, half-turning to look at the young beast more clearly. She started walking with greater care behind Lorag.

Some of Narsi's ambivalence sounded through her voice, even as she spoke clearly enough to Lorag over the crowd. "Uh...so, are you going to make me hunt transformed or...?"

---

Janius slid his hand comfortingly up and down Kaleeth's shoulder. "You don't know that, Kaleeth," he cooed. "Here..." Janius raised his chin and looked to Kaleeth's father. "Zharanthixil," he switched to Jel again. "Did your partner speak much about Kaleeth-rei after we departed? What did she say?"

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, call it a test." Lorag replied after a moment. "Some training. Got to see what I'm workin' with. Your strength, what habits you've got. Need to see how much of what your mother's taught you that I've got to fix. There's a lot 'bout this place you should see, but the biggest thing is for you to see how strong I can make you. Without the kind of training you can get here, you'll never hit your potential."

Lorag stopped in front of one of the buildings and opened up the large Dwemer doors. "First, though, got to show you the basics around here. There's a lot to know, so you can get the full tour from someone else. I'll show you the essentials."

Without further delay, Lorag spent an hour or so walking Narsi through the essential parts of the city, which, for him, included both the training rooms and armory along with places like the dining hall, water pumps, and anything else she needed. Eventually, he had her waiting just outside Saras' office for about ten minutes while Lorag talked to him in private. Even with her hightened sense of hearing, Narsi would find nothing but a dead silence if she attempted to eavesdrop through the door. The same sort of sound dampening enchantments that Meesei had granted to Marod and Lunise, Saras had requested for his own workspace.

When Lorag did finally emerge, he wasted no time in getting straight to the point with Narsi. "Alright, I talked to Saras. He's...well, knowin' his role ain't important. He's an old elf that I've got to listen to. I wanted to get you a bunk with the recruits of your age, but he wants to 'monitor' you for a while. Since you're a new lycan and we don't know if you've got proper training yet. You'll get a room by yourself, for now, in the same hall as all the other fresh lycans. No different from any other rooms, 'cept that we keep guards out in the halls overnight that'll follow you around if you decide to go anywhere. Honestly, it's prob'ly also because your mother was a traitor and he don't trust you, but I can't argue with him on the first part either."

---

From the way that Zharan was acting, it was possible he was ignoring Janius, but whether accidentally or intentionally, he still addressed his question. Taking a few limping steps towards Kaleeth, he finally drew in her attention towards him. "Neither of us ever started hating you, Kaleeth. We may not have been happy with you, but you were always our daughter."

Zharanthixil shot a sharp glance towards Janius. "She died hating you. It did not start that way, but she came to despise how you took our only daughter away from her family and tribe. If she were here, I know she would be happy if I were to inflict on you an appropriate amount of pain as recompense."

Although his words were harsh, Zharan soon resigned his aggression into a sigh. "But, she is not here. And, as shameful as it is to say, I have neither the means nor authority to bring any harm to you. I am a crippled old man, and no longer the Master Hunter. I cannot threaten you, and, more importantly, I no longer desire to. The life I once had has been shattered. My wife dead, my children gone, and my purpose diminished. Revenge, righteous anger...both seem trivial to me now. What I desire, all that I can truly say that I want, is to have a family again."

"And if that family includes you...I shall adapt." Zharan said, staring squarely into Janius' eyes. His stern tone stood in contrast to his words, but they seemed no less genuine.

[Muttonhawk]

The initial shock of the Silent City slowly wore off as Narsi was given the abridged tour. Some of the locals gave her curious looks, but she did not want to engage with them now even if Lorag was not half-rushing his way through it.

Whether Lorag or Saras noticed or not, Narsi did take the opportunity while left alone to try and find a way to peek inside or hear their words. She had no luck, of course -- Saras was nothing if not thorough. She ended up leaning up against a wall, dropping her bag, and wrapping her coat more tightly around herself. Lorag saw exited to find her staring at the floor as if she had a chill.

She looked up at him neutrally as he explained what was to happen next. Her response to his last line was to roll her eyes.

"Pff...Right, I'd almost forgotten," she said sarcastically.

---

Janius half-parted from Kaleeth while Zharan spoke until his hands had slid up to her arms. They could both pay attention to him that way.

Perhaps back when Kaleeth and Janius first met, Janius might have been volatile enough to interrupt Zharan in his shaming. The years of parenthood tempered him and instead brought him empathy enough to keep his eyes down.

Janius was expecting to attempt a humble apology, for all it was worth, but Zharan's conclusion took him off guard. He returned his father-in-law's look, startled and dumbstruck.

Some useless words eventually found their way to his mind. "I...I don't know what to say." He fumbled over his words. "I understand the anger. I w-would be lying if I didn't feel a measure of Kaleeth's guilt." He let his breath go. "In truth, I came here certain that you wouldn't give me a chance. I only hoped you would give Kaleeth and Kaj-Julan a chance. If you are willing to do that at the very least, I cannot ask anything more of you."