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

[EliteCommander]

Julan lifted his arm up off of Narsi's throat, finally allowing her to breathe freely. "Fighting someone straight up is the only way to not be a coward." He paused a moment, also allowing himself a few seconds to catch his breath. The fight had not gone on too long, but he had exerted himself more than he had expected, though that partially may have been due to his recent transformation.

"How do you not understand this yet? You're acting like you failed or something, even though it's just training. Don't you know how this works? I lose fights all the time, especially to my brother. But that's how it's supposed to be. We fight, we lose, and we get better. That's training. So just...stop acting like a little kid. Stop yelling at everyone, stop acting like you're better than everyone. And stop acting like you don't need our help. Lorag said we're supposed to train you...but if you keep acting like that, I'm just not going to do it. It's just a waste of time if you keep acting like that." Julan said, glaring down at her. However, after a few seconds, his mood seemed to shift, in only slightly, into a thin smile. "But, if you do actually want to start training smart, then you could actually be pretty tough. Then I wouldn't be embarrassed to have you as a sister."

---

"I don't care, Fendros!" Ahnasha shouted, though not because she was not listening to him. She heard and understood every word, but her anger went beyond the mere fact that he disagreed with her. "I don't care what will or won't work on them. For Hircine's sake, you might even be right, but I don't care. That's not what this is about."

Ahnasha stepped even closer, bringing her face almost uncomfortably close to his, given her mood. "If you don't agree with me lying to them, that's fine. If you think it would be better to tell the truth and try to convince them like we did your family, then that's fine. If you want to try to convince me, to argue with me to try to see it your way in private, then that's fine. But...the second you started saying the things you did out loud, contradicting the story I was telling right there in front of my parents with no warning...that's when you started making my decision about my family for me." Ahnasha growled, pushing her finger into Fendros' chest. "You did not have that right!"

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi avoided looking at Julan as she slowly stood back up to her feet. Grasping her jarred arm, she dryly coughed to get her throat clear.

"I'm not your sister," she said with a glare at Julan, before lowering her eyes again. "...But I'll train."

---

"And when were you ever going to change your mind!?" Fendros shouted in return. His brow betrayed something sad behind his anger. "This might be the last time you get, with where we're going! And if I lose you I'll have to lift my broken self off the ground and explain to them why you disappeared! Do you want me to lie then!?!"

[EliteCommander]

"You really need to learn how things work in the clan." Julan remarked, crossing his arms, though he soon gave a shrug. "But I guess you did just get here not long ago, so...I guess it makes sense that you don't. Maybe you do just need time."

For the first time since the duel started, Julan finally turned his attention back to Rhazii. "But we've been training for long enough already. And I just got back from Black Marsh, too. I feel like everything has just been all serious for me for weeks. Why don't we do something fun?"

---

Ahnasha's ears flattened on her head as her eyes narrowed, and her teeth showed plainly. "Did you not listen to a word I just said? I'm not bothered that you disagree, and if you wanted to argue about it, we could argue about it. It's going to be months still before the portals are complete, and Meesei can always bring us down to Leyawiin in an instant. If you wanted to change my mind, then there was time to argue about it later. So I want to know, Fendros, why you think you had any right to ignore me, ignore my warnings, and force me to tell my family what you wanted me to tell them?"

[Muttonhawk]

Rhazii turned his eyes up. It took him only a second to think about it before he smiled back at Julan. "You know what? Yeah. The past few days have been crap for me as well. Let's find a game or something." He glanced at Narsi. "We can say you needed to rest after what Julan did to your arm."

"Huh?" Narsi showed some confusion on her face. "My arm is just pulled a bit, it's not a problem." She said with comparatively less indignation.

Rhazii bent down and turning his head to get a closer look. "I don't know, looks pretty bad to me," Rhazii said sarcastically. He then stood up straight and peered around with his fingers sheltering his eyes. "And there aren't many healers around, they must all be busy. Yeah, we should do something other than training. Come with us."

For once, Narsi did not have anything abrasive to say. She had the look of someone breaking a long-understood rule for the first time.

"What did you have in mind, brother?" Rhazii asked as he turned to walk.

---

The heat of the moment blurred any notion of admitting a mistake. "I forced nothing!" He growled. "Every time I have brought up stopping these absurd lies you-" He mimed a shrunken sphere between his hands. "You shrink into that perfect, safe little girl you seem to think they want you to be!" He gesticulated with his frustration. "It's 'not now' and 'they'll be upset' and putting things off despite the layers built on this web! I'm sick of it, Ahnasha!"

[EliteCommander]

Julan crossed one arm over the other and tapped a finger to his chin in thought. "Well, I'm feeling sore, and it would be nice to go to the steam pools...but I guess that would be more relaxing than actually fun. Maybe...we could go play with Leaps. It feels like forever since I've seen him. I hope they've been taking care of him alright. We could take him on a ride around out of the city."

Julan gave a quick glance to Narsi. "Unless you have some other idea of fun? I'm not sure what the city dwellers do. Seems like it would be boring in those walls."

---

"Because that IS what they want me to be! And I'm sick of you not understanding that!" Ahnasha shouted back at Fendros. "They couldn't handle the risk of me just hunting without nearly worrying themselves to death. Why do you think I had to run away? My parents are good people, they're incredibly stubborn in their own ways. And as for their faith...they won't bend their faith, even for me."

Ahnasha's voice became softer, but even more severe. "And need I remind you that my mother nearly killed herself when she thought I had died? What do you think is going to happen if she believes my souls is going to be damned to Oblivion for eternity? What do you think she is going to do? Are you really so confident that she will be able to handle it any better? Are you prepared to have her blood on your hands?"

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi kept her head forward in such a way that she had a persistent glare when she glanced up, though she was still taken too off-guard to respond with a sniping remark. She just danced her eyes around and spoke. "I don't...who's Leaps? A horse?"

"Leaps is much better than a horse." Rhazii said as they began to walk. "Just you wait and see. I bet he's missed us. He'll probably knock us both over once he's out of his pen, hahah!"

---

Fendros stopped silent and aghast. Slowly, his face twisted back into fury that he kept behind pursed lips. He blew out a hot breath through his nose. "...Unbelievable." He said, lowering his voice to Ahnasha's level. "Even if you did think I wish her dead -- and I do not -- I am fully confident S'nashi will be able to handle it better. Because you are alive. And you are an adult. And you can speak with her. Have you been able to talk to her adult-to-adult yet? With independence and respect? Perhaps that is something you missed out on."

[EliteCommander]

Normally, exotic and potentially dangerous creatures were held in the stables outside of the city walls, but Leaps enjoyed a certain privileges, ostensibly based on his physical needs. As a cold-blooded reptile from Black Marsh, Leaps benefited from the warm air in the steam-powered city, compared to the cooler air of the cavern. Meesei had enchanted his saddle to help keep him warm when needed, but the wamasu was not going to tolerate wearing it all the time. He was kept well-fed, so he had never actually done anything beyond frighten some of their other beasts of burden, but nevertheless, the stablemaster had insisted upon some additional precautions. For one, he was kept out of the way of where most of the city's denizens would usually go, in one of the corners up against the city walls just to the east of the gate. As well, the stall he was kept in at night, and when not being tended to by his caretakers, was more like a cage made from salvaged Dwemer metal, rather than flammable wood.

Upon arrival, Julan unlocked the gate, though did not open it entirely at first. Rather, he slipped inside alone, claiming to want to check up on him first to make sure he was awake. It was partially true, but for the most part, he just wanted to make sure he was awake to give Narsi the biggest surprise.

Being that both Julan and Rhazii had been away for weeks, Leaps showed his excitement the moment he saw Julan. Even from the outside, the sounds the wamasu made shuffling around his stall would give some hint as to his size. He was not technically "fully-grown", since a wamasu could grow throughout their lives, but he was an adult. When Julan did finally open the gate, he threw it open all at once.

The wamasu would certainly be a new sight for Narsi. For first impressions, it was hard not to see him as a massive and dangerous predator. He was dark-green scaled, with multiple rows of spikes down his back and sides. Two of the spikes down the center of his head appeared almost like horns, and of course, he had teeth like a Daedroth, if not larger. Two of the teeth on the bottom row were long like tusks, not unlike those of an Orc.

---

"You have no idea how hard I have to try to resist the desire to slap you across your face." Ahnasha growled, narrowing her eyes at him. Though, it was only a few seconds before she closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know why I'm bothering to argue this with you, though. There's no point. I might have to end up telling them everything, no matter what I want, because I'll have no choice. Like I said, I have no idea if they bought my excuses. I could see that doubt in their eyes, regardless of what they actually said to me. I can be pretty convincing...but you told them to their faces that I was lying."

Again, Ahnasha poked her finger into Fendros' chest. "If they don't believe me, it will be because you told them I was lying. If they don't accept the truth when I'm forced to tell it, and everything I've done for years to build a relationship with my family goes to waste, it will be because you told them. For all I know, you could be right. Telling them the truth might work, and it might be the best thing I could do, I don't know. But...it was mychoice to make, Fendros. You betrayed me. You betrayed all the trust I thought I could have for you as my mate, as my husband. Whatever happens now...it's because of the choice you stole from me."

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi's eyes widened and she stumbled back, slightly behind Rhazii. "Ch-f-ghwhat-what the oblivion is that!?"

Rhazii laughed lightly. "Hello, leaps! How...gwah-" Leaps predictably clapped his feet right up to Rhazii and nudged him on the stomach nearly hard enough to knock him off his feet, but Rhazii held onto the sides of his head and kept his footing. "Ahah! I missed you, too, friend," he laughed, patting the giant reptile under the chin where he wouldn't have his arms raked.

Leaps croaked happily.

Far from her usual aloofness, Narsi stood agape and pale green as pea soup. She stood sprung and staring at Leaps as if was about to eat her.

---

At this point Ahnasha had stopped escalating. They were no longer shouting, the combat was done, and all that was left was the soreness that drove them to anger in the first place. Fendros let Ahnasha finish and found himself finally hefting the shame of his actions. He neither rebuked her accusations nor did he ask for forgiveness. While there was an element of pride in it, he doubted grovelling would improve the situation. Not yet, anyway. Instead, he looked away, frowning and catching his breath.

"We'll make it work," he said resolutely. "If this the reality now, it's time to decide how to handle it." He slid past Ahnasha to lean a hand up against the window frame. His entire frame sank with fatigue where he stood. "I don't have any excuses," he murmured.

[EliteCommander]

Julan similarly started to rub Leaps in one of the spots behind a spike that he had a hard time reaching with his own claws, something that the wamasu quite obviously enjoyed. Though Julan had to take care not to keep it up for too long, else he might start to inadvertently build up a hefty electric charge.

"This is Leaps-On-Elves. He's a wamasu; we've had him ever since he was a hatchling. I think he's actually older than Rhazii, by a little. Or were you born before they got him? I can't remember. Well, they're both close to the same age, anyways." Julan explained. "I've read all about wamasu. They're from Black Marsh, and even the Argonian tribes say they're dangerous. I mean, I guess they are, but we raised him from an egg. And Aunt Meesei did say she did...something to him to make him less aggressive. Years ago, while he was still a...um, what's that word, a...juva...neil? A child, basically. Apparently they cut something out of him so he wouldn't end up being as aggressive or, um, territorial."

---

"You sure don't. And I don't have any ideas." Ahnasha remarked, though after a few seconds of pacing around behind him, she took in a quick breath and continued. "Or, actually, I did have some ideas. Plenty of ideas, actually. All sorts of ideas on what I could tell them that I thought up these last few weeks. Years, really, in all the time that we've been exchanging letters. I came up with plenty of things to tell them, answers I could give to their questions, ways to keep them happy despite me living so far away. But, you took it upon yourself to decide that I shouldn't use any of those ideas."

Suddenly, Ahnasha placed a hand on Fendros's back. If he turned around, he would be able to see a smile on her face, though it was quite obviously fake. Her anger was far from having left her. "Clearly, you feel you know my family best. Obviously, you know what's best for them and me better than I apparently ever could, so why should I bother? My ideas, my desires, are irrelevant, so why don't you just handle it? You can just solve this problem all by yourself; I'm sure it will be easy for you."

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi was not exactly made calm by Julan's reassurances. "Oh, so...gelded like a horse or something, huh..." She flicked her eyes between Leaps' tusks and Julan's face. "You aren't seriously going to ride this thing, right?"

"Of course we are," Rhazii said with a broad grin. "Do you want to try?"

"I'm good," Narsi said with an almost nauseated expression.

All of a sudden, Leaps went still. His eyes stared into space ahead as he slowly lifted his head and opened his mouth. Blue sparks leapt in arcs between his teeth and his spikes.

Narsi's face dropped. She took two steps back, ready to dive for some sort of cover.

Leaps shook his head down as he blew out a sneeze.

Narsi shielded herself with her leg and one arm. She spoke as she slowly lowered her guard. "You two saw magic lightning there, right?"

---

Fendros mostly ignored the first portion of Ahnasha's ranting. It was just the same anger as before. The way Ahnasha turned it into a sarcastic dig at his intentions inflamed his mind just enough that his patience could not quite last.

He turned around, stood up straight, breathed all the way in and clasped his hands in front of himself. He paused, looking at Ahnasha intensely with his chin high. "No, go on," he said with an exaggerated genial gesture. "I'll wait right here until you're all done. I'm sure you've got plenty more to say. While you're at it, perhaps you might feel better by coming up with some lies to tell yourself."

[EliteCommander]

Julan looked to Narsi as if she had said something confusing, or even funny. "Yeah, so?" He replied, even going as far as giving a slight grin. "What, are you afraid of lightning or something?" Julan teased, raising up his hand and passing a few visible sparks between his own fingers.

Stepping outside for a few moments, Julan headed around the back of the stable to retrieve Leaps' saddle, which was large and cumbersome enough that he had to carry it above his head. It looked like no ordinary saddle, as it had been made specially for Leaps, based on his rather unique features. It was meant to be able to carry two people, and provided more assistance with stability than a horse's saddle. It had holes and indentations to accommodate Leaps' specific set of spikes, and although Narsi would have no way of knowing, it carried several enchantments, not the lest of which was magic to insulate the rider from lightning.

Although it was a rather complex process to get Leaps saddled up and ready, both Julan and Rhazii had plenty of practice, and Leaps himself did not put up resistance like he used to. Between the two of them, it did not take too long to get the wamasu ready.

Once finished, Julan headed around the side of the stable once more and grabbed a simple wooden staff. A staff, or spear, was necessary to properly direct Leaps with some of the commands they had taught him. He pointed the staff at Narsi, which immediately brought Leaps' eyes to her along with it. "You sure you don't want to ride with me? I didn't think an Orc like you would get scared of a cute little lizard like Leaps."

---

"Hmph, you know, I actually do think you owe me this. I don't feel like letting you anywhere near my parents, but you still were the one to cause this." Ahnasha remarked. "You caused the problem, so you owe me a solution. I do actually want you to think up something. Unless you have no intention of trying to make it right...or even acknowledging that you made a mistake."

This time, Ahnasha turned away from Fendros, towards the door. There were a few long and silent seconds between them before she spoke up, softly. "Meesei isn't going to be back until tomorrow. You remember how I told my parents you were going to go back to your family? Maybe...that's a good idea, for now. Your father is back in the clan, so he won't be able to bother you if you go back to them. Maybe spend the night with them...and let me be alone."

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi grew predictably defensive. "I ain't afraid of lightning," she said. "I just never seen an animal make lightning with its mouth when it sneezes, alright!?"

"It's okay," Rhazii said with a laugh. "He doesn't bolt anyone unless they're threatening us."

There was little Rhazii could say to make Narsi any more comfortable, but Julan's approach was more effective, if from a a completely different angle.

"It's not cute!" Narsi snapped, clenching her fists. "And I'm not...ugh!" She growled and hesitated. "I'm not gonna give up! Move your fat tail, clown!" She stomped up and attempted to vault up onto the saddle behind Julan.

---

Fendros angrily brought up a finger and breathed in before Ahansha turned around, but he pressed his lips shut and hesitated, breathing out. He did not put together a retort by the time Ahnasha continued.

At that, he turned his eyes across to the window. His arms and shoulders fell. In the intervening seconds, he made a conscious effort to adjust his tone. "I'll return in the morning." He said, his voice coming out in croaks after all the shouting. Ahnasha heard a bag being taken up and then Fendros' footsteps towards the door, which opened. He hesitated again, and the door shut behind him.

[EliteCommander]

At first, the ride on Leaps was rather tame, if only for the fact that they were still in the city. All of the people moving between the buildings meant there was not much open space, so they went along at a fairly leisurely trot towards the front gate that allowed Rhazii to easily keep up alongside. Leaps walked somewhat awkwardly while on the staircase, especially since they were heading downwards, but it was nothing that made it too difficult for the two of them to stay on his back. That was only challenged once they were finally out of the city.

Almost as soon as he was able, Julan took Leaps' reigns and set him out in a sprint straight away from the city. While not as fast as a horse, he still managed to be an even rougher ride. The way a wamasu moved, especially when running, meant his body moved more, vertically and horizontally, as well as being less predictable than a horse. Still, the saddle itself helped them to stay on his back, and it was not as if Leaps was trying to throw them off.

Unless he wanted to transform, Rhazii would not be able to keep up outright, though Julan did not take them in a straight line. He kept directing Leaps to make tight turns, dash between clusters of mushroom trees, climb rocks and hills, and anything else he could think of to make it more exciting, so there were some opportunities for Rhazii to close the distance. Eventually, Julan had Leaps running as fast as he could go, then tried to get him to jump clear over a section of one of the rivers that flowed through the cavern. Leaps was perfectly willing to make the jump, though Julan may have overestimated the kind of distance that Leaps was capable of. While the wamasu did make it about three quarters of the way over the river, he did still end up splashing down straight into it regardless. Both Julan and Narsi ended up entirely underwater for a second or two, but as wamasu were quite strong swimmers, Leaps ended up climbing out of the water on the other side just as quickly.

Julan, naturally, was not phased in the slightest by being completely soaked. He simply glanced back at Narsi behind him, laughing and smiling all the while. "See, isn't Leaps just great? There isn't a more amazing pet in all of Tamriel."

---

There was not a word from Ahnasha as Fendros was leaving, and in fact, he would not hear anything from her for the rest of the night. Whether it would be good or bad for them in the long run, Ahnasha wanted to have her time alone for the moment. The silence gave her plenty of opportunity to think, and though she tried to lay down for some sleep shortly afterwards, she was up for hours doing just that.

Although Fendros had told Ahnasha that he would return in the morning, she evidently had something else in mind. It was early in the morning, with the sun only scarcely up over the horizon, when Ahnasha came walking down the path towards the Avarul vineyard. Not only had she left the city early, but she had all of her bags with her, suggesting that she had no intention of going back. Either she had decided not to speak to her parents again at all, or she had already done so without inviting Fendros to join. In any case, she knocked on the door with different greetings in mind, depending on who answered.

[Muttonhawk]

As soon as Leaps gathered forward momentum outside of the city, Julan felt Narsi's good arm hook suddenly up under his arm and across his chest.

"Hey, where...?" Rhazii's voice faded away behind them as he ran to try and catch up.

Narsi held on for her life, making no noise but short, fearful breathing. She held on even tighter upon sudden changes of direction, almost to the point of causing them both to fall off Leaps' back.

The approach to the river gave just enough time for Narsi to protest. "No, wait-stop-stop-AAH-!" The water around them swallowed her voice.

When they broke the surface, Narsi took a sudden breath. The water fell away loudly in streams and drips. Narsi finally let go and leaned back. Julan turned around to see her just as soaked as him, with her hair flattened and her eyes glaring back at him. She shivered. "Did you have to go for the damn water!?" She all but shouted. "I'm freezing!"

---

The door to the Avarul house opened with a latch and a creak. Monderyn stood behind it. He opened the door properly once he recognised Ahnasha. He paused for a second, mouth opened awkwardly. "Greetings, Ahnasha," he eventually said. He glanced at the baggage and then carefully pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Llarasa was about to start with breakfast. Would you like to join us?"

The way he spoke was even more reserved than usual. While it was unclear how much he knew, he definitely knew that there was a reason Fendros had stayed the night without Ahnasha.

[EliteCommander]

"Hey, the water's not that cold." Julan replied, though his waterproof scales may have been altering his perceptions. "And I thought he would be able to get over it. I've seen him jump that stream before, though...I guess there was no one riding him then." He added with a light shrug.

Regardless, Julan stopped them in place, which would give Rhazii another chance to close the distance. He looked around for a few seconds until his eyes settled onto a cluster of glowing mushrooms, which caused a grin to come across his face. "Well, if it's bothering you so much, then maybe you can just dry off by the fire."

Julan's suggestion came with the obvious problem of there not actually being a fire anywhere around them, but he was quick to offer a solution to that issue. He pulled on the reins such that it applied pressure to a certain spot under Leaps' chin, while also pointing his wooden staff straight at the tallest glowing mushroom tree in the cluster in front of them. By Julan's command, Leaps charged himself with lightning that danced all around them, and only avoided electrocuting them by virtue of the saddle they were on. The lightning collected particularly in his mouth, then shot out as a spectacular stream of electricity straight at the mushroom tree. The heat alone from the fully-charged blast was enough to burn straight through the glowing mushroom tree and light it ablaze. After only a few seconds, it collapsed down to the ground and ignited more of the mushrooms around it. The fire was already burning out of control and would certainly consume the entire cluster, but with a stream on one side and rock on the other, there was nowhere else for the fire to spread to once its fuel was depleted.

---

Much like Monderyn, Ahnasha's attitude did not suggest that much of anything was wrong. Though, regardless of how much anger she may or may not harbor from the previous night, she would not have taken it out on Fendros' mother or siblings. She smiled at him and gave a slow nod. "Yes, thank you. I have not actually eaten yet."

Ahnasha followed Monderyn's direction and headed inside. If she did see Fendros, then neither her appearance nor behavior would give him much to go on as to how she was actually feeling, apart from the fact that she would not be too enthusiastic in greeting him.

[Muttonhawk]

"What fire?" Narsi turned her head left and right, momentarily distracted from Julan's following actions. The arcing blue energy around them caught her eye and immediately made her face drop. "Uhh, is this normal-" She was interrupted by the bolt jumping from Leaps' mouth, making her flinch. The destruction it caused gave her pause. She stared at the fire in awe.

Rhazii finally closed behind them with wet footsteps. He stopped and caught his breath, surveying the scene. "Eheh...Decided to show her the trick, huh?" He asked with an open smile while he breathed.

"Okay," Narsi admitted. "That's the second craziest thing I've ever seen now."

After a moment, Rhazii turned away from the fire and rubbed his eyes.

---

Monderyn nodded and stepped aside. A wave of buttery-sweet aromas fell from the door. "I'll go wake Fendros up," he said. "The kitchen is just down the hall."

Turning his eyes down, Monderyn slid around on one foot and began walking up the stairs by the door. The wood was the kind that always caused one's footsteps to clomp loudly even if they were climbing slowly.

The empty doorway to the kitchen ahead emitted a soft sizzling sound. Calia's voice carried softly through as well -- Ahnasha's ears were keen enough to hear it. "...worried about your brother. Believe me, dear, I have far more experience in that field than you. However, if he chose not to speak of it, it means he wishes to work it through on his own. There is no need to be..."

Entering revealed Calia sitting at a dining table in a comfortable cyan dress and Llarasa by the stove in a brown dress and a white apron, flipping a pancake over a stove. Calia stopped herself mid-sentence and switched seamlessly to a welcoming smile. Llarasa turned and gave a surprised smile in turn, holding her spatula in both hands.

Calia stood gracefully from her seat. "Ah, there is my daughter-in-law. Greetings, Ahnasha." She walked up to offer Ahnasha a hug. "How are you this morning?"

"H-hello Ahnasha," Llarasa said, grinning and trying her best to be subtle but unable to compete with Calia.

[EliteCommander]

"Only the second?" Julan laughed. "City life must actually be pretty boring. There are all kinds of exciting things that happen around here. We ate a dragon not all that long ago. Aunt Sabine killed it. They had the skeleton on display in the main hall for a while, but they took away most of the bones after a week or two. Not sure what they did with them. Now it's just the skull displayed there, though you might not have noticed it. It's kind of high up, above the door when you go in." He commented as he walked up to the burning cluster of mushrooms. Julan himself would dry off rather quickly regardless, but everything he was wearing could benefit from the fire. He undressed and laid out his clothes, pouches, and scabbard carefully a safe distance from the fire, then sat down himself.

"But you know, I'm sure you could enjoy it here if you just let yourself enjoy it, Narsi. You don't have to pick fights and yell at everyone you meet. Things are different here. This is the kind of place where lycans are meant to be. I mean, just think back to where you're from. I'm sure you couldn't tell anyone about what you are back in Cheydinhal. You couldn't talk about being a werewolf, and no one there would've understood what it was like, even if you did. And you couldn't hunt with other lycans, except your mother I guess. Now, it's no secret. Now you can talk about it as much as you want, or even just transform whenever you feel like it. Surely that has to be better than having to worry about staying hidden all the time? I hate having to think about everything I say or do when we visit cities."

---

Perhaps to Llarasa's relief, Ahnasha was perfectly pleasant towards both her and Calia. Although, if she suspected that there was something wrong between Ahnasha and Fendros, that would not be settled until he arrived as well. Regardless, Ahnasha hugged Calia as she answered. "Oh, I am quite alright. I just finished saying my goodbyes to my family. They have more business to tend to in the city, so I decided to talk to them early, before they got too busy. Meesei is going to be arriving around noon to take us back, unless something delays her. I hope you don't mind if I join you for breakfast." Soon after, Ahnasha moved to offer Llarasa a hug as well.

[Muttonhawk]

"You ate a dragon?" Narsi said sceptically as she slid off the saddle in turn. "Pff, whatever."

It might not have been the smartest idea to look into the fire in the dark cave, but Narsi still stood facing it with her hands under her armpits, a couple of steps away from Julan. She did not appear bothered by Julan undressing, but she was neither interested in following along nor responding to Julan with more than a distant frown.

Rhazii sat down nearer to Leaps, away from the fire, and added. "He's right. You can be yourself here, pretty much."

Narsi continued staring into the fire. She lowered her head.

"Are you okay?" Rhazii asked.

After a long hesitation, Narsi mumbled quietly enough that it was hard to hear her over the roaring flames. "I'm...not allowed to enjoy this place."

---

Calia spoke as Llarasa stepped forward to hug Ahnasha in turn. "You hope? You needn't hope, my dear. You are always welcome at our table; you are family."

"We have plenty to spare." Llarasa added. "Blueberries are in season and they go perfectly in pancakes." She pulled away with a more comfortable smile. "Here, I have some ready here. You and mother can begin while I cook some for the boys." She slid the latest pancake onto a broad plate and brought them onto the table. True to her allusion, they were spotted with dark blue-red berries and steaming fresh. Butter and other condiments were ready to add as well.

Before any other words could be spoken, two sets of footsteps clomped back down the stairs in no rush.

First through the kitchen door was Monderyn, who quietly took a seat and poured himself a cup of water.

Right behind him was Fendros, dressed in a hastily donned tunic, trousers, and socks, and sporting exhausted bags under his eyes. He stopped by the door to regard Ahnasha with a long, sore look. "Hello, Ahna," he breathed tentatively.

"Sit, Fendros," Calia said in her politely commanding manner. "Let us all break our fast. Then, I think, I should go out to set Llarasa and Monderyn to some chores that need doing on the vineyard."

Monderyn began to breath in. He suddenly understood and closed his mouth.

[EliteCommander]

"Sure you are." Julan responded, tilting his head towards Narsi. "I mean, no one's going to stop you. That's what clans are supposed to be; they're safe places, where lycans can be happy. Out there, there's people that hunt us, guards or townsfolk that would try to kill us, but not here. Every lycan is supposed to be able to be happy here, or in other clans. Part of what our scouts do is try to find lone or, uh, feral lycans and try to bring them in."

Standing slowly, Julan took a step towards Narsi, though she just seemed focused on staring into the fire. He still had little idea what was going on in her mind, and mostly just felt that he was guessing. All he felt fairly sure about was that she was still hiding something, and he probably could not trust most of what she had actually been saying so far. Still, for as difficult as she was being with them, he still felt some sympathy for her. He did not understand her, but he could at least imagine how he might feel in her situation. And his guesses might not be entirely wrong. He spoke hesitantly, but placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm guessing...I mean, I suppose you've probably been kind of alone for a long while, especially if it was just you and, I'm guessing, your mother in that city. I get that you're probably not used to this kind of thing, but you don't have to always be alone. Even Orcs don't spend their lives alone in the woods; they have strongholds, and all that. There's no rule keeping you from talking to people and making friends."

---

"Morning, Fendros." Ahnasha replied to him perhaps frustratingly simply. She did not give away many hints in her attitude to him, or anyone else. She did not seem warm towards him, nor distant, and did not give many words to allow for interpretation to begin with. If anything, she might have been distracted by her breakfast.

Regardless of how she had answered openly, Ahnasha could easily see what Calia was doing. Evidently, Fendros had given enough away to suggest that there was something going on between them, but Ahnasha gave no comment on it. If there was anything that might have been surprising to Fendros, it was that she actually bothered to speak up again before being prompted. "I spoke to my family before I left, said my goodbyes. They're probably going to be fairly busy for the rest of the day." She explained. Again, she gave few details, but it did confirm that she had spoken to her family without so much as inviting Fendros to join.

[Muttonhawk]

Narsi glanced at Julan's hand on her shoulder, but quickly brought her eyes back to the ground. She had at least stopped shivering.

"You're in Lorag's pack, right?" She said, beginning to blink more than before. "Do you know why me and momma were living in the city?"

---

"Oh..." Fendros took a moment to process it. "I see." He slouched in his chair. "Maybe I can...catch them before we leave and say my farewells. If the opportunity arises." He paused, blinking slowly through his fatigue. "Maybe I'll just apologise in our next letter to them."

Breakfast began without any more words. With Ahnasha and Calia having pancakes for themselves already, Fendros and Monderyn received the next serves, Llarasa began cooking a pair of them for herself. The awkwardness kept them all quiet. Monderyn barely dared to speak his thanks for the meal to Llarasa too loudly.