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

[EliteCommander]

"I never really felt like this before. I thought I had been in love before, but I don't think I have. I liked him, but...it is not the same as with you." Kaleeth answered. She continued to hold on to him tightly, not really intent on letting go. Being Imperial, he was very different from her, but honestly, she did not consider that a bad thing. As far as attractiveness was concerned, he didn't exactly fit the Argonian definition of handsome. Without horns, a tail, or even a snout, he didn't even have half the features necessary for it, but there was something else about him that she couldn't quite place, something she found appealing. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if he was the ugliest man in Tamriel, that wasn't why she was attracted to him.

"With you, I love talking to you ,taking time with you, hugging you, just...being around you. There is not anything I would rather be doing than laying here with you." Kaleeth continued. She paused for a moment and gave a grin before amending her statement. "Well, there is one thing." Kaleeth reached out and grabbed the satchel she had taken from her parents' hut. She opened it up and pulled out a small leather waterskin as she locked eyes with him.. "I did bring the...potions, we talked about."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius eyed the waterskin, then looked back at Kaleeth. Earlier that day, he had been apprehensive about it, but here, in this moment, in each others arms, he felt as though it just might be worth it. As long as Kaleeth understood the risk, of course.

With a serious expression, Kaleeth searched for the honesty in Kaleeth's eyes. "You're absolutely sure?"

[EliteCommander]

With a mischievous smile, Kaleeth immediately took the waterskin and downed its contents. Once again wrapping her arms around him, she pressed her snout against his nose and looked him in the eyes. "Is that good answer?" She said before giving him another kiss, the first of many in the intimate moments they shared.

The shadowed figure moved past the Hist tree in the center of the village, following the scent of the one it was searching for. Given how the marsh could obscure scents, it took time and effort to determine where she may have gone, but its progress was steady and certain. The figure did not appear to be in a rush, but it certainly appeared dedicated. Eventually, it narrowed down the direction she had traveled out of the village, as well as picking up on another scent that was a bit less fresh. At this point, the figure started moving more quickly, but more silently as well. The shadowy figure moved as if it was one with the shadows, with footsteps that were light enough that they might as well not even exist.

When the shadowed figure came upon Janius and Kaleeth, his face was revealed in the moonlight, and he was not pleased. Kaleeth saw him first and could not hold back a scream. She tried to move herself away from Janius, but it was too late; he had already saw what they were doing together.

"Father!" She shouted in surprise as she looked up at the imposing, tattooed form of Master-Hunter Zharanthixil before them. In the Master-Hunter's face was pure rage, directed completely at Janius at the moment. He bared his teeth while letting out a low hiss and balling his hands up into fists so tight that his own claws punctured his scales and drew a small amount of blood. He did not move for the moment, but he looked as if he was willing to beat Janius to death with his bare hands.

[Muttonhawk]

Just as startled, Janius looked up at what Kaleeth had spotted expecting that some dangerous animal of the marsh had crept into the village. What he saw instead would have made him prefer such a thing. Janius stood up quickly, his ankles noisy as they steadied in the water. With a look of shock and fear across his face, Janius raised a hand in front of him to try and console the Master-Hunter. That was when his mind processed the Jel word that Kaleeth-Rei had spoken. With a lowered brow, he glanced at her, "Wait, he's your father?!"

There were no rakish words or convenient hiding places this time, not like back before he joined the pack and did things like this. Nor were there any guards to run to if an attempt was made on Janius' life. He saw that possible future in Zharanthixil's eyes. To make matters worse, he barely had the energy to transform if he really needed to flee. He was cornered.

"Master-Hunter," Janius started slowly, trying his best as he could to talk him down, but keeping his arm up in case he would attack him. "I know this may not be the best impression, but you must understand, I don't mean any disrespect..."

[EliteCommander]

"Disrespect? You have gone much farther than disrespect." Zharanthixil said. His voice was at a normal volume, but the anger in his tone was palpable. "You come to my home, you mate with my daughter, then you have the gall to try and talk to me about respect, you worthless Imperial swine!" He shouted, practically growling at the end. He took a few more steps towards Janius, showing his teeth a bit more clearly. The Master-Hunter was not armed, but he nevertheless looked like he was ready for a fight. He had height on Janius, so his seething expression seemed all the more imposing.

Zharanthixil stopped for only a moment to glance at his daughter. She still looked terribly afraid, which did not seem to calm down the Master-Hunter. In fact, he seemed to become even angrier. It was unclear what thoughts were going through his mind when he looked back at Janius, but it was clear they were not peaceful. He stared in silence for what seemed like an eternity, letting his rage fester until it reached the tipping point. "No, you do not deserve my mercy." He said, letting out a yell as he took off in a dash towards Janius. It was clear that he was done talking.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius didn't bet on Zharanthixil being calmed by his words. In fact, it made it worse. When he stepped towards Janius, Janius took one step back only. He couldn't give more ground into the deeper water where he would have an advantage.

"Wait-!" When the Master-Hunter lunged, Janius tried to deflect him rather than strike. Despite his best efforts, Zharanthixil sent them both barreling into the shallow water of the river. Janius had trouble focussing with the water everywhere. He tried his best to deflect the the Master-Hunter's strikes and prevent himself being pinned under the water, but it was a losing battle for him. Janius couldn't say whether he was stronger than Zharanthixil, but from his position, he couldn't land any strikes if he wanted to.

In a panic, he tried to call upon his beast spirit. It was there, but didn't want to come out yet. He prayed that Zharanthixil would stop short of murdering him so he wouldn't have to persist in calling it.

[EliteCommander]

After Zharanthixil tackled Janius, he landed one strike after another. Janius did a fairly good job of protecting his head, but the Master-Hunter was relentless. Kaleeth was nearly paralyzed with fear at first, but when her father landed the first blow, her mind was immediately brought back to the fight with the wamasu. When the beast attacked, her first reaction was exactly like it was now. She cowered away from the threat, to afraid to stop it. Her cowardice was something that plagued her, something she hated. It was why she did not have too many friends among her fellow hunters; she was too frightful for them. It was Janius that saved her from death with the wamasu, and now, he was the one being hurt, and it was she that was in a position to help. She had to overcome her trepidation to do what was right.

Kaleeth ran up to her father and did her best to try and pull him off of Janius, but unfortunately, his reaction was instant. His response was more of an ingrained reaction than a conscious attack, but nevertheless, as soon as she touched him, he lashed out and struck her snout with his elbow. She recoiled back immediately, holding her hands over her face to cover the blood pouring from her nose. Zharanthixil stopped immediately as soon as he realized what he had done. His outward anger seemed to shift to a combination of disappointment and regret, and, more importantly, he stopped all aggression towards Janius. Actually, as soon as he let him go and stood to his feet, the Master-Hunter seemed to ignore Janius as if he were not there.

"You should not have done that, Kaleeth. You should know better. It was your foolish mistake that I accidentally hit you." Zharanthixil chided Kaleeth, trying to cast the blame off of himself and onto her.

Kaleeth was in tears by this point, not so much because of her injury as the situation itself. "Why are you doing this, father? Why did you attack him? The Hist teach us to be peaceful, not..violent and hateful."

"Foolish girl. The HIst teach us not to trust outsiders, and you have corrupted yourself by mating with one. What you have done is shameful, for both you, and our family." Zharanthixil shouted, his anger returning.

Kaleeth shook her head and sobbed slightly. "No, father, no they do not. The HIst teach us caution, but they do not spread hate, not like you have. I...I am not a hatchling anymore. It has been over nineteen years since I was hatched. Very soon, I will be a hunter of our clan. You cannot decide for me anymore. I chose to mate with him...and I would choose it again. There is nothing you can do to change that."

Zharanthixil barred his teeth once more and let out an angered growl. "You know not of what you speak. You may be an adult, but you act like a child caught up in wishful fantasies. I only regret that I did not arrive in time to stop your mistake"

The Master-Hunter finally paid attention to Janius once more, though that did not exactly seem to be a good thing. He was no longer violent, but his anger had not dissipated. He still felt the need to vent his rage. "You are not worth the air you breathe, kaoc. Be lucky I allow you to live after the insult you have cast upon my family."

[Muttonhawk]

As soon as he could, Janius got up and stepped away from Zharanthixil. The Master-Hunter had bruised him on the cheek and caused a weeping cut on his upper lip, but otherwise, he only needed to catch his breath. Janius stood glaring at Zharanthixil from outside of his reach with a slouched forward head looking up at him. He saw that he had struck Kaleeth. She didn't deserve any of it; not the blow, not the shame, not whatever punishment he was shouting her down with in Jel.

When the Master-Hunter turned to Janius and threatened him further, Janius was beyond whatever shaming and anger the Argonian man had to inflict. In response, Janius held his head back a little, still breathing quickly, and curled his face into a toothy grimacing grin while looking at Zharanthixil. Janius' look was one filled with disdain. He was just as angry at this stage. Never mind that this was a village leader. It took all of Janius' patience to not lash out at the Master-Hunter. For several moments, Janius stared him down, drinking in the hate while he assembled his words.

Before the situation demanded that once of them leave, Janius spoke. "I remember what you called me when you found us." His voice started out grumbling, but increased in volume as he went on, "It was the first thing you said to me, and it wasn't to anyone else, not Meesei, not Lorag, not Sabine, Ahnasha, not even the Dunmer, Fendros. Waxhuthil." Janius hadn't learned the definition of the word since it was spoken, but he knew it to be an insult by the way it was said. "There's something else that you don't like about me. Don't deny that this isn't just about..." he glanced at Kaleeth while she held her wounded snout, wondering for a moment whether the word would be appropriate, "...'protecting' your daughter." He looked to Zharanthixil again and spread his arms apart questioningly, his voice started to rise to a demanding shout, "Tell me what it is about me, regardless of what I have done here, that justifies a pakseech to give up his honour and strike his own daughter!? I demand to know!" Janius put extra emphasis on the word pakseech instead of explicitly calling him a father or a leader in Cyrodilic, for he knew that its significance was after learning as such from Kaleeth.

After Janius finished shouting, he felt an itch on his lip where it had been split by Zharanthixil's blows. It had stopped bleeding, and a sharp eye would notice that, through the blood that had dribbled forth, it was near closing completely.

[EliteCommander]

"Do not speak to me, worm. You and your kind have already caused me enough grief. I know you have come to my home to harm us, and you have poisoned my daughter's mind and body. You do not deserve my answer." Zharanthixil answered with an expression that harbored even greater disdain than Janius'. His attitude towards Kaleeth was less directly angry and more disappointed. There was genuine grief in his eyes alongside the rage, grief with an intensity that showed how deep-seeded his anger towards Imperials was.

"Kaleeth, my daughter, it is within my capacity to forgive if you will just return to me. Come home, and we can cleanse you of his influence. Do not deny your family." Zharanthixil asked in a much more calm voice.

Kaleeth had a much harder time answering than she would have liked. Despite what Zharanthixil was doing now, and the impression he had given to Janius and his friends, he had always been a loving father. For as long as she could remember, he had devoted everything he had to caring for her, her mother, and the village as a whole. There was nothing more important to him than the village, and nothing more important in the village than his family. When Kaleeth's brother died the previous season, her father was grieving to some extent for months. He still had not entirely overcome the tragedy. Now, she was the only one, apart from his wife, that he had left, and she had still managed to anger him to the point of invoking his wrath upon his only child. This was the first time he had so much as raised his voice at her outside of training since she was but a hatchling. She hated that she had angered him to such an extent, and she feared that things would never go back to normal, regardless of what she did.

As she could not bring herself to answer immediately, Kaleeth sat down on the ground, drawing her legs in so she could rest her elbows on her knees and bury her face in her hands as she sobbed. She desperately wanted to find some way to placate her father. She was tempted to accept her father's deal and go along with him, but as much as she loved her father, she could not ignore how wrong she felt he was. Her mind was brought back to her memories as a young hatchling, sitting under the village tree with all the other hatchings and listening to the Treeminder teach about the Hist. She always enjoyed listening to his stories and had taken to heart their meaning. A part of her wished she could just go back in time and live again that part of her life where she could run carefree through the village getting into trouble with her friends. However, that was not the situation she was in. Now, her mind felt like it was being split apart by trying to choose between two people she cared deeply about. Janius may very well be her first love, but her father had been caring for and supporting her for all nineteen years of her life. In the end, it was not either person who influenced her final decision, but rather her beliefs. She was a faithful and loyal follower of the Hist, and her father's hatred was not their way. She could not claim to have learned anything from the Treeminder's lessons if she did not stand up for the beliefs she held.

"I...I can't. Kaleeth finally answered in a soft, frightful tone.

Zharanthixil shook his head and let out a sight. 'Foolish girl." The Master-Hunter commented before turning and heading back in the direction of the village, ignoring anything the pair had to say as he left.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius watched Zharanthixil walk away and was at first not entirely sure what had transpired, but by Kaleeth's demeanour, he could assume enough. She didn't go with her father. Janius was still furious at Zharanthixil's unwillingness to confide in him honestly, but there was no way he would talk while he was that angry. He let Zharanthixil go, then looked to Kaleeth-Rei once the Master-Hunter was out of sight. He walked up to her and squatted down in front of her. His expression had turned from disdainful to concerned.

"Kaleeth," he whispered, extending his hand to hold hers, "Are you okay? Are you hurt? I will talk to your father tomorrow, once he has calmed down. I won't let him do anything to hurt you, I promise." Even as he tried to make Kaleeth feel better, his mind was swimming in questions. They were talking in rapid Jel while they argued, knowing what they were saying might have helped. But why did Zharanthixil hate Janius in particular? By his comments it was him and his kind that had caused him grief. It wasn't Imperials that had a hand in Kaleeth's brother's death, was it?

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth wiped the blood from her nose and tried to stop herself from sobbing. She looked up from the ground at Janius with her vision blurred by tears. Closing her eyes, she shook her head lightly. "No, he will not hurt me. He care too much about me to do that on purpose. He is very angry, but I could see pain in his eyes. I hurt him very much. I...I do not think you should talk to him. I don't think he will like you, or ever like you. Father does not trust outsiders, but he really hates Imperials. I will be afraid if you go talk to him, especially alone. I love you, and I don't want him to hurt you...and I love him, and don't want you to hurt him. I just...I wish he could like you. Why could it not have been Saxhleel that did it?" Kaleeth said, stopping herself with tears before she could clarify.

[Muttonhawk]

With how Zharanthixil had behaved, Janius played off Kaleeth's last sentence at first, but then it caused him to bow his head and wonder. It was one thing that he was a lycan, and that would have been a very legitimate reason for the Master-Hunter to be concerned in his eyes, but did he really have any business being in love with Kaleeth if he was not Argonian? Perhaps the time they had would be cut short.

Looking rather sullen, Janius moved to seat himself next to Kaleeth. "Kaleeth-Rei, I don't want you to sacrifice too much for me. I... lost my temper with your father just there, but I would like to know what has made him so angry with Imperials." He faced away from her guiltily, "It's one thing to be with you Kaleeth, but I can't stand to see other parts of your life torn from you if the cause is more trivial than just having some stranger caught with you even when you're an adult." He picked up a twig and started to snap it into smaller and smaller pieces, "Look, my own father and I did not have the best of relationships. For a long time I thought it was his fault, but it wasn't until I was away from him for long enough that I started to regret not making my peace with him. If that were to happen to you, I would feel horrible. I have to try something."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth looked over and grabbed Janius' hand in hers. She stopped herself from sobbing enough that she could speak more clearly. "Father...he loves me, I know he does. I do not think he would be caring so much about this if he did not. It is just...he hates Imperials. He does not trust them, and he wants to protect me. Even if he is wrong. Like I said, I wish it was Saxhleel that hurt him, not Imperials. Father, he was not from this village. He was hatched in another village, a smaller one that lived in the outer marshes. They...they were all killed, or taken. The Treeminder has always told me that slavery is rare now, that it is...illegal everywhere, but Father disagrees. He told me the stories of how his village took in visitors one day. There were a few races, but the leader was an Imperial man. They stayed for a while, traded, shared stories, then left, but...a few days later he came back with more people and attacked when they were weak, while many hunters were away. They killed everyone who fought back and tied up the others, then they waited for the other hunters to come back and killed them. Father was young, I think only nine or ten, he couldn't fight back, so they tied him up. He said he had to watch his mother die, and...that it was not fast. He does not like to talk about that."

Kaleeth let out a depressed sigh, then put her arm around Janius and rested her head on his shoulder. Now, more than any time, she needed comfort. "After everyone was dead, they took the ones they tied up and put them in a cart to take them out of Black Marsh. Father did not want to leave, so he did not, what is the word...cooperate. The wife of the leader, she was the one who punished him He talked back to one, so she whipped him for almost an hour. He kicked one of them, so she cut off some of his toes. He would have tried to escape, but it was the will of the Hist that he and the others were saved. A group of hunters from this village had to go farther than normal to find prey, and they found the slavers. They killed them and rescued all of the slaves. Most stayed here, in the village. Father is very loyal to the village now."

[Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's recount revealed Janius' suspicions that there was more to it, but he couldn't have predicted it to be like it was. He could not think of any point in his life where he was exposed to slavery, so he found it hard to fathom that there were still roaming slavers around. However, that kind of experience would only ingrain the deepest suspicion about outsiders. Kaleeth's notion that Zharanthixil may never forgive Janius began to be much more believable.

Janius nodded. "I see." His tone didn't hold much hope, but he was understanding. He had to sit for a while by Kaleeth in deep thought. "I don't think it would be completely impossible for your father to change. I just have to think of something." He leaned his head against Kaleeth's, bringing his arm around and rubbing her shoulder to comfort each other. "It feels like this whole day has been a mess. Up and down over and over." He closed his eyes, "At least it sounds like those criminals that destroyed your father's village got what they deserved. I'll find a way to prove him wrong about myself and my friends, I swear it."

In trying to think, Janius opened his eyes again. "Kaleeth," he said quietly in a questioning tone, "did you drink your cure?" Janius wasn't in the mood to lie with Kaleeth any further than night, that much was clear in his tone, but he didn't want her contracting lycanthropy. That would only make the night worse.

[EliteCommander]

With Janius' reminder, Kaleeth leaned over to the riverbank nearby and grabbed her satchel, then grabbed the other waterskin it contained. "Not yet, but I can if you think I need it." She quickly downed the waterskin's contents, then packed it back into the satchel. Going back to the matter at hand, she tried to calm herself down and think more rationally on the situation. "I understand why you do not want to hurt my life, but...I had a reason to choose not to go with him. His hate for you is not a part of the teachings of the Hist. If I go with him and refuse you, I would be acting against the Hist's teaching. I am not supposed to hate, and I do not want to support his hate. I wish I could help him change, but...I don't think I can. I don't think you can. All his family and friends died because of the slaver.s They tortured him and cut of some of his toes. He still has nightmares about the Imperial woman. I just...I do not want you to think different of him than he is. I love you, but I love Father too. I know you may not see it, but...Father is very compassionate man. He is the most selfless, loyal person in the village. He gives all his time to the village and our family, and he has sacrificed a lot many times to keep everyone safe. When I was young, we had a few months of famine where we could not find animals to hunt, and could not grow enough food. Father did not eat for a week just so me and my brother would have food. He has always said he would give his life for us, and, even with what is going on...I still think he would. Before now, he never yelled at me other than in training. If you really want to talk to him...I don't think he would attack you, not again. He was very angry to see us mating, but he may have calmed some by tomorrow. I do not think it will help though. He will probably just yell at you more and make you leave his hut. If he could, he would make you and your friends leave the village, but Thorantilth or Reanaseer would need to agree too."

[Muttonhawk]

As usual, there was more than meets the eye in this case. Kaleeth had made a decision based on her own principles, and it gave Janius a new respect for her, but it still would have been hard. Not to mention, Zharanthixil was otherwise a good person by Kaleeth's description. Perhaps he would be capable of understanding. Janius' first thought was that if he could prove to the Master-Hunter that he would be prepared to give his life for Kaleeth, maybe he would win his trust. How would he do that though? Though, before all that, Janius would have to let Meesei know about this. If there was any threat to the pack's welcome here, then she needed to know.

As for now, it could all wait until the morning. Janius needed time to think, and he wanted to stay with Kaleeth a while longer. He held her close while they sat. "Thank you for explaining." He kissed her on the top of the head. "I'll see what I can do anyway. I have to try."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth wrapped her tail around Janius' waist and smiled. Even with all that happened, even if the future was uncertain, she could at least have some comfort in this moment. She knew Janius would stand little chance of convincing her father of anything, but she did appreciate that he was willing to undertake such an impossible endeavor for her. Although, his devotion did make their inevitable separation all the more painful. "I do not know what will happen in all of this. It is all so confusing. I do not know what will happen when you talk to him, or when it is time for you to leave. I feel like I do not know anything, just...just that I know I do not want it to be the last time I see you when you leave. I do not know when, or how, or in what way, but I want to see you again. Somehow, somewhere. It is all very stressful to think about, but...at least we can relax now."

Kaleeth closed her eyes and resigned herself to simply enjoying Janius' body heat. Despite the air already being rather hot, she found his warmth relaxing. After a few minutes, she spoke up suddenly, and in a much more calm tone as before. "I am wondering, what is it like to be a werewolf?"

[Muttonhawk]

Janius nodded, however impossible the notion of finding Kaleeth again. He couldn't see how this time, not with how far the pack travelled, but there was hope. "Maybe we will meet again, Kaleeth. Stranger things have happened."

Letting his eyes lull closed, Janius thought he could fall asleep with Kaleeth and himself in each others arms. "Hm? A werewolf?" Kaleeth's next question was something a bit more casual. Now that she knew and promised not to tell anyone, he felt perfectly comfortable talking about it, but where to start had him stumped for a few moments. "Well, er... it's... it has its advantages and disadvantages I guess. I was forced to become one, so I didn't like it at first, but I came to tolerate it, and eventually enjoy it." By habit, Janius started moving his hand while resting his wrist on Kaleeth's opposite shoulder as he explained. "You have to move around a lot. You have to hunt every so often in your wolf form to keep it from becoming restless. You... meditate as well to manage. You live outside of civilization in my case, but some werewolves manage in and around cities from what I've heard. Come to think of it, there are a lot of similarities to living in an Argonian village. Probably because that's how Meesei manages us; she was brought up in a place like this." Janius took a slow breath to think of what else to say, "You tend to eat meat all of the time; it's easier to live off with the lifestyle and you tend to... crave it more, I suppose. As a result you have to learn to work leather and hides well, because there's never any shortage of it. Of course, there are other differences, and plenty of downsides."

Getting to the positive, Janius took on a happier tone, "But the hook is actually experiencing the wolf form. The heightened senses, the strength, the speed. Not to mention the feeling of hunting as a pack. It's... exciting. Unstoppable. Swept up in the instinct. You feel like you have purpose. It's one of the greatest feelings you can experience. Your pack are like your best friends, as well as your closest family, and your most trusted companions. Others enjoy the challenge, the service to our daedric patron, Hircine, but coming from an Imperial family that had comparatively less love and care, the pack is what really made it all worth it for me."

Janius' hand stilled and his tone became more serious, "Though, like I said before, it isn't all wonderful. Taking care of your beast spirit is a big responsibility. One you have to deal with every day. Just like if you were to lock up a dog or a wolf, becoming eventually vicious and mad, so does your beast spirit behave. Except your beast spirit can break out and consume you, even if you try to hold it back." Janius opened his eyes, but kept his head leaning against Kaleeth's. "When werewolves lose control, bad things happen. Then people get upset. I already mentioned that few people trust us. That's because, put simply, we're dangerous. It's true that when both moons are full, we are forced to transform and we have less control, but any other time, my pack and I manage it well enough that we're actually in perfect control. That doesn't matter to plenty of people, though. There are those who hunt us for a variety of reasons. As long as there are those who have not learned to manage their condition, there will be those hunting werewolves."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth listened with interest at Janius' explanation. She found that it reminded her of something she had been told long ago, but she could not really remember anything about it. All her memory told her was that people in her village might know what werewolves are, so it was important that she not say anything about it. "Your life does sound very close to ours. You hunt, you move around a lot, and you are close with everyone. I guess you do not always move to same places like we do, though. We move our village between a few different trees every season. It sounds terrible that people hunt you though. I do not see why anyone would want to kill someone as nice as you. It is not your fault that the...beast spirit, is hard to control."

Resting her head on his chest, Kaleeth looked up at him with a smile. "Everything else sounds great though. I remember seeing you as a werewolf. You were strong, powerful. You held off a wamasu with only your hands. It makes you powerful, and interesting, and you say it is amazing to experience. I wish I could feel that power. Maybe then, I would be a good hunter."

[Muttonhawk]

"Pfeh, being a good hunter isn't just about speed and senses, much less strength." Janius retorted, returning Kaleeth's smile, "Granted, it makes some things easier, but no one could hunt if they didn't have other traits. Patience, cunning..." Janius paused and ran the tips of two of his fingers down one of the vine tattoos on Kaleeth's body, "...resilience." His eyes went from the vines to Kaleeth's eyes. "You don't have to become a werewolf to be a good hunter. When you become a werewolf, there is no going back, no available cure. I doubt that no one has made the mistake of thinking that the condition would grant them the world. It doesn't. It just... trades one set of problems for another, really."

Going back to Kaleeth's subtle discouragement of herself, Janius breathed a laugh through his nose, before taking another breath to speak quietly with encouraging inflections. "And who ever said you were a bad hunter, hm? You thrust a spear into a wamasu's skull, I know I couldn't do that. You have skill and bravery."