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

[EliteCommander]

Meesei laid Sabine down on her bedroll and sat beside her to continue her healing. Tunxeex had decided to stay while his father went to speak to the Elder, and it seemed that he had picked up on her broken rib. Meesei nodded to him. "I know. A broken bone takes time to mend, so I am making sure the rest of her body is in good health so it does not have to waste energy mending other things. If you could, please, there is a healing potion in the leather bag behind me. Could you give it to me? It would be most helpful." She requested.

---

Kaleeth's spirits were raised a bit by the scene she and Janius stumbled upon when they found Ahnasha and Fendros, though with the mention of the talk with her father, they were quickly lowered once again. She shook her head lightly and let out a sigh. "I do not think father will ever listen. He is too, what is word...stubborn. He just won't listen. He hurt Sabine, or...caused her to get hurt, would be better way of saying it. He picked her opponent for her fight, and he picked one too tough for her. She is fine now. Meesei said she is not hurt too bad, and she is healing her. I don't know what is going to happen now. Thorantilth does not want father to be around any of you anymore, I think. He is going to speak to the Elder now about keeping father away from you all." Kaleeth explained.

[Muttonhawk]

Without hesitating, Tunxeek nodded and rummaged through the bag Meesei pointed out. He pulled out a flask of red liquid that he pulled the cork from and sniffed to confirm its effect. He passed it to Meesei and sat down by Sabine.

Sabine herself was trying not to cry or breath too suddenly to try and avoid aggravating her injuries, but she had a red face and closed eyes still. At least she had calmed herself down a little. She opened her eyes and glanced around to Meesei, then to Tunxeek. "Sorry for... yelling." Sabine said quietly to Tunxeek.

Shaking his head, Tunxeek raised his hand to wave it away. "It is okay. I understand. Just do not hurt yourself talking."

"I wasn't good enough. I didn't win."

This caused Tunxeek some pause, then he glanced at Meesei and back to Sabine. "I thought you did well. You were up against a better opponent, and you gave him some big bruises. Just try again when father picks someone to fight you. The fight will be better."

"What if I don't win?"

Tunxeek smiled, "Then you try again the next day."

"And if I never win?"

"You'll win. You worry too much." Tunxeek retorted, intentionally being ironic in the face of his own tendencies.

Sabine picked up on this and even she started to smile for a moment and chuckle, but the laughter quickly stopped as she winced in pain.

Tunxeek's smile dropped at this. He craned his head forward and rubbed his back guiltily. "Um... sorry."

---

For a few seconds, Fendros was silent. He sat up and held the wamasu, thinking with worry. Slowly, he passed the wamasu to Ahnasha the looked at Janius with the utmost seriousness. "Janius, it was bad enough that he didn't like us being here, but if the Master-Hunter has started meaning outright harm upon us because you've been with his daughter..." he motioned to Kaleeth while he spoke, "...then perhaps it would be safer if you two stayed away from one another. If only to stop him being provoked further."

Janius responded with the same tone, "No, Fendros, you weren't there. Zharanthixil tried to attack Meesei when she intervened in the fight. He meant harm upon-"

"-He attacked Meesei? That's an even greater reason to stop this." Fendros' tone became more intense as he interrupted.

"Even if we separated, Fendros, he would find another excuse."

Fendros lowered his brow, openly cross now, "Is your libido really worth risking our lives, Janius!?"

"This isn't about my libido, Fendros." Janius wasn't in the mood for this and it started to show.

"Then what is it about?! Hm?"

"I love her." Janius said flatly.

At this, Fendros stopped himself. He slowly relaxed his tensed shoulders and stood up straighter. He sighed, then looked to Kaleeth, shifting his eyes back to Janius. "Really?"

Janius nodded.

Fendros looked at Kaleeth again, this time he had more sympathy than anger in his eyes. "And you, Kaleeth-Rei?"

[EliteCommander]

Once Meesei had the potion, she placed it gently into Sabine's hand. "Drink this please. You made it yourself, so I imagine it will help." She said with a warm smile before moving on to heal her most serious injury. She started out by setting the rib in its proper place so she could begin to mend it. With all the magic flowing through her, and the potion to help, it would be a nearly painless process. She considered for a moment asking Tunxeex to leave, since Sabine would need rest, but they seemed to be getting along at the moment, and he was helping her to keep her mind off of her injuries, so she decided it would be best for him to stay.

---

Kaleeth lowered her head and slowly nodded, clasping her hands together nervously. "I love Janius just as much as father hates him. I...don't know what is going to happen. With father, or with us. I don't know what I am expecting when it comes time for you to leave. I don't know if I will never end up seeing him again, if this is all some big mistake that will leave me in pain forever. I know anything I do to be with him will only cause me suffering, but I still want to be with him. That...is best way I can think of to explain it."

Glancing at Ahanasha's stomach, Kaleeth thought about their relationship. Before she and Janius approached, they seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. Kaleeth had not seen them apart since they arrived, so she could only guess how close they were. If any of Janius' friends could understand how they felt, it was them. "Is it...the same for you? I do not think I have seen you apart. Do either of you feel like you would go through any pain for the other?"

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine nodded and raised her head enough to drink down the potion. As she expected, it helped to dull the pain and repair the remaining bruises she had sustained. With Meesei's magic dealing with most of the pain, feeling the broken rib being shifted into a repairable position was an odd and uncomfortable sensation. Once she finished the potion, she put the flask down beside her and tried to stay still as Meesei treated her.

"How long will it keep hurting to breath?" Sabine asked, turning her head to Meesei this time, knowing it was the magic keeping her pain at bay. "I want to try and make other potions for the next fight."

---

Fendros looked at Ahnasha and sat down beside her again, his hand wrapping around hers. He was reminded of their own fate if they could not find anything to extend Ahnasha's lifespan. Even if it was in completely different circumstances, he empathised with Janius and Kaleeth.

By Janius' expression, Fendros could tell he knew the reality of he and Kaleeth's limited time together.

With a solemn expression, Fendros looked up at Kaleeth and answered. "I know I would go through pain unending for Ahna. I love her deeply." He took a pause to try and think of what to say to Kaleeth. "I always feel that it would be horrible to live without Ahnasha. I couldn't fathom it." He looked at Ahnasha and gave her a affectionate smile, "But even if I were to lose her, I wouldn't regret it more than if I had never met her at all." He looked up at Kaleeth and Janius once more, "I am of the opinion that you should follow your heart in such situations. I am worried about what the Master-Hunter might try if the Treeminder cannot keep him at bay, but... I don't know, what do you think, Ahna?"

[EliteCommander]

"It will only hurt until I have the rib set in the proper position and it starts to mend. After that, it will only hurt again if you put too much stress on it. For now, just try to relax. You should be fine to make more potions tomorrow. I doubt the next fight will be for another few days." Meesei explained. The rib made a slight popping noise when she moved it back to the correct position. As she said, it was painless, if a bit strange feeling. She then fused the outer shell of the bone fragments together and stimulated the marrow to begin repairing.

---

Ahnasha let out a sigh. Fendros' question was hard to answer, as there seemed to be no obvious solution to any of these problems. If what Janius and Kaleeth said was true, then she could understand why they were doing what they were doing. She had been panicking about the issue of her lifespan, so she could only imagine what they were going through with the prospect of only being together a few more days. Like Kaleeth, she had no idea what was going to happen when that time came, but she couldn't imagine it would be as simple as just saying their goodbyes. "I'm not really sure. This entire situation is just...complicated. Kaleeth, you said the Treeminder wants to keep Zharanthixil away from all of us. If the Elder agrees, do you think he would go against the ruling they make?"

"I...don't think so." Kaleeth responded somewhat hesitantly. "He is an honorable man, and going against their decision would be dishonorable. I think he is already embarrassed at what happened at the trial. The treeminder had to yell at him, and your friend Meesei knocked him to the ground in front of a few of the hunters. He didn't expect that. I don't think he would want more dishonor, but...he might challenge Janius, or maybe Meesei to a fight. I don't know."

[Muttonhawk]

Rolling her head straight, Sabine looked a little disappointed. She didn't like the prospect of being idle and useless for the rest of today, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Meesei's skill in setting Sabine's rib back into place held Tunxeek in quiet awe as he looked on. He hadn't reached the point in his magical studies where he could pull off treatments like this. He wasn't even sure that father could do that as well as Meesei was. "Meesei, I heard you used to be a Treeminder as well. Did you learn all of your magic from your Treeminder, or from others as well?"

---

Janius looked at Kaleeth, considering. "Well if that's the worst that could happen, at least its better than the ambush he tried today." He thought out loud, "Still, I hope it doesn't go to such lengths. I don't think it would accomplish much simply to fight him. Not to mention, unless he had tricks up his sleeve, he would stand no chance against Meesei."

"Would it be a fight to the death, or just submission?" Fendros asked.

Janius bit his lower lip at the possibility. "I don't want to kill him. He's unreasonable, hateful, and dangerous, but the village still needs a Master-Hunter. I couldn't do that to everyone, or to you, Kaleeth."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei gave a slight nod to Tunxeex, though she kept most of her concentration on the task at hand. "Yes, early on, the majority of my magical training came from my father, the Treeminder. Since my earliest memories, I was trained in the skills I would need when it came time for me to take on his role, as I am sure it has been for you as well. Beyond that, I explored the mysteries of magic under my own initiative. Teaching one's self can take a good deal of time and effort, but it can lead to a unique understanding of the arcane elements of our world. If you have not already, I would recommend you try to discover such knowledge on your own, in addition to what you are being taught."

---

Kaleeth shook her head. "No, we don't have fights to the death, not on purpose. He would probably try to hurt you, though. I just hope he gives up on all of this. He has already given himself embarrassment, maybe he will not risk giving himself more. He needs the respect of his hunters. He teaches the hunters, so some of them think about outsiders like him, but others don't. I don't know what he will do, though. He thinks he is trying to help me."

The wamasu squirmed out of Fendros' grasp and started to walk around between them. Kaleeth was not sure exactly what she intended to do with it, in all honesty. It was relatively harmless and defenseless right now, and it would be many years before it became especially large or dangerous. She never thought a wamasu would be as curious as this one seemed to be, given that the large ones were not as active as this hatchling. After a few moments of waking around, it stood up on its hind legs with its front legs resting on Janius, looked up, and chirped at him.

[Muttonhawk]

"Right," Tunxeek nodded. He wondered whether he would eventually become as proficient with magic as Meesei, but more than that, he wondered what specifically made her leave the role. Whatever it was, Tunxeek suspected that it was a sensitive issue, so he stayed off the subject. "I will try as you say," Tunxeek said.

There were a few moments where Tunxeek couldn't really think of what to say next. He looked around the inside of the hut for a moment, feeling unsure. He wasn't certain whether it was appropriate for him to be around during the treatment at all if he were honest. "Is there anything more I can do to help?" He offered, mostly to Meesei.

"Tea, please," Sabine answered, looking glum at the ceiling. Sabine found it strange to request something so quickly, but the other day the tea they had was very warm and comforting despite her escalating emotions that day. She felt as if she required as much warmth and comfort as she could get.

Tunxeek turned to face her, then nodded and stood up with a smile and a purpose. "You too, Meesei?"

---

"Perhaps we should wait until the other leaders make a decision," Janius concluded.

When the wamasu walked up to Janius' legs, he looked down and smiled at the innocent creature. "Want some attention, do you?" He leaned down and carefully lifted it into his arms, standing up and holding it close. "At least the little wamasu didn't have to worry about much. A name, perhaps." Janius stroked its side lightly then looked to Kaleeth, "What's the Jel phrase for... let's say, Hugs-Dunmer?"

"Hey," Fendros began to protest, "it took me by surprise, that's all."

"What? It suits it, doesn't it?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was initially going to refuse, but after thinking about it for a moment, she decided there would be no harm in it. "Certainly, thank you." She responded.

It was not long before Meesei had fused the broken rib's out shell back together, leaving only its marrow to repair itself. For the first time since she picked Sabine up off the ground, she stopped healing to rest. The potion would keep Sabine numb for a while longer, by the end of which she wouldn't be in pain anyway, unless something happened to injure her again. Once Tunxeek came back with their tea, she hoped they would be able to talk about something less serious to get Sabine's mind off of the stresses of the trials.

---

Kaleeth put her arm around Janius, then used the other to rub the wamasu's back. "Hmm, I don't know about that one. What I think would be better would be...Jumps-On-Elves. It...flows better."

Ahnasha gave a chuckle and nudged Fendros' elbow. "You know, I like that one too. Perfect name for your little friend."

Kaleeth agreed with Janius that they should wait and see what the leaders decide, so she sat down on the ground across from Ahnasha and Fendros and looked up at the wamasu. "It is amazing to think that something so small and innocent can grow to be so big and deadly."

[Muttonhawk]

Now that Meesei had fused her rib back in place almost completely, Sabine breathed deeper again and began to relax and properly calm herself down. She considered curling up and napping after the stress of the fight, but she kept herself awake for tea. Or at least she tried. Her eyelids were heavy and she had almost fallen asleep by the time Tunxeek returned. Carefully, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Father had water boiling for himself, but he always boils too much at once, so I did not have to wait to fill a pot." Tunxeek mentioned as he laid out three cups and filled them each with a brown water that carried flecks of leaves and root. "This is a blend that I make for mornings after bad sleeps. I don't make it as much as before, but you both look tired. This will..." for once, Tunxeek struggled to find the word at the tip of his tongue, it took all the time to pour the three clay cups to remember, "... give... life? No, uh... ve... vi... vigor! Yes, it will give vigor. Also, safe for non-Argonians."

Tunxeek handed cups to Sabine and Meesei. Sabine took hers slowly in both hands and blew on it before sipping. It was comforting, like before, but had a different flavour. Leafy was the easiest way to describe it. After a couple more sips, she was already cured of her heavy eyelids. In fact, her mind felt slightly sharper, slightly less clouded by fatigue and less overshadowed by disappointment. It was a nice reprieve. It needed something else though. Sabine reached over to her ingredients bag and searched through it. After a few seconds, she pulled out a dried petal from a flower she had plucked nearer to Thorn. She crushed the petal between two fingers and dropped it into her cup, stirring it with her finger, before bringing it to her lips again. As expected, the flavour was more to her liking. As an unexpected side effect, both Meesei and Tunxeek's lifeforces began to glow visibly through her eyes. Funny, she hadn't come across any other ingredients in the marsh that would react with the petal to detect life. Perhaps it was just the nature of how Tunxeek's special blend was prepared.

"What is that you have added to it, Sabine?" Tunxeek asked, curious as to why Sabine seemed to become so wide eyed when she first took a sip of her new mix.

Looking to Tunxeek, Sabine considered for a moment, then reached to fetch another couple of dried petals, crushing one and reaching to place it in Tunxeek's cup and doing the same with Meesei's cup. Tunxeek was slightly reluctant at first, but cautiously took a sip and found himself wide eyed in surprise as well. "It... detects life?" Tunxeek's face formed a smile, then he began to laugh. "Sabine, did you learn to make potions from Meesei, or another treeminder, or someone else?" Tunxeek asked.

"Witches," Sabine replied blankly, her eyes forward, before taking another sip.

This seemed to make Tunxeek confused. Trading glances with Sabine and Meesei, his smile faded. "Who is 'witches'?"

---

"As long as it doesn't jump on anyone else when it gets bigger, sure." Fendros said.

With a chuckle, Janius lowered himself to be seated with everyone without disturbing the wamasu too much. To Kaleeth's comment, Janius replied, "Quite. I thought something as big as a wamasu would have children at least the size of a dog." Angling his head to look more closely at Jumps-On-Elves' diminutive head, Janius hummed thoughtfully, "How intelligent are wamasus anyway? Has anyone tried to tame them, or train them?"

"Has anyone tried to tame any beast of the marshes?" Fendros added cynically.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei drank her tea silently at first. It was made with ingredients she was accustomed to, so it tasted rather familiar. One of the effects of the drink was an increase in energy and alertness, so Sabine seemed to spring to life to some extent after a few minutes. When the conversation shifted to Sabine's alchemy, she brought up the coven to Tunxeek, who of course did not have any experience with what she was talking about.

"Witches are people who have dedicated themselves to studying any type of magic they can. They are not often well-liked, as they sometimes study magic that people consider morally wrong. Sabine was raised with them, but left them years ago and has been with us ever since." Meesei explained.

---

Kaleeth leaned onto Janius and tried to relax as much as possible. Even with the change of topic, the entire situation had filled her with stress. She had the sensation in the pit of her stomach that something could go wrong at any minute. Even if she knew that was unlikely, she couldn't get rid of the feeling. Still, she put on a smile and started to scratch the wamasu's neck. "I have heard stories of Saxhleel in the past keeping wamasu, but my village has never tried it. I do not know if it is possible, or if they are just stories."

The wamasu shifted around for a few moments in Janius' arms before curling up and closing its eyes. Evidently, Jumps' activity level had exhausted it. "I don't know what a dog is, but wamasu can grow quickly. It will be bigger than me in a few years. I don't know if they are smart though. They are good at hunting, but that could be just instinct...and lightning. It is usually hard to get close to wamasu to learn about them, especially if they are alive. I wonder if Jumps is...boy or girl? I know the males get aggressive during mating season, and females get aggressive if they have eggs."

[Muttonhawk]

"So, they are like a group of Treeminders?" Tunxeek asked. Believing he was starting to understand.

Sabine shook her head. "No Hist."

"Oh, of course," Tunxeek responded, reminding himself of what his father had taught him about the outside world. Sometimes he forgot that the Hist were not part of the lives of other cultures. He and his village were so entwined with it that he was used to it being a fact of life. How quiet and lonely it must be outside of the marsh. "Why did you leave them?"

Sabine took a sip and considered telling more, but her mind had flashes of bad memories and she shook her head to rid herself of them and to decline Tunxeek. "I don't... want to talk about it." She said quietly.

Tunxeek nodded understandlingly. "Okay, sorry." He took another sip of tea, feeling a little awkward, then thought of something else to ask. He was still a little curious about what witches were. "Meesei, are you a witch?"

---

Janius leaned against Kaleeth in turn, enjoying taking the moment to calm. The small breathing of the napping wamasu hatchling in his arms was oddly soothing. "I wouldn't have a clue how to tell for most lizards. Well, you'll find out one day, I'm sure. You may even have to release it back into the wild if it gets too aggressive, unless maybe if you neuter it. Wouldn't have a clue how to do that either. I'd say there's a lot to learn."

For only knowing each other for a few days, Fendros noticed Kaleeth and Janius' closeness as he sat across from them. Their love seemed to be a different event to Ahnasha and Fendros'; Janius and Kaleeth were drawn to one another very quickly, while Fendros and Ahnasha's manifested over a longer period of time. Well, he couldn't be surprised. After all, they were different people in different circumstances. He just wished they didn't have to share the tragedy of inevitable separation, even if Fendros and Ahnasha's case was many years away.

Now that Leaps-On-Elves had been handed over safely, Fendros took a moment to recollect what he was doing before. He looked at Ahnasha with a smile, "Want to continue the painting?"

[EliteCommander]

"No, I was a Treeminder." Meesei said, shaking her head with a bit of a smile. "To say one is a witch implies that they study dangerous or immoral magic and rituals, which I do not. I do still study magic, but what I study is far less...dubious."

Meesei finished her tea and placed it down beside her before looking at Tunxeek curiously. Speaking to him reminded her of her own childhood, as he was likely going through many of the same lessons her own father taught her. Different villages had different traditions, but it was fair to say that his experiences likely mirrored her own fairly closely. "What of you, Tunxeek? What do you study? What do you wish to learn?"

---

"Certainly." Ahnasha answered with a grin. She stood up slowly and carefully to her feet, something that was starting to feel more cumbersome every day. "Was moving always this difficult?" She groaned in a strained, sarcastic voice. Walking over to the same rock as before, she grabbed her brush and waited for Fendros to take his pose again.

Kaleeth was a bit interested in what the couple were doing. Her village of course had painting and art, but painting a portrait of another person was not something they really did. She chuckled at Fendros' pose, which was rather funny without context, and a little funny with context. "Why does he need to do that for you to draw?" Kaleeth asked.

Ahnasha was concentrating on her painting, so she did not take her eyes of of it and Fendros, but she did answer nonetheless. "So I can draw him with as much detail as possible. I am not that good yet, but the point is to draw him as realistically as possible. I rather enjoy it, though I can't imagine it would be that interesting to watch."

"Oh, I see." Kaleeth answered with a nod, at least moderately sure she understood. Leaning onto Janius once again, she looked up at him with her head resting on his shoulder. "What should we do, then?"

[Muttonhawk]

Tunxeek closed his mouth and became a little flushed at Meesei's clarification. She didn't seem immoral or dangerous at all. However, before he could apologise he was asked about his own interests. "Me? Well, father teaches me much. I still have much to learn but I am going to be Treeminder as well. He has taught me rituals, alchemy, and some magic, but there is a lot to learn. I am best at conjuration, even though I can only summon little things. I practice with conjuration more because..." Tunxeek looked down and to the side, holding one of his forearms in the other. He wasn't sure whether he sounded strange saying this, "...because the creatures... even though they don't speak, they are good at listening."

Realising where his mouth might be running off to, Tunxeek looked back at Meesei and Sabine trying not to seem awkward. He didn't quite want to divulge that he wasn't good at making friends in the village because of their earlier impression of him. The compulsive and shy son of the Treeminder who had to stick just the right kind of fish scales on the corners of his bed was not someone they wanted to play with back then. "I used to want to learn to summon creatures that could talk back, but when I told father, he summoned a... black and red skinned human with spiked clothing and horns. His name was... Dremora. He was very mean when he spoke and just wanted to hurt things, so I stopped wanting them to talk. I think now I just want to learn more about being a treeminder. Still, conjuration is interesting to me. I want to learn more about how this plain and other plains are connected. It is very complicated."

---

"Might I add, if you want to do this, pick a more comfortable pose." Fendros recommended with a hint of strain. The joking novelty of holding his arms and legs in such a way was fading away quickly at this point.

Smiling at Fendros' silly pose at well, Janius thought for a moment. He looked at Leaps as the creature slept, then looked at Kaleeth and spoke softly, "We could get some dried reeds and make a bed for Leaps-On-Elves if you like. It can't use our arms to sleep all of the time, and it needs some kind of home."

[EliteCommander]

"I know some of conjuration, but was never truly interested with Daedra. Many Daedric Princes, as well as their Daedric servants are rather...distasteful. Not all of course, but many." Meesei commented. Despite her reverence for Hircine, most other Daedric princes garnered no respect from her. Their goals were often nothing like Hircine's, whose sphere she considered an honorable one. Others, such as Meridia and Azura, were far less malicious than the others, so she bore no particular hatred for them. Whenever she used conjuration magic, she preferred to draw Daedra from their realms.

Meesei held out her hand and created a small ball of of lightning that sparked just above her fingertips. "My greatest interest came with magic that relates to nature, and the world around us. It encompasses many of the schools of magic that Imperials use, but it all shares a common connection. Magic is integral to the forces that shape our world, and I endeavor to understand them."

---

Ahnasha gave another laugh. "Hey, you're the one who picked this pose. I told you to go with something comfortable. I've already started on this one, so just take breaks if you need it." Her painting was taking shape more and more clearly. Not only was the outline done, but his basic features, as well as a few details, were complete as well.

"He is cute in your arms like that...but I guess you are right. We can make Jumps a bed next to mine for now. I don't know what to do when he, or she, gets big enough, though. I guess I'll have to train it. You might be right about having to let it go eventually though. Wamasu are dangerous, it is sad. For now, we can just make it a place to lay down." Kaleeth answered. She put her arms around him more tightly and pressed herself against him to feel his warmth more closely. Her eyes were closed, but she was still looking up at him with a blissful expression. "I would not mind laying with you, too." She commented innocently, not quite aware of the double entendre.

[Muttonhawk]

With curled lips, Tunxeek's eyes were fixated on the magic in Meesei's hand while she explained. Her preference seemed rather wide-sweeping as far as magic went, but he supposed that at her level of knowledge, she had an understanding of it that encompassed all of magic's uses.

Tunxeek slowly put his head back, draining the remaining tea in his cup. He blinked a few times at the life detection effect until it passed again. "I do not think I am at that kind of point yet. I do not know if I ever will be." He shrugged, then looked at Sabine. "And you, Sabine? Do you know magic?"

Sabine's eyes darted from the floor in front of her to Tunxeek, almost in surprise, then slowly back to the floor. "I can... do enchantment. And soul trap. That is all."

"Ah, I always struggle to enchant things. I am no good at it." Tunxeek proclaimed with a smile.

At this, there was a moment of silence where Sabine felt somewhat unsure. It was reflected in the corner of her mouth twitching slightly as she nibbled on the inside of her mouth. Slowly, she looked up at Tunxeek and spoke quietly, "I could... show you how. I could help."

"Well um, okay. Thank you, er..." Tunxeek wasn't really expecting any help, but it was a nice surprise he supposed, "I have to go to father for lessons soon, but maybe afterwards?"

Still unsure, Sabine looked around the floor, then back up at Tunxeek and nodded.

"In fact, I should probably go right now. Father is probably wondering where the cups and teapot is by now." Tunxeek proceeded to gather up the empty utensils, "I can get some soul gems from father and meet you in... a few hours, yes?" He looked at them both and smiled as he stood up. "I will see you soon, then. Rest well, Sabine. Thank you both." With that, Tunxeek walked out of the hut in a small hurry.

---

Fendros smiled widely with pursed lips and nodded reassuringly. "I think I'll be fine for another couple of minutes," he said, trying to take his mind off the discomfort.

With a raised eyebrow, Janius looked at Kaleeth and breathed a short chuckle through his nose at her forwardness. "Feeling a little more direct today, are we?" He replied, keeping his voice down below the range of Fendros and Ahnasha nearby. He wished he could put his arms around Kaleeth in turn, but both of his arms were occupied supporting the hatchling. Janius settled for facing his head forward and leaning it against Kaleeth's. "Very well, which did you want to do first?"

Despite barely thirty seconds passing after Fendros' previous reassurance, he decided to rest his limbs and relax from his pose for a moment. With a look of sly curiosity, he walked around and behind Ahnasha, kneeling down. He slowly put his arms around her and looked over her shoulder at the canvas. From what she had done, Fendros could see that she had progressed in skill quicker than he would have thought. "Is my head really that big?" Fendros said in a deliberately melodramatic tone. By his smile he was merely having a jab at Ahnasha for fun, but in his mind he was impressed by the accuracy of the proportions.

[EliteCommander]

"Hey, I am just trying to keep it as close to reality as possible." Ahnasha joked. "Unless you want me to embellish some of your...features, of course."

Holding the canvas up in the light, Ahnasha examined her work so far. She had most of the detailing done, she just needed to add color, which was the aspect of painting she was the least skilled with. Sketching something was fine, but she was always disappointed with her coloring work. "I can't imagine this will take more than a few hours longer. Once I get finished with the detailing and move on to color, you probably won't need to hold that pose anymore. The shadows haven't been remaining steady this entire time, so I haven't been drawing them. I'll just need to use you as a reference for color...and figure out how to mix the right shade of grey."

Placing the canvas back on the rock, she turned her head to Fendros. "You know, I need to teach you how to do this as well. You need to make a good painting of me...after I give birth to our cub, of course. I don't want there to be any record of me looking like this."

Janius' real meaning went over Kaleeth's head, but she nevertheless gave her answer to the question he posed. "Well, we obviously need to take care of Jumps first. I don't think I would want it to join us. We know it likes to get into trouble."

Kaleeth stood up, being careful not to disturb the wamasu, and looked around the area for a few moments. "There is a plant that grows here with really big leaves. When we make nests for our eggs, we make a little basket of sticks, then wrap the leaves around it. I think that would work here."

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, it's not how big it is, it's how you use it. The head, that is." Fendros quipped, standing up and assuming his pose again. His response to the prospect of himself learning to paint was an uneasy chuckle. "Be careful what you wish for. I'd be liable to make you look completely unrecognisable if I tried to draw you, never mind your stomach now. No, drawing was never really something I did, that was more my little sister." He smiled and glanced over at Ahnasha, "Don't worry, though, I'll always remember you looking like this."

"Quite, that would be uncomfortable." Janius remarked, standing up in a similar fashion to Kaleeth. "Alright, that sounds good, let's collect some materials."

A few moments later Janius lowered his brow and angled his head, wondering. "No one is going to be mistaken in thinking that we would actually be making the basket for Argonian eggs and not a wamasu hatchling, right?" Janius asked, speaking somewhat slowly so he wouldn't fumble his words. "That might... exacerbate things."

[EliteCommander]

"Well, keep your memories close, because they will be the only evidence of what I look like now. In, what is it now, two and half months, I will be back to normal, and we'll have another member of the pack. A cute little furry pack member that will probably drive both of us insane after a few weeks. I don't think cubs are very easy to take care of. Still the very fact that people have children shows that it must be worth it. Maybe I can draw our cub after it is born? I doubt we will be able to keep it still long enough, but...maybe when it is sleeping?" Ahnasha suggested, though it wasn't as if Fendros would be able to help if she tried. She was getting close to finishing the details on her painting, so he wouldn't need to keep up his pose much longer.

Kaleeth cocked her head to the side, seemingly confused. "I am not use I under-...ohhh." She said, suddenly catching his meaning. "No, we have wamasu, a sleeping wamasu, so it will be obvious. Besides, Saxhleel cannot make eggs with humans...can they? I mean, I don't know really. I never thought about it. Should I be worried about...no, the potion I drank after we mated cleanses the body completely, even egg. I don't think it is possible anyways."

Walking around the outskirts of the village, it was not long before Kaleeth found the plant she was looking for, and since there were twigs and sticks everywhere, they had everything they needed. After picking some of the leaves, she looked at Janius quizzically. "Where should we make the bed for Jumps, you think?"

[Muttonhawk]

"That is probably the best way to do it. If I remember correctly, you still owe Ariel a rendition of the child. You might send it off if Sabine feels like writing to her in the next town. Can't say I've seen her do that yet, but we haven't really been anywhere with a courier since we left Thorn as far as I remember. Maybe back in that village with the merchants? Hmm, never mind." Fendros' mind swiftly went back to the child, "I wonder what it's going to grow up to be like?"

---

"I've not heard of it happening before, to be honest, but I didn't know that Khajiit could hold a Dunmer child until Fendros and Ahnasha." Janius held a blank, if cautious face, but he rationalised his worries away behind the potion as Kaleeth had.

Janius repositioned Leaps over his shoulder, holding the lower half of the hatchling's body to his chest while he picked up a few materials in his free hand. The materials were abundant, so it didn't take too long. Janius shrugged at Kaleeth's question, "I don't know, somewhere close to where we sleep? In or around the common hut, maybe?"