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

[EliteCommander]

The events that unfolded after Sabine's choice were not what Meesei expected, though it did make sense. Sometimes, one could not actually change the future, nor could they accurately predict the effects of their actions. Fate and destiny were complicated concepts, if they even existed at all. Often times, all one could hope to do when faced with regret was to learn from their mistakes and move on. Sometimes, one's life could be bettered by fixing a mistake, but in many cases, it is both one's successes and failures that make a person who they are. In this case, for Sabine, her only mistake was blaming herself for a situation that was complicated beyond her control. Hopefully now, she could see that holding on to that part of her past was not worthwhile.

The next memory was not one Meesei expected, but it was one she recognized. She remembered when Sabine first joined the pack. She was afraid, not only of the members of the pack, but of the world in general. Even with her saying nothing, her actions demonstrated that she was not well. It seemed strange at first to think that Sabine would be a productive member of the pack. She was small, inexperienced, physically weaker than the others, and too shy to speak to. Everything she displayed to the outside world painted her as a potential liability. Any other pack concerned about their survival would have refused to accept her at the time. Even Meesei had her doubts when she first joined, but there had been...something about her that she could not place, something that made her curious about the little girl. Her empathy for the lost girl's situation, combined with her gut instinct, caused her to accept her into the pack: a decision she certainly did not regret. Still, there were moments early on where Meesei questioned the wisdom of her decision.

"It has been a slow and subtle change, but seeing this now, it is easy to see how different you have become. All the pain was fresh on your mind here. I remember trying to talk to you for months and getting barely a response. I admit, there were times where I wondered if you would ever improve at all, or if I would ever even learn your name. I believe this was the first time I asked. At this point, I believe that I assumed it was the shock of being recently turned that caused you to retreat within yourself. As your last memory showed, however, one cannot predict the future. I have noticed that each memory so far has been a small, seemingly insignificant moment, but each played a role in a larger picture, in something you cared deeply about: your sister, the coven. This was but one of many times I tried to speak to you. For me, I learned little more than that you were quiet. But for you, what would you say they meant to you? Or rather, what did you want them to mean?" Meesei asked, her expression carrying much of the same curiosity and concern that the version of her in the memory also had.

[Muttonhawk]

Where she sat, Sabine slowly peeked her eyes out from under her cloak at present Meesei. At first, she had seen the talks as pestering. These talks with Meesei in the past only seemed to remind her of her memories. Yes, they were painful, but Sabine came to understand that Meesei only did this because she cared. She only wanted to help. However, Sabine had kept those memories bottled up. Each and every single time Meesei got up and left from one of her attempts at talking with her, there would always be a part of Sabine that wished that she could heal herself and be rid of the horrible memories, and that Meesei could understand her plight.

There was a new motive that came through in this scene that the Hist sung agreement to. In the first decision, she learned that she could be strong enough to take the repercussions of her actions. In the second decision, she learned that she could not continue to be afraid of horrible things happening if they were already beyond her control. Here, she could do something that would be hard, but was something she should have done now, rather than leave for so long. There was only one thing to start the healing process that she could think of.

The Hist resumed the scene without prompt. Sabine looked into the eyes past Meesei and poked her head completely out of the cloak. "My name..." Her voice was croaky and quiet, and shook with a resisting sadness, "...is...Sabine...Montgrave." Her jaw quivered as she continued, "I am from Vos...on Vvardenfell. I am from a witches coven, but I ran away, because..." She started to blink rapidly, and this time tears began to run down her face, "...because my sister put me in a silver cage after I turned into a werewolf..."

The Hist began to quicken the progression of time without Sabine noticing, and with the time, an outpouring of emotion and pain flowed with the recount of her recent life to Meesei. Past Meesei looked on intently and nodded occasionally in understanding. The time quickened further to show more events in the future. The pack was more understanding and gave support to Sabine where it was needed. Sabine became more open for not fearing her memories so much. She could interact with the pack more socially. Most of all though, she was happy more of the time. There were more and more moments where she did not live in fear of her memories. Apart from the occasional nightmare or trigger, she could live in the pack normally. It was as if the change brought about by talking to Meesei outside of Vos had been given a head start and been more effecting.

The events flew by into months, accelerating exponentially. The voices of the Hist were reaching a crescendo. There were but a few images that Sabine spotted of the village they were in, before there was one last image of her looking into a goblet of Hist sap. Time dilated just enough for a shade of fear and burden to manifest physically and flow out from her eyes in a red cloud and into the sap. Sabine knew that the physical manifestation wasn't real, but its outcome was. The Hist drew out the last of her pain willingly, and her mind was finally vacant, to be filled with a blissful peace.

Then she opened her eyes. The sun was behind a cloud, but the light still hurt her eyes. She slowly sat up and realised by the tears down the sides of her head that she had cried in her sleep. Thorantilth and the Hist tree still stood before them. The last whispers of the Hist subsided. Sabine was back in reality. She slowly took a deeper breath than she ever thought possible, and released it just as slowly. About halfway through her exhale, she released the rest of her breath in one singular laugh, one that brought a widest grin to her face. That vacancy in her mind. The peace had remained. She was lost for words.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei awoke before Sabine, as the Hist decided to release her from the vision while they were showing Sabine the impact of her final choice. She sat next to Sabine and returned her smile when she awoke. Meesei grabbed her hand to help her sit up, then wrapped her arms around her to give her a hug. After the years of silence and pain, Sabine could finally move on. There would certainly be struggles ahead, but now she could focus on them, instead of having to mend the wounds of her past.

It was difficult for Meesei to find the proper words to follow such an experience. Their souls had been joined in the root, their minds experiencing the same memories. Meesei had saw Sabine's most painful memories, and had helped to guide her past them. It was difficult to say exactly how she would change, but there was no question that it would be for the better. "How are you feeling, Sabine? Any more troublesome memories to deal with?." She said with a smile.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine returned the embrace and squeezed Meesei as hard as she could. She laughed a couple more times and sniffed at Meesei's words. "They are still there, but..." Sabine shut her eyes started to shed tears of happiness, "They don't hurt anymore. I'm not afraid. I feel free." They rocked each other back and forth for a long time, then pulled away.

Next, Sabine carefully stood up, then threw her arms around Thorantilth, squeezing him just as tightly and probably more than he was able to breathe with. "Thank you, Treeminder," Sabine said, pressing her head into his chest. Thankfully for Thorantilth, Sabine released him well before he suffocated, but she turned around and presented her vibrant smile to everyone watching. The air seemed to fresh, everything seemed so... possible now.

One by one, Janius, Fendros, Tunxeek, everyone returned her smile. It had been tense to watch them almost lifeless on the ground for so long, but whatever the Hist had shown them, it was what Sabine needed. She was up and active, no longer curled up in her shell. The change seemed sudden from their perspectives, but they had not witnessed what Sabine and Meesei had. They might never know. One thing was certain, Sabine was changed.

Janius had his arm over Kaleeth's shoulder, appreciating her reassurance during the ritual, but now that it was over he was the first to call out to them. "What's on your mind, Runt?"

Sabine's smile opened into a grin. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted back to Janius, louder than she had ever shouted in years. "My name is Sabine!"

Even though he was taken aback by her response, Janius' look of surprise quickly reformed into a grin and he laughed heartily. He beckoned Meesei and Sabine to come to the allowed boundary of the Hist tree. "Come here."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was glad to see Sabine so lively. It was even more noticeable than when Ariel was around. Meesei's mood was being elevated along with Sabine's, to the point that, even with the clouds overhead, the world seemed more vibrant. They walked safely away from the eggs and joined the others. Only Meesei really understood what was going to happen before the ritual, so the others seemed quite surprised with the change. Even Lorag gave a silent grin at the sudden turn of events.

Ahnasha looked down at Sabine, a bit in awe. She never shouted, not in fear, anger, or in this case, happiness. "Wow, Sabine, the Hist really did help you, didn't they?"

"It was not only the Hist. They opened up the memories, but it was Sabine who had to overcome them. The Hist needed only to facilitate the confrontation between her, and her past." Meesei commented. Her attitude was hopeful, and lighthearted. While it was true they had serious matters to attend to, such as getting to Stormhold, they could spare the time to relax. "So, Sabine, on such a fine day as this, what do you want to do now?"

[Muttonhawk]

Meesei's question made Sabine pause to think. Her smile lowered slightly. What did she want to do now? There was so much to choose from. In her excited state she found the array of options overwhelming. After sparing a moment standing amongst everyone gathered, one thought came to mind that caused her to look up again with a refreshed smile, "I want to write a letter to Ariel." She said clearly, "We can send it when we reach Stormhold, but I want to write it now."

Before starting to walk to the common hut to find writing supplies, Sabine looked over her shoulder to the Hist tree. She couldn't hear the voices anymore, but she was grateful for their help. Thank you, she thought, before looking forward and moving. People parted to let her through.

Fendros offered a "Well done, Sabine," and ruffled her hair as she passed, then glanced to Ahnasha next to him. "I'm amazed."

The group walked behind her a ways. Tunxeek stepped up to walk beside her and looked at her with a smile. "I don't know what the Hist showed you exactly, but I knew they would help. You are a nice person. You deserved their help."

Sabine stopped and suddenly gave Tunxeek a tight hug as well. Sabine was smiling still. It was not something Tunxeek expected after her previous responses to physical touch. However, Tunxeek had his mouth open and barely managed to wheeze, let alone return the hug with his arms clamped to his sides by Sabine's embrace. "Sa...bine. Can't...breath. Can't...breath!"

Sabine's eyes widened in realisation and she let Tunxeek go and held onto his shoulders. "You helped too. Thank you." Sabine said, before letting go and continuing to walk.

Tunxeek rubbed one arm in a little pain, but chuckled in return. "It was nothing."

In her racing thoughts, Sabine had to stop again with another realisation. She turned to Ahnasha, her eyes still sparkling and asked her hopefully. "Ahnasha, can I use your ink and a canvas to write a letter?" Sabine's tone was careful, but not out of fear, rather out of exploring the act of asking simple questions. She actively avoided doing such things beforehand. It was funny how much easier it was than she thought it would be.

[EliteCommander]

"Oh, yes, of course." Ahnasha answered, not used to Sabine asking her any sort of questions. Usually when she needed something, she would ask Meesei, who would then ask whoever was appropriate. "I believe I still have some supplies left in a bag next to my bedroll. There should be enough ink for a letter."

Ahnasha glanced over to Fendros beside her. He might not have known Sabine for quite as long as the rest of them, but he had known her long enough to be impressed. The success of the ritual seemed to put everyone in an upbeat mood. "I certainly bet Ariel will be happy to hear about this." She commented as they walked along.

Normally, Meesei would opt to leave Sabine alone whenever she was doing something, but this time, she felt that it might be a good idea to join her. She would not bother her while she was actually concentrating on writing, of course, but she wondered if she and Sabine would be able to just...talk. As mundane as it seemed, it was something they had never really done before.

Kaleeth walked beside Janius. Leaps had actually began to follow her around whenever she set him down, so she was no longer required to carry it at all times. The good mood of the others seemed to be rubbing off on her, but she was a bit more distant than everyone else. She was of course happy to see that it all worked out for them, but she did not want to intrude on their celebration, since she did not know most of them very well yet. Given how shy Sabine had been, Kaleeth had not really spoken to her at all since she arrived, so she knew next to nothing about her. Nevertheless, she did feel comfortable commenting to Janius about the situation. "I am guessing this is much different from normal? I have not really heard her speak much before now. She seems happy though; I am glad the ritual worked for her."

[Muttonhawk]

"Thank you," Sabine said to Ahnasha, clasping on hand in the other. That really was easy.

Janius was still smiling when he responded to Kaleeth. "Oh you have no idea. This is probably the most she's spoken all week. Not to mention, I've known her for about two years now. I've never seen her in such a good mood. Well, good moods, yes, but...never so lively." Janius weaved the fingers of one hand with Kaleeth's, not wanting her to feel left out. "Sabine has been through a lot of pain. The events that...gave her the condition were not something any young girl should live through. I'm glad the ritual has helped her too."

When they reached the common hut, Sabine collected some writing equipment from Ahnasha and found herself a spot to begin. She wasn't very good at writing, but she would do her best. Everyone seemed to disperse to return to their own business, but Meesei sat down by Sabine while she wrote. Sabine found it curious to have the company for such an activity, but she didn't object. Meesei was the last person who would make her nervous about being watched, never mind whether that would be a problem for her anymore.

Sabine leaned in close to the sheet of canvas and began to slowly scratch Cyrodilic script.

Deer Ariel my sister

Tooday I ecspirienst the rityouall to bund with the Hist. There were tryalls to proov that I was worthie and they were very hard but I had help from

Sabine paused. In her excitement, she had not planned her writing that far ahead. Not that she had much practice, as was evident in her spelling, grammar and childish handwriting. She looked up at Meesei. It was convenient that she was there for this question. "Meesei, how do you spell your name?"

Janius stood at the door of the common hut with Kaleeth for a moment, watching Sabine getting settled in. When everyone left, he decided to face Kaleeth and take both her hands in his. He hated to end the high spirits, but now that they had a moment he wanted to ask Kaleeth about the future. "So, have you had any more thoughts on your decision? Did talking to people help?" Janius spoke quietly and with a concerned expression. It still may have been too early to ask, but not knowing was still hurting him.

[EliteCommander]

Meesei had to pause for a moment to think. It was within her capability to read Cyrodilic writing; it had been part of her education growing up to interact with outsiders. However, she was not especially good at reading in that language, not like in Jel. She knew how to spell her name, of course, but she had to think for a moment. "I believe it is spelled M-e-e-s-e-i, in Cyrodilic. It...has been a long time since I have had to read Cyrodilic, much less write it. I admit I am rather out of practice. If you are having trouble, perhaps Janius or Fendros can help?" She suggested.

Kaleeth closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, then nodded to Janius. "Yes, talking has helped. I have not made my choice, but I know what I am going to do. I want to commune with the HIst, and...Hircine, if I can. I know you said it would be very hard, and I know it probably won't happen, but...I want to try. I could use the village tree to commune with the Hist, but I think it would be better for me to go into the marsh and be among them. I can be alone, meditate, and find a tree with sap to drink. When I am there, I can try to hunt something to sacrifice too. I know you would probably want to come with me, but...I need to be alone for this. If I can at least commune with the Hist, I know I can make this choice. I am going to leave tonight, maybe tomorrow in the morning. I will need to tell my father and mother what I want to do. I am...not excited for that. I do not think it will take more than one day. You can...you can wait that long, right?" She asked nervously.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine wrote down the letters as Meesei said them and continued on with the letter.

...Meesei the tree minder of the village and the tree minders son Tunchik. In the rityouall the Hist gave me vishons of three memorees and Meesei was there to help.

"Of course." Janius said, slowly nodding in understanding to Kaleeth, "Meesei will probably want to leave as soon as possible, but I can convince her to stay until later tomorrow, I think. You take all the time you need to. I'll wait for you." Janius brought Kaleeth close and wrapped his arms around her. He wished he wasn't so torn up about it as she was, but he tried not to show it. "In the meantime, we still have the rest of today. What do you feel like doing?"

At this point, Fendros walked past Sabine and Meesei on his way to pick up some thread and a sewing needle to fix a hole in his leggings when he looked over Sabine's shoulder. What he saw made him stop and squint his eyes, trying to read the strange writing. Closer inspection revealed that it was simply incorrect spelling. Sabine must have missed out on learning to properly write and spell. Well, living with the pack, it was no wonder really. If you wanted to learn, you had to ask and practice on your own. It made Fendros think that his child would have to be taught as such eventually. Right now though, it looked like Sabine needed some help. He knelt down beside her and gave her a friendly smile. "Do you need some help writing your letter, Sabine? I can advise you with the spelling at least."

Sabine stopped writing and glanced up at Fendros. Looking over her work so far seemed to lower her spirits as she noticed all of her mistakes. Under normal circumstances, she would run and hide, but she really wanted to get this letter done. Ignoring it wouldn't help at all. She nodded to Fendros and they set about correcting the letter. In took about an hour and a half to get a letter down that Sabine was satisfied with. It was covered in strikethroughs and corrections, little margin notes and large spatters of accidental droplets of ink, but it was legible enough.

Dear Ariel, my sister.

I am writing from an Argonian village several weeks west of Thorn. Fendros is helping me because I am not very good at writing, but I will practice so I can write to you better.

Today I experienced the ritual to bond with the Hist. You will be pleased to hear that it has helped me a great deal. There were difficult trials to prove myself, but with the help of Meesei, the Treeminder Thorantilth, and Thorantilth's son, Tunshik, I was able to overcome them. The Hist showed me some old memories that had hurt during my life, and where I had made choices that I regretted. I was allowed to make those choices again, differently this time, and the Hist showed me how the choices changed my life and helped me feel better about them. The new choices didn't happen in real life, but I still learned the lessons.

One of the memories had you in it. Do you remember when I was little and I spilled void salts on the floor? Sister Freida was very cross. I think she is dead now, I didn't see her in the coven, but I remember that you stood up for me and protected me. You did that for me a lot in the coven. Thank you. Anyway, in that memory, the Hist let me stand up for myself so I could be just as strong as you. The Hist showed me that I got the nettle and I had to clean the laboratory, but I was okay. I did cry, but I wasn't so scared of the punishment anymore.

The other two memories didn't have you in them. I might tell you about them in other letters, but they helped just as much. The Hist took away my fear and pain, and I feel so good. I can breath properly now, I had forgotten what that had felt like. The day is brighter. I can talk to people without feeling scared about what they will say back. I still need practice, but it has made many things easier. I even asked Ahnasha if I could use her ink and canvas to write this letter and she didn't mind at all!

Everyone in the pack is well, more or less. Ahnasha is so big now that she is having trouble moving. Everyone says her cub will be born soon, so we are going to Stormhold to find someone to help with that. I hope it doesn't hurt her too much. She has been painting more and more, making Fendros do silly poses, but they have been happy. Meesei and Lorag have been helping me with the ritual mostly. Meesei has been a comfort and a guide, while Lorag taught me a little bit about fighting for one of the trials. Janius has met an Argonian woman, Kaleeth-Rei, and I think they are in love, which is strange because I haven't seen Janius like this before. They are both sad because they can't stay together unless Kaleeth joins us. I think Janius needs to stop trying to sleep with women if he doesn't want this kind of thing to happen.

I wish I could speak to you again, because the last time I was very nervous and we didn't get to talk much. I noticed that you tried though, thank you. I hope that your shop is going well. I hope that you are well, as well as the innkeepers and the woman at the clothing shop. Say hello to them for me. Perhaps next time I send a letter I could tell you where we are going next so that you might reply.

Until next time, good health.
Love Sabine

"...How's that?" Fendros asked. Writing the letter had taken a lot of time. Some of what Sabine had to say made Fendros laugh at bit, but it was honest and heartfelt.

Sabine nodded affirmatively, "Thank you for helping."

Fendros smiled, and pat Sabine on the back, "Any time. I can teach you more about reading and writing when we have spare moments if you like." With that, Fendros got up again to find a spot to repair his leggings, "Remember to keep that out of the mud and rain until we get to Stormhold."

Sabine took the letter in both hands and held it up in front of her. She was amazed that she was able to get so much writing onto the canvas, even more so that she had so much to say. She glanced at Meesei, then leaned over to hand the letter to her. "Do you think Ariel will like it?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was glad that Fendros came along to help Sabine. Certainly, Ariel would probably appreciate the letter being easy to read, even if there were some stray marks and scratched out words. Meesei considered that it might be a good idea for her to join in on the lessons in writing in Cyrodilic, as she was not as comfortable with the language as she would like. Although, it would seem strange for him to be teaching her something for a change.

When Sabine handed Meesei the letter, she carefully folded it into a more compact size and placed it in a pouch near her bedroll. "I definitely believe she will. Unless you need to make some changes, I can keep it safe in my satchel until we reach Stormhold. It is made from the hide of a marsh creature, so it is waterproof. I think Ariel will be happy to hear you are safe, more than anything. That being said, I think receiving word that the ritual helped you will put a smile on her face. If I had to guess, I would say it will be another two or so months before she receives the letter, but I don't think she ever expected to receive frequent letters from us. Our livelyhoods simply do not permit it. I do wonder if we will ever be in a position that we could get a letter back from her? We do not tend to stay in one place for too long, but it might be possible that we will know about our next destination far enough in advanced that she might be able to get a letter in the area before we leave. I suppose we will have to see."

Kaleeth paused in thought for a few moments. With all the worry in her mind, she had not been thinking about what to do to relax. "That...is hard question. There is not a lot to do here that we have not done yet. I don't think I can get potions anymore for a while, it has been getting...suspicious. We have hunted, we have talked, we have ran through the marsh, we have done all sorts of things. Maybe we could just do some of those things again? It has been a few days since we swam, maybe we can take Leaps with us. I am wondering if it can swim? Or maybe we can find Meesei and see if she knows how to figure out if Leaps is a boy or girl?"

[Muttonhawk]

"Hm, actually that's a good idea. I've been wondering that for a while." Janius said in a more casual tone, before parting Kaleeth from his embrace and smiling at her. "As for swimming afterwards," he raised an eyebrow and looked to one side, considering for a moment, then looked to Kaleeth again, "I'd like that." He looked down at Leaps, who seemed to just be content sitting in the sun and sniffing the air. "Come along, Leaps." The hatchling didn't understand Janius' command, but its attention was piqued when Janius nudged it with his toe and they began to walk into the common hut to see Meesei.

Kaleeth and Janius came across Meesei, Sabine and Fendros while Sabine was still writing her letter. Fendros seemed to be quietly helping Sabine, but Meesei didn't look busy. "Meesei, we were wondering..." Janius interrupted himself and raised one hand reassuringly, "Uh, something unrelated to before, it's about Leaps-On-Elves. The wamasu hatchling." Janius squat down and scooped Leaps up in his arms, "You wouldn't happen to know how to discern its sex, do you? If its going to stay in the village, it might determine its behaviour when it grows up. Not to mention, calling it by 'it' as if it's an object is a little strange."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei looked at the wamasu hatchling, which wriggled around in Janius' arms for a few moments before settling down. She was dubious on whether or not it was actually a good idea to try and keep a wamasu, but she did not see any reason why it was not possible. She nodded to him, then reached out and grabbed the small creature in her arms. "I would not say that I know how the average person would be able to tell, but I think I know what I can do."

Meesei rubbed her hand across its back and used her restoration magic to examine its energies. The light and sensations it felt caused its head to perk up and its body to wriggle around, but the calming sensation she gave it caused it to settle down. She couldn't "see" inside of it visually, but rather she had to feel its energy and the certain patterns it had. Males and females of most races and creatures had some differences in their energies, but it was more difficult to determine on animals unless the healer had enough experience with that particular kind of creature. After a few minutes, she was reasonably sure she had reached her conclusion. "I do believe he is male. I do not feel the presence of eggs, or anything else that would indicate it is female. That might present an issue when it reaches adolescence, as they can be aggressive at that age. Wamasu can live a long time, and it takes many years for them to reach that age, but it is still something you would need to deal with. If you wish to keep it, you will need to find a way to remove or disable the...offending organs." She advised.

[Muttonhawk]

"A male, huh?" Janius made an acknowledging hum and nodded. Looking at Leaps as it squirmed in Meesei's arms, he wondered how exactly a creature of its nature would be desexed. He'd once been forced by his father to see a sheep go through the process by local a farmer with a knife, but if there was anything he remembered from that nauseating experience, it was that the 'offending organs,' as Meesei put it, were on the outside. Leaps didn't have anything visible that Janius noticed. He suspected that creatures like wamasu did not have them visible all the time. It made him scratch his head, then look up at Kaleeth from where he was still squatting. "I don't suppose anyone in the village knows how to neuter a wamasu, do they?" Janius asked, not holding out any particular hope.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth scratched her head just as Janius had and looked down at Leaps awkwardly. She had hoped the hatchling would be female, just to make things easier, but that did not appear to be the case. "Well...no, I don't think so. We have kept guar in the village, but we don't neuter them. We...do have many years to figure it out, I guess. Although, it might be easier to do while he is young and not dangerous. I don't think he will like it. Anyway, we do have time."

Meesei released Leaps and allowed him to run back over to Janius. She did not expect that the village would keep the creature, but she supposed stranger things had happened. "At any rate, I am glad to have helped. Perhaps you can figure it out before it gets too old. Is there anything else you need help with?" She asked.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius paused to rub Leaps under the chin, then stood up. As for Meesei's question, Janius looked at Kaleeth to confirm that she didn't have anything else to ask, then he gave a grateful smile to Meesei. "I think that's all for now. Thank you, Meesei." He said, before turning around and heading for the door of the common hut. "Time for a swim then?" Janius asked Kaleeth with a half smile.

On their way to the river, Janius wanted to keep the mood away from their impending separation, so he tried to make conversation of a different subject. "So, I never got to ask, what was your brother like? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

---

Sabine was still in a good mood after writing her letter. She had decided to try making more inflammation salve for Ahnasha, so she was currently ordering her alchemical supplies and starting to prepare ingredients. While she did so, she glanced up at Meesei a number of times, wondering. After a while, her curiosity overtook her. She asked Meesei quietly and slowly, "Meesei, did you ever go through the ritual like I did, except for your decisions? You helped me to think while I was with the Hist. I was wondering if you knew what was going to happen."

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth lowered her head as she thought back on her brother. It had not been too long since his passing, and it was still difficult to think about. "Oh, well, he was going to be a hunter like me. He was good at it too, much braver than me. He never seemed to be afraid, and he always tried to help me not be afraid, even though he was two years younger than me. He died in his trial though; he picked the same one I did. We don't know exactly what happened, or what killed him. His body was in many pieces when we found it. I...only looked at it once, it was very hard to see his remains like that. He was very friendly and had a lot of friends. He got into trouble a lot, but never anything too bad." She explained. As they reached the swimming hole, Kaleeth removed her loincloth and lowered herself silently into the river. Her somber mood did not last too long, however, as Leaps seemed to find the only logical thing to do once they reached the river was to jump in after her and start to tread water. With its small frame, it was rather amusing to watch, so it once again brought a smile to her face and caused her to laugh.

---

"Hmm, yes and no." Meesei responded, stopping to think for a moment on how to phrase her answer. "The ritual of binding is generally reserved for Argonians who are hatched away from the Hist and need to have their soul bound to them. It was not necessary for me to undergo such a ritual, however, I did know what was going to happen, roughy. As Treeminder, I consumed the sap to commune with the HIst many times, for different reasons. I was also trained to perform that very same ritual on others, so I had a good idea of what was going to happen. The Hist do not always go about communing with the one bound to them in the same way, so I did not know that they were going to have you relive your memories, as I would have told you had I known."

[Muttonhawk]

With what Kaleeth explained, Janius lowered his head as well in sympathy. It must have been horrible for Kaleeth with what she experienced. "I'm sorry," was all Janius could think to say. He silently regretted bringing up sad memories in Kaleeth and kept quiet for the rest of the short walk to the water.

Thankfully, Leaps wasn't fazed. Instead, he happily waddled into the water with such enthusiasm that it made Kaleeth laugh. Janius shared her laugh as he undressed himself in turn before wading in a short distance and diving under. It was a good thing that Leaps' antics lifted the atmosphere somewhat. Once Janius surfaced, he wiped his eyes and took a refreshed breath through his mouth. He stroked through the water back towards Kaleeth with a smile. "Gods, I always forget how good the water is in this weather."

Leaps seemed to start slithering and meander through the water like a snake and started to circle the two. It caught Janius' eye. He stood upright and watched in wonder. "He's a natural, isn't he?" Janius remarked, "I didn't learn to swim until I was six years old," he motioned to the hatchling and put a hand on his hip, "He's barely a few days old and look at him." He then turned to Kaleeth, "Though I suppose if you live in the marsh you would learn to swim early on as well, wouldn't you?"

---

Sabine curled her lips and nodded. The voices seemed to chaotic and unordered that she supposed that it made sense for them to be unpredictable. While she ground some seeds into a mortar and pestle, she thought more and came up with another question. "The Hist, did they say anything to you? When we drank the sap?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth looked at Janius curiously, and with a bit of amazement as he started talking about learning to swim. That was a concept she had never even heard of before, so it took her by surprise. She swam over to Janius, with Leaps following close behind her, then resting itself on her shoulder once she stopped. It chirped and raised its nose in the air, seemingly to get closer to the fleshflies flying above them. "Wait, you say you had to...learn to swim? You mean it was not instinct for you? Is that the same for all Humans, or was there something wrong with you? It seems strange that something so useful would not be instinct."

For whatever reason, Leaps held its mouth open while its eyes darted around across its field of view. It looked rather funny for a few moments before it suddenly jumped off of her shoulder at the group of fleshflies. It snapped its jaw closed in midair, but did not seem to get anything more than air before falling back into the water. Undaunted, the wamasu swam back, this time climbing up on Janius' shoulder.

---

"The Hist knew my purpose there, so they did 'speak' to me, in a manner of...speaking." Meesei responded. "The Hist often do not communicate plainly in words as we do. For me, they filled my mind with important memories of yours that surrounded the situation, memories that would give me the context to provide advice. Since this ritual was meant for you, they did not commune with me on questions and concerns that I have. I am considering trying to commune with the Hist once more before leaving the marsh. I do not believe they disapprove of my choice to follow Hircine, but I would like to see if I could know for certain. They might even impart wisdom to help me on my path."

[Muttonhawk]

"So it was instinct for you as well? Interesting." Angling his arm in a way that made it easier for Leaps to climb it without digging into his skin so much, Janius chuckled at Leaps determination, then responded to Kaleeth. "As far as I know, all humans are born without the ability to swim. It's the same for Khajiit and Mer I think." Leaps-On-Elves made its second attempt for the fleshflies and didn't appear to have any more success, but Janius didn't quite see with how fast it was moving. It splashed in the water between Janius and Kaleeth, causing Janius' to blink and flinch.

Before allowing Leaps to try again from his shoulder, Janius lowered himself back into the water and floated for a while, reminiscing. "We all have to be taught. You Argonians are lucky. We don't have gills, so if we don't get it right the first time without instruction, we drown." Janius kicked through the water towards Kaleeth and put his arm around her waist, "Many people don't know how to swim at all, they just flounder in the water and sink." Janius turned his head to Kaleeth with a joking smile, "So did you have to get taught how to walk?"

---

Meesei's words explained quite a bit actually. Sabine didn't think of questioning it during the ritual, but afterwards she had found it strange that Meesei seemed to know the feelings behind Sabine's memories.

"The Hist helped me, and I had never met them before. I think they will help you." Sabine paused her seed grinding and looked up at Meesei, "I want them to help you. They seem nice."