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

[EliteCommander]

"I don't think so, not really. I mean, hatchlings learn how to walk after a while by watching everyone else. I don't know if you call that teaching." Kaleeth responded. She put her arm around Janius as well and continued to watch Leaps snapping at the flies above him. "I guess wamasu are more...independent than our hatchlings. It is doing a lot for only being a few days old. I wonder why that is? Is it the same for humans, do your hatchlings...or, well, I guess you don't have eggs so...younglings? Do they take a long time to learn to do anything?"

After a few moments, Kaleeth swam over near the edge of the river and sat down in the water next to the riverbank. She leaned back so that her head was just above the surface and closed her eyes a moment to relax. Of course, it was inevitable that Leaps decided to swim over to her, climb on her head, and use that as a springboard to jump at the fleshflies. Her head was pushed under the water for a few seconds, after which she slowly raised back up and let out a sigh, expecting Janius to be laughing.

---

Meesei gave a light chuckle. "The Hist are...not so easy to understand. Even the most educated, experienced Treeminder cannot fathom their existence. However, we do generally think of them as benevolent. The Hist have always led the Argonian people in ways that work to our benefit, and keep us out of conflict if at all possible. I admit, I have never heard of the Hist encouraging an Argonian to leave their influence, but that does not mean it is not possible. It could be that they disapprove, but even if they do, it would not change anything about my choices. I may respect the Hist greatly, but my love for my family, all of you, supersedes anything else."

[Muttonhawk]

"I suppose it depends how much a long time is." Janius followed Kaleeth to the shallower water, "I mean, human children usually learn to walk and speak by watching others as well. That all happens within two or four year-pffthahaha!" Janius' explanation was interrupted by his reaction to Leaps' next jump, straight off Kaleeth's face. However priceless Kaleeth's expression was, Janius sat up and reached out to hold Leaps still for a moment, "Determined, aren't you Leaps? Here," Janius held Leaps up in his arms to provide a platform for him to jump at the fleshflies. Upon hitting the water, Janius scooped the hatchling up again and repeated lifting him up to his heart's content.

Still sitting by Kaleeth, Janius moved the conversation from early childhood to later. "So what was growing up in the village like? Did you have many friends? A teacher? What did you get up to?"

---

Even if Meesei had her doubts, Sabine felt confident enough that the Hist will provide the right advice for her alpha. Even if she had turned her back on her village, Meesei was a loving person. The Hist would understand what her life was now.

In addition, Meesei's assurance of her love towards her family was warming to Sabine as always. However, this time Sabine was reminded of a different part of her coven life. Similar words from Ariel were often spoken when she would tuck her in at night. Even if the pack wasn't her birth family, Sabine still loved them the same way. She decided to speak like she did back with Ariel in the past. "I love you too, Meesei."

It wasn't much, but it was something that Sabine would have said a lot more in the pack had she not been so quiet in general.

[EliteCommander]

As Janius sat down in the water beside her, Kaleeth moved closer to him. She sat in his lap with her arm around his neck and her head resting on his chest. She could not deny that the Hunt she was planning to go on would be at least a bit dangerous, since she would be going out into the marsh alone. It made her nervous, but it wasn't as if she had not been hunting alone before. It was a risk she was used to, though she was not quite used to killing something and sacrificing it to a Daedra. Hopefully, communing with the Hist would also help to calm her down.

"Hmm, well I guess I have had two teachers mostly, father and Thorantilth. I mean, other people have taught me other things, but they taught me the most. Father has always been a good teacher for fighting, tracking, and anything else needed for hunting. Training was the only time he ever raised his voice at me, and it was for good reasons. If I didn't learn, I would die in the marsh. The Treeminder taught me, and all the other hatchlings, about the Hist and our traditions. He taught us history, told us stories, and all kinds of other things. What about you, did you ever have teachers? I don't know much about that city you said you grew up in. I have never seen a city before, actually. All I know about them is that they do not move like our village, for some reason. It seems to me like that would just let it flood." Kaleeth commented.

---

With a smile, Meesei wrapped her arms around Sabine to give her a hug. To Meesei, all of the pack felt like a family to her. They were like her community back in her village in many ways, but for Sabine in particular, she felt a close bond, like that of a mother to a child. She had commented on it before, but now, that thought seemed to ring particularly true. In recent years, she had been wondering if she would ever be able to have a child of her own, but she was starting to wonder if that wasn't already true. What did it matter if there was any blood relation if she could still pass down her knowledge and experience to another? Meesei was still not entirely certain how Sabine viewed her, in light of recent events, but as long as she was happy with her life, Meesei would be as well.

"I enjoy being able to talk to you, Sabine. You deserve your freedom from all that pain. That being said, be sure to tell me if you ever wish to be left alone. I admit, I might become a bit too excited, and want to talk to you too often. I understand that everyone needs time alone from time to time to meditate, rest, or otherwise relax." Meesei said, trying to make sure she did not become too pushy with her attention.

[Muttonhawk]

"Well, most cities are placed in areas which don't flood, at least not as often as in Black Marsh. They're generally bigger, more people, bigger buildings made from stone and wood." Janius let Leaps jump from his arms one more time, then put one arm around Kaleeth and used his other hand to prop up Leaps as best as he could. "Although, in my city, Bravil, the drainage isn't great, so when it rains it gets muddy and smelly rather quickly. Still, there are large walls around it which keep dangerous creatures and bandits out, so not moving around is a trade-off I think."

After a couple more attempts, Janius decided to just let Leaps stage jumps from his shoulder again and wait for the creature to get tired of it. "As for my teachers? Well, I had a few. First was a nanny until I was twelve years old. She was a old Breton named Greta. She was very strict, but she took care of me and taught me to read, write and count. After that I had a tutor until I was sixteen, who I only knew as mister Hart. A horrible man by all accounts, fond of a yard stick, but he was able to teach me a bit about history, how to address nobles, basically preparing me to behave like a rich person I think. That was all until father put me in the Fighter's Guild, which is like a... I suppose a guild of people you pay when you need warriors for anything. I was taught to fight by a number of instructors until I joined the pack. When that happened, well, I was taught things by everyone. Meesei, Lorag, even Ahnasha. They taught me the important things. They taught me how to survive." Feeling as though he was rambling, Janius decided not to elaborate any further. Instead he looked down at Kaleeth with a look that was somewhere between being happy for her and sorry for himself, "For all of your father's behaviour, it was good of him to take it upon himself to teach you. Mine was quite distant."

---

Sabine returned Meesei''s hug without hesitation. It was nice of Meesei to consider her personal space, but right now Sabine didn't mind. She didn't really feel as much of an explosive anxiety when people were paying idle attention to her anymore, and she wasn't sure if she would or not in the future. For now she was happy to see Meesei happy. "It's okay," Sabine replied, slowly pulling away, "I don't feel scared to talk anymore."

Sabine went to resuming her salve and wore a small smile. Even if it was just something as small as talking with Meesei, it felt good to do so without her mind telling her to run away. It opened up so many possibilities that Sabine couldn't fathom it all at once. For now though, she was happy enough to continue with her alchemy. Perhaps Ahnasha might want to talk as well when Sabine would hand her the new batch.

[EliteCommander]

"It sounds like you have had a lot of teachers, though they don't all sound nice." Kaleeth commented. After a while of jumping, Leaps finally managed to catch one of the fleshflies in his mouth. He immediately swam over to the shore triumphantly and swallow its meal, only to jump back in and repeat the process countless more times.

"My father was a great teacher for me and egg-brother. He wanted both of us to be safe, so he was very patient to teach us. Even if it took me a very long time to learn what he was teaching, he never gave up. After losing egg-brother...I think he will be angry to hear that I am thinking about leaving. He would have no children here anymore." She explained, though she did not much want to stay on the topic, as it made her nervous just to think about it. "Anyway, even if they were not all nice to you, it does sound like you had a lot of people to learn from. There are some things I don't understand though. What is...rich man?" She asked curiously. Coming from a society that shared all vital resources among the community, the concept of wealth was one that was completely foreign to her.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius looked up at the sky and probably spent more time than he needed to thinking about how to answer. The question made him think how lucky Kaleeth was to live in a community that didn't have to put up with nobility. Janius took a slow breath and began, "Put simply, rich people are those who have more money in their possession than they need. They wear extravagant clothes, eat decadent meals, live in huge houses and castles, employ servants, but they aren't good for much. Not many of them anyway. They have this social etiquette, this set of formalities and good manners, which I always found irritating because it had all these strange rules." Janius picked up a twig stuck in the river bed and held one it forward as if he was holding a fork in the proper manner, "...like holding your knife and fork in the right way when you eat, always bow, always stand up from your seat whenever a woman enters the room. I didn't really see the point." Janius tossed the twig over his shoulder, "I was tutored to act like one because I was going to inherit my parents' money when they died, but that didn't end up happening. It's not really my life though."

Recalling other memories, Janius looked into the water in front of him and watched the rippling reflections, "There was one thing I did like, however. Often, rich people would have gatherings where they would get into formation and dance gracefully to soft music. Here..." Janius started to motion to get up and helped Kaleeth upright, taking both her hands as they stood. Moving while almost shin deep in the water might be difficult, but Janius wanted to try. He placed Kaleeth's right hand on his shoulder and placed his left hand on her waist, then took her left hand in his right hand, "We'll try it slowly. Follow my feet with yours, keeping them opposite each other." It took a little while for the dance to come back to the forefront of his memory, but once it did, Janius slowly moved his foot in the first step. It was of one of the simplest dances he remembered. The water resisted and made noise as he forced his ankle through it, but he continued with the next steps, allowing Kaleeth to keep up. Keeping balance on in the silty riverbed was becoming quite the feat while they held each other.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth was not sure what to think at first, but she went along with Janius' lead. Dancing was at least something she was familiar with, but not any sort of dance like this. The movements seemed strange, and structured. She had no issue moving in the water, though Janius was a bit sluggish because of it. Her sluggishness came from the fact that she had never performed a dance with defined steps, so she was completely following Janius' lead. She was sure she was probably doing something wrong, but nevertheless, she enjoyed it. The dance held a sort of aesthetic beauty to it, even if she was doing it wrong. After a while of dancing, she nearly tripped on Janius' foot and held tightly onto him to keep herself from falling.

"I have not seen a dance like this before. All the things you describe about that city are so strange; I'm not sure I understand them all. You say people keep more things than they need, but don't do anything else? Why would everyone else give them those things if they don't use them for anything? These cities must have a lot of food and clothes and other things if they can give one person so much. It seems like some people would starve if they did not. I don't know what a fork is and why they want to hold it a certain way. Still, this dance looks very pretty. I'm sure I'm doing it wrong though." Kaleeth commented, still holding him close.

[Muttonhawk]

Helping Kaleeth regain her balance, Janius let out a small laugh. "You're not bad," he said reassuringly while his memories of grand balls flooded back. It was the truth, Kaleeth wasn't actually dancing too horribly despite the uneven ground and lack of experience. It was a fairly easy dance though.

All of Kaleeth's questions made Janius wonder whether he would ever be able to truly explain Imperial society without showing her. Her curiosity of how there can be rich people at all made his smile fade a little while they danced. "Well, Imperial society... when you have lot's of people in cities, sharing everything with everyone is very difficult compared to here. It's not really something that people do." He scrunched his brow for a moment, "I suppose one way to think about it is that... each family shares like it were its own village, but doesn't share with other families. Instead, if you want something from someone else, you have to trade for it, most of the time in gold." Janius' expression became slightly somber, "Unfortunately, that means that some families have a lot to trade, they become rich, and some don't have as much to trade, they sometimes have to beg or steal just so they can eat. It's at that point that you realise that Imperial society is nowhere near perfect. It allows for a lot of great things, but... sometimes people suffer for it." Janius looked at Kaleeth and tried not to dwell on it. His attachment to that society was in the past. "Living with the pack and in this village seems much fairer, but changing everyone's mind across Tamriel is quite impossible. The next best thing is just to live the way you would like. The pack is enough for me."

Janius decided to add another movement to their dance. He stopped and raised his right forearm up in front of them both. "Place you right arm against mine," he said, before beginning to step in circles around where their forearms touched "...And dance around the tree," he added, motioning for Kaleeth to do the same. Once they stepped in unison four times, Janius turned his body so that his other forearm was in the middle instead, "...And the other way." Janius smiled, he hadn't danced in this way in years.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth was starting to become coordinated enough with the dance that she could speak at the same time without risking tripping over herself, or Janius. It was growing more complicated, but at least there was a pattern to the steps. "So...a city is like a lot of little villages all working as one big village? If someone doesn't have a family though, it sounds like they would be alone. That sounds like it would be terrible, especially with no one else to help them. I think it would be nice to see a city, but I would never want to live there."

The longer they practiced it, the more comfortable Kaleeth became with the dance, though she still misstepped frequently. Janius did not seem to mind how many times she stepped on his toes, though. Depending on the outcome of her excursion into the marsh, this could very well be one of their last moments together, so she wanted to enjoy it. "It is good to know that you enjoy the life in your pack. From what you said, you did not choose to go with them at first, you had to become a werewolf. It would be bad if you were stuck in a life you did not like. I am wondering, if after I get back from the marsh I decide that...leaving would be best, do you...do you think the pack would be enough for me too? Do you think your friends would like me being there?"

[Muttonhawk]

"I don't think you'll have to worry about making friends with us. I daresay you'll get along fine." Janius replied in a friendly tone, "They would be your new family after all. I remember when I joined I had many problems getting along with everyone. Granted, it was mostly because I didn't want to be there, but that didn't mean life became any easier or harder except directly from my own actions." Janius looked up and thought about it some more, "As long as you show a willingness to work as part of the pack, and improve yourself, I don't think there would be problems at all."

Janius looked at Kaleeth directly to answer her other question, he took on a more serious tone, "As for whether it would be enough for you, I can't really say. That's one of the things you will have to think about and reflect. Is the village enough for you? And if not, then ask yourself whether the pack will be enough for you. If they are both lives you would like to lead, then answering such a question wouldn't be helpful as far as I can see. Meesei or myself can answer any questions you might have about life in the pack if it will help you."

Probably without enough instruction, Janius attempted to get Kaleeth to slowly twirl under his hand. Instead he managed to twist his arm around her, bringing her back against his front and tangling their arms somewhat. The contact was a pleasant surprise, if unintended. Janius chuckled and let go of her to try and motion the right way to do it. "If you were to join the pack, is there anything else you would feel worried about?"

[EliteCommander]

"I...don't think there is anything I have not already talked about. There is just a lot to think about. A lot of good and bad in every choice. I want to be with you, but I want to stay at home, and I know I can't have both. It is a hard choice. After I go into the marsh though, commune with the Hist, and maybe Hircine, I will know. I am certain. I don't want to worry now though. In the time we have..." Kaleeth began. She held one hand in his and placed the other on his shoulder, just as he showed him, then pressed herself against him and gave him a light kiss and a smile. "...let's dance."

---

After a few hours together, it started to grow late, and Kaleeth knew she had to get started. She was reluctant to leave Janius, but nevertheless, she gathered her weapons and took the long-dreaded step of informing her parents of her intentions. No matter how much she had tried, there was no real way to prepare for this conversation. With Janius waiting outside, she stepped into her parents' hut, and there she stayed for the better part of an hour. At first, the muffled conversation inside was quiet, and relatively calm, but in an instant, the tones shifted entirely. At first, they started speaking more quickly, then there was shouting and sobbing. Most of the yelling was unmistakably from Zharanthixil, but there were a few, brief times where Kaleeth summoned up enough courage to raise her voice as well. Kaleeth finally left the hut after a particularly loud burst of shouting from her father. For a few moments after storming out of the hut, her expression was angered, but almost instantly, it turned to depression. Burying her face in her hands, she started to sob. The pain of upsetting her father, and even her mother as she had was almost too much to bear, but nevertheless, she stopped herself and approached Janius outside, with tears still in her eyes.

"I...am ready to go now." Kaleeth said with a sniff. "I should be back in the morning. Maybe later in the day if it takes me a while to find prey. I...love you, Janius, and I hope I will have an answer for you when I get back."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius was loath to see the end of his last day with Kaleeth, but he knew as well as she did the importance of her decision. He found a spot a short distance from Kaleeth's family hut while she confronted her parents. When their voices were raised, a part of Janius was glad that Kaleeth was brave enough to go through with telling them, but mostly he looked at the ground and felt guilty for causing so much trouble for them. With short term flights of fancy back in Bravil and the Imperial City, there was of course some anger from families if Janius were to court their daughters, but no permanent damage. Here, Janius understood that Kaleeth's parents were upset because they would lose their daughter if she chose to go with the pack. No rakish attitudes took the guilt away here.

When Kaleeth emerged and burst into tears, Janius stood up quickly, walked up to her and placed his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. He responded to her words by running one hand down the back of her head and bringing her into a tight hug. "I love you, Kaleeth. Stay resilient. I'll be waiting for you." Janius released her so he could see her face, then moved his hand from the back of her neck to the side of her jaw. After a few seconds of denying their separation, he kissed her deeply for as long as he could get away with. When their lips parted, he smiled sadly and stepped back, letting his hands slide free of hers. "Good hunting." He said more confidently.

[EliteCommander]

"Thank you." Kaleeth said as she reluctantly released her grip on Janius' hands. Her entire future rested on the outcome of this hunt. Firstly, she would meditate among the Hist and find a tree from which she could consume the sap, but afterwards, she would have to not only find prey, but prey that was worthy of a strong hunter. It would be dangerous, but she had been in dangerous situations before. She could handle it.

"I will be back soon, I promise." She said, turning herself around to face away from the village. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, then walked out into the marsh.

---

The remainder of the day was uneventful, at least for the pack. Zharanthixil did have a few agitated words with Thorantilth, but he was not in a position to do much about his concerns, and he did not bother the pack. Meesei agreed to remain until Kaleeth returned, or until the village's hospitality wore thin. If she was going to be returning the next day, however, she doubted it would be an issue.

The next morning, the pack awoke in the common hut as per usual. The villagers awoke early amd prepared their breakfast in the center of the village. Everything was the same as it had been since they arrived, except that Kaleeth was still absent from the common hut. Unless she had returned and decided to relay her decision to her father first, it seemed she had not yet returned from her hunt. As the pack stirred in their bedrolls, Meesei observed the empty bedroll next to Janius with a bit of concern. From what she knew, Kaleeth did say she might arrive later in the day, but Meesei was almost positive that it would cause Janius no end of distress. She just hoped events would not proceed in such a way that she would end up needing to comfort Janius over the next few weeks.

[Muttonhawk]

After successfully requesting to Meesei that the pack stay in the village until Kaleeth's return, Janius was quiet for the rest of the day. He distracted himself by maintaining his equipment and finding a book to read amongst the pack's belongings.

The next morning, Janius wasn't expecting Kaleeth to have returned already, but having her nowhere to be seen still gave him some heartache. He responded unenthusiastically to the morning greetings of the pack. Strangely enough at first glace it appeared that Sabine's old withdrawn behaviour had transferred into him. That was until breakfast, where Janius started to talk some more and his mood improved somewhat.

By the time the pack was about halfway through breakfast, Fendros spoke up with a suggestion. "So, Meesei, I was wondering. The village has been good to let us stay for so long, I was thinking perhaps we might be able to make it up to them somehow." He leaned forward and put his hands together, "I know some of us have been busy, but most of us have been sitting around for most of the time. Perhaps these people would appreciate it if we were to bring a kill for them? We'll need to stock up before heading out anyway. Anyone feel like hunting?"

"As much as I would like to, Fendros, I would rather wait here for Kaleeth-Rei," Janius said with some apprehension, "But, I might ask Thorantilth if there are any odd jobs I could do. I think sitting around and doing absolutely nothing today would drive me mad."

Having no particular plans for the extra day, Sabine thought for a moment, then faced Fendros and nodded. "I will go," She answered quietly.

[EliteCommander]

"I was going to suggest the same thing, actually." Meesei commented as she was finishing her breakfast. "We have been helping ourselves to their resources, after all. It would only be right that we give something back." When Sabine said she would join, Meesei gave a satisfied grin. Sabine had of course been hunting many times, but it was good to hear her offering voluntarily. Ahnasha had both started and finished her meal before anyone and had laid back down on her bedroll, though she was still awake enough to give her comment.

"I would like to help, but, well, you know. I'll just stay here and keep Janius company. Maybe I can even help with some of those odd jobs, as long as they don't involve running, heavy lifting, walking, standing...or any movement at all, really." Ahnasha added with a chuckle.

Lorag gave a slight grunt. "You say you're lookin' forward to getting that whole pregnancy thing over with, catdog? I don't believe it for a second. I think you've been lovin' all the attention, everyone waiting on you hand and foot. You've become an Imperial noble."

"You can't prove that." Ahnasha retorted dismissively.

While the others spoke, Meesei approached Janius and rested her hand on his shoulder as she looked down on him. "You can stay and wait as long as you need. Whatever she chooses, I will support it, and I believe you when you say that it is the same for you."

---

Meesei, Sabine, Fendros, and Lorag proceeded on their hunt as planned. They had been in the marsh long enough that most of them were more used to how to track in such a challenging environment, not quite to the extent of Meesei or the village's hunters, but enough that they stood a good chance of finding something. It did take quite a while, but they were able to track down and kill an alit, then drag it back to the village. Most of the kill they gave to the village's hunters, which thankfully did not require speaking to Zharanthixil. They returned later in the afternoon, but to Meesei's surprise, they found that Kaleeth had still not returned. It could be believed that she was not successful in her hunt. After all, even the best hunters could find nothing after even days of work, but what was strange was that she had not given up and returned home. From Meesei's understanding, Kaleeth had not fully expected to be able to commune with Hircine anyway. If she failed in that pursuit, she would just return home having only communed with the Hist. The fact that she was not yet back was troubling. Meesei could think of several possibilities on what was happening, several of which were none too pleasant. As much as they needed to leave for Stormhold, Meesei agreed to stay longer, in the hope that Kaleeth had simply been delayed.

There was some hope that Kaleeth would have returned by morning, but when they awoke and her bedroll was once again empty, and she was nowhere to be seen in the village, everyone grew even more concerned. Meesei spoke with Thorantilth on the matter, did her best to comfort Janius, and made sure to stay as far away from Zharanthixil as possible. For Janius' sake, she decided that the pack would stay a bit longer, but that day quickly turned into another, then yet another after it. Four days after Kaleeth had initially left, she still had not returned. Meesei left the common hut shortly after breakfast to get some fresh air and to think. She stood beneath the Hist tree, looking up at its bulbous trunk and branches. She knew the Hist did not like to interfere in every aspect of life, but for this once, she wished they could just enter her mind and give her the knowledge of Kaleeth's fate. Or, better yet, guide her home. It was getting more and more difficult for her to justify remaining in the village.

[Muttonhawk]

As the hours turned into days, Janius became more and more uncomfortable. In the first couple of days, he held out the hope that Kaleeth was simply taking her time, but by the third day, he was so worried that he wanted to go out and find her, only to be talked down by Meesei. Now it was the forth day since she left and she had still not returned. Janius didn't even prompt the others after he had eaten his breakfast, he began to don his armour and weapons and prepare to move.

"Janius, what are you doing?" Fendros asked demandingly, concerned by his behaviour.

Janius gave Fendros a glance while he worked the clasps on his cuirass, "I'm going out to find her."

"What? How? Her tracks are four days old now. Besides, Meesei has already told you to stay put."

"I have to try, Fendros. She only said she would be a day at the most." Janius spoke calmly in comparison to Fendros.

Fendros let out an exasperated breath, then shook his head, "Janius, just hold on a moment. Think about this." When Janius decided to not give a response, Fendros turned his head to look at the entrance to the common hut they were standing in, then back to Janius. With a sigh, Fendros turned around to exit at a brisk pace, "Janius, you buffoon, just wait a moment, okay?"

With some urgency, Fendros stepped out of the common hut and looked around for Meesei. Upon seeing her sitting near the Hist tree, Fendros jogged over to her. "Meesei, Janius is suiting up, he wants to go out and find Kaleeth. What should we do?"

[EliteCommander]

Meesei was not surprised when Fendros explained what Janius was doing. He had already wanted to go out and search before, but it would be just as much of a fruitless labor now as it would have been then. Any attempt to search for her after the second day would be nearly impossible, considering how quickly the marsh changed, and the sporadic rainstorms over the past few days would only have made it worse. She could not let him go out and search, as there was no way to track her, and it would only put him in unnecessary danger. He was not thinking clearly, which, to be fair, was perfectly understandable. Meesei could only imagine how much pain he was in.

Letting out a deep sigh, Meesei stood up and faced Fendros. "Let's wait here and talk to him once he steps out of the hut. Perhaps the fresh air will help him think clearly. It is unfortunate, but searching for Kaleeth at this point would be pointless. Any tracks she left behind would have been washed away in the marsh after only a short time. The only hope now is to hold out and see if she returns. I can think of...one possibility where she would still be alive that would explain why she is not yet here. It is not a particularly pleasant possibility, but it is something. Although, I am not certain we can remain much longer. We need to get to Stormhold for Ahnasha." She answered. Taking the few moments she had, Meesei thought about what state Janius' mind must be in, and what she could say to him as she watched the common hut and waited for him to exit.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius only gave a fleeting look to Meesei and Fendros as he exited the hut, axe on his hip and shield over his shoulder. He started to walk, but Fendros stepped in front of him and put his palm to Janius' chest. "Janius, stop."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, both equally determined. "Fendros, get out of my way." Janius said, with a veneer of calm that didn't diminish the threat in his tone.

Fendros, being worried for Janius and having backup from Meesei, stood his ground. He looked to Meesei for help, he had neither the authority or the knowledge of what to say to him.

"I have to find her. Get out of my way!" Janius said impatiently, roughly shoving Fendros' hand off him.

[EliteCommander]

"Janius, stop." Meesei echoed in a firm voice, moving herself just behind Fendros and into his path. "In Black Marsh, it is commonly accepted that the longest time, in good conditions, that a trail, either of scent or tracks, is a day. In the rain, it is erased almost immediately. It has been four days and has rained twice. The best hunters could not track Kaleeth now. The only way to search for her would be to randomly wander the marsh, and the hunters have already been doing that. They have covered more ground in the past few days on their hunts than you could ever hope to alone, and they have still found nothing. Black Marsh is a dangerous place; I know that better than anyone. I cannot have you going off into the marsh in your current state, not when there is no possible way for you to track her. More than likely, you would end up lost, just as she might be. I know it is frustrating, but all we can do now is wait and hope that the Hist guides her home."

As Meesei was speaking, another individual approached slowly, with a mix of anger, fear, and desperation in his eyes. Zharanthixil stood nearby unarmed, but fully armored in his wamasu-scale light armor. If Janius was disturbed by Kaleeth's absence, then Zharanthixil had been shaken to the very core of his being. If it was not enough that he had lost his son in recent memory, now his daughter was missing and growing more likely to be dead by the hour. His hunters had covered a wide area, but had found nothing. He was well aware that going into the marsh was Kaleeth's own choice, but with all of the stress he had been under, logic was taking a backseat to emotion in his mind. He needed something to blame, and naturally, Janius was at the forefront of his mind. "You. This is your fault." He growled, clenching his hands into a fist as he stared down Janius from a distance.

[Muttonhawk]

While Meesei talked Janius down, he couldn't even look back into her eyes. His breathing became shallow with frustration that turned into anger. He was about to explode and shout at them both, asking what on Nirn he was meant to do while Kaleeth, the one he loved, was missing. He felt useless just waiting. She could have been in danger and all Janius was doing was sitting around.

Before he lost his temper, however, Zharanthixil showed up. Janius' glower was directed towards the Master-Hunter in response to his approach, almost completely forgetting about Fendros and Meesei in front of him.

Even though Zharanthixil's words were nothing he hadn't heard from him before, they caused Janius to angle his head from an angered bow to a somewhat defensive angle back. Janius was so upset by this point that his previous guilt about involving Kaleeth in all of this was coming back. He felt the truth in it. This was his fault. It wasn't even worth shouting over to Zharanthixil, demanding to know what he wanted with his presence. Janius was trapped in a corner. There was nothing he could do to fix the horrible situation he had created and that built his anger up to a breaking point.

With a snap of his arm, Janius pulled his axe out from its loop on his belt, his brow twitching as he stared Zharanthixil down. Janius let out a frustrated shout, spun around and threw his axe towards a tree near the common hut. It spun through the air with a rhythmic hum before it pinged blade first into the tree trunk. It hit the tree with such force that when the resulting leaves stopped falling from its branches, it revealed the corner of the axe blade to be lodged so deeply that it didn't look possible to remove.

By now, Janius had stomped back into the common hut and, from standing up straight and breathing heavily, he shut his eyes and collapsed to his hands and knees. He punched the packed earth floor with his fist and sounded a grunt that was high pitched with sadness. A tear fell from his face and sank into the floor.

Fendros gave a tense look to Zharanthixil before following Janius inside. He had never seen Janius this upset before, though he could partly understand. Having no control over a situation like this must be torture. Again, he didn't know quite how to handle this situation. He had not needed to calm Janius down before. Normally it was Janius calming down Fendros when he had lost his temper.

"It wasn't meant to be like this...I didn't mean for this to happen..." Janius pressed his head against the knuckles of one hand. His muffled voice sounded between sobs and constricted breaths. It had a desperate tone that was losing hope. "This was my fault. I...I should not have let this happen. I love her..."

Despite his better judgement, Fendros hazarded some encouragement. "Janius, you can't just give up hope. There's still a chance-"

"-There was still a chance three days ago!" Janius shouted, interrupting Fendros, "I should have gone to look for her sooner. What in Oblivion's name am I meant to do if I can't go and look for her!?"