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

[Muttonhawk]

"That sounds great," Janius said with a slightly surprised tone. He put an arm around Kaleeth and returned her smile, "We'll get to it right after breakfast." Janius of course knew that there may still be times where Kaleeth might feel helpless, but he wasn't about to discourage her enthusiasm to improve. He would just deal with those moments as they came, and relish in the good times, such as now. "Do you feel like the mace is suiting you, or would you like to try some different weapons? There probably won't be much training on the ship apart from weapon training and meditation. Perhaps strength training if the crew isn't too inquisitive. Very little space to run, you see. Anyway, if you felt as if a different weapon was more comfortable, you would have plenty of time to become familiar with it."

Fendros considered Ahnasha's idea and didn't take long to warm up to it. Sleeping well was something that would help substantially. There was not a hint of indecision about it in Fendros' voice, "At this point, even some temporary relief would be worth it. Let's definitely talk to Ariel about it." Fendros sighed, "I only hope that it won't cost too much." Fendros slowly started to release Ahnasha from his arms and sit up. "Would you like me to get you some breakfast?" He asked. Fendros knew that Ahnasha didn't like to show that her nightmares were bothering her to the others, and the evidence of her crying was still present on her face. Fendros wasn't going to point this out directly, though, but still, some food might help to take her mind away from her previous nightmare.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha nodded her head slowly. "Yes, I think so. Could you get something for me? Something raw, preferably. I...would rather sit here for a while." She said, keeping her head turned away from the others. She reached up and tried to wipe away some of the tears to make herself more presentable to the others. She hoped that Ariel would be compassionate when it came to price, if there was even a potion that could help her, though at this point, Ahnasha would trade everything she had for some relief, especially if it meant Sabine got a recipe as well.

"Hmm, I think I want to learn to be good with my mace before I try to learn with anything else. Once that happens, we can maybe try a sword? Or since I already know how to use a spear against animals, I could try training with it against people." Kaleeth reasoned as she stood up and cheerfully gathered their portion of breakfast from the campfire. Her cut of meat was cooked, but it was closer to raw than she had been eating, as she had noticed that others like Ahnasha and Meesei never seemed to cook their meals. It was a thought that made her both uneasy and curious, so she compromised by simply trying it undercooked at first.

[Muttonhawk]

Without another word, Fendros stood up from the bedroll and proceeded to collect a few pieces of raw meat from the pack's storage. He fished around for a chunk of liver for himself in particular. He felt like something rich this morning. His eyes met with Janius and Kaleeth's as they spoke, but Fendros only initially gave them a nod and a forced smile. At least they looked cheerful this morning.

"Morning, Fendros," Janius said. Though he still smiled, Janius shifted his head such that he noticed his less than stellar mood. "How are you doing?"

Fendros waved, and broke eye contact. "Morning. I'm fine, I just need to wake up properly." Successfully playing it off for now, Fendros walked back to Ahnasha and sat beside where she lay. Fendros presented what appeared to be a raw chunk of boar. He started on the liver he held, still wondering how he ever would have got such a taste for offal without being in the pack. "We'll have a quick chat to Ariel when Sabine comes back for the hunt."

Just as quickly as he was drawn away form their conversation, Janius turned his attention back to Kaleeth and resumed it. "I think that would be a good idea. A spear is simple to use and difficult to defend against once you get the hang of it. I only know the basics, but I doubt time spent with such a weapon would be wasted." Janius stopped to take a mouthful of his own breakfast. Looking to Kaleeth's portion, Janius noticed that she had left the inside of the meat far more pink than she normally did. Whether she had been doing so for a while without him noticing, Janius couldn't say, but it made him wonder. "I see you're trying the meat without completely drying it out over the fire first. What do you think of it? Tasty, no?"

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha had somewhat managed to regain her composure by the time Fendros returned, so her appearance seemed normal once more. She remained fairly quiet as they began to eat, since Rhazii was still asleep. He had awoken once in the middle of the night, but he was still asleep for the moment, so she wanted to keep it that way. Although, with the increasing activity in the camp, it would probably not last long. "Sure, let's just try to keep it quiet. I really do not want to bother the others with this."

Kaleeth tried a few bites of the meat, noting that it was much more tender than usual. Even knowing that she could not catch diseases from it, eating the undercooked meat still felt strange and worrying. Like everything else, she supposed she would get used to it in time. "Yes, it's just...strange. Argonians are pretty resistant to disease, but to be completely immune...it is hard to think that I will never get sick again. It doesn't matter what you run into or how disgusting it is, you never have to worry. Hirince's magic must be strong. Although, I still worry that there might be something out there that can hurt us. What if another Daedra makes a disease?" She questioned as she ate. Even with her initial worry about the meat, she was eating rather quickly, which was mostly driven by her desire to get to their training. She had already collected her weapons and armor next to her bedroll, so all she needed to do was equip them and find an open area to spar, of which there were plenty on the beach.

[Muttonhawk]

"Very well," Fendros answered with an understanding nod. Ahnasha was always trying to look strong, but whether it was useful or not in this matter, Fendros couldn't quite decide. After wiping one hand of juices from the liver, Fendros gave Ahnasha's shoulder a comforting squeeze and encouraged her to sit up next to him to eat.

To be honest, Janius hadn't considered the possibility of a Daedra that could create a disease, much less a disease that could afflict lycans. He paused in his chewing and raised his eyes to think for a moment. After a swallow, he looked to Kaleeth, "Would that I knew how our immunities worked, I might be able to give you a definite answer. I suppose if a Daedra makes a disease that effects us, we would be in a bit of trouble. We've not really had to deal with treating, or even containing diseases." Janius shrugged, "At least you can know that we do have weaknesses, anyway. You've had some silver wounds before, back when fighting the mercenaries. Those heal slower than wounds done to regular people, and they do more damage. Some of us have very nearly died from silver wounds." Janius took what looked like his second-to-last bite of guar meat. Everyone knew that lycans were vulnerable to silver, even in stories. Januis thought that Kaleeth might not have heard those stories, or even know what silver is with how little metal was in her village.

[EliteCommander]

"I know, Meesei told me about it before." Kaleeth said as she finished up her breakfast. "It makes me nervous knowing that there is a metal that can hurt us so much. Just touching it can burn my scales, she said. I think I remember feeling that when we were fighting in that village, but it is hard to know for sure. My beast spirit was mostly in control then, so my memories are not all clear. Meesei said it isn't a common metal though, so that is good. She also said that the weapons it makes aren't very strong except against us, so only people expecting to fight lycans will use it."

Kaleeth stood up, looking down at Janius once again with an enthusiastic expression. "But I can worry about that later. I want to train." She said, walking the short distance to her bedroll. She started to put on her armor piece by piece as she continued the conversation. "Last time we fought, I did okay. I mean, I wasn't that good, and I would have died without you, but I think I did help. I don't think I'll ever be as good as you, but if I can just make myself a bit better, you won't have to worry about protecting me so much."

[EliteCommander]

"I know, Meesei told me about it before." Kaleeth said as she finished up her breakfast. "It makes me nervous knowing that there is a metal that can hurt us so much. Just touching it can burn my scales, she said. I think I remember feeling that when we were fighting in that village, but it is hard to know for sure. My beast spirit was mostly in control then, so my memories are not all clear. Meesei said it isn't a common metal though, so that is good. She also said that the weapons it makes aren't very strong except against us, so only people expecting to fight lycans will use it."

Kaleeth stood up, looking down at Janius once again with an enthusiastic expression. "But I can worry about that later. I want to train." She said, walking the short distance to her bedroll. She started to put on her armor piece by piece as she continued the conversation. "Last time we fought, I did okay. I mean, I wasn't that good, and I would have died without you, but I think I did help. I don't think I'll ever be as good as you, but if I can just make myself a bit better, you won't have to worry about protecting me so much."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius grinned as he rose himself, popping the last of his breakfast into his mouth. "It's not so much about being better than me as being good at what you do," Janius mentioned as he started to fasten on his own armour, "Sure, I'm always going to be a bit faster than you, but I'm never going to be quite as strong as you are. Skill is just about learning and practicing. In that, you could definitely surpass me at some point."

It took a few minutes to get ready, but soon enough, both Kaleeth and Janius were walking towards the beach with weapons and shields in hand. Once they got to the beach, the first thing that Janius noticed was that there was considerably more beach to move around on. The receded tide meant that not only was there more space, but the newly exposed sand was smoother and firmer to walk upon. Once they had found a spot, Janius rolled his shoulders and faced Kaleeth. "Right then, let's warm up."

A distance, two similar looking figures could be seen navigating the vegetation towards the camp. Ariel and Sabine both looked to be in a good mood once their faces were discernible. Sabine carried a woven basket under her arm with a few glinting articles of glassware refracting the morning light from where they jutted out of the top. Ariel and Sabine waved as they closed in, but as per Sabine's forewarning, they both refrained from shouting out for the sake of Rhazii.

[EliteCommander]

Once in position, Kaleeth took up her defensive stance. Her shield was decently sized and, when held as Janius showed her, could quickly move to block high or low attacks. It was important that she kept her shield ready to defend, as doing so with her mace was much more difficult. Without any sort of guard, she could risk losing fingers if she blocked incorrectly in a real fight. It was something that made her feel like it might be a good idea to try to learn to use a sword eventually, but for now, the mace was easier. At least with it, she did not have to worry about aligning a blade properly with each swing. Even being slightly off could drastically reduce a sword's cutting potential.

As they began, Kaleeth did her best to do everything just as Janius had been teaching her. She had to think about it more consciously than someone like Janius, but by this point, she was at least following all the right steps. Her stance was good, her attention as focused as it could be on his movements, and her shield held at the right distance. Since she had a few moments to think, she decided to open with something more than a basic swing. Taking a few steps forward, she tried acting as if she was opening with one of the shield charges she was fond of, but instead swung low with her mace at his hip while trying to keep her eye on his weapon. Of course, the attack was not perfect, and she telegraphed her move more than she intended, but it was a less straightforward approach than she had been taking.

[Muttonhawk]

Seeing the oncoming shield charge, Janius lowered and braced himself as he normally did. The hint of movement in Kaleeth's body and the flicker of her mace swinging to one side was the only hint that Janius had as to her little extra feature. Without even thinking, Janius adjusted himself to block the blow with his shield and use his weapon wrist to try and grab at the edge of Kaleeth's oncoming shield. The result was Janius being put slightly off balance by having to compensate for the blow, but recovering as quickly as he could by stepping back and reestablishing his guard.

Even if it was telegraphed the way it was, Kaleeth's move was actually slightly clever. Janius' vision was partially obscured by his own shield, so any blows to his lower-left were harder to detect.

Not intending to let Kaleeth remain the sole aggressor, Janius lifted his axe to shoulder height and closed in to strike. While keeping his left side as guarded as his could, Janius swung low to bring Kaleeth's shield down to block it, then attempted to bring his axe up and hook it upon the rim of the shield, keeping her stance low and awkward.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth was disappointed her attack did not work, but she really did not expect anything different. He was able to block her strike, and given that they were simply training, it wasn't too forceful. As well, he grabbed her shield, which was strapped to her arm, but if he started to twist it, she would have to resist instead of letting it twist as she could with a center grip shield. At least since she was making sure to watch his axe, she was able to block his initial strike. However, he was quickly able to bring up his weapon to hook over her shield and pull it down.

Kaleeth felt exposed with her shield being pulled as low as it was, so she tried to think quickly on how to respond. Her immediate thoughts were to what Janius had told her. She would never be faster than him, but she could always be stronger. She knew that she should not even attempt to outdo his agility, so she tried to react with force. Reaching over with her weapon hand, she attempted to grab the blunt side of his axe so she could pull back on the weapon as hard as she could, and hopefully bring it out of his grasp.

[Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth's next action was something of a pitfall, and one that Janius was quick to exploit. As she reached across and tried to grab his weapon, Janius thrust the rim of his shield towards her face, stopping right before impact to spare her. "Halt here," Janius commanded sternly, before taking on a more patient tone, "The shield is a weapon too, be wary of lowering both sides of your guard." Janius lowered his shield and unhooked his axe from Kaleeth's shield. "This will be a good lesson to learn today, and something we can practice. First of all, what were you trying to do when I trapped your shield, and how do you think you should have acted differently?"

However affectionately Janius held Kaleeth in his mind, he knew that he had to remain strict in instructing her.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth felt a bit of frustration with her failure, but it was nothing new. It only served to motivate her further to learn, so she would not have to feel it so frequently. She stopped and looked down at her shield as Janius spoke, going over in her mind what she had done in the fight. Overall, she tried to make sure her thoughts focused on her advantages; what Janius said she was good at.

"Well...I was trying to grab your axe and pull it out of your hand. It would give me a chance to attack, but..." She began, taking a moment to contemplate what would have made her more successful. "You pushed, instead of pulled. If I wanted to protect myself, and maybe get your axe, I should have pushed too. You couldn't have attacked me if I would've pushed with my shield before you did. I am stronger than, well, almost everyone, so that would usually work. I just have to focus on what I am good at."

[Muttonhawk]

Janius smiled, it was good to see that Kaleeth had taken his advice. "Right, right, good. Let's try that again." Janius raised his guard and stepped towards Kaleeth, trying the same combo with the low blow and the attempt to hook her shield. This time, the move was easily predictable, but practice through repetition would make sure that Kaleeth was prepared. They might have to repeat the combo and its defence a number of times to drill it into Kaleeth's muscle memory.

[EliteCommander]

As they started again, Kaleeth quickly saw that he was going for the exact same attack. Since she was a bit more prepared this time, she knew how to respond, but she still had some worries about what he would do afterwards. After all, she had already told him what she intended to do, so he must have had some other kind of response in mind. She did not know what that would be, but she was hesitant to try the same thing again.

Kaleeth once again kept a close eye on his axe as she pushed forward with her shield with as much force as she could muster. Instead of trying to grab the axe, she lifted up her shield as she pushed forward to make it more difficult for him to unhook his weapon while keeping her mace ready and tried to pay close attention to whatever he was trying to do. If he did not attack, then she would just try and barrel over him.

[Muttonhawk]

This time, Kaleeth was successful in using her strength to her advantage. There wasn't much effective resistance that Janius could put forth to prevent his own weapon being lifted up, and he couldn't hit her with his shield for fear of a counter-attack from her mace. His best effort was to attempt to kick her in the stomach to push her back, but the pressure she put forth was overwhelming. Janius felt himself lose his balance and fall backwards. As soon as he thudded onto the ground, he was immediately in a better position to unhook his axe, but he had to get away from Kaleeth and get up before she pinned him. He covered his upper body with his shield to block any oncoming strikes and tried to kick backwards along the ground to get some space.

---

Sabine and Ariel finally reached the campsite to see only Ahnasha and Fendros awake and off to one side. It was very quite save for the occasional crash of metal on wood emanating from the beach. Sabine went to add her new glassware to the pack's belongings while Ariel approached Fendros and Ahnasha with a smile. "Good morning, you two," she whispered, leaning slightly forward to look down at them, "Are we a bit early? When will the hunt start?"

[EliteCommander]

This was new. Kaleeth actually had Janius down. Sure, she had knocked him down before, but he was usually quick to recover. This time, however, she had her weight on him, so he couldn't move as freely. It was definitely a success, but it wasn't over yet. Frantically, she tried to think about what to do next. In her training, she had been taught not to let an opportunity go to waste, both by Janius, and by her father when she was becoming a hunter. Even if she didn't make the best choice, she had to do something.

Janius' shield protected his upper body, and Kaleeth did not know what to do to get around it, so she just tried to hit whatever was open. She did what she could to keep her shield between her and his axe, then started to strike at his right leg with her mace. Being that they were not in an actual fight, she did not hit him as hard as she could, so it was enough to hurt, but not injure beyond bruising. She couldn't really kill someone by hitting them in the leg, but she figured giving an opponent a broken leg would be better than nothing.

[EliteCommander]

This was new. Kaleeth actually had Janius down. Sure, she had knocked him down before, but he was usually quick to recover. This time, however, she had her weight on him, so he couldn't move as freely. It was definitely a success, but it wasn't over yet. Frantically, she tried to think about what to do next. In her training, she had been taught not to let an opportunity go to waste, both by Janius, and by her father when she was becoming a hunter. Even if she didn't make the best choice, she had to do something.

Janius' shield protected his upper body, and Kaleeth did not know what to do to get around it, so she just tried to hit whatever was open. She did what she could to keep her shield between her and his axe, then started to strike at his right leg with her mace. Being that they were not in an actual fight, she did not hit him as hard as she could, so it was enough to hurt, but not injure beyond bruising. She couldn't really kill someone by hitting them in the leg, but she figured giving an opponent a broken leg would be better than nothing.

[Muttonhawk]

It was no use. Janius only dredged some of the sand with his heels in trying to get away. He had expected Kaleeth to keep the pressure on and strike his shield, but instead she went for his legs. Even with his greaves, Kaleeth's strike would have disabled him if she used all her strength. "Ow! Okay, halt! Halt." Janius let out a laugh as he slowly got up, "That was creative. See what happens when you play to your strength?" Janius grinned as he dusted the sand off his armour, "Now, did you want to practice that a bit more, or try some other drills? Or we could just try another spar and see how you defend against hooking your shield while under a bit more pressure."

---

"Greetings, Ariel," Fendros said, managing a smile. He glanced over to where Meesei and Lorag were each still sleeping and shrugged, "I'm not sure that there is a set time when we'll hunt. When everyone is ready, I guess."

"I see." Ariel said, looking to where Fendros was glancing as well, "And how are you two, did you sleep well?" Ariel wanted to hit herself for possibly giving away what Sabine had told her, but then again, lycans had nightmares anyway, right?

Fendros twisted his mouth and looked down, "Last night was blessedly uneventful for me, however..." Fendros looked to Ahnasha, then back to Ariel, "...actually, we were going to talk to you about this anyway." Fendros was rather silent at first trying to work out how much they should tell her, "Do you have any potions that...stop dreams?"

Ariel was slightly concerned. Sabine was right about their nightmares. She wanted to hear the justification from their mouths, though. "Why do you need to suppress your dreams? Have your lycan nightmares been getting more difficult?"

Frankly, Fendros was surprised that Ariel didn't appear to have been told about their problems by Sabine, unbeknownst of Ariel's real thought process. He tightened his lips and searched in Ahnasha's eyes for the right answer.

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth gave a satisfied smile when she stood to her feet. These kinds of victories were not too common for her, so she enjoyed them whenever she could. As she was contemplating what to do next, she glanced back to camp and noticed Ariel and Sabine. It was slightly disappointing to see them so soon, as it likely meant they would be leaving shortly on their hunt. She and Janius had only just begun their sparring, but it wasn't as if they could not pick it up again later when they returned. Besides, controlling her lycan form was also something she needed to practice.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like Sabine is back. I think Meesei said we would be going on our hunt after that. I want to do this again when we get back, though. Maybe...you can try to think of what I need to work on the most? I think you know what that would be more than I do." She suggested.

Ahnasha shifted uncomfortably, which, in addition to the increasing activity in camp, spurred Rhazii to awaken. It wasn't seconds after he started to whine that she picked him up in her arms to comfort him. As for Ariel's question, though, she had a hard time responding. Even though she had fully planned on explaining it to her, it was a topic that affected her far too deeply for her to ever be truly comfortable talking about it. Nevertheless, it appeared nothing was ever going to change if she did nothing about it, and her desire for relief outweighed her desire to appear strong.

"It's...not that. .It's not because of our beast blood, though I doubt that is helping. It's..." Ahnasha began, taking in a deep breath as she looked straight ahead, instead of at Ariel. "When we were fighting those mercenaries to gain the favor of the cult, myself and Fendros were captured. Their leader wanted information, so he cut me open and made Fendros watch. I couldn't handle it, and I still can't now. It's burned into our minds, and we can't get away from it. I don't flash back to it while I'm awake as much anymore, but I'm still plagued by night terrors, at least a few times a week. It is to the point that I am almost afraid to go to sleep. I doubt there is anything that can just stop nightmares, but...if there is anything that can just make us forget our dreams altogether,...you have no idea how grateful I would be."