Muttonhawk

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Yalu was less precise than his squadmates opening fire. The grunts were easy pickings. The elites and jackals might actually triangulate them. Yalu peered through his scope looking for Kig-Yar holding long weapons. They got a needle to their shooting hand, or their jaws. Disabled as they were, it would only add to the confusion. Sangheili caught a burst of needles until their shields flared. The light made them easy pickings for their marksmen.

Time came to reload. Yalu rolled from his prone position behind a shrub on his back, took a couple of plasma grenades, and tossed them over to the enemy in a high arc. The reload came after, timed to spot the enemy by the time they decided to move away from the explosives. Wouldn't be long before it was time to assault the platform itself.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius was in tears of joy. "Yes! Vile is gone. The fighting is done. We won, and our family is finally safe."

Meanwhile, Fendros squeezed Ahnasha's hand in return. "We found you a ways from the camp," he said, though he expected to need to repeat the story once Kaleeth had more time to rest. "I would be lying if I claimed my worry was any less than Janius when we brought you to the healers. How are you feeling?"

It felt like an idiotic question to Fendros. He had asked it all the same.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ko'tanza's account was vague in all the worst ways as they approached the tent. Fendros pursed his lips, and it was all he could do not to stop Janius going in. But Janius still had a searching look in his eyes. He knew Kaleeth was alive, he just needed to see her.

What they saw struck them all with a wordless shock. All except Janius, who sighed into a open-mouthed smile as if Kaleeth's missing lower leg meant nothing. He strode with broad steps around the cot and knelt down to take Kaleeth's hand in both of his. He kissed her hand and pressed it against his forehead.

"Good day, Kaleeth-rei," Janius said, raising his head to look at her. "You...I worried I would lose you..."

Fendros was not nearly as joyous. He was relieved to see their friend and packmate Kaleeth alive and stable, but the reality of her loss was impossible to ignore. He kept his words to himself for now. In his fatigue he might otherwise say something rash.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

A quick affirmative and Yalu was in line with Ryker. He strode forward with his needle rifle down and to one side. With any luck, the engagement would finish rapidly after it started.

Yalu had to perform some mental unit conversion in his head to give Ryker an answer. "21 metres during combat. Until then, Tar is the huntress here." He did not elaborate. "Grikgar, signal ten seconds before detonation. We will ready weapons and shields as late as we can."

It was tempting for Yalu to take off his helmet to see further past the storm cover. Every second leading up to the clash was making him more tense. Until then, more climbing, more stalking.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius' response was immediate upon Ko'tanza mentioning 'her.' He shot up from his seat and locked eyes with the healer. "Take me to her."

While Fendros showed more exhaustion, he got up too. "I would like to see her too, if you do not mind, Janius." He spoke solemnly. "At least to know how she fares."

It took Janiud a moment before he nodded.

Before they left, Fendros looked to the others. "One thing at a time. We'll let Sabine know about what Saras reported once things have calmed down some more."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The great weight of the day bore heavily on them all. Janius sat across from Fendros and Ahnasha in nothing but his Imperial skin and a spare blanket. His knee bounced with furious anxiety while he sat forward with his hands together. His dragonbone armour was in a pile behind him, and he was not sure he ever wanted to look at it again.

Fendros, on the other hand, was caught between his exhaustion, his desire to go out with the search parties, and staying with his pack for their own reassurance. He chose the latter for now, but not without showing his own exhaustion in his red Dunmer eyes. He did not let Ahnasha's hand go, nor did he raise his head to Saras before he spoke.

A significant amount of the weight Fendros felt was summarised in Saras' words. Fendros eyed the others. He saw Janius lower his gaze. Resolved, Fendros filled his lungs, squeezed Ahnasha's hand, stood up, and gave both Janius and Lorag firm pats each on the back. Then he addressed Saras.

"If we're lucky, we'll see her here before we return," Fendros stated. "Either way, she will not be able to return with us to Mundus." He stood stoically to let the words sink in. "If you can call for the commanders to assemble the lycans, I will speak to them."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros took in a gasp before his mind registered Lorag's presence and they could rebalance Kaleeth over their shoulders.

"Lorag? I thought..." Under all the weight, Fendros could not quite laugh at the idea that Lorag was not worse for wear. Talk was unimportant right now. "It's good to see you."

Janius and Sabine were already at the encampment by the time the rest of the pack arrived. Sabine hardly noticed their arrival, as she had thrown in with the healers to triage and save as many lives as they could. Tarna was pressed into Sabine's assistant nurses for the effort. Do'Rhajul's whereabouts were unknown.

Janius, however, was still in his armoured beast form, wandering quietly around sniffing for his Kaleeth. Covered in daedric gore and wild-eyed as he was, none saw fit to stop him in his tracks. When he spotted Kaleeth being carried in, he broke into a limping run towards them. He joined in the carrying effort with his free hand.

Then he shouted out. "Sabine!"

Sabine looked up. She did not even have to look to a clear space around the infirmary to point to where Kaleeth needed to go. Her other hand was still channelling restoration magic on a barely conscious werebear.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros gave Ahnasha support over his shoulder while they searched, though he could not have stopped her limping ahead when they found Kaleeth-rei. Fendros' brow tightened. The battle may have been over, but he was too soon to relief when he had woken up.

"Oh, Kaleeth," Fendros breathed. "Kaleeth! Stay awake. You have to stay awake."

Kaleeth was in deadly poor shape. They had little in the way of medical supplies, let alone anything suitable to stem her bleeding short of whatever magic Ahnasha could muster. They had to get her to healers immediately.

"There's no time to fetch bandages, we'll have to work together to..." Fendros' finger itched. He looked at his ring. "Nevermind, just point the way." Fendros barely finished his order before he willed himself back into his werewolf form. It was almost too easy with the Ring of Hircine.

He hoisted Kaleeth's barely conscious form up by the arm and rolled her gargantuan body onto his back. With great effort, he took step after step towards the direction of their encampment at indicated by their allies. "Any of you with any strength left, you will take your fellow lycans to safety! Go!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros returned the hug. He recognised the sights and smells of his surroundings and felt safe. He was still too foggy to wrap his head around everything Ahnasha said, but he could understand enough.

"It's over." He repeated. The idea ran up the back of his head as he stared up at the sky through the tree branches. He could feel his heart skipping along in his chest in response. Scrunching his eyes shut, he shifted back into his Dunmer form, carefully bringing himself up to a sitting position. His head stayed bent forward as he breathed deeply.

Even then, his heart did not slow. He turned his head to Ahnasha and, after a moment, an involuntary laugh bubbled up from his chest. He could not seem to stop it. It was unlike him to laugh like an idiot, he knew, but the laughter kept flowing. He brought his arms around Ahnasha and laughed even louder. He continued as he held her closely until Ahnasha could feel tears on his cheek.

"We're alive," he whispered. "You're alive. Thank Hircine." He squeezed her in his arms. "I love you so much."

Before long, he looked up and around again. He remembered himself and his position. Leaving the matter of the one who bestowed as much on him to the side, he looked around for those that remained.

"Ahna, where is everyone else?" He asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros let his body be taken by the blinding, irresistible force. He did not feel himself land. In lieu of any thought, any sensation, he breathed. He focussed on his breathing.

He could hear and feel his breathing. Nothing else.

By the time his eyes opened, he had to recall how to move his head and read his senses as if they were distant memories. But Ahnasha was immediately recognised.

"Ahna..." he croaked slowly. Habit brought his arm up to take her hand. He could feel a dull soreness in the rest of his limbs, and he obeyed their desire to remain still.

He took in a deeper breath. More awareness returned. "The fight...we have to finish Vile off..." he tried to sit up. A shot of pain barbed through his side where a flesh wound from a stray spear was still healing. He gasped and fell back onto the grass. Only now did he realise he was still in the form of a werewolf, with a certain ring on his finger.