The Welwa Ravager splashed through the murky water, zig-zagging between various fleshfly pods, Haj-Motas and alligators as it made its was to its destination. Hasir felt the elf's grip slacken a bit as she dozed off as they rode through the forest of Blackmarsh. As they were approaching Stormhold, Ceralyne jerked awake and inquired why they had stopped and that it would delay her showing him to her parents.
Hasir dismounted and eyed her nervously.
"There's something I must do. I'll be back in a minute." He said.
Ceralyne watched his snake-like tail disappear in a large gated area. She squinted her eyes to try to see beyond and saw a rather impressive mud hut she assumed was his parents home. "Maybe he is returning home after running away." She thought. Another thought that occured to her was that his parents must've went somewhere and forgot him when he was just an egg. She had no idea how close to the shore her assumption was.
She hid in the low bushes the surrounded the gate as she watched him disappear into the house. She waited for what seemed like hours when she heard a starled scream emanating from the mud hut. She had no time to wonder what had provoked Hasir's fear when the hut door slammed open. She watched as the Argonian, fuming like a smokey fire, strode over to the gate, wrenched it open and slammed it.
Ceralyne was about to ask about what got him so hot under the collar.
"The Silver Hand... they ransacked my... our... my parents' house." He said, snarling at her. She looked longingly at the Argonian and put a hand softly upon his shoulder, saying that she understood him but this did nothing to smooth out his rough edges. He turned toward her, his face red as a crimson nirnroot, "You don't understand." He said, shrugging her loving embrace off. "The silver hand searched my childhood home, I will not let that stand." He said, glaring in the house's direction, "I found journals in there, obviously left by the silver hand or the An-Xileel, a Blackmarsh-centered splinter cell of the silver hand, must've dropped them in their haste to get away from... whatever was hunting them. It clearly states that the section of Blackmarsh that I thought was burnt down when I first learned of it years ago was just ransacked and they apparently got away with... whatever they were trying to find. The journal said they got away with hist seeds but they went on to explain that they stole the hist seeds so that Molag Bal could poison the tree so that the orange taint I saw, and was affected by, at the sleeping tree camp, could poison the live of all Saxheleel, therefore ending the unholy union once and for all."
Ceralyne looked at him concernedly.
"You don't think you and I have anything to do with this unholy union, do you?"
He looked at her and shook his leafy-haired head.
"I dunno... maybe, maybe not, who's to say? the Hist tree is still in hibernation on this one. I hardly believe something that occured hundreds of years ago could still be causing rifts between Saxhleel and Altmer but the river flows where it will, unabated by any extrnal forces, so we will have to see." He walked over to a stump in the middle of a clear outlined by tall trees and sat down, deep in thought. "Hmmm... I wonder if that is what the vampires are for... to help move forward Molag Bal's plans to sabotage the Hist trees, taint the Hist pools. I also think that after Molag Bal is done with Blackmarsh and all the Hist trees wither, killing all Saxhleel, that he and his vampire followers will moved on to Hircine's hunting grounds and do something similar there." He thought about this a moment before standing up. "Ceralyne, we've got to go to the hunting grounds and warn Hircine."
the Altmer got to her feet as well; looking worried.
"What of Summerset Isles? What of my parents? I really want you to meet them and veiw the... erm... fireworks that will undoubtedly explode between us if the unholy union thing is being honored still, though, silly thing if it is."
Hasir strode to her and gave her a brief hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"We will go there soon. For know though," He turned away from her and drew a deep sigh, "I think... yes, we have bigger fish to fry, so to speak. We must warn Hircine before Molag Bal's fallback plan, now that the nature condutis are all destroyed, comes to fruition. If all else fails and it does, well you, I and our races, maybe even all of Tamriel would be at risk. I must try not to let that happen."
She watched as he cupped his hands around his mouth and made a very odd sound - almost like an elk vocal pattern. Seconds later, a shining white stag stood before him. Where she would take them - only Hasir knew.
Ceralyne looked wonderingly at the ethereal stag.
"Hasir, how did you get this? Is this our ride to the hunting grounds?"
He nodded.
"Yes, her name is Katsura. As for how I got her well, let's just cut the flowing river in half and say he is a gift from Hircine." He considered her next thought, "As for how we are getting to the hunting grounds, I am not sure."
As if on cue, a purple portal surrounded by highly-detailed stone appeared in front of them. Grinning like a idiot, Hasir mounted Katsura and approached the portal, Ceralyne holding onto his waist.
They appeared in a leafy woodland of sorts. This was familiar to Hasir but to Ceralyne, it was a brand new world, so to speak. They dismounted the stag who proceeded to canter off to a patch of trees near them to forage for berries. Hasir heard a familiar, gruff voice that made he turn around in fright. Ceralyne did too, although much slower and more uncertain. She had never once spoken to, or even beheld Hircine. This was entirely new terrain to her.
Hircine strode close to the Argonian, deciding to wear his hunter form. A form Ceralyne found to be rather 'sexy.'
"Greetings, hound. To what do I owe the honor?" He turned to the Altmer. "Who is this? Does she know of the unholy union that happened thousands of years ago between the ancestors of the Argonians and Altmer?"
Hasir shook his head, to which anser though, he did not know. His mind was a crowded swamp at the moment.
"I did not tell her. Where are my manners? Ceralyne, I would like you to meet the one whom I serve, Hircine and the brother of Kynareth."
Hircine looked confusedly at Hasir and chuckled; at least, to Hasir, that is what it sounded like.
"My hound. I am nobody's master. A wolf can frolick freely with a nature spirit keeping unrelenting eyes on him. The tree does not watch the seed relentlessly until it grows. It just grows, unblemished by its ceaseless parenting and watchful eye."
Hasir considered this and apologized. His saw that Hircine was too busy eying his prized stag to notice. He changed the river;s flow a bit.
"Erm... Hircine I've been meaning to ask you something." He said, tail rising and falling behind him. "I was in Stormhold and visited my family's home." He looked at Hircine and surprised to see his boney head turned toward him; this heartened Hasir a bit. "I saw many journals strewn about on the reed-fashioned ground that had information pertaining to the unholy union that Molag Bal.-"
Hircine sighed heavily and circled his hand in midair in an effort to sped this slow trickling river along.
"Hurry it up, my hound, the bloodmoon will have completed its cycle numerous times."
Hasir cursed himself and sighed dejectedly,
"Fine!" He snarled, throwing his hands up in frustration. "The journals contained intel concerning the silver hand and their plans. Molag Bal's plans."
Hircine sighed and urged his to indulge him further.
"Take the wolf off the leash and let it run free." He said, sounding half bored, half curious.
Hasir nodded and continued explaining.
"Molag Bal's plan, according to the journals, was to poison the Hist trees, thus killing the Argonians, the descendants of the ancient Argonian that indulged in the 'dangerous' union. They also said the orange rain will rain upon the hunting grounds next. We must stop the dragon before it burns all of Tamriel, erm, so to speak. We must stall Molag Bal's forces before they get here otherwise my new home will burn hotter than the Bloodmoon."
The wolflord nodded in agreement and said he thought that that was why he set the task for the Argonian.
"My hound, you've quite alot on your plate. I will not burden you with this now. Please, do keep it in the back of your mind while you go about your dailt concerns. Who am I kidding? You already know that as that is your whole mission: to stop the power-mad dicator and save the land from ever-increasing shadow."
The Argonian and the Altmer waved farewell to Hircine and exited the realm through a newly conjured portal.
'
Once outside of the abandoned fort tower, Ceralyne looked toward Hasir; her question etched on her face.
"Now that that distraction is dealt with, a quite lengthy one I might add, can I finally introduce yourself to my parents?"
Hasir nodded and turned Katsura in the direction of the Summerset Isles.
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