In spite of Galsek's defiant expression, his body was tense and his legs were quivering. He began to shake his head and looked down. It was a frantic refusal to himself, but he had utterly failed at trying to wriggle his way out of this situation any further.

"I was to have his boon..." Galsek spoke quietly, "It was meant to be easy enough. This clan was build on insufficient foundations for its current size. All I had to do was infiltrate, convince Harriet of this one deal that he offered, let her take power, and watch it all crumble like a castle in a bog." Galsek then looked up at Meesei with his eyes welling and shouted. "Why are you here!? Why did you have to arrive now!? We were so close!"

In Ahnasha's arms, Rhazii started to whine at the sudden noise. Fendros put his hand on Ahnasha's upper arm and looked at her. They might need to step out so Rhazii wouldn't disturb the interrogation.

Galsek let out a breath and hung his head again. Instead of breathing out completely, his chest nudged up and down and he began to laugh uncontrollably. "It's...heh...heheh...it's no matter now. Vile will find another way to bind you and swallow your souls. Once I'm out, I'll just have to find a way to get this disgusting animal out of my mind and body." He paused to laugh further, his voice grumbling menacingly as the tears started to run off the front of his chin, "Then I can take the little child you have..."

Fendros stopped at the door.

"If I give Vile the soul of a natural-born lycan, it will surely be enough to pay for my failures. They are incredibly strong souls after all!" Galsek threw his head back and laughed so hard it seemed as if he was trying to expel his lungs through his mouth. He had completely given up.

At this point, Fendros was so furious that clenching his fists until they hurt was all he could do to stop himself tearing Galsek's head from his shoulders. He felt his beast spirit rising involuntarily for the first time in weeks. The days travelling in the cold as well as being cooped up in the clan's mountain home during the investigation had not given him opportunity to hunt. Even though it had been many months since he joined the pack, his control still threatened to lapse at the weakest moments.

Janius and Sabine took notice and walked up to Fendros. "It's not worth it," Janius murmured, "easy now."

Galsek's laughing kept going, making it hard for Fendros to hear anything else.

This was the answer for which Meesei had been searching. This was what tied together the evidence. With Galsek's confession, Meesei expected it to be much easier to get information from Harriet, not to mention what Galsek himself might provide. Once his secret was revealed, he of course started to taunt the others. Meesei largely ignored it, but a few of the others, namely Fendros and Ahnasha, did not. Ahnasha bared her teeth at the Argonian, joining in Fendros' anger.

Meesei looked at the pair calmly. "Vile's servants are manipulators, but his words carry only the power you give them." She commented before looking back down to Galsek. She stopped charging her restoration magic through his skull, then dragged her claws across the side of his face not hard enough to break his scales, but enough that he could feel it. "My words, on the other hand, bear considerably more weight. You are going to tell me everything you know, about your mission here, about Harriet and the deal you struck. I want all of the physical evidence you have, then...you may go. You serve my enemy, but I gave my word, and I shall not break it. Of course, we both know what it going to happen when you return to Vile a failure. He is a fickle master even to his successful followers. Do you expect me to believe he will spare a worm like you? In all likelihood, he will kill you and take your powerful lycan soul...or perhaps not. Perhaps his servants will just kill you as an example and allow your soul to go to its intended destination. Have you ever thought about what that would be like? To have your soul bound for eternity to the Hunting Grounds of the Daedra against which you have waged war? I assure you, your beast spirit is not going to be so easily separated from you. Some lycans have spent their entire lives searching for a cure, fruitlessly. Even if Vile does not kill you, or if you just avoid his followers for the rest of your life, your soul will find its way back to Hircine eventually. So, you can leave here with some supplies after I have what I need, or you can accept an alternative. Serve me. Use the knowledge you have of Vile and his followers in the service of Hircine, and you will find yourself protected by us, instead of hunted by us."

Meesei's claws caused Galsek to shriek in pain as they scratched across his face. That much at least silenced his laughter. He stared into space with wide eyes for a few moments and caught his breath. Meesei's words did not elicit any particular reaction, but he did look at Meesei after she was finished. His doe-eyed look hinted a flash of consideration.

"I was ordered by vile to cause Harriet to kill Jerrick and try to take power. I was to do all I could to disrupt this baying pit." His voice was low now. His eyes shortly drifted to look at the floor again. "A short while ago, my companions and myself were meant to be attacked by Harriet and one of her packs as they patrolled the territory, with only some of us getting away. We were in masks. We were meant to infect ourselves so we could get into the clan. I was the only one who survived the turning. Once a lycan, I could easily admit myself into this retched hive out of desperation. I knew exactly how to approach Harriet, find a point where she and Jerrick disagreed, exacerbate it to the point where reason was lost, then hand her the means to remove Jerrick altogether; the poison. At that point she knew I was an agent of Vile, but she would do anything to get into power." Galsek narrowed his eyes, "That's what made her...malleable."

Galsek looked up at Meesei again, the tears on one side of his face were replaced by rivulets of blood. "If you have myself, Harriet, the vial, and Jerrick's corpse, you have all the physical evidence there is. The plan was nothing more than that, except some...adaptations to try and throw you off in enough time for the clan to fall. Convincing the traumatised son to kill his elder." He chuckled malevolently, "It is amazing how easy it is to shape a young brain, especially where both parents were tragically murdered." Just as easily, his grin disappeared, "Of course, you were too organised, too clever." He released the rest of his breath through his nose, "That is all, you mutts. Now will you let me free, or demonstrate that you are cleverer still?"

Fendros spoke through clenched teeth. "We can't just let him free. He's too dangerous." He looked at Meesei, "He's a traitor too, just execute him as well and be done with it."

Meesei shook her head. "Even if our enemies would not, I am not going to break my word. You deserve an execution, Galsek. You deserve to have a blade run through that neck, and your soul put to the mercy of the Huntsman. You are a snake, and a fool besides. No matter what Vile has told you, your lycanthropy is not going to be so easily cured. Vampires, werewolves, many have asked for cures from Vile, but it always ends the same way. Or have you not heard the tales? Regardless, I am still going to release you. Of course, I am obviously not going to let you go without searching you and your belongings, but after all of that is done, you will have your supplies, and you will leave this place. I would recommend that you find somewhere quiet to live out the rest of your days, because if I find you again, you will not receive the same mercy a second time. Of course, our deal did rely on you answering all of my questions, and there is one more question I have for you..."

Suddenly, Meesei kicked Galsek square in the chest, knocking him onto his back. She then stepped forward and pressed her foot against his throat, just hard enough so he could still speak, and conjured a bound blade, placing the point barely a hair's width from his eye. "What do you mean by both parents?"

For a moment, Galsek didn't dare move but for the twitching of his eyelid involuntarily as the blade hovered over it. Once he processed the question, however, his fearful gurn twisted into a grin. He evidently found something absurd about the question. "Meesei, you are a talented mage, but a poor social tactician," Galsek wheezed mockingly, "dear Vera...she is not Caleb's natural mother. I thought you would have known..." Galsek arched his brow forgivingly, "Granted, they are as close as step-kin can be, but the fate of Caleb's poor mother was a painful one." He paused for a low laugh, "Anyone in the clan could answer you that, it was a long time ago, but I would be the only one who would enjoy telling you. Are you sure you want the story second-hand? From my wormish tongue?"

"I suggest you tell it before I cut it out. Remember that you are not the one with the power here, Galsek. You do not like me, and I sure as Oblivion do not like you. What we have right now is an exchange; your answers, for your freedom. You should be accustomed to such deals, I would imagine. The fact that I am agreeing to release an admitted enemy of my people is a blessing for you, and one you should not continue to test. I expect your full cooperation; I demand your full cooperation. Now answer this question, fully and honestly, and every other after it, or you may consider my very generous deal to be void." Meesei threatened, though she did move the blade back somewhat and released the pressure on his throat.

"As you wish," Galsek said, enjoying the reaction he was goading from Meesei. "I believe it was before the conflict began between our Daedric lieges. Back in the time before this clan found their home in this ruined hole. Caleb was only five years old when werewolf hunters tried to detain her mother. Fathia was her name. She was trying to purchase supplies in Bruma and caught the ire of a noble with a silver axe to grind. I do not recall how they did it, but it was creative. Nets with little barbs I if I was told correctly. Made to be very strong. In any case, she was captured and detained. Now, this group of werewolf hunters each were inflamed by the most blind of rages. They must have squabbled as to the best method to make her suffer into death, but they came up with a torture that even Molag Bal would be proud of." Galsek squirmed his shoulders as he failed to move his arms. He was disappointed to not be able to gesture in demonstration of their actions, but he made do. "They chained her upright next to a furnace far outside of the city and began to melt silver in an open crucible. When it was molten and flowing, they took the silver pot with a pair of tongs and relished as they poured drips of the liquid metal over her skin. They feasted too greedily on her screams, however, and Fathia was loud enough to call for her pack, who were already searching for her." Galsek showed his grin once more, "Hircine didn't save Fathia, her screams silenced before the sprinting pack could reach her. Jerrick slaughtered and cast all off the hunters' bodies until they decorated the dirt with their shattered bones. I don't blame him after he found the last thing they did to her."

Behind Meesei, Fendros' face began to clentch angrily. He brought his hand up to his eye and grit his teeth, but he had to leave the room. He did so with such haste that anyone might have thought he was about to empty his stomach.

"...they clamped her mouth open, and poured the remaining liquid silver down her throat." Galsek drank in the reaction from everyone present. "How do you think she died first? Drowning? Burning? Or silver poisoning? Which would be more painful? It is something I pondered. Caleb was spared from seeing the body, fortunately for him, but the sudden loss of a mother is enough to warp a young boy to melancholy and sadness regardless of the nature of the death. Fathia's still vermeil corpse was buried under a pine sapling somewhere in the lower Jerrals. I also ponder if the needles glint with more than frost and dew in the mornings."

Outside, Fendros had stomped away with his hand to his head, striding aimlessly until he found an empty room out of earshot. Once there, he slowed to a stumble and fell to his knees. He broke down as Ahnasha's torture came flashing back in graphic detail. He was paralysed but for his sobbing.

Regardless of what the others did, Meesei gave Galsek no reaction. "The death would have come by burning. The sheer heat would make any other factor immaterial. In fact, she would have died fairly quickly, at least compared to other forms of torture. It is a visually horrendous torture, but in choosing spectacle, they gave her an unintentional mercy."

Meesei finally dispelled her blade, then pulled Galsek back up to his knees by his throat. As she was doing so, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered such that only he could hear. "It is not a mistake I would make." Overall, Meesei's present behavior was entirely different from her normal self. Of course, that was to be expected from an interrogation with the enemy. She needed to appear intimidating, especially if he was to be released after this was over. However, what Meesei would not admit to her pack was that she was not entirely bluffing. If it was necessary to protect her family, Meesei was willing to do anything.

"I could ask how you came to know that story, but right now, I am more concerned with the task at hand. I am going to search you, then speak to the lieutenants and allow them to interrogate you as well. I am also going to have your room searched thoroughly, which could take some time. I would expect to be released sometime tomorrow. If you wish to be released sooner, I would suggest pointing me to any material evidence or items of interest you may have hidden." Meesei requested. Though, before he could give any answer, she pushed him face-first to the ground, much more gently than before, then started the process of searching him. Instead of bothering to go through his clothing properly, she simply ripped it from his body, along with any pouches or satchels he had on him. Each item she handed off to one of her pack around her to search, as well as searching through a few herself.

Ahnasha followed Fendros out of the room. She might have been a lycan for longer and had greater control, but it wasn't her beast spirit she was necessarily worried about. She was livid, and if Meesei had not been there, she would have shown that lizard how much of an idiot he was to taunt them in such a way. But, Meesei's presence always made her more...cautious. Though, she could not understand how Meesei could possibly consider letting him go. It wasn't as if Vile's servants would ever learn about it if she executed him. Vile wasn't omniscient, so he could not see what they were doing. She hoped that Meesei was just lying to get him to talk.

Instead of giving Galsek what he most definitely deserved, Ahnasha followed Fendros to the empty room he had eventually stopped in. Though, she did little more than stand in the doorway, clutching a whining Rhazii tightly in her arms.

Galsek might have responded, but Meesei's attempts at intimidation were successful in silencing him at least. He did not have much on his person that wasn't already taken by Lorag when they disarmed him. He had a few gold septims, a full waterskin that had been freshly filled from the canal, a slice of hard bread that had been hastily stuffed in one pocket, and in his only belt pouch was a slurry of crushed leaves and fungus that Meesei knew to be a common sleeping poison.

Even on his knees, Fendros hated his sadness and pain. The flashbacks were beginning to subside, but he still shivered in place. He could think of nothing to do with his anxiety but funnel it into his hate. He thought he could overcome it with willpower and anger, but funnelling it all into his anger simply stirred his beast spirit. Whatever tenuous point of balance he struck quickly fell over and he began to transform.

Fendros did not stay in one place during the process. In attempting to deal with the trauma and suppress the transformation all at once, he yelled and flailed about the room. As his shouts became roars and growls, he made marks in the ancient stonework with his claws. He raged about, attacking every surface he could find until he leaped for the exit, trying to escape. He had almost completely lost control until he halted suddenly in front of Ahnasha and Rhazii. His quick and shallow breathing could be felt on Ahnasha's front, but he tried to keep control with the incentive of not attacking her packmate. Fendros gently leaned his head forward to sniff around Rhazii, but spotted Ahnasha's scar and backed away, panicked again. He ran his back into the wall behind him and slid down onto his haunches. "Stay...away..." he managed to say, scrunching his eyes shut. Even without seeing Ahnasha, he could see her opened up again. He brought his claws up to his head and grabbed hard enough to cause himself pain. "Stay...away!"

Though deceptive by nature, Galsek was at least honest in saying that any physical evidence of his plan had already been found. All items that were found in his austere sleeping nook were mundane. The supplied in the sack that he was trying to escape with included tools needed to survive in the wilds, but nothing more.

Ahnasha certainly did not get any closer to Fendros, but she could not just leave. Others in the clan could react violently to an uncontrolled lycan, and would be justified in doing so. It was dangerous, but Ahnasha could see no way that Fendros, even when overtaken by his beast spirit, could harm his own son. This was the first time in quite a while he had been through an unintentional transformation, but nevertheless, they had been through them. She just needed to get his mind away from the emotions that caused it in the first place.

Rhazii was of course used to seeing them in their werewolf forms, as he had been around them since birth, but Fendros' aggression frightened him. He went from slightly whining, to outright crying as he turned his head away from his father and tightly held onto his mother for comfort. "You're not going to hurt me, Fendros. I know you, and I know that beast inside you."

---

Meesei's search of the belongings on Galsek's person did not produce much of note. Sabine did identify a poison he was carrying as a sedative, but Meesei could not think of a point in which he had used it. Nevertheless, she kept anything remotely interesting before taking her leave, allowing Lorag to remain guarding him for the moment with specific instructions to keep anyone from harming him. She did intend to rotate in other guards later. For the moment, she went to seek out the lieutenants, starting with Vera. Despite what Galsek said regarding Caleb's birth mother, she wanted to be certain that Vera was in no danger. As such, after informing her about Galsek, she examined her for any trace for poison, fortunately finding nothing. Darahil did not give Meesei any trouble when she informed him, but Oswall, as she might have expected, responded with anger. He tried to get up, intent on killing the snake, only to be held back by the healers. Luckily, he still was not in a condition to move around, so he did calm eventually, albeit begrudgingly. Meesei did make sure to tell him that she had plans for Galsek, and that she would explain in greater detail when she had more time.

Meesei had to give the healers assigned to Harriet some time to make sure she was stable, as well as give the guards the chance to set her up in a cell with appropriately strong shackles. With her guilt now virtually certain, there would be no more courteous treatment for Harriet. In the brief break her time allowed her, Meesei went down to the canal to wash away the blood that was starting to dry on her scales, as well as repair her clothing. There was much she still needed to do, so she would likely be busy for a few more days, or weeks depending on how difficult Jerrick's succession proved to be, but it was a relief to get at least a moment to herself. Given all that had transpired only an hour or so prior, the canal was notably empty.

Eventually, the healers sent a messenger to inform Meesei that Harriet had awakened, and was secure in her cell. With all she had learned from Galsek, she was far more confident going into the interrogation than she would have been otherwise. Harriet was defeated, completely and utterly. Her plan had been uncovered and dismantled with no hope of repair, and in their fight, she had lost even with the odds supposedly stacked in her favor. However, unlike with Galsek, she did not expect to have a reason to intimidate or threaten Harriet. If she was not currently aware that it was over, it would not take long for her to find out.

Stepping into the cell, Meesei acknowledged the guards on either side of Harriet, then motioned for them to wait outside of the cell. Harriet was shackled to the wall with irons on her wrists and ankles, along with multiple chains tied around her limbs with varying degrees of tightness or slack. Even if she transformed, there would always be something holding her in place. She wore nothing, apart from a bandage over the eye Meesei had destroyed. Her wounds had been closed, but the scars and dried blood remained, staining her green skin.

"I know everything, Harriet. Galsek, his offer, everything. It did not take much to get the snake to talk, once he knew he could not fool me. I think it is time for you to fill in the details." Meesei said calmly.

"No," Fendros moved his hands to cover his eyes as his feet instinctively tried to back away. All they succeeded in doing while still backed up against the wall was slide against the floor. "I...I can't stand to look at you!" Fendros' growls went louder than Rhazii's crying, "You keep dying in front of me! Go! Leave!"

---

Harriet didn't even bother looking up from her completely slumped and defeated position. It took a few seconds after Meesei spoke for her to even acknowledge the question. When she did respond, her voice was strained with the damage to her throat. "This don't look like the eternal hunting grounds to me, champion. I could have sworn we agreed to a duel to the death." Her eyes sullenly opened a sliver, "How about you fill in some details for me; why aren't I running from Hircine's greatest hounds right now? Why aren't I dead?"

Mostly for Rhazii's safety, Ahnasha still did not step any closer to Fendros, but neither did she retreat. Despite their relationship, and the time Fendros had been with them, Ahnasha still held higher rank within the pack, and his beast knew it. If she backed down now, then it would embolden his beast spirit against her.

"If you don't want to look at me, then don't, but you will listen to me. You need to back down, right now! I'm not going to let you rampage through this place. You've improved, but I can still stop you if I have to." Ahnasha threatened, though her words were not directed at Fendros himself, but rather the beast taking hold of him. She knew well that their beasts did not respond to reason or persuasion. They were primal, respecting only force. Fendros, as much as he had improved, was still not experienced enough to wrestle control away from his beast, not during a forced transformation. Therefore, she had to use the arguments that the beast would respect. Her voice did not carry as much authority as Meesei, but she still had rank. Hopefully, his beast did not have any ambitious ideas.

Just in case, Ahnasha took a step back and looked down the hall towards the room they had came from. "Lorag, come here!" She shouted.

---

"Honestly, I did not know the nature of your betrayal during our fight. I suppose it was implied that it was a fight to the death, but I do not believe we said those words aloud." Meesei answered. She stepped close to Harriet, as there was little she could do from her position. "I always intended to treat you fairly, to give you a just trial and judgment. I am sure you heard the rumor that your mind was influenced by Vile? Certainly, it was a possibility, and I suppose I should still examine it, as I promised to the clan. If your mind was magically influenced, it would have been unjust to kill you. Right now, I want...closure. I do wonder, even after Galsek manipulated you, even after your betrayal, do you still hold to the honor for which your people respected you? Are you still the true warrior that you have prided yourself to be? I may not have killed you, but I did defeat you. On that, there is no question. Had I not restarted your breathing, you would have perished on that training room floor. Is there any honor between skilled warriors such as ourselves, that you might respect me for my victory? Despite your crimes, I can say that I respect your willingness to challenge me in the tradition of our kind. I respect that you allowed the strength of our resolve be tested, to be measured by fair combat. Do you respect the results?"

The side that was winning control over Fendros had a sudden moment of submission after Ahnasha lashed out. Fendros' ears folded backwards and in lieu of any conscious motion, he slid across the wall onto the floor on his side. His beast spirit gave no further protest except to whine quietly.

Fendros himself gained ground in controlling his body, but he was coming down from extreme panic. Even though he wasn't cold, he began to shiver uncontrollably. He brought his knees up to his chest and laid for another half a minute before he finally slid his hands from his head and propped himself into a sitting position again. He was sore, still shaking, but he was regaining his wits. Finally, he reverted to Dunmer form on the floor.

Fendros swallowed while chattering his teeth briefly, then spoke, "Right then. I apologise, Ahna. I didn't mean that." Fendros couldn't look at Ahnasha directly, but this time it was out of shame. "I panicked. I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

---

Harriet released a derisive snort at the mention of her mind being manipulated. As for the rest of what Meesei had to say, her eyes flicked up to look at her legs momentarily, but she still did not move her head. She sighed heavily. "Meesei, I don't want to insult your intelligence, but I need you to look at where you are. We fought, you beat me, I'm chained up, and all I have to look forward to is a brief period of relief from these fetters before I breathe my last breath. Even if there was honour or respect, none of what you mention even matters now." Harriet moved her head to one side, "But in case you're wondering, I've always been a warrior. I'm not like Galsek."

Fortunately, it seemed like Ahnasha's show of tough love had worked. He quickly became submissive, then laid down on the ground. She leaned her head back out into the hall to see Lorag stepping out to investigate. She calmly waved him back into the cell with Galsek, then moved to approach Fendros. Though she kept a reasonable distance at first, once Fendros began to revert back to Dunmer form, she relaxed completely. He was of course regretful once he was back in his right mind, but Ahnasha tried not to take much of what he said to heart. He was being influenced by the primal, emotional nature of his beast spirit; although, the words he had said did not just come from nowhere. The scars of what they had experienced were still tearing at his mind, just as they were for hers. The only difference between them was that she had more experience controlling her beast spirit.

"You scared Rhazii, but other than that, no." Ahnasha answered as she slowly sat down beside Fendros on the floor. She put her left arm around his shoulders, while holding Rhazii in her right. He was not crying as loudly as before, but was still whining and had his face pressed against his mother for comfort, muffling the sounds he made. "So...what happened? What caused it, you think?"

---

Meesei nodded to Harriet. "You are not incorrect. You murdered Jerrick, the leader of the clan, in cold blood at the influence of one of Vile's servants. You took away the father of a boy who had already lost his birth mother, and killed the husband of a dedicated leader of this clan. You did so in cold blood, without giving him the chance to fight. For this crime, death is the only punishment. Vera has requested that it be a merciful execution, and I intend to follow that suggestion. If you still care about the clan, about the people who were loyal enough to you follow you to the end, despite everything that was arrayed against you, I would ask that you give a public confession of your crime. Let them have no doubts that might cause more hardship for them later. As you said, you are defeated, so there is no longer a purpose to lies and secrecy. But your now, tell me your story. Let me hear, from your own mouth, what you did, and why you did it. I do not think you will find Hircine's redemption will be easy to gain, but perhaps you can start now, before your soul departs Tamriel."

Even though Ahnasha's closeness was comforting, he wiped his eyes with his thumb and forefinger with a sigh. "I've not hunted for a while now, it was bound to happen. I have had a few small troubles while we've been here, but I was easily able to keep control. Then...I don't know." Fendros reached up and held Ahnasha's hand at his shoulder. "I think it knows when I'm panicked. It lashes out. When Galsek described the fate of Caleb's mother, I just..." Fendros huffed angrily and let go of Ahnasha's hand, "It's cowardly and pathetic, I know. I won't let it happen again." Fendros stole a glance at Rhazii and only found more shame in his emotional state.

---

Harriet broke into a small chuckle, short lived as it was. Her grin did not come from happiness. "Yeah, redemption. Good joke, dad. You're gonna need more than a public confession to fix this clan." The grin faded, "And I'm going to need more than that to redeem myself. At least Vera's bein' nice. She was always too nice for her own good."

There was a moment of thought where Harriet curled her lips in consideration. Then, with a quiet jingling of the chains as Harriet slowly raised her head to look Meesei dead in the eyes. Her face held only as much emotion as her cold tone. "I wanna make sure you know as much as I think you should, Meesei. What happens to a pack of wolves that gets too big?"

"We'll have our hunt soon, with the moons. Just...hold on until then." Ahnasha commented. She leaned her head back against the wall and let out a sigh. She couldn't say she was much stronger than Fendros, given that she had to leave that room as well. At least his emotion came from his beast spirit; for Ahnasha, the anger she felt was entirely hers.

"After that, after...all of this, hopefully Najirra can help us. I'm really no better off than you are; I just can go longer without hunting. We were recommended to him a few days ago, if you remember. Everyone in the clan seems to trust him, so...who knows what he can do?" She reasoned.

---

Meesei crossed her arms, with her overall demeanor maintaining a certain amount of resolve. "When a pack of wolves grows too large, their needs begin to outstrip their resources. They become unable to feed all of their members, so some of them will break off for new territory, or die in the process. I know all of this, and I see where you are going with it, but that analogy does not hold entirely. We are not wolves, Harriet, we are lycans. Animals cannot form and maintain civilization, but people can, and at our cores, we are still people."

Though she could not deny that the sheer size of the clan brought it into a dangerous situation, Meesei did not feel it was doomed. It would take time, effort and a lot of change, but Meesei intended to strengthen the clan's foundations. "You are correct, your confession alone will not save this clan. But, it is a small part of the solution. And I do have a solution. It may take years, but this clan will see many changes to keep it away from this...spiral into instability."

Another sigh came from Fendros. "Yes, hopefully he calls for us at some point. I don't know what he'll do, but I'm willing to try anything at this point."

Now more recovered, Fendros brought his hand around Ahnasha's back, up to her neck and shoulder, and gently drew their heads together. He did nothing more but close his eyes and let some of the tension drain from him.

---

"You'd be amazed how easily people can act like wolves once the supplies start to run short, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Harriet's tone was slightly condescending, "What's this solution of yours?"

Meesei's plan had been forming since she had first learned of the problems plaguing the clan. It was far from complete, as there were many details that could not yet be determined, but what she did have planned, she knew could help the clan. "There is no single solution, not to a problem this complex. Rather, there are a myriad of changes which need to be made to turn this...elaborate camp into a proper settlement. We cannot continue to approach our situation with a pack-based mentality, no matter how natural that comes. Do you know what I was before receiving Hircine's gift? I was a Treeminder, something comparable to what you might call a shaman. In my village, the Treeminder was one of the leaders of our people, and I was trained from my hatching to take on that role. I learned not only of magic, but of people. I learned how groups of people can get along, or tear themselves apart in crisis. I learned how to manage the logistics of food and supplies, and how to keep the people calm when the floods washed them away. Black Marsh is every bit as harsh as these frozen mountains, albeit in a different way. I did not stumble blindly into the leadership of my pack; Hircine guided me to it. I believe it is no accident that I find myself in this position now."

Through her explanation, Meesei showed complete confidence in her words. Hircine had been guiding her ever since the beginnings of her pack, and had given her the authority of her title. If his hounds needed a war leader, then she would take on that role. "I will not change the leadership, apart from perhaps promoting a new lieutenant, but rather, I intend to change how they view their leaders. It could take years, but I will slowly strip away these barriers that have been raised between the packs of the different lieutenants. It will begin slowly at first, perhaps just sending them on hunts with one another, or scheduling tasks to place those from different packs to work with each other. I will ease them into the change, but I will show them that they need not view their brothers and sisters with suspicion. As for our supplies, there are many untapped resources I see that we could gain with relative ease. With a coordinated effort, we can clear the lower parts of these ruins to make use of the space, and the artifacts found within. In the short term, this could provide us with more growing space for food. But, for the years ahead, we just need to look to our own people. This is a clan of hundreds, from many places and different walks of life. Lycathropy does not care about the class or status of those whom it infects. How many of our people were farmers, businesspeople? They have connections, land, resources that they have abandoned due to their condition. We could help them reclaim it, for the benefit of the clan. The farmers alone could not only feed our people, but give us surplus to sell. We could have access to more land than many of the nobles who frequent Bruma's court. I will contact other clans like ours, and advise them to do the same. If Vile intends to wage war on us, then I am going to be sure we are ready."

Harriet listened, giving Meesei her considered gaze. Most of the time, her eyelids were low and cynical, but other points made her raise an eyebrow.

"If you can get past the politics required to convince the leadership to do that, all the more power too ya. Especially taking more of the ruin. Darahil'll hate that." Harriet said with unhidden scepticism, "About your last point, though...you're going to have people from the clan come back from the dead to reclaim their land?" She shook her head, "Nah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's too much heat." Taking a turn, Harriet started engaging with some more enthusiasm, "If you really want to expand above-ground, you'd have a better chance pooling resources and buying up new land for people to work. And you'd have to be real careful about picking who to go out. Not many people are confident around towns in this clan. At least, for an extended period. They would also have to be near hunting grounds where they aren't likely to run into poacher boys or Imperial foresters. No one cares about us up here under this rock."

"Of course, we will have to start small." Meesei began. "I personally have seen the abandoned farmsteads far from cities while wandering Cyrodiil. Few people know nor care what happens to them. Not everyone has families who can maintain their land, so some of our number may reasonably be able to reclaim it. Still, you are correct that it will not be possible for most of the farmers. But, the business connections will be easier to use. Even new lycans can return to cities for a brief time if they transform beforehand, and that is often all that is needed for business deals. Over time, we can buy the land too distant and dangerous for the city-dwellers to farm. We will have the resources to fight this war."

Meesei found it interesting that Harriet's response was not entirely negative. She seemed to actually be entertaining the idea that Meesei's plans could work, not that it especially mattered if she agreed with Meesei. After what Harriet had done, there was no way she could be allowed to live. "But, it is not necessary to convince you. I do respect that you still care about this place, however. Will you give your confession and give the skeptics among your packs the closure they need?"