There was a moment of tense silence. Ahnasha could barely see the silhouette of one of the sentries lean to one side and say something to another. Another few seconds passed before the same male voice was heard. "Open the gate!" Some scraping of wood on metal preceded the main doors to the clan home creaking open.

An Imperial with a lowered crossbow stood at the gate to greet Ahnasha with a worried expression. He had the same voice as the one that addressed Ahnasha before, "Our apologies, we didn't recognise you. You'll want to find Vera and Darahil. We've sent runners ahead, but you'll find them in the scholar's loft and the school room. You know which is where, I presume."

As if reminded of the closeness Galsek was to death, Harriet loosened her grip on Galsek enough for him to take a rough breath in, though Harriet wasn't letting go of him. His eyes were too wide to look any more fearful at Meesei's spell, but he seemed to react readily enough other wise. "Wait, no, NO!" Harriet squeezed hard enough on Galsek's neck for him to put up a hand, scrunch his eyes shut, and break. "There's a lodge! A hunting lodge! North of Bruma!" Harriet loosened her grip enough for Galsek to calm slightly and spit the rest of his story out, "We found hunters! Soldiers with silver weapons. They are to rally at a hunting lodge today and strike at the pit you call a home. They were meant to take the place after the clan squabbled over a new leader and scattered during the full moon, then roam and kill you off, but the plan had to change. I lead you out here, and you brought more of your military might than I could have hoped, so I had to take the opportunity. You might track the hunters from the lodge, depending on how fast that lackwit High Elf travelled, but I am willing to bet that you are too late. Even if you all shifted, you would have no hope of getting back before the attack is started. That was my purpose, I have fulfilled it. You have failed, champio-"

Harriet pulled Galsek from the tree and threw him to the ground. She had heard enough. With a javelin in either hand, she pinned Galsek's chest to the ground with one boot and put a javelin through each of Galsek's upper arms. Galsek screamed in pain again, but the last sound he made was one last "NO! PLEASE! YOU SAID-" before Harriet's boot impacted his head with a final crunch. Harriet twisted her foot for good measure, eliciting more crackling, before pulling her javelins free and stepping off of Galsek's ruined face. The spatters of red made the snow around him give off steam.

"She promised to wait, I didn't," Harriet said to Galsek's body. She yanked the third Javelin from Galsek's leg and regarded Meesei, "We've gotta get back to the warband."