"Yes, I will," Janius whispered. He took a few moments up against Kaleeth's head to breathe and put away his tears.

Even then, another tear ran down the corner of Janius' eye when he opened them and held his head back to look at Kaleeth in the dark. He gave a hopeful huff through his nose and a smile, before leaning in to give her a long kiss.

Janius ran a hand down Kaleeth's back once he pulled back. "Alright, we'll manage this," he mumbled with more confidence. "I love you, darling. Let's get some sleep."

---

Gallus' smile faded and his eyes went to the ground ahead. "As I feared," Gallus said to himself. He sighed in deliberation for a few moments, right up until the point where Ri'vashi might have spoken up. He turned his head up to Ri'vashi and put a hand on his hip. "Would you mind some company on your vigil?" Gallus' words were upfront and honest, no innuendo.

Ri'vashi gave a brief, subtle nod. "It's always good to have another pair of eyes. You can stop by one of the healers' tents if you need a potion to help you keep awake, if you intend on joining me all night."

Ri'vashi headed straight to the edge of camp, behind one of the barriers she had helped create an hour prior. Altogether, there were over a dozen warriors on watch in a perimeter around the camp, with more soldiers at the ready inside the camp if the alarm was sounded. Beyond that, there were scouts patrolling a relatively wide area surrounding them, but even so, Ri'vashi was not content with anything less than her personal oversight for their defense. She did not even sit, but stood with her gaze cast out into the forest. Her katana was at least sheathed at this point, but she looked ready to fight in an instant. Still, she did not restrict herself from speaking with Gallus. The stress she was under did bleed through into their conversation, despite her professionalism.

---

In the tent with Meesei, Marcaille and Sabine eventually began taking turns between healing and resting. Meesei held the occasional conversation with both, but she could not even keep up a false good mood as her body continued to weaken. Her voice grew more faint, and her muscles more sore. She never stopped her own efforts with her restoration magic, but both of her healers would easily be able to feel that it was waning. In the earliest hours of the morning, when Marcaille took over for Sabine once more to allow her to sleep, even breathing looked like a chore for her.

Day broke only a few hours later, after which there were voices in the tent which would likely awaken Sabine. Whatever fears or expectations she might have held for the morning before falling asleep, they would almost certainly be broken by reality. Marcaille had stepped out, while the Cathay healer, Jo'fasa, had taken over. However, instead of him standing over her at the table, Meesei was actually standing in front of him. In an absolute sense, she still looked terrible. Her legs were quivering to merely keep her standing, and the scars of her wounds were all still plainly visible. But, she was certainly more lively, and her voice stronger, if slightly hoarse.

"Champion, this is all...great, but...you really shouldn't be standing right now." Jo'fasa protested.

Meesei simply smiled. "I should not be alive right now, but you might say that I am disobeying..." She began, her gaze shifting down to Sabine. "...on both accounts."

The night spent keeping watch felt to Gallus like it was beneficial. Not only did he have a further distraction from his thoughts, but Ri'vashi's stress was a kind of buffer against showing his own stress. While talking, they avoided darker subjects. There were long periods of time where they were both silent, though even inane little topics made for long conversations.

It was with the first signs of light before the sun rose when Gallus finally gave up for a moment to grab a stimulating potion to keep himself awake.

---

Sabine's eyes slowly peeled open at the voice of Meesei and the commotion around her. She had to wipe the gunk from her eyes with the quiet crying she had been doing each time she had settled to nap in the night. She thought that her eyes were playing tricks until they were clean.

"Meesei, what are you...?" Sabine interrupted herself when the reality of the situation processed in her mind. She immediately sat up, ignoring the head rush that inevitably came over her as she watched in stunned silence.

Once she had her faculties back, Sabine stood to her feet and took Meesei by the arms. "How did you...?" Sabine looked up and down Meesei's body. "The silver was stuck. I did not think my potion would work this well. If it were strong enough for this, your organs would have..." Sabine wasn't sure whether to be happy or scared, as evidenced by her bewildered look. "I do not understand."

Before answering, Meesei wrapped her arms around Sabine to hug her as hard as she could, though her muscles were still quite obviously weak. Regardless, her attitude seemed to make her physical weakness irrelevant. "Well, it was a...combination of factors, really. Your potion, Marcaille's my own efforts. After you fell asleep, I had another conversation with Marcaille. We talked about her potion; she went into great detail, mostly to pass the time. But, it gave me an idea. I was able to use my magic to...how to describe it? Bridge the gap between them. Your two potions worked in slightly different ways. One tried to draw out the silver into the blood stream through the blood in the organs, the other simply tried to draw it into the bloodstream through the tissue. I was able to use the effect of the latter to draw the silver into the blood for the former. It did not quite remove all of it, but...it removed enough. Enough to manage.

Meesei lowered her head and brought her hand up to her chest. There was a slight grimace on her face as she allowed a wave of restoration energy to wash through her body. "There is still silver there, it is still hurting me, but the amount is low enough that healing magic can keep up with it. Actually, I was hoping you would be able to help me. A simple healing potion is all that is needed, but a normal potion does not last too long. Do you think you would be able to create a very weak healing potion that could last at least a few days?" She asked.

Sabine returned the hug as hard as she dared without causing Meesei further injury. Meesei's words caused Sabine's open lips to curl upwards into an agape smile.

"So you will...live?" she asked. She let out a short laugh of breathless relief before realising herself. "Um, a potion to heal over a long time?" Sabine cast her eyes over to the alchemical tools still set up. Her face had dropped into thought. "I could if I had the right ingredients."

Sabine's head swung back to Meesei with excitement. Her displayed levels of energy belied the dark rings around her eyes from the near-constant treatment from the night before. "I will find what is needed. I will not be long. Um..." Sabine looked around awkwardly and then tried to ease Meesei down to a seated position on her bed. "I can tell the others as well."

"Yes...please. Thank you." Meesei answered, carefully allowing herself to be seated. "I am sure there are many who would like to know. Marcaille went to go inform Ri'vashi, but I am sure our pack will be happy to hear the news. Certainly, I was pleased when I learned of it." She chuckled. "As long as I have a constant boost to my natural regeneration to counteract the silver, I should be fine. I am using my own magic at the moment, but I am feeling quite intensely tired, as you might imagine. The rate of injury from the remaining silver is slow, but I would not want to go to sleep without a healer present, or a potion."

Outside, the camp as a whole was busy. The healers had given Ri'vashi the word that the Senche-raht were ready to move, so she had given the order to pack up the camp. Or, at least what was necessary. With the warriors they had lost in the attack, not all of their tents would be needed, so many were being left behind to save space. Supplies were being taken off of the carts to be carried by soldiers, so that the carts could be used to carry those still too wounded to move on their own. Ri'vashi herself was exhausted, but continued to direct her soldiers with just as much energy as usual, thanks to the many potions of stamina she had been drinking.

In one of the healers' tents, Peiter had awoken, though he was far from being in a good mood. He had very little risk of dying at this point, but he was still confused, frightened, and angry. That anger would become even more apparent if he happened to see Gallus.

Sabine gave a nod and looked to the Cathay healer who was previously protesting. "Sorry, Jo'fasa. Would you mind staying here to keep an eye on Meesei while I am out? I will only be a few minutes, I promise."

Without leaving much space for compromise, Sabine flashed a parting grin at Meesei and shot out of the tent to update the pack. Most were likely packing up, but Sabine would speak quickly and feverishly enough that they would have to see Meesei for themselves to know what was really going on.

---

Both Tzirret and Uthri had been beside Peiter's bed for the entire night, though they had fallen asleep against each other on a pair of chairs. Tzirret's ear twisted slightly upon hearing Peiter stir and he opened his eyes first.

"Peiter, Peiter is awake." Tzirret sat up, nearly causing Uthri to fall over sideways had she not been awakened as well. Tzirret was glad to see his brother awake, but he was tempered by Peiter's look. Tzirret stood up and laid his hands on the side of the bed, leaning in to look at Peiter with an unsure smile. "How is he feeling?"

Uthri groaned and rubbed her eyes, but she managed a more motherly smile for Peiter. "You strong boy, I knew you'd be awake in no time." Uthri's smile levelled out. "How...much do you remember, Peit?"

Judging by the noises outside, the warband was getting ready to move. They might not have much time to talk, but they would at least stay for a while.

Meesei, despite her overall fatigue, remained sitting up on her bed, instead of laying down to rest. When the rest of her pack did come to see her, she wanted to erase any fear from their minds of her safety, so she did not want to appear still bedridden. While she was waiting, she decided to start work on the long process of healing her scars. With how long they had gone untreated, it would take some effort to return her scales to their normal shiny, smooth state.

---

Peiter was groggy when he first opened his eyes. At first, he was not entirely sure where he was or what had happened; that is, until he tried to rub his eyes. He looked to his right, and was overcome with an almost unparalleled feeling of horror. "What? Oh, no...no no no no no. How could this be? I...I remember."

Bringing his hand up to his head, Peiter tried to hide his tears. He could not bring himself to look at Uthri or Tzirret, and was not particularly responsive towards them. "Why me? Why did he do this?"

True to what she promised, Sabine returned a few minutes later with three leather wallets and clay mug. She gave Meesei another grin on the way to the alchemical equipment. "They are packing up their tents," Sabine said as she caught her breath. "They will not be long."

About two minutes passed where Sabine was simply chopping and crushing ingredients. The next in Meesei's pack to reach the tent were Janius, Kaleeth, and Lorag. When Janius pushed aside the tent flap and stepped in, he stopped. His eyes widened to see Meesei sitting up and healing herself again. "What...?" he whispered with confusion. He looked behind himself with a laugh and gave a grin to those behind him, before stepping in properly to let the others see. "Hircine's hounds! Meesei, Sabine told us you were alive not...lively! What in Oblivion did you do? Make a deal with another Daedra?"

---

Tzirret's ears receded and his mouth lowered into a sad frown.

"Oh, Peiter." Uthri reached out and gave Peiter's shoulder a comforting rub. "I am so sorry."

Not quite knowing the details of the story himself, Tzirret looked to Uthri with some fear. He didn't know what to do.

Uthri gave Peiter about a minute to settle from the initial shock, simply being there for him. She had no illusions as to how he was feeling. "You might ask Gallus yourself, but he saved your life last night," Uthri said. "The gas was spreading and your arm was caught under a piece of masonry that no one could have lifted or broken in time. There was nothing else we could have done."

When Janius and a few of the others made it to the tent, Meesei decided she would greet them not just with words. She smiled, then stood up, albeit somewhat shakily. As another demonstration of her improvement, she walked up to Janius, arms outstretched, and greeted him with a hug. "No Daedra this time. Sabine, Marcaille, some tenacity, and a lot of luck. I think that is an adequate summary."

"I gather that the camp is being packed, so I am assuming the Senche-raht are in good enough condition to move. I would help pack the tents, but my legs are still having difficulty with my own weight at the moment. Honestly, I may get some sleep on the carts once we leave. I feel like I need some rest quite badly at the moment." Meesei added.

---

Peiter covered his eyes, and for a short while, was entirely unresponsive. He did not acknowledge Uthri's answer, nor Tzirret. It was difficult to tell exactly what was going through his mind, but it was clear from his demeanor that he was still distraught. Their attempts at calming him had not yet been effective.

Finally, Peiter's sobs were broken up by words. "I remember...Sabine was trying to help me, then Gallus just...he didn't even try. You didn't even try! Just cut me out without a second thought." He shouted. For now, at least, Peiter would not be easily calmed, as he was not thinking rationally.

Janius raised a hand as soon as he perceived the trouble that Meesei was having with standing up. "Oh, no you don't have to..." Janius trailed off with his protests when it was made clear that Meesei had made up her mind. He was glad to embrace her after all the worry he had been through. "You are impossible, alpha, you know that?" Janius said with a wide grin while hugging Meesei.

As for Meesei's next words, that just caused Janius to let out another small laugh as he took Meesei's upper arms and pulled back. "You don't need to help up to pack up! I'm just happy enough that you're alive!" Janius turned his smiling face to Kaleeth and Lorag. "But I'm not the only one. Give me a moment, I have to thank one of your saviours." Supporting Meesei with one arm, Janius helped her into Kaleeth's arms, knowing that Kaleeth had been just as worried as him. Lorag would likely get a hug as well, even if he wasn't the emotional type.

Once Meesei no longer needed his support, Janius walked up behind Sabine where she sat and squat down to wrap his arms around her torso. "Come here you clever little runt!" Janius then lifted her up into the air, causing her to yelp and laugh.

"I only had one part in it!" Sabine said through her giggling. She tried not to kick over any glassware while Janius held her up, even though his ticklish hands tempted her to flail more.

Janius lowered Sabine to her feet and chuckled. "I don't care, you helped save Meesei's life!" Janius put a hand around to Sabine's forehead and gave her a loud kiss on the back of her head. "Mmmwah! You're brilliant!" He then let her go and turned to look at the rest of the tent. "Where's Marcaille? We'll have to thank her as well."

---

"Hey," Uthri cooed. She didn't take offence to Peiter's words. She could tell that he was too upset to be forgiving at the moment. "I know, Peiter. It is frightening. We're here for you now, me and your brother. We're here to support you."

Tzirret's mouth twitched into an effort of a smile, though the rest of his face didn't change. He had no idea what to say or do.

Uthri continued and would continue comforting Peiter for as long as he needed her to. "Just feel what you need to feel. It's a shock."

Kaleeth did not hold back in hugging Meesei, perhaps a bit too tightly. Nevertheless, after a strained groan from Meesei, Kaleeth relented enough that they could actually speak. "Sorry, Meesei, it's just...this is a miracle. I just couldn't imagine our pack going on without you. You've been so understanding, so patient with me. I know I've been so much trouble with my beast spirit; I think a lot of other alphas would've made me be alone like all the other werecrocodiles a long time ago. And you've helped me so much in learning to live outside our homeland; you're just the best kind of friend."

"Thank you, Kaleeth. I do appreciate the praise. And now, since your biggest fear of last night has passed, perhaps you can accept some of your well-deserved praise as well? Your actions during our escape last night were outright heroic. Without you breaking through the gate, and straight into their lines, none of us may have made it out of that fortress." Meesei responded.

Lorag stepped up alongside Kaleeth and gave her a few hard pats on the back. Obviously, his current mood was a far cry from what it had been the night before. At the moment, he was practically jovial. "Yeah, that naive hatchling this city boy scooped out of a swamp has really grown into her own. Now, obviously I could've broken us out of there too..." He began, chuckling. "...but you did alright. I'm glad to see our Alpha alive and well."

---

Peiter had no response for Uthri, and was remaining just as silent as Tzirret. Despite the offer of support, he could not help but to feel angry. At the moment, his mind was racing, and overwhelmed with an intense mixture of anger and fear. His mind was having a hard time coming to terms with the reality of his situation. The idea that he was going to be doomed to a life of disability left him wanting something or someone to blame. He was in no position to be thinking objectively on what Gallus and the others had done.

"Indeed," Janius said. "I said it once, I'll say it again, my love. You saved our lives. All of us."

Sabine went back to making her potion as the initial excitement had a few moments to calm down. Janius spoke up after a pause. "So, is it just an easy road to recovery from here? I understand you need to rest, but what needs to happen? Any more treatment?" Janius flicked his eyes to Sabine and back to Meesei. "Sabine was brief about things."

Part way into Meesei's response, Fendros and Ahnasha stepped into the tent. Fendros' reaction was just as stunned as Janius at first, though he wasn't the type to immediately go to jokes about it. "Meesei, you're looking better than I could have imagined," he said with his jaw looking like it was about to drop off his face. "You looked like you were on your last legs. This is nothing short of amazing!"

---

Uthri let Peiter weep as much as he needed to, putting an arm around his shoulder and holding him close. After a while, she sensed Tzirret's discomfort and spoke up to him. "Tzirret sweet, how about you start gathering our things? We'll be moving soon." She took another quick breath and raised a hand, "Oh, and look for Gallus. Tell him Peiter is awake."

Tzirret gave a firm nod at each request and wasted no time in making his way out of the tent. He was glad for something to do where he didn't feel out of his depth.

With Tzirret moving, Uthri turned her head to Peiter and began speaking softly. "Now, I know that this is a hard time for you, Peiter, but it is important that you know what is going on right now. The warband is moving our camp so we may be hard to counter-attack. The decision has not been officially made yet, but everyone is saying that we will most likely be heading back to the Orcrest clanhome now..."

Meesei nodded to Fendros with a grin on her face. "I suspect I will be receiving that sentiment quite often. I will live, of that I am fairly certain. We have managed to remove the vast majority of the silver, though some still remains. Sabine will be making long-lasting regeneration potions to counteract the damage of what is left. Unfortunately, I will probably need to take them for the foreseeable future. It will be incredibly difficult for me to remove what is left, but at least I will have time now."

Meesei stretched out the muscles in her neck and arms, though she did give a slight grimace of pain. Regardless, nothing in her demeanor suggested she was going to stop and lay back down at any point. "Well, even if I am not going to be packing up camp with all of you, I believe I am well enough to walk around with you all. I would like for the camp to see me up and, well, alive. Once we start moving again, I will get some rest in one of the carts."

"As long as you're sure you're alright." Ahnasha commented. "How many potions do you think you'll be able to make, Sabine? Will we need to get more ingredients for you? What are they made from?"

Kaleeth's mood had improved to the point where it looked like she was going to start jumping. Her smile lit up her face as she walked over and grabbed Janius' hand, then hugged him for no particular reason. They had all been through a tragedy, and they would no doubt return to worries and grief soon enough, but for the moment, Kaleeth had something she could simply be happy about.

Janius was just as enthusiastic, flinging his arms around Kaleeth and chuckling through a grin. He held her tight against his chest and lifted her up as well, but only for a moment, letting her feet fall and rocking her from side to side.

Sabine looked over her shoulder with a smile. "I can make...enough for three days before we have to move. The ingredients are common; wheat, a kind of jungle lichen, and fig seeds but..." Sabine pursed her lips and looked to one side, before turning around to give her full attention to Ahnasha. "They are being used up quickly for other remedies. We will have to collect much of it before we reach the desert again, and..." her eyes shifted slightly, "...There will not be any spare for sunburn salve." Sabine's eyes lit up slightly and she took another breath in. "I could make potions for Meesei that last for a longer time, but I would need mountain flowers that do not grow here. If there are settlements on our way back with apothecaries, one might have them. We could also use troll blood and troll fat, that would be very effective. Though, that is harder to find."

"Well, if there's any way we can help, let us know," Fendros said to Sabine. "Collecting ingredients, processing things. Even if we have to go on a troll hunt...granted there are trolls in Elsweyr."

Fendros turned to Meesei, who was starting to quiver again at standing up on her own. Fendros stepped up beside her and offered his shoulder. "Need some support? We could go with you to get some breakfast if you want."

Ahnasha gave a brief huff. "Please, there are trolls everywhere. The problem is that they only seem to show up when you least want them to. Still, we can look for any ingredients you need. It's just a healing potion you need to make, right? A long-lasting one, I guess. Otherwise, I know I'm not personally affected by the need for sunburn ointment, but...I'm sure everyone would be willing to go without for the wounded. Besides, we have plenty of clothing for everyone now."

Lorag was concerned about Meesei moving around already, but he was not going to question her. Instead, he gave his own input to the discussion. "Well, I know we're gonna have to stop at Corinthe to resupply before making the trek across the desert. We can get ingredients or potions there. Coin might be tight, but we'll manage."

Meesei steadied herself briefly on Fendros, but did not start to use him fully for support. "Do not worry, my legs are just sore. Rest assured, the danger has passed for me. Though, I could certainly use a meal."

Kaleeth, meanwhile, was practically giggling in Janius' arms. "This is just such a weight off my shoulders." She said somewhat quietly. I know there is still a lot happening to worry about, but at least there's hope. I do wish we could go back and get all those bodies to bury...and my armor. I think we'll have to leave it."

Sabine gave a bright smile. "That will be good. Making potions should be without worry, then."

Before they moved out, Fendros turned to Sabine. "Did you want to come with us to breakfast, Sabine, or did you want to stay and finish up here?"

"I am already underway and I want to finish before this tent is packed away," Sabine responded. After another breath, she paused and tiled her head to one side. "Could you...bring me something back? I am hungry."

Fendros smiled and nodded before moving out of the tent with Meesei holding on.

Janius pulled back to see Kaleeth's face while she spoke, but his expression lowered into a look of sad sympathy at her last point. "Oh, Kaleeth, I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, I would have carried it out for you last night." Janius closed his mouth and looked to Kaleeth's shoulder, running a hand down it. "I know how much that armour means to you..." His eyes turned up to her face again and he tried a hopeful smile. "At least we have this. Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to collect your armour later. We'll see what happens." Still facing her shoulder, Janius' eyes turned to the light coming in from the tent entrance as the pack was leaving. "How does breakfast sound to you?"

---

It was perhaps half an hour before Gallus finally showed his face to Uthri and Peiter. Tzirret was nowhere to be seen, no doubt he had been drawn into helping the healers pack up after he secured his pack's belongings. In the meantime, Uthri had gone to collect some breakfast for Peiter, though she wished she could console him more.

Disappointed with Gallus' delay, Uthri didn't say anything when he arrived. She merely greeted him with a cordial look as he approached.

Gallus himself was walking with long strides and had a tension in his jaw. The sunken look in his face and the dark around his eyes spoke as much of exhaustion as they did of stress. Uncharacteristically, he didn't so much as smile when he slowed to a stop at the end of the bed to greet them, even if he managed some enthusiasm in his voice. "Good morning!" he said, trading glances between Uthri and Peiter. He settled on Peiter once he paused to find some opening words. "How are you faring, Peiter?"

Kaleeth shook her head lightly. "No, it was better you were focusing on protecting yourself. You're more important than any armor could ever be. I don't know if we'll ever be heading back there, but...well, this was going to happen eventually. Meesei did always tell me to try to avoid carrying too many things at once that I wouldn't want to lose. No point in worrying about it right now; we can just try to have breakfast with the others."

Whatever breakfast the pack was going to have, it would have to be a quick one, for Ri'vashi was intent that the camp be moved quickly. Above anything else, she wanted to get everyone to safety. The Senche-raht had not yet recovered enough to bear heavy loads, but the unwounded Senche were already preparing to pull carts. Most of the tents they were bringing were packed, and the majority of the work that remained was deciding which supplies to bring, and which to leave. Because of the number of warriors they had lost, some of their supplies, equipment, and particularly tents would no longer be needed. To save space, they would be leaving some of it behind. Meesei had found a seat on an overturned log and was watching her pack finish up their packing while she tried to finish the boar's leg she had taken as her breakfast. Around them, she could see the eyes of the other warriors on her, and hear their whispers. In the aftermath of the battle, and the rest of the night following, many rumors had been created concerting her condition. And, now that they could see her for themselves, all new rumors were forming.

---

Peiter's reaction was, perhaps, not what Gallus had been hoping for. His mood had by no means improved since speaking with Uthri, and the fact that Gallus delayed in visiting certainly did not help matters. Peiter did not greet Gallus, but instead glared. He had scarcely touched his breakfast, save for a few bites in a half-hearted effort to satisfy Uthri. Peiter looked away from Gallus, gritting his teeth.

"You don't care." Peiter finally said, softly but firmly.

Gallus blinked and his jaw visibly clenched once more. "What was that?" he said after a second, turning his ear slightly towards Peiter. "I don't care? Well..." Gallus started looking around and jittered in place as he silently tapped his toe against the floor of his boot. His eyes widened as he spoke. "That's a surprising thing to hear, um..."

Gallus sniffed. With all that had been displayed, he seemed like he was holding back. He stilled himself and looked to Peiter directly, raised brow and all. "What makes you say that, my boy?"

Uthri tried to chime in, "Gallus, he doesn't mean-"

"-No." Gallus raised his palm to silence Uthri without taking his eyes off Peiter's face. "I want to hear what he has to say for himself."

Though somewhat afraid to speak, Peiter still felt just angry enough to lash out. There was still a part of him that was frightened to shout at his alpha, and worried about what might happen if he did, but that part of his mind was being effectively repressed by the rage he had awoken with.

"If you cared, you would have tried. You wouldn't have just...cut me out like some trapped animal. I remember Sabine tried, and I remember you stopped her! It's like you wanted me to be crippled for the rest of my life! It's over, my life is over. There's no point anymore; I can't do any of the things I've spent my life doing. I'm worthless now!" Peiter yelled. There were tears mixed in with his shouting, and while he was looking at Gallus now, he still could not bear to look him in the eyes.

Such defiance was not common for Peiter. In fact, he had never resisted Gallus in any appreciable way since he had joined his pack. Overall, it was as if Peiter were another person.