[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

The whole group was out of the area within half an hour. After finding a few coins, rations, and portable valuables on the bodies of the fallen, they stacked up the remaining supplies with the bodies and set the building ablaze, torture equipment and all. The prisoner had a large blindfold tied around his eyes securely before Gallus loosened his leg bonds and guided him along at knife point.

At first, some in the packs had thought that S'ajira was merely an animal, having never seen a Pahmar before. That was challenged silently when Jo'rashaad claimed that she was his wife, and eventually they all assumed that she was an intelligent Khajiit without running into any particular dramas. The worst incident during the walk back was due to Leaps excitedly trying to figure the Pahmar out. That was solved by Janius shortening Leaps' leash and apologising. The question went unanswered as to whether S'ajira could talk.

The walk back in the dark would take longer than an hour, mostly due to the slow pace that the captives, both present and past, kept. The pride was likely fatigued, traumatised, and malnourished.

Tzirret, having recovered from the nausea of Ciinriel's torture, kept giving curious glances to the members of the pride. He had never seen a werelion before Colours and he had never seen their beast forms. He eventually built up the courage to approach the leader, Ra'katesh. Before being imposing, he tried to ease into conversation. "This one is happy that you and yours remain living. How...erm, how long were you imprisoned for?" The question was probably more appropriate for Colours, as he would have kept a better sense of time outside of the cells, but Tzirret was too nervous to think that deeply.

[EliteCommander]

Once everyone made it to camp, Lorag awoke Meesei to inform her of their success, and the prisoner they had captured. He would need to be dealt with soon, but first, they had to allow Ra'katesh's pride to settle in. Meesei immediately gave them access to their stock of spare clothing, food, water, and medical supplies, which all of them were glad to take advantage of. They were able to have their first good meal in months, along with potions to help them mitigate the constant soreness they all felt. Irenya, during the walk to camp, had manage to heal Ciinriel's most recent wounds to the best of her abilities, so she would not longer be in pain once feeling returned to her body. Although, she was still entirely silent as she ate her meal.

Ra'katesh was not sure on how to answer Tzirret's question. He tried to think back, but while in the cell, time all seemed to roll together. Rarely had he even known when it was day or night. After a few seconds, he still could not produce any definite answer, and instead gave a shrug. "Ra'katesh is unsure. It feels like it has been an eternity. Months, perhaps? None of us have seen outside of that room since we first arrived until today. All we heard of the outside is what they told us, and we did not trust anything they said. This one recalls they said the Champion had been killed, so most of what they said were likely lies."

[Muttonhawk]

"This one knows that is a lie, but they did try to kill her, as well as the rest of us. They failed," Tzirret affirmed. He paused and confirmed to himself that Ra'katesh was probably not someone to be nervous talking to before continuing. "I have never met a werelion before today. I have been curious as to what you look like...when transformed, I mean."

The conversation was stilted and short, cutting off long before they reached camp. Beyond that, there was little discussion between the pride and the others. All were likely too exhausted to bother.

Arrival back at camp found Uthri still on watch and Sabine fast asleep in her bedroll after reluctantly letting Peiter get his own sleep. Sabine peeked open her eyes a couple of times, but was far too tired to greet the newcomers.

For the most part, Fendros had recovered from the anxiety brought on by the rack, but it still floated around in his mind like a distant cry of alarm. He sat close to Ahnasha and gave Ciinriel a sympathetic look. "That Bosmer girl didn't deserve that," he murmured to Ahnasha, "She must be terrified." Since Colours was nearby, Fendros caught his attention and asked him, "I remember it mentioned that Jo'rashaad was connected to Ciinriel. How, exactly?"

Gallus wanted to get the interrogation over with quickly as well, so as soon as he arrived in camp, he secured the prisoner to a tree a short distance away with some more rope, bound his legs again, and searched for Meesei. "I've got a the prisoner roped up on yonder tree," Gallus pointed towards the still gagged and blindfolded Khajiit, "I was going to question him, there's no reason you can't join in if you feel strong enough and are inclined to. In any case, is there anything in particular you want me to get out of him?"

[EliteCommander]

Ra'kalesh continued with his meal as he listened to Tzirret. To him, the boy had a strange mix of nervousness and curiosity, but he was more than glad to speak to him, even with the state his body was in. It had been months since he had been able to have a conversation that wasn't of some dire nature. "Well, we look like...lions. It is not too much different from your werewolf transformations. You can see a hint of the creature we are based upon, but we are much larger and more powerful. Of course, we do not have quite the size or strength of a werewolf, but we have greater agility. Colors always says that it makes no sense, given how much larger and more fearsome a lion is than a wolf, but Ra'kalesh thinks he understands Hircine's intent. When acting as a pride, we can strike like lightning. Otherwise, I suppose the only difference with werelions is that there is a bit more of a difference between men and women. Male werelions tend to possess a large mane, while females do not. This is no different from the Khajiit themselves, but it is true no matter the race which becomes the werelion. Colors hates the fur."

Colors' head perked up when he heard his name. He did not mind talking about his pride, especially not that he knew they were all alive. They had endured terrible things, but at least they still had the chance to live. "Ciinriel is Jo'rashaad and S'ajira's daughter. Adopted, of course, but they are as close of a family as any can be. Ciinriel was turned when she was a young child, about ten years ago. At her age, ten years makes a lot of a difference, even for a Bosmer. She couldn't take care of herself then, but as I heard, those two didn't hesitate to take care of her. She is what brought them together. I can't imagine what it was like for them to see their daughter tortured like that; I can understand why Jo'rashaad was willing to beat that scum to death.

"That's not all it's about." A voice sounded out nearby. One of Colors' pride, La'khay, joined in the conversation. "Their girl was abused in ways much worse than any of us. That prisoner you have tied up to that tree over there, he took a 'liking' to Ciinriel. He liked Bosmer, thought they were pretty, and, well, you can guess where this one is going with that. It was sickening. Poor girl, La'khay hopes she can pull through. This one has seen other girls who went through the same thing at the place she worked in Senchal, so she knows what it can do to their minds."

For a moment, Colors was speechless, instead glaring over at the prisoner and snarling. "I hope we kill him slowly."

Meesei was fatigued, but the prospect of being able to finally interrogate a prisoner of the enemy was something she did not want to delay. And Gallus, it seemed, was of the same mind. Meesei was still under the effects of a healing potion, so she could walk around with no issue, as long as she did not attempt to do anything too strenuous. She spoke quietly to Gallus as she observed their bound prisoner. "Yes. The fact that he surrendered instead of taking his own life means he is not a zealot, so while he is likely not high-ranking, he may be more-easily persuaded to divulge information. We can ask him about the enemy's plans, it is entirely likely he may not even know anything beyond his direct orders. The most valuable information I reason we can get out of him is the strength of the enemy forces, and perhaps some locations. Now come, we should deal with him as soon as possible."

Stepping in front of the bound prisoner, Meesei stood with a strong posture. Although it would heal entirely in time, the scar on her stomach was still visible. At this stage, it looked like an old wound, which could perhaps even be somewhat intimidating. She spoke up with a firm, authoritative voice. "Remove his blindfold; I want him to see me."

[Muttonhawk]

The recount of Ciinriel's experiences in that basement was nothing short of horrific to Fendros. It was worse than he had originally thought and more repulsive than he could have imagined. To think that the one tied up nearby had committed such a torture - in front of the girl's adoptive parents, no less - caused Fendros to feel overwhelming sadness and contempt for the torturer. Jo'rashaad's reaction made a lot more sense now. "That wretch will pay dearly," Fendros said through his teeth, "There is no forgiveness for such actions."

Fendros glanced to Ciinriel again, then looked to La'khay, "I couldn't imagine that happening to our child. If there is anything we can do to help, do not pause before asking." Fendros breathed in to elaborate that his and Ahnasha's experiences might give insight into how to help Ciinriel, but he closed his mouth and let the breath go. No matter how many times he thought about Ahnasha's vivisection, there was always some amount of pain.

There was no hesitation or gentleness granted as Gallus squat down and untied the prisoner's blindfold, tugging it free roughly. "Greetings," Gallus grinned as he looked into the man's eyes. One was swollen and purple from the blow to the side granted by Jo'rashaad. "How's the bruise? Still feel like living? Here is where you get to negotiate." Gallus stood up and stepped back, but would undo the prisoner's gag as soon as prompted to.

They were out of earshot of the camp, so Gallus hadn't heard about the additional tortures perpetrated by the prisoner. Hopefully, the camp would additionally not hear about any compromises that Meesei and Gallus might make with him.

[EliteCommander]

La'khay shook her head solemnly. "La'khay does not know if there is anything we can do. The girls in Senchal, they rarely wanted to talk about it. Even with the work they were doing, it was painful for them to remember. This one does not think that help can be forced upon her; she has to be willing to accept it. Her parents tried helping her, but they don't know any more about that than this one. Perhaps all we can do is to be here to support her. To care for her. Her freedom will probably help."

Meesei took a few steps forward towards the prisoner, so as to appear even larger in his field of view. Her expression was not necessarily aggressive, but certainly not gentle. When she spoke, her voice could best be described as demanding. "I will not mince words with you, prisoner. What I want from you is everything you know about Vile's plans in this area. I want to know how strong they are, where they are, and what they want. Make no mistake, I will have that information before we are done. What your cooperation will negotiate for you is what happens to you in the aftermath." She said before giving a nod to Gallus.

Once the gag was removed, the prisoner started to laugh. "You beasts really are stupid. If Khajiit knew Vile's plans, which he doesn't, then you think he'd tell you? Vile can do far worse to this one than you ever could."

Meesei gave no immediate response to the Khajiit, and instead knelt down in front of him. She held out her hand a few inches in front of his face, then started to press her claw into her own palm until she drew a drop of blood. "So whatever deal you have made with Vile has bound you to him, you think? Well, that may be true, but I would like for you to think about this. A few drops of my blood, and you will be bound to the lord of the Hunt. You will have the spirit of the wolf tied irreversibly to your soul: a bond that I can assure you is stronger than any deal you could make with Vile. You would be bound for eternity to my master, the Daedra upon which you have waged war. I would like you to think on that for a moment. I would like you to think about all of the suffering you have experienced in your life. I would like you to think about all of the suffering you have caused, about all of the suffering that has ever been felt by any mortal on Nirn. Every death, every dismemberment, every single moment of torture throughout all of history. I would like for you to think about all of that, then consider, for a moment, that the sum total of all mortal suffering in history is but a fleeting moment next to the vast expanse of the eternity you will spend under the boot of my master. Now, do you have something to say to me?"

For a few moments after Meesei spoke, all the prisoner seemed to be able to do was stare and blink. Meanwhile, closer to camp, Jo'rashaad was watching Meesei and Gallus from afar. He was not close enough to hear the words they were saying, but he was not about to take his attention off of the prisoner.

[Muttonhawk]

Fendros sighed through his nose. "You are correct. We all are lucky to be in such caring families." Again, Fendros considered helping further, but he couldn't. He knew that tonight the pride would likely best spend their time recovering from the shock of their torture and getting back into reality. Fendros knew it was overeagerness to help pain that he knew of intimately, but he still felt partly annoyed at being useless.

Over by the prisoner, Gallus' reaction to Meesei's extended threat was similar to the prisoners'. Though his face was obscured from the prisoner, he looked as if he himself would be remiss to keep any secrets from Meesei - and he was already a werewolf. Quietly clearing his throat and snapping out of the moment, Gallus crossed his arms and looked back at camp. He caught the eyes of Jo'rashaad and noted his attention before looking back to the prisoner. He didn't want a repeat of the incident at the cabin, unless they wanted that kind of approach, of course.

Having had emptied his stomach in the basement of the cabin, Tzirret sat slowly chewing on a chunk of meat for his second dinner. He was looking around curiously amongst all of the newcomers, but didn't really feel comfortable talking to them for fear of offending them after such a long time confined. Sabine and Peiter were asleep, so there weren't many other great options. Upon finishing his final mouthful, Tzirret looked upon the still terrified looking young Bosmer girl and considered trying to speak to her. After a minute, he thought better of it. Given the story he overheard from the girl's aunt nearby, the last person she would want to interact with is another Khajiit stranger. Tzirret instead resigned himself to find his bedroll and get some sleep. It had been a long day.

[EliteCommander]

The prisoner tried to look away from Meesei, but she quickly grabbed his head and forced him to make eye contact with her. She stared at him wordlessly, but her body language made her intentions abundantly clear. As she brought her bleeding hand closer to him, he finally gave a frightened answer.

"Okay, okay, maybe this one can tell you something." He said quickly, after which Meesei backed off to give him more space. "But...he still does not know about what Vile wants. Khajiit was not lying about that. He is no commander, only a soldier. This one just follows his orders, and receives his payments. Deals with Vile can be lucrative and...punishing if broken. This one can tell you the strength of his forces and, oh, and where you can find them as well. Khajiit has been to the largest of our bases in the area, he can show you where to find it, but...his soul will be taken by Vile on death if he breaks his deal with him."

The prisoner's eyes darted back and forth between Gallus and Meesei nervously. He was afraid of them, obviously, but was also just as frightened of what would happen if he submitted. Eventually, however, his gaze focused on the drops of blood in Meesei's palm, and an idea came to his mind. "Maybe...yes, yes. Khajiit knows what can be done. Your blood; you can turn him into one of those things. A werebeast. It will bond him to your master, then he can work for Hircine. And maybe, when Khajiit does die, your master won't be as angry with him, yes? Promise to let this one go, and turn him into one of you, and he will tell you everything he knows."

For a moment, Meesei was silent as she considered the prisoner's offer. She preferred to avoid turning if she could, but this was a chance to get information from the prisoner willingly, with no further effort or trouble. And, if the prisoner was bound to Hircine, he would have an incentive to be honest. Although, it would mean letting go one of the pride's torturers. It was not an easy choice, and she glanced to Gallus to judge his reaction while she thought.

[Muttonhawk]

While Meesei's intimidation was effective, the prisoner certainly didn't let go of hope of a slippery escape. Gallus' reaction was to curl his lips and press them against his teeth in a tight smile. He was shaking his head. "That seems a valuable trade," Gallus began, sounding more amiable than Meesei, "Our gift is something rather...costly. I think whether you should join us should depend on the quality of your answers. Meesei," Gallus looked to her, "I'll be right back, I need to go fetch something."

Gallus walked away briskly to the camp and rummaged through their supplies. He came back less than a minute later with leather gloves on his hands and a new dagger on the back of his belt. It was a knife taken from one of the werewolf hunters they encountered. His absence would give Meesei and the prisoner a moment on their own. Gallus trusted Meesei to not turn the prisoner before he came back, if only to get something out of him.

[EliteCommander]

After Gallus left, Meesei decided to wait until he returned to continue her questions. For this conversation, she would prefer to have at least one other present. There was not a chance that this prisoner would be remaining with their particular group for any significant length of time, but turning him into a lycan was not something that would cost her at all. There was a great potential for him to be harmed from it, but she and her pack could simply send him on his way if they wished.

Once Gallus returned, Meesei continued. "If you hope to be protected from Vile's rage by Hircine, then you have much work ahead of you. But, this is not a deal I am opposed to. But, that is not a gift that I would give for nothing of value in return, and you have not yet shown that you actually know anything. I would like you to tell me about these forces of Vile's. What strength do they have?" Meesei asked.

The prisoner seemed reluctant to answer at first, but since he still had the location of the base, he could get away with sharing this. "Oh, very strong. Given how badly Vile's war has been going for him, this one wonders how he has been able to muster such a force. Their fortress alone has hundreds of ale-bodied soldiers, maybe more. And there are more in the region. Vile must have an entire legion in Elsweyr, and it is not just numbers. His force reminds this one of the legion in more ways than one. They are regimented, disciplined. There tactics and equipment are all very...military. They are not lycan hunter tactics exactly, but they are involved in them. Obviously, not all of them are outfitted with silver; that would be too expensive even for Vile's followers, but there are more than you can handle. This one thinks it's all because of their general. He's a Cathay-raht; strong, intelligent, leads from the front. Don't know much about him, other than his reputation. Don't even know why he's working for Vile, considering he's a werewolf."

[Muttonhawk]

Gallus put one hand over his chin and supported his elbow with his other hand. When the prisoner spoke of Vile's general being a werewolf, he lowered his brow, confronted. "A werewolf, you say?" Gallus' mind was brought back to Janius' description of the raiding party that nearly caught Sabine and Peiter. Their leader was a very tough Cathay-raht, but it wasn't enough to prove that the one they encountered was indeed the general. Still, the fact that he was a werewolf brought another important question into Gallus' mind. "Are there any other lycans amongst your 'legion'? Not including that clever perfume, of course."

[EliteCommander]

The prisoner shook his head. "No, none other than him. Well, there could be, but not that this one has ever heard of. This general of theirs is unique in many ways. If you want my advice, do not underestimate him."

"I will keep that in mind." Meesei commented as she thought about the implications of what the prisoner described. If it was true, then it did make more sense how the Senchal clan could have been overrun. A large force with a talented leader was a combination that could overcome even the strongest of defenses. "So, where can we find this fortress, and this general?"

Once more, the prisoner shook his head, but this time in defiance. "No...no, not yet. You have to turn this one first. Turn him, and promise to let him go. Khajitt will not let his soul be taken by Vile after this."

Meesei glanced to Gallus and gave a nod before kneeling down in front of the Khajiit. She reached out to one of his arms and tore his sleeve, then cut a gash across his bicep, causing him to cringe in pain. She held her other hand over the wound and squeezed a few drops of her own blood into it. "My blood is now within you. You are not a lycan yet, but in about three days time, the condition will grow strong enough to overtake you, and you will transform for the first time. Be sure you are not close to civilization when that happens. Now, for your part of the deal."

The prisoner let out a deep, nervous breath as he thought about what was going to happen, but nevertheless, nodded in compliance. "Okay, Khajiit will share what he knows. You found a map when you searched this one's belongings, yes? Well, there is a very subtle mark on it over the location of the fortress. Bring it over here and this one will show you."

Meesei prompted Gallus to go retrieve the map from camp and, once he returned, unrolled it in front of him. "Here is your map, now where is this mark?" She demanded.

"Well, this one cannot show you like this. If you unbind his hands..."

"Do it with your toes." Meesei ordered firmly as she held the map close to his feet. After a moment, he pointed to a spot northeast of Corinthe, in the northern Tenmar forest. Sure enough, there was a small, subtle mark that had been added to the map, which would have been easy to overlook.

"So...you have the map, and you know where to find the fortress. What...does this mean for this one now?" The prisoner asked.

"It means he's useless to us now." A voice sounded out nearby. From the direction of the camp, Jo'rashaad stepped towards them. Evidently, he had moved himself closer to them as they had been interrogating him; although, it was not certain how much he had overheard.

[Muttonhawk]

This time, Gallus did not motion between Jo'rashaad and the prisoner. He simply clasped his own hands behind his back, looked to Jo'rashaad, and then to Meesei. There wasn't much more information that could be trusted in the newly-infected Khajiit, that he could think of anyway. They now had a next step. To release this prisoner would be less an act of honour than creating a greater liability. There was no notion in Gallus' mind that he wouldn't just go right back to Vile. Still, what they said could be construed as a promise.

Considering what to do, Gallus opened his mouth and took a breath in, speaking slowly and clearly, "If you wanted to be completely fair, Meesei, I think the only redemption this creature is going to get in our lord's eyes is if he successfully escapes. A vengeful hunter is a renowned foe indeed."

[EliteCommander]

Jo'rashaad sneered at Gallus, obviously unsatisfied with his suggestion. "This depraved waste of fur inflicted a kind of suffering you cannot imagine upon this one's family. He is a coward and a monster; the fact that you would consider giving him even a slim chance of escape is an affront to the very concept of justice. This one does not care if he now has the beast blood, only that Jo'rashaad should be the one to spill it!" He shouted.

Meesei could certainly understand Jo'rashaad's anger. Torture was a terrible experience to endure, and vengeance was something even Meesei would likely desire if she was ever put through it. However, throughout this war, Meesei had gained a reputation as one who would keep her word, even to the enemy. If an enemy prisoner made a deal with her, she could be reasonably expected to honor it. It was something that made prisoners who knew of her more likely to be cooperative. Even if she would rather him see justice, she wanted to keep to her word.

"Your anger is justified, Jo'rashaad, but I made a deal not to kill him if he was cooperative. If I start breaking my word, then cooperative prisoners will be a thing of the past. He is scum, yes, but allowing me to keep to my word is better for all of us." Meesei explained.

Jo'rashaad was seething in rage, towards Gallus, Meesei, and especially the prisoner. He glared at the bound Khajiit in front of him, who was looking back at him with no shortage of fear in his eyes. The prisoner knew exactly why Jo'rashaad was so relentlessly angry, and it was enough to make him terrified. There was silence for a moment, then suddenly, something that none of them had quite expected. The anger within Jo'rashaad had reached its breaking point, and before anyone could act in response, he charged enough destruction magic through his hands to charge and launch an ice spike straight into the prisoner's throat. The artery which is severed caused blood to pour from his neck fast enough for him to bleed to death in but seconds.

"This one does not care." He said, breathing heavily and baring his teeth as he looked upon the corpse with his hand still swirling with frost magic.

[Muttonhawk]

When the initial shock and surprise of the prisoner's execution passed after a moment, Gallus looked to Jo'rashaad with an open palm and an angered look. He looked as if he was about to shout, but instead he turned slightly away, scrunched his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was only then that he realised how tired he had become after all the events of the day. He ran his hand down his face and sighed. "Well, that is decided, then," Gallus said with sarcastic joy, kneeling down to retrieve the rope used to restrain the glaze-eyed corpse that was their prisoner. "That was honestly a quicker death than your tone suggested he deserved."

Gallus' voice turned to a frustrated muttering as he untied the ropes, hardly audible by either Meesei or Jo'rashaad. What they could understand pertained to the prisoner's chances of survival being non-existent and something else about a lack of respect. All knew that if Gallus considered what he was going on about to be real problems, he would have to speak them, but Gallus was speaking from a tired and fed up mind. He spoke up more clearly with a more jaded voice a moment later, waving one hand, "I'll clean all this up. The sooner we get to tomorrow, the better."

[EliteCommander]

"It was." Jo'rashaad said simply and angrily before he started to walk back to camp, ignoring anything more that anyone had to say to him. Were the situation different, Meesei likely would have confronted him right then and there, physically if necessary. Meesei had made her decision on what to do with the prisoner, and Jo'rashaad had gone against it. She could not and would not have her authority bypassed in such a manner without punishment. However, Jo'rashaad's body was already in a weakened state and could not afford any physical trauma. Not to mention, he obviously had mental scars from his torture, and may not have been acting in his right mind. For those reasons, Meesei did not say anything immediately, but that did not mean she was finished. She was going to go to his pride leader to discuss his punishment.

Ra'kalesh had been able to see the exchange from camp, and while he could not hear what they had said, just seeing the events unfold was enough to let him know something was wrong. He met Meesei just at the edge of camp, as it was quite obvious she was upset. "Champion, what just happened?"

"What happened is that Jo'rashaad acted against my direct orders. I arranged a deal with the prisoner in exchange for information, and while we did receive that information, your pride member forced me to break my word by killing him. The ordeal you all have endured kept me from acting on that offense immediately, but I cannot ignore this. I cannot have my authority challenged in such a way." She explained.

Ra'kalesh let out a sigh. He was conflicted between loyalties, knowing that Jo'rashaad was wrong to act against the Champion, but also that the prisoner deserved far worse than what he received. No matter what their obligations were to the Champion, there was no way he could expect Jo'rashaad to just let go of what their prisoner had done. He turned for a moment and looked to Jo'rashaad, who had returned to sit with his wife. They sat together watching their daughter sleep, both in tears.

When Ra'kalesh turned back to Meesei, he was just as uncertain, but nevertheless decided in his response. "Champion, this one is...sorry this happened. But that monster tortured more than just physically. Ciinriel, she is Jo'rashaad and S'ajira's daughter. That prisoner, he took her and...had his way with her, right in front of us. Surely you can understand why Jo'rashaad could not let him go? That kind of pain is not something someone should endure."

Meesei could not say anything upon Ra'kalesh's explanation. The context he gave made her more understanding of the Khajiit's actions. Had she known, she likely would not have given that prisoner any hope of survival. Jo'rashaad had still defied her orders, but as her eyes wandered across the camp and found Sabine sleeping in her bedroll, she paused and closed her eyes. "I understand."

Meesei looked back to Ra'kalesh with less hostility. "Just be sure that he understands it can not happen again."

"Of course, Champion." He answered. Both of them then separated, with Meesei heading back to her own bedroll. There was much they all needed to discuss, especially with what they had learned from the prisoner, but now was the time for them to get as much rest as they could.

[Muttonhawk]

The night passed without further incident. Apart from those on watch, Gallus gained the least sleep after butchering the prisoner for edible flesh and burying the remains in a shallow grave. He figured that even as the wretch that he was, the prisoner would not go to waste any further.

The first to awake with the dim blue light preceding dawn was Sabine. It was no wonder when she felt a sore jaw from clenched teeth and a certain tension in her shoulders. It wasn't nightmares that caused her the stress this time, but likely the emotional tumult of the previous day. She awoke with surprise to find a number of new faces, obviously the rescue was successful. She detected motion to one side and spotted Fendros on watch, they exchanged a wave. Due to the already building heat in the air, Sabine quietly found her breakfast and began eating it raw. In the wait for everyone to stir, she kept looking over the new faces, but she also found herself glancing at Peiter again.

The next to wake up was Rhazii. The small gasp that Sabine heard and the immediate motion to reach for Ahnasha and hold onto her suggested a nightmare.

Smelling food, Leaps eventually stirred and gave Sabine a good morning in his excitable croaking of an animal language and begged to be fed. Sabine giggled and gave him a scratch under the chin, before pointing to the still sleeping Janius. "Go wake Janius, go on," Sabine whispered. Leaps understood enough to start waking Janius up as he usually did, likely waking Kaleeth and Newt in the process.

Within the hour, just as the sky turned orange, just about everyone had risen. Once Gallus was awake, he retrieved the map leading to the fortress and gathered both Meesei and Ra'kalesh. "We need to plan our next move. Once we get orientated and packed, we ought to scout out this fortress, see what we're up against. Ra'kalesh, can you join us to fight, or do you and your pride need to recover further?"

[EliteCommander]

Pretty much everyone in their now rather large group was awake not too long after dawn, albeit reluctantly for some. The previous day had been exhausting for all, and not everyone had been able to get a good night's rest. Peiter and Meesei had at least been able to get enough rest and enough healing that neither were at risk of any serious complications from their injuries. With some more, periodic magical healing, their scars would even be healed as well.

Breakfast was actually somewhat lively for some among the group. Within Ra'kalesh's pride, some had finally absorbed the fact that they were finally free. No longer would pain and suffering be the daily norm, nor would they need to fear for the lives of themselves, or their friends. A few were actually in cheerful moods. Around the center of camp, Colors, La'khay, and even Ciinriel found themselves talking and laughing with one another, and the others that were joining them for breakfast.

Naturally, Peiter decided to find Sabine shortly after he grabbed his breakfast. He took a seat next to her before quickly realizing he still had nothing to say. There was much on his mind from the previous day, but surprisingly little of it involved the ambush, or his own wounds. He seemed to be in an oddly good mood considering the situation. "So...how are you feeling this morning? Do you...still want me to sit with you?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle."

Although she felt like doing little more than resting after her breakfast, she knew she had her responsibilities to tend to. Gallus had been sure to gather herself and Ra'kalesh as soon as they were both available to discuss their next move. Gallus seemed quite enthusiastic to take action on the information they had gathered, but Ra'kalesh was less confident, and Meesei had a more tempered response in mind. "I believe you may be too eager, Gallus. It is no small trek from here to Corinthe; the fortress in question is nearly halfway across Elsweyr. And, if the prisoner was being truthful, Vile has a force much larger than ours ready to defend it. This knowledge of where to find our enemy's fortress is, unfortunately, useless to us if we do not have the forces to deal with them."

Ra'kalesh nodded in agreement. "Yes, and even if our numbers were enough, this one's pride is just not ready to join you. Our wounds are the culmination of months of torture, and our bodies withered from months of neglect. We are weak, and will need much more time to recover. We can travel if we must, but fighting is something we should avoid if possible. We would not be of much use to you."

[Muttonhawk]

Though Sabine gave Peiter a smile, she was of a mind to slap Peiter for almost undermining the words that she had worked up the courage to say the previous night. Thankfully, Sabine was not a violent person and she didn't want to admit the effort she had put forth. Instead, she shifted from where she sat until she was close up beside Peiter and let that be her answer. She found it amusing to see his reaction anyway. "I am fine," she said, only at as high a volume as was absolutely necessary. Her eyes shifted to the bandages that now obscured Peiter's burns, "How are your wounds?"

Gallus put up his hand and nodded. "I understand. I didn't want to deny you the opportunity, but with what you say, your decision is probably for the best." Gallus' eyes returned to the map, "I never said anything about attacking just yet, only scouting. Still, you're right, we will need more numbers. Sending for an army from other clans will take a long time, so there'll be a few more options. Let's see..." Gallus straightened up and actually put more thought into other things to do. He listed them off with his fingers as they came to mind, "There's finding more remnants of the Senchal clan, there is rooting out and disrupting more of Vile's operations...establishing our own base of operations - especially if our numbers are to grow further, hmm...I suppose we could explore the possibility of combating this big force by other means; raids, assassinations..." Gallus blinked and glanced to Meesei and Ra'kalesh, "...I am still sounding too eager, aren't I?"

[EliteCommander]

Peiter rotated his wounded arm with a light groan. "Sore, but better. A lot better. Irenya said they were just fleshwounds, but...let me say for the record that 'just fleshwounds' can still hurt like a duststorm in the Deadlands. I think I'm going to stay away from any silver-wielding giant cats in the future. That Khajiit, uh, really kicked my behind, didn't he?" He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He at least wanted to try to laugh at himself over the whole ordeal. As he moved his hands back down to his sides, however, he mustered up some bravery of his own and allowed his hand to rest slightly on top of hers.

Meesei returned a smile. "Yes, but the reasonable kind of eager, this time. It would be nice to be able to scout them, but as I said, Corinthe is no small journey. Our time may be better served by exploring our other options. Colors mentioned that the survivors from the Senche clan were able to retreat, but he does not know where they have gone. There is also the Orcrest clan in the deserts of northern Elsweyr. It is even farther than Corinthe, but we know we have a force which will support us there. Between the two, I would prefer to find the survivors in this area first. We need to attempt to find some lead as to where they may have gone."

"Ra'kalesh may be able to help with that, actually." He said as the topic of his clan came up. "In the clan, this one was the second to one of our leader's lieutenants. This one was not privy to all of our long-term goals, but he does know that we had emergency plans for events like this. There are no guarantees, but...this one may have an idea of where they may have gone. Or at least where we can start to look. I can say they would not be around Senchal, though. If evacuation ever became necessary, our leader guessed that this peninsula would not be safe from the enemy."