EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

It was good to hear that Najirra was willing to serve as judge, though Meesei was not expecting any less. As for Caleb's question, however, she had to pause and think. She had an idea of what she would do next, but she still felt she needed to learn more before she could come up with specific tasks for the others. "That is...difficult to say right now. As I said, I have only just begun my investigation. My knowledge of the day so far is limited to only what I have seen, and their testimonies. Granted, only one of them has a motive to lie, which is why I believe anything that at least two of them says can be trusted. From what they have said, I have identified two points where he could have been poisoned: during Jerrick's morning lesson, and when he stepped away from the meeting. After we are done here, I am going to speak to one of my pack who is examining the poison. Once she identifies it, she will likely be able to tell us how long it would have taken for the poison to kill him, which will narrow our search. Until then, I suppose one thing you could do would be to see if you can learn more about Jerrick and the lieutenants' movements during the day. They gave me their perspectives, but I am sure there were others who saw them. You just have to be sure not to reveal what has happened in your investigations. You have to keep your conversations natural, or come up with a good reason for direct questions. An advantage I have is that it is widely known that I am here to bolster our defenses against attack or infiltration, so I can get away with questions that would be otherwise suspicious. You may need to be creative. Your advantage is that the lieutenants do not know who you are, so the traitor will not be as highly guarded with you as myself or one of my pack. I may have more specific tasks for you once I learn more information, but until then, learn what you can. And of course, if any of you have saw Jerrick or the lieutenants today, I would like to hear your perspectives." Meesei explained.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Listening to the others discuss who should serve as judge, Meesei's mind started to side with Grolak and Caldris. Najirra was, by everything she had heard, very well respected among the clan. And, unlike the others, he was not in a good enough condition to do any investigating himself. He would make for a good choice. After all, Jerrick did select him as the one who was trustworthy and influential enough to prove Meesei's own innocence. "I believe they are right, Najirra." Meesei answered. "Think of what a judge is supposed to be. It is a person who is largely uninvolved, and unbiased up to the point when it is time to hear the evidence. You know of the situation, but you have not actually done any investigating; you did not hear me question them. For most, when they think of an ideal judge, it is someone fair, someone old and wise with the experience to back their decisions. It is someone they respect. You fit all of those criteria. If you were to serve as judge, I believe that would have the best chance of convincing everyone of the fairness of the trial, and help them accept its outcome. From my understanding, you do tend to stay out of clan politics, but that is why I believe you are ideal for the position. If people see you stepping out of your room for the first time in their memory, they will know the trial is serious. They know you have no motive for power or influence, so they will trust your word."

The Depths of Deception

It's alright, I've been having a lot of assignments to be occupied with anyway. Also, congratulations.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei remained patient as she allowed Caleb the time to collect himself. Najirra's words helped, but the news of his father's death was not easy to hear. Meesei had already seen Vera's reaction, and Caleb's carried no less pain. If it were possible, Meesei would have given both of them as much time as they needed to come to terms with what happened, but sadly, the situation was forcing that they make haste in their investigation. Upon, Caldris' question, Meesei pulled out her book of notes once more and started to review them. "Unfortunately, that is not an easy question to answer right now. This has all happened in only the last few hours, and my investigation has just begun. As I said, we do know how Jerrick was killed. His waterskin was poisoned, which means the traitor had to be able to get a hold of it while he was separated from it, as the source could not have been poisoned without killing anyone else who drank from it. I have questioned the lieutenants and have identified two possible times it could have been poisoned: during Jerrick's morning lesson in the main chamber when he transformed for a demonstration, and later in the meeting room, when he stepped out and forgot the waterskin inside. Since you all are unknown to the lieutenants, you could potentially gain evidence secretly. As well, I will also need a judge or judges for the traitor's trial, someone who would be known to be impartial between the lieutenants."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both Fendros and Lorag stuck with the two lieutenants, though they were the ones who had to lead the way based on Janius' directions. Luckily, they were lead straight to the room in an unused portion of the city. The chamber door was unlocked, though it looked as if it could be locked if they could get a way to unlock it. Stepping inside, Lorag immediately noticed the cold, which, while it was perfect for preserving the body, was not something he was exactly dressed for. As such, he preferred they keep it brief. Lorag walked up to what he assumed to be Jerrick's corpse, a guess that was confirmed when he lifted back part of the fur blanket over his head. Looking at the body, he shook his head lightly and sighed. "You believe it now, Harriet?" Meesei lowered her head as she glanced through the letters, particularly Caleb's. She had not been aware that Jerrick and Vera had a child, and he was certainly not going to take the news well. "You are...his son." She commented, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath before continuing. "As your letters indicated, Jerrick received a warning about this night, that he would be murdered by one of his lieutenants. He told me of this, and we prepared an ambush to attempt to save his life, but...the attack never came. Jerrick was poisoned through the waterskin he had been carrying all day. He...did not make it. I have confronted the lieutenants and assigned one of my pack to watch each of them. Outside of the people in this room, only my pack and the lieutenants are aware of Jerrick's death. He named all of you as trustworthy, and in finding and sentencing the traitor, I will need your help." Meesei explained, her tone solemn.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I think highly of her 'cause she deserves it." Lorag commented just before they reached the meeting room. From a quick look around, it was obvious the body had already been moved. The mood was gloom among most of the others, though Lorag was still just as alert. It would be stupid for the traitor to try anything at the moment, but then again, it was stupid for them to murder Jerrick. The other lieutenants were quick to confirm Jerrick's death to Harriet, not that it made her any less stubborn. Once Janius offered to take them to the body, Lorag gave him a serious glare. "Stick with your charge, Janius. Just tell us where it is, these two know their way around. Me and Fendros'll go with 'em." Najirra's advice was sound, and Meesei would certainly heed it if the situation arose. She did have an idea for how to keep Jerrick's death secret, but his daughters arrived before she could respond, and along with them, the recipients of Jerrick's letters. Meesei waited quietly until Najirra sent his daughters away, then stood up and stepped forward in front of them. "Greetings, my name is Meesei, Hircine's Champion. I...wish we were meeting here under better circumstances. I need to be clear that everything we say here needs to be kept secret from anyone outside this room. Nothing about this, or the letters you received, needs to be repeated to anyone else. Now, before we begin, I would like to know what you already know about the situation? I do not know the contents of the letters Jerrick sent you." Meesei asked.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Hey Ryonara, do you want to collab our next post, or just make them separately? It would probably be a short collab.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, all this isn't really my territory. I'm not some 'investigator,' I'm a warrior. I'll just do what the Alpha says. Trust me, she can handle it. She's smart, very smart. Trained from birth, or hatching, or whatever to be a leader and shaman and all that. If it's you, I'd be very afraid." He commented, though his tone was not necessarily accusatory, but more matter-of-fact. "She'll find who did it, and she'll have 'em killed. Well, unless they confess or somethin'. She's more into mercy than me." Meesei nodded in understanding. She was not entirely unfamiliar with the concepts of politics and public opinion, but it was not something she had been forced to deal with for some time. Certainly, the situation was delicate, and she needed to act with care and precision. Jerrick's warning was clear on what could happen, so she was going to need to take precautions. "I understand. I do hope my investigation yields enough evidence to make the traitor clear. Jerrick warned that if the clan is in chaos next week, during the full moons, it could be torn apart, so I intend to avoid that altogether. If word does not get out that Jerrick has been killed, then there will be no chaos, and the moons will pass with no issue. No matter how strong of evidence I find, I do not intend for this trial to be held until after the full moons. It should not be difficult to create a plausible explanation for Jerrick's absence. I do not wish to lie to the people, but it is better than the alternative. We may be able to simply start the rumor that he is away on some mission without me having to say anything on the subject, so it will not be attributed to me. In any event, as for the trial itself, if I am not appropriate to act as judge, then who would you believe the clan will find impartial?" She asked shortly before she heard footsteps approaching from down the hall.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei finished off the last of her notes for her initial questioning, then tucked them away in her bag. She had a few lines of questioning she could pursue later, and hopefully, one that could lead to the killer, or at least eliminate suspects. "Thank you. I will likely need to ask more of you later, but for now, that is all I need. I will send Lorag with you to the meeting room. You can ask the others where Jerrick's body has been moved to." Meesei stepped back out of the room and nodded to Lorag. Given how many times she had voiced the same order, she did not need to say it again for Lorag to understand what he was meant to do. He waited for Harriet to step out into the room as well, then walked with her towards the meeting room. Despite what had happened between them, Lorag was as alert as a guard escorting a prisoner, though he at least managed not to show it. Before Meesei could join the lieutenants in the meeting room, she needed to return to their room to see what Sabine had discovered, but first, she waited for Lorag and Harriet to leave, then approached Najirra. "This situation is terrible in every way. It is not what I hoped to find when we set out to come here, but it is the situation we are in. Jerrick entrusted me with protecting his clan from tearing itself apart, and I will do everything I can to fulfill that responsibility, but I am still new to this place, and these people. Do you have any advice you can give me, Najirra?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ahnasha wanted to give Vera as much time as she needed, but she was already shivering from the cold mountain air flowing in from above. She had herself wrapped in a fur blanket that she had thought to grab from one of the rooms on the way over to serve as a covering for Jerrick's body, but even so, they needed to get going. Once enough time had passed that it seemed like Vera was not going to move on her own, Ahnasha unwrapped the blanket from around herself and held it under her arm as she approached Vera and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Vera...we should get back to the meeting room. I know...I know there isn't much I can say. Jerrick, he gave his life for the clan, for everyone in it, and for you. He would want us to do everything we can to preserve it." "I wish you were right in your guess, but Jerrick did not survive, despite our preparation. After we are done here, you may go to see the body for yourself. Now, I just have a few more questions for you. For the first, I would like to know what route you took to the meeting room. Did you pass through the main chamber, or go a different way? For the second, I need to know if you remember seeing Jerrick's waterskin. We know that was the vector through which he was poisoned, so we need to find out when he was separated from it. Can you recall a point where you saw him without it?" Meesei asked.