Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

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.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Galsek spat to one side and rose his voice, "It was a hedging of odds, you lackwit! I happen to know what kind of strength and tenacity lies in one such as Hircine's champion." His voice levelled again, "If Harriet had won, I would come back after a day easily explained. If not, I would be accused. She said she needed defence against magic, I gave her the means." Galsek exhaled, but he wasn't quite done. "Perhaps I knew a little about the Orc slayer that was your ascendant quarry." His voice was intentionally deepened and grumbly, "Perhaps I knew about the fate of the previous champion. That enough is demonstrative of your power."

As far as Meesei could perceive of Galsek's expressions, he was still outwardly angry, but that was possibly an attempt hide small details. He was fidgeting, fearing for his life.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Galsek flinched as Meesei's magic flowed. He bared his teeth and let out an annoyed snarl as he made his decision. "Fine," he said resentfully, "I answer, I leave. Anything of Galsek's is at your mercy." Galsek pitched his head to one side momentarily to stretch his neck before continuing. "I was leaving for fear of being caught up in your accusations. I know the boy told you what I said to him. Even with the ring, Harriet's hubris was too great to see past her common solution; fighting. I knew she would not succeed." Galsek glowered at Lorag and Janius, "My time to escape was nigh, if it weren't for your worm and your toad."

Far from offense, Janius had to stifle a laugh into a snort and cross his arms.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Galsek heard Meesei out, leering at her eyes in anger. When she finished, his head bowed down, he closed his eyes, and he sighed through his nose. His tone in responding was not mournful, rather it was disappointed. "So she is dead, despite it all. Just as I thought might happen..."

He paused for a few moments, almost as if he wasn't going to answer at all, but he looked back up at Meesei with just as serious an expression as she was giving him. "So you want to promise leniency? Leniency is uncertain. I want leave to exit this mountain if I answer you. Nothing less."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Without being asked, Darahil calmly walked up to the dais as Meesei was leaving and began to shout order into the crowd once more. It was merely brief instructions to go about business as usual and that leadership selection would be dealt with soon. The crowd began to disperse now. Many of Harriet's followers seemed listless, but not violent by any means. If anything their state was simply one of uncertainty.

"We tied him up and have been keeping him in a room nearby," Janius said as Meesei approached. "I'll take you there." Janius turned around and walked back towards the dining hall, but not before throwing Kaleeth a quick smile. He at least seemed certain that the main danger had passed.

Fendros stayed by Meesei's side. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ahnasha and Rhazii unmarked by the incident. "Are you all okay? It was a rush to get out back there. I was afraid someone might be trampled."

Behind Ahnasha, Sabine quietly crept up to everyone and managed a small smile at them. "Is it over?" she asked. The movements of her mouth revealed a small bruise on her cheek.

Janius pointed it out while they walked. "What happened to you?" He asked Sabine half casually.

Sabine rubbed her cheek, "I got hit by an elbow. It was an accident." She walked closer to Meesei and looked up at her with a worried frown, "Are you hurt?"

It wasn't long before Janius brought them to an empty room containing only Lorag and a tied up Argonian man. The Argonian hissed at the sight of Meesei, but was otherwise helpless where he sat bound in ropes. Despite it being the first time that the whole pack had been gathered in one place since the day they arrived, Sabine, Fendros, and Janius didn't know what to do with themselves.

"What are you all here for? Did you all want a quarter of Galsek as a souvenir? You'll all be punished for this!" Galsek struggled, but got no closer to freeing himself.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

There were murmurs, but most appeared to be in agreement. They could understand that their enemy could hold great power over minds. It was only just that Harriet be checked over for traces of such power subjugating her.

Vera couldn't quite bring herself to look at Meesei once attention was brought to her. She kept her head bowed to the ground and her hands clasped together. "If it really was her...if she killed Jerrick of her own volition. I think..." She stopped to take a quite breath, "...no, making her suffer is not going to bring him back. If she must die, I do not care by who or how, only that it is swift."

Najirra nodded, "We will leave the remainder of decisions in your hands, champion."

"Hey, Meesei!" Janius' voice sounded from the door to the dining hall, "You'll never guess who we found trying to slink away while all the fighting was happening. A certain Argonian man we've heard about?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Where Harriet's breathing had been a whistling wheeze, Meesei's magic helped to open her throat up again. It started with a sound like a long, constricted gasp, but by the second breath, she appeared stable. At this point, her body began to contract until she was in Orc form again. Just as well, as her beast form might have been too heavy for the stretcher that the healers had brought out to pick her up.

Meesei's offer came with no counter-challenge from any in the audience. Swords were slid back into scabbards, shields were slung over backs, and hammers were rested by their heads on the ground.

A section of the crowd once again parted for Najirra. He was supported by his daughters again, but he gently brushed them off and gestured for them to wait at the edge of the dais as he shuffled the rest of the way to Meesei on his own, limping on his cane. He had a serious face as he walked up to Meesei, but he was not as disappointed or cross as his exit had been. "Champion, thank you for staunching this wound. This one was afraid that this floor would be riddled with the dead my the end of the hour. If I may," Najirra raised one hand up to Meesei's wounded arm and began to speed up the healing process with his own yellow restoring light. "For such grievous crimes, Harriet would be put to death, but these eyes can see a different fate for her on your mind. What fate would you have for her, and for the clan?"

All the eyes in the room were on Meesei, expecting an answer. Indeed, the fight was meant to be to the death.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For tense moments after Meesei's roaring demand, there were no sounds but the gagging and ever-lightening choking of Harriet's throat. There didn't appear to be any reaction from her except pain as her thrashes faded to harmless swats against Meesei's arms. She started to open and close her jaws a few times, but had no way of talking. With one last aimless swipe across the air in front of Meesei's front, Harriet's entire body slumped. Even her legs buckled under her own weight as the only thing holding her up became Meesei's arm.

"...she defeated her," a voice quietly whispered, "She really is Hircine's champion."

The portion of the crowd that was on Meesei's side started to shout "Victory!" Out of unison, but all as loud as they could. Eventually, it steadied into a chant. "Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The other portion were somewhere between worried and startled. Many had their mouths agape. Thankfully, they didn't seem up to fighting now. Any with weapons in their hands were hanging them low in their grips. Their morale had been shattered.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Whatever shouting there was from the crowd ceased in this bind. Harriet redirected her thrashing to the arm that jabbed towards her throat. The strike had come as a shock, evident by her wide eyes and gaping mouth. Her strikes were not ordered and powerful as they were previously, however. They better resembled wild flailing. Her glazing eyes and choking sputters told why. Meesei's claws were strangling Harriet.

Whether Harriet was open or not, she had nowhere near the awareness to react in time to Meesei's other arm short of closing her eye as a reflex. Meesei's other claws jabbed into the eye socket regardless, but Harriet only managed a pitiful squeak from her constricted wind pipe as her back arched in pain. Her slowing arms likely preceded passing out if Meesei kept her grip.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Everything was going wrong for Harriet. She raked at Meesei's arm instead of her throat and was shaken about by the other arm. Meesei's jaws were clamped like a toothed vice. The pain was such that Harriet cried out and threw her head forward and her caught arm down in desperation, trying to wrap her teeth around Meesei's face. Her fangs caught around one side of Meesei's snout and around the upper part of her face. A fleeting resistance of flesh found one tooth reaching Meesei's eye. It was not an easy angle to grip from, however, and Harriet's jaw swiftly slid away, scratching Meesei's face as it went. With no other opening, Harriet occupied herself with staying balanced and trying the same attack over and over again.

This was beyond Harriet's skill. In the desperate gnashing she was not paying attention to Meesei's remaining free arm.

---

Janius hummed and nodded in agreement before binding the fleeting Argonian's hands and legs. Only then did he let him up and lead him hobbling to a secure room.