Wergar
The Panther strode over to where Keerava, Talen and I were standing. My body took to shaking once again. My knees failed me, causing my Argonian friend and I to fall forward. Talen went for us, trying to catch.
"Oh come now Wergar, surely you cannot be scared of me? You've faced Leopold before, right?" Opal's question may have been honey-coated, but I knew there was a malicious force behind it.
"Y-yes..." I said. It was barely audible.
"What was that?" The Beauty asked, cupping her hand to an ear. The Catlords are known for their brutal nature, in and out of battle. The Panthers were far worse than the Lions. Only one other is deadlier than both put together.
"Yes!" I cried. My voice had a mind of its own, like the rest of me. The only bodily functions I still had authority over was my tears and arms. Slightly in my arms, anyway.
Opal just chuckled , amused to see the terrifying Gray Wolf cower before her. The Pantherlady knelt beside me and whispered, "I'm the reason you still draw breathe, Wergar." She purred while she spoke.
My eyes grew wide in disbelief. No, I thought, it can't be true! This had to be a lie, it had to be...
The Beauty grabbed me by the neck and lifted me into the air. I didn't try to fight back; my shaking became worse.
"Wergar!" Talen-Jei and Keerava called together. The couple tried to jump the Cat, but she was too quick. Her left fist hit Talen sweetly across the jaw while the right foot got Keerava in the chest. Both hit the floor with a hard thud.
"No," I whimpered. "Why are you doing this?!" The Catlord didn't say anything; she just stared into my eyes, burning holes through my skull. Opal squeezed my throat tighter, cutting off my air way. Now my hands went to hers, trying to pry it away from me. I haven't healed that much from waking up, Lex and his men did their work well. She was partially transformed into the Panther: her fingertips were clawed, eyes a bright yellow, and canines slightly enlarged. This was the end for me and my bloodline.
I turned my eyes from the Panther to Volwulf. The Old Nord was staring at the door, just waiting for his chance. Whether that meant getting away or grabbing the guards, I had no idea which. The man was becoming bleary; my end was close. Opal turned her head in the direction of Volwulf.
Now.
The old Nord took his chance and ran for the door closest to the stairs. For his age, Volwulf was quite fast, but not fast enough. Opal had a throwing object in her claws. I flew through the air, straight and true, crashing into the white-haired man.
The wind could be heard from Volwulf's gapping mouth, as well from mine. I heard pops and cracks coming from his chest. The ribs were broken. After a couple seconds of pain, Volwulf was unconscious. I was sprawled out on top of the man, my body screaming in pain. The feeling of being crushed by a Weremammoth was how I felt.
Opal was laughing from where she stood, the black dress bouncing ever-so-slightly. Her voice had a mix of beast and woman within, giving her a gruff sound. Dammit, I thought, how the hell am I going to stop her from killing us? I needed to think, and think fast. There were two options: transforming and the Voice. Transforming with an injured body isn't a great idea. The Voice won.
Talen-Jei and Keerava were still on the floor, clutching where they'd been hit. As they tried to rise, Opal walked up and snatched Talen's scaly neck; she did the same to Keerava. Immediately their hands went to Opal's and they began to claw at the black forearms. The Panther squeezed all the tighter, cutting off their air supply. The couple's eyes began to bulge from their sockets.
Now or never, I concluded, as I worked on standing up. It took me a couple of seconds to achieve this. Glancing at the Argonians their hands were starting to go limp, time was running out and I needed to act fast. "Opal!" She took her glowing yellow eyes off the prey and looked at me. "Fus... Ro Dah!" A shockwave of sound flew from my mouth, followed by a noise that acted like thunder which filled the inn. It no doubt was heard from outside, drawing attention. Hopefully...
The blast hit the Pantherlady in the center causing her to let go of Talen and Keerava. Opal hit the wall in the sudden change of events, but she wasn't done moving. She continued to hit her head against one of the stairs with a hard thwack. Slowly the features of the Panther vanished beneath the ebony skin, leaving a knocked out woman behind.
Once again I fell forward landing on my hands and knees, exhausted from the sudden ambush. The doors of the inn burst open, guards coming to see what was happening. They saw me.
"Dragonborn... Wergar," a woman guard asked, "what happened?" Her garb was leather-make with purple accents, the traditional armor worn by the Riften Guard. I began to explain what took place.
Thankfully it didn't take long to explain the situation. Questions were asked and answered (without giving too much information) and Volwulf was being taken to a temple priest for his injuries. Talen and Keerava stayed at the inn, the injuries they sustained weren't too serious for a priests work. What really helped them was their reptilian scales.
"Wergar, what do you want us to do with..." the female guard stopped to look at Opal. She was in an un-glorified heap. "Is that a man or woman?"
Not being able to hold back a little chortle, I could almost agree with her. Leaning against the corner of the stair case leading up stairs, I stated that the ebony skinned individual was a woman. From a distance, one could make the mistake of thinking Opal a man. Not from up close and personal. Opal is a beauty that is almost out matched. "You need to take her into the jail," I said, changing the demeanor of the previous conversation. "And make sure she's manacled to the wall."
"Why?" The question was somewhat justified, but oh well.
"Because she is a Werelord like myself," I replied. "A Werepanther. A master of her therianthropy. She wouldn't dare transform with her hands bound!" I spat the last part. This was the first time in a while that I've ordered someone to be manacled.
"Anythin' else?"
Something crossed my mind just then. "Yes, actually. Make sure she's ready for an interrogation in a few days time. There are questions I have which need answers!"
The guard took this into consideration. Finally she asked, "Would you like some of the city guard with you? You know, in case things get outa hand?" It was nice of her to offer.
"Not at all, thank you," I said, contemplating on the offer a little bit. "I'll interrogate her when I'm recovered." She nodded and went to the Pantherlady. The guard had to get another to help her with Opal. While they took her away a smile came to my face, almost sickly. "She'll never know what hit her."
