wrong side of heaven

The warden's intent was to rile the captive in to a combative situation, but the words did not appear to affect him too much. He drank them in and said nothing while Njal spoke to him, and then when the grey man began to apply proper pressure, Cutthroat buckled in to the soil. The final question posed before him was met with resistance, which was something Njal had been prepared for. So far their little chat had been quite limited. The Beta had not applied pressure in the right manner, perhaps. Maybe this wretched boy was accustomed to being beaten in his old home. Whatever the case, Njal knew he would have to try harder. If he was going to extract information of Bones' wearabouts from the yearling, things would have to get a little bit more... Intense. This was the first thought that came in to Njal's head when the captive refused him. It sat there while silence bloomed around them, an uneasy and incredibly tense silence that was broken only by Cutthroat's ragged attempts at drawing breath.

He wouldn't let it phase him too much. Njal could gut animals just as easily as any other wolf. The thought of doing it to a canine - someone like him - only bothered him for a moment. He thought instead of how the world would be a better place without this stain upon their riverside; of the fate of Bones in the grip of this child's companions; even, and this was the most poignant thought, even the safety of his wife and children. Surely if the pirates had been bold enough to come in and steal away a yearling they would be overjoyed to try and take something like a child. When Njal's mind passed to thoughts of his growing family and the danger they were in, he naturally began to apply more pressure to Cutthroat's spine. His claws slipped through the thick fur there and touched upon flesh, while the full weight of Njal's hefty body was applied. The man snapped out of his thoughts after a few minutes, realizing that the shadow was gasping for breath and being granted little oxygen. He reversed in that moment - removing his bulk from the boy's back, and instead standing over him with a placid expression on his face. As if nothing had happened.

Cutthroat sputtered for breath still, but Njal ignored it as he spoke.

"Who helped you to steal Bones from us." The statement held little inflection, but it was a question - more than that, a seething demand. "Tell me their names and I will let you keep your skin." This was a new level of Njal that had never been exposed before, perhaps had never existed prior to this moment. To think that his family was in danger - even to entertain the thought briefly - brought out a whole new side of the mountain man. He would not let Cutthroat have a moment of rest while he was among them, at least not without a good reason. "Tell me where they went with her, and I will leave you to your task." But he would be sure to appoint someone to keep an eye on him, even if it was from a distance. There was no trusting this vile fiend.