Kodlak

Aela and Tovar stood outside Jorrvaskr with dead Silver- Hand at their feet. The huntress looked furious and for once Tovar looked sober. "What's happened here?" Shay exclaimed as she met Aela at the top of the steps that led to the mead hall. Tovar shook his head and mumbled something under his breath that was inaudible from where Shay stood. The huntress did not answer her. She seemed to be phased into some sort of trance when she saw the Breton girl run to her. "Aela! What's happened?" She did not look at Shay when she spoke, "first Skjor… now this."

Shay abandoned her efforts with Aela and ran for Jorrvaskr. She feared the worst. In her mind she saw all of her companions laying slaughtered on the floor. Vilkas, Farkas, Njada, Athis, Ria, Kodlak, all dead. What she came to find was only part true. Vilkas met her as she entered the doors. His shoulder was bleeding, the source a large gash that was too deep for her liking. "Vilkas… what…" The Nord shook his head. The face that was normally calm and collected was now filled with sorrow and fear. "The old man, Kodlak… He's dead." Shay felt like she was going to feint. She stumbled down the stairs and Vilkas caught her, groaning when Shay put her weight on his injured shoulder. "Easy there little Breton."

Vilkas held Shay tightly as she scanned the room. She saw Farkas and Njada sitting next to the Harbinger's body with their heads down in respect. Ria and Athis were at the opposite end of the mead hall, Athis on the ground and Fria comforting him as he wept. Tears saturated her eyes and blurred her vision when she looked at Kodlak's body. She felt her knees buckle under her and Vilkas let her slowly fall to the ground with his arms still around her. "He's with Hircine now…" He whispered to her. Over and over again he whispered this, his voice getting raspier each time as tears overtook him. He did not want to believe it himself. "No… that's not what he wanted!" Shay whispered, "He wanted to be free…"

Shay could not find sleep that night. After hours of tossing and turning she finally gave up her fight, knowing that she would not be sleeping at all. As she crept out of her room a dark shape from the corner of her eye stopped her cold in her tracks. It was Vilkas. He sat at the table just outside of Kodlak's room staring blankly at the wall. "Vilkas?" Shay whispered. The Nord did not answer her. She said his name a little louder, trying not to wake anyone else. "I cannot sleep." He finally said, still staring at nothing. Shay sighed, "me neither."

"Every time I close my eyes I see him. Dead. I failed him…" Shay shook her head. She knew what Vilkas was feeling. She knew that he felt fully responsible for what had happened. So did she.

A candle was lit and Shay took a seat across from Vilkas. In the light Shay could see that Vilkas had not taken care of his wound. Though it had stopped bleeding, his shoulder was still crusted with blood and the wound looked painful. "Can I help?" Shay asked leaning in to take a closer look. Vilkas shook his head. "No… The pain in my shoulder helps me forget for a time."

"It's going to get infected. Please, let me help." The Nord gave in and Shay took him to the wash room. It was a struggle for Vilkas to get his armor off. The pain was almost too much. Shay grabbed a rag and soaked it in water. Vilkas winced when she touched the damp rag to his shoulder. His blood was caked on thick and she was surprised he did not bleed out. If he was human he probably would have. Vilkas watched the Breton girl as she cleaned his wound. The candle light cast a shadow over face, hiding her eyes.

The two had grown close over the few months that Shay had been with the Companions. Vilkas had not liked her at first. He tried his best to call her a whelp every chance that he got. There was something about her that put him on edge and made him uncomfortable. She still did in some ways. Shay was beautiful. With her mahogany hair that she always seemed to have up in a messy bun on top of her head. She wore it down tonight he had noticed and he liked it better that way.

As Shay finished she backed away making sure she had gotten most of the caked on blood away from the wound. The candle light made her green eyes shimmer. Gods, Vilkas wanted her so badly. In any other circumstance he would have probably taken her right then and there, but he knew she was in mourning. As was he. "You will need stitches." She said to him. Vilkas said nothing and continued to stare at the Breton. Shay bit her lip, "I should probably go and get Tilma. She is better at this stuff than I am."

Shay's voice quivered as she told Vilkas that she would be right back. She felt stupid as her mind wandered back to when she arrived at Jorrvaskr. She was terrified when she realized that something was wrong. She worried that Vilkas had been hurt or worse, that he was dead. Think this brought tears to her eyes as she cleaned his wound. He had been staring at her so intensely. All she wanted was for him to wrap his arms around her like he had done the moment she found out that Kodlak was dead. She wanted him to embrace her and tell her that he was fine and that she was fine and that everything would be okay as long as they were together. But she knew that the time was not right and that both of them were in pain. Kodlak had been everything to both of them.

Vilkas cringed as the old woman stitched his wound shut. Tilma had arrived shortly after Shay had left him and Shay had still not come back. Maybe she had finally found sleep, he thought to himself. Tilma backed up to examine her handy work. The old woman looked paler than usual, with dark circles around her old wrinkled eyes. Vilkas could only imagine the pain she was feeling. She had known Kodlak for years and now he was gone. He closed his eyes and thought back to when the Harbinger had taken him and Farkas in after Jürgen left and never came back. He thought about the time when Kodlak taught him how to wield a great sword for the first time. He even thought about when he was blessed with Hircine's gift of the beast blood.

All of these memories flooded Vilkas' mind and brought sorrow to his heart. Kodlak was more of a father to him than Jürgen had ever been and now he was gone forever and he felt responsible. He should have done something more to save him. Vilkas remembered the old man speaking of a way to rid the body of Hircine's gift and the Glenmoril Witches were the key.

"Vilkas, dear?" Tilma's soft mother like voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up at her and she was holding up a piece of parchment with his name on it. "Shay wanted me to give this to you, dear." Vilkas took it and looked it over. The note was from Shay.

Vilkas

Kodlak's last wishes were to be rid of the beast that has claimed his spirit. He instructed me to slay the Glenmoril Witches and bring him their heads. That's where I was when the Silver- Hand attacked Jorrvaskr. Kodlak can still be saved. I have left the heads of the wretched creatures in the Under Forge. Take them to Ysgramor's Tomb and throw them into the fire and Kodlak will be free.

Please forgive me Vilkas. The Silver- Hand need to be dealt with. All of them need to die…

Shay

"By the Gods!" Vilkas stood abruptly and grabbed his armor and his sword, completely disregarding the pain in his shoulder. His eyes were blinded by rage and fear. What was she thinking? Is she trying to get herself killed? "Vilkas, what's wrong?" Farkas had woken when he heard Vilkas storming down the hall of the living quarters. "She's gone after them!"

"Who's gone after who?" Farkas said, rubbing the rest of the sleep from his eyes. "Shay has gone, Ice Brain." Aela was awake now too. She stood leaning against the door frame of her room nonchalantly. "You knew she was going and you let her? What were you thinking? She is going to die, and Gods know I can't…"

"Of course I knew. Shay is our best shot of wiping those bastards out for good. So yes, I let her go and you should too."