Wood roughly splintered, wildly casting pieces into the air violently. As the evening sun cast a sea of it's last light onto the thick forest. Like a sinking ship, light sprang through the holes as the forest began to sink into darkness. The large dark haired nord used his forearm to wipe away the sweat from his brow, as he placed another log onto the stump. Then in an instant the heavy dull ax was above his head. He sent it crashing down in a raw display of dominance. Wedging the ax deep into the stump where he would leave it for the night, before picking his haul up onto his shoulders and making the walk back to his shack.
He had been here for the past couple of months. As an eerie peace had befallen him. Silence where words of a foreign tongue were shouted loud enough to wake the heavens. Calm and warmth where the blistering cold winds of the highest peaks and the chaos that derives from steel clashing against steel once dwelled. He had come to find this place home, a word he had once nearly forgotten. Long before the he was placed in the carts along side Ulfric and his stormcloak rebels, being lead to his execution. He had felt his freedom truly die that day. Even though it was the world eater, whom had saved him that day. A debt he had repaid in the spilling of his saviors blood.
The time since had seen him in his thoughts. A bitter remorse of the things that had been done. Even there he was wry of those that may be listening. Thoughts that could spell trouble had they have been overheard by those he was reluctant to ally with, or better yet, forced to serve as he had come to convince himself. His once joyous trips into town to sell his game and other goods, had become less and less tolerable to him. All he had done for the mortal plains and they would still try to cheat him or seduce him with false information. The world hadn't changed, he was convinced it had actually gotten worse. A world he found himself thriving in. Often cheating and using his cunning to outsmart these thieves.
Night was consuming all now as he struck the flint and ignited the blaze. The darkness made the forest stand still, her heart beat slowed to a near stop. As if she was a child holding her breath, waiting for dawns light to rid her of the monsters that lurked in the darkness. He lit this candle for her. She protected him his nightmares in the day, those frightful prayers begging for redemption. She kept his monsters at bay, he would do the same for her. For this is when he thrived. The stillness in the forest made him feel free again.
As shadows began to rise, dancing in the light cast from his home. He began to be shed from the title that constrained him. Out here he wasn't the Dragonborn, he was Hjornskar Fox-Heart. Like his father before him, he was the hunter. Effortlessly he blended into the shadows. Like a seasoned thief, he made no sounds. Not as much as a dead leaf being crushed under his weight. It was this same stealth and cunning that had led him here, but he knew he had been used for those skills more than any prophecy may have foretold.
It wasn't long before his sharpened senses picked up something ahead. It was large yet cautious. An elk possibly. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and readied it to the string of his bow. He stalked the enigma up ahead, circling like a large cat. His legs itching to pounce. Yet, his fathers words filled his head. "Hold still, my son. Let it tell you when it's ready." With this he steadied himself, and continued to move silently after it. A great deal of time had passed before the creature found itself cornered. The arrow instantly leaving it's roost and finding it's mark. The hunter not far behind, as if he was chasing down the arrow itself. Elks are hardy creatures and what would kill a man instantly can leave them with enough time to flee in shock. Yet his arms reached out and plunged a small handmade blade into the creatures heart. As he spoke a prayer into the wind, seeing his brethren into the afterlife.
Before the Nord could even release his blade from his kill, the ground shook beneath him as if he had awoken some long sleeping horror. A light as if thrown from the heavens with blinding rage crashed upon him. Robbing him of all his senses momentarily as it threw him face first to the ground below. He landed with a loud thud. A sickening dizziness came over him in that instant. He began to frantically reach for his way off of the ground. His hands searching the ground beneath him for anything that he could pull himself upon to stand. He knew that if something lurked, it was mere seconds away from being on top of him. In this state he would be no match.
Suddenly his left hand grasped a root. Instinctively he pulled the rest of his body towards it the best he could. His time running out. Finally his right hand found something other than dirt and leaves and grasped it. Soft to the touch, alien to the Nord, yet strangely familiar. He pushed and climbed against the earth with his legs and tried to adjust his eyes, the object just out of reach of his vision. He continued forward, every climb seemingly adjusting his vision. As luck would have it with in an instant his face was merely inches away from his right hand. Having never releasing his grasp, his vision focused on the object in his hand.
"IT'S A FUCKING BREAST!" He belted out, as he instantly released the grip of both his hands. He scrambled weakly to get to his feet. He had only made it to his knees before the form in front of when he remembered the thing behind him. Using what little reserve he had left he twisted himself around into a sitting position. His back towards the raven haired woman on the ground, he readied himself for the attack. Yet, there was nothing except the movement now coming from the woman behind him. She was coming to, our so he hoped she wasn't awake just moments before. Before he had finished the though a yell in a hauntingly familiar tone. "DOVAHKIIN!' As arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Teeth sank into his fur armor and shook before releasing. Instinctively the Dragonborn threw his head back. What ever it was met him halfway and with a deafening collision his world went silent and black.
Hours had passed when the Nord came to. HE figured it well into the morning. Exactly when he was unsure, but the birds of the forest seemed a bit lazy in their songs for it to be too early. He sat straight up, his eyes set to the elk in front of him. His arrows dumped upon the ground before it. He pushed his fingers and thumb into his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh before rising to his feet. He must of be careless and let the beast catch him one good time before it passed. That would explain the massive pain his head was going through. He leaned down to pick up his arrows when he caught her form in the bottom of his vision. "FUCK! DAMN THE NINE! SHE WAS REAL!" He shouted, sending the morning birds into a frantic flight.
He removed his fur and placed it on top of her. With a few nudges he gauged that she was still out cold. "Damn, we done a number to one another. Hard headed little thing, broke her nose and my skull." He said laughing slightly as he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head. "Figure, I can't leave her here." He stood for a moment deciding what to do before wrapping her up completely and throwing her over his shoulder.
"I'll take her back and apologize when she comes to, then show her the way to town." Thinking to himself as he turned to head home "Of course we'll have to get her clothed first." The thought of the events tickled and confound him all the same. "What was she doing out there? Did it all play out as he remembered." A cold shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the familiar yell. "DOVAHKIIN!" Why had her words pierced straight into his soul. As if all the evil he had come to only dream of now had manifested itself in a single word.
These thoughts made the trip back seem almost in an instant. It must of been later than he had assumed, as the coals of last nights fire were long out. He placed her inside the shack on his makeshift bed, then began tearing small pieces of cloth from some old rags he had. He dampened them in a cool bucket of water, and placed them gently on her the bridge of her nose. Wiping away the access water from getting in her eyes. "Now to get her food and some clothing." He thought as he rose to the door. "She should be safe here, if she doesn't leave while I'm out."
He had already fetched water and the elk from the night when he heard her move inside the house. The afternoon was nearly ending by now "There are clothes in there, help yourself. Then come get you something to eat. We need to talk!" He shouted towards the house. "It's getting late, but I can get you to town if you wish."
The door rushed open, nearly knocking it off of the rusted hinges that barely held it there to begin. Her naked form stepping out of the house as he glanced up to her. "DAMN THE NINES! You're going to have to get dressed If you want to talk. I'm not going to try to hold a..." He barked before being interrupted. "DOVAHKIIN!" She shouted sending chills back down his spine as she speed towards him, her eyes ignited with hatred. This time he was ready, as she lunged her body towards him he used her momentum to send her flying past him. Much to his surprise she had used that same momentum to turn to her feet. Sliding across the forest floor, never loosing her footing. Her movements reminded him of a dragon in flight. She was beautiful and gracefully but above all she was deadly.