Prologue
Kjarik was outside playing with the chickens on the farm when three men on horseback approached him. He had short, messy black hair and pale skin. He had strange yellow eyes. The strange men all had black horses and black armour. One had a two-handed axe, another had a mace and a shield and the last one had a bow and arrows with a dagger sheathed on his leg. "Hey kid. Is this..." He looked at a bit of paper. "Merryfair Farm?" The man with the mace asked. He had a gruff voice. Kjarik nodded. He was terrified but also mesmerised by the men. They were scary and intimidating but they had the coolest equipment Kjarik had ever seen, and being outside Skyrim's port city he had seen a lot of equipment. "Do you live here?" The same man asked. Kjarik again nodded. "I'm looking for…" He looked at the paper again. "Uthgerd Alasen. Is that your mother?" Kjarik gave the same reply. "Is she around?" Kjarik turned and walked away and after a few steps turned and waved for them to follow. Kjarik stopped and pointed to a middle-aged lady with long, blond hair feeding pigs. "Thank you." The man said. They trotted on their horses over to Uthgerd. When she saw them she smiled. She knew who they were. She threw them a coin purse that the man with the bow caught in one hand. Attached to the top of the coin purse was a rolled up, local map that gave them the location a cave that some vicious wolves were hiding in. The man with the mace and shield nodded before leading his fellow mercenaries off at a quick pace.
Wolves howled from the mountains nearby. A storm was coming. The wind started picking up speed. Brynjolf was getting worried. "Uthgerd! Get the kids inside! You come inside too!" The wind started to carry rain with it.
"But what about the crops!?" Uthgerd protested over the wind.
"They'll survive the night!" Brynjolf called back. Uthgerd ushered Kjarik and his older brother Urar into the house. Kjarik was 14 and Ulrar was 19. Urar had 'left home' and now was an employee of his dad's 'instead of his son'. He only 'became his son' again on days off. Uthgerd reluctantly followed the boys inside. They shut all the doors and barred the windows. "Off to bed, it will have passed by morning. With a bit of luck we will still have crops to reap." They all went to bed. The wind and rain battered the houses and farms outside of Riften. At 10:00pm the storm had started to calm and by 10:30pm the wind and rain had completely stopped. No one had anticipated the storm would calm so quickly so they had all slept. No one was usually asleep this early, especially not the farmers. This was a perfect opportunity for evil. A large, hairy, human-like, clawed hand opened the door to Merryfair Farm. It was tall but its hunched back allowed it to enter with little discomfort. It was clumsy. It kicked over a pile of pots and woke Uthgerd.
"Brynjolf, I think there is someone in the house." Uthgerd said quietly after she woke him. He got up. When he got up he heard footsteps on the wooden floor from below. He picked up an axe that he left beside his bed and walked stealthily down stairs. He saw the abomination a second after it heard him. When he saw it, it turned around and snarled at him.
"Everyone get out through the nearest window!" The beast jumped at him. He swung his axe at it but he was a second too slow and the handle hit the monster's arm harmlessly. It sank its teeth into Brynjolf's throat and ripped it out as he screamed. Ulrar poked his head around the corner and waited for the beast to move so he could get Kjarik out. The beast had no intention of moving. It was quite content staying there until all of the meat was off Brynjolf's bones. Uthgerd walked out of her room and saw her husband being eaten at the bottom of the stairs. She screamed and the beast looked up. It sprinted up the stairs on all-fours, Uthgerd ran away at the perfect moment leaving the monster's momentum to carry it into the wall. Just as this happened Ulrar ran into Kjariks's room. Ulrar spent a few seconds calming him down. The monster leaped 6 metres through the air and landed on Uthgerd's back. It had eaten ¾ of Brynjolf and now it was starting on Uthgerd. It ripped out a few chunks of flesh. It spat them out, they tasted like Skeever piss. Ulrar wrongly picked this time to escort Kjarik out. The beast saw them, and leaped from the top of the stairs at Ulrar. He dodged and rolled towards the cooking fire but this only bought him a few seconds. Uthgerd was still alive and she screamed at the top of her voice. Residents of a nearby farm heard her and got the guards. The guards were approaching Merryfair Farm just as Kjarik stabbed a dagger in the beasts back to try to stop it ripping his brother apart. The beast pulled Ulrar's arm off as his body caught fire from the cooking pot. It turned towards Kjarik. He was holding a wooden sword. The beast made a sound that resembled laughter but it was badly warped. He swung at it and it jumped on him. It sank its teeth into him. Its mouth was long and wide. Teeth punctured him in an uneven oval-like shape on the right side of him back, over his shoulder and onto his torso. A guard burst through the door and fired an arrow at it. This distracted the monster. This arrow lured the beast outside where it met its death. This arrow, this guard…saved Kjariks's life.
He was rushed to the Jarl to see what should be done. After the last werewolf attack there was no Priest or Priestess left in Riften. The attack was orchestrated by Hircine's Moon. They are a werewolf pack that kill priests and destroy shrines before attacking but not killing victims. They aim to spread lycanthropy and create more servants of Hircine. The Jarl was kind. "Jarl, I am sorry for this intrusion at this time but this child is a survivor of a werewolf attack and he's been bitten. Without the priests or priestesses what shall we do?"
"I will hire a priest at once." Laila said.
"I thought we couldn't afford one." The guard said.
"We can't. I will talk to my Steward about raising taxes and increasing rent costs. I can just about scrape together the cost of a temporary priest to cure him."
"Thank you Jarl. Shall I take him to the orphanage?"
"By-the-nine, no. That old lady is horrible. I'll look after him. Give him to one of by personal guards – they are familiar with this old place, they'll know where to take him." The guard handed him to one of Laila's personal guards and Kjarik was carried to a bed room. "And tell Elgrim that the Jarl is in need of remedial potions."
"Yes, Jarl." The guard walked off.
The next day the jarl hired a Priest from Markarth. He said he would be there within 1-2 days. The Jarl was worried sick. She didn't know the child. She wasn't worried about losing him. She was worried about Riften. She knew she wouldn't be able to bring herself to order the death of a child nor could she kick him out of the city but she couldn't risk the safety of Riften. She hoped sincerely it wouldn't. The Priest arrived little under 3 days after he was hired. "You're late!" She snapped at him.
"As a Priest of Arkay I expected more hospitality." He replied truthfully.
"Maybe you'll get some if you cure this will-be-werewolf!" Laila snapped back. The Priest's heart sank. He was never told about a werewolf.
"Where is he?" He asked as he started to regret accepting the offer.
"Guards! Escort this rude man to the child!" The Priest was quickly taken to Kjarik. The Priest performed his cleansing ritual and prayed to Arkay for the child. The Priest smiled at last.
"It's done. You are free from Hircine. And good thing too, it's a full moon tonight and new werewolves always turn on their first full moon." The Priest went back to the Jarl." I have finished the ritual. I am now waiting for Arkay's approval."
"Thank the nine!" Laila Law-Giver said. She was relieved.
It was 10:40pm, exactly 4 days after he had been bitten. Kjarik started to feel sick. As time went by he felt worse, he started to feel pains in his head and stomach. At 11:00pm he started to feel pain all over his body. At 12:00pm he turned. He fell to the ground. He grew hair all over his body. He body started to stretch. As he stretched the pain lessened. His muscles and bones grew larger. His face scrunched up and then he grew a long snout. The Priest had been too late to save him. He got used to his new shape and stood up on his legs again. He stretched his large muscles and howled. The palace went into panic. Kjarik burst out and guards drew there weapons. Kjarik mauled them. The Jarl opened the door to the main hall as more guards arrived…10 then 20 then 30 guards. "Don't kill him! Chase him away!" Laila Law-Giver yelled. They threw arrows, plates, tankards, stones – anything they could find - at him. He was young so the sharp points hurt him but because of his werewolf skin they didn't harm him. The guards chased Kjarik out of Riften. He ran and ran. He left the gates and ran left. He kept running. He came to a small forest. He found a deer and fed. After feeding he lay down, exhausted and blacked-out.
He woke up in Falkreath. He was in a bed that was surprisingly comfortable. He woke to see a girl a year younger than him staring at him. Her name was Lucia. "Hi." She said. "I'm Lucia. What's your name?" She asked. Kjarik groaned as he sat up. "That's a weird name." She said then laughed. Kjarik was sore but his illness was gone.
"Kjarik." He said.
"I like that name. You have weird eyes. They are yellow. They are very pretty. You smell like raw meat." When she said this Kjarik remembered.
"I have to go." He said as he tried to get up. He stopped. He was naked.
"Why?" She asked.
"I'm…dangerous." Kjarik replied vaguely.
"How? Here, let me get you clothes." She walked to a cupboard while listen to Kjarik's answer.
"You can't tell anyone…I am werewolf." Kjarik said as his stomach tied itself in knots waiting for her reaction.
"I know. I just wanted to see if you'd tell me." She replied
"Huh?" Kjarik was surprised by this.
"Easily worked out. For starters I found you naked in the forest beside a half-eaten deer carcass with a pool of black hair around you. Secondly you smell of dog, and rotten flesh. I could have worked it out in seconds even if I wasn't a Vampire. That just meant I could smell it off you before I saw you." She told him this as if it was no big deal.
"You're a Vampire?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes." She replied simply.
"So how old are you?" Kjarik was still trying to absorb this.
"13." She replied as if she was confused by this question. "Why do you ask?"
"I thought vampires live forever." Kjarik's head was still sore so basic information would have been challenging let alone a 13 year old vampire.
"Some do. I'm not actually sure how it works. Guess it depends on how you get it. I will get old and die though." She stopped and thought for a moment. "Well, if you're going I am too. I have been living here for months. I've been feeding off the woman that lives here when I have to, but not very often. So get dressed and we'll go. I'll go grab a…bite to eat and give you privacy." She walked and drank a pint of the house owner's blood while Kjarik got dressed. Lucia entered the room again. "You want to finish up in there or not?" it took Kjarik a while to figure out what she meant.
"No, I'm done with killing. I'll grab some food from her kitchen; fruit and vegetables, lots of fruit and vegetables." They moved stealthily through the house and left through the front door. Outside it was night. Had he slept for 24 hours or barely anytime at all? "So how do you not know her name? And how did you sneak me in?"
"She's my thrall. She can't use her brain anymore. She can just about farm and buy food." After this they walked silently across Skyrim. Kjarik had no idea where they were but Lucia seemed to know.
The kids spoke very little. They were walking and when they got tired they looked for somewhere to sleep. They saw an abandoned camp. Lucia told Kjarik to wait there. She cast invisibility then checked it out. She walked silently. When she returned she gave the all-clear and they settled in the camp. She claims she set up bat scouts to alert them if anyone approached it. Kjarik was sceptical but didn't challenge her on it. They slept silently. Kjarik was awoken by voices. "Is this definitely him?" One man asked.
"Why would she lie?" He heard a woman say. "Let's double check." She turned into a werewolf and the rest copied her. They growled and howled. Lucia screamed and shook Kjarik.
"Werewolves!" She ran out and threw and Ice Bolt at one of them but another jumped on her from behind. Kjarik ran out, adrenaline pumping. He commanded his inner beast to reveal itself and it obliged. This transformation was almost instantaneous. He barrelled into the Werewolf on top Lucia.
"It's him." The man from earlier said. He grabbed Kjarik from behind and dragged him backwards. "Hircine calm him." In seconds Kjarik was back in human form. The woman went into human form and threw a pile of clothes at Kjarik. "Put them on." said the man after letting go of him. The man then went back to human form. All of the werewolves around him reverted to human form but weren't naked. "Let's not waste time. Care to join us? Live, hunt, fight with your pack. We will train and raise you."
"That's very direct. Kjarik replied.
"Well, you are either interested or you're not. No point wasting valuable hunting time." The man said.
"What about her?" Kjarik asked pointinng to Lucia.
"Lucia is with us. She was acting the whole time. She's actually 245 years old. Come with us, you will learn." The man said. "I'll give you time to think."
"I'll join you." Kjarik said knowing that if Lucia wasn't actually his friend then he had no chance. They had planned it well. They could have come to him in the city and just spoken to him in human form but then he had an easy alternative, now he was in the middle of the wood and had no idea where he was. The man smiled.
"I am Bjorn, I'm the Alpha. That is my wife Ylla. Welcome to Blood Pact."
There were 10 shape shifters in Blood Pact and there were 7 vampires. "We are a guild of monsters. We agree with quality over quantity. We execute and murder Hircine's Moon. Hircine's gift is not for everyone and you certainly shouldn't inflict it upon an unwilling victim. We allied with vampires to give us an edge over competing packs. You will be trained by Merric he is the strongest of us. When you are fully trained you will be initiated, if you still want."
"I'm not already in the pack?" Kjarik asked.
"No. It is called 'Blood Pact' you need to be initiated by blood. Now, get to know your pack. Your training starts tonight. Be ready, pup."
That night Kjarik's adrenaline was in overdrive, he had taken down 7 deer all on his own. He dragged them back with Merric and a werewolf called Ysolda. "He is strong. He is a very strong werewolf. His beast is powerful." Ysolda said breathlessly. Bjorn had an impressed look on his face.
"Ysolda take the hide and teach the pup to make some armour and weapons." They spent the rest of the night eating some of the food that Kjarik killed. There were impressed and sceptical murmurs. Did the pup really kill them all by himself? After an exhausting day of introducing a new recruit hey were all asleep by 01:00am. There was a scream as Lucia was dragged back by a Werewolf. Blood Pact woke in seconds. The Vampires summoned atronachs and readied spells while the werewolves transformed. A massive pack of 30+ werewolves was approaching. They all had a white stripe on their face that went over their head and down their back. The rest of their fur was black. They moved in. They were fast but Blood Pact was faster. Blood Pact was stronger, and smarter. Kjarik tried to release his beast but couldn't. It hurt him when he tried and it never appeared. He picked up the sword he made earlier instead but when he looked up he couldn't see much through the sea of black fur. A werewolf attacker jumped from the fray at Kjarik. He ducked under it and stabbed his sword into its abdomen. He pulled it out. The beast turned around and Kjarik slashed its face. He stabbed the sword deep into the werewolves head and it fell to the ground. After a few seconds it was still. He pulled his sword out. He had killed 2 more werewolves with surprising competence before the attackers retreated. Blood Pact lost 3 Vampires and 4 Werewolves. Merric lay on his back. He had a horrible, jagged gash on the left side of his chest. Ysolda pulled off his jerkin. "Hircine curse them."
"Who were they?" Kjarik asked Merric.
"Hircine's Moon. It looks like we killed a good number of them. Maybe 22 or 23. They have numbers but nothing else. They are all badly trained and they are weak." A vampire started healing Merric. "And we have vampires." Merric just noticed that Kjarik was covered in blood and his sword had it dripping from it. "Are you hurt?" He asked.
"It's not my blood." Kjarik replied.
"You killed a werewolf…with a sword and no armour at all?" Merric asked in disbelief.
"Well, three." Kjarik replied as if it was an easy task,
"Wow. You are a dangerous kid. Good thing we got to you first, you would have been the end of Blood Pact. Who trained you to use a sword?"
"No one trained me. I just, stabbed and sliced. It was easy. I don't see how much training one could give." All of the werewolves looked at him astonished. They endured brutal and mandatory training every day to get as good as he was with no training.
"You are obviously an expert swordsman. You will go through magic training instead of weapon combat. Kyra will be your tutor. She is our eldest Vampire."
The next day Kyra and Kjarik returned to the camp from a forest. "He's as good as magic as he is with a sword." She said truthfully. "But it's weird. He uses magic I have never seen before. I'm going to Winterhold to ask the mages about it. It's really confusing." The pack laughed.
"Which God have you slept with?" Merric said laughing.
"I'm underage." Kjarik said awkwardly.
"Haven't you heard of Molag Bal?" He said laughing even more. "I'm just messing. You've got quite a talent, with everything. Is it true you are 15 today?"
"Yeah." He said sheepishly.
"You should speak to Hircine. People usually wait until they're older but I think you are mature enough. Speak to him and tell him where you want to go with Lycanthropy or if you want cured. Go now. Pray to him at our shrine." Kjarik nodded.
He left the camp and walked about ¼ of a mile down the mountain to the shrine.
"Ah! I have been watching you for a long time. I am glad you have come to speak to me. Now, what can I do for you champion?" A clear voice came through the shrine.
"Champion?" Kjarik asked.
"I have picked you as my champion. I picked you after you confronted the Blood Pact when you were in the forest. You had already survived an attack and you were about to face an entire pack of werewolves to defend yourself and your friend. So, champion, what can I do for you?" Kjarik let this sink in.
"What can Lycanthropy offer me?" He asked.
"It can give you power, my blessing, strength and primal instincts – even in mortal form. If you train you can learn coordination and stealth faster but they are not innate in a werewolf."
"What if I get cured?" Kjarik inquired.
"I will pick a new champion. You will keep your physical strength and primal instincts but lose my blessing and your moon power."
"How can amplify my werewolf powers?" This was Kjarik's last question.
"Good question; very few ask this. Don't transform. The longer you wait the hungrier and more powerful your beast will become. But do not worry; you will still be in control. Its hunger will never overpower your will if you have been trained to control it. Increasing your physical fitness in human form will make your werewolf stronger. The other things you may be less inclined to do. Don't change what you eat. Obviously you couldn't eat raw vegetables in wolf form – I wouldn't be surprised if your beast took control if you tried. Eat raw meat in human form as well as werewolf form. Eat human flesh. Drink werewolf blood. Any of these 5 things will increase you power. Eating human flesh, drinking werewolf blood and eating only raw meat are the most effective; in that order from best to worst. Of the other 2 increasing your human fitness will work best. Anything else, champion?"
"No, Lord Hircine. That is all."
He got up and returned to Blood Pact's hideout.
"Well, how did it go?" Bjorn asked.
"He called me his champion." All of the werewolves stopped what they were doing. They all transformed and bowed to him in werewolf form.
"You honour us by walking our ground." Bjorn said.
"Umm, that's ok. You can get up." Kjarik said uncertainly.
"Your human form means nothing to us." Merric said with a slight growl. Kjarik transformed.
"Rise." He ordered and nearly jumped at his deep, growl-like voice. The Pact rose and transformed back. Kjarik stayed in werewolf form for a while because he got sore if he transformed too often. He went and killed a few rabbits. When he arrived back they spoke to him again.
"What else did Lord Hircine say to you, champion?" Bjorn asked.
"He gave me ways I can make myself stronger and what will happen if I choose to give up the gift." Kjarik said.
"You aren't going to leave us?" Bjorn asked hopefully.
"No." Kjarik confirmed. "Actually, I was going to ask-"
"I'd be honoured to initiate you, champion." Bjorn said. "Follow me if you wish, champion." Bjorn led him to an altar with a small shrine dedicated to Hircine. Bjorn cut his hand and bled into a chalice. He then turned into a werewolf and did the same. After Merric and Ylla did the same thing they all reverted form.
"We welcome you to Blood Pact. You were a pup and now you are a wolf. Take our strength and spread the gift to those worthy. Drink our blood, Champion." They all said this in synchronisation. Kjarik drank the chalice of blood and felt energy inside him. He transformed against his will. His fur used to be light brown; he had clumps of untidy fur and he looked scrawny. Now, he had thick, black, tidy fur. He had larger muscles and he looked like the werewolves that were told in the stories. He looked scary. They returned to camp and Ysolda was holding a set of 'Lycanthrope Armour' for him. It wasn't proper armour. It was made of pelt and bones. It wouldn't cover his arms or lower legs, and part of his chest and back would still be on show but the point of it wasn't to protect. The 'armour' was enchanted so he would be clothed in it after transforming back to human form, if he was wearing it before he transformed. Kjarik put the Lycanthrope Armour on. It fit well.
After that Kjarik was a fully-fledged member and hunter of Blood Pact. Because Kjarik was Hircine's champion no other werewolf pack were allowed to attack while he was present at camp. For the next year he lived with the pack. The vampires left to get more recruits but they weren't needed while Kjarik was there. The pack grew slowly and he wouldn't have changed it if he could. He always stayed close to camp in the case of an attack but some things are worth chasing.
This story will not be about Blood Pact, this is a back story to surround the main character when the story begins. And no, Lucia will not make a future appearance. Hope you enjoyed it.