Chapter 1: the life of the companions

Jorrvaskr. The hall of Ysgramor himself. The mead hall of the companions.

Surprisingly sturdy building, although made of wood and stone.

Behind this mead hall is a training yard, where our story doesn't truly begin...

"Father...Today I will triumph"

The small black haired boy spoke, trying to sound manly. He lifted his steel dagger in a defensive position in front of him as his second dagger was placed strategically behind him, hidden from the older man's view. The ten year old child was at least three feet tall, compared to the grown man in front of him. The boy wore a cream cloth shirt that had no sleeves and black pants. No shoes on his feet, and from his ankles down were covered in mud. His neck length hair black as night and his skin almost pale as fresh fallen snow. The boy had Khajiit in him, his feline ears over his head were drawn flat, as if waiting for the prey to approach. The child's eyes were that of a Nord, light green, that shined as the sun set over the mead hall.

The man he claimed as his father was well past 6 feet tall, Black hair that fell to his shoulders, The man's skin was a tad darker than the boy's skin, marks and cuts fell all over in random spots on his skin that was visible. The large Nord man had black war paint around both of his soft green eyes, showing experience in battle. He wore the silver Wolf armor given to the Circle members of the companions.

In his hands, he held no weapon. Knowing that he could defeat his son with out a large weapon.

"Come then boy"

Farkas called his son out on his Hesitation.

The boy shivered up and dropped the daggers to the ground and ran full speed at Farkas, who caught the child and flipped him upside down, holding him by his legs.

"FATHER! PUT ME DOWN!" The boy began to yell, struggling to get out of his father's grasps.

Farkas laughed loudly, getting the attention of his Twin who was sitting in the deck looking part of the yard.

Vilkas had been catching up on some history reading when His youngest Nephew yelled at his father to drop him. He sighed, shaking his head, wondering how Farkas could deal with such a small creature. Vilkas quietly thanked the gods that he had a husband and no need for children.

By this time, the child had begun to laugh and giggle, being tickled by Farkas.

"Um...Uncle Vilkas?"

Another voice came into his ears. He turned his head to look behind him. There stood his eldest Nephew. Black hair draping over his shoulders, like his father's hair. Ice blue eyes and the same almost white skin as the youngest. His hair draped over his right side of his face, almost covering his right eye. His ears were also that of a Khajiit, black and pointed feline ears. His black war paint was circled around his eyes, similar to Vilkas and Farkas's war paint. He wore shining scaled armor, golden metal with brown and white furs.

The 19 year old nephew was struggling to keep another man standing. Vilkas recognized the man as his own husband, Sullevan.

Black short hair that would occasionally stand, darker than tan skin and a rough five o'clock shadow around his chin. The Breton's war paint lined down his left eye, his drunken eyes were a deep blue. He had a scar over his nose and under his left eye. He wore ancient nordic armor, that smelled of death to the 19 year old.

"um...we went to the Bannered mare...and he over drank" The late teen was soft spoken for a young man.

"I didn't over drink" Sullevan began in his drunken stupor, "Kod and I were celebrating! He's finally a man!" Sullevan patted the 19 year old's chest, "He's a warrior now! I finished teaching him everything I know"

Vilkas smirked, shaking his head at his husband as Kod began to get the drunken man a chair to sit next to Vilkas.

After struggling with Sullevan, Kod sat across from Vilkas, noticing his father and his younger brother still quarreling.

"So you're finally a warrior?" Vilkas raised a brow towards his eldest Nephew, Kod.

The half nord shrugged, His Khajiit ears lazily limping, "According to Uncle Sullevan I am.. but I think he's a tad late on that" He rested his arms on the table before them, showing insecurity.

"Yeah...now I'll we need to to is turn him into a man!" Sullevan broke into the conversation, "Find him a woman or a man or something"

Vilkas sighed, shaking his head as Sullevan turned to look at Kod. "You make me proud Kid! If I had a son...he would be nothing like you!"

Kod stared at his drunk uncle with a raised brow, slightly tilting his head.

Vilkas shook his head quickly to Kod, "Don't think about it for too long..." he warned as Sullevan began his speech to Kod.

"Even if you are still a Virgin" Sullevan slammed his palm on the wooden table, getting a jolt and a glare from both Vilkas and Kod, "I'm still proud of you! I know one day you'll find yourself a nice tree to settle down with...and have a bunch of Tree babies"

Kod's Khajiit ears dropped, slightly depressed that his uncle thought the only being who would be interested in him would be a tree.

Vilkas sighed, making Sullevan rest his head on the table, telling him to take a nap, getting a drunken "I'm not a child" from Sullevan.

"Ignore the drunk...he doesn't know what he says" Vilkas began, trying to cheer up his eldest Nephew.

"Yes...the drunk that thinks that the only being I'll ever fornicate with is a tree" Kod's sarcasm couldn't be flawed, His eyes were downed in emotionless stare to Vilkas.

Vilkas shrugged, returning to his book, "At least its not a pile of dirt or a rock"

At that, Kod's forehead hit the table, causing Sullevan to yell about an attack on Jorrvaskr. The drunk got up and ran over to Farkas, grabbing the youngest son and yelling to save the women and children first.

Vilkas watched and then looked to Kod, who's face was still in the wood of the table. "I think I would have preferred the Dirt...Its soft and you don't have to look for a hole" Kod's voice was slightly muffled by the table.

Vilkas shook his head again, No getting threw to his nephew.

Kod looked up and stared at Vilkas with a questionable look. "How did you know the companion life was for you?" he asked him.

Vilkas looked up from his book and rested his head on his hand in thought, "I just knew...We were children when we arrived here" Vilkas's thoughts went threw memories, "I just knew I suppose..."

Kod, not impressed with the answer, sighed heavily and turned his head to watch his father laugh at Sullevan and his little brother, His brother fighting the drunk and telling him to put him down.

Vilkas then raised a brow to Kod, "Do you not want to be a companion?" he asked.

Kod looked up at Vilkas with a look of worry, "I've thought about it...I mean, My family is nothing but companions...and I'm sure that Anita and Jergan will become companions...so why should I?" He asked, finally sitting up, talking seriously to Vilkas.

Vilkas was stumped, His face read utter confusion. He then collected his thoughts and ruffled the back of his hair, "...I don't know what to tell you..."

Kod sighed, getting up from the table and walking away silently, heading back to his family's home in the hold.

Farkas, after watching Kod walk away, walked over to Vilkas, who seemed to be in thought.

"What happened?" Farkas asked his twin as he sat down next to him.

"Kod doesn't want to be a companion..." Vilkas struggled to look his twin in the eye, in case a rage came from the bigger twin.

Farkas remained emotionless and finally sighed, "I know he won't be...there's something in the boy...he's an strange one" he told Vilkas, "Swan and I knew it would come...something we noticed early on..."

"But he's a great warrior. I remember the day you gave him his long sword" Vilkas told Farkas, still in shock. "How did you know?"

Farkas shrugged, "Just a feeling, Vilkas...He's meant for other things..." Farkas sighed as Sullevan and Jergan came back. Jergan jumping towards Farkas.

"FATHER! UNCLE SULLY IS TRYING TO THROW ME OFF THE SHIP AGAIN!"

The youngest son of Farkas yelled at him.

Farkas laughed as Vilkas decided to drop the subject.

~~~Breezehome, Whiterun hold, a bit past mid night~~~

Kod was sitting in his and his younger brother's room, wearing nothing but linen pants.

Although tall, Kod was not as buff as his father, slender and thin, like a male Khajiit.

Jergan was sleeping soundly in his bed. Kod was still awake, thoughts protruding his mind like a plague. He finally swung his legs over the edge of his bed and walked over to his dresser. He grabbed a satchel and began to stuff some items into the satchel. Some Healing potions, Some gold that he made working with his father, a bar of soap to keep himself clean. He shuddered at the dirt idea from before, He hated being dirty.

He quickly got dressed into his scaled armor again and grabbed his steel long sword, the gift from his father. He strapped it to his back and proceeded to open the window from his room.

He glanced at Jergan, making sure the child was still asleep and climbed out of the window and quickly shut it again. He slide down the first story roof and landed like a cat on the ground on the street. He silently thanked the gods that he was part Khajiit or that would have killed him.

"Evening Kodlak"

A deep, nord male voice struck the late teen off his guard and quickly turned to face Breezehome's front door, defensive positioned.

There, leaning on the front door was Kod's father, Farkas. Still wearing his wolf armor.

"Father...I..." Kod dropped the defensive stance and stood up straight again. "I...this isn't what it looks like..."

Farkas smiled to his son and shook his head, "Lets walk to the gate...That is where you were going...right?" Farkas asked Kod, showing no fear or remorse.

Kod, becoming insecure again, nodded and walked side by side with his father.

The two rivaled in height, but Kod was much thinner compared to Farkas.

Kod then began to speak, "Father...I know this looks bad...but I...I mean-"

"Every bird needs to leave the nest eventually" Farkas cut into Kod's speech, "You're mother had to leave her home land because there was nothing left for her" He looked to Kod as they past the smith, walking towards the gate.

Kod nodded, knowing the story of how his mother got to Skyrim.

"We all have our place in this life, Ysmir didn't set us here with out a reason" Farkas told him as the two opened the wooden gate of Whiterun to the outside stone fences. "You have to as well.."

Kod finally looked up at his father, "So you aren't angry with me for not wanting to be a companion?"

Farkas shook his head and patted his son's back, "Not in the least...Its a road I would have enjoyed you to be on..but its not for everyone." Farkas explained to the late teen. "Now go, find you're place in Skyrim...We'll be here if you ever need a place to rest"

Kod stared at his father, such disbelief in his eyes. He then became eager and quickly hugged his father before running out of the front gates and on to the road.

Farkas watched till Kod was out of sight. "Good Luck Kodlak" he whispered to himself proudly.

~End of chapter 1~