Hey there folks. So, while working through one hell of a writer's block, this little scene popped into my head. Always wanted to do an Elder Scrolls fanfic, so guess there's no time like the present! This thing will probably work as a series of vignettes, not one solid narrative, and I make no promises on when it will be updated. By all means though, if you're still with me, than read one! Hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.
Tendrils of smoke coiled up and out from their campfire, disappearing into the stygian black of night. Roiling clouds obscured the infinite stars of Skyrim's night sky, and not even the glow of the twin moons could pierce it. Crickets chirped and bats screeched overhead as night descended upon the Rift.
"What was it like, the first time you fed?"
The words broke the placid scene, and the woman across the fire from the speaker turned to face him. Her eyes glowed like twin embers in the night, raven hair framing a delicate face pale as moonlight. Full lips curled up into a mournful smile, flashing her fangs.
"Why do you ask?" she answered her companion, turning those twin embers upon his form, just beyond the flickering firelight.
He was stocky for a Dunmer, and tall as well. That much was evident, even seated as he was. The sharp features of his face were wrinkled, high brows furrowed in concentration as calloused fingers traced the contours of Hircine's Ring, its carved wolf's head staring blankly into space. Finally, he looked away form the trinket, his crimson eyes meeting hers.
"The night I received the beast-blood…I lost control," he started, voice soft. "It was like a dream, my mind was in a haze…a bloodlust. I knew what I was doing, and yet…at the same time the actions weren't my own. I remember ripping a guard in two, just because I could. Letting the blood trickle down my throat…" He stopped, shuddering. Though whether it was out of a horror or pleasure, she couldn't tell.
"It took me so long to get control over it, to tame the part of me that had begun to see everyone around me as just another hunk of meat. Another meal. And there are still times I can't control it. Its just like there's something inside me, something-"
"Primal?" she asked, stopping his words in their tracks. "An animal hunger that you can't control? Believe me, I know all about that." The woman paused, her glowing eyes betraying an ancient pain.
"The ritual my family went through to become…this…was agony. The night after it, I died." She said this with hesitation, as if the words themselves were painful to speak. "When I woke, I was laid out on the altar to Molag Bal, dressed in crimson. The coven had left sacrifices for us, and the blood, it was…" she bit her lip, fangs peeking out once more, "delicious. Bliss. There's always a drive to reach that bliss again, a-"
"A hunger," the dark elf finished. The woman could only nod, the crackling flames and her burning eyes casting wild shadows against her pallid face.
"Do you ever feel guilty about it?" he asked, pocketing the ring at last, his eyes staring deep into the swirling flames.
"About what I am? Who I am? No, never," his companion answered, her voice steel. "What I went through to gain this power…. I earned it. I'll never be ashamed of what I am, and you shouldn't be either."
The elf gave a small smile. "Thank you, Serana. The other members of the Circle, they wouldn't understand. They revel in the power Hircine grants us, but-"
"Power doesn't make a man a monster," Serana answered him, rising up from her seat and walking around the fire to lay a comforting hand on her companion's shoulder. "Our choices, how we use that power, those are what make us who we are." Her smile began to fade as she continued. "Becoming a vampire didn't twist my father into the monster he became. He chose that path. Just like I chose mine, with you."
She laid a soft kiss upon his cheek, and the weary werewolf gave a smile.
"We don't prey upon the innocent," the vampire continued, her voice soft. "And that makes all the difference."
"Aww, well ain't that cute," came a harsh new tone, curdled with the accent of the Riften Ratways. "Two sweethearts out for a midnight tumble. We've got you surrounded. Now stand and deliver!"
Serana met her companion's gaze and smiled, baring her fangs.
"Care for a midnight snack?" he asked casually.
Well that's it for my first foray into the world of Skyrim. Hope you enjoyed. Please review!