Author's Note: This is something I have been working on for a while now. I didn't originally plan on putting this on here but I'm starting to like where it's going so I thought others might like it as well. It's going to be slightly different from my other stories in that not everything is laid out clearly for you; this time, you have to piece certain things together on your own to follow it and the story won't be...linear, I guess is one way to say it, if that makes sense. Anyway, enough with my rambling. Rated for violence and homosexuality. Please review.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls Series or Skyrim, only my OCs.
"Where's my food, boy!?" roared Grenek, taking a long drink of his spiced wine. I hastily gathered the food and set it onto a tray, careful to not even drop one crumb of anything. I put the tray in front of him.
"Is there anything else you need?" I asked, feigning politeness.
"Yeah, there is. Get me more spiced wine" he growled, shaking his empty glass. I could tell he was already drunk and I was afraid more would kill him. His voice was slightly shaking and his eyes were glassy.
"Um...I do not mean to be rude...but do you not think you've had enough? I am worried that more alcohol will kill you, master" I said. He slammed a hand down on the table angrily and stood up.
"Boy, when I say get me more wine, I mean get me wine or I'll kill you. Understand? You Khajiits are clearly not as clever as everyone makes you out to be" he snapped. I bowed and quickly ran into the kitchen to get more wine. I had been dealing with this man and his family for ten years. When I was four years old, I was taken from my parents and older sister in Elsweyr by a group of raiding Nords. I do not know what happened to them but after that, this man took me back to the forests of Falkreath with him and forced me to be the slave for his family, all of them beating me when my small body failed to do what they wanted. The wife, his kids, none of them cared and all of them were glad to hurt me. Even now, I was constantly beaten among...other things...that I would rather not discuss.
"Where's that wine, cat!?" yelled Grenek from the other room. I looked through every cabinet but could not find any more wine. I became afraid as every place I checked was void of alcohol of any kind. I was sure to get beaten for this, even if it wasn't my fault. After checking the last cabinet, I took a deep breath to calm myself and went back to him. He was sitting down again, eating a Sweetroll.
"Well!? Where is it!?" he roared, putting down the Sweetroll and trying to see around me, probably thinking I was hiding the wine.
"Um...I-I'm sorry master but it appears we are out of wine. I can go get some more, if you would like" I said, hoping he'd agree. If he would let me go buy some, maybe he wouldn't hurt me. Not that I really knew where to get any but I'd find it somehow. Yes, I know I could escape if he agreed but...to be honest, I was afraid to try. What if he found me again? Besides, it's not like I could just leave him. That wouldn't be right...
"You think I'm an idiot, don't you!? Yeah, I let you out and you'll escape back to that pathetic home of yours! I'll teach you to insult me, you worthless cat!" he snapped, standing up once more and grabbing a very blunt iron sword from a nearby table. It wouldn't cut no matter how you used it, no. However, that didn't make it any less painful. I tried to run away but before I could, he had already brought the weapon down onto my shoulder. My whole body being covered in bruises, I screamed in pain and fell to the ground. He then swung at me several more times...on the chest, my shoulder, my head, everywhere he could reach. The pain was unbearable. It felt as though my body was on fire and I nearly passed out.
"O-ow! Master, please...! Stop!" I cried desperately but he ignored me. Warm tears formed in my eyes but that didn't stop him either. All I could do was wait for him to stop...wait for the immense pain to go away...
He finally backed off. By now, I couldn't move. My entire body was in so much pain it hurt to try. It took an enormous amount of effort to even keep my eyes open. There was no blood but I knew there would be at least twenty new bruises by tomorrow.
"Alkosh...please, just let it all end..." I thought, praying that Alkosh would just let me die already. I had asked this of the god before on many occasions but now I actually meant it. All I wanted was to die, to make this suffering end for good. Death is preferable to the torture I've been enduring for the last ten years.
"That'll teach you...but I think you need another reminder to not disobey me" he said, grabbing a different sword, this one sharpened. He grinned maliciously and sliced at my chest. The blade only scratched me a little bit but it still stung.
"Hopefully you'll learn this time, you pathetic beast" he growled, raising the sword once more, as though he was going to stab me in the heart. He was about to drive the sword into me when the door swung open forcefully. Before Grenek, or I for that matter, could see who had opened it, the blade was knocked out of his hands and he fell to the ground. A tall Khajiit boy was standing over him, carrying a gold-colored blade which was pointed at the Nord. He wore Hide Armor which showed off his arms and chest, both suggesting that he was likely very strong. On his right ear was a single gold piercing.
"Can you stand up?" he asked gently to me. I nodded and managed to force myself to stand. Judging by his voice, he was at least two or three years older than I was. He smiled and returned his attention to Grenek.
"So, you think you can just enslave one of my own race and get away with it, huh? Where's the rest of your pitiful family?" he asked, his sword now very close to the man's neck.
"T-they're out! P-please don't hurt them! Hurt me instead!" he stuttered, frightened out of his mind.
"I can arrange that. I hope the gods like you; you're about to meet them" he said, raising his sword to strike at Grenek's neck.
"Stop!" I cried, putting myself between the two. How I managed this is beyond me. "Do not hurt him!"
The Khajiit seemed mildly surprised. "You are aware of all this man has done, correct? Judging by your bruises, he hurts you a lot. Will you really protect him after all that?" he asked.
Without even thinking, I responded "Yes. Nobody deserves to die, not even him. He's not evil, just misguided. So please...don't hurt him"
He narrowed his eyes but sheathed his sword all the same. "As you wish. However, I must ask that you come to live with me instead of staying here with...them"
"No. I could never do that" I said. Now, he was very surprised.
"You're kidding. Why would you want to stay here?" he asked, somewhat suspicious.
"I've been here for ten years. I cannot just leave them. They depend on me and have taken care of me. Maybe it's not much but they do feed me and give me clothes and a place to sleep. No, I do not like what they do to me and I wish they would stop" Here, I shot a look at Grenek, "but I cannot leave. Besides, I do not even know who you are and living with someone you don't know, especially one of the same gender...it is just wrong"
The Khajiit sighed. "In all my years, I've never met one like you...look, they will be fine without you. Just come with me. I can give you so much more than they ever did. We'll get to know each other on the way. If you're too weak to walk, I can carry you" he crouched down to let me climb onto his back. I looked between him and Grenek, trying to decide. Do I go with the boy or stay here...? If I go with him my life might be better but if I stay, maybe Grenek will be nicer to me. At the same time, the boy seemed very nice but it would be wrong for me to live with him since I do not know him.
"Boy, you choose the cat and I'll hunt you down and kill you, understand?" the Nord snarled despite still being frightened. It took me a few moments to finally decide. I turned to the Khajiit.
"Maybe I don't know who you are...but I will still go with you. I am sorry Grenek but I cannot stay here. And I can walk, thank you" I said, walking over to him slowly. I winced with every step but I did my best to make it as subtle as possible. He stood up and glared at the man on the floor.
"Follow us or try to hurt him ever again and I will not hesitate to kill you even if he wants you to live. I hope you make the right choice" he growled, leaving the house. I looked once more toward Grenek, who was nearly bursting with anger, bowed and started to leave as well. I heard a loud shout from behind me. I turned to see Drenek running at me with the sharpened sword, his eyes filled with rage. I stumbled backwards but before I knew could even fully register all of this, the boy was in front of me, blocking the Nord with his golden blade.
"I did warn you" he said calmly. He knocked the sword out of Grenek's hand and pushed him back onto the floor with one swift movement. "You are lucky; I will not hurt you because the boy does not want it. However...one day, expect a little...visit in the night. It may happen tonight, it may happen three years from now. Just be ready and as a suggestion, hire guards"
He sheathed his sword and left the house. I looked at Grenek again. Instead of being angry, now his eyes were filled with fear. I quickly ran outside after the boy.
I squinted in the sunlight and shielded my eyes, despite the sun nearly setting. I had not been outside in about five years and that time was only because Grenek's eighteen year old son had forced me out there so he could have more room to beat me. Not a pleasant memory.
"Not used to the sun, huh?" the boy said, grinning. If the fact that I had to close my eyes wasn't a hint to this, my fur was as pale as snow. It took my eyes a long time to finally adjust.
"What did you mean by a visit in the night? I thought you said you won't hurt him" I said when my eyes finally adjusted.
"I meant absolutely nothing. I said I won't hurt him so I won't. However, now he'll be afraid every night until he realizes I was lying. He might waste his money on guards as well. It will keep him occupied so that he won't run after us. I'm Do'graven, by the way. You can just call me Ven" he said, leading me deeper into the forest. I had never seen any of this before; at least not like this. Birds flew overhead and the trees swayed in the gentle wind. The grass and leaves made interesting sounds as I stepped on them and the air was pleasant; not too warm but not too cold.
"I see. As long as he will be alright...in any case, it is nice to meet you, Ven. Is that what everyone calls you?" I asked, noticing the subject change was likely a hint to stop talking about it.
"No but you can call me that if you want to" he said, seemingly indifferent to everything around him. I don't know, I guess it was because I was in that house for so long that I find ordinary things fascinating.
"Oh, I almost forgot" said Ven stopping and turning to me. "You need new clothes, don't you? When we get back to my house, I'll see if I can find something for you. There should be something of mine that fits"
"Thank you. I appreciate that" I said. He smiled and stared at me for a few seconds. "...what?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Oh, nothing. I just noticed; even with your bruises and everything, you're very attractive" he said bluntly, still smiling.
I blushed a deep red. "...O-oh...t-thank you...I think..." I muttered, embarrassed. Nobody had ever said something like that to me before. All I ever heard was "you're ugly, beast" or "you pathetic cat". I assume my family would have complimented me but if they did, I cannot remember it. All I can remember is the day the Nords came. Before that, nothing.
He laughed. "You're very innocent, aren't you?" he asked. "Never done anything bad in your life, I'm guessing?"
It was amazing how that one comment brought up so many bad memories. The beatings weren't the only things that happened to me...I looked away, even more embarrassed to think of those particular...events. Of my own will, no. I had never done, nor wanted to do, anything bad...never dated, never kissed anyone, never had alcohol, never stolen anything, never even snuck out at night.
"...yes...I suppose you could say that" I muttered. Ven turned away and said something under his breath.
"...huh?" I asked. He merely kept walking. I sighed and walked on as well. A few minutes passed in silence. Then, Ven broke it by asking my name.
"I do not have one. I used to, of course, but I do not remember it because the constant attacks to my head made me forget certain things. At least, that is what I assume. I cannot remember anything from before the day Grenek took me to Skyrim. The only reason I know about being taken from my home is that they always taunted me about it. Also, while in that house, I was always called "cat" or "boy" or something like that..." I said, ashamed to admit it.
"I am sorry to hear that. I will see if I can find a way to help. Hmm...what about...Kogaan? Not exactly a normal Khajiit name but it fits you" he suggested. I instantly took a liking to the name and agreed. It might not be my birth name but something about it was...nice.
An hour or two later, though it seemed much shorter, we came to a gigantic house about a hundred yards from a lake. On its right side was a tall tower of some sort. On the left side was a large porch and it looked like another tower was connected to the back of it.
"Like it? I built this thing from the ground up. Took forever...and a lot of money" he said, grinning proudly. "I normally don't brag about my accomplishments but this is an exception"
"Wait, you built this by yourself? All of it? How old are you, anyway?" I asked in disbelief. There was no way a seventeen year old...or however old he was...could build this. It was simply impossible.
"I'm sixteen and of course. If you want to get places in life, you have to do things yourself and not rely on others. It took a lot of effort and I nearly killed myself on several occasions but whatever. Come on, I'll show you the inside. We'll have dinner then get some rest. I'm sure you need it after ten years of torment" he said, going inside the house. The inside amazed me even more; it looked big from outside but from here, it seemed twice as huge. He told me to sit down at the table near the left wall while he got me some new clothes. He went off into another room for a few moments then came back, now wearing regular clothes himself and holding a red shirt, leather boots and black pants that looked brand new. He also carried a large potion in a red bottle.
"Here, I've never actually worn these. They were too small when I bought them but I didn't feel like taking them back so they're yours now. The people at Radiant Raiment in Solitude scare me, to be honest. Anyway, they should fit fine. Drink the all of that potion, too. It'll make your bruises go away" he said, handing them to me and leaving the room while I changed. They all fit perfectly, as though they were made for me. It felt rather odd to be in normal clothes and not the rags that Grenek gave me. The cloth was very soft, a nice change from the rough leather I was used to. I took a sip of the potion and gagged.
"Eww...I wonder if all potions taste this bad" I said to myself. The potion tasted like moldy bread (though perhaps not quite as disgusting) but I forced myself to drink the rest. The second I had finished it, all of the bruises on me vanished along with all of my pain. I couldn't help smiling a little, something I hadn't truly done in years.
I called for Ven through the door, telling him I had changed and taken the potion. He came back into the room, holding a tray of warm food.
"I just finished cooking. I hope-" he began but cut himself off, staring at me.
"...yes?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable again.
"Nothing, it's just a little weird. Without those bruises and those torn clothes, you look like a totally different person. Well in any case, let's eat. Have as much as you want. If you're still hungry after this, I can always make more. It'll take two minutes" he said, setting the food onto the table.
We sat down and began to eat. I tried to eat slowly but every once in a while, I caught myself wolfing down venison, or a potato, or cabbage, causing Ven to laugh and me to blush slightly and slow down again. I couldn't help it; the food was so delicious and warm that it just happened. I had never eaten anything so good or eaten so much in my entire life. Ven didn't eat much, only watched me. I normally would have found this creepy but I was too busy eating to care at that point.
"Slow down a bit. You'll get sick" he said an hour later, still smiling. It seemed like he was always happy about something. It was nice, though. Being around a happy person was much better than being around someone like Grenek.
"I do feel kind of sick..." I said sleepily, my stomach hurting slightly. I felt as though I was about to throw up and I had almost no energy.
"Yes, that means you've eaten too much. Come on, my little kitten. Let's get you to bed" he said gently. I stood up after a few tries and followed him into yet another room to the left through the doors at the end of the room. There was a single double bed in the corner, accompanied by many chests and wardrobes. On a small table beside the bed was a single candle, which was the only source of light. He took off his boots and climbed into bed, not even bothering to pull the blanket over himself.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked, patting the space of bed beside him. "We both, especially you, need some sleep"
"What? Sleep in the same bed as you? I could not. It is your bed, not mine. I do not mind sleeping on the floor. Besides, I was always told two males should not sleep in the same bed unless they are related. I am sorry but I simply cannot do it" I refused instantly. I liked him well enough but sleeping with him, especially after only knowing him a day...
"Kogaan, you need to lighten up...experiment a bit. Besides, you should not believe everything you are told. Who knows, maybe you'll like it" he said, winking at me. His behavior confused me. Why was he acting like this? Was this normal?
After a few more moments of thinking, I removed my new boots and hesitantly lay down beside him. My mind was screaming at me to get up and sleep somewhere else, saying this was wrong, but even if I wanted to I couldn't. The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep since I was used to sleeping on the hard floor. It was so comfortable and so nice, I couldn't help it. The last thing I heard was Ven softly whispering in my ear "Sleep well...my little kitten"