This isn't my fight
It was damned cold out and she knew it. Despite her winter coat coming in and extra layers of clothing she had stolen from those stupid enough to leave them laying about unattended didn't relieve the early cold she felt. It provided some relief but not much. Slightly shivering and hungry the young Kahjiit female pressed onward. She was of dark fur and heavy build. Not that she was overweight…it was muscle. Muscle earned from fighting, running, and hunting. Had she stayed in Elysewere, home of her species she would have been labeled a warrior. She had her father's temper but her mother's compassion. She grinned slightly. Her father hated injustice of any kind and would kill wrong do-ers or what he precieved as wrong doers.
Her mother was kinder and tried to see the good in all. She didn't have the intense mistrust of outsiders like her father did. Jaghura had inherited both traits from her parents. And at 16 she was considered a young adult. She ventured further into Skyrim away from her people and land. She was curious. Along the way she accidently bumped into a young human male around her age. He would have been considered rather handsome if he were kahjiit like her. He stared at her in surprise. He had never seen a kahjiit this far out before. Jahgura's ears flattened slightly in defense. "What? She asked sharply. The young male Arcturus looked back. "Nothing. Why are you out here? Don't you know Skyrim's on the verge of war?" He asked out of concern. Jahgura's ears pricked slightly. Cocking her head to one side she studied this strange human.
"I know there's a war going on. Its not my fight so why should I care?" Arcturus stared at her. "You should care. This war affects everyone." Jahgura stared at him trying not to grin. He was handsome. Does he have a mate? He seems to like you. Maybe you should…the young kahjiit wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something foul. 'He's human! STOP THAT!' Arcturus laughed at the expression on her face. "My name's Arcturus. What's yours?"
"Arturu…Arca….Ass… Ar-ctur-us?" she asked. The young man nodded smiling warmly. Jahgura blushed slightly. "My name is Jahgura." she replied her fur puffed outward. This for some reason got Arcturus laughing. The kahjiit realizing what happened laughed as well. "Hey listen, I'm headed North to Solitude I have an uncle up there. Wanna go with? We could use a fighter like yourself." Jahgura looked at him for a moment. She could use a friend and traveling was lonely affair. She agreed. The two friends went on their way.
"Do you have a mate?" Jahgura asked then mentally cursed herself. He was human and she was asking him if he was interested in pursuing a relationship. Arcturus stopped in his tracks? "wh-what? No. Humans don't…at age 16 we don't 'marry'." Jahgura looked at him confused. "Why? At age 16 Kahjiit females and males seek a mate. Its our way." Jahgura replied calmly as if it were the most natural thing to do. Arcturus shook his head. "No, we usually wait until we are 18 or older. Sometimes we choose not to be married." He replied back.
The kahjiit snorted slightly. "How foolish. How can you have kits if you don't get married?" she asked a bit irritated. Arcturus smiled kindly. "sometimes we do have children outside of being 'mates' its not right, but its been done." Jahgura shook her head. "Humans are strange. But my kind is stranger. I don't want to be mated at 16. Not really anyway, not unless I find someone I really like." she smiled slightly. Arcturus cleared his throat nervously. 'Is she coming on to me? Oh damn. We just met…and she's kahjiit….' he thought to himself. He dismissed that thought though. He knew kahjiit tended to keep to their own kind and only deal with outsiders on business terms. The two walked on in silence until Arcturus accidently stumbled into Jahgura sending both of them tumbling down.
Normally Jahgura would have been angry but being as she liked her new friend she laughed. He did too. "I like you Jahgura. Your really cool." Arcturus smiled helping his friend to her feet. Jahgura blushed slightly. "I like you too Arcturus. We'll be friends forever I think." she agreed. "Ill be your friend till death. Won't desert you." promised. Jahgura coughed slightly feeling a slight well of tears form in her eyes. She had only known him for a short time but already had grown to care dearly for him.
The two were growing weary of their traveling and decided to camp for the night. Luckily it was by a lake where there was plenty of fish to be had. As the sun set the two friends ate their fill of fish and lay side by side staring at the stars. They spoke a bit more about random things before falling asleep. Neither one realizing that they were being watched by a band of imperials. The small band had deemed the pair spies and had to be dealt with accordingly. They would wait until the two were completely asleep before apprehending them. This was because kahjiit tended to be protective over those whom they considered friends and would fight to the death in their defense.
"Let's make our move now. Bind the cat and I'll take care of the boy." one of the soldiers ordered. They made their move. Both put up a great fight but were subdued in the end. The two friends were separated and put onto different wagons. Arcturus only thought was if his friend was ok. She had to be. On the wagons a few ways down the kahjitt was regaining conscious. She scanned the wagon she was on hoping her friend was on the same wagon. He wasn't. and her wagon was the last ones in. That meant that he had to be on one of them up ahead.
"Looks like they got another one. A young one this time. Those bastards." a fellow prisoner grumbled. The kahjiit looked as the headsman brought down his axe and brought it back up again kicking aside the body of one of the prisoners. "Last wagon." the captain called out coldy. Jahgura felt her heart sink. Her friend was gone. Her human was no more. Her human.She felt an intense burst of hatred and rage course through her body. Grief and rage. She swore vegence. As she was loaded off the wagon her eyes settled on the captain and the guardsman. The captain looked away nervously. Obviously the kahjiit had a friend. But that didn't matter. She was a traitor and needed to be dealt with accordingly. As they wrestled with the engraged kahjiit to the block she resigned to her fate.
At least she'd be with her friend again. She kept her eyes open. Her race did not permit her to face death cowardly. Her parents would be honored. They would probably never learn of her death being as she didn't even know where they were…if they even still lived. The headsman raised his axe but before he even got chance to use it a terrifying dragon flew over head and landed on the top of the keep. Prisoners were forgotten as guards raced around to protect civillions and themselves. The Kahjiit took this opportunity to escape. She ran towards the forest ignoring one guard's orders to stop where she was.
She ran on for a while. And when she was certain that the dragon was not following her she allowed herself to grieve. Tears scared her. Never in her life had she remembered crying. Sure she cried when she was a kit and she stubbed her toe or scraped her knee. But never had she anyone close to her die before. It scared her. She gathered herself and wiped her tears away walking onward. She'd go to Solitude alone. For her friend. As she continued on she became aware of another one following her. It was one of her fellow prisonors. 'I DO NOT want another friend. Not after what happened.' Her ears flattened completely and she whirled around. "What the fuck?" she snarled readied herself to attack.
"I know where your friend is. I can take you to him." the man known as Hvash stated calmly. Jahgura slowly relaxed. 'He can take me to him. I can give him a decent burial.' she thought to herself. "Do it then." she sighed. Hvash nodded noting the sadness in the kahjiit's eyes. "This young man. Was he your…" he stopped once he realized this would only irritate the kahjiit. 'Of course. He thought to himself. Unlikely but possible. Interspecies love is not unheard of.' he thought to himself. Jahgura followed this strange human to his camp. She saw others there too. An old man who glared at her. She glared back undaunted.
Before she could respond to the others' curious stares she felt a hand clasp her shoulder. She puffed out of instinct ears flattened.
"you shouldn't puff like that all the time. Or I'm gonna have to call you Puffy." Jahgura snarled whirling around. She had just lost a dear friend and now this idiot was testing her? Growling she turned to settle his problem when she recognized the face.