Merilineth crouched low in the bushes just outside of Whiterun. She was out of the guards view and far away enough that the light from their torches couldn't reach her. She checked the bandages on her left arm, making sure they were bound tight and that no skin was showing. The bandages were covered in blood and dirt, but she could always obtain new ones at the local healer or the temple. Taking a deep breath to calm herself she stood up and began waling up to the city gates.
"Hold there traveler, what business do you have entering the city this late at night?"
Merilineth cleared her parched throat and said, "Just stopping for the night, I'm on my way to Markarth to visit family and was hoping to rest at the local inn." This was a lie of course. She had no family, she had no friends, and she had been forced to wander from hold to hold in order to avoid her secret from being discovered. If she were to tell the guards the real reason she was going to Markarth they would probably turn her over to the Vigilants, or turn her away from the gates.
The guard was silent, his gaze fixed on her arm which she slid behind her back to keep him from looking to closely. Finally he spoke again, causing Merilineth to jump slightly.
"Well okay then, just be careful. There is a murderer on the loose and the last thing I need is to find your corpse stuffed in a barrel when I make my rounds."
Merilineth nodded and quickly stepped through the gate into the city. Aside from the torches of the few guards patrolling the Plains District. She had also lied about planning to stay at the inn, the few septims she had left would by her some bread and cheap mead for breakfast. She needed to find a place to sleep as far away the guard patrols as possible so she headed towards the Wind District. It wasn't long before she could hear footsteps closing in behind her.
Merilineth assumed that this person was the murderer, simply because they were trying their hardest to sneak up on her, and failing miserably. Suddenly she had to stop and lean against the wall as intense pain shot through her arm.
Not now, she cried internally, I just got here. I haven't even eaten yet. That's when she realized her mistake. In her haste to find rags to cover her arm with and get to the city before it was too dark to navigate the roads, she had forgotten to feed. However she had no time to regret her error, because the person following her had finally caught up and grabbed her from behind.
She could tell by the smell it was an Nord. His arm was wrapped around her and he had a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Still she tried to wiggle out of grasp, but the hunger was taking over her body and making it numb. The man whispered in her ear, "Such a pretty young thing, tell me darling are you as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside?" His breath reeked of booze and his hand smelled like he hadn't washed in weeks, but she could also smell the sweet scent of flesh and blood. It was enough to drive her crazy and her predatory instincts were starting to kick in. Saliva began to fill her mouth and her body once numb was starting to gain strength. Merilineth tried to fight back at first, but her live was on the line here so it wasn't like she had much of a choice.
Her attacker threw her down, but she quickly rolled away and got on her feet. He drew a long curved hunting knife from his belt and held it in front of him, a wicked grin on his face. All the moving around had caused the bandages to loosen and they slid to the ground. The smile on the murderer's face quickly disappeared and a look of sheer terror was plastered on his face.
"M-monster...you're a monster! Stay away from me!" He shouted as he got a good look at what was under the bandages, and started to run away.
Well...Merilineth thought as she lunged at the slab of meat attempting to prolong his pitiful life, at least I don't need to worry about breakfast any more.