Note: This idea hit me so hard one day that I had to postpone everything and get this written. I already have it planned to be at least 15 chapters. So I really hope you enjoy! Also, not to worry. Child of Sithis will be updated soon! And remember - reviews are love! Let me know what you think.
Dawn of a New Day
Caterina Motierre doesn't fear vampires, nor does she fear werewolves.
To be honest, this new werewolf outbreak was a breath of fresh air. After the battle she'd just took part in, she'd welcome anything with wide, open arms. Though she'd never really heard of any werewolf attacks. At least not within cities. So when Isran, after three weeks since the Vampire attacks, contacted her about checking up on Whiterun, she was pleasantly surprised. The pleasant part would stem from him getting rumors of hearing the beasts at night within the city, but no attacks. Strange for a beast who was renowned for being a cruel man-eater. Perhaps someone was misinformed.
She had just hoped that this wouldn't turn out to be another battle like she and many others from the Dawnguard had just experienced.
The battle at Volkihar Keep was a long, bloody fight with many casualties. A lot of good men were lost that night as Caterina fought her way through the castle entrance alongside Isran, Sorine, and Durak; the others behind fighting off the sudden vampire ambush. The amount of lives she took was little to none according to Isran, who insisted that vampires had no life to live, nor lose. With his comments and his harsh behavior towards the subject, Caterina felt that his prejudice and her positive feelings would eventually lead to them clashing at some point in time. The only death she did agree on was when she watched in relief as Lord Harkon burst into blood-red flames, which quickly died out and formed a pile of darkened ash, the arrow that she'd shot perfectly embedded in the center of the mound.
His cruelty and obsession with an ancient prophecy, which would eventually result in the murder of his own daughter, was reasons enough for his death. The wife of the madman also meant as little to him as his daughter, him only seeing them as a means to achieve his true goal; a world where vampires would thrive in darkness.
He was of little concern now. Whatever world he was suffering in, may Molag Bal rot with him.
The Breton woman gripped Auriel's Bow tightly within her fist, the indentations of the weapon marking the palm of her hand. The battle had been three weeks ago, but she was still on edge. After all, being in a battle that you don't normally see everyday in Skyrim tends to put someone over the breaking point when it comes to caution.
The events leading up to the battle, however, were not a complete waste. For starters, they did wipe out the vampire clan, save for a select few whom Caterina defended. To top it off, she made a lifelong friend.
She looked over at the vampire to her side and smiled. Serana had been so cold and distant when she found her in Dimhollow Cavern, but after all they'd been through together, she was full of newfound life, despite still being technically dead, of course. The only time they've parted ways was when Caterina had to meet up with the Dawnguard. While Serana held no threat to their hunting group, she still had reasons to not trust Isran around her. Hell, even the others had their grudges towards vampires.
It actually surprised the breton when Isran did send for her. Why trust her, of all people? Sure she was the hunter who had killed Lord Harkon in his own home, but her act of pity towards certain undead beings lead him to not trust her as well as he should. His excuse was that he and a majority of the other members of the Dawnguard had discovered a bigger Vampire hideout up north and had decided to investigate. Durak had told her that she was best suited for the job of finding the werewolves and Gunmar insisted that it was a one-man job of tracking them down. Truth be told, Caterina had a feeling that they sent her on a wild goose chase over some rumor only to be rid of her in case there were more innocent vampires that they wished to murder in this newfound location.
She sighed as she looked at the large city of Whiterun ahead of them just down the path.
The idea of werewolves being in Whiterun was kind of far fetched. Nonetheless, she promised Isran that she'd look into it, so here she was. Auriel's bow in her hand and a shoulder-bag slung over her shoulder containing various potions and bandages and other misc. items such as silver daggers. One should always come prepared. Which is always why she had Bran.
Bran was an incredibly gifted husky who knew his basic commands and had even been trained to wear something she liked to call "doggie armor." It was love at first bark, truly. He never left her side and always came to her aid. She smiled as she reached down to pat him on the head, his tongue coming out to give a friendly lick upon her fingers.
Serana casually walked next to her, hood pulled up over her face to shield herself from the sun. She didn't have to come with her, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't expect it. The vampire always found a way around things. If she said she didn't want her to travel to a location with her, she'd simply meet the hunter at said location while stating that she did not travel with her. She was a sarcastic little thing. Or.. big thing, really. Caterina was a breton and compared to Serana, she was of very short stature. Not that it minded her too much. Nords and bretons got along just fine. Or at least she thought so. She was never one for politics.
If their height difference wasn't so prominent, people would have mistook them for sisters. Of course Serana was much more beautiful than Caterina, which was to be expected for a daughter of Coldharbour. Caterina was, to put it nicely, simply ordinary. She was nothing special. While she was by no means ugly, she also wasn't someone that a knight in shining armor would risk his life rescuing. Her waist-length, dark brown hair was always a wavy, tangled mess despite how many times she'd tried to tame it. Her skin had always been a sickly looking pale color.. she was pretty sure they didn't even make face-paint that was lighter than her skin. Her facial features were alright, but she had a horrible looking gash on the side of her neck - thank you Mr. Grizzly Bear - that didn't appear to be healing up anytime soon. The only unique feature she had were her clear, bright blue eyes. But even then, she insisted that she had seen better eye colors.
Serana on the other hand had everything going okay for her. Her pale skin and shoulder-length, dark hair were similar to Caterina's, but it somehow looked much better on the Nordic woman. Not that the breton was complaining. Jealousy wasn't something that she knew.
"You sure do seem to be lost in the clouds today, Caterina. Feeling okay?" Serana broke her out of her thoughts when they'd reached Pelagia Farm. She placed a hand on her shoulder with genuine concern.
"Yes, of course. I've just had a lot to think about. Dragons, vampires, and now werewolves?" Caterina chuckled. "It's like the world is against humanity right now. No offense to you, of course."
"None taken." She smiled widely at the breton, but it quickly vanished when she reached for her elven dagger at her side. "Caterina, look!"
"A giant? You've got to be kidding me." Sure enough, about 50 feet ahead of them stood a giant with a large war-hammer. There were three armored warriors already fighting with the beast, but it felt like she needed to assist them. One look at Serana and they simultaneously charged forward with their weapons. With Auriel's Bow aimed at the giant's head, she released the arrow, sending it soaring through the air until it landed directly between its eyes.
The smile on her face grew so big that she was half-tempted to start jumping up and down like a little girl, but the moment soon vanished when she looked over to share the joy with Serana. The vampire had a look of absolute horror on her face and for a reason even Caterina couldn't place. She'd have asked her what her worry was, but she noticed one of the warriors - a female - was approaching.
"You handle yourself well. You could make for a decent Shield-Sister." The woman, who appeared to be nord, had a fiery, wild look in her eyes. Her red hair and face-paint accentuated that fact.
"A shield-sister?" Caterina must have given Bran her enthusiasm, for he was wagging his tail and running in circles around the woman.
"Yes. Have you not heard of the companions?" Serana ignored the woman. She held her tongue and did not speak. Her actions were beginning to seem rather rude, much to Caterina's dislike.
"Who hasn't? You're warriors. People pay you to help you solve their problems," She scratched her head as she looked back at Serana who had taken a few steps back when the other two Companions stepped forward. "I've always admired you and what you do." It was true that she had heard of the infamous companions and their Harbinger, but she'd never actually met them until today.
The response must have pleased the Nordic woman, for she smiled brightly and gestured to herself. "My name is Aela and this is Farkas, my shield-brother. And this is my newest shield-sister, Ria." Ria looked ready to jump right out of her boots in excitement. Farkas appeared to be bored until he spotted Bran.
"You're strong. Join us." Farkas commented as he bent down to scratch behind the huskies ears.
"I will need to speak with my friend, here." She gestured towards Serana who now had her hand rested on her sheathed dagger. "Who apparently seems to by shy today."
Aela looked curiously behind Caterina as the vampire refused to meet her gaze. Making a small noise of frustration, Serana pushed forward. "I'll meet you at the inn."
Not only did her sudden departure confuse the companions, but it also confused Caterina as well. She looked at Aela and shrugged her shoulders.
"Forgive her. She's normally not like this. Perhaps she got ill on the journey here." Which was an obvious lie if they knew of her vampire heritage, but she felt that she needed to make an excuse for her. Though why she acted so hostile towards these people who had barely said three sentences to her, she had no idea.
"Mm. Indeed." Aela slung her bow over her shoulder and looked to Ria and Farkas. "I want to talk with this one. I'll head back soon."
"It was nice to meet you!" Ria was, by all means, a bundle of joy. The smile never left her face and she was sure, that if she'd looked, she'd have been smiling as she was killing the giant. It was rather refreshing.
Ria jogged back up towards the gates of Whiterun, Farkas not too far behind.
"Tell me your name."
"Caterina."
"Family name?"
"Motierre."
"Well then, Caterina Motierre," She looked the breton up and down like she was sizing her up. "How would you like to join the companions?"
"I would love to, personally. But I have other affairs that I need to tend to." She furrowed her brows when she spotted Farkas attempting to talk to Serana up ahead. Hopefully Serana wouldn't embarrass herself.
"Affairs? So you're part of another organization?"
"In a way, yes." She perked up and shook her head. "But it's a personal organization. I hope you understand."
"Personal, hm? Sounds mysterious. Hopefully it's as rewarding as being a companion."
"Probably not, but I can't really back out now." She cleared her throat and decided to sway away from the conversation. "So you're a huntress?"
That perked her up immediately. "I am. It appears you are, too. That was some great aiming you did earlier."
"Thank you!" She'd have lied if she told herself that the compliment wasn't that big of a deal. She recently switched from a crossbow to a bow after battling Harkon. She'd have insisted on getting the crossbow back, but Isran told her that it was destined for her to wield it. She surely couldn't go against the thoughts and ideas of her leader, now could she? Either way, she was still practicing with the bow, so the idea that she hit the target spot on was, to put it bluntly, sheer luck. Damn Auriel's Bow.
"We should go hunting together sometime. Do you live near here?"
"No. I own a home in Riften, but it's quite a ways away for visitors."
"I see," Aela straightened up and glanced up at the gates of Whiterun. "Well if you change your mind, you'll have to talk to Kodlak Whitemane up in Jorrvaskr."
"Hm. Maybe I will." It honestly didn't seem like a bad idea for some extra coin, but Serana appeared to resent these people for reasons unknown.
"Well if you go to the old man, good luck." She gave Caterina a genuine smile and she couldn't help but to realize how much Aela put her in mind of her sister back home in Cyrodiil. Strangely, it made her a bit homesick. She was silent as she slowly followed the Nord up the path and towards Serana.
Serana held a hand up to her nose as she walked up the path to get to Whiterun. The foul stench of the wolf on those two were unbearable. It amazed her to think that the living could not at least smell a tad bit of the odor.
The Imperial walked past her on the path, but she didn't smell like anything other than the normal stench of human. While it wasn't the best smell in the world for her heightened "sniffer", as Caterina liked to call it, it did at least put her at ease that there were only two. That she knew of anyway. But she did have her doubts.
Farkas and Aela, on the other hand, were nothing but wolf. Now she had nothing against anyone, but her family had always been fearful and disgusted with werewolves. Apparently that prejudice was hereditary. The way they smelt disgusted her and the way they stalked their prey downright scared her. Though she'd never admit it. Sadly, Caterina seemed to sense her fear.
She would have to explain to the breton what had happened when they get their time alone, but for now, let her think what she will of her.
Just when she thought Caterina was walking up behind her, her heart filled with dread when she smelt him.
She inwardly grimaced when she seen the male walking towards her with every intent to talk with her. She groaned aloud when he stopped in front of her, blocking her path with his muscular frame.
"Hey," He asked awkwardly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm.. I'm fine. Now get out of my way."
"It doesn't seem like you're fine." He crossed his arms and remained standing in front of her. She groaned again. "What's your name?"
"... Brünnhilde." Really? That's the best you could do? Brünnhilde?
"Where are you from?" She tried to walk around him, but he just walked backwards in an attempt to continue speaking to her.
"Around."
"Around where?" She huffed at his response, eager to be away from the foul smelling wolf.
"Around here."
"Is that around here?"
"What are you even talking about?" She stopped in her tracks and looked him in the face for the first time. He was a decent looking guy, but the dirt and face-paint smeared across his features made her grimace. That mixed with the smell made for a horrible combination. Not to mention he was a bonehead. Though perhaps if he were cured of the beast blood...
"Serana!" Serana glanced back to see Aela walking up the path followed closely behind by Caterina. Damn it.
"Wait a minute. Serana? I thought your name was Brünnhilde." Farkas questioned as he looked back and forth between the two women. Aela seemed to understand completely and urged him onward.
"Go on, you lumbering oaf. I think we should leave these women alone." Aela pushed a hand against his stomach, causing him to walk backwards quicker and almost fall over in the process, earning some chuckles from the huntress. "They just got back from a long journey. I'm sure they'll want to rest."
While Serana didn't fancy being around the werewolves in anyway, she did at least appreciate the genuine concern that the red head had given her. Serana forced a smile and grabbed for Caterina's hand to keep her from following. She tugged her away from the road.
"Serana," The breton gently tugged her hood off her head and looked at her with eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong? Why were you so hostile?"
"It's them," She ran her hands through her hair, relief sweeping over her now that the sun was going down. Her eyes would finally have a break.
"Them?"
"The mutts! All I can smell on them is.. dog. Gross disgusting dog!" Bran barked in response as if to say Hello, I'm right here! In truth, the smell of dog didn't bother her. But the smell of werewolves threw her over the edge.
"Are you sure? They didn't seem the type." The look of confusion and disbelief crossed the bretons face. "Serana. Why would you accuse the-"
"Have you seen many werewolves in your lifetime?" Serana interrupted, clearly frustrated at the girl for not trusting her judgement the first time.
"Well no, I haven't, bu-"
"This isn't a joke! Just.. trust me. It's them. And I bet you there are a lot more of them in their little cult."
"They're not a cult. They help people, Serana." Caterina looked deeply offended. Serana had completely forgotten her love of heroes.
"Okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so prejudice against them." Serana knew how it felt to be thrown into the same bunch of vampires that relished in everything they were.. to be accused of being a heartless vampire much like her departed father, Harkon. The events leading up to where she was today made her a little more forgiving of those that had seen hardships in their life, urging them to change their behavior. Serana didn't even hate Isran - just mistrusted him, but for obvious reasons. He had, after all, came across many vampires with no good plans. Then again, what vampire did normally have good intentions?
Still. She couldn't help but to let her fear of the werewolves get out of hand. Caterina knew she was fearful of the beast blood, but she'd prefer not to let her understand the extent of her fear. It took everything in her to even tag along with the breton on this little quest she had gotten herself into. But what kind of friend would she be if she let her best friend literally get thrown into a pit of rabid dogs?
She sighed at the silence and watched as the two wolves disappeared behind the gates and looked to her companion. "We better head to the inn. It's getting late."
Caterina nodded and wrapped her cloak around her frame a little more tightly. Serana figured it was getting chilly since she reacted so negatively towards the cold, something the vampire didn't really notice anymore.
Normally the lateness wouldn't bother Serana. In fact, she welcomed night like she welcomed a warm mug of mead - or blood - after a long journey with no refreshments. But due to her friendship with the breton, she forced herself to change her sleeping patterns. It wasn't all bad. At least people couldn't see how much her eyes glowed during the day. Less suspicions, of course. Which was a lot less stressful on her part.
The Bannered Mare was full of people and a little too crowded for Caterina's liking. They didn't waste much time renting a room from the Nord innkeeper, Hulda. Once in the privacy of their own room for the night, Caterina immediately turned on Serana, asking her questions ranging from how they smelt and if she could smell them from their room and if she had met many werewolves prior.
"You ask way too many questions. Is this a common trait for a breton?" She inquired as they both stripped themselves of their heavy armor and equipment, Bran barking joyfully on the bed without a care in the world.
"Well you met Sorine. That should answer your question right there."
"She is indeed a talker. It's too bad that she despises bloodsuckers and wishes to kill me."
"Yeah. That's one negative." Caterina plopped down on the bed after shooing Bran off and immediately wrapped herself up in the blankets. Serana fluffed her pillows up and laid on the opposite side, her hands placed behind her neck as she relaxed her achy feet.
"So whats our plan for finding out more about these wolves?"
"If there were two werewolves fighting together, that should surely mean that there are more, correct?" Serana nodded and stared at the far wall as she listened to the breton.
"The unusual thing about it is that Imperial that was with them." Serana had almost forgotten about her.
"What about her?"
"She was mortal. Human. No wolf in her blood at all."
"That's.. interesting. Do you think they're planning on cooking her for supper?" Leave it to Caterina to put it so nicely.
"I don't think so. While they are beasts, I don't think they'd chance that in the middle of Whiterun."
Caterina didn't say anything for awhile. She shifted over in the bed to glance at the small holes in the floor. Skyrim sure sucked at making decent buildings. At least Cyrodiil actually had magic users to help in the creation.
"I think I know your plan." Serana spoke out of the blue and turned her body towards the breton and sighed. "It's too dangerous. I won't allow you to do it."
"Okay, mom. But I didn't really ask your permission. Did I?"
"Caterina, I'm serious. You could get seriously hurt."
"Well they haven't touched Ria yet, have they?" She countered back defensively.
"No, but maybe it's only a matter of time. None of them can control their beast blood. What if they lead her away one night and, as you said, have her for supper?"
"Then join them with me. We can fight them together."
"Me surrounded by werewolves? I don't think so." Caterina huffed at the vampires stubbornness. She knew of her fear of the wolves, but this was ridiculous. There were guards around if anything out of the ordinary were to occur.
"Oh, come on. I could protect you."
"Yeah. You and your noodle arms." She laughed and smiled as Caterina flexed in a most sarcastic manner. "Use that bow of yours more often and you'll be surprised over how much more muscles will build up."
"As long as I get the job done, I don't care how I look."
"You will if you want to eventually marry."
"Won't husbands appreciate their wife being thin and weaker than them?" She put an emphasis on weaker since she had killed several dragons that had crossed her path in the past. Not to mention an entire vampire coven had been slain thanks to her and a handful of others.
"Not in Skyrim. Nordic men have an odd attraction to tall and fit women."
"Perhaps I'll have to wear a long gown to hide the stool I'll be standing on to look taller." She sassed back, clearly frustrated with that comment. It's not that she wanted to marry anytime soon, but she would eventually love to settle down.
Serana gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
They both stopped their chatter, the only sounds being made was the creaking of the floorboard outside their room and the laughing and blabbing of the people downstairs. Probably drunk off their asses.
"Farkas is kind of cute." Serana looked at the breton, who seemed to pull that statement out of thin air.
"I'm not letting you fall in love with a werewolf."
"I wouldn't dream of it. I was speaking from your perspective." She grinned at the vampire. "I mean, you were his exact height. And you have such a fit figure. It was love at first sight."
Serana used all the force she could muster and kicked her out of the bed, Caterina rolling onto the floor in a fit of giggles. Bran barked and took the spot on the bed, proceeding to snuggle into the pillow Caterina had currently vacated.
"You're such a child."
"Well you are over 4,000 years old. You should know."
"Shut up." Remarked the vampire, her smile returning.
"Look at us giggling like a bunch of thirteen year old girls planning their future weddings." Caterina laughed as she remained awkwardly on the floor, one foot wrapped around the blanket which she had all but dragged onto the ground with her.
"How old are you, Caterina?" Questioned the Nord. "I've never really asked."
"I'll be reaching my twenty-fourth birthday this winter."
"I remember when I reached my twenty-first birthday. My mother harped on me so much to choose a suitor; as is the customs of the daughters of wealthy families to also marry wealthy."
"I take it you did not choose?"
"Oh, I did." The vampires smile brightened at the memory. "He was perfect - the perfect gentleman. The smile that he wore on his face was permanent. I had never seen him frown, even when he met my father who was, believe it or not, quite stern but loving at the time."
"What happened?" Caterina propped herself up on the side of the bed, her knees resting onto the hard wood of the creaking floors.
Serana's smile faded and she glanced out the small window at the moon so high in the sky. She cleared her throat and blinked several times to keep her glassy eyes from weeping.
"It's late. We should sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."
"We have a big day tomorrow," After much prodding, Bran finally jumped off the bed allowing Caterina to occupy her previous spot. She laid on her back beside Serana, who turned her body to the wall, her back to the breton. Caterina understood that Serana had her secrets, but she had a feeling that she was hiding a lot more than she seemed to previously believe.
The moonlight shone brightly through the small window in the room, all the furniture looking serene and still. That's when she heard the chilling sound of a howl - no. Howls. She shivered and pulled the blankets up further onto her frame, Serana remaining as still and calm as could be. Caterina was very rarely envious of people, but at this point in time, she envied Serana for not feeling the cold winds blowing through the window.
Seemed like ages before the howling and the wind died down, her body being a little more adjusted to the temperature in the room. But as usual, just as sleep was about to come for her, Bran found the need to jump onto her stomach and proceed to curl up, his nose resting in the crook of her neck.
"Oof." Damn it.