CHAPTER 1: THE RAID
They came without warning as they always did. Before anyone had time to run or hide. They approached quietly under the knavish protection of a muffle spell and cover of nightfall. They then pounced out of the shadows upon the defenceless Khajiit village of Ledstead. Some Khajiit choose to fight the raiders but they were soon slain by their enemies' arcane powers and elven weapons. Most khajiit tried to sneak away from the massacre but they were soon hunted and killed by their elven overlords. Ironically it was the elves who were acting more like wildcats, hunting their unprepared foes in superior numbers.
But who launched the raid? Who would attack a defenceless village with trained soldiers and elven weapons? Who would have the cruelty to kill civilians without giving them as much as a chance at surrender? There were only two evil forces in Tamriel capable of such cruelty: the Imperial legion were one but their troops would never dare enter Elsweyr so that just left the second most evil force in Tamriel: the Thalmor. The Wicked servants of the Aldmeri dominion valued no life except that of elves. They considered khajiit to be inferior creatures and had no qualms about killing an entire village if just one khajiit did something to anger them. Unfortunately of the village of Ledstead a young khajiit amongst them had done just that.
M'Dato was gripped with fear as he was dragged from his home by the Altmer invaders. The Cathay Khajiit was dragged roughly by two Thalmor soldiers under the watchful eyes of the archers now lining the rooftops. M'Dato was followed by his friend S'Rak, a large cathay-rhaht, being escorted by four Thalmor soldiers.
"M'Dato" hissed S'Rak "S'Rak wants you to know he blames this entirely on you!"
M'Dato would have responded with an extremely witty comeback such as and Khajiit blames the food shortage entirely on you referring to, S'Rak's ample proportion, but he was a bit busy being manhandled (mer handled?) by thalmor soldiers who were enjoying it way too much. He S'Rak and the other Khajiit villagers were herded like cattle into the centre of the village by the moonstone-clad thugs. M'Dato looked around for an escape route: he didn't like what he saw. The Thalmor had every conceivable exit covered; bosmer archers had their elven weapons trained on both roads, Thalmor wizards had set up detect-life spells and rune traps throughout the surrounding fields and M'Dato knew he wouldn't make it to the forest without being shot down by the archers. At the helm of the Thalmor attack force stood the justiciar, a cold calculating Altmer mage called Gladroon.
Gladroon gazed upon his catlike victims searching their faces for anything he could use: a nervous gulp or a glance in the wrong direction would have been enough but by now (after 30 years under Thalmor occupation) the Khajiit were used to playing the Thalmor's games. They gave him nothing, not s gulp, not a glance, not as much as a blink. The 26 surviving khajiit simply sat and stared at Gladroon as if daring him so attack. Gladroon sighed. He had been dealing with these cats for the best part of 20 years and they never got more cooperative. It's as if they don't want to worship their elven overlords thought the justiciar the sooner these savages learn that the Altmer are better than them the better thing will be for everyone. Gladroon strode through the huddled prisoners. Some were lamenting the loss of their homes and loved ones; some had a look of confusion on their face as if they could not quite believe this was happening. And then there were the dangerous ones. The ones who, having seen their homes destroyed and loved ones killed no looked at the elves with unreserved, unrelenting, unadulterated hatred and desire for retribution. Gladroon had learned to recognise this look and not to turn his back on those who boar it. By this time Thalmor soldiers had finished their search of the houses (the ones that hadn't been burned to the ground) and one of them returned to Gladroon. M'Dato gulped (seeing that the soldier was coming from the direction of his home) and started whispering a prayer to Azura and Nocturnal that they hadn't found what he thought they had found. The soldier wordlessly dropped a necklace into Gladroon's hand. In its centre was a depiction f a woman in a hooded cloak with ravens on her hands. This was an amulet of Nocturnal, the deadric princess of thievery, who's worship, along with that of the Deadra and Talos was currently banned in the Aldmeri dominion.
Gladroon thought this is the evidence we need
M'Dato thought there is no Azura...or if there is she's a b**ch
"Kill these feline heretics" ordered Gladroon
The Thalmor drew their swords to make the kills; M'Dato closed his eyes in anticipation of the end...but it didn't come. Instead a mighty roar tour through the night followed quickly by shouts of alarm by the Thalmor. M'Dato allowed himself one open eye...followed by a open mouth. For there in the sky, charging out of the night like vengeance-made-flesh was a giant red fire-breathing dovah who M'Dato would come to know as Odhaviing.