A/N: This was originally a little something that I'd started in order to get over the writers block that I've had for over half a year. I have plans of turning this into a series, or at least something along those lines. I apologise if the chapter seems short, but as I said, I've had major writers block for a long while now. Don't forget to leave a review, give me your opinion on what you thought, it would be a big help to get feedback.
The snowy hills and mountain tops glistened wondrously on this crisp night, the moon was shining a brilliant silver, and not a sound could be heard here, only the galloping of elk and the sounds of a slight breeze rustling through the trees, leaving behind a messy-headed tangle of branches. The noises of the wildlife and the atmosphere soon died down with a hush and a whoosh as the skies clouded over, the stars had iced over with the substance, that of which looked like a singular large marshmallow as it came in. With these clouds came a straggling, cloaked person, who of which looked as if they had been down a road not yet travelled.
This person seemed to be heading for any sign of life or safety, a tavern maybe, or even just a strangers house to rest in for the night. A chilly air breezed them by as they continued to straggle, only then noticing a dim light off in the distance. An air of hope seemed to pick up as the stranger moved more quickly, only to trip on a small rock that was jutting out of the white blanket of freezing snow. Their foot was caught and they managed to stumble, taking a few wonky and unbalanced steps forward, but not yet tripping. They got back onto their course, the powdery snow falling on their clothes, only to fall off again, floating gently back to the ground.
A slight crack in the clouds allowed a silvery beam of moonlight to pierce through and light the ground, revealing that this person was carrying an item, clutching it to their chest, it was a basket of sorts, one that looked like what a farmhand might carry into the fields, ready for a harvest. Yet this was no farmland, the ground was too cold and the weather was too unbearable for most crops. Yet that didn't stop this stranger from carrying that basket towards the first sign of life. The breeze kicked up, blowing more snow along its current, it started to fall more heavily as the basket carrier shivered visibly, their teeth clattering audibly together as the wind blew harder, they clutched the basket towards their chest, making sure that whatever was inside didn't freeze, or at least to make sure that whatever warmth they had left was given to the basket.
They started to run, the snow crunching under their feet, leaving a trail behind them, not of footprints, but rather it looked like more of a trail left by someone dragging something through the snow, like a cart, or a sled. A few short, steamy breaths later and the person was standing at the front door of this house, no, this mansion, within the middle of this frozen land. They stopped, trying to catch their breath as best they could, but it seemed to be useless. They took the basket and placed it to the ground, a light mewling began to emanate from it, the light from a nearby sconce reflected on their face, a smiled danced on that particular part of the body, it was quite a weary smile that showed they were far more tired than they should have been. But it was no use for them to dwell on it now, they had reached a safe place, and now it was time for them to leave. This figure then rapped on the door, one solid thud, followed by two more. The cold wind picked up as they quickly took another look at the basket, moving the blanket to reveal a tiny, cat-like face. The words "I love you" danced on their lips as they turned to leave, their time with this child was over.
The snow and freezing air had chilled them to the bone, but they had gotten the child to safety. Even through this freezing tundra it all worked out in the end. "Maybe Skyrim isn't such a bad place after all." They muttered, focusing on placing one foot in front of the other, it was becoming harder and harder for them to walk, the snow and ice had finally taken its toll, numbing their feet and turning them into small bricks of ice, perfectly packed within that cold igloo called a leather boot. They continued to walk, getting as far as the tree line from whence they came, it wasn't going to do them any good. They were miles from civilization and they certainly couldn't return to that house, it just wouldn't be right. They stepped a few more weary steps, their feet becoming more like ice with each step, until they could go no further. They crawled along on hands and knees amongst the white blanket, the moon not even daring to show its cowardly face. The winds picked up, spreading more ice and snow along the even colder current, it was soon to be a blizzard, but there was nothing that they could do about it, not in the state they were in. Exhaustion came quickly in the cold, and they needed shelter. They crawled towards a nearby tree, its sturdy bark was steadying, comforting even in this frozen hell hole.
One last glimpse back towards the house made them tear up, even though they hadn't known the little creature for long, it was like the baby was family. After all, hadn't they carried it all the way here? They wiped the tears away before they could freeze. Tomorrow was a new day, and they could easily try and get the little thing back if they wanted to. They just needed rest, "Maybe a little sleep before morning." They muttered as their eyes closed, tired and weary, but also exhausted. Pictures of their life had flashed before their eyes, and then nothing. The tree let go of them as they fell to the ground, its leaves were whistling a low tune of sorrow for them, for they were dead to the world, finally becoming one with the snow, the ice and the dirt again, their soul off to Sovngarde, it's final resting place.
—
As the life of this soul went away and bled into the earth again, it was as if new life had been given to this child, for the door had open, it's golden glow emitting warmth and safety from the swing of its iron hinges. A hand reached out into the jarring cold, grabbing onto the handle of the basket before any protest from the young creature, in the form of a 'ga' or a 'goo' could be given. They were then shoved into the light of a warm house, a rather large and hairy face peering down at them.
"Well, what do we have here?" It quipped, as a rather large hand moved towards its soft belly, grasping the soft wool and removing the blanket, this made the baby coo in happy way. Upon removal, the blanket revealed that it had been hiding a young Khajiit inside. "Hmm... A Khajiit?" The face boomed, it's voice seemed as loud as thunder in that tiny space, the thundering of said voice was enough to make the young ones happy babbling turn into a shriek. And quite a loud one at that, able to wake the dead if continued. But of course, it wasn't the dead that this man should have been in fear of waking. It was his family, in particular the wife that slept soundly in an upstairs room. He tried to shush the little thing, but to no a avail, even though he had a son it was a futile effort for him to try and quiet this screechy little thing down.
And just as this man had finally gotten the little thing to be quiet, the most dreaded thing he could think of happened. One heavy footstep after the other, the taping of tired feet on a hard, wooden staircase was followed by another figure down, this one, it seemed was more feminine, it's face more rounded and hair longer than the mans.
"What is the meaning of all this racke-" She began in protest, she was of course going to have quite a stern word with her husband for waking up half the household, but instead she noticed the basket on the table. She eyed it's wicker with intent, wondering what it housed. Taking an awkward step forward, she peered down on the tiny ball of fur and flesh, its legs kicking and arms slightly flailing in a wondering manner. The mans wife eyed the baby once more, then looked up towards her husband. "Who does this child belong to?" She asked, her hair flicking about erratically as she spoke.
"I'm not sure." The husband replied, his veined arms meeting the table as he leaned on it.
"What do you mean 'I'm not sure'?" She drilled, wanting to squeeze the information out of him as best she could on such a weary night.
He shook his head, his own hair swishing slightly with the small movement. "I found it lying on our front doorstep. Whoever left the thing there meant to abandon it." He explained, giving out the information as best he could, with what little knowledge he had.
"Well. There is only one thing that we can do now." She began, looking into the little things gentle eyes, they spoke to her soul a song of peace and purity. Even though they already had one child to look after, she certainly couldn't let this little thing out on its own in the harsh weathers of Skyrim. Even if it meant only looking after it for as long as it took the babies real parents to come and find it.
"I will take the child into town tomorrow and see if anybody has lost them." He replied, weariness spread across his features as he pondered the warmth of a bed. Maybe he could leave his wife, the more experienced person in the room, to make sure the little thing had a comfortable place to sleep for the remainder of the time that night.
"That won't be the right thing to do, we should look after this little thing. At least until its real parents show." She stated, in an attempt to persuade him to let them keep the child around. At least for that little while. Of course, he was tired, and didn't entirely value being woken up by a knock at the door in the middle of the night. This led to her not even needing to argue with him on the subject. She knew he'd accept. Especially this late in the night.
As predicted, he caved before thinking it through. "Fine." He said, his reply being short and sweet. "But you have to find a place for it to sleep for the night." He stated, his foot slightly hitting the ground to make his point all the more clear. He wasn't having anymore negotiations. Not at that time of night. After offering his terms, he turned and left for the staircase, determined to head back to the warm covers that shrouded his bed.
The lady watched her husband leave, "Well young one, are you a boy, or a girl?" The woman asked, half muttering the question, she lifted the baby up and cradled it in her arms. She then placed the squishy mass down onto the table, in order to check the gender of the small, fragile thing. She removed a tightly wrapped swaddle that covered all but the child's head, in rode tromped if this baby was a little boy or girl, she softly smiled and said to the small cooing baby, "Well, it look as if you are a little girl." The girl cooed even more upon hearing that, going so far as to try and clap, even in her half asleep, tired state, this made the woman laugh quietly, the child seemed quite happy, even if she had been left out in the cold.
The woman loosely wrapped the child up in one of the blankets, being careful not to wrap them too tightly in case it made the baby overheat. "Well child, I guess it's time that you slept." She said, a soft tone shadowing her voice as she carried the child yet again, this time off to a place where the baby could sleep soundly for the rest of the night, in what was hoped to be comfort.