Chapter I
The sun was obscured, with the snowfall shimmering it's light. She inhaled deeply, and made a content sigh. Pleased with the view, her gaze was fixed on the Throat of the World. The pose she held seemed quiet heroic, and was appropriate at the moment. Made of cave bear pelt, the fur collar of her steel cladded armor kept her warm.
She gripped her sword sturdily, and leaped off the cliff she stood upon. In mid-fall, her arms extended to the closest tree, and grasped around it's trunk. Her forearms struck against the branches, but in turn ceased her from descending. She gradually climbed down among the branches, her tail still stiff from the fall. As she reached the blanket of snow concealing the true permafrost, she deliberately collapsed on the ground.
With a steady breathe, she carefully laid there to regain her stamina. The crunch of snow alerted her, snapping her head toward the direction her ears twitched. She leaned further, and again gripped her blade. From a distance the thicken of the forest revealed the sound's source, a sort of hunter starring curiously at her. "Hey! Are you alright?" the hunter spoke,"I'm fine, just catching my breathe," she responded.
Seeing that she lowered her guard, he felt comfortable to continue," Care to tell me where you came from?" She stood up, and said,"From the cliff," she pointed skyward," I jumped." The hunter lifted his head, his strange mask brushed against his hood," That's a long fall, but I suppose khajiit can handle it. Correct?" She made an "eh" sound, neglecting to tell the truth. She stretched her back, then swung her arms back and forth, yawning.
"I guess I'll be on my way," she made a quick wave, walking away. "Alright then," the hunter seemed to be holding something in, and finally," It's Avexu," "What?" She turned to face him," My name is Avexu." She made a half grin," I'm Felia." Once again she turned away, and past northward to Riverwood.
The stone path rolled effortlessly into the outscurts of the village, completing the mellow peacefulness with a rigid cold stab. The stocks that were once crops now hard as rock; frozen. Soothing heat brought Felia's attention to the forge, and the black smith repeatedly struck sparks upon the steel he hammered. She skipped up the stairs to the gazebo, and her visible breath whiffed past her face. "State your business, stranger," his said with a strong Nordic accent,"I just wanna warm up," Felia faced her hands toward the heat of the ashes.
"Seems a bit rude to take advantage of strangers," he gave her a cold look, which was ironic for a nord. "Then I'd like to buy something," she said, her tone fluctuated to a semi-haughty voice. She turned to the table cluttered with weapons and armor pieces, and picked a dagger from the mess. "This," she tossed it lightly in the air and softly landed in her palm,"How much?" "You should check the table better," the black smith stated.
As said, she searched again, and found a more appealing piece. This is more my style. She thought, admiring the jagged knife. "Bring it here" his gesture gave off, and Felia placed the knife in his hand. "This style of smithing was long lost by most of us," he looked at the dagger woefully,"Luckily, I'm one of the few that hasn't. An ancient tribe of nords, The Skaal, established these fine engravings. Based off of animals 'n' such." He tossed the dagger back to her.
"Thirty gold, I don't ask much," he leaned against the pole supporting the roof. Felia counted her pieces, and and tossed a coin purse onto the table. "Thank you," she said, placing the blade in her knapsack. She heard a faint "no need, no need" behind her, and continued to wander the village.
Felia looked up and squinted her eyes, trying to make clear the sun. It must have been a little past noon. "It must be that damned hunter wandering the woods," she overheard, coming from the porch of the Sleeping Giant Inn. "Why else would he wear that mask? It's obviously worship." Both men sounded displeased, like the hunter was a curse."Avexu," Felia whispered. Was there something wrong with him? Did he kill someone or what? She shook that thought away, and continued to the inn.
The floorboards creaked every step she took. The inn was empty, save for Felia and the innkeeper, which probably would have greeted her, but was busy sweeping. Felia sat down in one the chairs while waiting for his attention, glimpsing time to time to see if he was done."Ahem," she cleared her throat, the man turning."Oh, welcome to the Sleeping Giant inn. What do you want?" his tone was harsh, and was still sweeping. Not very welcoming at all. She thought.
She sighed, and took a moment to contemplate how bad this bastard is at customer service,"I'd like to rent a room," "10 gold, pay it up." Wow, wonder who's having a crappy day. Felia thought. It wasn't entirely his fault, because she didn't have the best of tempers. Again, she counted her pieces, and offered her palm.
He rudely snatched the gold from her hand, and she flinched at his quick actions. "Fourth door, down the hall. Think fast," he made a speedy swing of the arm. Faster than she could look, a small copper key struck Felia's face and landed into her arms. She took one hand and rubbed her cheek, where the red mark was. The innkeeper made a sinister giggle, then continued sweeping.
"You douche," she insulted, narrowing her eyes. "Hey, this is what makes my job worth while," he stated.