Both Secunda and Masser were full that night. Vilkas was very grateful for the extra light, because the runaway was a slippery one. He had chased him all the way past the Cyrodiil border and into the wilderness before the trail went cold. He knew he couldn't be far. Only a fool wouldn't stop to make camp. Still, he could be out wandering for hours before he stumbled into him. He grit his teeth. He could only think of one thing to do. Atleast He was far enough away from civilization that he shouldn't have to worry.
Vilkas set his belongings in some bushes near a distinguished looking tree, including his armor and clothing. He then reached deep inside himself to the power that lay dormant in his soul. As his body transformed, so too did his senses.
When the transformation was complete, he inhaled deeply, letting the symphony of scents fill him. A grin cracked his wolfish lips. Yes, he could smell them clearly. There were two humans in the area. One male and one female, both human. But the male was the only one he wanted. He could smell his campfire too. It was about a mile southeast.
Vilkas dashed in that direction, his body drinking the adrenaline that flowed through him. The stronger the scent became, the stronger his bloodlust. When he caught a glimpse of the poor sod through the trees, he didn't even give him a chance to look up, let alone defend himself. He pounced and ripped out his throat, but not before he had a chance to let out a scream to pierce the silence of the night.
This next part was one that he dreaded. The part of him that was still a man protested vehemently, but the beast wouldn't hear it. He ripped open the chest cavity of the poor sod and sank his muzzle into the open chest cavity in search of the heart.
Just as he was about to swallow the heart, a searing pain pierced his right shoulder. He scrambled out of the way before another arrow could claim him. He turned to face his attacker, no doubt the woman he smelled earlier heard the runaway's scream and came running. By the light of the moons, he could see that the woman wore blue robes and a horn-shaped amulet. She was a Vigilant of Stendarr. Damn, of all the rotten luck. Anyone else would have turned tail and ran when they heard the scream.
Before she could even knock another arrow, he dashed towards her and knocked the bow out of her hands and knocked her to the ground. But before he could properly pin her, her right hand came forward and held a blade with a blue aura to his throat. A conjured sword? Strange, conjuration was nearly unheard of for Vigilants to study. It didn't matter, he was about to crush her left arm that he had pinned and break it, but he felt his body tense. Damn, he was changing back into a man.
The Vigilant hesitated as she watched. His grip loosened on her left arm as he transformed. She used her left arm to cast a candle light spell. The dim features of her face became illuminated. For a split second, he thought she may be a werewolf too, for her large round eyes shone silver in the light of the spell. But as his eyes adjusted, he saw that they were grey. Soft, yet intense, like storm clouds. She had a small nose and a small mouth with full lips. If she wasn't trying to kill him, he might have found her attractive. He guessed she was a Breton. And for some reason, she kept gazing at him instead of plunging her sword into his throat. He wasn't sure how long her eyes were locked with his before he found his voice.
"Well, wench? What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to slit my throat?"
"You're in pain." She said simply
"Of course I'm in pain, you shot me!"
"I meant your soul."
Vilkas blinked. What in Oblivion was he supposed to say to that? But she spoke first.
"Um, maybe you should get off me now and put some clothes on." She said as she finally unlocked her eyes from his.
His cheeks turned pink as he slowly retreated "I don't suppose you have any spare clothes for me?"
She sat up and turned away. "None that would fit you. But um, your victim looked about your size."
"Victim? This man raped and brutally murdered dozens of people. I chased him down because he escaped from prison." Vilkas said as he walked over to what remained of the runaway. The trousers should work, but the tunic was torn, not that it would fit over the arrow sticking out of his back anyway.
"Perhaps you should let me tend to that wound." the woman said as she approached, after she had given him ample time to dress.
Vilkas scoffed "Why should I trust you to touch me?"
The woman raised an eyebrow "First off, I don't think you have a choice, as I doubt you can tend to it yourself. Second, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it when I had my blade to your throat."
Vilkas sighed heavily. He had to admit, she was right on both counts. He sat down by the fire and the woman approached him. He grimaced as she pulled the arrow out of him. He grimaced even more when he felt her hand tingling with magicka on his wound.
"What in Oblivion are you doing?"
"Um, healing you. What did you think I meant when I said I'd tend to your wound?" She said as if he was dense.
"I don't like magic being used on me."
"Pfft. Nords." She said as she continued to heal him.
Once again, he didn't argue, as he had to admit, it was certainly convenient to have his wound healed so easily. He had many questions for this woman, so he started with the one that was on the forefront of his mind.
"So why did you decide not to kill me?"
"I'm not entirely sure, I just lost the will to kill you."
Vilkas scoffed "You fancy yourself a compassionate woman? Vigilants are not known for their compassion towards werewolves."
"I used to be a compassionate woman. And for a moment, I remembered that. Or maybe it was just the will of the Divines. Maybe it was fate. Whatever it is, I've accepted it."
"You got a name?"
"Does it matter? After tonight, you'll likely never see me again."
"Didn't you just say it was fate or the Divine's will that stayed your hand? Why should the fates introduce us if we never bother to introduce ourselves?"
A soft chuckle escaped her lips "I must admit, you got me there. It's Estelle Lalune. And you?"
"Vilkas."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Vilkas. Well, your wound has healed. You may be on your way."
"Why would I go? It's dark out, and there's a perfectly good camp right here."
"Alright, then all be on my way." Estelle turned to go, but stopped and frowned.
"What's the matter?"
"I um, seemed to have gotten disoriented. I was in such a rush to get here, I didn't take note of where I came from." Estelle said as she guiltily scratched the back of her neck.
Vilkas sighed "I see no reason we can't share the camp. It wouldn't be wise to go searching for your old one right now."
Estelle sighed as well "I suppose I have no choice, but I will request that you properly dispose of the remains of your runaway. I really don't want to look at it."
"Squeamish, are you? I don't mind it, if you want it cleaned up so bad, you should do it yourself." Who does she think she is, ordering him around like that?
"I healed you, you ungrateful oaf, you owe me." Her words were harsh, but the expression on her face was something else, a combination of fear, distress, and a soul-deep pain.
Whatever that look on her face was, he found it even harder to argue with than her words. He rolled his eyes, but did as she asked and removed the corpse and buried it in a shallow grave. When he returned, Estelle was cooking some meat over the fire.
"Thank you. And I apologize for being snappy earlier, I just… Are you hungry?"
"No, but a song might be nice." Vilkas said as he spied the flute sticking out of her bag. He was hoping a bit of music would relieve some of the tension between them.
"A song? You don't strike me as the type who appreciates music."
"And you don't strike me as the type who plays it. So will you?"
"I suppose, let me finish eating."
"Are you a bard?"
"Oh no, just something I picked up as a girl for fun, so don't expect much." She spoke in between bites of food. "Do you play any instruments?"
"Naw, never had the patience for it, but I appreciate a good tune."
Estelle nodded. "Don't we all?"
She hastily finished eating and then took out her flute. The tune that emerged was simple, but stirring. There was an edge of bitterness to it, as if she were pouring all of her bleakness into the song.
"I told you I wasn't that good," Estelle said when she finished and Vilkas didn't say anything.
"You were fine. I was just hoping for something more relaxing, a lullaby maybe. Do you know any?"
Estelle fidgeted with her flute "Well, there is one, I haven't played it in awhile though."
The song began clumsily, as one might expect from someone who hadn't played it in awhile, but once her fingers settled in, the resulting tune was soothing and beautiful. Again, it was a simple tune, but it filled Vilkas with warmth as he listened to it. And yet the warmth turned into a hollow pain so gradually that he was genuinely surprised when he felt his eyes tear up. There was a deep sadness coming through in her music, and he could tell that it was getting to her as well. There was a small skip in the notes as her hands shook ever so slightly. She was so engrossed in her performance that she didn't even notice when Vilkas came over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up with a start and Vilkas saw that there were tears in her eyes.
"You don't have to go on, you play beautifully. Thank you for that performance."
Estelle's expression softened into a warm smile as she put down her flute and wiped her eyes "Careful now, keep this up and I may begin to stop disliking you."
Vilkas chuckled "I suppose a werewolf and a Vigilant of Stendarr shouldn't be friends. Although I've never met a Vigilant who knows conjuration magic."
"It's a long story."
"I have time."
Estelle hesitated "Tell you what, if we really do meet again, I'll tell you the whole story. But for now, I really am tired, I think I'd like to retire."
"Suit yourself."
If he was being honest, Vilkas was quite tired too. He couldn't actually sleep restfully, as he was a werewolf, but it was nice to rest. As he lay awake, he couldn't help but wish he would run into her again, this mysterious conjuring Vigilant of Stendarr who couldn't handle the sight of a mutilated corpse and cried when she played her own music. He must have atleast fallen half asleep, for when he awoke the next morning, she was already gone.
Author's Note: In my head, the first song that Estelle plays is "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. Obviously, that song doesn't exist in this world, but for some reason this song makes me think of her. The second song, I imagined her playing the song "Dango Daikazoku" which is the ending theme song for the anime Clannad. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it, it's a beautiful series. Anywho, that's my first chapter, I hope you enjoy reading my ramblings as much as I enjoy writing them!