Short Prolouge-a small introduction to the main characters
Avery, a troubled she-cat with a mysterious lineage. She is an experienced assassin and a member of the Dark Brotherhood, a group of cats thst take conctracts from the Night Mother, their Holy Matron. She, along with her sister Eli, is on a journey to discovering her origins and of her species, the Crystal tails.
Saari, a she-cat with no memory of her past due to an injury that happened during one of her assasination contracts. The only memories she could recall are of her father's death, her rivalry with her sister Asria and the fact that she's an assassin. So, she did what she could do best, taking on contracts from all around Skyrim.
Chapter 1-Despair
On the outskirts of Falkreath sits a small Lonesome hut, a home to a small family. The forest and wildlife surrounded this isolated home, making it a peaceful place apart from an occasional wolf attack. But something will stirr this peace...
"Are you sure that's what you saw?"a black she-cat with a dark gray crystal tail asked, her brown eyes filled with concern. The small, reddish-black she-kit with gray paws nodded in confirmation.
"Yes mother. You'd better hurry, they're near and waiting." she said.
"Eli, go into the basement. We'll come for you once it's safe."the gray and brownish-red tom meowed sternly as he searched for his sword. "Aye."Eli meowed, rushing into the basement. "Why can't she fight?"a short, black she-cat with a red crystal tail and paws asked, her brown optics focused on the steel dagger she held with her tail.
"She is still to young Avery."Zillah meowed, before being cut off by her mate, Dinah
"And is still in training. But anyways, let's go."he meowed, heading toward the door, Avery and Zillah close behind.
Once outside, they were on high alert. Their ears pricked upon hearing a battle cry as three hooded figures leaped out from the trees. Avery rushed toward the cat without a weapon while her parents headed for the one with an elven dagger and the leader who had a sword, their claws and weapons unsheathed. Growls and clashes of metal rung across the forest.
Avery ran toward the assailant, lunging on him, sinking the dagger into his shoulder and clinging onto his back. The tom yowled, trying to shake her off. He then grabbed her scruff and threw her off toward a tree. Avery lay on the ground, trying to regain focus in her eyes. The tom padded toward her, his jaws tugging at the dagger.
Dinah had finished his opponent off by clawing his neck, scarlet liquid flowing onto his paw and the ground. From the corner of his eye he could see his daughter cornered and being approached by the hooded cat. He picked his sword up from the ground and rushed toward him,
"Step away from my daughter you scum!"he hissed as he ran. He suddenly froze in place, looking down at his chest. Crimson stained his gray pelt, the dagger had struck him directly in his chest. He collapsed on the ground.
"No!"Avery yowled.
Zillah got distracted upon hearing her yowl and turned her gaze, her serious expression turning to one of shock. Seizing the oportunity, the she-cat she's been fighting with pinned Zillah down, dagger clutching in her jaws.
"Mother!"the red crystal tailed she-cat stood up to go help her, but was stopped by the tom holding her down.
Zillah struggled to get free, the hooded she-cat ending the struggle by slashing her throat with the blade.
Avery lowered her ears, eyes widening. She struggled to get out of the tom's grasp. The she-cat approached the two, muttering to let her go, the tom following her orders.
Avery backed away,her back against the tree. The she-cat's piercing yellow eyes glowed through the hood, glaring at the small she-cat.
"Let's go. We're done here."she meowed, padding away with the tom.
Avery grabbed her father's scruff, dragging him toward Zillah who was coughing up blood.
"A-Avery..."She spoke, her voice strained from the pain."You need to...take care of Eli now."she coughed again, blood seeping from her mouth.
"But-"she began before she got cut off by her mother
"Just...remember the promise you gave your...father."she trailed off, her eyes closing.
Avery nudged her a few times, then raised her head, yowling mournfully. She sobbed quietly into her pelt. She stayed that way for a little while, til' a memory flashed in her mind.
A young kit of about four moons was limping beside her father, wincing in pain with every step she made. They were returning from a lesson in which Avery attempted a battle move Dinah was teaching her, but she landed awkwardly on her front paw, causing it to sprain. The gray tom fixed his yellow optics toward her as they sat on a nearby bench to rest,
"You've really grown. I can see it from the effort and strength you put in your training."he said.
"I'll get better, I promise."She meowed in a hushed voice.
He chuckled slightly, curling his bushy tail around her shoulders.
"I know you will. You would never disappoint me. No matter what you do, you'll always have my support...just promise me one thing."he spoke with slight uncertainty in his tone.
"What is it?"Avery asked, her dark brown eyes looking up at her father.
Dinah took a breath,"Promise me that, if something happens to me that you'll protect your mother and sister."he explained, his ears lowering.
"I understand that I may have been a bit hard on Eli during her training but, I don't want her to follow me into the same life in the shadows. I want her to take on a different path. But you Avery...use the training I provided so you can be there to protect your little sister."he said.
"I promise."she meowed, nuzzling him.
He smiled warmly. "And don't be afraid to live among the other cats, they can also teach you things. Both Zillah and I want the both of you to explore the land we live in, not to be couped up in a hut all on your own like us. But remember to-"he meowed and Avery finished his sentence,
"Always use your disguised form or wear a cloak to hide your tail."she said.
"Aye."Dinah replied, embracing her.
Present day...
Avery blinked her eyes, sighing. She took a while digging holes for the graves and burying Zillah and Dinah. Once done, she took her steel dagger and sheathed it into the holster. She headed into the house, padding toward the basement trap door. She opened it, glancing down at Eli whose facial expression was sorrowfull.
"They're gone, aren't they?"the kit asked, fixing her gaze on her older sister.
"Yes. But, what's done is done. We'll need to leave this place, I don't think it's safe for us to live here anymore."Avery replied as her sister climbed out of the basement.
"Aye, guess we do."she sighed.
The two sisters collected a few things they needed before they headed out. Both of them had a dagger, some food and gold on them. Avery grabbed a purple cloak and put it on. She could immediately smell her mother's scent on it as she wore it often. She put the hood over her head, hiding her face.
"You got everything you need?"She asked her little sister.
Eli nodded and they headed out of the hut and into the unknown.
The blizzard howled loudly in the Pale. At this time, a group of bandits has surrounded 3 cats.
A dark brown, elderly tom guarded a short she-cat. They had taken Asria easily but he won't let Saari leave him without a fight. He had taught her many assasination techniques, she was like the female version of himself.
"You're wasting our time old hag."one of the bandits hissed, pushing him onto the ground. The bandit pointed the bow at Ralodus, the tom standing up and puffing up his chest.
"Don't push your luck,"he warned, "I have a swift tail for arrows."He added.
The brown tom stared down the arrow and instantly struck, knocking the bow and arrow from the bandit and began taking down scores of them.
Saari crawled backwards along the snow, whimpering in fear as she watched her father struggle against the attackers. However, Ralodus' efforts were short-lived as he was now pinned to the ground.
"Saari...Take it!"he meowed to his daughter, pointing at the bow and arrow laying on the snow.
She wanted to, but she was frozen in place not by the cold but fear. It was too late, the bandit he had knocked out earlier took the bow and fired at the struggling cats, before collapsing on the ground.
Saari looked around, noticing she was all alone on the bloody snow field and fallen bodies, one of them belonging to her father, Ralodus.
She was shaking as she continued to whimper and cry. A brownish-red figure approached her, curling her tail around the black and brown she-cat. Asria muttered comforting words to her sister as she embraced her. They sat there for a while, alone on the blood-stained snow field.