Ashira & Rabinn

The two Khajiit had always traveled together, whether it had been with a caravan with other Khajiit, or just the two of them, they had never been apart. Although they had never wed, it was quite obvious that they were at least lokaliin. You could tell from a mile away that they cared about each other very deeply and had each others backs every single day since they had met.

Ashira had a young named Toma who looked much like his father, having his dark brown and black striped fur, but had his mother's blue-green eyes. The caravan had also been traveling to Solitude, hearing of the great cities fabled wealth and prosperity they wanted to set up trade on the outskirts of Solitude like most of the other trading caravans. They had decided to stop at a small inn called Old Hroldan Inn for the night, weary from the days travel when they heard the commotion from the inside.

Rabinn motioned for Ashira and Toma to stay behind him as he prowled up the steps and opened the wood door to the small inn. "Hello?" he called out in a raspy, thickly accented voice. "Is anyone there?" he asked. The inn was dark, the fire that was usually lit in the hearth was nothing but a small pile of flickering embers.

"Rabinn, come away from the door. This place... It doesn't feel right..." she told him, her big cat eyes darting around the outside of the inn.

"H-Hello...? Anyone out there?" a small voice that sounded like a young boy called. "P-Please... Someone help... They're fighting... They're going to kill each other!" the voice now sounding more panicked than ever.

"Who? Who's going to kill each other?! Come out!" Rabinn hissed loudly. There was then a small thudding sound and then faint footsteps that got progressively louder until the young boy appeared in front of the Khajiit family, looking alarmed at their presence. "T-This Elf... And an assassin... From the D-Dark B-B-Brotherhood... They're fighting! He's trying to kill my mother! The assassin!" the boy said in anguish.

Rabinn's eyes widened and he glanced back at his wife and a child. "Protect Toma, I will go help her" the Khajiit rasped, nodding quickly and before Ashira could protest he slipped into the inn and shut the door quickly.

"Where are they?" Rabinn asked, his eyes hardening at his resolve to save the boy's mother.

"I-In the cellar. But, S-Sir... Be careful."

The Khajiit gave a small nod before pulling out his ebony dagger. It was his most prized possession, his father had passed it down to him when he died. "Stay up here and hide, do not come down until I have come up" he told the boy before rushing to the cellar staircase and quickly going down. He reached for the door handle, grasping it and turning it before pushing it open and stepping inside.

Everything went quiet as the door creaked open and Rabinn stepped inside. "Hello...?" he called.

After a long moment of pause, a female voice called out "Don't come down here! It isn't safe!"

"That boy... He said that you needed help..." Rabinn said to the voice, the only one that had spoken up. He had no clue where the assassin was. "Where is the assassin, Elf?"

There was no answer, there was just deafening silence, slowly eating him away bit by bit in fear.

"Here" a male voice hissed harshly into his ear and Rabinn whirled around.

Rabinn's eyes widened into shock and horror as the man appeared before him in all black, like he was the darkness.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" The assassin taunted and sneered at him as he prowled closer to him. "I really hate when people interfere with my work. Now step aside Khajiit and let me finish this" the assassin practically growled.

"This... This is madness! You plan to kill that poor boy's mother? And that Elf? And me to get what you want?! I will not let you!" Rabinn hissed at the assassin, his hand on his dagger's hilt tightening.

"You can not stop me, Cat." The assassin sneered, Rabinn could not see it, but he could practically envision that cruel twist of the man's lips behind the black cloth.

Before Rabinn could even speak a word, the assassin lunged at him, a dagger glinting out of the corner of his eyes and they widened. There was a sudden loud noise that halted the assassin from ending his life. The Elf. She had used her magicka to save him. The assassin now lay on the ground in a frozen block of ice.

"Perhaps I could not stop you, but the Elf did" Rabinn said in a slightly amused voice, his the corner of his lips twitching up into a faint smile.

"Please, call me Neria" the female voice said again, and the Elf, to be exact the High Elf stepped out into the dim light from the lone torch that hung up on the wall.

"Neria, I am in your debt. Thank you for saving my life, my name is Rabinn" the Khajiit nodded at the Altmer.

Neria smiled appreciatively at the Khajiit and shook her head. "You owe me nothing. Anyone with a good and kind heart would have done the same thing" she promised Rabinn. "The boy's mother is safe, for now, they must travel far away from here, away from the Brotherhood's clutches if they wish to stay that way however" Neria said with sad blue eyes.

"You can't protect them! They will die! I will not stop until they are slain!" the assassin spat at them.

"Do not make me change my mind about kill you, assassin, be thankful that you get to leave here with your life. I would heed my warning and leave them be" Neria spoke threateningly.

"Sithis will have their blood" the assassin snarled as the two ascended the stairs.

"Goodbye assassin" the Khajiit called softly before opening the door to the cellar and stepping out and leaving him down in the cellar still frozen.

Rabinn let Neria exit the cellar before turning back towards the door and locking it. "Just to keep him from leaving right away, yes?" he said with a small flash of a grin over at Neria who nodded and smiled back.

"Yes" she breathed back, finally able to catch a moment of rest when Farian came flying out of their room.

"Is the assassin dead? Are you alright? Who are they?" Farian asked with eyes darting back and forth from Neria to Rabinn so quickly it made her head hurt.

"No, he is not dead, but he might die if he stays in the position he is in down there... I froze him over a little" she told her companion with an almost mischievous grin. "I'm fine, though he got a few good hits and some cuts on me. It's nothing a potion of healing can't fix" she said with another smile at her friend's concern. "That's Rabinn, he came to help me... Are there others waiting outside?" she asked with a hint of curiosity. She wondered if Rabinn had been traveling with a caravan.

"No, it is just me and my family, come, meet them" Rabinn stepped in, looking over at Farian kindly before motioning them to follow him out, back into the chilly outdoors.

"Rabinn! You are alright, thank the divines!" Ashira rushed over to him with Toma at her heels.

Neria and Farian watched the exchange between the family before Rabinn stepped back from his wife and son to introduce them all. "Toma," Rabinn rasped and the little Khajiit's head raised to look at the two strangers curiously. "This is Neria, she saved your father's life... And this...?" Rabinn trailed off as he looked over at Farian who's cheeks flushed a faint red color.

"Farian" he spoke quickly before ducking his head a little and Neria chuckled softly under her breath.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Toma, your father here is very very brave" Neria complimented and smiled down at the young boy.

"And a very stupid cat too!" Ashira said, her arms crossing over her chest but she was trying hard not to smile. "Don't scare me like that again!" she said, all her anger draining from her voice as she looked at Rabinn who only smiled and nodded.

"Ahziss shal jer" Rabinn spoke in his native language, gazing at Ashira who smiled a rather intimate smile between her and Rabinn.

Ashira looked back at her husband and said back, "Ahziss shal jer."

Note One: Lokaliin translates to 'lovers' from Dovahzul to English

Note Two: Ahziss shal jer means 'I love you' from the Khajiit's native language to English.