Turos had scarcely stepped back through the thresh hold of Jorrvaskr for the past couple of days without Aela foisting another set of coordinates for Silver Hand to slaughter on him. He was tired physically and mentally. Any chances he had at sleep were ruined by his wolf running through his mind. He absently ran a hand through his blond hair while debating on whether to go back home. If he went in he might be able to sleep, but if Aela saw him first, he was sure to earn more revenge tasks. Still he needed sleep. Turos decided to chance it.
He crept in through the back door. He saw two women eating dinner and discussing fighting tactics. Neither were Aela, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Turos summoned all his experience of dealing with political dignitaries in his role of Dragonborn to assume an air of nonchalance. He would just walk to his room and attempt sleep. No one paid him any mind as he descended the staircase to the living quarters. As he opened the door, he was suddenly face to face with Kodlak White-mane himself.
"Come, Turos. You and I have much to discuss."
The Dragonborn suddenly felt less sure of himself, but obediently followed his elder to the innermost living quarters. He recognized the sitting room as the place he'd first met Kodlak and Vilkas.
Kodlak waited for Turos to seat himself before also settling in a chair.
"I know what you and Aela are up to. And I'm going to ask you one time to stop. You're playing with fire."
"What do you mean, sir?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.
Kodlak's firm glance told him that the act was not believable. "This vendetta is blinding Aela, and you too. If you continue to corner the Silver Hand, they will fight back harder because they have nothing to lose. Promise me you won't attack them first anymore. This is how we lost Skjor."
"I promise," said Turos. He meant that promise too; he had no wish to endanger anyone at Jorrvaskr.
"I'm very old. I'm very tired. You're also tired looking, Dragonborn. Come back in a few hours and I will tell you the truth about everything. The Circle. Our curse. You deserve to know."
Turos would.
'The perks of being in the Circle...' Turos thought. 'Your own room with a double bed. Access to a real tub and not a wash basin. Not to mention a built in fur coat and the ability to run on four legs!'
He was headed to his new room away from the whelps after his first warm bath in ages when he noticed his door was slightly ajar. He almost asked who was in there when he remembered he had the nose of a hound attached to his own face. He sniffed lightly and scented Aela among his things. She was easy to pick out because of her peculiar pregnancy smell.
"Aela," he began, "If this is about the jobs, I can't do any more than I have. Kodlak knows-"
His words were cut off suddenly by her soft lips on his.
He struggled with his arms before deciding to wrap them around her awkwardly. Before he could even reciprocate the kiss, she broke off sobbing.
"I shouldn't have done that. Forgive me!" the huntress cried, dashing away from the Dragonborn.
More confused than ever, Turos sighed knowing in advance that sleep would never come to him. Instead he followed the distraught woman into her refuge. She'd retreated to Skjor's room again.
"Aela..." said Turos soothingly as he entered."It's okay. I'm not mad. Would you like to talk about it?"
"I didn't mean to do that. I just meant to say thank you," said the huntress in an uncharacteristically soft voice.
"For what?"
"It means a lot to me that you've done so much to honor Skjor's memory. I can tell it's not just for my sake. You really respected him. He felt that, and he respected you too. What you've done for him in the past days has completed all he wanted..." her words trailed off, dangerously close to tears.
Turos sat down beside Aela and put an arm around her. Her tears glistened in the low candle light, but this time she did not burst into sobs. They slowly made a path down her cheeks and cut through her old war paint. This silent crying was unnerving to Turos so he did the only thing he could think of. He crossed the room to the washbasin and wet the cloth that hung nearby. He returned to his shield sister and wiped away the tearstains and the streaked paint gently. At first she stiffened, but then she relaxed into his careful ministrations. When he was done he looked at her carefully, for he'd never seen her without her blue paint. She was quite lovely to behold. Turos could see why Skjor had fallen in love with Aela. She was both beautiful and fierce. Her heart was as wild as her wolf.
Before he realized what he was doing, Turos kissed Aela's coppery hair and inhaled her scent. Even that was lovely to him, as she smelled like sunshine, the outdoors and like a pack mate to his wolf. 'As his forbear, it would be logical,' he thought.
She pulled away from him and opened her mouth to speak, but didn't.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that either." Turos offered.
Aela gave him a sad smile. "It's okay, Dragonborn. I know your intentions are honorable."
"Most of them," he thought dryly.
"I'm keeping the child. I would have wanted Skjor to give me a child anyway, and there'll be no other chance than this. I must confess that I am scared to go it alone."
Turos covered Aela's hand briefly with his much larger one. "You won't have to go it alone. Every man and woman here would go out on a limb to help you."
Aela smiled up at him sadly, "I know I have the Companions as my family. Especially the Circle. We are all pack mates in the blood. I'm just afraid to know a world without love. I don't know if I can wait for the day Hircine takes me to the Great Hunt. If not for this child in me, I would go to Skjor now."
Turos wanted so badly to comfort her more, but he could not bring himself to try while sitting in the room of the man who really owned her heart. A man he himself had loved as family, and who had scarcely left this life.
'Aela, you need time,' he thought, 'but you're not unlovable.'
Kodlak Whitemane was waiting for Turos already, but he didn't seem mad or impatient.
"I hope you got a bit of rest." said the old man kindly.
"Not really, Harbinger. I didn't get a chance. Aela wanted to speak, and then she asked me to sit with her until she fell asleep."
"How very kind of you. Our lovely Huntress has taken up quite a lot of your time lately."
Turos blushed crimson, but did not offer protest.
Kodlak went on. "I must ask for a favor myself. But first, it's time you should know something. Do you know how we Companions came to have the beast blood?"
