Author's Note: here's Chapter 2 of Heart of the Beast. I hope you enjoy.
Bestial Nature
She shifted then. She wanted this to be the last thing they saw - her new beast form. Sahana had taken part in the blood ritual with Aela. The beastblood now ran strongly within her. The feeling was uncomfortable, but she embraced it: her bones snapped and shifted audibly, her mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth and fur sprouted all over her body.
Her claws were rending, her teeth piercing - and she feasted. Greedily. She found that she did not truly hunger for their flesh, but her beast found joy in the act. Through force of will, she made herself stop and simply enjoyed the hunt - there was no need for anything else. That's what she had to keep telling herself.
Aela had only to sit back and watch as Sahana decimated the Silver Hand - a group of werewolf hunters. She barely had time to nock an arrow before they were moving again, deeper and deeper into the Silver Hand hideout. It appeared as though Sahana would be as strong in the ways of the beast as she and Skjor. While the other Circle members - Kodlak, Vilkas and Farkas - saw their beastblood as a curse, she and Skjor saw it as a blessing. How could it not have been? They'd been given such great power - she was staring at an example right now!
"Quietly now," Aela murmured as they descended some stairs. The beast next to her grumbled before Aela opened the door as silently as possible. She saw Sahana tense up out of the corner of her eye and held a hand in front of her, telling her to remain where she was. She'd pick off some of the goons first.
Sahana struggled for supremacy. The beast wanted only to burst forth and tear into anything and anyone that dared to go up against it. She lowered her head, baring her teeth angrily. Stormy amber eyes fell on Aela. She waited impatiently.
Aela fired arrows one after the other, taking out the last few underlings in a hurry. She fell back some when a large man in even larger armor came at them, swinging a giant sword around. Sahana stepped in then, smacking the man away with ease. He got back up a second later, letting loose a battle cry as he lifted his blade once more.
Sahana roared angrily, dashing forward. They clashed. Her clawed hands gripped both of his forearms, holding the sword at bay. She grinned, revealing long, sharp teeth ready and able to bite his head clean off. She opened her mouth wide, but before she could do anything, an arrow whizzed past her head and straight into Krev the Skinner's. Sahana let the body drop to the ground, growling as she lowered her head. She looked like she was pouting.
"We've no time for this! Come here!"
Sahana approached, shifting back into her natural form. "What's that look for?" she asked, her concern evident. "Aela?"
"The bastards... They managed to kill Skjor." There was pain and anger in her eyes. "He was one of the strongest we had, but numbers can overwhelm. He shouldn't have come without a shield-sibling!" She shook her head. "I'm going to make sure we got the last of them, and see if there's any information that can be gathered. You and I have work to do," she said and Sahana nodded in agreement. "The Silver Hand will tremble at our sight."
"Do you have something in mind for me to do?"
Aela stared at her for a second, glanced down at Skjor's lifeless body. "Go to Treva's Watch, once there, sneak into their camp and steal their plans. We would have the advantage, then."
"Right." Sahana turned, leaving the hideout as quickly as possible. She'd stashed her things outside and needed to get into some clothing - it was cold, and she no longer had her rushing beastblood keeping her warm.
Out in the wind and snow, Sahana shuddered. Her feet went uncomfortably numb as she made her way over to her stash. She tugged on her leather cuirass and a matching leather skirt before dragging on her boots. Afterwards, she pulled on a thick, hooded cloak and strapped her bow and arrow quiver to her back.
The wind lifted her charcoal black hair into a violent dance before allowing it to rest once more on her shoulders. She sighed. To protect her face from the biting winds, she lifted her hood and started for Treva's Watch. These people would pay for what they did to Skjor. She was a dispenser of justice. Her retaliation would be quick and merciless.
She'd done as she'd set out to do. She'd wiped the Silver Hand out of Treva's Watch and was now returning to Jorrvaskr, eager to show her findings to Aela. When she saw Whiterun from a distance, she immediately felt more at ease. She could relax - if only for a moment. Skjor's death still weighed heavily on her mind and she hoped that this would help, if anything really could.
Back in Jorrvaskr, the tension drained out of her. She heaved a sigh of relief. It was good to be home. Downstairs, she headed for Aela's room. "Sahana!" She was surprised to hear the familiar cheery voice. She turned and faced Eleni.
"What are you still doing here?" she questioned, sounding a little stunned.
"Well, not only was I waiting on you to get back, I decided that rather than going to the college in Winterhold, that I'd become a Companion instead!"
"Why?"
Eleni frowned. "I can't really explain it properly," she murmured. "I have this feeling, though. This place brings me comfort." Sahana's eyes fell to the floor as she turned her head away. "I think," Eleni started, bringing Sahana's gaze back up to her, "that I feel safest here."
Sahana nodded. "You should feel safe here. It is full of good people."
"Yes..." Eleni looked away and, even in the dim lighting, Sahana watched as her face flushed. She quirked a curious brow, but didn't say anything.
"Well, welcome to the Companions. We'll speak later. I promise." Once more, she went in search of Aela. She'd arrived late at night, so she figured that the red-haired woman would be sleeping. She did not think that Aela would have a problem with her waking her when it came to something this important, though.
She knocked lightly on the door, waited a few heartbeats before peeking inside. Aela was not asleep, but she seemed distracted. "Aela," she spoke softly, knowing how voices carried here in Jorrvaskr.
"Sahana, come in. I've been running interference for you. I don't think anyone has caught on to our little campaign. Yet."
Sahana nodded as she closed the door. "Here," she muttered, handing over the stratagem.
"This is perfect!" She smiled. "Hopefully this will tell us more about their movement. I think we've got them on the run now!" Her eyes scanned the paper.
"I think I'm going to rest for a while," she murmured, about to turn away. She'd not been able to sleep in so long...
"One moment. The Silver Hand has been scouring the world for more pieces of Wuuthrad. One group's hiding out in Eastmarch. Go there, retrieve the fragment, and bring it here - for the honor of us all."
Sahana closed her tired eyes, nodding. "Of course." She turned abruptly and exited. She appeared worn, stretched thin. She seemed surprised that Eleni still stood in the hall. She simply stood there, reading a book. Sahana paused and observed for a moment. "Eleni," she said and the girl jumped.
"Oh! Sahana!" She smiled a little. "Are you well?" She tilted her head to one side. She appeared concerned.
"Yes, thank you. I think I have a little time for some of your questions, if you still wish to ask them."
"I would love to!" She rushed around, eventually sitting at one of the tables with some paper, an inkwell and a quill. "Have you ever faced a dragon?"
"A few, actually," she drawled.
"What are they like?"
"They are fearsome creatures. They may look like animals, but they are incredibly intelligent - they are capable of speech and understanding other languages besides their own. All of the dragons that I have seen have been affiliated with some element, examples being fire or ice."
"Interesting," Eleni murmured absently as she wrote. "And what about you? What makes a Dragonborn so important that they become so...well-known?"
"The Dragonborn, as I've been told, is the only one that can kill a dragon permanently by absorbing its soul. It is true that I gain power each time I slay one of them. When I say power, I mean that I learn a new Shout, a Thu'um in their language."
"What are Shouts? What do they do?"
"A great many things. By uttering words in their language, I can push away enemies using only the Shout. I can make a fast get-away if need be. I even know Shouts that allow me to conjure fire or ice like the dragons do."
"So, the Dragonborn really has the soul of a dragon and the body of a mortal..." She sounded like she was thinking.
"It would seem that way... Now then, I still have things to do. Later on, if you want to discuss this further, we can try to."
"Ah..." Eleni opened her mouth to speak, but closed it before she could say anything. She smiled and nodded. Sahana returned her smile before heading for the stairs. When the Nord woman gave a soft whistle, the dogs - Meeko and Vigilance, Eleni had learned after staying in the same room as them and some other Companions - appeared, happy to see their mistress. Eleni went back to reading.
"Where are you off to at this hour?" A purely masculine voice. Sahana looked up, noticed that Vilkas was sitting at one of the many tables that were placed around the hearth.
"Official Dragonborn business," she said with a grin. Aela had not wanted anyone to know what they were up to, and if that meant that she had to lie, she'd do so - even if she had to lie to Vilkas. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to him. He seemed so...decent. Well, of course he did, she thought. He was a Companion.
He didn't look convinced. That was good thing, too. She was bull-shitting him and he knew it. It probably would have been more effective on Farkas. Actually, it would have been more effective if she'd tried to get him to believe her.
In any case, he didn't ask any further questions. He watched, pale eyes narrowed dangerously, as she left Jorrvaskr. Outside in the cold once more, Sahana hung her head and readjusted her hood. After this, there was no way that she'd be leaving her bed - not for a week, at least!
Chapter 2: complete! Animals are my favorite thing to write about, my favorite thing to capture in writing. Speaking of capturing, I didn't think the game really captured character emotions all that well. I'm not bashing (that's not my intention, at least), but the Dragonborn seems...unaffected no matter what's going on. Am I wrong? O.o