Chapter 2 – The Companion
Aela had woken but she refused to open her eyes. She felt like she hadn't slept very long, if at all, but when she heard the birds and other sounds of the forest she knew that it was morning. Of all the benefits that her wolf blood gave her this was one of the downsides. She never felt that she truly slept. She thought the cause could be the result of the heightened senses that her wolf gave her. The slightest noise, such as a twig snap, could wake her.
She didn't know why but she usually slept a little better if she changed to the wolf before going to sleep, but since Ria was accompanying her and Farkas she couldn't do that.
She finally opened her eyes and saw the sun peeking through the trees. It was higher in the sky than she would have thought and judged it to be about midmorning. She sat up and looked over the fire pit; the fire had died out a few hours before, and she saw Farkas just starting to wake up. She looked to her right and saw Ria the newest member of the Companions, still sleeping. She was covered from head to foot with at least two hides.
The previous day they had cleared out a cave near Fort Amol; it was already dark when they finally finished so they had decided to set up a quick camp for the night at the bottom of the steps leading up to Hillgrund's Tomb. A quick camp meant just a campfire and bedrolls and it must have gotten very cold the night before. Aela suddenly felt guilty that they had been eager to sleep and hadn't considered how Ria would fare through the night.
Ria was an Imperial and her people hadn't built up the resistances to the cold her and Farkas' own ancestors had. In addition to that was that she and Farkas were both werewolves and they were much more resilient to the cold than the average Nord.
She reluctantly got to her feet as Farkas was still waking and she decided to fill their canteens for the day. So she gathered them up and started walking towards the river. As she was filling the canteens she smelled a wolf. She looked around and caught sight of him on the other side of the river.
The wolf at first didn't notice her but when he did he just sat on his haunches and watched her. She smiled thinking that the wolves certainly knew who their cousins were and wouldn't attack unless provoked.
Ria had even made the observation earlier in the week that she had found it odd that they hadn't run across any wolf packs seeing how wolves were one of the most common animals to be found in Skyrim.
When she made it back to the camp, Farkas had already woken Ria and they nearly had everything gathered up. She passed out the canteens and went to gather her own bedroll.
Farkas walked up behind her "I don't know about you but I am ready to get back."
"Why do you think I filled the canteens already?" Aela replied.
"Eager to get back to Skjor are you?" He chuckled.
She turned and glared at him. He just smiled before breaking into a laugh. Continuing to glare at him she turned her back to him. She knew that he had believed her when she told him that there was nothing going on between Skjor and her. He was the only one, as it turned out, that believed her but it still didn't stop him from teasing her about it.
It certainly wasn't for lack of trying on Skjor's part however. He was very much interested in sex with her but she wasn't going to go there with him. Truth be told the only reason that she tolerated his behavior was because he was the only one that embraced his wolf, like her.
They would often go out at night in wolf form to hunt and that was where the rumor about Skjor and Aela came from, since the non-Circle Companions didn't know about the Circle being werewolves they assumed it was for another reason. She also suspected that it was Njada that started it and that angered her more than the rumor itself.
"Come on Ice brain. Let's go." She looked over at Ria, who nodded telling her that she was ready to go as well. They started up the road towards the Valtheim Towers. She hoped that they wouldn't have to fight anyone today but she still checked to make sure that her sword was clear in her scabbard and her bow was easily accessible. Farkas had noticed and did the same. "Are you expecting trouble?"
"You know Valtheim Towers are up ahead, and I would not be surprised if bandits haven't already moved in again." Ria was trailing behind Farkas but she heard her check her sword too. That was one of the many problems with the civil war.
While the two armies were more concerned with killing each other they were much less interested in protecting the citizens. However, while the situation was perfect for bandits to thrive, it also provided the Companions with much needed work.
In the distance they heard a roar. Aela immediately drew her bow and reached for an arrow while Farkas readied his broadsword. She looked behind her and in the distance saw a faint black shape moving away from them before quickly disappearing behind a mountain. "What in Talos' name was that?"
Farkas shook his head "I don't know." They stood in place for a few moments before understanding that, whatever that thing was, it wasn't coming back. "Come on," Aela said "let's move."
She was unsurprised to find the towers occupied by bandits again. She often said that the bandits were like rabbits. Turn your back for a moment and there are twenty more. Ria and Farkas drew their swords while Aela equipped her bow. Notching an arrow they proceeded to clear out the towers again.
The bandit stationed outside the first tower must have seen their approach and had alerted the bandits inside, as they were already prepared and waiting for them. Aela ignored those bandits that were on the ground, trusting Farkas and Ria to handle them. Instead she moved to a location that gave her a good view of the towers and proceeded to pick off the archers.
She readied an arrow and released it. She watched as the archer on top of the first tower fall all the way to the ground below. She saw Farkas and Ria enter the tower so she turned to find the next archer. The other archer was on the opposite side of the river from her.
She notched another arrow, drew back the bowstring, and released. The archer had fortunately not seen her and was aiming at the others as they were fighting on the bridge. She watched the arrow as it sliced through the air toward its target and felt satisfaction as the arrow hit home. The arrow had pierced the archer's neck and he immediately fell to his knees grasping at his neck as he struggled to breath.
She saw Farkas and Ria on the narrow bridge, that was connecting the two towers, fight the remaining bandits and was pleased when she saw Ria push the final bandit off the edge and into the river.
She gathered up her bow and arrows and made her way toward the tower. She heard Farkas and Ria laughing and discussing the fight as they exited. When Ria saw Aela approaching she said "Not the greatest fight but entertaining nevertheless." Farkas simply said that the fight was adequate.
It was midday and they decided to make use of the fire pit that the bandits had prepared to cook a meal and rest for a while. The real reason that they stopped was because of Ria. It was one of the benefits of being a werewolf she thought. They had more stamina and could go far longer before needing to rest, Ria couldn't.
About an hour later they were moving again. It was early afternoon when they crested the hill near one of the standing stones. She looked out over the plains and in the distance saw Whiterun. It became evident that she wasn't the only one eager to get back, since they had started to walk a little faster since coming in sight of the city.
They had just walked by the Honningbrew Meadery when Aela felt the ground shake. She heard a scream and looked to where it came from and saw a large dust cloud at the Pelagia Farmstead. Then she saw the club followed by the giant emerge from the dust.
"Giant!" she screamed. Farkas, however, was already running towards the giant with his broadsword in hand and Ria right behind him. Aela repeated her actions from earlier in the day as she harassed the giant with arrows from a distance while the other two moved in close.
The giant had seen the new arrivals coming closer and had turned to face them. He had started to raise his club but the well-aimed arrow from Aela hit him just above his eye. It was enough to distract him while Farkas swung his sword at his leg. Ria moved around to the opposite side from Farkas and was swiping at the giant as well.
This was turning out well, Aela thought. The giant couldn't focus on one of them with the other hitting him from the opposite side. Not to mention that Aela was harassing him with arrows at the same time.
The giant raised his club and slammed it down to the ground just beside Farkas causing Farkas to jump out of the way. The giant then took a step to the side and turned around to face Farkas and with that one move both Farkas and Ria were in front of him. This particular giant was either much smarter or just luckier than his brethren.
Aela let out a growl at the sudden turn of events and called on her wolf. She would often call on her wolf when going into a fight, not enough to change but enough to give her an advantage. Farkas hadn't gotten to his feet yet, the near miss having disoriented him, and Ria moved forward with her shield raised to try to protect him.
Aela knew that the giant could kill one, maybe both of her companions, with one good strike. She was just about to drop her bow and draw her sword when she saw another person run by her. The giant was so focused on the other two that he didn't see this new enemy enter the fight.
The person was obviously female, tall, with short dark brown hair coming down nearly to her shoulders. She was equipped in a set of iron armor and wielding an axe and shield. Aela drew another arrow and notched it, but she didn't get the chance to shoot. She watched as the woman closed the gap to the giant and swung the axe directly at the back of his knee.
The giant's leg buckled and he fell to his knees. Ria saw the opportunity and moved in front of the him and thrust her sword up through his chin. Immediately the giant slumped and fell forward.
Fortunately the fight was over quickly and as Aela looked for Farkas, she was wondering how the fight could have turned out differently if the stranger hadn't shown up. She had been so close to changing. She thought that she would have if the stranger hadn't shown up and distracted her.
Farkas was on his feet again, talking to Ria and shaking his head. He was probably chastising himself but she decided she would talk to him in a moment and started looking around for the woman. She found the stranger sitting on the rock wall that was surrounding the fields.
Aela started to walk toward her and as she drew close the stranger looked up and Aela drew in a sharp breath. The woman's eyes were a deep blue that seemed to look right through her. As she took another step the woman gave her a tired grin.
The first thing that Aela thought was that the woman was good looking. Her skin was tanned, telling her that she had spent time in the south. She also had scars almost like claw marks running down the center of her face. It was also clear that the armor she was wearing was not made for her, which meant that she either purchased it in haste or simply found it.
"Sorry about rushing in like that but it looked like the fight was turning against you and the big man gave me an opening so I took it." She said pointing to the giant. The woman was still breathing heavy. She had apparently exhausted herself trying to get to the fight. A small part of Aela wanted to reprimand her for not announcing herself first but the rest admired the courage that it took to do that.
There were few people that would rush into a fight with a giant like that, and they were all Companions. Aela realized that the sense of admiration for the stranger belonged to her wolf. She decided to allow the wolf to remain and to trust her judgment about the stranger. Suddenly Aela had an idea.
"I thank you for your assistance and you handle yourself well. You would make a fine Shield-Sister if you are so inclined." She saw movement in the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see Farkas and Ria approaching them.
"What is a Shield-Sister?" the woman asked.
Aela looked back at the woman. "You haven't been in Skyrim very long have you? We are called the Companions, we're a group of warriors that….." the woman looked up at that with a look of comprehension. "You know of us?" Aela asked. The woman nodded. "I've heard of you, yes."
The woman turned to look at Farkas and Ria and said "You looked as if you had your hands full."
Farkas gave her a little smile. "I was just about to get him before you showed up."
Ria snorted "yeah, crawling around on your hands and knees is a proven age old tactic that none can defend against."
Farkas looked at Ria and sighed "I get no respect around here."
The woman grinned then she stood and looked at Aela. "I appreciate your offer," she inclined her head to her, "and I may take you up on it but first I need to speak with Jarl Balgruuf about Helgen."
"What about Helgen?" Aela asked.
"A dragon attacked this morning." Aela was shocked and quickly looked at Farkas. He nodded and said "I think we saw it this morning. How many people survived?"
"I don't know. We were able to make it out through a cave under the keep but we didn't go back to see." The woman Aela noted seemed calm considering the implications of the information, but she scented fear coming from her, which meant that she understood what had happened but was able to keep her emotions under control. It was yet another factor in favor of the potential new recruit, Aela thought.
"You said 'we.'" Ria asked. The woman nodded "yeah, me and an imperial soldier." Aela noticed that the woman seemed not to want to talk about anything else.
"Well, I am Aela. This is Farkas and Ria." She said pointed to the other two. "I am Katarin." The woman said. Aela continued "we are heading into the city now and you are free to accompany us if you wish."
Katarin nodded. "Thank you." Farkas and Ria turned and started towards the city. Aela fell in behind them and Katarin was walking behind her. Her wolf had certainly approved of the woman and Aela thought that she did so as well. She would still have to prove herself but somehow Aela didn't think that would be a problem.
"So what were you saying before about the Companions?" Katarin asked her. Aela stopped and turned to look at her trying to remember then started walking beside her. "Oh just that the Companions are an order of warriors that show up and solve problems if the money is good enough."
"I see, so your mercenaries then." Katarin stated rather bluntly. Aela suddenly felt angered and defensive but when she looked at Katarin she didn't see the condemnation she expected, but instead saw curiosity. She pushed away the anger and answered calmly. "In a manner of speaking though we don't consider ourselves as such. We don't do jobs for money alone, but with the war going on, we take up what the armies disregard. We go after bandits, thieves, the occasional vampire den, that sort of thing. "
She saw Katarin grin at that. "Noble work." She stated. Aela shrugged "We drink late into the night and fight each other at the slightest insult too, so we are far from noble." They were approaching the gate and Aela saw Farkas and Ria waiting for them. Katarin looked like she was going to say something else before a guard cut in.
"You may go in Companions, but the stranger cannot. The city is closed for the time being." Aela started to ask why but Katarin beat her to it. "I have information for the Jarl about the attack on Helgen. It is vital that I speak to him." The guard looked unconvinced but he glanced at the other guard. "Fine, but don't cause any trouble." The second guard said.
The first guard stepped aside while the second signaled to open the gate. Soon they were making their way through the city and when they reached Jorrvaskr, they separated. Farkas and Ria were already making their way inside, when Aela once again reminded Katarin that she should talk to Kodlak and possibly join the Companions.
She watched Katarin for a moment while she was ascending the steps to Dragonsreach. She was hoping that she would agree, but she didn't know why. It was her wolf who had approved of the woman at first but while, from the brief conversation they had, she felt that Katarin was a good person she didn't know anything about her.
However, as she usually did, she trusted her wolf's judgment and decided that she would give her a chance. Her wolf had never steered her wrong when it came to people, it was one of the reasons that she had resisted Skjor's advances. She figured that there was no reason this time should be any different so she turned and started up the steps to Jorrvaskr, glad to finally be home.
A/N: First thank you for those that are following the story, if you have any questions or comments, please review or pm me.
Now I will just say a few words about the story so far and for the future. In regards to the werewolves and the lore associated with them. I have only read Patricia Briggs' novels (The Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series) so I do not know if her werewolf lore is universal or her own, but it is her work that influences my own werewolves in this story. So all credit goes to her in that regard.
Also most of the story will be from Katarin's POV but at times there will be a chapter from Aela's POV or maybe from another POV.
Anyway, I just thought I would give everyone a heads up and again thanks for reading.
