As Darius awoke and stretched, the need to yawn took over his brain. He sat up, and immediately a brain-splitting headache toppled him.
"Owww..." He moaned, holding his head. It did nothing to help the worst hangover he had ever experienced in his life. Something stirred beside him, and for the first time he noticed a physical presence against his chest. It grumbled in disapproval of his movement. He could have sworn it even muttered: "Warm...".
That it was actually a her. An Arwen, to be specific. She was in her underclothes and had her arms wrapped around her chest. She used this hold to cling to him tightly, apparently to better appreciate his internal body heat.
"Arwen." He whispered. He repeated himself slightly louder and she awoke. She blinked several times and looked at Darius' chest blankly. She took a sharp breath and literally jumped out of her sleeping roll.
"Darius! Hi! I was-" She rattled.
"Shh!" He held out a hand to stop her, covering his ear with the other.
"Oh, do you have a hangover?" Arwen's tone did a 180 and raised an eyebrow, ready to leap on the teasing wagon.
"Which is understandable, since I've never drank anything elven before." Darius countered. "What I can't explain is why I'm half-dressed and in your sleeping roll."
"Well excuse me-!"
"SH!" Darius reminded.
"Well excuse me," Arwen repeated in a hush voice. "For lending you my bed and ensuring you didn't freeze. Regardless, you were actually a pleasure to sleep beside. You're warm like you've embers in your heart."
"You'd know, the way you were clinging to me." Darius chuckled. Arwen blushed heavily in response. Darius noted that, like before, she only blushed with her pointed ears. "Strange, with as hot as your face is getting you'd think you wouldn't even need a bedroll."
"Oh shush!" She snatched her pillow by the corner and tossed it at him. He managed to dodge it, because he was sure if he knocked down again then he wouldn't get up again.
Complaining and groaning, Darius managed to get on his feet and out of his bed. He slipped his shirt on and moved to one of the logs from last night. There he sat, holding his head in his hands. Different wood elves stopped by and poked fun at him, laughing and jeering. Several sat down beside him, but he groaned and waved them off. This only seemed to amuse them more. Arwen came by with a wet cloth and he took it gratefully, pressing the cold material against his forehead. That seemed to dull his headache a little.
Right away, she came by with a hot cup of liquid. "Drink." She offered. "I gathered some herbs that should help calm your headache."
"Wow... thanks..." Darius blinked in surprise at the act of kindness. "But, how did you gather them already?"
"You've been sitting there for an hour..." Arwen deadpanned.
"Wow..." Was all Darius said. He took the cup and sipped from it. It tasted like dirt, but he would do anything to get rid of his headache. He nodded his thanks to her once again before she left. He sat for a little while longer. He dare not guess how long, because apparently his sense of time was terribly warped. Just when he had finished his tea and set it down, a huge weight tackled him to the ground. He panicked and fought to throw it off, but the beast pinned him down and began to eagerly lick his face.
"Sultan! Down, boy!" Arwen said within periods of laughter. The husky leapt off of Darius and sat at her side. It then began poking her hand with his nose, eager for praise. "Good boy! Tackle the scary man!" she ruffled his ears.
"I thought I always came off as gentle and calm." Darius stayed true to his previous prediction and remained still on the ground. "Kids love me, you know."
"Maybe that's because you look funny." Arwen teased, holding out a hand.
"Someone's mean today." Darius mocked a pout as he used the hand to lift himself up.
"Do you have any plans today? I was thinking of going hunting." Arwen ignored him. "What's left of the elk won't last long."
"Sure, just let me get my armour on."
"You have never been hunting properly, have you?" Arwen raised an eyebrow. "Armour will make a lot of noise, limit mobility, and slow you down. The clothes you wear under your armour should be fine."
Darius grumbled, but didn't argue. He sat down at a log and pulled out a small red book, beginning to read. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."
After a few minutes, Arwen came back to his log. He went with her, but not after retrieving his steel mace. Since he was going out without his armour, he refused to be completely defenceless. He followed Arwen out of the camp, completely relying on her for direction now. "I will make one thing clear, before we get any farther." Arwen called over her shoulder. "I may have sat and waited amidst fighting once, against my will, but never again. I'm not some damsel in distress, and I won't have you thinking I am. Got it?"
"Got it." Darius returned. He had to resist the urge to rub in her face that he saved her from slavery. "To be honest, I almost hope we run into some bandits. I'm curious to see you in action. I assume you prefer the bow?"
"Was it the hunting bow over my shoulder, quiver of iron arrows, or Bosmer heritage that gave it away?" Arwen snorted.
"Yeah, it was a bit of a shot in the dark." Darius commented sarcastically. "Oh great Bosmer hunting prodigy, what is it we are hunting today?"
"An end to the sarcasm firstly, and after that most likely elk. I know how to make a sled to bring it back to camp."
"I knew there was a reason you brought me along, it was slave labour after all." Darius snickered.
"You got me!" Arwen threw up her arms.
Silence swept over them, but Darius didn't mind at all. It wasn't an awkward silence, but in fact a calming one.
"Tracks," Arwen broke the silence with a smile. She held out a hand to stop Darius and knelt down on the spot. She carefully ran her fingers over the ground and inspected something unseen to Darius. It looked like an ordinary old patch of grass to him. She stayed knelt for a long time. Darius held his breath, scared to break her concentration. He breathed with relief when she finally spoke. "An especially pale male elk with a slightly bloodied skull passed through here before stopping to graze upon the next hill."
"Impossible, you saw all of that from just the track?" Darius dropped to the round and saw for himself. She read the track like it was a handwritten note from the elk himself. Slowly, Arwen pointed to a hill a short ways away. Upon it grazed an elk with a slightly bloodied skull who hadn't yet noticed them. It was very large, with mighty antlers that looked like two upheld hands. Its short fur was a pale brown and seemed well-kept, despite his bestial intelligence.
Arwen, silent as a breath, drew her bow and knocked an arrow in a single fluid motion. Darius stood rigid; he was scared that if he moved to a better position the sound would alert the elk of their presence. Luckily, he was already crouched and in a relatively hidden position.
A double-pronged arrow sunk into the hide of the beast, causing it to cry. Three more soon found their way into its side. The multiplying black shafts and gray fletches slowly transformed its look to that of a porcupine.
Arwen threw her bow into the tall grass and turned on Darius. Before her could question her, she clasped a hand over his mouth and tackled him into the bush beside the road.
Cries and shouts of joy reached Darius' ears. He couldn't see through the grass, but he knew exactly where the hunters were thanks to their loud, thumping footsteps.
"The Pale Stag! The mighty beast has fallen!" They cried. Darius imagined them dancing and celebrating over this kill, which somehow meant the world to them. Darius looked over to Arwen for explanation, but her gaze was locked forward while she bit her lip in worry. Their roars and cries died down and replaced with grunts and groans as they began to work on something. The crack of broken saplings and the occasional rubbing noise were the only clues given the pair. The mechanical noises stopped and replaced with moving grass, which slowly died down before it disappeared altogether.
"What was that?" Darius breathed to Arwen.
Trouble. She mouthed without looking at him. They rose together and Arwen fished around in the grass for her bow. She began to explain before Darius could even ask. "The Pale Elk, White Stag, or any otherwise worded variation consisting of a pale colored deer, is an animal of legend in Falkreath Hold. Legends say that any hunter who manages to kill the elusive beast will receive the favor of the daedric prince Hircine."
"That's not the White Stag?' Darius ensured.
"Definitely not, if it was the White Stag we would know immediately. It is not a regular elk. They must have become blind in their excitement."
"If that group was trying to kill the White Stag, then they were trying to contact a daedric prince." Darius checked if his mace was still at his belt. "We've got to stop them."
"I don't know whether the White Stag is a creation of Hircine, but if not then it's a Bosmer's duty to preserve such a majestic creature." Arwen added. "Do you feel comfortable fighting without armour? A daedra's appearance in Falkreath Hold could prove disastrous and we might not have time to go back for everything."
"That obviously wasn't the Pale Stag, and I think they will find that out soon enough. They will be easy to track since they dragged a bleeding animal to their camp, but they are sure to leave it soon once they realize they made the wrong kill..." Darius analyzed the situation, weighing his options.
"So sliding through a window, he proceeded to roll the dice. A moment passed, he heard the sound of singing soft, and long. And then he- Uh... how does it go again?" The faint snippets of a song cut off Arwen. They looked down the path together to see a shriveled old Breton riding a carriage. He noticed them and waved, which they responded to with high, waving arms. He pulled on the reins and his horses pulled to a stop in front of them.
"Ho, hunters! What can I do for you?" He smiled. Revealing worn yellow teeth. "Come to see my collection of wares?"
"Wares?' Darius raised an eyebrow.
"Mead, equipment, tools, weapons, food, and much more found on Carian's Traveling Cart!" He waved his arm over his covered carriage box.
"Have you got a shield?" Darius shot to the side of the carriage and began to lift the cover off.
"Hasty one, aren't ya?" Carian chuckled. "I've got a couple ones to your left. For you, fifty septims!"
"I don't have fifty septims..." Darius muttered as he looked upon the shield pile, crestfallen.
"I'm sorry lad. But I can't help you. Wouldn't be much of a merchant if I handed out all my stock, now would I?"
"Please, you must understand. There is a grave danger to Falkreath hold and we need weapons to properly combat them!" Arwen pleaded. "We have furs and meat at our camp, would you be willing to trade the shield and perhaps some armour for that?"
"Furs, eh?" The old man scratched his scraggly stubble.
"Elk, deer, bear, fox and wolf." Arwen added with a smile.
"Only one problem, how do I know you aren't telling me the truth? There could be no hunter camps for ten leagues in any direction for all I know."
"We don't have time for this..." Darius rubbed his teeth together. He stared at the shield that stood several feet away. If only his conscience allowed him to make off with the damn thing!
Arwen reached around her neck and sent a shiny object through the air at Carian. He caught it and looked at it with interest. "The camp is south west of the large dead stump near the road sign. Follow the scratched trees to the hunting camp. Give the amulet to the Bosmer to show you Arwen Farstride sent them, and then you can reimburse yourself on hides and furs. When we return to the camp, if we find you did not return the amulet so help me I will track down your carriage and slit your throat in your sleep. Are we at an agreement?"
The Breton scowled at her attitude. "I'll be taking price and a half for anything you take, for my trouble. Now make it snappy!"
Arwen nodded to Darius and he immediately fished out a steel cuirass and the shield he had been eyeing up. Once he was done, he nearly avoided having his toes run over by the cart moving forward.
"What was that amulet you tossed to him?" Darius frowned.
"None of your business. We must make haste." Arwen snapped before dashing off. Darius had to chase after her while struggling to put on his armour and shield at the same time.