Chapter 4: Journey to the Rift
Shortly after leaving home, Kirra arrived near the closed Northern gate of Helgen. She recalled there being a dragon attack months ago and it was supposedly abandoned after. This was the only way for her to go straight to Riften. She didn't want to go through the ruin, so she quietly moved around the town's outer wall of wooden logs to get to the trail on the East side of the city.
She stopped when she heard voices of two men chatting with one another from the other side of the wall. Perhaps some Imperials still conducted business there after the attack. She was unable to see inside since the fencing was sealed tight, so she moved closer to the wall to have a listen.
"Did you hear? Another one tried to get into the Chief's treasure room, again."
"Oh, yeah? How far?"
"I heard he made it all the way to the last door. He got too cocky and didn't think to realize the door might be trapped, too. So, he got a facial reconstruction by flail and didn't live to tell about it."
"Got all the way to the room, eh? That a new record or something? I'm telling you, we gotta turn this into some kind of betting ring. The gold we can make from these poor bastards!"
"Tempting, but enough of us are getting killed on the roads by dragons and adventurers. We don't need to encourage them."
Has Helgen been taken over by bandits since the attack? Kirra grew accustomed to listening to bandit babble during the camp lootings, and was especially amused when it was about abusing their own. This was certainly no conversation by Imperials.
Kirra moved away from the wall and walked through a shallow bit of woods and a thin layer of snow. When she got to a safe distance, she hopped back on the road from the East of Helgen. All she had to do was continue from there and follow the signs.
Along the way, Kirra experienced the world of Skyrim and admired the scenery. There seemed to be no danger she was aware of, yet; only grazing elk, bouncing rabbits, and scurrying foxes.
Before reaching the mountain ahead, she met a group of Imperial soldiers with a bounded prisoner walking toward her. She slowed her pace as they marched by. Her Father had voiced a strong dislike for Imperials. Their business with the corrupt Thalmor irritated him. Especially since the Thalmor are banning the worship of Talos throughout Skyrim.
Kirra made eye contact with the prisoner. He was a young Nord, with short black hair and blue eyes. He reminded her of her father. She unconsciously paused and stared.
The soldier leading the convoy noticed, stopped, and turned to Kirra. "This is Imperial business. Keep walking."
His voice made her jump. She immediately turned away and walked on while tightening her hood around her chin against the chilly breeze. There was nothing she could do for the prisoner now without possibly getting them both killed. She was ill-equipped for a fight.
She soon reached the end of what seemed like Autumn and was met with the wintry sting of the mountains. She wasn't quite dressed for the dropping temperatures being in a worn tunic with thin sleeves, but she pressed on. As cold as it was, it was still nice to experience some place different.
The winding trail of the mountain cut through high walls of snowy rock. On the way, Kirra met a hunter, a Redguard woman with black, shoulder-length hair, on horseback. She was stopped near two dead wolves impaled by her arrows. "Watch the mountains for wolves on your travels. At least you don't have to worry about these two." She said and pointed at them. Kirra was thankful for that! She can escape bandits, but she has yet to test her skills against wolves.
Closer to the end of the mountain trail, she could see another road sign down the trail from a distance. Beside it stood a person dressed in simple shirt and pants. She thought maybe he was just on a break from traveling.
Upon approaching, Kirra found him to be a smiling Wood Elf. "Hello, there, Traveler! Where might you be heading?" His eyes were reddened as if he hadn't slept in days, but he was too cheerful and upbeat to be tired.
Kirra stopped across the road from him, keeping a distance. "Riften."
"Oh, my. That's a long walk from here! Might I interest you in some freshly brewed Skooma? It'll help give you the energy you'll need to get to Riften. I'm selling it for a good price!"
"N-no, thank you. I've just started my morning. I think I will make it just fine. But thanks anyway."
He kept the same cheery smile on his face. "Are you sure? Well, if you're ever in need of a quick pick-me-up, come on back by!"
Kirra nodded at him and walked on. Something seemed very off about him, but at least he was polite.
The mountain trail finally ended when Kirra soon reached the beautiful realm of evergreens and autumn-colored trees. It was her first steps into the Rift and another road sign sat just up ahead to keep her on track. The land was thick with trees and alive with Elk, deer, and goats. She took in all the scents of nature; the grass, the trees, and the fresh, cool air. It was such a joy to experience this new area of Skyrim. If only her father could be with her right now. He would love it.
Traveling through the rift after the mountains was a long walk, but pleasant and uneventful for her so far. The adventurer in her wanted to explore the surrounding landscape, but she had to stay diligent and keep herself on the stone path.
She later came upon a river to the left of the road. There were a group of elk and deer having a drink together in peace. A drink of water sounded delightful after a long walk and she thought about joining them. It was then the dangers of Skyrim appeared. A bear roared from the distance somewhere in the woods ahead. Kirra was startled and watched as the deer and elk at the riverside all bounced away in the other direction and birds dispersed from the trees and flew past overhead. Something had agitated the grumpy beast. Was it the presence of a new being in the territory? Keeping a hand on her dagger, she cautiously continued down the trail.
The path lead Kirra into another thick forest of trees. Not a good setting when there's an angry bear looming somewhere in it. When she drew close enough to the sounds of the bear, she strayed from the trail to avoid being an easy target, and moved from tree to tree in hiding. It would be nice if another hunter appeared right about now.
Kirra quickly pressed herself behind a tree at the first sight of the bear. It was occupied with sniffing the ground near the path. It looked up in Kirra's direction with a grunt. She kept calm and quiet, thinking to herself, This is just another test of my sneaking skills, just like before. Only this time, it was middle of the day and she was under the threat of being mauled and eaten by a bear… instead of being smashed and bludgeoned to death by a warhammer. Is this any better? She drew her dagger and clutched it against her chest with both hands when she sensed the large, growling beast drawing toward her. Its feet thudded on the ground with every sluggish step. She prepared to defend herself as it approached closer and closer.
The bear stopped to sniff the air, when suddenly, it was blindsided with a surprise attack by a loud, barking wolf from the woods. Kirra was startled by the harsh noise. She looked back around the tree and found the two beasts battling each other on the road very close to her. She then made a mad dash away from them and sprinted further down the trail. Unfortunately, her sprint was cut short when another wolf jumped onto the trail right in front of her. It bared its teeth with a growl and prepared to jump at her. She readied her dagger and prepared to fight the wolf, until she heard huffing and growling behind her. She turned to find the blood-covered bear charging at her. "AHH!" She dashed into the woods, avoiding the snapping wolf. The wolf growled in annoyance and galloped off behind her, completely ignoring the bloody rage that pursued them.
Kirra maneuvered through the trees as fast as she could, looking back only to find the wolf following her. The pursuit didn't last long when the enraged bear jumped the wolf from behind. They wrestled on the ground, tossing up dirt and leaves. This didn't stop Kirra. She kept running through the woods with everything her little Khajiit feet had, while the hefty satchel on her back bounced up and down like a rider on horseback, kicking her to move faster.
Yes, this was far scarier than out-running bandits.
Kirra found the river on the other side of the woods and stopped to rest when she felt far enough away from danger. She curled over, slapping her hands on her knees, gasping to catch her breath. She then set her satchel on the ground while dropping to her knees and eagerly gulped up several handfuls of water. She pulled the hood and scarf from her head and her ears bounced up into their proper upward position. She then took handfuls of water to splash into her face and brush over her head.
Once she was calmer and the adrenaline rush died down, Kirra stared at her reflection in the water. She never really studied her own appearance as she wanted to keep a made-up image of herself in mind, sharing features with her Nord parents.
Her eyes were blue as clouds on a dark, overcast day. Her hair was dark brown, long, and pulled back into a bun to keep hidden under her hood. Her Khajiit fur was a much lighter shade of brown than her hair, and short, revealing her thin frame. The slightly longer fur hugging around her face and the space between her mouth and dark red nose were white. The lining of her eyes and the tips of her ears were black. Her coat wasn't heavy on features like stripes or spots. It was mostly solid with the exception of a lighter brown "bib" beneath her neck, inner arms, and such.
She felt like the only Khajiit in the world having never met another.
Kirra got off her hands and knees and sat on the ground with her legs straight out in front of her and arms stretched out behind her, propping herself up. She started smiling, and then laughing uncontrollably. She must have been crazy leaving so far from home all on her own. But the urge to keep going increased the closer she got and nothing could stop it… not even a near death experience with wolves and bears. She realized that it wasn't just what Maiq said; something was spiritually drawing her to Riften. She just had to get there to find out why.
Kirra pulled the book from her satchel to study the map and pinpoint her location. She looked up and around and found to her right not far down the river was a bridge near Heartwood mill. According to the map, she could cross the bridge and follow the path running along the upper edge of Lake Honrich, avoiding the dangerous woods and walk straight to Riften. It wasn't much further now. Once she was confident about the route and well rested, she stored the book back in the satchel. She slipped on the scarf and hood, stood from the ground, dusted off her tunic, and then picked the satchel up from the ground and swung it over her back.
Along the trail North of the lake, she could see the mountain range south of Skyrim. It seemed just like her favorite hangout spot by the lake in Falkreath, only on a much bigger scale. She would love to just sit down right now and enjoy the scenery, but she was limited on time - maybe one day...
Kirra came upon an old abandoned fort, a prime residence for a possible bandit hangout. She listened for voices and sounds, but heard neither. She sighed in relief that no trouble came from it as she passed by.
The trail soon came to an end at the edge of the lake. She looked across the water and, to her relief, there was a city of houses and rooftops ahead in the distance. Is this finally the city she spent the whole morning enduring cold mountains, strangers, murderous wildlife, and a really, really long walk to get to?
Kirra perked up at the sound of a cow mooing nearby. Finally, the sound of an animal that doesn't want her for lunch! She hiked over the grassy hill nearby and came upon a small farm. The cow grazed in a pen and a chicken strutted about in front of a farm house that looked a lot like hers. The farm was a piece of familiarity after a long day's travel. It felt like being home.
A male Dark Elf was working the flour mill by the cow pen. He noticed Kirra approaching the farm. "Hello, traveler. Passing through?"
"Yes. I was just on my way to Riften." She stopped near and smiled.
"Well, you're not too far now. It's just a short walk from here, straight down this path." He pointed to the path on the other side of the farm.
Kirra nodded to him "Thank you. Good day, sir." and walked on through the farm.
"Also, while you're in Riften, be on the lookout for thieves. My house was broken into a while back. I think they had something to do with it. Take care of yourself." He went back to work on the flour mill.
Kirra looked back to the city in the distance. She hoped that wouldn't bring more trouble for her being a Khajiit. Excited and nervous, she gripped a strap of the satchel on her back and walk on to discover what lied ahead for her in the city of Riften.
Chapter Comment:
This chapter is a bit shorter than others, but you guys probably don't mind that, haha. The main point of it was about Kirra's first experiences of exploring Skyrim by herself and learning how the world functions. She still has a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do. How will the harsh reality of Skyrim shape our young, sheltered Khajiit? See you in Chapter 5!