Chapter 2.004: The Companions

"I'm never going to get used being a woman," Guaron her eyes focused on her hands, "So strange."

"I'm sure I could help you get more comfortable with your new skin," Seguri smirks.

"I swear I'm going to knock you cold if you keep acting like like such a jerk," the female form of Vilann growls.

"Awe your cute when your-"

Seguri hits the ground hard as Aela's fist hammers his jaw, "I have heard enough, this evaluation is over, you are not Companion material. You will get your cut for this mission but if I ever see you at Jorrvaskr you will not live to regret it."

"Do not be so hard Aela, please."

"Stay out of this Nala," Aela groups ad Seguri pulls himself to his feet, "You are in no state of mind to speak for this poor excuse for a man!"

"But-"

"I said no!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll behave, just give me a second chance!" Seguri dropped to his knees begging, "Nala I'm sorry."

"Do not speak to her!"

"Okay! Okay! Look I'm sorry, the Companions are everything to me! Give me another shot."

"You have had 3 'shots' and have managed to anger all of them. The Companions are a team, there is no room for solo acts when the lives and trust of the pack are on your shoulders. But you can't seem to understand that."

"And this is our first mission as a team," Nala protests, "If the others missions were anything like Nala's she had to do them alone."

Aela sighs, "Fine, I will give Seguri another chance."

Seguri was about to speak, but Aela cut him off, "You stay quiet until we get back to Whiterun, understand?"

He nods, inching toward Nala.

"And you keep you hands off ANY of our Shield-Sisters."

He back away as Nala's ears twitch and she puts up a hand to silence the group, sniffing the air, "A large group is coming, smells like Khajiit," she gasps and smiles, "It's a caravan."

"Good, we can lighten our load for the trip back!" Aela laughs as a group four Khajiit and some pack horses come into view.

"Ahkari!" Nala cheers as she picks up her pace, wrapping her arms around the lead Khajiit.

"Nala! It has been too long since Ahkari has seen you!" she looks around a moment, "Where is Ri'Dat?"

Nala looks down mournfully, her voice like daggers, "Bandits...Nala was...the only one to survive."

The mood quickly darkens as each of the Khajiit move over, wrapping their arms in turn around Nala and finally she let herself cry.

"Ri'Dat was good Khajiit. Great Mother Cat weeps for their loss."

"...And yours."

"Ri'Dat will be glad to know Nala...and a friend...avenged their deaths."

Ri'Dat smiled, looking to the Companions, "Please friends, let is take a break from these white sands to honor the memory of our lost friends."

Aela smiles, "It would be our honor."

"And perhaps while friends of Nala are with is we can trade some goods, yes?" Zaynabi the Khajiit comments.

"I think we would all like that," Guaron smiles just as the spell keeping her female lapses reverting her to male beside Vilann.

Zaynabi laughs, "It seems Nala has made interesting new friends."

"Just trying to show support for a friend," Vilann laughs as the Khajiit began to set up their tents, "Want a hand?"

"Khajiit is most thankful for the help."

Seguri glancing to Aela questioningly.

"Only to barter," she whispers.

With the help of the Companions the not only was the trade caravans tents set up but Nala's as well, and a funeral bonfire was quickly established as the group sat around it, sharing stories of the past, except Seguri who remained quiet.

"You have made good friends Nala," Zaynabi laughs, "Ri'Dat would be pleased."

"Would he?" Nala said softly, "She should have sensed the attack. Her job was to defend the Caravan and she failed at that."

"No one is perfect, no matter hard you try you can't win every confrontation," Seguri says suddenly, a sad look in in his eyes, "No matter how much someone may want it you can not change the past." A look of terror in his eyes as he looked to Aela, "S-Sorry."

"No, you can go on," Aela looking to the confused Khajiit a moment, "Seguri here was under a punishment of silence until he learned to to think before opening his mouth."

Seguri took a deep breath, "Years ago I served with my father in the Legion. Until THAT day."

"That day?"

"They killed everyone, or mostly everyone, the rest they took away, I was one of the lucky one, if you want to call it that, my father was not."

"Who?" Nala wondered, reflections of that fateful day in her own mind.

Seguri shook his head, "I never saw them, as far as any of us survivors know they could have been Rabbits."

"Rabbits?"

"They never spoke, except in weird inhuman noises, we never saw them completely but some saw flashes of fur, but weather that was just armor or their hide we could never figure out. The only think we could all remember was the eyes, tiny, cold, beady, and red. I've only seen eyes like that twice before, in skeevers and rabbits."

"That's crazy!" Guaron hisses, who was back in female form, "Killer Rabbits."

But Vilann, also female, took Seguri's trembling hand comfortingly, as she pulled his head to rest on her chest, "There, there, it's over now."

"Now see," Aela glares at Seguri, "You and Nala have so much in common and yet you treat her, all of your fellow Companions like lesser beings, you out of all of us should have the most Compassion."

Seguri's eyes watered, "Y-Your right. I've been acting the fool."

"We all cope with our scars in different ways," Guaron muses, "And we all have scars. Some just cut deeper then others."

Ahkari looks around to the sky as it gets darker, "Khajiit thinks now might be best for us all to reflect on the our friends and our past and get a good night's sleep."

"Agreed."

"Kharjo offers to share his tent with his old friend Nala and Torygg since as her tent is full with her companions."

"Nala would like that Kharjo."

"Alright Companions we leave early in the morning, let's get a good night's rest, the Jarl is waiting after all. Good night."

"Good night."

"Khajiit thanks you for your business," Ahkari shares a final hug with Nala as Aela emerges from her tent just in time to see her hand off the reins of one of their pack horses to Nala. The others emerging on their own soon after, in their male forms where applicable.

"May you walk on warm sands."

"Moons guide you."

"Got yourself a horse, eh?" Seguri smirked.

"Business investment actually," Nala explains, "Talked a long time with Ahkari while you were sleeping. Nala is going to try to restart her caravan."

"Congratulations," Vilann says as he moves over, patting her back.

"Zaynabi has made breakfast, feel free to join us."

"Thanks," Aela laughs as the Companions turn to the portable cooking pit.

"Ahkari almost forgot," taking Nala's arm a moment as she pulled a spell book from her robes, "Ri'Dat had given this to Ahkari for Nala."

Nala takes it confused, "Nala is no mage."

"It is an old Caravan's book. Summoning a magic tent one can fit there entire troupe in. Ri'Dat always imagined Nala would take over for him when Ri'Dat retired and he wanted you to have this special gift."

"I-I'm honored," Nala says slipping the book into her pack reverently before joining the others at the cooking pit.

"So which town are you headed to Ahkari?" Vilann wonders absently as he enjoys some roasted leg of rabbit.

"Khajiit are on their to Dawnstar. Where is Nala and her friends headed, hmm?"

"We are on our way back to Whiterun," Aela explains. "Just cleared out a bandit for about half a day's walk from here on the Jarl's order."

"Khajiit understands, Skyrim is a place of much turmoil."

Nala huffs, "It would not be if Ulfric would end his silly little rebellion, yes?"

"Here! Here!" Seguri cheers.

"You can't honestly believe the Legion has the right of it," Aela scoffs.

"The Legion has it's own problems but Ulfric is a fool," Vilann cuts in, "If if he does overwhelm the Legion there aren't nearly enough Stormcloaks to take on the Dominion, he needs the Legion for that, we need a united Skyrim if we ever hope to get out from under the Thalmor's thumbs but no one wants to look at the big picture."

"This one agrees."

"You can't be serious!"

"Nala is as much a true Daughter of Skyrim as Aela is but even she can see this civil war is tearing Skyrim apart, the only solution is to work together not draw lines in the sand."

"Yes but...the Legion will never-"

"Perhaps now is neither time nor place for politics hmm? Ahkari would rather her friends simply enjoy the meal we share, yes?"

Aela sighs, "You're right, my apologies, you offered us you food and warm beds, as well as coin and we're arguing like little children."

Nala pushes to her feet stretching a moment as she take out her wolf cloak, "Nala will let you finish up, she senses something at the edge of her range and is going to scout ahead."

Aela nods, "Be careful."

"She will."

"We'll finish our bargaining and pack up while your investigate, let's meet back up at the cross roads up ahead. I can walk your horse back to Whiterun while your gone."

"This one will meet up with you then. Torygg protect them." Before shifting to wolf form and stalking off.

Torygg barks and wags his tail as Nala slips away.

"At least I get to enjoy some time as a man," Guaron laughs as Nala fades out of view beyond some trees, "I don't mind the transformation for the sake of unity of spirit but it still isn't who I am."

Nala sniffs the air as she stays low, but soon that feeling takes shape as a large pack of wolves start to make their ways down and around her, 'So that is what Nala sensed. She needs to lead them away from the road and this one's friends.'

A couple of the wolves move closer circling and sniffing her, she snaps in return, focusing her energies to call on the cloak's command over wolves as she scan the horizon, her eyes narrowing on her prize, a large white stag. Barking the wolves veer off, flanking around the beast as she moves closer, this would be a tough fight. There were enough wolves to tear her limb from limb with ease even with her armor. And they would if she engaged in combat with the stag in any meaningful way.

"Do not worry," a white wolf came up along her side, his voice less spoken and more inside her mind as they gave chase of the great white elk. "You may use fang and claw."

"Hircine?" She barked in confusion as she had to pick up pace to keep up with the white elk, one of the wolf leaping from the side to get purchase only to be knocked off.

"You have honored me many times over and I have seen fit to reward my huntress. Your cloak will do more then give the illusion of a wolf but the shape of one as well, show me your ferocity and best my avatar and you may even keep your new gift."

Nala nods as she bolts forward, "Wuld!" Reaching the great white elk in an instant as she leaps singing fang and claw into it's neck. It bucked, it tossed it's neck trying to dislodge her, even as the other wolves began to latch out.

Eventually the great white elk fell, and the wolves dug into their meal, Nala sauntering off.

Until the white wolf appeared in front of her, turning her back, "It is your kill, dig into the meat, do not let it go to waste."

"This one is quite full, and it will not go to waste, the pack will eat well and have no need to attack her friends."

"The elk is of my flesh, I insist, taste of it," the white wolf nuzzles her back the other way, "You will need it's power for what is to come."

Nala tilts her head curiously but turns back, "Lord Hircine?"

Several of the wolves slip aside giving Nala room to take her share, her hunger greater then she imagined. As they finish the wolves begins to disperse but Nala remains, a tingle in her body as the white wolf appears again.

"And so it begins."

"What begins?"

"My legacy, oh Hunterborn."

"Hunterborn?"

"Akatosh has his Dovahkiin it is time I created my own agent, who better to be my Hunterborn that Akatosh's little pet?"

"This one does not understand Lord Hircine."

The wolf chortles, "It is not yet time for you to know all true, but you will...in time."

As Hircine faded away Nala found she had been moved somewhere else, however the cave she found herself outside of was familiar to her, 'This is...' she mushed looking around 'Yes, she is sure of it. This is where Amen's sword is to be found.'

Taking one last look around she stalks into the cave, her ears picking up the trails of a conversation as she presses against the shadows of the walls.

"I wish the boss would just find a buyer for that damn sword. I'm tired of hanging around this dank cave."

"Yeah well not much we can do about it. I just wish there were some women in this outfit, my broadsword is getting rusty without someone to polish it."

"Here here! What I wouldn't give for a cute piece of tail right about now."

Nala smirked, she had an idea. Stalking in closer she looked around for a good spot, her eyes spotting it almost instantly, a cropping of rocks edge up against the wall and in shadows was the perfect place for her to store the cloak, her pack, her bandolier, her Gauntlets and her tail, claw, and ears. Then slipping deeper she let herself forget all her training, let her footfalls land loudly on the stones and her posture betray innocence.

"Hello?" she called out, careful to keep her actually sentences short less her dialect give rise for alarm, "...is...there...anyone here...I...am lost."

The bandits came running like Skeevers into a trap, three of them, she screamed, trying to run but they 'caught' her. Gagging her mouth as they dragged her deeper into the cave, into their lair.

"Oh she's a pretty one."

"Hey I get first go at her," one of them shouted as he tied her hands, tearing the strings of her gown as he pulled open her dress to spy the chain-mail. A lecherous grin on his face as he saw them and started to tease Nala's breasts, "Oh a kinky one."

"Please don't," Nala squirmed as the other two men tore off her dress leaving her in just the chain-mail.

Two of the men began to play with her top the third inched toward her crotch, his head posed between her thighs.

Crack

Until the closed around his neck and twisted, his body falling limply to the side. The other two were quicker, one holding down her chest as the others grabbed her arms.

Until the poor rope around her wrists broke and she wrapped her hands around his neck while kicking up off the chair she was placed into and wrapped her legs around the other bandits neck.

It was over before it started and Nala dragged their bodies into the shadows. Just in time too for 5 more bandits swarmed out from deeper as she crouched in the shadows holding her breath. They were armed in hide and leather, and caries swords of differing shapes, and one among them was dressed in all steel with a two handed sword on his back and twin daggers in his hands. They moved toward her position as she held her breath, if they found her it would be all over, without her claws and no armor she could not take the five of them at once, and while they had not found her they were getting closer.

Then it came to her, as she drew in a sharp breath.

"FUS RO DAH!"

The Thu'um did two things, the first was obvious, it announced her position with a loud bellowed shout, the second effect however was far more useful as the Unrelenting Force sent them flying back down the path that ran out of tumbling end of end. And it was that second effect that gave her the opening she needed to run back to her hidden pack and slip on the claws, tail, ears, and cloak, shifting to wolf form as the bandits got back to their feet and ran after.

But they stopped cold as they saw a growling wolf at the other end of the tunnel.

"You distract it, the girl must have doubled back."

"Me?"

"What are you afraid of, it's just one wolf." The bandit leader ordered as he turned around, the first advancing on Nala.

She lunged, with the cloak and claw her speed was greatly accelerated, as her claws disarmed the first bandit she stole a moment to glare to the retreating bandits.

"FUS RO DAH!"

And send them tumbling end over end as her fangs tore out the throat of the bandit under her claws as she gave chase.

"It's a monster!"

She pounced the next one pinning it under her as the rest we getting to their feet, his death came swiftly under her claws.

"I'll wear your pelt as a coat," one of the bandits shouted as it charged.

"Not in this lifetime, hmm." As she lunged, growling as he blade made purchase on her flesh drawing blood, but not much. The chain-mail did offer some magical protection after all as she shredded it's larynx with her claws and looked to the final two bandits growling.

The leader broke into a retreat leaving only one bandit. Taking a deep breath Nala released her final Unrelenting Force.

"FUS RO DAH!"

Pouncing on the last bandit and ending his life quickly but the leader was already far down the way, though not out of sight. That gave Nala some time, as she explored the bandit's camp, grabbing some linen wraps and Alto Wine to clean her wounds and wrap them before slipping on one of the bandits fur armor cuirass, grab her gauntlets, before staking onward. The bandit leader breathing hard as he ran deeper and deeper into the cave.

"Wuld Nah Kest!"

He was not fast enough.

"Don't kill me!" The bandit leader cringed as Nala appeared behind him, hunched into a ball on the ground, "You've already killed all my men, take whatever you want just let me live."

"All Nala want's is the stolen sword, you can keep your life."

"The sword?" he glances back down a tunnel, "Down there, in the big chest, take it. Just let me live."

Nala growls, bearing fangs, and the bandit leader shuts his eyes tight. When he opens them she is moving casually down the hall.

'Fool,' a grin spreading over his face as he stood up, and staled silent after her, 'I gut you and sell your pelt to the highest bidder. Or maybe I'll take it myself, maybe it will give me your strength and speed. The one thing for sure is you aren't leaving here alone.'

As she reached the chest Nala pushed it open with a paw, it was then that the Bandit choose to strike.

"FUS RO DAH!"

But so did Nala, sending him tumbling end over end, "Nala gave you a chance to walk away. Why did Bandit waste it?"

"Like I'm going to take orders from some beast!"

Nala swiped with her claws but the bandit leader was faster, his dagger swinging up to block, as sparks flew and he dug his other dagger into her side, cutting into the fur armor under the cloak but not piercing the flesh before she leaps away, growling, fang flashing.

"Tell me who, what you are!" He demanded, "Are there more like you?!"

Nala backed away the two warriors circling each other as she pulled back the cloak and revealed her true form, "Nala is the only one like here, and she already told you her name."

"Stand down," he motioned with his dagger threateningly, "I said STAND DOWN!"

Nala growled, sometimes she hated the chain-mail, as she lowered her arms, "Very well."

The bandit leader looked at her cautiously, disbelieving, "W-What? You're giving up? The cloak, those funny accessories, toss them over here. Weapons too!"

Nala growled as she took off the cloak, claws, gauntlets, tail and ears and threw them at the Bandit Leader's feet.

"That's my men's armor, throw it here as well!"

She had to oblige, and was now in just chain-mail, but the Bandit leader was not going to be fooled, "What's your game?"

Nala growled, "Nala can not refuse the request of a man."

The bandit licked his lips, "Really." sizing her up hungrily. "Strip. I want to make sure your not hiding anything else. Chain-mail on the ground, now!"

Nala sighed and did as told, her body reverting to form as she hung her head.

"A child?" he said in confusion as he moved closer, his dagger to her neck as he looked away, "Sick, I don't want to see that!" his foot moving to the chain-mail and kicking it to her, "Put it back on."

Nala was in a rare position where she was free of it's influence, and the thought occurred to her she could use this moment to strike.

"Now!"

But her shame won out and she slipped the top and panties back on, the Bandit Leader looking back relived, "Just what the hell are you? How does a child get so powerful?"

"Nala is no child," she sighed, and the Bandit Leader was lowering his guard, putting his daggers away as he felt more and more in control, "it is a curse levied on her years ago by mages seeking eternal youth."

The bandit leader collected Nala's things and secured them in the chest as he lead her to their dining area, taking a seat as he took an apple from a barrel tossing one to her, "Sit and tell me more."

Nala did as commanded, taking a bite of the apple, "There is not much else to tell. Mages used Nala to perfect their potion, it didn't work as expected, and now she is stuck with the body of a child."

The Bandit leader reached out a hand, cupping a breast, "Pretty realistic illusion."

"No illusion, Nala's chain-mail gives her a proper womanly body."

"Really?" he squeezed, "So these are real? Any way to, you know, have some fun?"

Nala sighs, "As long as the cuff about the neck hold Nala can let her breasts hang free and remove the panties."

"Show me." The bandit leader demands as he sets his dagger on the table.

Nala sighs as she slips out of the bottoms and frees her breasts and the bandit leader salivates.

"Come closer, let me get a good look."

Nala obliged, slipping around the side of the table as the man ogled her, his hands massaging her breasts, "Not bad, not bad at all."

That was until the dagger vanished from the table and found itself buried to the hilt in his chest, piercing the heart.

"B-But how..." he choked, "You said you had to ob-" before falling limp on the ground.

Nala quickly dressed herself, "Nala said she had to obey the commands of man, but that does not means that she can not do other things if not specifically forbidden it."

Smiling smugly she makes her way back to the chest and reclaims the fur armor and her belongings before staking through the site and taking everything not nailed down, including the Amren's family sword, before exiting the cave and making her way to the crossroads.