Chapter 10 – Pierced

Late the next morning found me grabbing a bite to eat before leaving with Vilkas. He was putting his gauntlets on.

"What will you be bringing?" he asked casually, tightening the straps around his right wrist.

"Icazstärn, of course." I paused. "I'll leave my bow here, though. I haven't practiced with it enough. Plus, I think that the blade and my fire and claws should be sufficient." I gave a little smirk.

"They'd better be more than sufficient, Vai."

I looked at him sharply at the use of the nickname.

"What?" he replied, shrugging. "It's what Farkas always calls you by. At least when he speaks of you."

"H'm. At least it's better than Ri."

Vilkas chuckled to himself. "RiRi."

I shot a glare at him. "No. Vai is fine."

"Plus a simpler name seems more Nord-like, especially than the Khajiiti 'J'vairi.'" Vilkas finished with adjusting his gauntlets and brushed back his shoulder-length hair.

I stayed silent. At heart, I think I liked the adaptation to physically being mostly Nord. And that the twins had given me a nickname.

"Oh, by the way," Vilkas continued, "Eorlund wants you to stop by the Skyforge before we go."

"Will do right now." I pushed back my chair and stood up. "Thanks."

"Mhmm."

Eorlund was holding a small, dark leather pouch when I approached him. He handed the bag to me. I opened it and dumped the contents into my open palm. Out spilled six small, silvery rings. I looked up at him, smiling, and gave him a quick hug of thanks.

"I'm glad you like them," he commented. I put the largest ring and a slightly smaller one through the holes from the previous rings in my left earlobe. "Some of the additional ones can be for your hair," he added. "If you want to keep somewhat of a Khajiit hairstyle."

"Oh, I'm sure people won't immediately think it's Khajiiti. It would look very nice though." I put the remaining four rings back in the pouch.

"A Nord's body fits you very nicely, J'vairi."

I dipped my head, knowing he wasn't commenting as Farkas did last night, but instead in more of a fatherly manner.

I began walked away, but stopped to say one more thing. "Icazstärn is brilliant. I couldn't have a blade I loved more."

Eorlund's mouth stretched in a wide, happy grin.

Back inside Jorrvaskr, Vilkas was waiting, holding out Icazstärn for me.

"Uh, thanks?" I gripped my sword's hilt and sheathed it. Odd. He had to have gone into my room.

He ignored my reaction and inquired, "What did Eorlund have for you?"

I turned my head to the side to reveal the earrings and also held out the small pouch.

"You even have more?"

"Yes. Smaller ones." I shook them out onto my palm. Vilkas studied them in approval.

"We can put in the others before we leave," he said, removing his gauntlets.

I watched his hands, thinking about the wasted effort of putting the gauntlets on. "In my hair?"

"Through your ears." He tilted my head so I was facing him straight on. "Your right, to make them even."

"I like them not being even," I argued.

"I don't."

And what say have you? Before I thought of what to actually speak aloud next, he spun me around and guided me down to the living quarters by the shoulders.

"You're really intent on this, aren't you?" I said as he led me into one of the larger rooms, apparently his. He sat me down on a chair and stood behind me. He brushed my hair back and studied my left ear.

"How'd you pierce these holes?"

"My mother did it so long ago. I don't remember how exactly." Vilkas moved his hands to the right side of my head, fingers leaving tingling ghost traces on my scalp. He removed one hand to grab something. With a slight tilt of my head, I saw that it was a sliver of a broken blade. I jerked away.

"You don't plan on puncturing my skin with that, do you?" I said, nervousness creeping in.

"Stop being skitterish and stay put." He hooked his left arm across my shoulders and neck base, pinning me to the back of the chair. I tilted my head back and looked up at him. He met my eyes for a moment. "You look pitiful."

"You're confining me so you can stab my ears."

"That's one way to put it. It'll be fine. I've done mine once before."

"Where?" I lifted an arm and brushed his hair aside, checking each ear. In his right, I saw one small puncture. "That's it?"

"Yes, but it's enough to know how to. Now I know a couple basic spells…" The arm around my neck base loosened, and he placed the blade sliver in his left hand. His right hand flashed pale blue and he touched his fingers to my right earlobe. It numbed with coldness.

"One right at the base?" he murmured. "And one of the tinny ones halfway down? That would look decent. And another one up the curve of your left ear."

I sighed. "Why not? Though Eorlund suggested putting some into my hair." I leaned my neck against the top of the back of the chair and tilted it to the side, exposing my right ear more.

"Through the ears looks better." Vilkas' rough hands moved gently, massaging my lobe with cold fingers. When the actual puncture came, I did not feel much more than a sharp prick. He rubbed the spot, wiping off any blood, and looped a ring through. The process of the next two smaller ones almost tickled.

When it was finished, I sat straight and looked into the mirror on the wall. H'm. Vilkas had a good eye for where to place the rings. I touched the red flesh around the new piercings.

"What about you?" I said, turning to him again. "I have one ring left. One of the larger ones. You should have it."

Vilkas rolled the last ring throughout his fingers. Then, without a word, he stepped up to the mirror and repeated the process on himself. His was faster, though, since there had been a hole there before. It glinted as he pulled back from the mirror, icy like his eyes.

"It's amazing that one specialized in forging deadly weapons can craft such small pieces," he mused. Then, as if snapping from a trance, he pulled me by the hands to a stand. "The heart of the Reach is several leagues away; we should get to the first bandit camp by sunset."

"I'd like to find some gauntlets and boots for myself first, though," I said. Vilkas looked around his room, then led me out.

"The traders should be just outside Whiterun. I heard that they came at the break of dawn. You can stop to see what they have when we pass by." I agreed and followed him out of Jorrvaskr.

My breath puffed before me as I tasted the crisp air. The sky was gray with thick clouds, looming threateningly. I gazed at them, fascinated by the beautiful dark colors and patterns.

"Stop dazing; you're acting as if you just consumed a vial of skooma in one toss." Vilkas' voice snapped me from my concentration. I bit back a remark and trotted after him, hand hovering over Icazstärn's hilt.

"So," I said to break the silence as we walked, "Where is Farkas?" The image of him last night flashed into my mind. I felt a clench at my insides when I remembered the kiss.

"Kodlak wanted him to help with some local tasks," Vilkas answered. "Personally, I find quests further away more enjoyable. Spend days at a time in a different environment than Whiterun." He paused. "You haven't explored much of Skyrim, have you?"

I shuffled my shoulders a little bit. "No. I've stayed in Whiterun practically the whole time since escaping Helgen."

"Good. This should be even a better experience for you, then."

We exited Whiterun's gates. I felt two of the posted guards following me with their eyes. Recalling the interaction with them last night made my body suddenly heat up. Thankfully soon we arrived at the Khajiit trader camp.

"Ah, welcome," one female said, sitting down on a mat and grinning up at me. I nodded in greeting and asked about her wares, specifically gauntlets and boots.

The Khajiit woman stood up and led me into the tent behind her. She pulled out several pairs of gauntlets and boots from here or there, muttering in a Khajitti tongue. Suddenly she paused.

"Would you happen to be J'vairi?" she said quietly, turning to face me. "The Dragonborn, the Khajiit-Nord?"

I nodded, not sure what to say.

"Good, good." The trader grabbed a bag from underneath a table and handed it to me.

"We were hired to give this to you whenever you stopped by." Her slitted pupils widened warmly.

"What if I had never stopped by?" I asked, confused, but grabbing ahold of the bag.

The Khajiit's eyes crinkled in a smile. "The gods have a way of making things happen, do they not?" Her smile widened. "My guess is that whatever is in that bag will match that rare armor you're wearing."

"No cost?"

"No, of course not, J'vairi."

I thanked her and exited the tent, meeting up with Vilkas. He looked quizzically at the bag. I opened it to reveal gauntlets, boots, a circlet, and a soft cloak to match my armor. I put them on gratefully and from the corner of my vision saw the Khajiit woman watching in approval.

"Who keeps on sending these?" Vilkas asked after I explained what the trader told me.

I shrugged. "None of my family that I know is alive..." I pondered.

"Well, it doesn't matter where it came from. As long as you're provided with an impressive set of armor, be satisfied."

I shrugged and we began our trek to the Reach.

The first league we traveled in silence under the cool midday sun of Sun's Dusk. We came across several wolves, though they did not attack us; but I received a growl or two. We stopped at a creek for a drink of water.

"How are you faring?" Vilkas asked.

"Completely fine." I rubbed my ears, feeling the small loops. "Though my ears are a little sore," I added to irk him.

He shrugged and touched the earring I gave him. I smiled to myself and looked at my rippling reflection in the water. I still wasn't used to seeing myself like this, but… I liked it. Vilkas was looking at me.

Then we heard a bear's bellow.

As one we readied our blades. The beast trudged noisily through the undergrowth. I figured that a cave was nearby and we had come too close to its territory. It halted when it came within several wolf-lengths of us, though, sniffing the air cautiously.

Vilkas glanced at me. "I don't think she likes the scent we carry," he breathed, grinning.

I had the urge to shift into my beast form, to feel my talons rip the bear's flesh, to feel my fangs sink into its rump… But there was not enough time to take off my armor, and I did not want to ruin it.

"Later, little whelp," Vilkas said quietly, noticing my expression. I set my jaw forward.

"Not a whelp anymore," I stated, then launched myself towards the bear. I extended my left hand as I ascended, discharging a wave of flame from my palm into the beast's face. It roared in anger, and I heard another distant roar echo it shortly later. I froze as a second bear romped from the same direction the first had come from. I quickly slashed Icazstärn at the first's muzzle and dodged out of the way of its swiping paws. I noticed that a third younger bear was tumbling towards the conflict too. Before thinking, I waved Vilkas out of the way and shouted "Yol!" Fire engulfed the bears and licked their pelts, clinging at spots when the bulk of it faded away.

Panting, I ran off to the side where I saw Vilkas. He was shedding his armor without haste, tossing it on the ground, and let the beast blood overtake him. He leapt onto the nearest bear, grasping his large, clawed hands around its neck and jerking it violently. The bear protested. Vilkas began gouging out its neck with both claws and teeth.

The younger bear cried out and charged towards Vilkas. I ran forward to meet the younger bear, swinging Icazstärn before me. Distracted, the younger bear followed me instead of running towards Vilkas. It leapt in my direction. I rolled to the side, dodging and holding Icazstärn before me. The bear crashed into the ground and scrambled back to a stand. This time it ran straight for me. At the last second, I held Icazstärn in both hands and pointed it straight at the bear. They met, and the tip of the blade sunk into the thin, soft part of the throat right beneath its chin. With the running force of the bear, it bore through until the tip scraped the bone of the inner of its spine. It gurgled and sunk to the ground. I yanked my sword out of the flesh and wiped the blood on the dead bear's pelt.

Vilkas had killed the bear he first attacked. Its throat was completely destroyed. He now mauled one of the remaining bear's front paws while somehow evading the other. He swiftly jumped back to watch the effect of mangling the paw. The bear limped and tried licking at the paw. Vilkas and I both took advantage of the distraction and attacked either rump. Soon the bear's pelt was hanging in gory strips. It shuddered once and tumbled to the ground. Without any heed, Vilkas began gorging himself on the beast's inner flesh.

I watched him. After several moments, he pulled his head away and stared directly at me, bits of flesh clinging to his muzzle. Grab my equipment and hop on. Might as well take advantage of my form and travel fast. I ran over to where he had shed his armor and gathered it into my arms. I strapped his large claymore hastily to his side when I noticed he came over with me. As I collected the last piece, one of his gauntlets, he nudged his head between my legs, making me tumble onto his back. I quickly straightened up and repositioned myself. I pressed my knees into his sides and leaned forward, pressing my chest against his back with his armor in between. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and he took off.

The wind whipped at us, though most was blocked for me as Vilkas' large head bobbed in front. He ran on and on, body shifting roughly but fluidly, the ground a blur beneath us. I laid my head against the nape of his neck, thick fur covering my face.

At that moment, I felt an immense wave of feeling wrack through me. Letting Vilkas do as he pleased, him seemingly to silently accept me more and more, and now feeling Vilkas' raw power. Now, I felt more drawn to Vilkas than I had whenever hanging out with Farkas. My thoughts were jumbled and confusing as I breathed in wolf-scent and my chest jolted with an odd feeling.

I left one solid, clear thought to myself.

He did not pierce me through only the ears.