Chapter 10: On the Road Again

I made sure that Gerdur and her family knew I would be leaving in the morning. We celebrated with some freshly roasted pheasant, crispy apple pie, and a bottle of Black-Briar mead. Gerdur offered to pay me for the bird beforehand, but I told her if she plucked the pheasant, I would consider it pay enough. Goodbyes were always awkward and uncomfortable for me so I simply thanked the family that housed me and hugged them all goodnight. I really did owe them my life.

I slipped out while it was dark and threw my fur hood over my head.

Damn, just my luck

I almost considered going back inside once I felt the droplets of water splash onto my face. I pushed on. If I didn't go now, when would I?

I made my way to the river and filled my waterskin. I continued to hug the water's edge as I trekked south toward Falkreath. I wasn't sure what I would find there aside from work and shelter. I wanted to make my way to a larger city, one embraced in the safety of walls. Whiterun was the closest but that was simply out of the question. I had no idea what the Dragonborn looked like and I wasn't about to take any chances to run into him.

The coin pouch and healing potions in my knapsack jingled against the Dragonstone. I tried to pack light. I brought some dried venison and apples but my main concern was keeping warm. If only I could learn a good flame spell. Then I wouldn't have to worry about building a fire every time I wanted to set up camp. I had been backpacking for weeks at a time back home so the weight of my pack didn't weigh me down so much. This time however, I had no destination and every belonging I owned was on my back.

The sheets of rain and thunder crashing in the sky made it impossible to hear the approaching wolves. I was thrust onto the gravel of the river bank as a wolf pushed against my pack. The wolf dug the jagged nails of its paw down my leg. I rolled onto my back and pulled my steel dagger out of its sheath at my side. I held my arms over my face as the wolf snapped at me, tearing off a piece of my fur sleeve.

Why did the wolves in Skyrim have to be so imposing on the roads?

I pulled my dagger across the wolf's throat and s crambled to my feet. If there was one, there was bound to be more. To my right I saw a small patch of ground rising above the water. I ran to it, prepared to step into deep water and begin swimming. To my surprise, it was shallow waters all the way through. I crouched down, placing a knee to the ground and drew my bow. Two wolves approached the edge of the river and paced the ground. They snapped from afar, drool flying from their jaws.

I sent an arrow flying into a nearby tree. I still had a horrid accuracy when it came to moving objects. One wolf tested the water but climbed back onto the rocky shore while the last member of his pack howled into the rain.

As if my poor marksmanship wasn't enough, visibility was so low in the pouring rain. My hood had fallen off and my hair was now collecting water until it trailed into my undershirt. I drew another arrow from my quiver and released it at a howling wolf. The arrow pierced its lifted chin and I turned my focus to the remaining wolf. It stepped out further into the water, realizing that it was only a few feet deep. I gripped my bow with both hands and held it up against the charging beast. Saliva spewed from its mouth and splashed against my face. The wolf weighed more than I did and collapsed on top of me as I failed to push it back. The rain threatened to drown me as I fell to rocks beneath, smashing the apples in my pack. Arrows spilled out of their quiver and littered the ground surrounding me. I held my bow above my face and slid a hand to the middle while I reached out in search of the nearest arrow. The wolf growled and clamped its jaws around my wrist. I let out a scream of pain as teeth sank into my median nerve. I pressed my boots to the animal's stomach and the wolf removed its jaws to lunge for my neck. I gripped the shaft of the closest arrow and shoved it into the wolf's yellow eye. The yelping beast squirmed on top of me before I continued plunging arrows past the matted fur of its neck. Warm blood dripped onto my face in fat droplets before being washed away by the shower of rain.

Once I kicked the wolf off of me, I pushed myself to my knees and closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths through my mouth. What in Oblivion was I thinking? Traveling alone in Skyrim made as much sense as sitting down in Helgen waiting for Alduin to save me.

I was now soaking wet and marred from my battle with wolves. I opened my eyes to inspect the blood seeping from my wrist. I cringed at the sight of my torn flesh. Who knows what kind of bacteria was in that wolf's mouth? I rinsed my bites and scratches in the river and poured a healing potion over them before taking a small sip. The blood began to coagulate so I wasted no time in getting back on the road. If I didn't make it to a settlement, I risked freezing out here.

I was in desperate need of a map. My intention was to buy one in Riverwood but Lucan claimed he was "fresh out". I made a mental note to buy one at the next shop I ran into. I had come to what appeared to be a fork in the road but I now found myself off the road completely. The rain had finally let up so I pulled out a mess of mushed apple and ate as I hiked. A thatched roof came into view as I approached a downhill path. A small vegetable garden was growing behind the house. I stopped chewing to listen for any sign of people nearby.

Water drizzled from the pine needles and wind brushed against the mountians nearby. A few birds chirped in the distance and I a faint scent of smoke lingered in the air. I lifted my gaze to the chimney but no smoke was billowing. I stepped gingerly on the wet soil until I approached the sprouting vegetables. Tomatoes smush too easily and gourds were far too cumbersome. I plucked the potato plant and shook the dirt off the dangling tubers.

I continued down the road till another noise caught my attention. Laughs and singing broke the serene symphony of birds in the trees. I stood still, panic overtaking my body. My heart pounded in my chest as I shot my eyes wide open, slowly twitching my gaze side to side. Footsteps, where were they coming from? Who were they coming from? By their hoarse voices and the vulgar language I could make out, my mind raced to only one answer: Bandits.

My legs were moving before I consciously made the decision. Wolves! I could hardly take wolves!

"Hey!" A woman yelled in a scratched voice as she turned the bend of the road. Her male companion began to run after me.

"You've picked a bad time to get lost, friend!" The sound of metal scraping against metal was unmistakable. They could eat me for lunch.

My throat was burning before I finally stopped running. I wobbled toward a tree in front of me and leaned against it while hacked up my apple mush. I coughed on the sour vomit which unsurprisingly, looked the same as when I ate it. I wiped my mouth off on my sleeve and focused on the entrance in front of me. Crumpled towers and blackened house frames rested behind the stone wall. There was no doubt about it; I stood in Helgen.

I cautiously stepped past the archway, as though at any minute Alduin the world eater might swoop down and gobble me. Shriveled red and black corpses littered the floor. Black scorch marks were burnt on the soil and blocks of stone. I continued through the remains of the town. A skeever looked up from a charred body and hissed at me. My stomach struggled to keep my breakfast down as I approached the chopping block that almost took my life. It stood in the same position it was left in. My body was shaking by the time I reached the wooden doors of Helgen's entrance. They stood remarkable untouched, keeping all the atrocities hidden away within its waning walls. I pulled on the metal handle ring and the gate gave way. I squeezed my tiny frame in between the two doors and slipped out of the opening into the Skyrim sun.

My pace slowed profusely as I frequently had to stop and catch my breath. The sun was still high, but I had no idea where I was going to spend the night. A post sign up ahead pointed straight ahead to Ivarstead and Riften and backward towards Helgen. I stopped and turned my head to the ruins of my new beginning. If I didn't find a settlement within an hour, I would turn back and make camp under some rubble. Just the thought made me gag. The old wood of the sign was soft from the rain when I ripped off the arrow labeled 'Helgen'.

"How do we know she's not an Imperial spy?" A man dressed in the blue of the Stormcloak cuirass bellowed through his helmet.

"Look at her! She's just a girl!" The man on his left sheathed his sword and removed his helmet. He smiled at me through his red beard before brushing his hair out of his face

"I'm-I'm no friend of the empire." I lifted two dead rabbit in my hands for the men on the hill above me to see through the falling snow. "I come bearing gifts." The soldier nodded his head and motioned for me to approach the camp. "I think rabbit would taste better than that skeever you're roasting."

The soldier with the helmet snatched the rabbit out of my hands and grunted. I followed the red headed Stormcloak to a large tent at the end of the camp. A blonde Nord wearing officer armor stood in the tent leaning over a large map sprawled across the table in front of him. He looked up as we entered.

"This girl has come bearing rabbits and seeking shelter from the snow storm." The Stormcloak straightened his posture in the presence of the officer. The blonde Nord nodded and the man at my side left.

"I only wish to avoid the storm. If it's too much trouble, I'll be taking my rabbits and head on my way." I stared into the man's eyes, silently praying to whoever would listen that he didn't turn me away.

He straightened his back and let out a small chuckle. "And go where?" He asked, seeing through my courageous façade. His accent was thick.

I scratched at my nose and folded my hands in front of me. "I'll be taking my rabbits none the less."

He beckoned me closer "You're a bit young to be wandering around Skyrim." He held his chin and eyed my torn attire. "And a fool to be wandering around with a snow storm brewing."

Wind blew the snow into the tent and against my legs. I shivered in my spot.

"Thorygg Sun-Killer," he informed me in inscrutable expression. "Commander of this camp. Tell me, did you pass through Helgen?"

I turned my head at the mention of the town. I ran my hand through my damp hair and placed my hand on my hip. "I survived Helgen. Ask away. I have answers."

I was antsy around all the soldiers of the campfire at supper. I was thankful nobody wanted to talk. Rabbit-snatcher eyed me with daggers whenever I moved towards the roast on the spit. He grumbled under his breath frequently, as though stuck babysitting while his friends went out drinking. He reminded me of a mudcrab.

"You don't want to cook that?" A woman questioned as I munched a raw potato. Mudcrab rolled his eyes at me and grunted.

"I'm…I'm okay."

When mudcrab fell asleep on the campfire log, I pulled the leftover rabbit off the spit and onto a wooden plate. I tiptoed down to the tent of the two wounded soldiers I read to earlier.

"Hey," I whispered. "This is for you." I placed the plate down between them.

"Thank you." croaked a man with bandage around his eye. "They forget we're here when supplies run low." He picked at a piece of meat with shaking hands before placing it between his thin wrinkled lips. "I don't blame them." He wiped his mouth before quickly grabbing at another peice.

I sat down on one of the many empty hay piles and pulled my knapsack over my chest. It reeked of death but I didn't bother moving. I had a strong feeling all of them did.