Violet marched out of the Falkreath Barracks, trying her best not to look panicked, even though that was exactly how she was feeling. She could hear Marcurio following her, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
She had to get out of Falkreath.
Before, she had never understood how Green had felt when he was about to transform. She had thought he was being ridiculous, and overdramatic. She had even made fun of him for it.
Now, though, she understood how he felt. She could feel the wolf on the edge of her consciousness, begging to be let out, to hunt. The wolf had been separated from her. Before, there had been no distinction. She was the wolf, and the wolf was her. But no longer.
She was out of the town and halfway to the wilderness before Marcurio stopped her, reaching out and grabbing her arm.
"Where are you going?"
Violet spun on him, the wolf stoking her anger. "I'm going away. I can't be near these people. I can't be near you!"
Marcurio frowned. This wasn't like her. She had always been the calm one. "Violet, what are you talking about?"
"Did you not hear what Sinding said? I could transform at any moment!"
"But you can control it, can't you?" Marcurio realized he was still holding her arm and let go of it. "I mean, you have so far, right?"
"The ring is cursed, Marcurio. Whatever control I had is lost until I can get this thing off! And until then, everyone is in danger. Especially you. You need to go. In fact, you're fired. Get out of here."
She turned away from him, and Marcurio stared at her in disbelief. She didn't honestly believe that he'd abandon her so easily, did she?
"Fine," Marcurio said, walking in front of her so she'd be forced to face him. He dug into his satchel and pulled out the heavy bag of coin - 500 of them, to be exact. He threw it at her, and even in her addled state, Violet caught it effortlessly. "You can have your money back, but I'm not leaving."
Violet's eyes flashed dangerously, and for a moment, Marcurio reevaluated his decison. He'd heard werewolves were dangerous. Maybe he should just…
No!
Marcurio slammed down on his cowardice, hard. He was not going to abandon a friend in the wilderness just when she needed him most.
Violet must have sensed his stubborness, because after a moment, her shoulders slumped. "You aren't going to leave, are you?"
Marcurio shook his head, crossing his arms.
She sighed and gave him the money bag back. Marcurio pocketed it.
"Fine," she said, pointing a stiff finger in his face. "But if I tell you to run, you run, alright? This is non-negotiable."
Marcurio hesitated, then nodded. The deal had been struck, but deals could be broken.
Violet seemed more relaxed now that they had established that Marcurio wasn't going to leave. She continued walking towards the wilderness, though.
"Where are we going?" Marcurio asked her, running to catch up with her.
She looked at him, and that familiar sense of sarcasm returned. "I made a promise to a werewolf. I intend to keep it."
x x x
Violet drew back on the bow quietly. She had to draw slowly so the bowstring would not creak, letting her pray know she was there. Even more slowly, she aimed at the majestic beast in her sights.
Violet had been a natural hunter even before she had become a werewolf. After her first transformation, her senses had become even more acute: her sight had improved sevenfold, her sense of smell was through the roof, and she could shoot more accurately than anyone she had ever met, even Green.
Even with all her years of experience, Violet had never seen an animal like the one before her. Large, with a body almost as large as a horse, the white stag had large hooves that could slam a small man into the ground. Its fur was so bright that it made the snow around it look gray, and it even walked with a majestic air.
It was a shame that she had to kill it.
She followed the animal with her bow, not daring to breathe. Marcurio, on the other hand, breathed so loudly that Violet was scared the stag would hear him. It was a miracle that it did not, until Violet realized the spell held in Marcurio's hand. Though not a mage herself, she had been with Green (who was an expert with magic) long enough to recognize most of them. He was muffling the sounds he was making; she could only hear it because she fell into the range of the spell.
Violet hid a smile. Marcurio was smarter than she had given him credit for, if a little foolhardy. Secretly, she was glad he had decided to stay with her; she never had been good at being alone. Now, that ineptitude came with fear: fear that the wolf would completely take over if she were by herself.
Focus! Violet scolded herself. She had already lost sight of the stag, and it was only after a brief moment of panic that she found it again.
It was getting harder to focus on the task at hand, lately. A large part of Violet wondered if it was because of Marcurio, but she ignored it. She didn't have time for such things.
The stag paused in its grazing, its ear twitching.
Thwap!
Violet released the arrow, and it soared through the air, making for the beast's heart. It struck home, and blood sprayed into the air as the stag fell over, dead.
"Impressive!" Marcurio congratulated her, extinguishing his spell.
Violet allowed a small smile to escape her, and for some reason she felt please at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you."
She stood from their hiding place in the brush, dusting off leaves from her black Thieves Guild armor. Marcurio followed suit after a moment.
Violet approached the dead stag, avoiding stepping on twigs and vines through instinct more than anything, even though there was little need anymore.
Marcurio followed behind her. "Now what? Didn't Sinding say that Hircine would 'commune' with us or something?"
Violet shrugged, but before she could say anything, a sudden burst of white light caught her attention. She turned, and found a glowing blue stag standing in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that it looked exactly like the stag she had just killed.
"Well met, hunter," the stag said, speaking in a strange voice, even though deer could not speak.
Well, that's daedra for you, Violet thought. Nothing about them makes any sense.
"Are you Hircine?" She asked the stag spirit.
"I am the spirit of the hunt, just one glimpse of the glorious stalker that your kind calls Hircine." The animal spoke in an arrogant voice. This was the father of werewolves? He sounded more like an aristocrat than a hunter.
Assuming it was not good tact to lay all her cards on the table at the same time, Violet spoke. "What would you ask of me?"
"Your fealty is precious to me. I will make good use of it," the Aspect of Hircine said. The stag looked at her finger. "You bear my ring. The one who stole it has fled to what he thinks is his sanctuary." A sound that almost came across as a laugh came from the beast, and Violet shifted uncomfortably, not liking where the conversation was headed. "Just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt, but only ends up trapping himself. Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me."
Marcurio looked at Violet in alarm. Her fist clenched, but she did her best to appear impassive. "It will be done as you ask."
She could feel Marcurio's shock, but ignored it.
"Fly, my hunter. There are others who vie for my favor. A bit of competition. Don't dally while the prey flees." The Aspect looked at the ring on Violet's finger, and hope surged in her. "Perhaps I will remove the curse from the ring when you are done. A little incentive, to get the hunter moving."
There was another flash of light, and then the deer's spirit was gone.
Violet felt her hope crash and burn. That bastard wouldn't remove it until the job was done! Who knows how long it would take to track Sinding down!
"What was that?" Marcurio demanded. "You just betrayed Sinding!"
Violet turned to face him, crossing her arms. "I didn't betray anyone. Do you know what happens when you disobey a daedric lord?"
Marcurio shook his head.
"People die. That's what happens." Violet shouldered her bow. "It's better to let them think you'll go along with it and then disobey them. Less people get punished then."
Understanding dawned in Marcurio's eyes. "You're not going to kill Sinding?"
Violet shook her head. "No. Now come on. We've got a werewolf to save."