A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated in over a year. I'm a terrible excuse for a human being. I'll try to write more but that may even more difficult because I start my senior year of high school in a few weeks. I have been working on bits of pieces of this all these past months. Thank you everyone who reviewed! Without further adieu, here they are.
Reviews: Wolf-Maiden Mitsuki, Foxluvr, spike tashy, Diana
A raven glided through the air and came to a rest upon a tree branch. It ruffled its feathers in an attempt to dry itself, flicking drops of rain everywhere. The storm had passed and the rain had stopped. The raven tilted its head toward a slight movement beneath the tree. It flew down to investigate. The raven landed upon a figure, a khajiit to be exact. The figure almost appeared as if he were a ghost. His complexion was deathly pale, and his fur was clogged with water. His eyes were closed, and he was cold to the touch. He might have even been dead. The raven cautiously moved forward and came to a stop just before the khajiit's face. His eyes suddenly opened, revealing two crimson globes. For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other.
M'Dargo suddenly sat up, and this startled the raven. It flew to its branch once more and looked down at him inquiringly. M'Dargo groaned and rubbed his head tiredly.
"I thought you were a vulture for a moment, a vulture come to pick me clean. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dead yet, not that I don't wish to be." M'Dargo got up and glanced up at the sky. It was getting lighter. Soon the sun would rise. He would have to seek out some cave or abandoned fort to hide in for the day. Should he really? The thought had often bothered him the last couple months, but now the question constantly plagued him. Wouldn't it be easier to just end it all? To wait for the sun to rise and burn him to ashes, to cleanse him of his sins and misdeeds. Especially since what he almost done to…-M'Dargo shut his eyes and clenched his fists-to Chirranirr…
He couldn't help but turn his thoughts to Chirranirr. What was she doing right now? Was she alright? Of course she was alright. She wasn't with him anymore. She was safer that way. M'Dargo had thought that he would be able to control himself. That theory had been shattered to pieces when he almost fed from her. M'Dargo let out an angry breath and swung his fist at the tree, leaving a large indent. The raven took off squawking, leaving several feathers behind to drift down lazily. M'Dargo a look at the damage he had done. He had punched almost clean through the tree. M'Dargo shook his head. Usually he was much better at controlling his own strength. It looked like self control would have to be something he would work on.
M'Dargo picked up his pack and looked north, the direction Cheydinhal lay, where Chirranirr would be heading. Then he looked to the southwest, to Elsweyr. He couldn't go to either of those places now. With a sight of regret, M'Dargo took off in a completely different direction; east. Maybe he would go all the way to Morrowind. He had heard rumors that there were vampire guilds there. Maybe they could take him in. It would be better for everyone if he just stuck with his own kind.
A strange scent suddenly came by on the wind. M'Dargo stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air several times. It was the scent of an ogre. It was close by in fact. M'Dargo took a glance at the sky and was reminded that he didn't have time to delay. The ogre would only slow him down. He would have to circle around and avoid it. Another gust of wind blew by and this time it carried more than just the scent of an ogre, it carried the sound of a scream. Several screams flowed up from the valley followed by the bellow of the ogre. M'Dargo gritted his teeth and began to turn away. He didn't have enough time; the sun would rise within half an hour. Another scream suddenly pierced the air, the scream of a child. M'Dargo's eyes widened in alarm. He clenched his fists tightly and let out a breath angrily.
"Oblivion take me! I don't know how to stop while I'm ahead." M'Dargo took off running to the source of the disturbance.
A man stood in the clearing holding a sword in front of him shakily. A wagon had been flipped over and the contents had spilled onto the forest floor. An Imperial woman cowered against a tree, hugging her two children close to her as they peered out with frightened eyes. The ogre stood about ten feet tall. Its skin was a blotchy shade of blue gray. It took a stumbling step forward. The man took a deep breath and rushed forward. He swung his sword at the ogre's arm, landing a glancing blow. The ogre let out angry cry and swung its arm out in retaliation, knocking the man back several yards where he lay senseless on the ground.
"Daddy!" cried the little girl clutching her mother's side She broke free of her mother's grasp and ran toward her father.
"Cinda! No!" The girl knelt down by her father and gently shook his shoulder.
"Daddy! You have to get up. Daddy…" The girl suddenly stood up and turned around slowly as if compelled by a sixth sense. The ogre leered down at her. A string of drool ran down its mouth. The girl was frozen to the spot in fear. Her legs began to shake and tears began to run down her cheeks. A small whimper escaped her throat as the ogre reached out with his large hand to grasp her. The young girl shut her eyes and flinched, expecting to be in the crushing grip of the ogre any second. Several long moments passed before she opened her eyes slightly. M'Dargo stood there holding the ogre's massive hand back with only one of his own. The hood of cloak was pulled over his head, shielding his face.
"I hope you mind if I cut in. I'm sure you'll find me a bit more of a challenge," M'Dargo informed the ogre before gathering his strength and forcing the ogre back several feet. If the ogre had been capable of any intelligent thought, its face might have betrayed a flicker of surprise. Cinda's eyes were so wide they looked as if they might fall out of her head. M'Dargo turned his head slightly in the direction of the girl, his hood concealing the upper half of his face. "Little one, go back to your mother."
"B-but Daddy is…"
"He'll be fine. I'll take care of this. Go." The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding and running back to her mother. M'Dargo returned his attention to the ogre.
"I'm pressed for time so we're going to have to make this quick," M'Dargo said to the ogre. The ogre responded by drawing back its other massive fist and slamming it down. M'Dargo nimbly darted out of the way, bits of earth spraying up from the impact of the fist. M'Dargo unsheathed his dagger and went straight for the ogre's leg. He put considerable force behind his strike and was satisfied to see that wound he had landed was considerably deep. The ogre roared in pain and one of its flailing limbs caught M'Dargo and knocked him to the ground. M'Dargo quickly rolled out of the way in time before he was crushed was crushed by a massive foot
He sprung to his feet and quickly unstrung his bow and readied an arrow. The ogre whirled around and began to charge. M'Dargo unleashed an arrow and it became embedded in the ogre's chest. Unfortunately, the arrow seemed to have little to have effect and did nothing to slow its approach. M'Dargo sprung out of the way, but not before the ogre reached out and grabbed him by the leg. M'Dargo twisted and struggled to free himself, but the ogre's grip was too strong. The world flipped upside down as M'Dargo dangled haphazardly from the ogre's hand. He was thrown roughly backwards and crashed through several trees, bits of wood from the impact filling the air. M'Dargo reached out and grabbed onto a thick branch to stop himself. He glanced up at the sky and swore. He had 15 minutes at the most. M'Dargo narrowed his eyes and vanished, green smoke and light appearing where he had been crouching on the branch only moments before.
The ogre stared stupidly at where M'Dargo had been moments before. The fact that its prey had simply vanished required more abstract thinking than the ogre possessed. The ogre gazed from side to side in an attempt to pinpoint him. M'Dargo suddenly appeared several feet above the ogre's head and swung his right leg down in a powerful kick that connected with the ogre's skull. If it were any other humanoid, its skull would have been crushed, but not an ogre's. The ogre however was considerably rattled and took several stumbling steps forward as its eyes rolled into the back of its head. M'Dargo landed easily on the ground and, with a swift swipe kick at the ogre's already injured leg, brought it down.
M'Dargo let out a weary sigh as he went forward and examined the ogre. It was still alive. He would be down for a while, but it would probably live. M'Dargo knelt to the ground exhausted. He wasn't going to worry about what happened when the ogre regained consciousness. M'Dargo glanced over and saw the man that had been stunned was coming to his senses and slowly getting to his feet. His children rushed over and embraced him while his wife slowly walked over to him with a smoldering look on her face, one that M'Dargo had seen on Chirranirr's several times. The husband must have also seen it before because he quickly placed a placating expression on his face.
"Now Sosia, before you say or do anything…" His wife brusquely cut him off.
"Damn it Raxle! You always have to play the god damn hero don't you!"
"Dear…" She shook her head angrily.
"Don't you 'Dear' me! You could have gotten killed! Then your children would have grown up without a father and I would grow old without my husband. Is that what you wanted?" she asked in tears. Raxle shook his head and wrapped his arms around his wife in an embrace as she collapsed into his arms.
"No," he said soothingly to her as he rubbed her back gently. "But tis better for that to happen than for none of you to live to grow older at all."
"Idiot!" she berated him as she pounded her fist into his back half heartedly. He merely chuckled softly. Seeing that the situation was under control, M'Dargo took a step to leave.
"Wait a minute! Stranger!" Raxle called after him. M'Dargo halted with his back towards the family. M'Dargo slowly turned around to face them, making sure to keep his face downward and hidden beneath the hood of his cloak. The man hesitated a moment before finding his words. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you I don't know what might have become of my family. You're a hero." M'Dargo shook his head tiredly.
"I'm no hero," he told them. "I just do the right thing as often as I can in the hope that The Nine Divine will judge me mercifully when my time comes. That's all anyone can do really."
"Still," Raxle said, "There must be some way that we can repay you. We haven't much money but-"
"I don't you need your money," M'Dargo told him. He glanced up the sky and saw that it was almost daybreak. "But if you have somewhere where I might spend the day I would be very grateful. I've been traveling for weeks and the days are growing shorter and colder. I am very weary."
"Our home is not far from here." He turned to his wife for her opinion. She shrugged.
"It's the least we can do for saving my idiot husband here."
"Then it's settled." M'Dargo went forward and helped them gather up their belongings which had been scattered about in the chaos and put them back on the wagon. Raxle walked around the clearing and attempted to peer into the forest in search of something "The horse must have run off in the confusion. Can't say that I blame him, but now how are we going to move this wagon?"
"Allow me," M'Dargo said as he got behind the wagon and began to push. The wooden wheels moaned in protest, but they soon began to roll forward and the wagon with them. Raxle whistled in admiration.
"Such strength. I always thought khajiit were more nimble and quick. You seem to posses the strength of both a nord and an orc." M'Dargo mouth trembled for a moment and formed what may have been a faint smile.
"You're correct in that respect. I just happen to be the exception." M'Dargo carefully pushed the wagon along a faint dirt path as Raxle guided the way. His wife and infant son rode on the wagon while little Cinda trailed after the wagon, smiling and skipping as young children tend to do. Cinda stared at M'Dargo curiously. She had never met anyone who was stronger than her father. He had stopped the ogre and pushed him back as easily as she could to one of her dolls. That and he had tail. The little girl couldn't stop looking at. It swayed from side to side as he walked. She walked right up to M'Dargo and grabbed his tail. M'Dargo stiffened as the cart came to a stop, his fur bristled instinctively. The tail is a sensitive area on any khajiit.
"Cinda!" her mother chastised her "Let go of his tail this instant! It's not nice to just grab someone." Cinda immediately let go of the tail as if it burned her fingers and ran to the other side of the cart. Sosia looked down at M'Dargo.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized. M'Dargo shrugged as he resumed pushing the cart once more.
"It's quite alright. She is still just a cub. She was only curious." They finally came to the family's home. It was in the middle of a small clearing. The house itself was small and worn, but not dilapidated. Obvious care had been taken to maintain it, which could be seen from the patchwork of repairs. The repairs themselves might not have been uniform, different materials had been used as time went on, but it was obviously lived in and loved. M'Dargo pushed the cart past the house and to a makeshift barn and work area. He glanced up anxiously as the sun began to creep above the horizon. He had only a matter of seconds left. It would be quite a shock to the family, suddenly bursting into flames and collapsing into a pile of ash. "I don't mean to be rude," M'Dargo said as he tried to veil the steadily growing panic in his voice, "but I am very tired after my long journey. Might you be so kind to show me inside?" Raxle looked up at him from his position unloading the cart. He nodded.
"Sure thing." He turned to his wife. "Sosia, could you turn show our guest into our home?" Sosia shook her head in irritation.
"Our home he says. More like my home. What he does ever do around here? I'm the one that takes care of it while he goes out working." She hoisted up her son and grabbed Cinda with her free hand as she walked over to the door and opened it carefully. She turned to M'Dargo. "Please to do come inside." M'Dargo all but bounded inside, clearly startling the women with his enthusiasm, but he didn't care. M'Dargo made it inside just as the sun's rays climbed up the doorway. He bit his tongue as the tip of his tail was scorched by the sun's harsh light. He quickly darted away from the doorway and pressed himself against the wall, his heart pounding fiercely. He didn't relax until Sosia had entered the house with her two children and shut the door behind her. M'Dargo let out a sigh of relief. Sosia released Cinda's hand and her daughter immediately ran off to the other side of her house to grab one of her dolls. Sosia looked at him curiously.
"Why are you skulking in the shadows like that?" M'Dargo shrugged.
"My eyes… are sensitive. That's all. I've been traveling by night in order to avoid trouble and the light is too bright." Sosia seemed to accept this. She pulled out a blanket, laid it out flat on the floor, and set her son down on it. "Well I'm glad you happened to be traveling nearby when you were. Raxle had bitten off more than he could chew, again, and I was sure that this time he wouldn't have been able to wiggle his way out of it." Sosia stood up and went over to the kitchen and kindled a fire underneath the kettle.
"What were you doing out so late?" M'Dargo asked as she began to stir the pot carefully with a ladle. She added a few spices and took a small sip before replying.
"We went into town to do some trading. You know, pick up the odds and ends that we can't get living out here in the middle of nowhere. I told Raxle that we should have waited until morning, but he wouldn't hear any of it." The door opened and M'Dargo tensed as a narrow beam of sunlight entered the room, but fortunately didn't touch him. "Isn't that right?" Sosia asked her husband as he walked through the door and closed it behind him. "Too cheap to pay for an inn." Raxle raised his hands in defense.
"Now dear, if I had known that we would have bumped into an ogre, do you think I would set off once were done trading?" Sosia turned away and stirred the contents of the kettle vigorously.
"If it would have saved you a few Septims, I'm sure you still would have." Raxle grimaced.
"No amount of money is worth going up against an ogre. I'll tell you that much now." Raxle suddenly noticed M'Dargo who had been sitting silently in the corner. "Sosia, I hope you haven't been neglecting our guest."
"I haven't been neglecting anyone." She turned to her daughter who was idly playing with her doll, moving it about and talking to it. "Cinda dear." Cinda looked up from her playing.
"Yes Mama?"
"Get the out the dishes and set the table for breakfast." Cinda nodded and skipped over to the kitchen. Sosia turned to M'Dargo once more. "I hope you don't mind stew. I had some stored away and honestly I'm too tired to cook anything else." M'Dargo shook his head.
"No. It's fine." Raxle pulled up a chair at the table and took his boots off, letting out a sigh of relief as he set them aside. M'Dargo took a seat beside him.
"Why don't you take your cloak off?" Raxle asked. "I can barely see your face." M'Dargo gripped the hood of his cloak tightly, his claws digging into the fabric. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
"A few months ago… there was an accident. My face became horribly disfigured. I would prefer if you didn't see." Raxle nodded sympathetically.
"I understand. I wouldn't want to force you to anything that made you uncomfortable; after all, I do owe you my life."
"That's a debt that I have no intention on collecting," M'Dargo told him. Raxle laughed.
"Good, because my wife has first claim on it; until death do we part."
"Yes, and that nearly happened today, didn't it?" Sosia said as she set down bowls full of stew in front of M'Dargo and Raxle before helping Cinda and her son into their seats. Raxle sighed as he picked up his spoon and took a mouthful of the stew.
"Yes," he admitted, "I suppose it did. I can't tell you how terrified I felt. I mean, sure, it was an ogre and they're certainly not a creature to get into a fight with, but the thing that made the fear worse was that you and the children were there." Sosia paused for a moment as she placed Cinda's meal in front of her, who eagerly dug in. "A man may fear for his life," Raxle continued, "but losing his family and those that he cares about and loves, is an even greater fear." M'Dargo stared down at his stew and couldn't help but think of Chirranirr. A dull ache throbbed within his chest. He had lost everyone he had known when he became a vampire. By some incomprehensible odds he was able to meet someone like Chirranirr only to lose her just like everyone else.
"Idiot," Sosia scoffed as she served herself and sat down on Raxle's right. "Spouting flowery words just because you nearly died. You never said anything like that while we were courting." But nether the less, her words held no barb and she kissed him on the cheek before sitting down. M'Dargo slowly stirred the contents of the stew, bits of meat and carrots before raising the spoon to his lips. It was good. It was hot and filled his stomach. Frankly M'Dargo was so hungry that almost anything would taste good to him. They ate their meal in relative silence, the ordeal had exhausted the small family and they focused only on eating. Sosia leaned across the table occasionally and cleaned her children's faces and scolded them for slurping their food.
"You're awfully quiet," Raxle finally remarked to M'Dargo. M'Dargo shrugged.
"I am sorry. I'm not much of a talker." Raxle dipped his spoon into his bowl and swallowed another mouthful of stew.
"That's fine," he told M'Dargo. "Could you least tell us your name?" M'Dargo paused. Should he lie? Would it be dangerous to give them his real name? Should he make one up? In the end he decided that he wanted to avoid deceiving this family as much as he could.
"M'Dargo. My name is M'Dargo."
"M'Dargo." Raxle sounded the name out, getting a feel for the sound of it.
"And what is it that you do, M'Dargo?" Sosia asked leaning across the table curiously.
"For the love of Akatosh woman! Didn't he just say that he didn't want to talk?" Sosia glared at her husband.
"You shush. We hardly ever get any visitors and I'm curious. Who knows the next time we'll have a visitor?" She returned her attention to M'Dargo and smiled. "Of course you don't have to answer if you don't want to. You saved my idiot husband and I suppose I can hold my tongue if you decide to hold yours." M'Dargo shook his head slightly.
"It's fine I suppose. Back in Elsywer I worked with my family harvesting moon sugar to make into skooma. A few months ago…" M'Dargo hesitated and took a deep breath. "I decided to do some traveling. I headed northwest and eventually crossed into Cyrodiil. I've been traveling ever since."
"It must get lonely traveling alone," Sosia remarked as she got up to refill Raxle and M'Dargo's bowls with stew. M'Dargo nodded.
"Yes. Traveling alone can be very lonely. It's just you and the sky above you and the ground beneath you. Very lonely."
"Do you miss your family?" Sosia asked as she sat back down. M'Dargo gripped his spoon tightly and left a small dent on the metal handle.
"Terribly, but I cannot return yet. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms."
"What happened? Did you get into a disagreement?" M'Dargo opened his mouth for a moment but no words came out. He shook his head for a moment as if he had water in his ear and then ate another mouthful of stew.
"I'd rather not say. I thought it would be best for everyone if I left, and so that's exactly what I did."
"So you've been traveling in a foreign land all this time by yourself? I'm not sure that I'd have the tenacity for that kind of venture."
"I wasn't exactly by myself the whole time," M'Dargo replied. "I did travel with someone else for a while."
"Oh?" Sosia said with piqued interest as she collected the children's bowls. "Who?"
"Her name was Chirranirr," M'Dargo said. Just saying her name left a dull aching sensation deep inside him. "She was a khajiit like me, although she told me she was born here in Cyrodiil."
"Ah!" Raxle said leaning back in his chair. He grinned at M'Dargo. "Traveling with a lady friend eh?" M'Dargo was glad that he had his hood to conceal his face otherwise Raxle would have seen it flush slightly.
"No. It wasn't anything like that. We just met and decided it would be safer to travel together rather than by ourselves."
"And what was she like?" asked Sosia as she sat back down. "This Chirranirr?" M'Dargo let out a sigh. Describing Chirranirr was like describing a thunderstorm. You could try to impart the wind, the sound, the smell, the color with words, but it just didn't compare to the actual thing. It was indescribable; the static in the air, the pounding heart, the ringing ears. Just like Chirranirr.
"She's… I don't know how to describe it. She's like a fire. She can warm you or light up any room, and at the same time she isn't to be taken lightly."
"Well that last part applies to all women," Raxle replied. This earned a severe glance from his wife."
"A philosophy you seem to forget quite often, dear." Sosia admonished him. She turned her attention to M'Dargo.
"And where is this Chirranirr now?" M'Dargo had been in the process of lifting another spoonful of stew to his mouth. He stopped at the question. He looked down at the contents of his spoon and very slowly and carefully set the spoon down on the table. His appetite had fled him.
"I don't know. I did… something very stupid and foolish. I wasn't honest with her. That deception reared its ugly head not too long ago. She left, or rather I left. I was too ashamed to stay." The room became quiet; the only sound was Cinda as she sang a song under her breath. M'Dargo continued to keep his head down; his eyes followed the swirling pattern of the wood grain of the table. Sosia suddenly spoke.
"Do you regret what you've done?" she asked M'Dargo quietly as she began to clear the table.
"Yes."
"Do you care about her?" M'Dargo gritted his teeth as swirl of emotions rose in his chest.
"More than anything."
"Well then I don't think you should give up just yet," Sosia said as she sat down. M'Dargo raised his head in surprise. Raxle nodded in agreement.
"She's right. I can't count how many times Sosia's managed to forgive me for my foolishness and mistakes, today not withstanding. If you love her you have to let her know."
"I never said I loved her," M'Dargo responded. Raxle raised an eye and crossed his arms.
"Do you not love her then?" he asked with a tilt of his head. As M'Dargo remained silent, Raxle's smug grin grew wider and wider.
"You don't know what I've done though. She won't be able to forgive me," M'Dargo muttered with resigned finality.
"Does it have anything to do with why you left your family?" Sosia asked. M'Dargo flinched involuntarily, his tail swishing from side to side once. He gave the slightest hint of a nod.
"I doubt that they'll be able to forgive me either. Everywhere I go I bring nothing but trouble and pain."
"Now that's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard!" exclaimed Raxle. Sosia glared daggers at her husband.
"Raxle! Not in front of the children!" Raxle waved off with his wife's complaint and turned his attention back to M'Dargo.
"If it weren't for you, my little Cinda wouldn't be sitting here with us, and I doubt I would be either." M'Dargo shook his head wearily.
"I just did what I could. It's foolish of me to think that doing good would erase the things I've done." Raxle was quiet for a moment.
"No, it doesn't," he said finally. "But that's no reason to stop either, is it? We make mistakes in life. We do things that we regret. We cannot change the things we've done. We can only use them as a guide for our future actions. If you regret something, make sure that it never happens again. Understand?" M'Dargo lifted his head.
"I think so."
"Are you going to look for her?" Sosia asked.
"I don't know," M'Dargo replied honestly. "It would probably be for the best if I didn't see her again.
"Best for who?"
"Her. Before I was just being selfish. She deserves better." Raxle frowned.
"Now don't go deciding all of this on your own. Perhaps she'll feel differently once she's had a chance to cool down."
"Perhaps," M'Dargo said faintly and half heartedly. "I'm quite tired. Do you have a place where I might rest?"
"Of course." Sosia rose and led M'Dargo out of the kitchen. "I think we have a spare cot somewhere around here. Ah! Here it is." Sosia took it out and positioned it in the corner of the living area. "I'll go see if we have a spare blanket." M'Dargo shook his head as he sat down on it.
"No, it's fine. I don't want to impose on you hospitality any more than I already have. Besides, sleeping indoors is a treat enough for me as it is."
"Are you sure? It's no trouble." M'Dargo shook his head as he sat down wearily on the small cot.
"I'm sure." Sosia shrugged.
"Suit yourself." A loud crash was suddenly heard from the kitchen followed by a bombardment of swearing.
"Sosia dear!" Raxle called from the kitchen. "Where do the plates go? Also, where's the brush and dustpan?" Sosia rolled her eyes.
"Damned fool is about as nimble as a bloated cow!" She smiled apologetically at M'Dargo for a moment. "Excuse me," and with that she walked quickly back into the kitchen. M'Dargo shook his head gently and smiled. The two of them seemed happy. They had each other, a fine home, and two cubs. They lived normal lives. Was this what he was missing out on? Would he ever have any sense of normalcy like this? M'Dargo sensed a gaze and looked up. Cinda eyes immediately widened and she quickly hid behind a chair. After a moment she cautiously raised her head and peered out at him. M'Dargo took a weary breath and attempted to smile.
"Come on out little one. I won't hurt you." Cinda slowly cautiously came out from behind the chair. She glanced up at him nervously before looking down at her feet.
"Thank you for saving me and Daddy."
"It was lucky I got there when I did."
"I'm sorry I pulled your tail." M'Dargo flicked his tail several times.
"It's alright. You didn't hurt it." Cinda nodded and sat down on the floor. She looked up at M'Dargo expectantly.
"Do you know any stories?" M'Dargo gave a small smile.
"I'm sorry. I'm not much of story teller. My brother though, he could weave a tale as easy as breathing.
"Not even one story?" Cinda pleaded. M'Dargo paused for a moment.
"Well," he said, "I suppose I do know one story. It's not a happy story though. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Cinda nodded with a solemnity that only children are able to muster.
"Yes please."
"Alright. There once was a khajiit who lived in the distant land of Elsweyr. He was happy there. He had a good home and a family who loved him. He would spend his days traveling through the dusty deserts or exploring the jungles to the south. Well one day, this khajiit went on an expedition with his father and some others to harvest moon sugar. At first everything seemed to be going fine. They had gathered much moon sugar and would be able to make a lot of skooma out of it. But something horrible happened on their way home. They were attacked by several horrible monsters. They killed many members of the expedition, including the khajiit's father. This khajiit was able to escape from them with only a bite wound to the shoulder. However, the worse was yet to come…" M'Dargo suddenly stopped in contemplation. Cinda stirred him from his reverie.
"What happened?"
"Well little one, the khajiit felt normal at first. For the first few days he only felt a little tired. During his escape that night he had gotten turned around and lost. He was trying to make his way home. However something happened on the third day after the attack. He went to sleep normally that night, but his dreams were soon plagued with horrendous nightmares. When he awoke he discovered that he had become one of the horrible monsters that had killed his father." Cinda stared up at M'Dargo with wide eyes as she tried to imagine something so terrible. She couldn't.
"What did he do?"
"The khajiit fled. He ran as far away and as he quickly as he could in fear that he would harm his family or those he knew. For months he traveled alone, avoiding the sun which he soon discovered was lethal to his kind. One day he met another khajiit who took refuge from the rain in a cave. She wasn't afraid of him and didn't run away from him. The two of them decided to travel together. During their journey, the khajiit realized that he was falling in love with her. However, he was too afraid to tell her what he was. Well one day this other khajiit accidentally cut herself with a thorn. At the smell of blood, the monster within the khajiit rose up and attacked her. She fought him off and the khajiit regained control of himself. When he saw the terrible look in her eyes: fear, betrayal, pain, and revulsion, the khajiit fled and ran as far way as he could. I don't know what happened to the khajiit after that."
"What kind of ending is that?" exclaimed Cinda. "He should do find three magic things for a wizard and have his curse broken. Then they can live happily ever after." M'Dargo sighed.
"It would be nice if such a thing happened. Your ending does sound much better than mine."
"Cinda!" her mother called from the kitchen. "What have I told you about leaving your dolls lying around? Put them away right this minute!"
"Coming Mama!" Cinda called as she ran out of the room. She paused at the doorway and gave M'Dargo a brief glance before exiting the room. M'Dargo sighed and put his hand to his head. Was it a good idea to tell her something so dangerously close to the truth? Hopefully she would only take it as a story. M'Dargo lay down on his side and made sure that the hood of his cloak was securely covering his face. He thought of Chirranirr. He thought of his father. He thought of what Cinda had said, a wizard breaking the curse. Was such a thing even possible? Could one go back from what he had become? M'Dargo closed his eyes and eventually sleep over took him.
When M'Dargo awoke it was night. He slowly sat up and looked around. He could sense the presence of the little family. They were tucked away in their beds, asleep. M'Dargo wearily got to his feet and grabbed his pack. He walked to the kitchen and came to a stop in front of the table. He reached into his pack and dug around for something. He pulled out 20 gold Septims and placed them lightly on the table, careful to not make a sound. M'Dargo then made his way to the door, opened it, and shut it behind him.
Irbran opened the door of the inn and stepped inside. He took a whiff, savoring the delicious smells that issued from the kitchen. Karrod placed his hand on Irbran's shoulder.
"Don't forget the reason we're here," he said softly. "We're here to gather information, not stuff our faces."
"Why can't we do both?"
"Because you lack the discipline to do both."
"Come on Karrod!" Irbran pleaded as they walked further into the inn. "We've been traveling for weeks now, and your cooking is barely edible." Karrod held up a hand.
"Fine, no alcohol then. I want you to keep your wits about you."
"Yes mother!" Irbran huffed. The two of them approached the proprietor of the inn who stood behind the bar. She looked up at them.
"I'm Davela, proprietor. Can I get you two something?" Irbran took a step forward and grinned.
"All I require is but a bottle of your essence so that whenever I doubt that there is true beauty in this world I can- Ow!" Karrod unceremoniously stomped on Irbran's foot. Hard. The dark elf regarded him quizzically. Irbran bit his lip hard before continuing. "What I mean to say before I was captivated by your lovely features was that my companion and I would like to order two meals."
"Alright then. That'll be five Septims." A little while later Irbran was eagerly digging into a piece of chicken while Karrod in comparison ate slower and with more reserve. Irbran turned to Davela and began to talk, but remembered that he still had food in his mouth. He took a moment to swallow before beginning.
"This is delicious! Did you make it yourself?" Davela just smiled.
"Yes I did. During this time of the year we don't get much business here, so I'll do anything to keep busy."
"That's a shame," Karrod said finally speaking up, "because I was wondering if you could help us." Davela narrowed her eyes and walked over to their table.
"How so?" she asked.
"We're looking for somebody," Karrod said quietly.
"Are you two bounty hunters?" Irbran snorted.
"We're nothing as crude as that."
"Then why is your friend armed to the teeth?" Davela asked the breton. Karrod pushed his chair out from the table and stood up so he could face Davela. He was a good head taller than her.
"We belong to a Guild that hunts down extremely dangerous individuals."
"Extremely dangerous in what way?"
"Well," Karrod began, "we hunt those that kill and those that harm. I'm going to be frank with you. We hunt vampires." The dinning area, which had only the three of them inside it, went completely quiet. After a few long, silent moments, Davela found her voice.
"V-Vampires?" she asked shakily. Karrod nodded.
"Yes. We have reason to believe that one is in the area, heading north. We intend to stop it. Have you heard anything that may be of help to us?" The dark elf slowly sat down and shook her head in astonishment.
"Vampires here?" she said talking to herself. "You always hear about them being somewhere else, never where you live." She looked up at Karrod. "I'm sorry. I don't think I know anything that could help you.
"Are you sure?" asked Karrod peering into her face, looking for the slightest sign that she was lying. "This particular vampire is a khajiit and is most likely traveling with someone else." Davela blinked and glanced away briefly. Karrod gave a small inward grin. She did know something.
"A khajiit you say?" Karrod nodded.
"Vampires are extremely dangerous. Anything that you know would be a great help."
"I'm not sure if I should be telling you this," Davela said while wringing her hands anxiously.
"Please," Irbran implored, "anything you might know could help save lives." Davela seemed to hesitate for one more moment before nodding.
"I suppose you're right. Last night a khajiit came here looking for lodging. She was absolutely soaked and her clothes were torn."
"She?" asked Karrod curiously. The bandits he had spoken to had all spoken of a male khajiit. Could this be the possible companion? Davela nodded.
"Yes. When I spoke to her in the morning she said that her traveling companion had attacked her, had tried to force himself on her. You don't think he was a vampire, do you?" Karrod's thoughts ran at a rapid pace; finally, a decent lead to follow. Now it was understandable why a vampire would travel with someone else, to have a body to feed on and someone to take care of tasks during the daylight hours. But was this the first time he had tried to feed from her? How long had they been traveling together? How had she fought him off? Was she infected? Would he return to reclaim her? There were too many variables. Karrod turned to Davela.
"I think that there's a strong chance that he is. What more can you tell me about this patron of yours?"
"She left this morning. She said she was heading to Cheydinhal." Irbran turned to Karrod.
"This morning? If we move quickly we could still catch up to her." Karrod nodded.
"My thoughts exactly. Let's move." He turned to Davela. "Thank you for your help. It's much appreciated." Karrod then rushed out the door, Irbran running to catch up to him.
"You are an angel that has lighted our path!" Irbran called out as the door swung shut behind him. Davela was silent for a moment before going to stand behind the bar once more. Had she really done the right thing?
Chirranirr poked the ember absent mindedly as she added another branch to the fire. Sparks leapt and smoke rose lazily into the already dark sky. She had chosen a spot someway off the road, deciding to finally adopt a normal pattern of traveling, traveling during the day and resting at night. She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself as a cold breeze blew by, causing the flames to flicker and dance. Earlier she had taken out her needle and thread, fully intending to repair the collar that M'Dargo had torn. She hadn't though. When she looked at the ruined piece of clothing, a knot formed in her throat and she felt a painful sensation in her chest. She had put the shirt away. She couldn't stand to look at it, but neither could she throw it away. It was evidence, proof. It proved that M'Dargo had been with her, and proved what he was.
An owl hooted nearby, and Chirranirr heard the small squeak of a rodent's life being snuffed out. She wondered where M'Dargo had gone to. As painful as it was thinking of him, she couldn't help it. It was like a scab. You know you shouldn't pick at it, but a strange fascination compelled you to do so anyway. And like a scab, Chirranirr wondered if she would ever stop thinking about M'Dargo and let the wound be to heal. It was strange. She felt angry, hurt, used, but at the same time she also felt terribly lonely and sad. If M'Dargo were to walk into her campsite right now she didn't whether she would hit him or embrace him.
A shift in the wind suddenly brought a scent to her sensitive nose: two men, slowly coming closer to her. Chirranirr quickly extinguished her campfire and gathered her belongings. She nimbly climbed a nearby tree and found a branch sturdy enough to support her weight. She lay down prone on the branch and carefully held tight with her claws. She then peered down at the campsite, her night vision allowing her to see just as easily if it were daylight. Two men entered from the brush, a redguard and a breton. The breton seemed out of breath and was pulling thorns out of his hands, letting out sounds of pain as each thorn was removed.
"Quiet!" the redguard said to his companion. "She probably heard your moaning and took off already."
"Not all of us wear gauntlets you know Karrod! My hands are all torn up!" She? wondered Chirranirr. Who were they looking for? Karrod knelt down by the fire pit and cautiously touched the coals with his hands. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned to his friend.
"The coals are still warm Irbran. She can't have gotten far."
"Well thank the Nine for that!" Irbran said as he sat down wearily. He looked up at Karrod.
"What are we going to do when we find her? She might know even less than we do." Karrod shook his head irritably.
"Well cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now this khajiit is our only lead." A feeling unease ran down Chirranirr's spine and made her fur stand on the end. She was beginning to get the sinking feeling that the two of them were speaking of her. Chirranirr unconsciously increased her grip on the branch, not noticing how the wood groaned and splintered slightly.
"Do you'll think she'll cooperate once we find her?" Irbran asked as Karrod went about the campsite searching for more clues.
"Hard to know," Karrod muttered under his breath as he noticed faint indentations on the earthy ground; footprints. They led him to the base of Chirranirr's tree. Chirranirr shut her eyes tight and held her breath as she tried to quiet the ruckus her beating heart was making against her ribcage. It seemed like an eternity before she heard Karrod walking back to Irbran. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Irbran, hand me a torch." Chirranirr's eyes snapped open and her grip tightened even harder. Unfortunately that was all the stress that the tree branch could handle. Chirranirr looked down with dread as a wide crack spreading across the wood like an iceberg cracking. Irbran had just lighted a torch and handed it to Karrod when Chirranirr fell to the ground in a heap and with a loud crash. Irbran looked up and Karrod shot to his feet.
"Well," Irbran said, "it looks like we got the cat out of the tree."
A/N: Is it just me, or do I have a habit of introducing my characters to each other by having them fall out of something? Anyway, I'm glad that I've finally gotten to the point where Karrod encounters Chirranirr. It's only a matter of time before he finds M'Dargo and then… things will get very interesting. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!