I was unwilling to leave the conversation like that, so I hitched my boots on the seat in front of me and shifted closer to her. My head was now on level to rest on her shoulder, and I did so. "What about you?" I asked. "I want to hear more about your childhood."

The funny thing about us seemed to be the influence of vampires in our lives. My childhood- up until I was fourteen years old and my pack was decimated- was miserable. It was only after they were gone and I was free from the petty cruelties of my parents that my life seemed to take a turn for the better. Serana, on the other hand, had nothing but good to say about her life before Molag Bal's involvement. She didn't like to talk about it too often, but when she did, I loved to listen.

Today's story was about the village she grew up in, and the people there. She told me about the butcher's son that would craft little men from chicken bones for her. She told me about the innkeeper that would let her into the tavern even after it was late so she could hear tales from the travellers. All sorts of wonderful things about a life where her parents loved her and each other, and Daedric Princes were just myths to keep small children from sneaking out of their beds to get into the sweet-rolls.

Her hand gently stroking my hair, her voice, and the rocking of the carriage had me falling asleep before too long. It was a surprise when the cart came to a halt and the driver announced our destination. Even more of a surprise when I realized night had indeed fallen. In fact it seemed rather late. Groggily, and with no shortage of muttered complaints, I climbed out of the back of the cart and leapt onto the muddy ground.

"Do you want to stop and rest?" she asked, with a meaningful glance at the nearby inn.

I was torn. As much as I wanted to deal with the Glenmoril Coven and be back in my warm feather bed in Breezehome, I also wanted nothing more than to be curled up next to Serana right now. She caught the look on my face, grinned knowingly, and dragged me by the arm toward the Dead Man's Drink.

Narri was at the counter that evening, and beamed when she saw me. "Elayn! I was wondering when I'd see you here again."

I waved and walked over to the counter where I set down a few coins. "Good to see you, Narri. Has Dengeir been too much trouble recently."

The barmaid rolled her eyes and slammed the tankard she was scrubbing down. "That old Nord is always trouble. I swear he comes in here just to bother me."

"At least he's a paying customer." I leaned forward slightly, smirking. "If you want, I can frighten the old buzzard off if he shows up in here tonight."

She laughed, and pushed at my shoulder. "Oh no, I recognize that look. You're half asleep, aren't you? Go get some rest, and then we'll talk."

"Well you're no fun." I feigned a pout and walked away, leaving her to her giggling.

Serana shut the door as soon as we were both inside and was glaring at me when I turned around. "What?" I demanded. "What did I do this time?"

The only answer I got was an armful of angry woman, and talk really wasn't very relevant for the rest of the evening. But I must say, that around midnight or so when I finally got to sleep, I slept well indeed. The next evening I was bright-eyed and ready to go kill witches. As we ran out the door, I got a wink from Narri and a scowl from Valga.

We went north, toward the cave, but stayed off-road. While for most people it would have certainly been safer to stay on the beaten trail where the wildlife was unlikely to attack you, I felt confident that nothing posed even the slightest threat to two werewolves. In theory, I was right, but fate had a funny way of knocking me down a peg every now and then.

Rumbling roars unlike anything I had ever heard were the first sign to me that something was wrong. They were almost like bear growls, but my wolf picked up on a note of hatred and fury that seemed more extreme than an animal could convey. The next thing I knew, there were three creatures breaking through undergrowth to attack us.

I caught only glimpses of them as I leapt backwards for more room to shoot. My bow was drawn swiftly, and one of them fell with an arrow sticking through it's knee. It looked somewhat like a werewolf, but with the golden-brown fur and the girth of a...

"Werebear!" I yelled, drawing the silver dagger from its place on my pack.

The metal burned me as I held it, but it burned the downed creature more when I drove the blade through it's neck. It bellowed its pain to the moon before it dropped to the ground, air whooshing out of its chest. Moments later it stood, bathed in a blue glow, and began attacking its companions. I nodded to Serana, and leapt at the second.

Soon the werebears were lying on ground that had been churned with claws and blood. The silver knife slipped from my hand and I fell to one knee, exhausted. "That's not something we see every day," I said, through lips that felt somewhat numbed.

"That's not either." At Serana's dry remark, I looked up, and saw the shape of one of the bears rise onto two legs.

The outline stood facing us. Then as I began to circle, I realized that no matter where I stood, it still faced me. Dread curled in my gut, but I knelt anyway. Serana did the same across from me.

"Greetings, Lord Hircine," I intoned.

"Well met, hunter." The Daedric Prince was abnormally grim. "It seems that despite my orders to bring me the souls of the Circle, you have instead set out to steal them from me for good."

Although it seemed like a well-planned suicide to do so, I rose. "They were hardly orders, my lord."

Serana's horrified gaze was on me the second she heard the casual rebuke in my words. I ignored her, and lifted my chin at the aspect of Hircine. "You promised me your help if I brought you their souls. I no longer need your help, and I won't be delivering them to you. At no point was I ordered to do anything."

"You dare defy me?" His voice was deadly soft, like the seconds before the hounds were given the order to chase their prey.

"I am your loyal follower," I replied evenly. "It is no fault of mine that you never truly commanded my services." My voice took on a challenging tone. "Unless you seek to emulate that worm Molag Bal and deny me my ability to choose, that is."

I could have knocked Serana over with a feather, she was so shocked. Hircine was much the same, and said nothing. All three of us were motionless for several seconds that lasted as long as lifetimes. I, with my chin raised, Serana frozen in mute terror, and a speechless Daedric Prince.

"Hah! Ha-hah!" The sudden laughter made me twitch. My mate openly jolted.

"My lord?" I asked slowly, wondering if now was the time to flee for my life.

Hircine laughed again, a rolling chuckle like thunder over the plains. "Well played, young hunter. You have thwarted my plans and stung my dignity. Indeed, you have earned my blessing."

"And the Circle?" While I didn't want to anger him, I felt the need to clarify that point.

"None of those lack-toothed pups are worth my time." The pride in his voice made my heart race, as pure laughter gave way to steady mirth. "I look forward to seeing how you deal with approaching events. Good hunting, wolf."

His aspect slowly faded away, as did the little light that was there too. I stepped forward to pull Serana to her feet, ignoring the way my arm shook slightly. She blinked up at me, almost speechless, but not quite. "You really just did that, didn't you? You're completely insane."

I shook my head. "No, not insane, just risky. Hircine is nothing like certain other Princes. He doesn't want broken followers; he wants skilled hunters. If anything, I've proven myself capable." A small smile curved my lips up. "You did too, you know. Some werewolves are completely incapable of controlling themselves. If you had truly needed his help, he might not have been so pleasant."

"I'm glad I didn't, then. I think I'll stay on his good side from now on."

She reached down to grasp the silver dagger that had been left in the mud. Somehow, she still seemed dazed even as she handed it to me. I took it gingerly, cleaned it off on the fur of one of the bears, and sheathed it."Let's get moving, then."