As beams of light feebly attempt to break through the dark thunderheads I can't help but marvel at the sheer length of the storm. We'd long ago thrown the pelt aside, it was now soaked and offered no protection. Surprisingly the den wasn't as muddy as we had predicted it would be. But even with the prediction being wrong we're still standing in about a half inch of mud.
There are brief periods were the storm lulls, only to return twice as hard seconds later. In those brief amounts of time I allow my eyes to flutter shut and for sleep to take me. Though only seconds later the roar of thunder and a flash of lightning awaken me. But awake or asleep one thing stays the same, Astrids strong arms never unwrap from me and her face never leaves my neck.
All through the storm only a few words have been exchanged, and those are just to see if the other's awake. We don't bother to eat, sleep, or relieve ourselves. The most interesting thing that happens is when a frighten stag leaps into our lair. He realized a moment later the mistake he'd made, but by then my dagger was already on its way to meet his skull.
After his body has been pushed to the side I sheath my blade and go back to my thoughts. For once my thoughts don't wander to the recent turn of events, but instead to the future. I imagine Whiterun, well more specifically a Whiterun where Astrid and I live. No longer caring what others think, and where the future isn't something to be feared.
I'm so engrossed in my thoughts I don't realize the rain has calmed and finally stopped. I don't even notice when Astrids arms tighten and she begins nuzzling my neck. It's only when she sharply nips my neck I'm brought back to reality. "Ow." I mumble as I move to get up, with a slight laugh Astrid follows.
As we stretch and crack our joints I watch Astrid stumble over to the cooking spit and begin preparing two horse haunches for consumption. While she cooks I gut, skin, and toss out the young stag. Turning I see a plate with a horse haunch, two gleaming apples,a bowl of horker stew, and two jugs of milk waiting for me. Astrid herself has already started her larger than normal meal.
I begin devouring my meal with no regard for table manners. After I've swallowed the last of my stew I hear Astrid speak. "Want to go take a look at what the storm did?" "Why not?" I answer as I throw her bow to her. Picking up my own I follow her outside.
Almost instantly we stop dead. Cowering not twenty feet away wet, shaking, and unresponsive was a wild mammoth. Due to second nature I draw my bow and pull back an arrow, at my side Astrid does the same. Two shots and two spurts of blood, however the beast ignores the arrows and continues shivering.
Two drawn bows, two shots, two spurts. The pattern continues for some minutes before the beast finally realizes it's under attack and begins rising. As it turns towards us we load and shoot even faster, but even then the beast continues to lurch forward. And FINALLY two shots, one spurt of blood, and one sickening squishing sound and the beast falls.
As we approach the corpse I see the arrow sticking from it's eye and the sixty others dotting it's side. As we rip our arrows from it's uncaring body I hear Astrid say "This was a good catch, but we need more. If we work together we can bring down quite a bit of prey. But if we split up we'll have twice the meat with only a little more work."
I hate the idea of separating from her, but what she says IS true. "Fine you go south and I'll go north. We can take some meat from the mammoth later." After a word of farewell she turns and walks away. As I turn I can't help but worry about her safety. It's only after a fox darts across my path I realize what I'm suppose to be doing.
With a bark the fox falls dead, a arrow straight through his skull. As I rip the arrow for the creatures head and tie him to my belt I see a flash of brown in the underbrush. After the rabbit is secured next to the fox I set off again. I stop short when I see a healthy young stag in front of me, but it's far to late.
He's seen me, and with the scent of death clinging to me he no doubt fears for his life. As he turns to run a arrow buries itself in his side, but even that isn't enough to stop him. With a scream to warn his brethren he continues running, I hot on his heels.
He makes a sharp turn and disappears behind a tree. As I leap from behind the tree I expect to see a living deer running far ahead. Instead laying on the ground a few feet away is a deer, his throat ripped out. As I crouch down to examine the body I can't help but wonder where the killer is.
I no sooner wonder this than two black paws appear at the top of my vision. Snapping my head up I just glimpse white teeth and a pink tongue. Suddenly the right side of my face is under pressure, a lot of pressure. I briefly remember when Vigilance bite my hand after I taunted him with fresh meat. Only this is worse, much much worse.
And then the teeth are gone, but not instantly. Oh no, that would hurt much much less. It's as if the wolf is determined to make this as painful as possible. It's as if he enjoys slowly dragging his teeth out of my face. And FINALLY his teeth are gone. But his paws soon meet my shoulder, and I'm on my back with a lone wolf sitting on top of me.
His bloody teeth meet my shoulder and he shakes his head as hard as he can. I quickly pull out my dagger and begin stabbing. After the sixth stab he releases me with a howl, I waste no time forcing myself up and begin running. I've only run a few feet when I feel my left thigh flare as if it's on fire, with a scream I twist around and sink my blade into the wolfs skull.
As he falls dead I resume my run, now hindered by my injuries. I don't remember getting back to the den, all I remember was trying to stop the bleeding. I also recall giving up after my thigh bled through the third bandage. Late into the night I wait along, bleeding, and afraid my blood would attract more predators.
It's well after midnight Astrid returns, she's loaded down with small game and some meat from the mammoth. She takes one look at me and drops all of the prey. She goes to work on me at once, bandaging and cleaning what I couldn't. In a matter of minutes she's cleaned me up and is mixing up some sleeping potion with plants and herbs she's managed to gather. As I take to potion and begin drifting off into sleep I hear her mumble something about infection.