Daily updates can be found on my profile. They'll pile up, up to day five or six and then I'll erase them and start anew. I can't promise they'll always be relevant, but it'll help the people with this story on their alert know if I'm updating soon or not. It'll probably be stuff like Going to Houston today. Packed my laptop. Getting some writing done. Update expected Wednesday. Something like that. Okay? Okay. Enjoy the goodies.

Pyrophobia

Ralof

"Try again," The Argonian growled, sipping mead from a large mug and tipping his chair back. Godrael growled at him, but the other man just laughed and scratched the exposed scales of his stomach. "Do it, Half-Breed."

Godrael took a deep breath and stuck out his hand, muttering to himself and closing his eyes. Even from where I was standing the sweat on his brow was obvious, and he was shaking like a leaf. I'd been told to sit down and shut up by the Argonian (named Thez, which was quite obviously an alias) early in this twisted lesson, right after Godrael started crying the first time.

There was a burst of fire from the out-stretched hand, a yelp, and Godrael collapsed to the ground, frantically trying to put out the flames that no longer enveloped him.

"Get up, you pathetic cat," Thez groaned, running a hand over his face in annoyance. I grumbled from my place on the floor, nursing the glass of ale I'd been given in return for my silence. Godrael hissed at him, baring his fangs and digging his claws into the floor.

"Shut up," He growled lowly, narrowing his eyes. "Cats kill lizards, you stupid milkdrinker!"

"At least I don't cry for my mother when I see a tiny flame, you worthless troll."

Godrael snapped, bounding across the room and tackling Thez, sending his chair flying back. He had the Argonian pinned by the neck, his thumb-claws stuck painfully on either side of his windpipe.

"I've fought mudcrabs more fearsome than you," Thez laughed—though a bit of blood came from his mouth while he was talking, so it was obviously proven that Godrael was doing a good job of being fearsome.

"I'll make boots out of you," Godrael growled, digging his claws in deeper. I chose that moment to stand calmly and walk over to put my hand on his shoulder. Godrael didn't let up, but looked at me from the side of his vision. "What?"

"It's probably time to stop, before you kill him. You did come to him, after all."

For a moment, it looked like Godrael would turn on me next, but he just unhooked his claws from underneath Thez's scales and stood, leaning on me. Thez still laid on the ground, looking up at us like Godrael would jump back on him any second.

"Get out of here, you stupid half-breed," Thez growled. His lip snarled and I had to hold Godrael back from stabbing him in the heart. "I have no time for pathetic little girls in my place."

Godrael fought against my hold around his waist, clawing desperately at Thez and my arms. As much as I wanted to just let him go and watch him kill Thez, I knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. I hoisted him over my shoulder and held his legs.

"You're lucky I was here," I said, putting a foot on the Argonian's chest. "Or else you wouldn't be so smug."

"Yeah?" Thez smirked.

I didn't answer, just let up my boot and turned away. Godrael hissed, slashing at Thez behind my back as I walked towards the door.

"I hope you're more faithful to your kind than your mother, Half-Breed!" Thez yelled. "The whore, fucking a Khajiit and getting a pathetic little bastard like you!" He laughed, wheezing between breaths.

That was the last straw. I loosened my arms around Godrael and let him do what he wanted. One happy yowl escaped him as he scrambled off of my shoulder and at Thez. I heard the Argonian begging for his life, shouting and screaming and crying, before there was complete silence. Godrael had stopped growling and I heard a soft purring from where Thez had once been.

I turned, seeing Godrael leaning over Thez's lifeless face, looking into the blank eyes. His mouth was covered in blood, the source obviously being the nasty bite left embedded in the dark green scales. I could imagine a long, thin tail and thick fur if I really tried—and the feline noises he was making didn't exactly make it hard. He was grinning, just as he did after any good kill, and licked the blood off of his lips. It didn't look as if he'd used any weapons other than himself, but it really wasn't need, either.

Thez talked big, and insulted even bigger, but he obviously hadn't been prepared enough for pissing off Godrael. He'd only had one dagger, which was stuck into Godrael's armor and maybe half an inch into his actual flesh, but an Elk had done more damage.

"C'mon Goddy," I said, putting my hand on the back of his neck. He leaned into the touch, the muscles in his shoulders and around his throat tight and coiled, as if expecting another opportunity to kill something for fun. "We better get going."

As I helped Godrael up, I couldn't help the disappointment that washed over me. This was the third person we'd gone to with the hopes they could help with Godrael's pyrophobia, but none of them had panned out. The first had been too lenient, comforting him when he failed and generally pissing him off with her kindness. The second hadn't cared too much either way, letting him fall and pick himself back him, claiming to be helping Godrael stand on his own two feet. The third, Thez, had had the proper dedication and was will to discipline Godrael—possibly too eager. Thez was constantly laughing at him, telling him that it was his Khajiit half that made him weak, and that was one of his lesser insults. The last straw had been insulting Godrael's mother, and putting her honor in question. As far as Godrael was concerned, his mother was off the board for things like that—insult him, his kind, even his friends, but don't insult the woman that gave him life and died in his arms if you plan to live for long.

Godrael allowed himself to be picked up. I knew that after all that spell casting and killing Thez, he wasn't up to walking anywhere, and he was still purring happily. It was rare that he was like that anymore and, even if his smile was slightly maniacal and came from the death of the Argonian man, it was still nice. Sort of.

Godrael ended up falling asleep like that, awkwardly curled up in my arms and heavier than a sack of bricks. I couldn't put him down, though. Instead, I got to the nearest stables and hired a carriage to get up back to Riverwood. I had to pay extra, but I couldn't risk going by foot with Godrael asleep, since he was usually the one to hear, smell, or just seemingly sense danger.

As I went to climb in, I was tapped on the shoulder by a clawed hand. Fearing that it was an assassin, or something worse, I woke up Godrael by plopping him down on the carriage floor so he'd be ready to protect himself.

"Owww…" Godrael moaned, rubbing his head. There was still blood on his lips, streaked and blotchy from him licking them so much. He sat up, blinking wearily as he looked at me. "What?"

"That…Was not Khajiit's intention," A voice behind me said, the clawed hand retracting. Godrael's eyes snapped to the stranger, as if he was about to fend off the other male in his territory. That is, he looked like that, before his eyes widened and he suddenly looked like a kitten.

"…Father?"

I turned to look at the stranger. He was indeed Khajiit, with dark brown fur and bright blue eyes that both matched Godrael's eyes and hair color perfectly. His hair was long and unwashed, pulled back much like my Half-Breed friend's, down with two parts of hair held back in braids around his head, like a crown. He looked elderly in a way I couldn't quite place, as wrinkles and the like were difficult to spot underneath his thick fur. His smile was gentle, like that of an experienced parent, and he looked knowingly at Godrael.

"Darisha is honored that he is remembered after so many years."

Godrael, wasting no time, quickly jumped from the carriage and hurled himself at his father. For a moment, I thought that he was still on a rush from killing Thez and had attacked the older man. Until, of course, I hear him sobbing, and saw him being held expertly in the older Khajiit's arms. Darisha rubbed his son's back, lifting his tail to prod at Godrael's nose. He giggled.

I didn't know Godrael did that.

END

I'm so sorry this is so late, but I visited my uncle for a few days, then I couldn't pay my internet for a couple of weeks, and then Pottermore got out of beta. So…Yeah. Busy. I'd say that updates will be more weekly now, but I can't be sure. I'm going back and forth to Dallas and Houston and Lubbock lately. Commuting sucks ass, seriouslah.
By the by…OH GOD, IT'S SO SHORT. (That's what she said) I couldn't get it any longer without feeling guilty (said the plastic surgeon) and it would've taken a few more days to complete if I had.