Dovahkiin POV:
"There has to be something I can do. Really, I feel fine! I want to help! Please." I tell Rikke as we set up the tent, she sighs but answers, "We need food, badly. I suppose you can go hunting, if you're quick." I give Rikke a smile before mounting Smiler, pointing him westward, and giving him a strong kick. I make sure to avoid any soldiers or citizens, no need to give them a reason to despise me. Within a few minutes I'm free to ride as fast as I can, open ground before me. I dismount after a few minutes, drawing my bow from my back. I notch an arrow, already ready to bring down any prey that crosses my path.
A fox is foolish enough to bolt in front of me in pursuit of a rabbit, and within moments they're both hanging from my belt. I continue walking, soon snow is crunching around my feet. A herd of deer are grazing, but there are too many for me to kill. I quickly kill the biggest elk with an arrow to his heart, but the rest of the herd flee before I get another chance to fire. I heave the deer onto my back, planning on calling it a day. The amount of prey I have is pathetic, but I don't know how I'll carry anymore food back to camp. I'm almost back to Smiler when I hear a low growl to my left, and when I turn I see a snarling bear ten feet away from me.
The creature is thin, balding, and his eyes are milky. No doubt he's ancient, starving, and plans on eating me or my deer. I quickly draw my bow, my arrow pointed right at his left eye. I let the arrow fly, but he moves at the last second. Roaring, the beast charges at me. I quickly draw my sword and take a fighting stance, ready for his attack. The brown furred bear stands on his hind legs, revealing his chest. His right paw swings downward just as my sword pierces his heart, with one last roar the creature falls onto his side and his paw passes harmlessly over my head.
I can't take the deer and the bear back, but the bear is clearly larger. I sigh as I begin walking back to Smiler, leaving the bear where he is. I ride Smiler over to where my kill lays, kill a curious fox, and heave the bear into the saddle. Smiler screams at the blood and weight of the bear, but doesn't bolt. I lay the bear so his face is hanging over Smiler's shoulder, and lay his body so it's going the same way as Smiler's torso. Due to the bear's size it looks as if he's mounting the stallion, but I don't hear any complaints from Smiler. I take the horse's reins and begin walking him back to the caravan, pleased with my kill.
Dinner is a wonderful occasion, everyone has full bellies and high hopes. I get to sit by Legate Rikke, the bear taste wonderful, and the soldiers have a bit of fun. The cooks used all of the bear besides the head, they didn't even skin it. The soldiers find a headless skeleton, a Stormcloak cuirass, and snatch the bear head from the trash. They dress the skeleton in Stormcloak gear, tie the bear's head on the skeletons neck, and hang the creature from a pole banner. They even go as far as to tie its hands, gag the creature with half of a salmon, and light it on fire.
Rikke says the activity is immature and dishonorable, but I can see a smile tugging at her lips. The bear's flesh soon melts off, leaving a snarling bear skull on top of a blackened skeleton. The soldiers soon bore of their bear head and instead begin telling stories, most of them about women they've bedded or men they've killed. It's around this time Rikke taps my arm and leads me away from the activities, and over to a small pond. "I couldn't listen to their chatter anymore, and this is as good a place to chat as any."
"What do you wish to talk about?" I ask as I sit beside the pond, allowing my feet to dangle an inch above the water. "Well, seeing you almost die made me realize something. I have questions, and if you want to I'd like you to answer them." I swirl my toes in the water and say, "Fire away." She sits down beside me and ask, "I wish to know about your children and mate, would you care to tell me?"
I let out a deep sigh, but answer. "I knew him since we were children, it only seemed natural we'd become mates. Eventually we had children, twins. Then, I found out I preferred the touch of a woman. He got rather upset, even accused me of leading him on. Then, one day I woke up and he'd taken the kids and left. I found them, but it was years later. By then he'd told them so many lie about me they hated me, and wanted me gone. I was a coward, I ran away to Skyrim. Then, I was caught poaching and so on and so forth." Legate Rikke is silent for a few moments, then she pats me on the shoulder and says, "I never would have left you. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out you preferred the touch of a woman?"
I chuckle and say, "I sort of always knew, ever since I was a young adult. But, my parents would have been furious. I was their only child and my mother would have mourned 'the end of her bloodline', and my father always despised those different from him. Then, they fled to Cyrodiil to escape the Thalmor and I realized I could bed a woman and not get scowled. Finally, I got the never to hire a whore to bed me and I realized I don't care what people think of who I'm pleasured by." Rikke allows a silence to stretch on before asking, "Is there a woman you're fighting for?"
I shake my head and say, "I wish, but no. Unless you count the whores in Solitude's brothel." Rikke throws her head back and laughs, when she calms down she says, "Why isn't there a lucky lady?" I shrug and say, "I'm a khajiit, maybe women find me less approachable than other people. Not to mention," I point to my face and reveal my fangs in a toothy smile, "I don't think many women want to kiss someone with a face like this." Rikke cocks her head, before leaning closer to me. The kiss is soft and sweet, the last thing I expected from Rikke. When she finally pulls back she says, "I don't think it's that bad, it's actually quite enjoyable."
"Rikke-" I start to say something, but I'm cut off by Rikke's lips once again capturing mine. We're pulled apart and thrown into the pond by a charging horse, a hooded woman riding the stallion. "BITCH!" Rikke yells at the retreating woman. I've no armor so I'm wearing a ragged robe, which is now soaking wet. Rikke notices my attire, looks away blushing, and says, "Let's go change, we'll die of frostbite if we don't get dry." We all but run back to our tent, dodging the soldiers. When we arrive at our tent I quickly peel off the soaking clothes and change into a new robe, Rikke dons a new set of armor. After we're changed we quickly climb into our beds. As I fall asleep I lightly touch my lips, remembering Rikke's kiss.
Nameless POV:
"BITCH!" I smile when I hear Rikke yell after me, satisfied that I kept my wife from being taken by that savage of a woman. I quickly ride back to my tent, tie my horse, and slink into my bed. "How'd it go?" My sister ask me. "Wonderful, they're both soaked and distracted." My sister cocks her head and says, "So they're both wet?" I nod and she says, "Won't they need to get undressed? In their shared tent, in front of each other?" I wave my hand and say, "Nothing will happen." She lies down and says, "You're a lot calmer than me, I'd be terrified." I push myself up and ask, "Why?" She shrugs and says, "Well they kissed, so they know they like each other. And, your wife usually has fur to cover her privates, but now the fur's all wet and Rikke will see her breast as clear as day. Rikke is headstrong and pushy, she might want to skip courting and get straight to fingering your wife." I stand up and tell her, "For once you said something smart, don't do it again." I push myself out of the tent and begin running towards my wife's tent, hoping to find them asleep.
Dovahkiin POV:
I once again slink away from the camp, my hunger demanding I hunt. I quickly take my beast form, this time there's no pain or waiting. A strange scent catches my attention, but when I follow it I can't find my prey. The scent ends behind a large rock close to where I underwent my transformation, and there's no prey to be seen. I huff in anger, but find another scent to follow. I can only hope I find more prey, my stomach is roaring in hunger.
Nameless POV:
As soon as my wife's gone I deactivate my Shadow Stone Blessing and slink back into the camp, making sure no one sees me. A smile splits my face as I walk towards Rikke's tent, surely the gods must favor me. Why else would I get the perfect weapon to stop my wife from loving that savage? Rikke nearly falls out of her bed when I kick her in the ribs, but manages to stay on and glare at me. "What in Oblivion do you want?" She snarls as she sits up. "I know who the werewolf is."