Chapter 21 – Savage

Z expected a frail being behind the chained door, judging by the sluggish attempts on the multiple chains he bound the door with and his babbling. She expected many things from such a being, caution and weapons with traps. It was how she would act in such a situation, but she soon found she held the man in too high a regard.

When the door was opened she gazed into bright blue eyes. The man was bald, wrinkled as a dried raisin. His skin was pale, with grime on his bald head. His brow was high and light, his eyes sunken and his cheeks hollowed with age. His beard was white with traces of blonde at the end. His nose was large, as were his wrinkled ears. His body was frail, dressed in a white shirt and dark brown pants like a miner.

"Delphine is alive?" he asked in shock, Z nodded as she began to step in. She lowered her eyes down to the beaten man before her. Ideas flashed in her mind as she let a cruel smile show, reaching her nose in the snarl it became. The man winced as she bent down and gripped the man's collar. She looked up to the frail old man with a sudden fury.

"If you want to remain undiscovered you better help" she whispered loudly, in her most intimidating voice as she bent her knees to squat beside her victim.

"You'll have to speak up. I'm a little deaf in my right ear" the man replied, cupping his ear and looking genuinely confused. After a moments harsh scrutiny Z decided he was being honest and growled under her breath.

"If you don't get out the way you're going to lose your right ear" her threat obviously reached his left ear because the frail old man leapt to help.

…..

"The night mother. Sithis came to her and bore her five sons. She killed them in his name. But did she kill them at birth? Or did she allow them to age before she committed a true sacrifice to the Dread Lord Sithis? She allowed the boys thirty years of life, each bore a child as pale as the snow with a soul darker than midnight. She slaughtered her children in Sithis' name, before her grandchildren. So she bound the curse of the hand, of the blood five"

Z took a gulp of air as she woke; sweat covering her body which was stripped down. She looked around the room and quickly realised she was not in her own bed, or in Farkas' room. She tilted her head and saw books. She stood up, finding a glass dagger as she walked around to stare at a door, covered in chains. She heard a cough and leapt, pinning her enemy against the wall with a loud crash. She placed the dagger against his throat, panting heavily from the rush of shock she had received. She felt a bony shoulder beneath her left hands grasp, not the muscle she had expected of another assassin. She paused, tilting her head as she gazed through unseeing eyes.

"Kill him. Please the Dread Lord" The voice again, Z shook. She fought the urge to kill, something wasn't right here. The dagger fit her palm too well, it was not her own however. It wasn't at all awkward in her hand, truth be told she felt at complete ease with the weapon, as if it was an extension of her own arm.

"Tata come visit again or I'll pluck out your eyes" a manic voice followed by laughter. Z grinned, feeling the laughter in her body as she tilted her head the other way.

"Oh, such a shame. Aww well, should you kill him… The answer is cheese!" the voice continued. Z growled softly, confused at her own hesitation. She eventually started thinking, ignoring the manic and sweet whispering and used her own voice. The shoulder was frail. Frail old blue eyed Nordic male. Riften sewers. Thalmor…

"Valore" she snarled, not even recognising the blood dripping from her tone. The body tried to cower away from her into the wall as Z took a calm step back and growled furiously like an animal caged against its will.

She began to walk away, towards her armor which was stacked neatly at the foot of the bed. She was glad she already had her leather pants on as she pulled the second layer of leather over, strapping the dark metallic fronts to her thighs to knee where a joint was placed in the metal before she strapped it to her shins and pulled her boots on, admiring how the armor attached to her boots. She took her foot down from the bed and put the other one up, grinning as the metal collided with the leather edging that made it silent. She bound the metal to herself quickly, suddenly wondering where this armor had come from. She paused, realising it was not her own and yet it fit perfectly. She turned her eyes to the elderly man.

"Where did this armor come from…" she paused, clicking her fingers in thought. The name eluded her even now. She had not asked the man's name, she had almost killed him. Stood before him in leather pants and a breast band while holding a dagger to his throat and she had no idea who he was, only that he knew a Blade.

"Esbern. Someone dropped it off for you. They left a note" the man replied with a thoughtful expression. Z was silently shocked that the suspicious Esbern had even let this person in, let alone accepted armor from them. Still, she turned and took the note from Esbern and read the single word written on it.

Solitude

Z didn't speak as she lifted the gauntlets; she froze as she stared at them. Recognition flooded through her body as she placed them on the bed and looked to the dagger. She froze, lifting it to the light to see the name engraved into the blade. Astrid. Z's body was alive with savage joy as she lifted the chest piece, admiring how the metal appeared like leather. It was light and sturdy, obviously enchanted for silence. She clipped the breastplate into place before binding it at the sides to hold her back and midriff in place. She then lifted the engraved gauntlets, feeling the whispering power within them as she placed her Dragonborn gauntlets in place and tightened the straps. She stood ready as she turned to the box, seeing the curved blade she desired to see. Her hand shook for a moment as she lifted the blade of woe into her hand. She felt its weight a balance with a pleasure that was unnatural and inhuman. It was better than killing, it was better than any man she had experienced. It was utter euphoria.

"I am complete"

…

When Z had delivered Esbern safely to Delphine she began her journey to Whiterun. Farkas was by her side again; ready for battle or anything else Z could come up with. She had not spoken a word since she retrieved her daggers, yet her silence was not uncomfortable. Farkas seemed to understand, never uttering a word himself. The travel was surprisingly pleasant, Z found herself at ease with Farkas in their silence. She hated it as much as she enjoyed. Her only ease was with Veezara, yet this man she hated provided the same effect as her fallen beloved. Z was not too proud to say she was in love with a dead man, a dead beast no less. She was the shame of Skyrim to many, falling for an equal to a slave or beggar then continuing to love him after death had claimed him and his body had returned to the earth.

"What troubles you?" Farkas finally broke the silence. Z had to admit, he was very keenly sensed when it came to her. He was also not as stupid as many made him out to be. What could she say though? The truth, he was? Further truth that it was the comfort he gave her. Should she lie? The word nothing formed on her mouth when a shadow flashed across the ground, larger than a hut.

"Dragon!" Farkas cried, pushing Z to the ground as flames rushed for her. She cursed silently as the smell of burnt flesh and steel reached her nose, accompanied by Farkas' agonised scream. Her body ached to help him but her mind was crisp and clear. She blocked the notion of pain from her mind and drew her mismatched daggers, twisting them in her hands as she walked calmly towards the dragon which had landed a small distance away. She sidestepped its flames calmly, never missing a stride as the Dragon suddenly looked fearful.

"Dovahkiin" it snarled, then began to pace backwards quickly. Z never changed her gait as the dragon became caught in the trees it had backed into. Its huge wings flapped and it averted its gaze to begin freeing itself, it was then Z ran. She didn't even cry as she slashed it across the nose, ducked a bite and placed her foot on its fangs. She then drove her daggers into its flesh and pulled herself free from its jaw to lock her legs around its nose spike. The Dragon roared and raised its head up, bellowing flames. The flames were cut as a cry came from Farkas, Z dared not look but she knew that Farkas had driven his blade into its throat. Weight pulled the Dragon's skin taught as Farkas held his blade with both hands, buried to the hilt in the Dragon's flesh. His weight tore the blade down, releasing a crimson cascade as his feet finally found ground. Z dared flip off the dragon, landing with her back to the flaming mass.

She cried silently in pain as the soul flowed into her. She had never heard of Dovahkiin feeling anything but pleasure from absorbing anothers soul, but for Z it was agonizing. She would collapse, she was positive she would. Her balance wavered and her sight was nothing but blackness, her mind absorbing the information from the Dragon, decoding what it could for her to understand. She staggered, trying to find her balance. Why couldn't she find it?

She froze as she felt the steel hands around her arms. Z couldn't help stagger forwards, finding herself pushing into Farkas. She gasped loudly, cursing her poor luck as she felt the dragon haze flood from her system. It was like a film of black drained from her eyes, granting her the vision into Farkas' moonlit eyes among the red of dragons blood. His face and chest were covered, yet his eyes shone so clearly it almost hurt. Z could taste the dragons blood, feel Farkas' body warmth even through his steel protection, she could see his eyes wide and bright as ever yet darkening with something beyond human lust. There was something animal there she longed to see again and yet feared the consequences of its reappearance.

It was so easy. She could so easily claim him for a short time. Everything screamed for action over control. Her blood pumped, her head pounded from the knowledge it was storing away. Her senses were in overdrive, she could even smell Farkas beneath everything. God she hated this man for been so tempting, yet so incredibly stupid.

"This is like some Sithis cursed romance novel some priest of Mara would write" Z cursed in her mind as she pushed Farkas back softly but with enough force to say she wanted her own space. Farkas clanked as he took a step back, clutching at his burnt side with a yelp that was so high pitched that it made Z jump. It was something you would expect out of a wolf pup not a Warrior.

"He is both" Z noted with amusement. She paused, placing her hand over his wound with a grim expression. Farkas yelped loudly and leapt from her touch like it was fire. She didn't speak a word as she took her cloak and bound his side. Then she walked away, slower than usual. She felt another full moon coming soon, but she didn't take notice. She decided to tell him, everything about her past. It was foolish, too fast for any normal relationship. She would ask Aela about that later, but she believed he deserved honesty. He had after all tried to save her life almost at the cost of his own.

"Thank you" she finally whispered. She looked to Farkas and saw the shock in his eyes but it didn't reach his soft expression. Z smiled shyly, knowing she was showing her dimples as Farkas spoke gently.

"You're welcome"

….

Z pulled the last of her armor free, leaving a shirt on over her leather pants. Her armor were strapped to a mannequin she had bought, holding her armor on display before her bed. She pushed the mannequin back into the cupboard and wrung her hands nervously. She didn't understand why she was so nervous; she was finally able to pin it down. She would be made vunerable before an animal, a Werewolf. She was going to be the perfect prey. With a swallow she opened her door and walked the empty halls, walking towards the main hall where Farkas waited in the late hours of the night when the Companions slumbered.

…

"You're a weak coward" Farkas snarled, pushing her back as Z stared in disbelief. She had told him everything, instead of the reactions she expected, repulsion and fear she was met with accusation and anger.

"It was what I was trained for" She replied, her voice void of all emotion. She felt her body pulsing with rage, yet she couldn't unleash it. Somehow she knew the time was not right, the moon was not high.

"Your family were all weak cowards. They died the death they deserved!" Farkas whispered in a voice that drove to Z's heart, and added another crack to what was already broken.

Z lunged at Farkas, pushing him backwards over the table with a snarl. He looked terrified. He had just insulted her family; he had just told her what an animal she was. He had made her a slave to him, bound their wolves together. He had put her down, calling her weak and cowardly, yet he couldn't help pant with the arousal coursing through his body as Z sat over him.

"You want an animal Farkas?" she hissed at him, her eyes so dark in their perfection, the black band thickening, almost consuming the shining midnight blue. Farkas swallowed as she knotted her fingers roughly through his hair, then forced her hand back. Farkas was stuck, his neck bent over the table as Z pinned him, throat open to her abuse or dagger if she wished. He was helpless in the face of the furious assassin. There was no escape.

"An animal would tear your throat out" Z's breathing was ragged, changing suddenly as she leaned down. She planted savage bites down his neck, drawing blood. It was pure pain, yet something made writhe beneath her. Not out of pain, but longing. Z was trying to show she was the alpha, a challenge with promising reward if he could just break free. His hands were trapped by her knees. He couldn't defend.

"An animal would show no control" Z added in her cool tone, the blood running down her face and her enraged breathing however made her purely frightening as she took her hand to his armour, then savagely tore at it. It came free, Z's force throwing it to the floor with a loud clang. Farkas struggled as Z simply tore his armour from him like a woman possessed, a sabre cat would have been relieved of its pelt.

"I am an animal aren't I?" Z began taunting, leaning off Farkas with a triumphant smirk looking down the stripped down Farkas, remaining in the clothes he wore beneath his armor. He stared at her, fear shone clearly in his eyes. She loosened her hand slightly, allowing him to stare up her, his eyes widened when his gaze rested on the poorly clad assassin. Her leather pants were still on but she had remove most of her leather armour, leaving her in a cut up shirt she wore when changing. Z was extremely muscular, he took extra time to notice. Her shoulders rippled, her stomach was toned. He couldn't help think she was perfect. And she was his.

"You're crazy" Farkas commented, Z smiled sweetly. It was so easy to forget how she could switch characters at a single word or phrase.

"It makes you hot and bothered, doesn't it?" Z purred. She was not showing her shy side this night. The moon encouraged her behaviour. Their forced bond only drove her actions with more fury. Farkas was also driven, but the wolf remained silent within. Z's did not. She was the wolf, the wolf was her. She was an animal. The perfect animal.

"I like animals" Farkas tried reasoning with the black eyed Z as she began to twitch her eyes; something was insane about her at this moment. Farkas was intrigued, his view was blocked however as Z tightened her grip on him, his hands were loosened upon, but still trapped.

"You're an animal yourself Farkas… Tell me. What do you want to do?" She grinned, the insane grin that chilled everyone's blood. Farkas was either too brave, or too stupid to fear this side of Z however.

"Let's continue this in my room" he said simply, puffing his chest. Z smiled, tearing aside the cheap shirt he wore beneath his armour.

She had to pause and stare down his body, the hair growing down the middle, lining his abs ever so slightly. He was an unshaven animal, yet he naturally held perfection. Truly the finest creation of a man. Z's breathing hitched for a moment.

"Oh no. Animal's don't care where or when" Z intended to humiliate him, the darkness outside had affected her, as had the full moon. Farkas however simply struggled free, gripping Z in a lock and forcing her face first into the table. He himself had intended to simply escape, but he felt her rump pressing against his aggravated area and suddenly his plan changed.

"You want an animal?" he whispered back into her ear, growling and breathing heavily. Z laughed, driving Farkas even more insane. Z sensed his hesitation as she spun her foot against his calf; he fell heavily over her, his face landed beside her.

"Try it" She growled. There was a promising challenge there as she managed to pull herself free of his hold and once more pin him against the table. This time there was nothing emotional about it; this was a hold because she could. It was not a tease, or something to inspire a lusty response, it simply was to bind him.

He replied by reaching his arm over and grabbing for her, his hold only brushed her thigh before Z's fingers laced in his hair and lifted his head up. She smacked it down into the table without pause, letting Farkas know just how put out she was. On a second thought she smacked his head into the table again, then lifted a plate with her free hand and bent it over his skull for good measure.

"Another night" she almost purred in his ear before she was suddenly gone.

"Farkas? What is this racket?" Aela stormed up the stairs to see him almost naked, bent over a table groaning. She instantly got the wrong idea as several other members came up behind her. Their minds also reached the wrong conclusion.

"Farkas!"

"You have a room!"

"I never want to shake his hand again"

"I never want to eat again!"

The members made their startled cries and fled the scene, never noticing the shadow in the rafters above, grinning savagely.

Farkas let his head fall weakly against the table with another loud groan of pain and irritation.

"Better luck next time, my pet" Z purred before kissing his cheek and vanishing once more.