Dagmvar POV:

I breathe a deep sigh of relief when the last cow is in the pin. Asbjorn is right beside my left side with a bandaged arm, and Valindor is to my right with a cloth to his bleeding head. The rain fizzled out a while ago, and we were finally able to get back to work. The wolves even ran away once Mjoll and her lover started to attack. I'm not sure where the Khajiit and Mjoll are right now, but I have a feeling they'll come back to us. However, right now I need to focus on something else. I turn back towards our path and count the dead cows. We can lose exactly one more before reaching Markarth, or else the dead animals will start coming out of our pocket.

Damn it. I barely have enough to pay the four workers (without getting paid myself) as it is. I can't afford to start having to pay for the cows. I'm about to break down when I hear the thundering of hooves. I look up and expect to see the Khajiit and Mjoll. Instead, I see three iron-clad warriors on gigantic steeds. Oh fuck. I begin to draw my sword and warn the others of bandits, but something happens before I can. The three riders stop and raise their hands above their heads. Thank the gods. They're peaceful. I put my sword up and motion the people forward. They quickly ride up to us. The woman in front is flanked by two men, and all three of them have swords hanging from their belts.

Something tells me these people aren't out here for a friendly chat. What the woman says next confirms my fears. "Have you seen a ugly and dark-furred Khajiit around here? A sister of the temple gave us a special mission, and that cat is required.". My stomach tightens. Something about these people doesn't sit right in my gut. They called the Khajiit a 'cat' and claim a 'sister' of the temple sent them. If a sister sent them, then it would be a peaceful mission. If it's peaceful, then you don't need to be armed and armored. Sure, Skyrim is dangerous, but every single peasant and hunter does fine without a sword. They're lying. They must be. They either intend to hurt the Khajiit, or take something from her.

I'm about to speak when another thought enters my mind. These must be the bandits that attacked her. They must know she's still alive, and must have returned to finish her off. Well, there's no fucking way in oblivion I'm going to turn her over! She might have abandoned me in my time of need, but she's still my friend! She came back for me, and I'm certain she wouldn't turn me in to bandits for her own gain. "No. I haven't seen a Khajiit around here, and I'd appreciate it if you fine gentlemen-". She snarls. "and gentlewoman leave my property. We're herding cows, and we don't need any more riders charging around and spooking them.".

The woman leans in a little and looks me dead in the eyes. I keep my back straight and look straight back at her. I dare you, you damned bitch. I've had Maven Black-Briar's boot digging into my neck as she's looked me in the eyes, and I didn't blink once. She's ten times the woman you'll ever be. I didn't bow to her, and I won't bow to you. The bandit is the first to break. She blinks and slides back into her saddle. One hand rests idly on her lap, and she brings the other into the air. A twitch of her fingers makes my heart stop. For a moment I fear that was her signal to attack, and that we're all going to be ripped to shreds. Then, her men start turning around and I realize she's just leaving.

Oh thank the gods. The gods must hear me and decide I'm a terrible person because they pull down their trousers and decide to piss on me. Mjoll and the Khajiit's voices come barreling through the woods and smash into all of us. "Oh, he talked and he lied and he drank all our mead now it's time that he lied down and learned how to bleed!". Those aren't the words, and it's clear from their wavering voices they're improvising. If they were singing the real song the bandits might keep going, but they aren't singing it right. They're singing an odd version that captures the bandits attention, so their leader does something that terrifies me.

She clicks her tongue and her men stop moving. I open my mouth to say something (I'm not entirely sure what) when the Khajiit and Mjoll come out of the trees. Mjoll is carrying the Khajiit on her shoulders, and the Khajiit is raising a dead wolf above her head. All three of them are covered in blood, but you can still tell the Khajiit's fur color. I look back at the bandit. A smile graces her lips and she goes 'hmm'. "So, you haven't seen any Khajiit recently?". Mjoll and her lover stop singing. Mjoll even starts walking over here. When they're standing beside me and facing the bandits the Khajiit puts the wolf down, now it's lying across her back and its head is resting on her shoulder.

"Someone say something about a Khajiit? I'm a Khajiit.". The bandit is looking at her with a cruel glint in her eyes. "So you are.". I try to warn the Khajiit, but it happens too fast. The woman yanks her sword from her belt, points it at the Khajiit, and screams at the top of her lungs. "Attack! Get the thief! Cut her tail off!". Mjoll reacts faster than I thought was possible. She yanks her lover off her arms and chucks her as far away as possible. Unfortunately, she decided to throw in an upwards direction. The Khajiit goes 'rawr' like a cat as she hits a branch in a tree. However, she reacts almost as (if not more) quickly as Mjoll did.

The Khajiit lashes out and her right hand's claws sink into the branch. Now it's Mjoll's turn. She leaps onto the lead bandit's horse, dodges the woman's sword, and grabs the bandit's head. One crack is all it takes for the bandit to fall. The two lackeys scream and charge Mjoll. By now Asbjorn and Valindor have prepared themselves. A twang from Valindor's bow brings down one bandit, and the Khajiit falling onto the other takes care of him. The three riders' horses are quickly tied to trees, a bruise on the Khajiit's ass is mumbled about, and Asbjorn and Valindor's preexisting wounds are taken care of. Then, all of us gather around the bodies.

I'm the first to speak, and it's about something that's bugging me about the situation. I look at the Khajiit and ask, "Why did they call you a thief?". The woman's reaction is one I don't expect. She looks up at me with a smile and tosses the bag off her shoulders at me. When I just stand there she motions for me to look inside. I shrug my shoulders and do as she's commanded. My heart stops at what's inside. The gold. The gold I was trusted to protect and didn't. The gold the Khajiit almost died trying to defend. My friend nearly got killed for this gold, and I'm certain getting it back from the bandits was no easy task. She put her life on the line twice for my livelihood.

My eyes begin to water as I look up at her. "Thank you. Thank you so much. How can I begin to repay you?". She shakes her head and insist, "It's fine. I was the one who lost it, and I got it back. It's like thanking me for putting out a fire I started.". I swallow and prepare to argue with her, but the Khajiit does something before I can start. She kneels beside the bodies and starts looting them. As she does she looks up at all of us. "Don't worry. I'm not taking their clothes or anything. A little bit of the gold is missing, and if they have it I just want to make sure they don't get buried with it. Coin is useless to the dead.". All of us mumble and agree. It only takes the woman a few short seconds before she stands back up and shakes her head.

"Doesn't look like they had any on them. The only place I didn't check was their unmentionables. And, if they're that desperate to take the coin to their graves, then I think I'll let them.". Our group shares a small laugh before we start digging. Afterwards, we take a few moments to get everything settled. We skin and butcher the wolf, set up camp, and tie all of our steeds in one places. Finally, I get a moment to speak with Mjoll and her lover. "So, you two are back?". They both nod and I smile. "In that case, go get some sleep. We have a lot of work to go.". We all smile as we walk off.


Dovahkiin POV:

Mjoll pants and rests her head on my shoulders, and slowly the pleasure leaves both of us. I carefully remove my claws from her bleeding back, and she gently rolls off of me. I wipe my claws on something, then return them to their sheathes. I've barely caught my breath when Mjoll leans over and captures me in another kiss. I smile into her lips and when she pulls back I whisper, "I think I love you.". She rests her forehead against mine and whispers back. "I love you too.". I run my hand up and down her arm and refuse to believe it. "Are you sure? You really think you could love a whore?". Mjoll lets a small chuckle leave her throat as she captures my hand in her own, our fingers intertwining.

"You aren't a whore. You might have been at one point in your life, but you aren't any more. Besides, I'd love you either way. You're a brave and strong woman who's recreated herself multiple times. The world's tried to keep you down, and you refuse to let it. That's true strength, and true beauty.". My face becomes hot as I look away. Meretrix always called me beautiful, but it was only when she was yanking on my tits or my face was buried in her cunt. Meretrix only wanted me because I was the only 'gay for pay' whore in town. Mjoll wants me because she loves me, and my appearance is based on what's inside instead of out.

Mjoll is the kind of person everyone should have. I don't deserve her in the slightest. I'm a damned liar, and I've given her multiple diseases. When I searched the bodies earlier I found two-hundred gold and a note. I pocketed them both. I hid the gold and got rid of the note. The note was from the priestess I stole from. She'd hired some thugs to come beat me and cut off my tail, so I wouldn't steal again. I burned the note the second I got the chance. Another lie. My relationship with Mjoll is built on lies. She says she loves me, but is it true? Does she love me, or just what she thinks I am? I can't take it anymore. She needs to know. I can't bury myself any deeper in shit. I turn to Mjoll and lightly kiss her. "I need to tell you something.".