Ariella and Vilkas had to keep the horn well hidden from the other companions. This journey had been much shorter than the last, but now they intended to stay in Jorrvaskr for a short while before making the journey up to High Hrothgar again.

It just meant the horn needed to be kept safe and out of the sight until they left once more. Since Ariella was in the whelp room and Farkas was always barging into Vilkas' room when he wasn't there Kodlak's room seemed like the most logical choice.

Kodlak had placed it in one of his more personal chests, one no one would dare go through.

Ariella had also decided that before she went to High Hrothgar she wanted to know more about dragons and how she was going to deal with the situation.

They had arrived back in the middle of the day and they were resting after a morning of walking. They sat against a wall in the court-yard enjoying the sun. It was a rather nice day.

Ariella had a book rested in her lap and Vilkas couldn't read the text on the page. Although Ariella did read it she read it more slowly than normal. Vilkas was reading a book on the Companions, he felt like he should have been helping her and reading a book on dragons but she encouraged him to pick up this particular book.

There was a warm breeze, the weather uncharacteristic for Whiterun.

"It's like a winter's day in High Rock." Ariella said stretching out in the sun.

"I'd hate to see a summer's day." Ariella laughed, in truth Vilkas couldn't really imagine what hot weather would be like. It never got much hotter than it was now, only in Falkreath the weather felt hotter, it wasn't much warmer but a sticky kind of warm that Vilkas always hated. He wondered if that was what a Summer's day in High Rock was like.

"Ah it's not too bad most of the time." She dismissed his concern.

"There you two are." Aela said walking up to them. "If you two are sticking around in Whiterun for a bit, we have some jobs that need doing."

"Aela we just got back." Vilkas said, raising an eyebrow. The expression on Aela's face saying she should not be trifled with today.

"I know that, ice brain." She snapped curtly. "Tomorrow of course. I'm not an idiot. Just making sure you two aren't running off again too soon, we have jobs around here to do as well."

"Well we'll come to you first thing tomorrow."

"You'll come to me. Ariella goes to Kodlak." The huntress walked away without another word, but the orders were clear.

"I wonder what put her in such a sour mood." Ariella simply shrugged.

Aela was absent from dinner. Presumably choosing the hunt over eating with the other Companions. She used to do that quite often after fights with Farkas, but all that happened before Ariella had arrived. Vilkas wondered what had upset the huntress so.

She was well-known for her ability to hold a grudge and her anger was always something that took a long time for her to get over. Vilkas wondered what happened or who wronged her in such a way.

Ariella was talking with Skjor and Kodlak over dinner and Vilkas had tried chatting with Farkas. Farkas had been unusually quiet and after eating little he left for his room.

Vilkas was pondering about what could have upset his brother so much. Ria tried starting a conversation with him but she was easily dismissed. After Vilkas finished his meal he got himself another helping of soup, some bread and went downstairs.

Nothing made Farkas more grumpy than an empty stomach after all.

Vilkas knocked on his brother's door and waited a moment before opening it. Usually he never would have knocked or waited, but something was clearly bothering him.

"Vilkas." Farkas sounded oddly surprised; Vilkas raised a brow and closed the door behind him.

"You didn't eat much." Vilkas noted, handing the soup over to his brother. Farkas was seated at his little bar, half a bottle of mead in. Vilkas glanced at the wastebasket, one mead and a half in.

"I'm not all that hungry." Farkas said. Vilkas sat on a stool across the bar from Farkas, his brother handing him a bottle of mead.

"You can't fool me that easily. Eat up." Vilkas laughed, opening his bottle. Farkas made a face but started eating. After he was almost halfway through Vilkas spoke.

"So what's the matter, brother?" Farkas dropped his shoulders and then shook his head.

"I don't even know." Farkas said between mouthfuls of food.

"What happened?" Farkas finished his soup and pushed the bowl away slightly. Vilkas waited, Farkas would tell him in his own time.

"Well last night Aela and I decided to head down to the Bannered Mare for some drinks." Vilkas nodded. Odd that he and Aela would be going out together; only a few months ago the two would have slit each others throats if left alone together. "We were drinking and I ended up sleeping with some woman, a barmaid or stable hand… something."

"The problem?" Farkas was never one to feel anything over flings like that. Which is what Vilkas assumed it was; especially considering he didn't seem to know her name.

"The problem is I didn't want to."

"Sleep with her?"

"Exactly. While I was there with Aela we were talking and everything was fine. That woman came over and I didn't want to do anything with her. Then, I started hearing his voice…" Vilkas raised an eyebrow, but waited patiently for Farkas to finish. "It told me she was… ready for me, she was aroused by the thought of me. I haven't been with a woman for so long. I gave into the voice, made my leave with Aela, went out the backdoor with the woman and against the wall-"

"Ah." Vilkas had to cut Farkas off before he got into the details. Vilkas already knew Farkas would have just had the woman against the wall outside of the Bannered Mare; he had done it before... many times. "That'll be your wolf."

"R-really?" Farkas slumped further.

"Aye, I hear it often. They're all quite similar, very primal." Vilkas commented.

"I don't know how to handle it." Farkas sighed. "I'm weak willed."

"You get used to it. It becomes easier to ignore the wolf."

"But I gave in!" Farkas said.

"Well all do at times, brother. Besides how long had it been since you were last with a woman? A few months?" Vilkas actually almost remembered the exact day. It had been just over a week before Ariella arrived. "Don't be too hard on yourself about it."

"I suppose that's why I feel so guilty about it then…" Vilkas was curious but chose not to comment. Why would Farkas feel guilty? Yes he had given into his wolf slightly but his actions were completely normal and in his usual behaviour.

Vilkas shook his head, perhaps he didn't know his brother as well as he thought he did.

"How do you deal with the wolf?" Farkas asked after a lapse of silence. "I imagine around Ariella it'll be hard."

Vilkas didn't get defensive as he normally would around others. Farkas was his brother, his twin, they should know everything about each other. Besides Vilkas knew Farkas could keep a secret, at least for a short time. "It's not always easy, but sometimes when I'm around her the beast just… goes away."

"That's what normally happens when…" Farkas started. "Never mind."

"But sometimes the wolf is… aggressive and I have to back off for a bit. Keep my distance, you know?"

"You saying you get close other times?" Farkas waggled his eyebrows and Vilkas could feel himself slowly turning red. "I knew it! Aela owes me twenty septims."

Vilkas shook his head at his brother's enthusiasm. Farkas seemed to have forgotten all his worries in the moment. That didn't mean they weren't there; just hidden for a time.

"Don't go 'round telling everyone. Only Kodlak knows." Vilkas said in a low voice.

"The old man knew? And he never even told me?" Farkas feigned offence; he was back to his cheery self.

"Either way, don't feel too bad about giving into your wolf. It happens to the best of us." Vilkas confirmed, his brother nodded at him and in that moment Vilkas had a thought. He dismissed it quickly though. Farkas wouldn't have any idea what was wrong with Aela, much less him be the cause of it.

Unless they had gotten into an argument about the beast blood, something Vilkas would have heard about by now.

"I think I may go to sleep now." Farkas said, he did look tired; not an exhausted kind of tired though… Vilkas didn't understand. He didn't like it when he didn't understand his brother but he let it go. "Besides don't you have a book club to get to?" Farkas winked at him.

Vilkas stood and shook his head. "Goodnight, brother."

"Night, Vilkas."

Aela had given Vilkas job after job. The woman still had no patience and most of his jobs were quick and simple. Despite this he still took his time doing them, wanting to stretch out the times between seeing the Huntress for as long as possible.

Vilkas had still managed to see Ariella a bit during the day. He would often see her around Whiterun as she performed errands for Kodlak. She was doing mostly administration things, like paying bills or collecting orders; small jobs that were boring but most importantly not dangerous.

By lunch Vilkas had already cleaned out a skeever's nest, roughed up some cocky bard and help the Whiterun guards catch a criminal.

He had then stopped keeping track of the jobs he had done.

The sun was a few hours away from setting and Aela had run out of quick jobs to give him. Ariella was still busy helping Kodlak but would occasionally come over and talk with him for a bit.

The second time she went over to him he was sitting outside at a table, enjoying relaxing for a while. She brought a book with her and encouraged him to read it sometime, if not right then.

Vilkas, with nothing better to do started to flip through the pages, another book on the companions. He wondered why Ariella encouraged him to read books on the companions when there was a dragon crisis but chose not to question her good nature.

Vilkas was just getting into the book when Aela ran from around the corner.

"Vilkas, get ready." Her voice was urgent and he jumped to his feet. "Where's Ariella?"

"Downstairs with Kodlak." The Huntress walked into Jorrvaskr and headed straight for Kodlak's room, Vilkas trailed after her. She opened the door without hesitation.

"We need you now, shield-sister."

"Why?" Ariella questioned, Vilkas was just as confused. He lingered behind the Huntress waiting for an explanation.

"A dragon is attacking the West Watch Tower and the Companions have the honour of killing it." Ariella paled. "You two have taken down a dragon before, we need you."

"Uh, Kodlak needs Ariella here, I'll come with you." Vilkas said.

"No. Both of you." Kodlak was silent and Vilkas looked to him for help yet none was given.

"I-I'll come." The Breton got up out of her chair, collected her weapons from her room and then they were off to meet the rest of the Companions at the West Watch tower.