Snow Hunt

The two she-wolves skirted the outer walls of the city as the sun set behind the mountains. The auburn

wolf led quietly and confidently past a guard outpost. In the dimming light, the beasts moved unseen by the men stationed there. Sivanna puffed her chest with excitement at the danger, knowing that even if the guards were lucky enough to spot her, she was fast enough to escape them. She wondered though, how far Aela's hunting grounds were. Sivanna could see a pine forest ahead, and realized that they would be hunting in the trees instead of the plains. Snow blanketed the ground there, and pillowed on tree branches. The sharpness of the cold reached her nose, along with the scent of wild game and snowberries.

Aela huffed, coming to a stop and nosing the ground. Sivanna trotted to her side, noticing the fresh trail that her companion had picked up on. She scented the air above the tracks, it's a troll! Sivanna had never hunted a troll, in truth, she had always avoided the creatures. Aela panted excitedly, tail wagging as she met Sivanna's eyes. The auburn wolf licked her chops, jerking her head toward the forest and Sivanna hurried after her.

Keeping her nose close to the ground, Aela followed the trail quickly. It did not take the two of them long to find their prey. An ill tempered frost troll was just ahead of them. It had bristled, cobweb colored hair, four deep black eyes, and half rotted yellow fangs that jutted from its mouth. He stood on two legs, knobby limbs covered in scars and warts. His massive hands had wide claws that could undoubtedly kill with one well placed slash. The creature beat his fists against his chest and roared a warning at the two wolves who disrupted his berry-fest. Sivanna bared her teeth and flattened her ears against her head, hackles rising. Aela bayed at him, mouth gaping, her chin tucked low. The troll came at them, its black eyes focused, drool dripping from its yellow fangs, knuckles scraping the ground in haste.

Aela ran to meet him, darting close and taking its ankle in her mouth. She yanked hard, blood spraying the white snow as the creature fell. It screamed furiously, lifting itself immediately. The auburn wolf loped back to Sivanna's side lazily as the troll limped after her. Sivanna cocked her head at Aela, wondering why she hadn't finished him off. Aela simply sat down, panting slightly, looking from the troll to Sivanna.

I see! Sivanna thought, you wish for me to kill it! Sivanna moved in front of Aela, blocking the troll's view of his assailant. She licked her chops and bared her fangs, growling deeply. The beast raged at her flinging itself on top of her. The beast raised a hand to bring down on Sivanna's head, but it had no match for her speed. She took his arm in her teeth and locked her jaws, feeling the bone crunch under the pressure. A shriek of pain sounded from the troll as he struggled to shove Sivanna's mouth open. Blood was running down her neck and onto the snow beneath her, its scent making her wild with the hunt. She moved deftly from under the creature, keeping her jaws clamped shut on his arm all the while. Sivanna shook her head vigorously, causing the troll to shriek once more.

She let him loose then, just in time for Aela to leap on top of him, crushing his windpipe with her fangs. The two wolves panted heavily for a moment, as the troll struggled to breathe, and finally stilled. Whit the hunt over, Aela and Sivanna howled in triumph. They ate their fill before starting the trek back to Whiterun. She glanced at Aela, her muzzle was crimson with blood that ran down all the way to her fore paws. Sivanna guessed that she looked even worse off, she could feel the blood freezing on the sides of her neck where it had run down back as she was laying on the ground.

Sivanna whined softly and rolled herself in the snow, trying to rub off some of the blood. Aela cocked her head and barked, turning away from the trail home. The auburn wolf barked once more and flicked her ears heading out again, seemingly wanting Sivanna to follow. She scampered after her, not wanting to be left behind. Aela led them away from the snow, to a slow flowing river. She waded in the waters, the blood dissipating down the current as she went. Sivanna made her way into the frigid water, shaking her fur to rid herself of the red mess. The cold stabbed at her, making her homesick for Jorrvaskr's warm fires and soft beds.

As soon as they were both clean, the she-wolves set off toward home at a quick pace. Aela led them to a bridge next to the city, where apparently she had hidden some extra armor for times like these. Sivanna marveled at the cleverness of such an act as the beast within her receded. The armor that she was given was the same as Aela's, Sivanna felt honored to be given the opportunity to don the same armor as the great huntress. They dressed silently, on the off chance that someone was crossing the bridge, they did not fancy being found half naked. Her muscles felt sore from the hunt and the cold, she was thankful to have Aela and her resourcefulness.

Aela sighed contently. "I needed that. A good hunt is like nothing else, wouldn't you say?"

Sivanna smiled, nodding. "Aye, my body feels sore, but my soul feels lighter."

"The sun will be rising soon, we should hurry back." the huntress said, eyeing the horizon.

They climbed the bank and followed the path back to Whiterun's stables, where they encountered an unexpected pack member. Sivanna spotted Farkas speaking to the stable master, holding the reins of a horse. Briefly, Sivanna thought of turning back the way they had come and sneaking through the underforge instead, but Sivanna remembered Vilkas telling her that The Companions were not cravens. She sighed and readied herself for the confrontation.

Farkas must have picked up her scent, because he lifted his head just as the wind picked up. He smiled, waving as he led the horse towards her and Aela. The horse was large, massive in fact. It was a silver dapple on black stallion, its mane a blend of silver and black. She had never seen such a majestic horse before. It snorted, pawing at the ground as the two she-wolves stopped before it.

"Sivanna, Aela, this is Agnar.", he said, patting the great beast on his neck.

"He's beautiful." Sivanna said with awe.

Farkas chuckled. "He's yours."