Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Skyrim, the characters from the awesome mod Skyrim Romance by Maralightfeather, Kaidan 2 by livtempleton, or any other mod-related content referred to in this story. This story is purely fan-made and I only claim ownership of the character I'm playing as.

Update 3/17/2020: I noticed things were really out of order in this chapter so I'm fixing it up too. Sorry about that! I promise I'll try to be more careful with the rest of the chapters moving forward from here!

Chapter 1: The Wolf And The Raven

Noir's POV

It's been almost two weeks now since Delphine asked me to meet up with her back in Riverwood. But honestly, I've never been very good at waiting around, especially if I didn't know how long I was supposed to wait. And since she hasn't shown up yet, at least not since the last time I checked the inn, I figured if Delphine needs my help that badly she can always track me down again while I'm traveling.

Dragons or no dragons I wasn't helping anyone by staying in one place.

To be fair though I didn't plan to travel out this far across Skyrim looking for work, but the bounty letter I picked recently told me to go to Markarth to collect the reward once I had proof that I killed the bandit chief and their comrades who were blocking the road to Dragon's Bridge. Thankfully I was nearly there, but I could sense that there was a nasty rainstorm on its way and I didn't want to get caught in it so I tried to pick up the pace a little...

And before you even ask, no, it's not because I'm a Khajiit and cats don't like to get wet. Its because on dark rainy days like this, I always feel a bit groggy so my senses aren't exactly at their sharpest which could be dangerous with all the Forsworn lurking in the hills of the Reach.

It's on days like this that I really wish my friend Kaidan was still here traveling with me. I missed having someone to talk to and a friend by my side to watch my back. My kind aren't really meant to live alone like this but due to certain...circumstances, I didn't have much of a choice. I could have tried to join one of the caravans I suppose but being a merchant or a caravan guard just wasn't for me. Most of us grew up in a clan or a small tribe even outside of Elsweyr, after all, we're a very social race, so traveling by myself like this is-

My ears suddenly perked up when I heard voices up ahead just across the river, so I slowed down to listen. That's when I heard one of them say, "Oh great, another visitor. I told you we shouldn't have come here! It's way too close to the road..."

"Oh quit complaining!" A female voice replied, "When are we going to find a Shrine of Dibella this close to the village? Besides, if either of them anything funny there's only two of them."

There was a third voice, but compared to their noisy companions they were still trying to keep their voice down to avoid unwanted attention. And to tell you the truth I'm a bit surprised I heard any of them since the rushing water would have normally drowned out their voices entirely. Sadly, the first two people I heard were too busy arguing to notice how loud they were being which caught my attention and I have better hearing than humans.

When I finally spotted the owners of the voices over on the other side of the mist, the first thing I noticed were two male Forsworn and one female. The first one was a male archer with long fiery-red hair, the second was a warrior with short sandy-blonde hair and last member of their hunting party was the female warrior with short brunette hair. And if you're wondering how I knew that these people were Forsworn I've learned over the years how to recognize their warpaint, weapons, and knew that their people prefer to wear fur armor kept in their natural state as much as possible.

As I continued to observe them I noticed another group of people, a pair of everyday hunters judging by their armor which was made of cured leather, standing near the Shrine of Dibella who seemed to be trading furs or something. So that's who they were complaining about earlier, the "unwanted visitors." I also noticed that the man accepting furs was a Bosmer while the other man seemed to be a Nord with light brown hair.

What I found interesting about that though was despite the fact that the latter was glaring daggers at the three Forsworn, almost as if daring them to take a single step closer, they seemed oddly relaxed and from what I could tell had no intention of attacking the two hunters. It was almost as if the Bosmer already knew they could be trusted which is why he pretty much ignored them. So...these Forsworn weren't hostile? That's a first given how most of the Forsworn I've ever met always attack everyone they meet on sight.

Still, if I could convince these Forsworn to let me pass through peacefully too this might be my only chance. Besides, both of their groups were blocking the road anyway. And since this was the only way across the river from here I didn't have much choice but to pass them unless I wanted to turn around and make my way further downstream to find the next closest bridge. By then though night would have fallen and thanks to the thick storm clouds looming above us, not even the twin moons and the stars would be able to guide me to where I needed to go...

On the other hand, the river wasn't that deep so on a normal day I could have swum across as a last resort. After the last storm however the current was too strong, so it would have been a stupid idea for me to try and swim across this time. It also defeats the purpose of trying not to get wet!

Jerking in surprise when another loud rumble shook the air overhead, I took a deep breath and continued walking across the bridge. I wasn't sure what was going on between these two hunting parties, but it seemed safe enough for me to approach them so I kept my daggers sheathed and held my head up high to let them know I wasn't the least bit worried. I might be traveling alone now, but what they didn't know is that I could always Shout them halfway up the nearest cliff if any of them was stupid enough to attack me.

Once I was close enough I could hear more of their conversation as the Nord hunter snarled, "Are you still here? Damn it, can't a man do business without a bunch of skirt-wearing Forsworn breathing down my neck? This guy may say you're harmless but I'm not convinced so keep your distance, got it?"

"Bold words coming from a man who is outnumbered three to one, ranger," the blonde one smirked which only agitated him more.

"Oh shut up! I could take you all on if I had to, but you're in luck because I have somewhere better to be once I'm done here," turning back to the Bosmer who seemed to be getting a little flustered now, the ranger asked, "So how about it? Will you give me a hundred gold per pelt? They might be a bit damp from the rain but there aren't many tears since it was a clean kill."

"Do I look like I'm carrying that much gold on me?" the elf frowned, sighing, "Look, I can give you at least a hundred and fifty for two of them but that's all I can afford."

"Stingy bastard...ugh fine, guess that will have to be enough to pay for a room in Markarth," the grumpy ranger agreed, handing him the two pelts he was carrying rolled up under his arm and put the remaining one back in his pack.

I shook my head a little as the elf paid him and left because I think the ranger should have tried to at least haggle for some extra supplies if the elf was out of gold, but that's just me. I guess they were too wrapped up in whatever they were doing to notice me either until I announced myself by clearing my throat loudly. That's when the blonde Forsworn and the ranger both turned my way at the exact same time with an all too familiar look of astonishment on their faces the moment they laid eyes on me. Not that I'm surprised, it's the reaction I usually get since most of them have never seen a Dagi-Raht Khajiit.

While most people in Skyrim have seen plenty of other Khajiit traveling across the land, my species of Khajiit is rare even in my homeland like I mentioned once before. I've only met two others who looked like me a long time ago back in my homeland, but here, there was no one else like me. For one thing, the Dagi-Raht look surprising human despite our faces still being covered in a fine layer of fur. That meant that I didn't have the same facial features as the Cathay, who are much more commonly seen across Tamriel. And while most Khajiit have patterns on their fur, mine was pure black aside from the two bright white patches on the back of my ears which my mother used to call my "twin moons," and said they were a sign of good luck.

As for the more basic part of my appearance, I was wearing a set of leather armor too since I preferred light armor. My current armor was sleeveless though, close-fitting, and came with a matching leather choker and thigh-high boots. I liked it because it was easy to move in this armor, not to mention it was surprisingly comfortable too which was a bonus.

I also had a thin chain-mail tunic on between the fabric of my undershirt and the leather armor for added protection. The only downside to wearing that too was that it could get very cold when the temperature dropped in the colder places in Skyrim which is why I had a spare set of armor in my pack that I normally change into when the weather is cold but there wasn't any time to since I wanted to get to Markarth before nightfall.

Trying to lighten the mood a bit when my intrusion put them on edge I laughed and asked them playfully, "What's wrong? Never seen a Khajiit before?"

"Of course we have, although I must admit I've never seen one quite like you before," the blonde Forsworn began with a coy smile to match as he took a few steps closer to me, his sky blue eyes shining with curiosity and a hint of distrust. "Tell me, why did you approach us so casually? Don't you realize that we are Forsworn and could easily tear you apart at a moment's notice? But I suppose given how your people are often treated by the Nords, perhaps we are more alike than you think..."

For some reason a small shiver ran up my spine when he said that because the truth is I actually did believe we had a bit in common since I grew up in a tribal setting, but I ignored it and replied, "Well for one thing, I overheard your friends arguing while I was getting ready to cross the bridge and from what I could tell, aside from having a difference in opinion, you and your comrades seemed a lot more willing than most of the Forsworn I've met to let travelers pass by unharmed..."

"I could tell who you were right away but, there's something different about you so I decided to take a risk and see if you would let me pass through here too. Beats having to find another way across further down the road. Besides, the fact you're even talking to me instead of trying to skin me alive says a lot. True it might be a clever ruse, but it's still a welcome change," I smiled genuinely.

Startled by my answer, he chuckled to himself and said, "Hmm, now this is unexpected. I didn't expect to hear such an honest answer from someone like you, nor that I would have the honor to meet someone so open-minded here in Skyrim. And if I may be so bold it is clear to me that you are no ordinary traveler. You speak as if you are one of us and not as a Khajiit. And from what I can tell you are well versed in our ways and seem to also be traveling alone much like that ranger over there, which means you are either very brave, capable, or otherwise foolish. Or perhaps this is a clever trap to capture my interest in beautiful women. If so..." he whispered softly, leaning in closer with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "...I approve."

"Oh please..." the ranger scoffed before I could respond, rolling his eyes. However, I was too busy blushing to really notice he was still there watching us as my tail began twitching uncontrollably.

Thank the Gods no one could see me blush like you can with other races thanks to my dark fur, but still, the way my ears folded back shyly was probably a dead giveaway to how embarrassed I was by that comment since I don't exactly hear it very often. "I...um, I mean thank you. That's very kind of you to say..."

"Saying that speaking the truth is a kindness only proves the folly of this world," he lamented before clearing his throat and finally introducing himself with another gentle smile as he bowed slightly. "But where are my manners? My name is Cael, though many in the Reach have come to know me as the Raven of the Reach. And you are?"

"My name is...Noir," I replied, momentarily distracted by sound in the distance that caught my attention and made my ears reflexively perk back up as I tilted one further back to pinpoint it again. I knew perfectly well that I could have just been hearing things, but my animal instincts were warning me that something was wrong and I also had a bad feeling I knew what that sound was...

"That's a weird name even for a Khajiit. What does it mean?" the red-haired Forsworn asked me, watching my movements carefully when he noticed the sudden change in my body language and began reaching for his bow.

Tilting my head slightly to the left I answered off-handedly, "It means 'night sky' in some long-forgotten language so I've been told..."

"Oi, ladyship? You ok? These Forsworn making you nervous? I can come over to rescue you at any time if you want," the ranger asked, sounding like he was half-serious half-joking.

"Ugh, why is HE still here? I thought you had somewhere "important" to be wolf-boy!" the female Forsworn mocked, glaring icily at him.

"Well, being the upstanding guy I am, I can't very well leave a lady alone in the presence of a bunch of bloodthirsty savages now could I?" he began with a sly grin, "Now why don't you be a good girl and run along home or wherever in Oblivion you people came fro-!?"

"Shit, I knew that wasn't thunder!" I hissed, drawing my daggers which made the rest of them instinctively draw their weapons too. But since I didn't want them to misunderstand why I unsheathed them I shouted, "There's a dragon heading this way! Get ready everyone!"

"Wait, what!? Are you fucking serious? How can you tell-" the ranger asked as he notched an arrow, searching the skies for any signs of it like the others. Then there was an earth-shattering roar and the sound of wings fast approaching reached us as a dark shape broke through the clouds and dove straight for us.

We all staggered back a bit from the sheer force of the wind and when I looked up one of its wings had clipped the statue of Dibella. Too bad it the heavens decided this was the perfect time to pour down on us too which would make this fight more difficult if we couldn't even see the damn dragon. But if we were lucky, that went both ways. And while this actually isn't the first dragon I've ever fought, none of them knew who I really was just yet so all I could do was use my experience fighting these creatures to help make sure we all survived this. They'd thank me for it later and at least I gave them a fair warning that it was coming so there was still time for them to escape if they decided this was too much for them to handle...

The people of Helgen weren't so lucky.