The talk with Igmund had gone like Akiseta had expected it would go. Igmund agreed to stand behind whatever she had to do. Akiseta wasn't sure if it was because he considered her a friend, or if he still felt indebted to her. It worked out either way.

After talking with Igmund, she and Serana went into the inn. After getting some soup and drinks, they sat by themselves at a table in the corner. A silence hung between them.

Akiseta hadn't said much to Serana since leaving Helgen, and her silence was enough to let the vampire know not to try and engage in conversation.

Akiseta was still thinking about what Serana had told her back in Helgen. That they couldn't get married, because of a pact her family had made thousands of years ago.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that a pact her parents made so long ago was keeping them from living their lives freely now. It wasn't fair that some thuxis Daedra still had such a hold over Serana like this.

And the fact that Serana had kept this a secret for so long hurt Akiseta deeply. It felt like she'd been lied to all this time.

It added to the frustrations Akiseta had already been dealing with. Between thinking about it, and everything else going on, her mind felt muddled. She needed to clear her head, so she got up.

"Where are you going?" Serana asked.

"I am going out for a bit." Akiseta said pointedly, stressing the 'I'.

"Okay." Serana's voive was soft, and her face fell as she looked down at her cup.

A small pang of guilt struck Akiseta, but she ignored it as she strode off. She wasn't going feel guilty about being upset. She had every right to be upset.

She left the city, walking past Salvius Farm and Left Hand Mine, waving at the miners who saw her. She made her way onto the road. After a bit, she began climbing up the rocky cliffs. Getting to a higher spot, she took off her clothes, and took her werewolf form.

She stretched her limbs a bit, and then climbed up to a higher perch. Looking around, she saw some goats working their way up the cliffs. In the mood to hunt, she crouched onto all fours, and slowly moved towards them.

As she got closer, she pressed herself as close to the ground as she could get. Blades of grass grazed her fur.

She waited a moment, and then shifted her weight to her hind legs before jumping. She sunk her claws into the hindquarters of one of the goats, pulling it off the rocks as the other goat fled in terror.

The goat's panicked bleating was cut off as she bit down on its throat, killing it. She licked the blood off of her muzzle, and then began tearing into the carcass. She tried to forget about her troubles, and just tried to focus on her meal.

She buried her muzzle deep into its side, and ripped out a large chunk of meat. She chewed through most of it, but a shift in the wind gave her pause. She swallowed, and lifted up her head, lifting up her ears.

She sniffed, trying to pull other scents away from the smelf of the goat. Was something there?

Turning her head, she let out a yelp of surprise as something rammed into her. She found herself on her back, looking up at another werewolf. This werewolf looked almost exactly like her. The only differences were the horns, scars, and spiky brow that Akiseta had.

"Enjoying a hunt, Harbinger?" The other werewolf asked.

"I was, Aela. Now let me up." Akiseta told her.

Aela grinned, and let Akiseta get up. Akiseta shook herself off.

"What are you doing out here, Aela?" Akiseta asked.

"I finished a job, and felt like hunting." Aela said, scratching her ear. "Where's Serana?"

"At the inn in Markarth."

"What's wrong?"

"Why assume anything is wrong?"

"You and Serana have been attached at the hip for over a year. You've rarely been apart from each other. You went on this little mission together, yet you're out here, and she's not. So, what's wrong?"

Akiseta looked away from Aela, turning her gaze to the remains of the goat carcass instead.

"Aki, talk to me. Please." Aela insisted.

Akiseta sighed. "Serana found the ring, before I had a chance to propose."

Aela tilted her head. "What did she say?"

"She said.. she said that we can't get married."

"Can't? What do you mean?"

Akiseta told Aela everything Serana had told her. All the feelings she'd been trying to shove down came back up. and by the end of her explanation, she felt tears prick at her eyes.

"A year.. she had a whole year to tell me this." Akiseta whimpered, feeling the tears start to fall. "It's not fair." She cried.

She lowered herself to the ground, closing her eyes, and burying her snout under her arm. After a moment, she felt a warm, furry body press against her, and a head rest on top of hers. She let Aela stay beside her as she cried.

After a while, Akiseta lifted her head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Aki." Aela told her. "You have every right to be upset."

Akiseta started to speak, but a scent caught her attention. She stood up, sniffing the air. Aela joined her, looking around.

Akiseta heard a scraping sound, and jumped back as something leapt at her. The creature stood up on it's hind legs, snarling. It was roughly her heigh, and muscular. It had a lion-like appearance, a shaggy mane encirling its head, an indication it was male.

The werelion lunged at her, and she narrowly avoided his claws. He spun around, and jumped to the side to avoid Aela's fangs. The werelion's claws were shorter that her and Aela's, but he was faster. He leapt around them, avoiding their claws and teeth.

The werelion scratched Akiseta across the face, making her yelp. As she recoiled, he rammed into her, shoving her near the edge of the cliff. Her hind paws slipped over the edge, and she started to fall, just barely managing to grab the edge with her front paws. She dug her claws into the dirt.

The werelion dug his claws into one of her arm, making her let out a pained growl. He snarled, and raised another paw, as if to strike her, but he was grabbed by Aela, who pulled him away.

Akiseta pulled herself up, and saw Aela and the werelion fighting. The werelion pinned her, and bit into her shoulder, making her yelp in pain.

Akiseta snarled, and lunged at the werelion. She bit into his mane, making him roar, and pulled him off. Aela got up, and grabbed the other part of his mane. Together, the two of them dragged him to the cliff edge.

He managed to shake himself free, but a harsh smack from Akiseta sent him over the edge. She watched him fall, and hit the ground below, landing at an odd angle. He didn't get up.

"What in Oblivion was a werelion doing here?" Aela asked, panting. Blood dripped from gashes down her sides, and the teeth marks in her shoulder.

"I.. I don't know." Akiseta said, panting as well. "But I don't like this."

She'd seen a few werebears before, but the only time she'd seen a werelion was in Cyrodiil. They weren't to be found in Skyrim, not normally. For one to not only be in Skyrim, but to just happen to have come across her? It didn't strike her as coincidental.

They changed back to there normal forms, and Akiseta healed their wounds. Aela dug some clothes out of her satchel while Akiste retrieved hers from where she'd left them. After getting dressed, they headed back to Markarth.

Serana waited at the table, tapping her fingers on the table. She glanced at the door every now and then.

'I suppose I shouldn't be upset that she wanted to be away from me.' She thought. 'I don't want to be around me right now either.'

Guilt had been eating at her since leaving Helgen. She couldn't get the hurt she'd seen in Akiseta's eyes.

She knew she should have told Akiseta everything a long time ago. But it wouldn't change how things were. It wouldn't have made things any easier.

She heard the door opne, ans saw Akiseta walk in follwed by Aela. They both took notice of her, and while Akiseta headed into their room, Aela joined her at the table.

"What brings you to The Reach, Aela?" Serana asked her.

"A job." Aela replied. Her tone was a little harsher than usual.

"Is something wrong?"

"Akiseta told me what you told her back in Helgen."

"Oh. Listen-"

"How could you not tell her?" Aela questioned, keeping her voice low.

"It's not a simple thing, Aela." Serana said, also talking quietly.

"Look, Akiseta may not fully understand being involved in the Daedric world, but I do."

"Hircine and Molag Bal are vastly different. The Blood Moon is nothing compared to what Molag Bal would do if I went against the pact."

"Can't you get out the pact?"

Serana stiffened. "No."

"Are you sure? Maybe there's a way you can."

"I can't."

"Serana, this is important for Akiseta. If you would just try-"

"I can't." Serana insisted, a tight feeling settling into her chest. "I can't, okay?"

Aela scowled. "After everything Akiseta has done for you, after everything she went through for you, you won't even try to do one thing for her?"

"It's not that simple!" Serana snapped, fighting to keep her voice low. "If I could do it, I would. But I can't."

"Is everything okay?" Akiseta asked, coming over.

"Yes, Harbinger. I was just leaving. I'll see you two later." Aela said, getting up and leaving.

"What were you two talking about?" Akiseta asked.

"Nothing."

"Is that true, or are you keeping more from me?"

"Aki-"

"We've got things to do." Akiseta said, handing her her bag.

Serana sighed as she took her bag. She followed Akiseta to the carriage, where they one again sat in silence.

Serana thought about what Aela had suggested, breaking the pact. She would do it if she could, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

'But, to even consider trying, I'd have to.. I'd have to face.. him. And I can't. I can't do it.'

A/N: We aren't ever really shown what werelions look like. I figure the males would get a mane. Also, I know werebears didn't actually appear in-game until the Dragonborn DLC, but in the lore, it says they can be found in Skyrim.