I do not own Elder scrolls. Please enjoy.
-Squirrel
He knew this was a dream.
It was the same this night as it had been every other night with every person in their exact same spot, saying the exact same things, and doing the exact same routine every. Single. Night...but it still felt as fresh to Jorgun as though he were experiencing it for the first time.
He sat in front of a crackling hearth, the warmth of the fire washing over him while its light illuminated the small room, chasing away the shadows into far, dark corners. Often, a cold wind would blow between the cracks in the cabin's walls eliciting an involuntary shiver from the young Nord before pushing himself deeper into the wool blanket draped around his shoulders.
He felt a shift against him and his startlingly blue eyes looked down at the form of his younger brother, Nori. His head rested against his sibling's chest and his breathing was soft, steady and quiet, having fell asleep some hours ago in the comforting grip of his brother.
Jorgun gently rubbed the small of his brother's back, letting out a sigh of content as he simply stared at the dancing flames in the hearth, letting them hypnotize him, stealing away the hours of the night with every flicker, pop and sway.
"Jorgun..." The young Nord tore his gaze away from the fire, settling on the form of his mother who sat away from the flame in her own corner of the cabin, her hands expertly guiding a pair of wooden needles amongst a bundle of dark green yarn, the beginnings of what appeared to be a cloak already starting to take shape.
She looked so peaceful, her voice idly humming a soft melody while her hands continued to work and Jorgun found himself just as entranced by her song as he had been by the flame...till the gentle but stern voice of his mother called out to him again, pulling him out of his stupor. "Jorgun, it's time for bed."
At the mention of bed, the tow headed child let out a wide yawn and nodded in agreement. He was careful as he moved from under his wool blanket, careful not to disturb his younger brother's peaceful slumber till his mother had walked over and gently lifted the younger boy off of Jorgun's chest. He followed his mother over to the bed he shared with his brother, getting himself warm and situated under the covers once his brother had been properly tucked in.
"Where's Da?" The question came suddenly from Jorgun's lips, his wide cobalt gaze looking directly up into his mother's equally blue eyes and at the mention of the Nord's father, and a shadow seemed to pass over the woman's face but only for a moment. A soft smile appeared on the woman's pale features and reached out to brush her sons golden hair with her hand. "He's out hunting, my little bear. He'll be back soon."
The answer seemed to satisfy Jorgun and he snuggled deeper into the warm furs on his bed, shutting his eyes and breathing a relaxed sigh...till he opened them again and looked back up to his mother. "Ma...could you tell me a story?"
The woman couldn't help but chuckle at her child and his insatiable thirst for tales. She gave an exaggerated sigh, turning her head away and staying quiet for a long moment, watching Jorgun from the corner of her vision, the young boy's face pleading and his eyes wide. She eventually gave him a playful smirk and turned her head to face him once more. "Oh alright, maybe one story before bed."
The boy let out a giddy cry before being shushed by his mother who pointed to his still sleeping brother next to him.
"Sorry." He apologized in a hushed whisper that was returned with a chuckle from his mother.
"Which story would you like to hear, little bear?"
"Can you tell me the one about Kyne and the Fox?"
Jorgun's mother chuckled again, nodding her head slowly. "Okay, i'll tell yo-"
"And can you do the voices too!?" Jorgun was shushed once more as his mother pointed to his sleeping brother once more but she couldn't bring herself to wipe the bright smile that stayed on her face when her son meekly apologized again.
She began to tell the story to her son of the Goddess of the Sky, Kyne, and when she came down to Nirn to walk its forests and feel the snow beneath her feet. She told of how she came upon a fox, stalking in front of a rabbits den that was defended by its mother. The fox saw Kyne and asked her why does the mother not let him eat one of her babies? He is the predator and he is hungry, why does she stop him from getting what he wants?
Kyne looked from the fox to the hare and knelt down by the fox. She asked him "Why are you so keen on taking one of this mothers babies when it seems that she doesn't want her babies to be taken?"
"Because it's prey and I am the predator. I'm hungry so I must eat."
Kyne nodded her head at this for it was true, the fox was the predator, the hare the prey but her grin grew wide and she tapped a finger to her nose. "You're right, of course for this is how I have made you. But when you hunt for those that are helpless, then you should know that there's always going to be something bigger right behind you."
The woman suddenly gave a roar and dove her hands down onto Jorgun, tickling the young boy who squealed in delight, writhing beneath the heavy fur blanket atop of him.
Jorgun's fit of giggles slowly died down as his mother finished her onslaught upon him and he let out a tired yawn, suddenly growing very sleepy. He felt warm and comfortable, especially when he felt the gentle brush of his mothers hand on his hair again. He felt himself begin to drift off, snuggling deeper into the bed before tiredly speaking. "I love you, ma."
"I love you too."
The boy's blood seemed to freeze in his veins at the words who were uttered by a voice that was not his mothers. He opened his eyes and turned his head expecting to meet his mothers blue eyes but instead he was met with the green gaze of a stranger.
Jorgun's eyes snapped open and he sat up, panting and clutching the blankets about him before quickly calming and shaking his head.
The dream always ended this way.
Every single night he remembered staring at the emerald gaze of the woman who wasn't his mother before awaking and realizing that it had just been the same dream that plagued his mind again.
He looked about the dark cabin, the hearth fire that had been crackling, bright and warm in his dream was now just a few smoldering embers amongst the ash. The light it had offered was gone and the shadows had crept back out from their far corners and now made residence upon every surface of the cabin.
He looked over to his mother's corner, the place she always sat to do her knitting and weaving and it sat dark and empty; a dull pang resonated deep within Jorgun's chest. His hand clutched over his heart for a brief moment before moving up and scratching the rough patches of blond beard that sprouted from his chin and cheeks, if only to give him something to distract himself with.
It was then he heard the deep, vibrating snore of his brother next to him and he sighed, tossing off the cover and stepping onto the cold, wooden floor of the cabin. He stretched, his bones popping and cracking like the fire in his dream before he turned and began the process of waking up his lazy brother. "Hey, wake up." Jorgun said, shaking the sleeping siblings shoulder to try and jostle him awake though it only served to make him grunt and turn onto his side, away from the older brother.
Jorgun rolled his eyes before reaching out and grabbing a fistful of his brothers sandy blonde hair and pulling. "Wake up! I ain't waiting for you to haul yourself out of bed today!" The younger brother let out a cry of pain when he felt his hair being tugged and his hands instantly shot back to try and release the iron grip on his locks. "Ah! I'm up, i'm up!"
The older Nord smirked and released his grip on his brothers hair. "Good, now get ready. We're going out hunting."
"Hunting? Again? But we went hunting yesterday."
"Yeah, we did and we didn't get anything. You wanna eat don't you?"
Nori huffed and rolled his eyes at his older brother before tossing the covers off and hauling himself out of bed.
Dressed in thick furs, Jorgun was the first to step outside. Frigid, winter air filled his lungs with every breath and his eyes scanned the dense forest around him, the trunks pine, alder and birch all crusted with last nights snowfall.
Jorgun knew this forest well. He liked to think that he was familiar with every trunk, stone and animal that resided within and that he was the master, the guardian of this sacred place like Kyne.
But even now he felt that something was amiss, a feeling of sickness and darkness that mired the landscape around him. It put the boy on edge and his hand tightened around the haft of his father's old spear, attempting to steel his nerves and temper his resolve.
It was just as he said to his brother. They needed to eat.
It wasn't long after that Nori filled out of the cabin behind his older brother, his body similarly clad in thick furs while he gripped the haft of the spear Jorgun had made for him.
The two boys stood for a long moment in silence, each being able to feel the palpable sense of dread that seemed to cling to the very air forcing a chill to run through their bones that wasn't caused by the bitter, winter winds.
"C'mon, let's go." Jorgun whispered before he set off into the forest around him, Nori quickly in tow, staying close behind his brother.
Days ago, the boys had spotted large tracks in the snow, the cloven footprint making it obvious to them that some kind of deer had made them, though this hoof print was larger than any other deer they had seen before. The excitement had begun to course through them at the prospect this animal presented. If they could bag a kill like this, they wouldn't need to worry about food for weeks, maybe even a month.
Their progress was slow, deliberately so, wishing to make their presence as hidden as they could from the nature around them. It was one of the few lessons their father had ever taught them, to blend with the land around you so that the land doesn't notice you're there.
They followed this to a tee, practicing and mastering it every day so that they could become great hunters able to feed and sustain themselves.
Eventually their progress was rewarded when Jorgun knelt onto the snow to examine the familiar tracks of massive, cloven hooves and nearby, a pile of scat lay fresh and steaming in the cold.
The prey was close.
The brothers hunkered low to the ground, following the animal's trail over a small hill where, in an open clearing, the beast stood.
The Stag was truly massive, far larger than anything boys even knew existed with a spotted, red pelt and a rack of antlers that seemed to reach all the way to the sky.
It stood idly in the clearing, pawing at the ground with its large, cloven hoof, brushing away the snow in search of patches of grass or other plants that it can eat, seemingly oblivious to the two hunters that stalked it.
"Circle in front of it. I'll wound it and lead it to you and you finish it off." Jorgun whispered, his younger brother hesitating for an uncomfortable moment till he was jabbed by the butt end of Jorgun's spear.
Nori didn't hesitate then and carefully began to make his way to the spot Jorgun had gestured to, while the older sibling slowly began making his way behind the animal. His breath was even, calm but his hands still tremored, both in terror and in excitement, the boy being so close to his kill that he could almost smell the animal's scent.
He was the predator, and before him was his prey. He was hungry, so he must eat.
With roar, Jorgun leapt forth and thrust the head of his spear into the Stag's hide, the brief resistance as metal met flesh before a thunk resounded up the boys arm to let him know that he struck bone.
The Stag let out an awful bleat, the sound sending chills up the Nords' spine as it immediately bucked and ran, Jorgun's spear still embedded in its side deep enough that it wrenched free from the Nord's grasp.
The beast continued to leap and buck, its voice still letting out its horrid cry as it charged right towards Nori's position. When the wounded stag approached, Nori leapt from his spot, intent on mimicking his brother and letting out a roar of his own before triumphantly slaying the beast but when he looked upon the wounded beast that bounded towards him, all sound died from the boys throat and he froze.
His eyes met with that of the Stags and he did not see the familiar, panicked gaze of a dying animal. Instead, all he saw were crimson orbs, filled with malice and fury. Time seemed to instantly slow for the boy, and he could have sworn he heard a voice whisper in the back of his mind before the Stags weight suddenly came down upon him, the beast stomping and stamping on the boys body till his pained and desperate screams finally grew silent.
Jorgun stood still, to shocked to even move, his face going pale and the earlier thrill and aticipation he felt was now replaced by cold terror. When the Stag's onslaught finished, Jorgun was horrified to see that it did not run away but instead turned to face him. With every step forward the Animal took forward's Jorgun, the young Nord instinctively took a step back.
His blue gaze finally met the Stag's crimson orbs and the familiar feeling of doom and dread had felt when he walked out of the cabin made itself ever more present. He couldn't run away from the beast, it would skewer him with the sharp points that protruded from its antlers. No, he had to fight it, to survive. It was the only way he could get Nori back to safety to treat his wounds.
The stag scraped its hoof across the snow and suddenly charged Jorgun, its head lowered and its tall antlers bearing right towards the stunned boy. Jorgun seemed to be able to snap out of his stupor at the last moment and dove out of the way, rolling across the snow before immediately pulling himself up and rushing towards his brother's spear that lay haphazardly beside him.
He could hear the creatures hooves beating behind him, drawing closer and closer...But Nori's spear was closer still. With a cry, Jorgun leapt forward and grabbed the fallen weapon before whirling it around just in time to block the charging tines that intended to skewer him. The sheer force still knocked the wind out of him and he felt himself lifted from the ground and forced back into the trunk of a pine tree, whatever breath he had still held then now having been completely forced out.
The stag did not relent and it pushed itself against the boy, the Antler's tines, pointed like small spears of their own gradually grew closer and closer to the boy who attempted to push back with all his might. Tears stung the corners of his eyes and he let out another cry, his muscles aching and straining against the deer's unnatural strength and he felt its sharp antlers begin to press into the fur of his coat.
"Kyne, please. Help me!" Jorgun gave out the desperate plea, the wooden haft of the spear set between the accosting antlers now beginning to crack and bend. Jorgun suddenly felt a wave of peace and clarity wash over him and time seemed to come to a near screeching halt. It was a moment that Jorgun desperately needed and with newfound strength, the boy roared and pushed back against the stag, time seeming to resume at its normal pace just as the spear's haft split and the stag's antlers pierced the boys shoulders, Jorgun's push having moved the dangerous points away from his chest.
In an instant Jorgun gripped the spear head like a knife and plunged it into the stag's neck. He didn't wait as the animal let out another bleated cry of pain before he withdrew the blade and thrust back into the monster's flesh once more. Over and over again, Jorgun stabbed, completely driven by instinct and his need to live, to survive.
Blood gushed from the stag's wounds, the liquid searingly hot as it rained down atop Jorgun's face an body causing the boy to gasp and sputter as he was drowned in the boiling liquid. The taste was coppery in his mouth and the liquid quickly grew thick but it didn't deter the boy from his frantic stabbing and as he slowed more of the potent ichor, he grew to the taste of it.
He felt power course through his body and his desperation soon turned to a boiling rage. Jorgun's crimson face now bore an animalistic snarl as he stabbed one final time and tugged the blade, tearing open a wide gash in the dying stag's neck so that he was again covered by the boiling gore.
Jorgun felt the instincts of a being that was not him take over and with the new strength his body surged with, he threw off the deer's chilling corpse, the pain of his punctured shoulders now completely numb to him.
He leapt upon the corpse with feral ferocity, screaming and roaring as he gripped the head of his brother's spear and bore down upon the Stag's skull with metal and fist. Bone crunched beneath his blows and flesh tore upon the spears edge as Jorgun claimed his trophy from his kill, ripping and tearing the stag's antlers from its very skull.
"I am the predator and this is my prey." Jorgun's voice echoed within his mind as he tore at the Stag's scalp.
"You are the predator. This was your prey." With a final rip, Jorgun pulled the trophy from his kill's skull, holding them aloft before finally screaming at the top of his lungs. The sound carried throughout the forest, past the bare canopy and into the sky itself but it could do nothing to dampen the dark, masculine chuckle that whispered in the blackest corner of his mind.
"Our pact is sealed in blood. You are mine!"
The power and rage that fueled him like an inferno was suddenly snuffed out and Jorgun staggered, dropping to his knees as he strength was stolen away from him by a cold gust of wind.
He was suddenly aware of his surroundings once more. The Stag's desecrated carcass lay before him, the stench of death and decay already permeating the air around it. He lifted up a hand to his face, the skin now feeling slick and sticky as blood clotted and cloyed to his hair and flesh.
The numbness was the next to leave and Jorgun was keenly aware of the piercing ache of his wounds, his body screaming from the exertion and his shoulders stung from where they had been punctured. Slowly, Jorgun stood back up, his legs shaking but he managed to soon right himself. He could worry about himself later, Nori still needed his help.
He drug himself over to his brother, the body now stiff and cold though Jorgun didn't seem to notice. He picked his brother up by his shoulders and started to haul him through the snow. "Don't worry, I have you brother. We'll get you to bed and i'll build a fire to warm you up. You just need to rest is all, rest and food. We've got that now, plenty of it. We won't need to hunt again for a month. That'll give you plenty of time to heal." Jorgun rambled, his brother completely silent and offering no reply.
Jorgun panted, his breath coming out in great clouds of steam as he drug Nori's limp form through the deep snow. They were almost to the cabin, the bloody Nord thinking he could see it through the dense forest, till he stumbled and fell into the snow.
His fists closed around the drifts of snow about him, gripping them tight as he began to shake. He was so close, so close to getting his brother to safety...but he was so tired. He turned, looking back at his brothers body that blankly stared at the greying sky, fresh snow beginning to trail down from the heavens. Jorgun crawled over to him and rested his brother's head in his lap, idly stroking the bloody, sandy blonde hair like his mother did for him all those years ago.
"Do you remember the story about Kyne and the Fox, Nori? You loved it when ma would tell us it at night and when she did the voices. Do you want to hear it again?" Jorgun's voice quivered and his hands trembled as he continued to stroke his brothers hair, the snow fall beginning to grow in ferocity.
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