A/n: Mentions of slavery and some abuse ahead. Thank you to Sigmar and The Soulless One for following!

XXX

Do'vra watched in horror as a translucent magic erupted from the dragon corpse and rushed towards her. She crouched, flattened her ears, and covered her head in an attempt to hide herself from the magic. It did her no good however, the magic settled around her and she heard a call in the back of her mind. "Dovahkiin, kuz dii sil ahrk mindos pruzah." (Dovahkiin, take my soul and learn well.)

"Feim," the word called, and she felt compelled to to shout it aloud.

It was cold. Colder than when her previous owner had made her sleep outside in the rain storm. Almost like snow. She opened her eyes and gasped. She could see through her arms.

The other former slaves had backed up from her as their saviors approached her. They both looked surprised, but not hostile. The woman extended her hand as Do'vra's arms solidified once again. "It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you." The woman's voice was soft and comforting, lulling the Kajiit into a sense of trust. She lowered her arms and looked up at the white haired Nordic woman and the bearded Orc.

The Nord smiled as the Orc spoke. "You just absorbed a dragon soul. That makes you Dragonborn. Congratulations." She tentatively took the woman's hand and stood. "We too can take dragons souls. You learned a word. 'Feim'. It means 'fade'. It makes you Ethereal. Invulnerable to harm." She let go of the woman, not understanding what was going on.

"I do not understand," Do'vra said, her voice more raspy than normal, Common tongue not being her first language.

The Nord nodded in understanding and cleared her throat before continuing in the Kajiit native tongue, if broken. "We too take dragon soul. If want, we take you us with. Teach."

Do'vra laughed a little bit in shock and awe. Very few outside of Elswyer knew of the Cat-speak, let alone attempted to speak it. To hear it from a human was all the more strange. She replied in Common. "This one would teach me? To what?" Her tail flicked. "To fight man wars?"

"To harness the power of the dragons that the gods have gifted you with," the Orc said with a sharp tone. "We are not slavers. You can choose not to accompany us."

"It is choice you." The woman smiled gently before switching back to Common. "If you agree, meet us at the inn in Riften City. We should be back in a few days."

Do'vra only nodded as the pair bowed to her and the others and continued their journey.

XXX

Do'vra entered the town, having been stopped by a guard outside demanding a tax to enter. She had intimidated him into admitting there was no such tax and he had begrudgingly let her inside. She was then accosted by an unsavory Imperial who asked her what her business was, though she ignored him.

Then an Orc approached her. He was wearing an armor she had never seen before. It was high collared and long, almost tunic like, and very sturdy. "You there. The Dawnguard is looking for anyone willing to fight against the growing vampire menace. What do you say?" He was very no nonsense in his tone, completely ignorant or uncaring that she was only wearing threadbare rags.

There was something about him though, that made her want to be with him any way. "Killing vampires? Where do I sign?"

The Orc gave a genuine belly laugh and smiled at her warmly. "Ha! Isran's going to like you. Go talk to him at Fort Dawnguard, southeast of here. He'll decide if you're Dawngrard material," he said before he walked away.

She tilted her head to the side and watched him go. When he passed out of the city gates, she shook herself out of her reverie. She had stolen a few things of value from the slave trader that hadn't been damaged in the dragon attack, and turned to the market to sell them. She earned a bit of coin from the various shops and bought a set of armor, a sword and a shield, and rented a room for the week at the inn to change and sleep and think about her choices now.

She had known slavery most of her life. Her family had been captured by slave traders near the northern Elswer boarder when she was still a kitten. She had been left with her mother until she was deemed old enough to do simple things by herself. Then she was separated completely. She cried for the Mane or the Clan Mothers to save them for nearly a fortnight.

She was sold to her first owner, an elderly Altmer who needed someone to assist him in his home. He lived in the wilds of the Summerset Isles, alone and childless. When he died he left her chained to his bedside, unable to get help when he suffered his heart attack. She was left alone with his rotting body for two days before someone stopped in to dodge the pouring rains.

Her second owner had been a Redguard warrior in Hammerfell and had taught her to use a sword and shield, mostly so he would have a practice dummy. It was with him when she discovered her magical abilities. She had been disarmed by him and had covered herself to block the blow, one hand extended out in front of her. She had received 30 lashes for firing lightning at him. He had forced a magic suppressant necklace and ring onto her so she couldn't use her magic against him again.

She now held those items in her hands as she sat on her bed. The Redguard had died in battle and she had been sold to the Dunmer slave trader. He had questioned the jewelry and accepted the answer the seller had given him. No one wanted to be killed by their slave, and a slave that could use magic was worth much more than one who couldn't. Particularly if hey were female.

She shuddered at her thoughts. It was no secret amongst the slave trade that some slaves were used for... other services. It was said that some had died for not being pleasing enough, or too much. Afterall, 'The Lusty Argonian Maid' had been said to be true more than once.

Turning from her previous thoughts, she began to think about what her freedom would bring her. Should she wait for the two who rescued her, or take up the vampire hunter's offer?

XXX

Adrayla and Burz entered the inn, looking for their Kajiit kinswoman. They spotted her sitting at a table on the corner, facing the door, with a new leather armor, sword and sheild, and golden hoops in her ears. They smiled at her as they sat. "You look much better," Adrayla commented.

Do'vra extended two tankards across the table to them. "I have questions."

"As we expected," Burz said.

"This 'Dragonborn' you say. What does it mean?"

"It means your a dragon without the horns or the wings. Any thing a dragon can do, you can learn to do it too."

"How long must I receive training?"

"Ideally, its preferred that you know a full defensive and a full offensive thu'um and the tactics to bring down a dragon with as little damage to the surrounding area as possible," Adrayla said before she took a drink. "But we understand if you choose not to. We really need you to meet with the Greybeards, though. Just so they know you exist," she added quickly seeing the other woman's distress at having to meet someone.

"They'll give you a test, just to see if you are Dovahkiin," Burz went on calmly. "And when you pass, because you've already proven you can, they'll teach you an offensive word. After that, you can stay with them, come with us, or go on your own as you will."

"But there may be a time when your needed," Adrayla said slowly, as if afraid Do'vra would jump and run at the notion of being needed to report to someone at a moments notice. "All you need to do is listen for a shout, calling out 'Dovahkiin'."

Do'vra was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "I will go with you. To see these Greybeards. We will see after that." The other two nodded and finished their drinks before the three of them stood and left for High Hrothgar.

XXX

After training with the Greybeards for a week, Do'vra made her way to Dayspring Canyon, home of Fort Dawnguard. She could feel her hear fluttering we she approached the imposing castle, and she wasn't sure if it was the castle or the Orc she hoped was inside.

She was approached by a Nord, she could only call him a boy, who followed her up to the castle. Once they were inside they waited as a man who looked in charge was arguing with a man who was begging for assistance. The man in charge dismissed the other man and looked to the two newcomers. He called himself Isran and directed Do'vra to look into the cave the man had mentioned.

Do'vra was put out that she didn't have time to explore the castle or find the Orc who had recruited her.

She followed the man, a Vigilant of Stendarr, Vigilant Tolan to Dimhollow Crypt, where he was sure the vampires who had attacked his guilds base of operations were hiding out. Tolan rushed into the cavern, his sword unsheathed. Do'vra followed closely behind him, her own sword and shield at the ready.

They were quick, but she was not quick enough to stop one of the vampires from getting behind the Vigilant. The vampire twisted his neck before she could get to him, and he fell before the first gate. She dispatched the final vampire and looked at the human at her feet. She had no choice, she had to complete the mission alone.

She delved deeper into the crypt, battling Vampires and skeletons, collecting various mushrooms to use in potions or sell in the markets. Eventually she came across a large chamber with a stone structure at its center. After she dispatched the Vampires and their Thralls, Do'vra looked to the structure.

There was a button she was tempted to push, but held off as she looked through the rest of the chamber. There were two gargoyle statues that stood at the far side of the cavern that she thought would attack her, but they remained motionless. She looked at each of the eight braziers that circled the buttoned and attempted to light them, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

Eventually she made her way back to the button in the center of the structure. She placed her hand delicately on the button. The slight pressure was enough to push a bold spike right through her paw. Her blood seeped into the button's stand as the spike detracted. A line of purple magic lit the floor, going through a brazier.

She panted from the pain and gulped down a healing potion whilst casting a healing spell and looked to the magic. She saw that the brazier could move and pushed it to the end of the magic. The brazier went up in magic flame and the magic line continued to the next brazier in a circular zigzag pattern.

Once the last brazier was lit and the magic line completed, the chamber shook, and the structure indented into the floor, revealing a large base to the button. The monolith needed only a slight push to lower it's face and a dark haired woman fell out.

As the woman stood and gained her bearings, she spoke to Do'vra. "Where is... Who sent you?"

"Whom were you expecting?" Dra'va could feel her tail twitch with her annoyance.

"I was expecting someone... like me, at least," the woman said as though her answer were obvious.

"Are you a..." The Kajiit's tongue was difficult to manage with the harsh words of the common language.

The woman saw this and answered the unfinished question. "A vampire, yes."

The women came to a common ground, and agreed to help each other out of the crypt. After which Do'vra would help the woman, Serana, get to her family's ancestral home in one piece. After which, Serana would give over all of the information the Kajiit required.

The two finally arrived at the castle in the middle of the night. That was all Do'vra could remember after she had awakened outside the castle as day broke. As she traveled back to Fort Dawnguard, her memories came back to her. She and Serena had entered Castle Volkihar, and had conversed with Serena's father, Lord Harkon. He had offered her his blood, the life of the Vampire. She had refused and he had her thrown out of the castle.

XXX

She had returned to the Fort, immediately helping to defend the front gate from a surprise vampire attack. She had reported to Isran, had both berated her and sent her out on recruitment quests to find two of his old friends. She had been allowed a rest before she began her journey though, and found herself seated in front of the fires of the dining hall that doubled as their kitchen.

She was bent over a cheese stew of her homeland, Elsweyr Fondue, dunking her bread into it to give the stale loaf some flavor and softness, when Durak, the Orc who had recruited her and sent her heart beating faster than the sandstorms across No-quin-al Desert, sat across from her with his own meal.

She looked up at him, then quickly back to her stew, reminding herself to seek out Orabella to answer her questions about her emotions. He cleared his throat awkwardly and began to speak to her. "I hear your going out to find Gunmar and Sorine in the morning."

She only nodded as she reached for her goblet of water to clear her mouth of the cheese and bread before speaking. "Yes, this one is to seek out the troll slaver and the weapons tinkerer."

Durak took a bite of his food. "Would you like help? Gunmar can be tricky to find."

She looked up at him surprised, her ears twitching to test their accuracy. "It would be a great help to me if you could. I know of your status in leadership, and wonder why you would help a lowly companion."

"Because it is the duty of every leader to help their underlings grow in their natures. And traversing Skyrim is dangerous for anyone alone." Durak pushed his plate away to lean forward across the table. "And because something is telling me that I should not be far from you."

She gulped, swallowing the last of her food as she did so. She felt the pressure of his gaze as she looked down to her mostly empty bowl and met it as she looked back up. "I have a friend that also needs to be visited. If you would permit a stop into town?"

Durak nodded in agreement. "We leave in the morning then."

That morning the pair set off across Skyrim, first visiting Riften to send messengers out to find Adrayla and Burz who had gone out to Solsthiem to seek out a cult who had attacked them in the streets.

XXX

They returned a week later having found the pair Isran had wanted them to find, recruiting them into the Dawnguard. When they all had arrived, Isran cornered them, dispersing a mist that would tell him who might be in danger of being or becoming a Vampire. Then he called Do'vra to join him upstairs.

The idiot woman, Serana, vampire had returned to Fort Dawnguard, Elder Scroll in tow, offering to "help" destroy her coven. With her was an Argonian, making Do'vra's ears flatten against her head in distaste as she fought down a hiss, though she could not help the growl that erupted from her throat.