"Is that all?" She asked. The young Breton woman moved swiftly through the snow towards the cabin, her green eyes seemed hardened by her down-to-earth nature and her brown hair was cut to her shoulders. Beautiful, but serious, honestly, she wasn't my real cup of tea. I grunted out a yes, but even that caused a few ripples of pain to arise in my shoulder. She took note of it, I saw, with her eyes as her heavy bear skin boots came upon the cabin steps. She blinked once and moved on with the logs she bore to her chest. It was obvious that she didn't care. Which kept me coming back to the same conclusion…or really the same question. Why was she keeping me here then if I was of no use to her?
Not like I was in any situation not to accept charity, I had been beaten pretty badly, and I didn't to dwell upon the nightmare. There was a particular reason why, and of course I had kept it out of my story. It was the song that the wolves sewed together with the moonlight. See, I told myself, it's that stuff right there, you're a bard, but you don't ever really talk like that. Correction, I don't talk like that to bloodthirsty monsters.
I had been giving the woman bits and pieces of my story as the days went passed. From the time we both sat near the fireplace, where I had awoken feverish and slightly delusional, until now, where I had finally reached the end of the disastrous tale. I sighed deeply and saw my own breath come out before me. I was depressed alright, vampires were not easy work, by far, but I knew I had read up on how werewolves usually acted on Solstheim and so far this was not the norm.
"We'll have to check out that caravan." She said all of a sudden, coming out of the house and closing the door behind her, "You want to come back in?"
"There's nothing left, it's a slaughter. It…it was a slaughter."
"I understand that, Redguard, but still, this is my land, and I wish to know which company was driving upon my trails without permission." I turned my face in disbelief and my anger formed by the woman's sheer rudeness.
"You save me, I appreciate that, by the way, although I would've readily accepted my fate, when it comes it's beyond me." I took a breath, and she kept staring into space, "but first off, I think you should worry more about helping me get into contact with my relatives around here rather than a caravan that's now covered in it's own driver's blood."
I took a couple of breaths, and placed my hand near the scar that was covered with bandages on my chest. A moment of silence intercepted my train of thought as an effect, which the woman used to get her two bits in.
"What's the second thing?" She said with offhand ease.
I looked right into her eyes from the place where I was sitting, and answered, "Don't call me Redguard, the name's Isude. Isude Navarendel if you wish to be specific."
"I don't."
"Alright, that's fine with me," I replied, and then brought out my trump card, "but see if I ever give you any loot from my share of the journey."
"What loot?"
Isuccessfully fought back a smile, and spun a tale that would've made any bard of the trade nod in agreement of how skilled I was in my ways. The way it went officially was that I was delivering a rather large amount of septims, and some other antiques and instruments of interest that a man who did not bear the same honesty as me would have jumped at the opportunity to steal. I explained that I said nothing was left because I did not wish to rob from the dead, but hey, if a beautiful young woman saved my life…
"I did not save your life."
"Alright, well, you sure helped me out. Besides, I didn't see how you could do it alone anyway. I kind of put two and two together on that one."
"The name's Arwell." I nodded in surprise and in weakness…all this chatter was getting to me it seemed.
"Well, that sure is nice to know…who saved me by the way?"
"A group of hunters in the new settlement."
"Why don't you live there? It seems pretty dangerous to live here by yourself."
"Werewolves aren't stupid, most…keep to themselves if you do."
Before I could issue out a protest to this statement, and I would've with incredible vigor, the woman grabbed the chair, and with a grace and speed that I was happy to know of (seeing as how she did it without bothering my wounds and issuing out a torrent of pain) she placed me inside the house. Her next action, moving my body from the chair into the bed was not as well thought out and my scream of pain brought that fact out as well I ever could have.
"Stop your squabbling, there's no other way." I promptly went to sleep afterward until a man's voice began to bring me out of my slumber.
"Arwell! Arwell!" The voice was getting closer, I flicked my eyes open and saw Arwell get up from her perch on the chair reading one of her books and move toward the door.
"Who is it?" At this, she looked in my direction and I quickly closed my eyes and came so close to sleep that I believe in that moment that I actually did fall asleep for a fair moment. The fact that she had opened the door and grabbed her sword when I opened my eyes again seemed to prove this fact.
"An attack? A werewolf attack?"
"Yes Lady Arwell, I don't know why but it just…"
"How many Nords are there at Fair Noon?"
"Not many, most are moving to the bigger settlements."
She cursed and ran out, and then I was alone, the unsettling thought that entered my mind because of the words I had heard bothered me, but I still found a way to sleep…a howl awoke me.
"NO!" I said, and as if on cue the door broke down and on all fours lay one of the beasts.
"You accursed demon, die!" I yelled and leapt from the bed, as I cast a spell to knock him from the door, it was well honed and found it's mark, but two more burst against the walls, and nearly came through, and I found myself falling on the floor in pain. Then they came through, and I bore a tool that had been laid near the fire to move the embers into of their chests, he cried out in pain and then…
FALL
Don't fall now! You have a chance, the thing lay dead, and the second one was struck dumbfounded for but a moment, now was my chance. I began the incantation.
FALL
I writhed in pain as the disembodied voice charged itself into my body and I did indeed fall to my knees, a strong swipe knocked me to the ground, and again, I was felt the razor sharp teeth dig into me, this time on the leg, and I felt my self fade away…as I was dragged off, the last thing I felt was the cold, unsympathetic snow come onto my chin and nothing.
