well... things just got... interesting...

M'rissi groaned as she rubbed her aching feet, her boots sitting on the ground beside her. they had been traveling nigh non-stop for two days now, and it was most certainly taking it's toll on her. She was seated on a fallen tree in the thick pine forests to the south east of Whiterun, skirting the northern face of the Throat of the World. Even seated amongst the trees, the massive mountain swamped her sight.

She wasn't really sure how far from Whiterun they were either, as the pair had been moving through the woods and over the country for the past two days instead of using roads. Ranger had explained to her that he could navigate just fine off the roads, and though it would be slower going, it would make them harder to track over all. The destination Ranger told her they had was a region of Skyrim known as the Rift. It was the south eastern most province of Skyrim, and the only hold to be entirely controlled by the Stromcloak rebellion. Eastmarch, though mostly controlled by the Stormcloaks, was largely open swamp land and geyser fields, making it both hard terrain to move on and impossible to hide in.

As for why they were heading to Stormcloak territory, the Stormcloaks entire rebellion was due to laws adopted to sate the Aldmeri dominion. As such, the Thalmor were actively hunted by the Stormcloaks, which would make the Thalmor's attempts to hunt down Ranger and M'rissi much harder.

Of course, none of that had she understood herself, simply being what Ranger had explained to her over the past two days.

"Put your boots back on M'rissi." Ranger spoke very softly to her, but even so, she jumped at the sound of his voice.

"But her feet hurt! She can't keep walking all day and night like this!" she really didn't mean to come off as whiney toward him, but she couldn't help it at this point. Whatever life she lived before this, it was most certainly not one of travel. At this point, she sincerely felt like she had barely any ability to move left in her.

She could barely see Ranger's face under his hood as he let out a soft sigh, a gentle frown on his lips. "I know M'ri. But we're only a couple miles from the border. With luck, we'll run into a Stormcloak picket line or scouts. Then we can rest, okay?" he crouched in front of her as he spoke, placing a hand on her knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Also, I promise, as soon as we're safe, I'll catch you some fresh fish. How's that sound M'ri?"

"Don't try to butter her up with fishies! Unless… you actually do get her fishies…" she muttered the second part of her little statement, looking to her boots as he ears pressed against her head.

"It's a promise M'ri. Now come on, we need to keep moving." His voice caught her attention again, seeing his soft smile as he stood.

She took a deep breath before she responded to him. "Okay Ranger…" her feet protested as she gingerly slipped her boots back on, the action far more painful than it had any right to be, enough that she let out a soft, pained mew. Regardless of it, she forced herself back to her feet, nodding to Ranger.

A moment later the pair were moving again, M'rissi loathing every step. Her body ached in more places than she could count, even in spots she could have never attributed to walking. After only a few minutes though, she began to notice that the forest around them had become absolutely silent. It was confusing to her as their entire journey so far seemed to be heralded by every animal in the forest. The silence was so odd to her that it immediately put her on edge. Almost on cue, she began to hear a series of gentle clinks.

"R-RRangerr… She hears something." She spoke as softly as she dared, in hopes he heard her quiet whisper. By the fact he stopped before her said he had.

"I hear it too. Sounds like armor plates rubbing together. Does it sound like it's behind us to you too?" Ranger looked to her as he spoke.

"Y-Yes." She stuttered that back to him. Now that he said what it sounded like to him, she could hear the sound more clearly. And it did indeed sound like metal grating and clinking against metal. She tentatively turned around, scanning the dense trees for any sign of motion.

The sound grew louder with each passing moment, growing in crescendo as the source grew closer. As the volume went up, so to did her ability to pick out separate gaits in the armor, sounding like there was at least a dozen individuals still coming closer. That's when she finally spotted movement, seeing the golden armor of the elves as a Thalmor soldier navigated through the trees.

"T'almor!" she nearly panicked upon seeing the soldier, darting up against Ranger as her heart leapt in her throat.

"Down, now!" he hissed into her ear as he forced her to the ground, nearly dropping on top of her. a moment later, he was tossing his cloak over the pair and casting it's enchantment. "How in the divine did they find us so easily!" he hissed that to himself, M'rissi only hearing it because of how close she was to3 him now.

Though she couldn't see, she could easily hear the clattering steps of the armored soldiers as they began shouting between each other. She was honestly too scared to pay any attention to what they were saying, shivering in fear despite the aching heat across her body, amplified by being trapped under Ranger's cloak with him.

"It's okay M'ri… so long as my magicka holds, they will not find us under here." Ranger's whispered voice was barely audible to her. Despite how much she wanted to trust his words, they did absolutely nothing to calm her as minutes dragged by, the clatter of armor and shouts only growing closer.

"How long will it hold?" she tentatively whispered that back, trying her best to mimic his volume level. The sound of the soldiers was unbearable loud now, there being no way they were more than a dozen yards from them at this point.

"A bit longer." His voice was short and curt, a slight downward shift in his tone showing his own concern. The footsteps were beginning to get terrifyingly close, M'rissi's heart hammering even faster.

"Everyone halt!" a female voice too pitched and harsh to be the average human voice, rang out, the footsteps falling to a stop. "Get in line and move slowly! They are within feet of us men!"

How could they know that!? M'rissi most definitely spotted them first, and Ranger has been hiding M'rissi in his cloak since! They can't know where M'rissi is! She had that panicked thought as she let out a terrified whimper, snuggling closer to Ranger.

"M'ri, stop, the more you move, the more likely they will see through the enchantment!" Ranger hissed that at her, his body not quivering even a hair's breadth. Meanwhile, the foot falls had resumed, much slower and more deliberate. With each quiet chink of metal and chain, the Thalmor drew closer and closer to them, M'rissi hardly even breathing anymore.

"M'ri… Run…." She heard Ranger's quiet whisper, gulping as she realized what that meant.

A moment later, the cloak covering them was thrown off, M'rissi blinded by the sudden light flooding her eyes after being under the cloak for several minutes. Another stun spell went off a moment later, further away from her than the last by a fair margin. It still deafened her though. She scrabbled to her feet as Ranger began sprinting into the trees, ripping after him as fast as she could manage.

She could only faintly hear the disoriented shouting of the elves behind her as she thundered through the trees. As effective as the stun spell had been inside the temple, it was clear by how quickly they were directing themselves after the pair that its effects were severely limited outside, leaving them in another desperate run for their lives. She didn't dare look behind her, knowing it would slow her down

"Myaahh!" she yelped as a black shaft ripped past her, thudding sharply into a tree she was darting around. If they hadn't been running through a dense forest and dodging trees, the small bolt would have been lodged in her back. Several more whipped by only moments later, some thudding into other trees, others skipping off the ground and disappearing into the under brush.

"Be careful not to kill the Kajiit! I can't bring back the dead!" the same female voice that had been shouting orders earlier rang through the trees behind M'rissi. Moments later a second volley of bolts ripped by, one clipping her leg.

The sudden pain erupting on her thigh was near immediately multiplied as that foot hit the ground, sending M'rissi tumbling as cried out from the agony. She clutched at the wound as she howled, feeling blood leaking between her fingers.

"M'rissi!" Ranger's panicked shout claimed her attention as the boy skidded beside her, loosing an arrow from his bow as he stopped. "We need to keep running!" he shouted as he grabbed her arm to tug her to her feet. She never made it up though, as another black bolt volley ripped by, one of the bolts striking Ranger almost in the center of his chest. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground.

"Ranger!" she scrabbled toward him, ignoring the pain in her leg as she watched him clutch the shaft of the crossbow bolt.

"Run M'ri…" he barely managed to croak that out before he coughed several times, blood spattering from his mouth.

No! No no no no no! M'rissi can't leave Ranger! Ranger's done so much for M'rissi! She hooked her arms under his armpits, attempting to haul him with her. She didn't even manage a single step, both of their weight being far too much for her even if her leg was uninjured. Another yelp was pryed from her mouth as she dropped onto her rump, Ranger on top of her.

"M'rissi! Leave me!" He coughed several times as she continued to try and drag him. "I'm not going to s-survive! Save yourself!" every time he spoke, he coughed up even more blood. The front of his vest and mouth was soaked in the bright red liquid.

"No! M'rissi will not leave you! You never left M'rissi!" she snapped that right back, continuing to struggle under Ranger's weight.

"M'r- Sto-ss" Whatever he was trying to say kept being interrupted by his coughing fits, his voice barely more than a wheezy whisper. "Stop…" one of his hands came off the bolt, grabbing her hand and attempting to pry her grip from her. "Go…. Now!"

M'rissi glanced up from him as she slipped again, looking for their pursuers to find them only a few dozen feet away now. In moments, she would be captured again, and though she had no clue why they were hunting her, every instinct of her's screamed at her to run. Despite that, she desperately wanted to stay, to try and fight the elves off.

M'rissi wants to save Ran- no, M'rissi needs to save Ranger! But how? Tears stung her eyes as the crushing reality of the situation finally broke through the panicked thoughts of her mind, the girl knowing that Ranger was done for no matter what she did. He had left a trail of red droplets and blood across the short distance she had managed to drag him, even his vest now soaked in blood around the crossbow bolt. As badly as she wanted to, she had no possible way of saving him.

"M'rissi's sorry William." she blurted out the name Ranger's friend had called him before she let go of him, scrambling to her feet and half running, half limping off into the trees.

Ranger's chest seared with pain, unable to even draw a breath. The pain was so intense already that his chest thudding to the ground as M'rissi released him was barely noticeable. Good M'rissi. Now just run. The Stormcloak frontlines are supposed to be only be a couple miles further. I wouldn't be surprised if they have sentries even this far out. If she can just make it to them… she'll have a chance.

He barely managed to wretch his eyes open, looking in the direction the Thalmor were advancing from. In mere moments, the armored soldiers would be reaching him, and likely catching M'rissi far before she reached the Stormcloaks. I have to slow them down.

M'rissi had barely dragged him at all, his bow just barely within his grasp as he forced himself to sit up. This made his entire chest feel like it was lit on fire, the intensity of the pain causing his vision to swim as his eyes blurred in and out of focus. As soon as he had his bow in hand, he pulled an arrow from his hip, knocked it, and drew the string. At least he tried to. His muscles felt weaker than a childs, barely able to bring the bow to even half draw.

It will have to do… he coughed up even more blood, it spattering onto his hand and the string of the bow, the liquid slipping between his fingers and the string. This made it all the harder to maintain his grip as the string became slick, almost slipping free of his grip before he could get his aim. The moment he felt his arrow would hit one of the armored soldiers, he let the string slip out, the bow thrumming as the arrow leapt away. At half draw, the arrow was almost painfully slow, his rushed shot merely glancing off the chest armor of the elf he aimed for.

He wanted to curse at the bad shot, but he couldn't even draw the breath to. His hand shook and rattled as he reached for another arrow, having to look at what he was doing as his limbs had become painfully numb. Before he could grip one of the shafts, another black bolt slammed into his chest, the pain there exploding to the point that he nearly blacked out. The force of the bolt pounding him to the ground sent his bow bouncing from his grip.

No… Not like this… M'rissi… they are going to catch M'rissi… he coughed again as he tried to draw breath, his muscles no longer obeying him as he stared up at the pine forest's canopy. He could feel fresh blood gurgling from his lips as his body tried to cough and breath at the same time to no avail.

I can't… I can't die now… I need to fight! As much as his mind screamed in protest, there was nothing he could do. Even the pain was fading from his mind, his vision dimming to the point that all he could see was the sun high in the sky, brightly piercing through the trees.

So you want the power to save that… creature?

A voice penetrated his mind as the light of the sun faded away, leaving him in complete darkness. The voice itself was familiar to him, the same wrathful voice he had heard up on the mountain what felt like ages ago now. Not that it was relevant to him. He knew he was dead. There was nothing he could do to change that.

"Of course I want to save M'rissi! I made her a promise!" All of the moments he had spent with the half-kajiit were ripping through his mind. Despite the pain he felt after his father had died before him, of watching his home burned to ash, his memories of her were almost happy. Or at least, happy was the best word he could pin on them. She certainly did nothing to make his life feel even remotely normal, but in the short time he had spent with her, he felt alive, a stark contrast to how he felt after Helgan. That despite all that had happened, he still had a purpose in protecting her.

Then embrace the beast within you. Slay the one who dealt the mortal blow, and you can continue to fight on. A true wolf's blood runs in your veins. Let it run as wild as it was meant to be. You will have the more than enough power to protect this… abomination you seem so fond of.

He had no clue what the voice was speaking of, none of it making any sense to him. But the thought of a chance to save M'rissi? He couldn't pass that chance up. "How?"

Focus on your purpose. Don't think of your life. Don't think of your death. It will come to you. But be warned, there is a price you will pay for this, nor will it be one you will like.

Well, what other choice do I have? With that thought, he focused all of his mind on protecting M'rissi, his memories of her seeming to act as a fuel for that focus. It was almost like channeling magicka for a spell but it felt different in it's own way. Like a spark had been lit, his senses began to come back to him, slowly at first, but quickly rising above what they once were. Every sound, every creak of the grass, clink of armor, breath from a lung, became unbearably clear. He shambled to his four feet, his eyes snapping open as a growl rumbled from within his chest. The world was clearer than he could ever remember seeing it, his eyes seeking out one of the crossbow armed Thalmor that was scampering back from him, confused terror on the elf's face.

Arissa grinned as she watched the human collapse from the second bolt to strike his chest. He had put in a valiant effort to be sure, but a mere boy had never been a credible threat to her troops. And with the target wounded as she was, it would be a matter of minutes before the force caught her.

"Bowmen, make sure our friend is truly finished with his antics. Everyone else, after the girl! I cannot stress how much more important her life is than yours! Do. Not. Kill. Her." she confidently shouted that as she slowed to a walk, not keen on running anymore. She was a mage after all. All of this physical exertion was beneath her.

If I successfully capture this creature, maybe I can get out of these pathetic frontline units! Do something truly worthwhile for the Dominion! She gleefully smiled as she approached the dying human herself, innately curious about him. He had, after all, managed to give Eleria the slip in Whiterun. And had even been the same human to injure her some week or so ago. Those actions alone were worthy of noting. Add the way he and the creature had appeared from what had been a boulder mere moments before was also a curiosity to Arissa. She had seen invisibility spells and potions before, but this was nothing like it. There had been no shimmer, no bending of light. It was though his very cloak had formed the rock they sprang from. It had even blocked and fooled her sense life spell she had been using, and distorted the tracking spell Eleria had given her.

The body of the human gurgled and sputtered out more blood as she approached, staying behind her crossbowmen as they approached the soon to be corpse, weapons relaxed. As much as she wanted to scold them for a lack of discipline in their now relaxed approach, it was obvious they needn't have any concern of the human. He truly had only moments left. Even as she thought it, his body ceased to convulse, the swirling energy should see around him due to her sense life spell fading away.

Well, no more than another bug stomped beneath my boot now. she smirked as she sped up, excited to inspect the body closer. She froze though as the energy that had faded a moment before blindingly burst forth from the corpse. In that moment, the corpse began to change, his clothing and weapons fading away like those of a wraith's, his skin and bones being molded into the shape of a beast as fur sprouted across his body. In less than a breath, the once human body had twisted into the form of a frighteningly large wolf, still lying on the forest floor.

What in the eight divines!? She took a step back as she watched the wolf come to it's feet, it's lowered head almost even with her breasts.

The beast now before them was absolutely massive. Its hackles rose as a rumbling growl ripped from it. It's eyes snapped open with that growl, glowing with an inner green light. Despite the bestial appearance, the eyes were still human. They then became narrow slits, as a wolf's should be.

Arissa let out a terrified scream, her instincts overriding her mind upon seeing the creature, literally falling over as she tried to scramble away from it without taking her eyes from it, her men in a similar state.

In that moment, the creature thundered forward with a violent and incredible burst of speed, upon one of the crossbowmen in a blink of an eye. Blood showered the forest around the man as the wolf's jaws clamped on his throat and ripped the flesh clean from his body, only his spine holding his head attached as he was driven to the forest floor by the beasts weight. In a fraction of the time it had taken for the beast to rip the man's throat out, it leapt toward the next man. That archer managed to get his arm between the wolf and his throat, the wolf's fangs sinking through the elven steel as though it were cloth. The wolf's momentum caused it to tumble over the bowmen, the wolf somersaulting and landing on it's paws as it jerked the man over it with incredible speed and ferocity, releasing it's bite to fling the man dozens of yards away as though the entire motion had been intentional. The man was slammed into a tree with a resounding crack, nearly folded around the pine tree before dropping to the forest as a limp corpse.

One of her two remaining bowman managed to loose a bolt at the creature, but the moment the bolt began to leave the crossbow, the creature was moving. Dirt and pine needles were blasted into the air as the bolt whipped through where the beast had been, a moment before the beast was pouncing not on the bowman who loosed the bolt, but the one who hadn't. it was as if the beast not only knew the other bowman had an arrow still ready, but understood to take him down first as he was the bigger threat. It showed the beast as having true intelligence, and to not be fighting off instincts.

I must kill this thing now! before it kills me! She prepped a lightning bolt spell, knowing nothing could out run the crack of lightning. The moment she began compressing the magicka into the spell, the beasts eyes snapped to her as though it could sense the charging magic. It completely ignored the last bowmen as it barreled toward her, crossing the several yards in only two strides as she rushed to fire the spell at it. It bit down on her extended arm a moment before she cast the spell, aiming it toward her surviving bowmen for the lighting to rip to the man, instantly killing him.

Arrissa let out a bloodcurdling scream as she felt the bones of her forearm fracture and snap into splinters, blood running down her arm from near severed limb. The beast jerked it's head into the air with enough speed and force that the splinter fragments of her arm ripped clean off. She nearly blacked out from pain along as she clutched the now stump as it furiously poured her blood to the ground in violent spurts.

"My arm!" screamed as she closed her eyes to the pain, just trying to block it out. Even if she wanted to attempt to use magic to stop the bleeding, she couldn't focus her mind on anything now.

How!? How can this be happening!? That human was dead! I saw it! His spirit was gone! She wrenched her eyes open to search for the creature, her vision so blurry she could barely make out the trees in her immediate vicinity. The wolf though, was mere inches from her face, letting out a long slow breath straight into her face. Her heart seemed to freeze in that moment, knowing she was only a moment from it ending her life.

The wolf merely glared at her for several moments though, as if it was waiting for her to attack or run, or do anything at all. After several long moments, it looked down at the blood still spurting from her severed arm, sniffing it once before snorting at her. then it turned and sprinted away, toward where her men had gone to chase the Kajiit earlier.

Arissa let out a pained and shaky breath, closing her eyes as she tried to breath for a moment. She felt incredibly light headed, her thoughts murky and indiscernible. She forced herself to her feet, turning to try and run away. The moment she stood, her head became painfully fuzzy, staggering only a couple of steps away before she collapsed to the ground.