A bloody werewolf was the last thing he expected to see emerge from the vampire den.
Thonnir alone had waited outside of the cave for the stranger to come back out. He had wanted to go with the kid, no matter how strong the kid claimed to be. You always needed someone to watch your back.
So at the lycanthrope's appearance, he stumbled to his feet and prepared to fight, sending a wish for someone to come have his back.
The wolf looked the man straight in the eye and collapsed, melting back into the kid, Elan, which revealed the massive hole added to his back.
"Talos, kid, what happened?"
"Don't…tell…"
"I won't. I won't. I got a few healing potions back at my place. You'd better hold on until then kid, alright?"
He scooped the hero up and hurried back to his home, trying to put pressure on the wound. "You stay with me kid, alright? Keep breathing."
"All dead. It's always…the last one…that gets you."
"Did you get him back?" The wan face smiled proudly. "Good kid. Now look, here we are."
He kicked his own door open and breezed inside. He ignored every lingering trace of Laelette; now was not the time for grief. With the pale kid now bleeding out on Thonnir's bed, the man of the house quickly rummaged through his cabinets. "Look kid, I told you I had a potion."
He gently forced it down the weakening kid's throat. "You're already looking better, kid."
"Elan. My name's Elan. And I have more potions. They just couldn't stay with me when I changed so they're back in the cave. I'm lucky my leathers stayed."
"You'll survive until I get back?"
The kid nodded.
"Then I'll return shortly. Eat this apple." And with that, the widower hurried towards the now empty nest of vampires.
Thonnir returned with all of her missing gear and promptly handed Elana a healing potion. "Thank you so much," she murmured gruffly and downed the potion. "Now I can report to the Jarl."
"Sleep the night, kid. A potion won't get you back to one hundred percent and you know it."
Elana growled but gave in. "At least then let me help you clean the blood up. I'll be staying awake a while longer to re-stitch my armor."
"You need better equipment."
"When I have the time and funds I'll have a smith make me some Elven gear if I don't loot some of the proper size off someone first."
"That's the spirit. I should probably thank you for keeping me from becoming a vampire's slave, even if she was my wife."
Elana shrugged, wanting the man to sleep already so she could work on her armor without giving herself away. "The hero thing is what I do I guess. I kind of got thrown into it, but not everyone gets to pick their destiny."
The man nodded as he curled up on the furs before the fire. "Sleep well, hero."
Elana chuckled. "I'm not sure how much of that title I've actually earned."
"That's what makes you a hero even more. You're not trying to be one. You're doing it because it's right, because people need you to do what you can. You almost gave your life for a city you've never been to before and we don't even have walls."
"I promised myself I'd be strong."
"You might be young kid, too young for whiskers, but you're a good one."
"Maybe one day I can soak my beard in the blood of my enemies."
As Thonnir nestled in, almost about to drift off, he chuckled lightly. "That's something I actually can't see you with"
"Blood all over me?"
"A beard."
Elana resisted throwing something at him, since he was virtually asleep. Instead, she waited for his breathing to even out before removing her upper garments to stich them back up.
"Morning, Thonnir!"
"What?"
Still groggy from sleep, he rolled over to find the kid cooking. "It's breakfast time. I scrounged up some eggs and cheese. I hope it's not too much."
He'd stitched the armor back together in the night and was cooking now. "You're quite gifted."
"Only child. I had to learn to do a lot of things most kids my age didn't. It's served me well as a Companion."
"No wonder you hardly had any trouble. Shouldn't you have a partner?"
Elan shrugged as he handed off a bowl to Thonnir. "I needed to sort some things out for myself. I wasn't planning on diving headfirst into a den of vampires, just into Ustengrav."
Thonnir laughed. "Whatever you say kid. You'll survive. Just remember to watch your back and take a potion the minute you need one."
The kid slung his pack over his shoulder. "Yes, sir."
"Wait, you're leaving now?"
"It's morning. High time I reported to the Jarl and went about sorting my head out so I can get back to the Companions." He winced inexplicably. "I owe you my life and shall not forget that. If there's anything you ever need doing, call on me or on the Companions in my name."
"Safe travels. Oh and kid, this is some mighty fine breakfast."
Elan smiled before waltzing out of Thonnir's life to see the Jarl.