The cold only got worse the further Mia walked. The leather and furs she wore, in conjuncture with her natural coat, did what they could to stave off the freezing winds. But they could only do so much at the unrelenting eternal winter that seemed to dominate the northernmost reaches of Skyrim. Were it that their ship had run aground anywhere else, somewhere with grass, trees and an environment far more suitable for a khajiit. But fate had never been so kind. The Gods of this world, whether it be her own Akha, the Akitosh of the men, or any other deities worshipped by the races of Tamriel, none had ever given a crumb of sympathy to her.

And as the sun started to dip closer to the horizon, she realised just how much she wanted to be proven wrong at that moment.

"Ack, curse the Gods of men, the mer or any other," she spat at the silence surrounding her. "You haven't killed me yet. Not in Elsweyr. Not here in Skyrim. I don't need your pity. I never will."

With that cheerful thought, and with any pity that may or may not have existed having no doubt been firmly extinguished amongst the pantheons, she did the only thing she could and pressed ever onwards.

Being lost and alone in this wilderness was remarkably different from her prior experience. As a child, she at least had the warmth of the sun and the glow of the moon to guide her way amidst the expanse of trees. Small creatures to hunt in bounty, at least if she had known how to at the time. But the funny thing was, now she did have such knowledge, the most abundant creatures in this region were likely to be ones trying just as hard to hunt her in turn.

Matters of food aside, however, led Mia to consider the more immediate problem. With the fall of night, temperatures would only decrease further. The khajiit didn't particularly fancy her chances in the dark, even with her eyes perfectly suited to it. No, better to find shelter until the sun rose again.

But where? Civilisation was still some distance away. That left very little in the way of options, though examining the area around her…

To her left was an expansive cliffside, the bottommost slopes of one of the realm's mountains. Climbing over it was out of the question, so she had been forced to circle around the bastard thing. To her right, meanwhile, was a scattered array of trees, many of them dead or caked in snow, and a smattering of hills leading back to the coastline. There was no salvation that way, but while she couldn't cross over the mountain…

Its edges did provide the possibility of caves, and that seemed the most promising answer to the question of shelter.

She slowed, her walk becoming more methodical as her eyes examining every inch of the rock faces before her. Any sign of a disturbance in the expansive wall of stone, an entranceway to a cave large or small. Anything that would place a ceiling over her head and cover from the accursed wind until day's first light.

And, as if the world had finally seen fit to grant her a reprieve, it didn't take long to find exactly what she was looking for.

Ahead of her, but a brisk jog away, was a foreboding black portal leading within the expansive mountainside. It didn't exactly look inviting, but it was a chance to live. And that, for the moment, was easily more than enough for the solitary feline.

She drew the bow from her back, readying a cautious arrow as she visually scanned the cave's entrance. She approached, her paws silent against the dirt, her pupils narrowing to slits as she stared into the abyss. She crouched down in a manner akin to a predator soon to pounce, bow firm in her grasp, her eyes adjusting rapidly to the darkness ahead until features once obscured became the picture of clarity.

Truthfully, there didn't seem to be much to look at in the immediate area. The cave went in a way with little more than jagged rock to decorate its interior, though there was a sharp left turn further in she could just make out.

So far, so good.

She crept her way inside, her breathing steady and her grip tightening still. The hairs covering her body stood on end as she left the open and crossed into the cave, her ears poised to detect any sound that might suggest an occupant. So far, nothing. Just the eternal silence that was occasionally broken by a drop of water or the howls of wind entering behind her.

She began to ease up, but the khajiit didn't fully let go of her caution. After all, the corner was coming up, and that was one place she still didn't have eyes on.

Just one more turn, one more moment of caution, and then she would be safe. For a single night only, perhaps. But safe nonetheless.

If only.

She peered around the corner, seeing a sight that stood in vast contrast to the tunnel she'd just crossed. The cave opened up to a vast chamber, sunlight pouring in through a hole in the ceiling. Ice and snow too seemed to have slipped into the cave and claimed much of it for themselves. Now, that in itself wouldn't have been an awful outcome. After all, she still had the covered entranceway to provide some measure of cover.

No, it was the cave's resident that gave her immediate pause.

Wolves? Easy, a single arrow a piece and she'd call this place home. Spiders? The poison would be a problem to avoid, but it would otherwise be a similar situation.

Frost troll? No chance.

It stood ahead of her, idly scratching its back as it wandered aimlessly. It sniffed the air, and Mia couldn't help but fear her scent was to be the death of her. Alas, the creature soon lost interest in whatever it detected and soon went back to its wanderings. It trudged around for another minute as the khajiit watched on, before finding a comfortable corner and sitting down with its back against the wall.

Mia grit her fangs, looking down at her bow in deliberation. Perhaps if her arrows were better. Skyforge quality. Steel. Even true iron arrows. But the bundle of sticks she had in her possession were a true hallmark of bandit 'craftmanship', and she doubted their bite would be enough to do more than irritate that thing's hide.

Her mace could bludgeon it, true. But did she truly want a frost troll to be close enough for her to use it?

No. No, she did not.

Resisting a hiss of frustration, Mia slowly began to back out of the cave until she was once again exposed to Skyrim's hateful elements. She placed her arrow back in the quiver, shoulder her bow as she gave one last regretful glance at the cave.

And then she moved on, hoping that she'd find another far less hostile location to camp out for the night.

Off she went, the sun getting lower with each passing minute, the darkness beginning to creep in. Whatever she hoped to find, nothing else seemed to present itself as the fear of being left alone in the dark become a more likely outcome each second that she remained.

As the light faded, sounds began to make their way to her ears. The odd breaking of a twig, the growl of a beast, movement amongst the foliage…

Mia knew she was being watched. Not always by the same creatures, not for long at least, but the locals were beginning to size her up. So far, perhaps they decided she would be too difficult a catch. Or maybe it was just that they found her fur to look particularly unappetising. But sooner or later, something was going to take a fancy to her…

The buzzing in her stomach began to grow, fear increasingly knowing at her bones. Images rushed through her head, each day she'd ever spent like this, the people that had made it so. Was this it? She was just going to die here? She'd thought she'd escaped it; how naïve she'd been. To think her miserable existence would end any other way, to think she'd found people who actually cared about her!

But where had caring got her? Alone. Soon to die. The objects of her 'care' dead a ways behind her. What was the point of any of it? What was any of it for!?

"What do you want from me!?" she shouted at nothing in particular as the sun finally vanished from view, plunging her into the dead of night.

"Huh? Who's there?"

Mia stopped, her every movement going silent as she listened for the voice. It sounded like a nord, whoever it was that had spoken. And they were close.

Bow returning to her grasp, the khajiit looked to the tallest tree in her general vicinity. With true cat-like agility, thanking her few lucky stars that she was a khajiit, she bounded into the tree with urgency. She took hold of one of the lower branches, patches of bark digging into her skin as she dragged herself up. Up onto the next branch she went, then higher she ascended.

Soon satisfied with her vantage, she rested her body against the central trunk while drawing an arrow and taking aim below.

The voice was silent now, but another sound replaced its presence. Footsteps, clumsy, like they were attempting stealth and showing a poor skill in doing so. Following the sound led to what was, indeed, a male nord emerging from behind a grouping of boulders. His garb was most familiar, especially given that it was not so far removed from her own. Leathers and furs scrapped together in a most basic fashion.

A bandit.

Theirs had hardly been the only active group, no, there was always more of them. Was he from one that they had known? She didn't recognise him, but members were always changing around here. What would he do upon seeing her? Would he attack? Recognise her as a fellow outlaw?

It didn't matter. Entertaining such a thought just brought fresh memories of blood in the snow.

She'd never let it be her blood.

Thwish.

The arrow met its mark, a slight splat sounding as the arrow struck through his skull. It didn't have enough power to make it through the other end, but it didn't need to. He fell without making a sound, hitting the dirt as blood pooled around the fresh corpse. His death was followed by a return to nothingness, not a peep or a stir, just a quiet the accompanied the stream of death that had thus far followed in the khajiit's wake.

Soon satisfied that nobody else was around, she descended back down to the ground and approached the fallen bandit. He had little on him, just a battered sword and the clothes on his back. Yet, he smelled of mead, recently drunk of the potency of the scent was any indication.

This man came from a camp. And it had to be close.

She stood, tracing his movements back behind the outcropping ahead. And there, to her surprise, was a crude set of stone stairs leading up the mountainside. They looked ancient, but that was nothing too unusual for this land. Ruins were scattered around here and there, the nords' history was long and bloody. Tombs, temples, a mix of both. If it was old and probably full of the undead, Skyrim had it in abundance.

What lay at the end of this path, she had to wonder?

Making her way up, weapon remaining in hand, a glow soon emerged further up the slope. The flickering of fire, either from a torch, a campfire, or even both of them. Whatever the case, there was definitely a campsite up ahead.

She veered from the path, sticking to the side and behind rocks, trees and any other cover she could conceivably make use of.

What appeared ahead was a small ruin by Skyrim's standards, a simple stone structure partially collapsed after generations of exposure to the elements. But enough remained of the walls to hold at least part of a roof above the heads of the bandits, and thus would be enough for Mia that night.

The obstacle? The said bandits, of which she counted four. Three nords and a khajiit, how familiar. The latter was a grey-furred male, sword and shield kept close to his side. And other three each held a blade, an axe and a mace respectively. Each one could end her life in a stroke if allowed.

Still, they had yet to realise their fifth member wasn't coming back. And she still had a bow.

Mia focused her gaze at the closest of the outlaws, one nord who appeared to be acting as a sentry while the others laughed and drank by the fire. She drew another arrow, levelled it at him…

And then she fired.

Another hit, another death to her name. He fell, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the remaining bandits. Shouts of alarm immediately rang out, followed by a mad scramble for their weapons.

"Hells! Where did that come from!?"

"A sneak waits in the shadows…"

"Face us, milk drinker! Die well!"

Milk drinker? Please. Nordic insults were pathetic at the best of times.

She let loose another arrow, this one embedding itself into another nord's chest. This time, however, it failed to outright kill the man. He let out a shout of pain as it dug into his armour, falling to one knee, but with life yet filling his body.

"There! Get the bastard!"

Mia growled in irritation as the two uninjured bandits rushed her location. She stood from her cover, quick to nock another arrow and loosing it upon the first bandit approaching, the other khajiit. He ducked aside, not even looking back as the arrow meant for him felled the one behind him. Now alone, yet undaunted, he rapidly closed the distance.

Acting quickly, Mia dropped the bow and reaching for her mace and bringing it down hard towards her opponent. He raised his shield, the wooden disk cracking against the force of the blow. But it did its job, allowing the bandit a swing of his sword that Mia saw like a flash in the corner of her eyes. She yelped, taking a step back that was just short of being far enough.

The blade sliced a gash across her side, blood drawing across the weapon as what makeshift armour attempted to resist it split apart with relative ease. She didn't even scream, the air being driven from her lungs in a weak gasp.

The other khajiit smirked, following up with a shield to Mia's face. It sent her sprawling, rolling down the stone steps with a force that shattered the already weakened thing. Not that its owner cared, he watched her fall with extreme satisfaction until she came to a halt. Then, assured in his victory, he struck forward again with his blade poised for the finishing blow.

A hiss of fury escaped Mia's lips, the world snapping back into focus as adrenaline invaded every cell in her body. She wildly swung out with her mace, catching the man's blade and sending both their weapons careening from their grasp.

Not willing to let this moment of surprise go to waste, she jumped up and towards the second khajiit, claws springing forth and propelling towards him! He received a gash along his cheek with one set, which his own hand desperately caught the wrist of her second. He popped his own claws, digging them into that wrist as he swung her around in an attempt to send her back down to the ground.

This time, she resisted. She planted one of her paws behind her, bracing against the attempt before ramming her forehead into his as hard as she was able. He gave a rather displeased sound, staggering backwards with one hand pressed against his head while the other's claws gleamed as they prepared for further combat.

Mia bared her fangs, eyes darting for her weapon. There was no sign of the mace, it likely having been lost somewhere down the slope.

Her claws were at the ready, but so were his. Beyond that, the wound across her side continued to ooze blood to the point that, if allowed to persist, adrenaline soon wouldn't be enough to keep her going. A healing spell was the obvious answer but taking time and mana to do that now would give her adversary the chance to finish her off.

There was one thing for it.

She grasped below her, hand swiping into the dirt and rock to bring up what she could. Once she held as much as she was able, she hurled the debris at her opponent before throwing herself back towards the nearby corpse!

The dirt impacted his face, scattering across his vision as intended. He snarled back at her, blinding swiping his claws in a fury that ultimately did little more than show his malevolence towards the empty air. However, undeterred, he wiped away the dirt and rushed towards the woman, seeing her reaching down for something by his fallen fellow's side. Ready to end the interloper's life, his claws dug roughly into the back of her neck, grasping tightly as he pulled her around with his second set ready to come down and take her windpipe.

She swung first, an axe slicing through the air before it reached his own throat.

The khajiit fell, eyes staring in disbelief as he clutched against the wound. But, without a spell to his name, there was little he could do to prevent the coming dark…

Mia, staring down at her work, stood up tall and turned her back on him moments later. Axe in one hand and a spell igniting in another, she took the moment to finally soothe her own wounds as she approached the ruin.

The fire crackled and popped, warm and inviting. The walls around it were now far emptier than they had been but moments prior… but not entirely. Not yet.

"Ugh, damned furred demon…" the nord spat, weapon held weakly in his grasp on account of the arrow still lodged inside his body. "I'll send you to Sovngarde myself, or wherever you kind go when you die."

"A little optimistic, given your position," Mia noted, letting her spell die as its work concluded. "I've had a really bad day. You're just the final nail in it."

"Ha! You- Ugh, you don't know the meaning of pain! I'll show it to you!"

He attempted to stand, but his attempts were wobbly and poorly executed, albeit spirited in the endeavour.

"Ack! You-! Ah… I see, perhaps I shall be going myself. No matter, I'll die with a weapon in hand. My salvation is secured, can you say the same?"

Mia looked doubtful. "If you say so, Nord. But I'm done with your kind. Bandits, I mean. What did I see in that life?"

"Heh, I did assume from your garb, Khajiit. Is this some attempt to atone, or just desperation? Skyrim will never accept someone like you. You think you can change? You're just another criminal, just like us. That will never change."

The grip on her axe tightened. "Grh… get out of here. Maybe you can find a nice cave to hide in before you bleed out."

"No. Did you not hear? I'm going to Sovngarde," he boasted. "What about you? You'll remain here, hungry… scared… alone."

That last word struck something fresh, raw, within the khajiit. Wordlessly, she lifted the axe into the air and embedded it within the man's skull. He didn't even have time to attempt a defence, his own weapon never moved. His head split open, and he dropped to the ground like a wet bag of recently caught fish. The sound was similar, too.

If that showing got him into the nord afterlife, it had rather poor standards.

Mia took in a steady breath, then releasing it slowly as her frayed nerves began to calm. They were dead. All of them. They had tried to kill her, but they had failed at every turn. She was alive. She was safe... She was... safe...

She glanced down at the fire, staring into its depths as the flames haphazardly licked at the air.

Hungry… scared… alone…

Those words remained in her mind as she removed the bodies, taking all that was worthwhile from them before tossing the cadavers out into the snow. One of the bodies was adorned in a thicker set of iron chest armour, which she plied from the corpse and used to replace her torn rags. As the night pressed on, and the cold tightened around her, she finally sat herself by the fire and continued to stare at the small inferno.

Hungry…

She could deal with that. A town had to come soon; her rations would suffice until then.

Scared…

It would pass. She'd won, hadn't she? She'd lived. They were dead. These bandits… Her former friends… They all failed to kill her. They would continue to fail. She would continue… She would…

Alone…

As sleep finally claimed her, the agony of the day finally caught up and a few solitary tears soaked into her cheeks. Her dreams were not kind, memories dark and cold tormenting her rest. For the second time in her life, she truly was alone…