Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Skyrim, the characters from the awesome mod Skyrim Romance by Maralightfeather, Kaidan 2 by livtempleton, or any other mod-related content referred to in this story. This story is purely fan-made and I only claim ownership of the character I'm playing as.

(Updates 11/29/2020)

Chapter 1: The Wolf And The Raven

Noir's POV

It's been almost two weeks now since Delphine asked me to meet her back in Riverwood but honestly, I've never been very good at waiting around. Especially since I didn't know how long I was supposed to wait and that's the last thing I wanted to do when there are people who could use my help. Besides, given the fact that she hasn't shown up yet in all that time, at least not since the last time I checked the inn, I decided to continue my travels for now, and if Delphine needs my help that badly she could always track me down again herself instead of expecting me to sit on my hands.

Dragons or no dragons I'm not helping anyone wasting my time like this.

To be fair though I didn't exactly plan to travel out this far from Riverwood looking for work. That said, the bounty letter I picked recently told me to go to Markarth to collect the reward once I had proof that I killed the bandit chief and their comrades who were blocking the road to Dragon's Bridge so it couldn't be helped. I was nearly there too but there was a nasty rainstorm on its way and I didn't want to get caught in it so I tried to pick up the pace a little. Oh and before you even ask, no, it's not because people assume that all Khajiit hate to get their fur wet that I wanted to avoid getting caught in the rain, it's actually because on dark rainy days like this I always feel groggy so my senses aren't exactly at their sharpest. And that can be very dangerous, especially in a place like this where there are all these Forsworn lurking in the hills of the Reach.

It's on lonely days like this that I really wish my friend Kaidan was here traveling with me. I miss having someone to talk to and a friend by my side to watch my back. Khajiit aren't really meant to live alone like this, but due to certain circumstances that were beyond my control, I never had much of a choice in the matter. I know I could have tried to join one of the caravans here in Skyrim I suppose but being a merchant or a caravan guard just wasn't the life for me. That said we're still a very social race, so traveling alone like this is-

My ears suddenly perked up when I heard voices up ahead just across the river, so I slowed down to listen and that's when I heard one of them say, "Oh great, another unwelcome visitor. I told you we shouldn't have come out into the open like this! It's way too close to the road..."

"Oh quit complaining!" a female companion of his replied, "When are we going to find a Shrine of Dibella this close to the village? Besides, if either of them anything funny there's only two of them and three of us."

There was a third voice, but their voice was so soft that even I could barely make it out and unlike the other two they fully intended to avoid any unwanted attention. And to tell you the truth I'm a bit surprised I heard any of them above the sound of rushing water from the river which would have normally drowned out their voices entirely. That said, the first two people were too busy arguing to notice how loud they were being which is what caught my attention and I have better hearing than humans, it's a blessing and a curse when you're born with a pair of cat ears.

When I finally spotted the owners of the voices over on the other side of the mist, the first thing I noticed were two male Forsworn and one female and I had a feeling those are the people I heard arguing just a moment ago. The first was a male archer with long fiery-red hair, the second was a warrior with short sandy-blonde hair and the last member of their hunting party was a female warrior with short brunette hair. And if you're wondering how I knew that these people were Forsworn I've learned over the years how to recognize their warpaint, weapons, and armor which they usually kept in their natural state as much as possible so it was mostly fur instead of cured leather.

As I continued observing them out of curiosity I noticed another pair of people who looked more like everyday hunters judging by their armor standing near the Shrine of Dibella who seemed to be trading furs or something. So that's who they were complaining about earlier, the "unwanted visitors," I thought before I also noticed that the person accepting furs was a Bosmer while the other man seemed to be a Nord with light brown hair.

What I found interesting about their exchange is that despite the fact that the latter was glaring daggers at the three Forsworn, almost as if daring them to take a single step closer, those three seemed oddly relaxed and from what I could tell had no intention of attacking the two hunters. It was almost as if the Bosmer already knew they could be trusted which is why he pretty much ignored them. So did that mean these Forsworn weren't hostile...? That's a first given how all of the Forsworn I've ever met attack everyone on sight...

Still, if I wanted convince them to let me pass peacefully this might be my only chance since it's unlikely I'll meet another group like this who seem a bit more willing to listen. Besides, all five of them were blocking the road and this was the only way across the river from here. So unless I wanted to turn around and make my way further downstream to find the next closest bridge, I needed to get past them now before nightfall. And it was getting hard to tell how close it was to nightfall thanks to the thick storm clouds looming above us to the point where not even the moons and the stars would be able to guide me.

Jerking in surprise when another loud rumble shook the air overhead, I took a deep breath and continued walking across the bridge. I'm not exactly sure what was going on between these two hunting parties, but it seemed safe enough for me to approach so I kept my daggers sheathed and held my head up high to let them know I'm not the least bit concerned. I might be traveling alone for now, but what they didn't know is that I could always Shout them halfway up the nearest cliff if any of them was stupid enough to attack me.

Once I was close enough I could hear more of their conversation, I paused as the Nord hunter snarled, "Are you still here? Damn it, can't a man do business without a bunch of skirt-wearing Forsworn breathing down my neck? This guy may say you're harmless but I'm not convinced so keep your distance or else, got it?"

"Bold words coming from a man who is outnumbered three to one, ranger," the blonde one smirked which only agitated him more.

"Oh shut up! I could take you all on if I had to, but you're in luck because I have somewhere better to be once I'm done here." Turning back to the Bosmer who seemed to be getting a little flustered now, the ranger asked, "So how about it? Will you give me a hundred gold per pelt? They might be a bit damp from the rain but there aren't many tears since it was a clean kill."

"Do I look like I'm carrying that much with me?" the elf frowned, sighing, "Look, I can give you a hundred and fifty for two pelts but that's all I can afford."

"Stingy bastard...ugh fine, guess that will have to be enough to pay for a room and a decent meal in Markarth," the grumpy ranger agreed, handing him the two pelts he was carrying rolled up under his arm and put the remaining one back in his pack.

I shook my head a little after the elf paid him and left because I think the ranger should have tried to at least haggle for some extra supplies if the hunter was out of gold. After all, that's what I usually do. Still, I guess they were too wrapped up in whatever they were doing to notice me until I announced myself by clearing my throat loudly. That's when the blonde Forsworn and the ranger both turned my way at the exact same time with an all too familiar look of astonishment on their faces the moment they laid eyes on me. Not that I'm surprised, it's the reaction I usually get since most of them have never seen a Dagi-Raht Khajiit...

While most people in Skyrim have seen plenty of other Khajiit traveling across the land, my kind are considered rare even in my homeland as I already mentioned once before. Truthfully I've only met two others who look like me but that was a long time ago back in Elsweyr, but here, there is no one else like me. For one thing, Dagi-Raht look surprising human despite our faces still being covered in a fine layer of fur and we don't have the same facial features as the Cathay who are much more common across Tamriel. And while most Khajiit have distinct patterns on their fur, mine is pure black aside from the two bright white patches on the back of my ears which my mother used to call my "twin moons," and said they were seen as a sign of good luck according to her.

As for the more basic part of my appearance, I was wearing a set of sleeveless leather armor that was form-fitting, and it came with a matching leather choker and thigh-high boots. Besides looking good in it I like this armor because it was easy to move in, not to mention it was surprisingly comfortable too which is a bonus. It also had a thin chain-mail tunic between the fabric of my undershirt and the leather armor for added protection. However, the only downside to wearing anything metal is that it can get very cold when the temperature drops sharply in the colder places in Skyrim which is why I carry a spare set of warmer armor in my satchel that I normally change into when the weather is especially cold.

Trying to lighten the mood a bit since my intrusion put them a bit on edge I laughed and asked playfully, "What's wrong? Never seen a Khajiit without a caravan before?"

"Of course we have, although I must admit I've never seen one quite like you before," the blonde Forsworn began with a coy smile to match as he took a few steps closer to me, his sky blue eyes shining with curiosity and a hint of distrust. "Tell me, why did you approach us so casually? You do realize that we are Forsworn and could easily tear you apart at a moment's notice, don't you? But I suppose given how your people are often treated by the Nords as well, perhaps we are more alike than you think..."

For some reason, a small shiver ran up my spine when he said that because the truth is I actually did believe I had a bit in common with the Forsworn at least since I also grew up in a tribal setting, but I ignored it and argued, "Well, for one thing, I overheard your friends arguing and from what I could tell aside from having a difference in opinion you seem much more willing than most of the Forsworn I've met to actually talk things out. And yes, I could tell you were Forsworn right away but, there's something different about you so I decided to take a risk and see if you would let me pass through here unharmed like you let these two hunters."

"So basically, the fact you're even talking to me instead of trying to skin me alive says a lot. And it's true that this might all be a clever ruse, but it's still a welcome change," I smiled genuinely.

Startled by my answer, he chuckled to himself and said, "Hmm, now this is unexpected. I didn't expect to hear such an honest answer from someone like you, nor that I would have the honor to meet someone so open-minded here in Skyrim. And if I may be so bold it is clear to me that you are no ordinary traveler. You speak as if you are one of us and not as a Khajiit. And you are surprisingly well versed in our ways. You also seem to be used to traveling alone much like that ranger over there which either means you are very brave or foolish. Or perhaps, as you said yourself this is a clever trap and you intend to capture my interest in beautiful women. If so..." he whispered softly, leaning in closer with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "...I approve."

"Oh please..." the ranger scoffed before I could respond, rolling his eyes. However, I was too busy blushing to really notice he was still watching us as my tail began twitching uncontrollably.

Thank the Gods no one could see me blush like you can with other races thanks to my dark fur, but still, the way my ears folded back shyly was probably a dead giveaway to how embarrassed I was by that compliment since I don't exactly hear it very often. "I...um, thank you. That's very kind of you to say..."

"Saying that speaking the truth is a kindness only proves the folly of this world," he lamented before clearing his throat and finally introducing himself with another gentle smile as he bowed slightly. "Where are my manners? My name is Cael, though many have come to know me as the Raven of the Reach. And you are?"

"My name is...Noir," I replied, momentarily distracted by sound in the distance that caught my attention and made my ears reflexively perk back up as I tilted one further back to pinpoint it again. I knew perfectly well that I could have just been hearing things, but my animal instincts were warning me that something was wrong and I also had a bad feeling I knew what that sound was...

"That's a weird name, what does it mean?" the red-haired Forsworn asked me, watching my movements carefully when he noticed the sudden change in my body language and began reaching for his bow.

Tilting my head slightly to the left I answered off-handedly, "It means 'night sky' in some long-forgotten language, or so I've been told..."

"Oi, ladyship? You ok? These Forsworn making you nervous? I can come over to rescue you if you want," the ranger asked, sounding like he was half-serious half-joking.

"Ugh, why is HE still here? I thought you had somewhere "important" to be wolf-boy!" the female Forsworn mocked, glaring icily at him.

"Well, being the upstanding guy that I am, I can't very well leave a lady alone in the presence of a bunch of bloodthirsty savages now can I?" he began with a sly grin, "Now why don't you be a good girl and run along home or wherever in Oblivion you people came fro-!?"

"Shit, I knew that wasn't thunder!" I hissed, drawing my daggers which made the rest of them instinctively draw their weapons too. But since I didn't want them to misunderstand why I unsheathed them I shouted, "There's a dragon heading this way! Get ready!"

"Wait, what!? Are you fucking serious? How can you tell-!?" the ranger asked as he notched an arrow, searching the skies for any signs of it like the others. Then there was an earth-shattering roar and the sound of powerful wings fast approaching reached us as a dark shape broke through the clouds and dove straight for us.

We all staggered back a bit from the sheer force of the updraft from its wings and when I looked up one of them had clipped the side of the statue of Dibella. Too bad the heavens also decided this was the perfect time to pour rain down on us too which made things much more difficult since we could hardly even see the damn dragon. If we were lucky though, that went both ways. And while this actually isn't the first dragon I've ever fought, I had a feeling none of them knew who I was just yet or have come this close to a dragon on their own so all I could do was use my battle experience to make sure we all survived this. They'd thank me for it later and at least I gave them a fair warning that it was coming, meaning there was still time for them to escape if they decided this was too much for them to handle...

The people of Helgen weren't so lucky, which is why I wasn't about to let anyone else get caught off guard on my watch.