The cave opening looked so much different in the sunlight. The trees and brush around them were still dead and grey. The road up was much more obvious in the daylight, too. It stood out like a sore thumb compared to the greenery around. But it didn't look nearly as cold. Vilkas paused at the mouth cave and looked over his shoulder with a scowl.

"You didn't have to come, you know?"

His companion, Farkas, only shrugged. "I'd rather be here than let you do this alone. Besides, I'd rather see you go through with this in case I ever want to."

Farkas' words did nothing to make Vilkas feel any better. He paused for a moment and grimaced. "Have you ever thought about getting rid of it for yourself? Or even about telling Ysolda?"

"That I'm a werewolf?" He looked up in contemplation. "I mean, it's never really come up. And I'm a lot better at managing myself than you ever were. Maybe in a few years, but there's no need to right now. It's never bothered me all that much."

Vilkas didn't answer as they entered the cave. He could only just barely make out the walls as they descended further, but everything was familiar. Any uncertainty Vilkas felt the first time he came here disappeared..

"You ever think about what would have happened if we didn't become werewolves?"

Vilkas paused, looking over his shoulder. Farkas' expression was uncharacteristically dark. He bit the inside of his cheek and gave his words some thought. "Every day. I probably would have been happier if I didn't. There would have been a lot less blood shed on my part too."

"Oh…" Farkas mustered a shaky grin as he stopped by Vilkas' side. "It's good we're getting this done then."

…

He slashed one last time as the ghostly wolf lay gasping for breath at his feet. The edge of his blade met little resistance, hitting the floor with a clang. Satisfaction came only when the creature screamed in pain, then disappeared. There was nothing left behind as he let his sword slip from his hand to the floor.

"I haven't seen you look that desperate in a fight for a while."

Vilkas shivered, still staring at the ground. For a moment, everything felt the same. Nothing had changed.

He almost didn't notice the edges of his vision crawling with black. Or the way Farkas' voice seemed to muffle. The only thing he could focus on was the way his blood pulsed in his veins or the way the room seemed so much colder than before.

Then he felt the pulling. Tearing at his back, like something was intent on clawing his skin off. Over and over, icy claws tore at him, desperate to merge back with whatever was left of him. Vilkas gasped for air as he held his head in his hands.

"Vilkas!"

The slap on his back was solid, grounding him in an instant. The Nord looked over his shoulder, wide eyed and shocked, to see Farkas frowning. "Hey, are you alight?"

Vilkas almost couldn't answer as he fought for words. The ripping he felt only moments before was gone. His surroundings were duller than he remembered, and his ears filled with an eerie silence. He furrowed his eyebrows in utter confusion, eyes darting around the room.

"Vilkas?"

"I'm still alive, right?"

"What the hell? Yeah, of course you're alive. Did it work?"

"I…" Vilkas trailed off. He glanced down to hands, scanning them for anything different. Nothing. But the world around him had changed. "It did."

…

Valleri perked up when she heard the sharp knock at the front door. Immediately she got up from her seat at the table and went to check the window. She could barely see two figures at her door in the darkness. Holding her breath, the Imperial unlocked the door.

Farkas' uneasy grin met her first. In another moment, she watched Vilkas wordlessly drift into the house, eyes glazed over. Valleri turned back to his brother, still standing in the door.

"What happened?"

"Well, it worked." Farkas paused, sucking in a breath. "He hasn't said anything since we left Winterhold. Given from what's happened before…"

Valleri paused for another second, eyes glancing behind her towards the stairs. "Yeah. How about you?"

"Tired. I'm gonna head home. Let me know if something happens."

"Will do," Valleri finally muttered. She watched Farkas start down the road before locking the door and heading upstairs. Each step felt heavier the closer she got to the bedroom door. Pausing, Valleri held her breath again as she looked inside. Vilkas was already in bed, back turned to her. With a sigh, she slipped next to him.

"Vilkas?"

Unsurprisingly, she heard no answer. A pit opened in her stomach as she waited. Valleri gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder, desperately hoping something would happen. Slowly, Valleri's eyes closed as she fell asleep.

"I can't hear anything. It's all just… gone."

Valleri's eyes snapped open. "What?"

She heard Vilkas before he continued. "I used to listen to you. Your heart beating against your chest or each breath you took. And now I can't hear a thing. Everything is just drowned out with nothing." He turned to face her and Valleri's heart sank when she finally met his eyes, lost and unsure. "It's like I'm a ghost in my own body. I don't know what's me or what was given by Hircine."

Valleri thought for a moment, reflecting on the empty gaze that continued to linger on her. Slowly, she took Vilkas' hand in on her sternum. The Imperial closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Once she finished, Valleri smiled.

"Listen. My heart is still beating. I'm still breathing. The world hasn't stopped just because you can't hear all of it going on at once." She saw Vilkas' expression soften. "You're still you. Hircine can't take that away from you. No one can. It's time to rest easy. Everything's still here."

The Imperial kept Vilkas' hand on her chest as she continued to watch him. The man breathed out sharply, a frown still plastered on his face. Valleri knew he was thinking about what he said, but if he believed it or not, she didn't know. That would take weeks, months. Valleri would be there, though. In moments, Vilkas was sleeping. Valleri snuggled closer to him before drifting off to sleep herself.