Chapter 6

The following day was spent in almost complete silence. Sara didn't truly understand just how much she enjoyed a pleasant conversation until she was forced to travel with the most untalkative person she'd ever met. It was beyond frustrating, but Sara wanted to keep the peace as much as possible. They had maybe two days left before they'd reach Riften and then Rogan would go away to continue his Dawnguard duties, leaving Sara to figure out this foreign world on her own. It was a question that kept her up at night, that consumed her thoughts as she labored up hillsides, down rocky cliffs and winded through the endless forest. The physical activity had been good for her, she felt better than she had in years, but it was still exhausting, and even worse when her company didn't help to distract from any of the aches and pains.

It was a dreary morning. Rogan had woken Sara up at the crack of dawn to begin her training. It went horribly, as she had predicted, and ended up with Rogan stomping off to go punch a tree somewhere while Sara tossed her sword on the ground and refused to continue once he had calmed down and returned to the camp. So, the day passed much like the day before, except there was another layer of tension between them that neither one was willing to deal with.

A short while after the sun had dipped behind the mountains, Rogan jetted off in a different direction and he led Sara to a small cave. After ensuring that it was uninhabited by any unwanted guest, Rogan silently busied himself with building a fire while Sara resumed her usual role of laying out their bedroll. After she was finished, she plopped down on the mat with a small sigh and slipped her boots off, wincing as the throbbing intensified. She spent a few minutes rubbing her sore calf muscles, but it didn't help very much and so eventually she gave up and rifled through her bag for some food.

Rogan had disappeared into the woods and when he returned, he held two small rabbits in his hands. He wordlessly knelt down in front of the fire and, after retrieving his small cooking pan, started skinning the rabbits and sectioning the meat into sizeable chunks. Sara shuddered as she watched him work, but her stomach rumbled and she had to admit the idea of eating more nuts and dried fruit was less than appetizing.

There was a rustling noise from the bushes just outside the cave and Rogan immediately dropped the carcass and reached for the sword on his hip. Sara stiffened, and her heart began to race as the rustling increased and two beady black eyes appeared from between the leaves.

"Wolf," Rogan growled, and he glanced over at Sara. "Get up."

"What?" Sara squeaked, but she forced herself to stand.

Her feet protested under the movement but she ignored it. Her blood ran cold as the Wolf, a big beast with shaggy black fur, slunk forward, its teeth bared and hackles raised. She clenched the sheath of her sword with both hands so hard her knuckles turned bright white and she couldn't bring herself to draw it.

"You've got to learn somehow. A wolf is easy to kill."

"A-A wolf is- fucking hell," Sara swore, and she shook her head. "I don't like this, Rogan."

"Tough shit," Rogan growled, and he pointed his sword at her while his eyes were still glued to the wolf. "Draw your sword."

The wolf snarled, and it crept forward another step, but Rogan's snarl was far more intimidating and so it stopped in its tracks.

"Draw your sword!" Rogan bellowed, and he finally looked at Sara.

The wolf took that brief moment to strike, and it lunged for Rogan. He easily jumped back and slashed his sword, which barely missed the beast's throat as it too danced out of the way with a grace that made Sara's breath hitch in her throat. It circled back around the opening to the cave and fixed its black gaze on Sara, who had finally drawn her sword and held it in front of her with both hands shakily clenching the grip.

"Aim for the heart, you only have one shot."

Sara could barely hear what Rogan was saying as her heart pounded so loudly in her chest it roared in her ears and drowned out all other sounds. The wolf crouched; its powerful legs poised to leap, and suddenly it seemed like time slowed down.

Sara's eyes widened as she realized that the wolf would attack her, and she thought her legs might give out from fright but she bent her knees and tried to steady her breathing as she kept the sharp end of her sword directly pointed at the wolf.

Rogan watched; his sword ready in case he needed to interfere. A simple bite from a wolf could be patched up but he knew from Sara's lack of experience that things could go far worse. His heart also raced as a surge of adrenaline coursed through him and he waited to see what would happen with bated breath.

In the blink of an eye, the wolf leaped at Sara. She screamed and closed her eyes but held the sword firmly in her hands. There was a loud crunch and an animal scream rang in her ears but then she was knocked completely on her back so hard the wind was violently forced out from her lungs.

Rogan rushed forward, ready to finish the kill but when he grabbed at the wolf and pulled it back, he found the beast was dead and Sara was pinned beneath it with blood running down her face and chest. Her sword was deeply embedded in the wolf's chest and her eyes were still squeezed shut.

"Sara!" Rogan growled as he slid the body of the wolf off of her.

"Is it over?" Sara whispered, and she sighed in relief as she felt the pressure of the body leave her.

"I can't believe you closed your eyes."

"I can't believe you made me do that," Sara spat back, and she finally opened her eyes. "Oh my god! What the fuck!"

She was drenched in thick black fur. Bright red blood coated the entire front of her body. She quickly sat up and tried to wipe the blood that covered her face but it was surprisingly sticky and she only managed to smear it around, which made her feel utterly sick.

"I fucking hate this," Sara gasped and she started to lift her tunic up.

"What are you doing!" Rogan shouted as he jumped back like he had been burned and spun around.

Sara ignored him and whipped her shirt off before tossing it into the fire. Rogan stood with his shoulders hunched and his back to her. She didn't care and was completely pissed off by what had happened.

"Fucking asshole," she muttered to herself as she rifled through her satchel for a waterskin.

When she found it, she emptied the entire contents down her face and chest and used a small towel to wipe herself off. She could still smell the blood and it would be impossible to get it all out from her hair without bathing but it was better than nothing.

"I can't believe you're mad at me for that," Rogan tried to argue, but he remained firmly turned around.

He stared at the wall of the cave, watching as the light of the fire bounced along the cracks and edges, casting strange shadows along the floor.

"Are you stupid?" Sara shot back. "If that was your idea of teaching... never ever teach again."

"Maybe if you weren't such a stubborn bitch and-"

"Shut up!"

Sara's voice bounced along the rock walls, reverberating loudly in their ears.

"I have don't nothing but appreciated your help every fucking step of the way, but this is too much!"

Rogan raised his brows, feeling slightly surprised by her outburst. He crossed his arms and shuffled his feet, wishing he was anywhere but inside that cave. Hot tears pricked at Sara's eyes but she refused to cry as she found a clean tunic and shoved it on.

"I'll never live up to your expectations," she continued, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. "I don't know why you even bother so much. In a couple of days, you'll dump me off in Riften and be on your way."

"Are you done shouting?" Rogan growled.

"Are you done being an ass?"

"No."

Sara let out a frustrated noise and pulled at her hair. Then she sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly let the breath out through her mouth as she tried to find her inner peace, which was almost impossible to do. Then she turned around to inspect the bedroll, which had barely missed the crossfire. She started to drag it further into the cave away from the blood on the other side of the fire. When Rogan heard the movement, he chanced a glance back and sighed in relief to see Sara wearing clothes.

"Don't worry, I'll clean up your mess," he grumbled, fully knowing that his comment earned him a glare. He could practically feel her fiery gaze on the back of his head as he began hauling the dead wolf towards the forest.

Rogan rolled the beast onto its back and freed the sword from its chest. When it was far enough away from their camp, he used a flame spell to burn the pool of blood away, which was effective but left the weirdest smell that lingered even after they were gone. Then he walked over to where Sara was sitting, her arms crossed as she stared silently at the fire, and he held the sword out to her.

"Clean your sword. Never leave blood on the blade."

"Whatever," Sara grumbled, but she took the sword from his grasp and snatched the cloth he offered as well.

"Are you going to eat," Rogan asked as he resumed his spot by the fire. He already knew the answer but asked anyway.

"No."

"Fine."

"Fine," Sara barked back, and then she sighed.

Her body ached from having a massive wolf smash into her, and her feet ached from several days spent walking in boots that felt like they were trying to murder her. She still smelled like blood and she could feel the grit that still covered her between sweating all day long and not being able to bathe each night.

Video games don't show you how fucking disgusting life in Skyrim is, she thought to herself as she finished wiping her sword of the wolf's blood. Or how exhausting it is. How back-fucking-breaking it is to travel. None of this.

Rogan sat across from Sara; his face illuminated by the light of the fire as he hungrily consumed the cooked rabbit meat. He looked completely unbothered by the day's events, and if he was troubled by anything at all Sara couldn't tell.

Up until this moment, Sara had secretly enjoyed sleeping next to Rogan. His firm, warm presence had been comforting to her when she was living in a foreign place with no friends or family to speak of. But tonight, she dreaded it, and so she tried to stay up as long as possible before exhaustion finally won over and she was forced to lay down.

Rogan was stubborn as well. He hated that they had to share a bedroll. He always woke up and was touching Sara in some form or the other, and he usually had a massive hardon if she got too close. He could almost taste his freedom, as Riften drew closer and closer, but it was still at least a day and a half's walk, probably more.

Danger follows that girl, he thought to himself with a small frown as he stared at the fire. She's always getting into trouble. Soon I won't be there to save her sorry ass.

He had seen Sara move out of the corner of his eyes and knew that she had admitted defeat and laid down. Rogan's eyelids felt heavy as well but he fought through it a little while longer before he finally called it quits. He waited until he was sure Sara was asleep before he kicked his boots off and slipped under the covers; making his best effort not to touch her. But it left his back end practically hanging off the mat, and that annoyed him. So, after much struggling, he let out a frustrated sigh and slid forward, wrapping his arm around Sara, who was still awake. She thought about saying something or forcing his arm away. But, in the end, Sara decided against it. She was too tired to keep fighting, and so she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But that night she had strange dreams, and she woke up early the next morning feeling completely unrested.

Sara yawned and tried to comb her hair back so she could tie it away from her face. But this task was proving to be difficult as part of her hair was still caked with remnants of the wolf's blood from last night.

"Fucking disgusting," Sara muttered to herself as she hacked at her wavy locks.

After struggling with her hair for around ten minutes she had managed to comb it back enough out of the way, and she tied it into a sloppy ponytail as best she could with a small piece of leather string. It would have to do.

What I wouldn't give for an elastic hair tie right now...

Rogan was awake as well and had disappeared to relieve himself. He entered the cave just as Sara had finished rolling up their mat and he silently secured it to his satchel before slinging the pack over both shoulders.

Neither one had said a single word to each other all morning and you could cut the tension between them with a knife. Sara quietly hummed to herself as she finished getting ready and when she turned around, she found Rogan was already making his way back through the forest.

Impatient bastard, Sara sighed, and she was forced to run after him before he disappeared behind a bend.

The silence was almost unbearable as they continued their trek through the Rift. Sara tried to focus on appreciating the beautiful landscape, but it was hard when she had to walk next to Rogan, who was grumpier than ever. Around mid-day when Rogan reluctantly stopped so they could eat some of their meager rations, Sara finally broke the silence as they both leaned against a small rocky cliff that overlooked a wild forest of birch trees. Their leaves rustled loudly as a strong breeze blew from the west, and it played with the few stray strands of hair that had escaped Sara's tie.

"Rogan?"

Her voice cracked from lack of use and so she hastily took a sip of water.

"What?"

"How much farther?"

Rogan tossed back his handful of nuts and was silent as he munched on them. He seemed to be wearing a permanent scowl as he fixed his gaze on Sara's face with a sour expression.

"If you don't slow me down," he replied, and Sara rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow morning we'll be in Riften."

Sara pursed her lips together for a moment as she thought about saying something more but then she quickly shook her head and looked away. Rogan didn't say anything more and a few minutes later he stood up and Sara hastily followed suit.

The pair continued walking some invisible path. How Rogan knew where he was going without a map in his hands, Sara had no clue. She wondered just how much he traveled in Skyrim, and if he knew how to get to almost every place with ease or just the major cities. The more she thought about it, the more questions she had. Despite being mad about the wolf incident there was still a desire to get to know the sullen Orc with all his emotional baggage.

Several hours passed relatively peacefully. There were a few mudcrabs hanging around near a small stream they happened to pass that Rogan forced Sara to kill. It was laughable at first but when one of the crabs managed to get a hold of her pants and pinched her leg, it was Rogan who laughed the most as he watched Sara jump straight up in the air. The pinch had left an angry black and purple bruise but had pissed her off more than anything. He watched, silently impressed, as she channeled her anger through her sword and smashed the mudcrabs to bits in a matter of seconds.

It was early in the afternoon and Sara quietly followed behind Rogan as he walked with unwavering determination towards their destination. He knew there was another Inn only a couple hours away that wouldn't set them back too far, and he hoped to reach it by nightfall. Usually, he wouldn't waste money staying at so many Inns, but a tiny part of him felt bad that Sara had to walk around with her hair and body coated in blood. So, he resided himself to going to the Inn, but he planned on getting two separate rooms.

No exceptions, he thought to himself with his jaw firmly set. No more sleeping next to this strange woman.

Sara had noticed something in the peripheral of her view. She paused and turned her head to look. It appeared to be some sort of flower, with petals a pretty mix of white and purple. As she approached, she instantly recognized the flower, and she knelt down to inspect it a little more closely.

Nightshade, Sara thought to herself as she started to walk over to the plant. How pretty... yet deadly...

Rogan hadn't noticed Sara wasn't following him until he was several paces ahead and he turned around.

"Sara," he barked. "What are you doing?"

"God," Sara muttered, and she shot Rogan a small glare. "Can't I look at something for half a second?"

"No."

Sara sighed and went to straighten up when she spotted a flash of metal in the bushes nearby. She almost missed the Nord as he shuffled backward and ran off. Sara's eyed widened in surprise and then she rushed back to where Rogan was impatiently waiting for her with an annoyed look on his face.

"Why are you running-"

"Rogan," Sara hissed, and she grabbed his arm. "I saw someone. A bandit. But he ran away."

"Ran away..."

Rogan stiffened, and he immediately drew his sword.

"There's a camp nearby. He was a scout. He's gone back to tip them off."

Sara's heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears as she felt the familiar stirring of fear. But this was not a teaching moment, and Rogan wanted to deal with this problem as quickly as possible.

"Draw your sword, but go back down that ridge. Stay out of sight!"

Rogan gave Sara a small shove, and Sara stumbled backward as she fumbled to draw her sword.

"Where-"

"Just hide!" Rogan hissed angrily, and he shooed her with his arm. "Stay hidden until I come for you!"

Sara needed no more encouragement as she took off running back towards where Rogan had instructed her to go. There was a small dip in the ground where several fallen logs lay strewn across the forest floor. They had been huge oak trees, and their insides had been hollowed from years of deterioration. Sara slid down the hill, nearly falling as her feet slipped down the soft earth and leaves. She quickly slipped her pack off and slung it into the hollow log before quickly following after it. She slid down with her body pressed into the circular shape of the tree and tried to calm her ragged breathing as she clutched her sword close to her chest.

There was a rotted hole above her but slightly to the right. Sara shuffled closer to it, while still remaining hidden so that hopefully she could see if anybody came for her in advance. All she could do was wait, and a few moments later she heard Rogan's roar. The sound sent a jolt of panic through her body and her bottom lip trembled as she took a shaky breath and shook her head.

Now is not the time to be afraid! She silently chastised herself and Sara readjusted her grip on her sword as she clenched her jaw.

She had no idea how much time had passed. It was still light out, but it felt like an eternity had passed and Rogan did not appear. The longer Sara waited, the darker her thoughts became, although she knew she was being silly.

He's a great warrior, she thought with a small shake of her head. He would be offended I'd even think he'd be bested by a bunch of measly bandits...

But as time continued to drag on and Rogan's familiar voice still didn't call out to her, dread started to seep into her veins. Her heartbeat fluttered wildly in her chest as she struggled to remain composed and not give in to the fear that threatened to take over.

Sara's heart skipped a beat as she heard something rustle the leaves nearby. She waited, as Rogan said, and hoped that it was him who approached. If it wasn't, she didn't know what she'd do if she was discovered.

But as Sara waited to hear his voice call out her name, suddenly a clawed hand reached down through the crumbled hole of the rotting trunk.