Prompt: Dragonborn
Focus: Talkeeva
A jolt tore through Talkeeva's nerves, and she jumped backwards, boots thudding on the rickety wooden planks as she narrowly avoided a chunk of ice that impaled itself into the floor of the Riften market, shattering to bits and scattering away just seconds later. A low, gutteral hiss growled in the back of the Argonian's throat as she glanced over her shoulder at the water below – bouncing lightly on her toes to dive for the Ratway at a moment's notice – before snapping her head skyward, the roaring of the dragon drowning out the townsfolk's panicked screams. She tightened her grip on her crossbow, bringing it up to her face and staring down the sights at the gargantuan beast, flying in circles above the old, worn city to catch its breath.
"Tal'!" Her tail twitched at the call of her nickname, and she peered left and right, looking past Brand-Shei's abandoned stall and spotting the curled horns of her adventuring partner peeking out from behind a stack of boxes nearby. "What are you doing!? Keep your head down!"
Derkeethus' warning barely registered in her head as she hurriedly sidestepped over to him, her sword and shield bumping against her hip, and she grit her teeth when the dragon cried out again, hints of pain playing amidst its aggression. She squatted down next to the other lizard, shrugging her shoulders to shake her scarf back in place, and turned to look at her friend, holding his bow with a white-knuckle grip, his wide eyes betraying the terror that coursed through him.
"'Keeth, it's nearly dead, can't you hear it?" She replied smoothly, perking up when she heard the local guards belt out a mutual battlecry, bowstrings twanging loudly as they let a volley of missiles fly at their foe. She rose up for a second to look around, watching the purple-garbed soldiers form a perimeter near the market's bridges, then turned back to Derkeethus, reaching out to pat his shoulder, squeezing her fingertips into his leather pauldron before yelling out. "All of you, try to goad it out of the air! Once it's grounded, I can finish the job!"
There was a curt round of 'hoy!'s in response, and Talkeeva scooped her wrist underneath Derkeethus' arm, pulling him with her as she stood up. Swinging her backpack over and stuffing her crossbow away, the Argonian hoisted her sword and shield, narrowed her eyes, and smiled confidently at her friend. After taking one last look at the guards, some of their attacks managing to connect, she headed towards the stone-walled keep in the opposite direction. "T-Tal', wait a-!"
The other Argonian's stammering fell on deaf ears as rushing air whistled over his head, soon followed by a gust of wind, courtesy of the dragon's beating wings as it fled from the hail of arrows the guards sent its way. Talkeeva skidded to a stop when the monster curled its neck to stare at both of them, and she thrust her sword out, sun shining on the curved metal blade.
She heard Derkeethus take a step away, wood creaking under his feet, but she quicky found herself recoiling as well, stumbling when the dragon abruptly swiveled around and landed right in front of them, its head mere inches away from Talkeeva's face. She could feel its shallow, unnaturally cold breath on her scaly skin, shivering less from the chill and more from the closeness. The lizard behind her gasped, reflexively hissing, and she laughed inwardly at Derkeethus' reaction, nudging him with her tail before focusing back on the dragon.
"I'm not afraid of you," She sneered, shooting the creature a defiant glare, and she sucked in a breath when it reared back ever-so-slightly, raising her shield to block its attempt to nip and gnaw at her. A shock rippled through her arm, and she let out a grunt of pain, digging her heels in and shoving herself forward, bashing the rounded shield at the dragon's jaws. It snorted, scraping its claws against the stone steps leading up to Mistveil Keep, and she shifted her weight... only to pause when her companion dashed past her. "Wh- 'Keeth!"
"Just die! Die, dragon!" Her mouth dropped open at Derkeethus' scream, time seeming to slow to a crawl as she watched the Argonian spin sideways, an arrow held upside-down in his fist. Even the dragon seemed taken aback by the archer's sudden strike, too bewildered by his cry to get out of the way – but when the lizard plunged the barbed, metal arrowhead into one of the beast's eyes, its entire body, from its head to its wings to its tail, went rigid.
The dragon screeched in agony, whipping its head this way and that, sending spatters of blood onto their armor and into the grass. Derkeethus jolted when his arrow was ripped from his grasp, shaking his head rapidly as he was yanked out of his adrenaline-fueled trance, and Talkeeva's senses sparked as he toppled over, reaching out to catch him. She nodded at his 'oof' as he fell into her arms, flexing her muscles to hold the Argonian steady; the dragon flailed for a few moments before crumpling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust with its dying roar.
"You okay?" She whispered, digging the edge of her shield into the other lizard's back to get his attention, and she inhaled, then exhaled, inhaled, then exhaled, to try and calm her nerves, feeling the air swirling violently around her. Derkeethus moaned quietly, his face drooping wearily, but he opened his eyes somewhat when she gave him another prod. "Hey, 'Keeth, don't go fainting on me now. C'mon, pull yourself together!"
"I'm... y-yeah, haah-" Her friend sighed, taking a gulp of air through his nose, but he blinked in surprise in the middle of his reply, his thoughts dying on the tip of his tongue, simply choosing to stare at her instead. Talkeeva furrowed her brow, cocking her head in confusion. "But what ab-bout you? You're... glowing?"
Her heart stopped. She stole a glimpse at the dragon's body laying next to them, which flared and crackled, and she gave herself a hasty once-over, feeling the familiar warmth of a dragon's soul spreading through her. She dropped Derkeethus, ignoring his short grunt as his head bonked onto the ground, and inched further and further away until she felt the wooden railing behind her.
The Argonian woman looked over her shoulder, lingering for a split-second on the awestruck townsfolk, from guards to warriors and visitors alike, before scanning over the waterways below. Her breathing quickened and her nerves were quite the opposite of calm. She shouldn't be here, she couldn't be here, she needed a place to go-
"THE DRAGONBORN! THE DRAGONBORN IS HERE IN RIFTEN!"
The simultaneous cheers made her heart race, enthusiasm and anxiety vying for dominance in her frazzled mind, her tail twitching nervously. She looked past Derkeethus, who had picked himself up and was dusting himself off, and her gaze locked onto a boat at the end of the canal, the memory of watching it dock near the sewers replaying in her head.
"Talkeeva... y-you're...!?" Derkeethus' words pulled her back to reality, and she ducked her head, sprinting forward and leaping over the railing, bracing herself as she dove into the water, spotting the entrance to the Ratway on her way down.
A/N: I wasn't expecting to get a couple good oneshot ideas for this out of the blue this summer, but here we are. Anyone miss me?
