Litters of Kittens

14th of Frostfall, 4E 202

Naya pushed the front door of Lakeview open. She stepped inside and relaxed for the first time in weeks. She desperately wanted a bath. Hopefully, someone was home that could help her with that. Food was cooking in the kitchen. "Rashall?" she called out.

"Sec."

Naya smiled. It was good that Rashall was home. She didn't want to spend days looking for him. They were in kind of a hurry. "This one wants a bath. Naya will start filling the tub," she called before heading downstairs. She had walked a few times down to the lake when Rhavaniel joined her. "Good. Rashall-dar went to speak to you," Naya said. "This one is happy Rhavaniel-dra will help."

"You're planning on messing with the Thalmor. I don't mind ruining their plans. It sounds like fun to me," Rhavaniel said. She helped Naya fill the tub before both of them cleaned off so they could relax in the warm water.

"So, how did it go in Elsweyr?" Rashall asked as he joined them. "Do we have support?"

"We do. mother was quite intent on helping us," Naya said. "This one thinks she will gather many to help but does not know quite how many."

"Did ya inform em we're bringin a mer?" Rashall asked. "Khajiit can be stingy about things like that."

"This one told mother about Rhavaniel-dra. Mother didn't like it, but she wasn't against it either since Rhavaniel-dra is Bosmer," Naya said. She started purring as Rashall helped her clean her back.

After the bath, the three of them ate dinner before heading to bed.

15th of Frostfall, 4E 202

Rhavaniel walked around the house the following morning. She was maybe a little curious and couldn't keep from exploring the other rooms. Katla's room looked like any adult's room. The room opposite Katla's room was filled with spellbooks. She looked at the notes lying on the desk. Whoever wrote them had potential. She hoped that they would show up at the college one day. She would like someone to talk to.

They packed their bags and left the manor. They were heading for Auridon. Naya's contacts had narrowed down the location of the brainwashing camp to somewhere on that island. It made sense. The Thalmor wouldn't want cats on their main island. Auridon was their best choice.

It would take the trio a couple of weeks to get in position. Then it was up to them to find the actual location of the camp. It could take them forever, but with two masters of the mind, it shouldn't take that long. Especially since they were all pretty good at smooth-talking.

They passed Helgen just as people were leaving to start working in the nearby forest. Rashall went inside just to check on things. He wasn't sure when Katla had been there last. He also wanted to let someone know they were going south. Chances were they wouldn't be back until spring.

As they walked along empty roads, they formulated a course of action to take as they arrived on Auridon. It was going to be a little tricky, but with the three of them, it would hopefully work out.

28th of Frostfall, 4E 202

"Are you questioning me?" A pointed blond eyebrow rose dangerously as a Khajiit stepped forward, teeth bared.

The dock official in Vulkhel Guard looked somewhat frightened as he stuttered out an apology and let the woman and her entourage pass. Rhavaniel hid a smirk. It was so easy to make the lower-ranked Altmer doubt themselves. She and Naya had worked hard to make sure none of them looked like themselves.

Rhavaniel was paler and blond with big pale blue eyes. She looked like an Altmer. Pair that with two Khajiit guards it said a lot about her status. You didn't have Khajiit guards unless you meant something.

Rashall and Naya were identical with bright orange fur. A colour that meant they couldn't have been made assassins since it was too visible. Khajiit like them were often assigned as bodyguards to important people among the Thalmor. They flanked Rhavaniel as the three of them walked down the street. Their subterfuge would work great on normal people as well as low-ranking Thalmor but nothing else. Unfortunately, they needed to speak to someone higher up in the food chain to get hold of the information they needed. The port town of Vulkhel Guard would not be the best place to start. Skywatch would probably be better which was why they were currently obtaining a fitting carriage with six horses pulling it.

Rhavaniel didn't speak for herself. Rashall handled the transaction with the rather brusque owner.

"You seem to believe you understand the importance of my lady," Rashall hissed menacingly in high elvish. "Let me just inform you how utterly wrong you are." He moved closer to the man baring his teeth in the process. As he did so Naya cast a myriad of spells at the man. She made him more compliant and less antagonistic. She didn't need to make him more afraid of Rashall. He was already scared enough. They were trying to make a point and arriving in a proper carriage would help with that. It would have been even better if Rhavaniel had a slew of servants, but that hadn't been possible. They would also have gotten in the way later.

For now, Rhavaniel was portraying herself as the daughter of a high-standing Thalmor. She was rebellious but had at least brought her cats with her. She was used to getting what she wanted no matter what that entailed. An hour later the carriage was on its way. Rashall sat up front steering it while Naya joined Rhavaniel inside the beautiful, carved dome of the carriage. Lavender-coloured curtains covered the windows.

"This one thinks we will do well," Naya said. "So far this is easy."

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. "We will hopefully get the information we need in Skywatch," she said. "The longer we stay here the more danger we will be in." she moved a curtain aside. They passed rocky hills dressed in lush green grass. Lanterns showed them the way. Their blue light glowed brightly in the setting sun.

Rashall took them the safest way he could manage. He was glad he had been on the island before. There had once been a thriving underworld here, but they hadn't survived the hard years that had befallen the world. It had been interesting to check out what was left. He had even found an old vault that still had some goodies in it.

29th of Frostfall, 4E 202

The city of Skywatch was built in tiers. The walls hugged each other. The huge city gates stood open. Guards greeted Rhavaniel as she passed. Beyond the gate, they passed over a bridge into the main city. Trees grew within the city, their leaves a burning orange in the autumn sun. They had not started falling yet. As they walked up towards the statue of a fallen Mage a city guard approached them. His armour gleamed in the sun and he spoke in a respectful tone as he asked Rhavaniel to approach the Manor. They walked through luscious gardens and up short stairs towards the house. It was huge. Guards stood by the front gate. Servants walked the halls. They were led past dancing Khajitt and Bosmer entertaining the Altmer gentry up to a patio overlooking the gardens. The Khajiit were asked to stay behind.

Rhavaniel walked outside and sat down next to a Thalmor. "You wished to speak to me, your excellency," she said calmly.

"You are unfamiliar to me, child," the Thalmor said. "You carry yourself as one of our dear daughters. Who is your father? Who is your mother?"

Rhavaniel studied him for a while. She knew she was probably better off lying to him even though her father was a Thalmor. Hadenel, her father, had been a Thalmor back when he got her mother pregnant with her. He likes exotic women and her mother could certainly be described as exotic. She focused back on the man before her. "Rulindil is my father," she said. She knew the man was dead. She also hoped he hadn't shared too much of his life with those around him.

"Ah, then I am sorry to inform you that your father has lost his life to the savages of Skyrim," the Thalmor said.

Rhavaniel's eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at her hands. She wouldn't cry since that wasn't appropriate, but she was allowed to show some emotion. "Father simply wished for the best for us," she said. "Why would the Nords kill him?"

"Nords are savages. We are slowly working on ridding the world of their ilk," the Thalmor said. He reached out and placed a hand on top of hers.

Rhavaniel smirked internally. He had no skill in illusions. His mind was open to her. Now all she needed to do was find the information they wanted before he got suspicious. The Thalmor's mind was disgusting. The first layer was his current thoughts. Just that layer almost made her puke. He wanted to take advantage of her sorrow. Bed her and… He was not surviving this. He just wasn't. She caught hold of memories of Khajiit cubs. She fought herself so she would not tense. She looked up at him and smiled thankfully. In a swift motion, she poisoned his drink as she kissed him. She built up an illusion in his head and stood up. She walked back into the house and the Khajiit followed her.

They left the city behind quickly. Rhavaniel reached the sea and ripped her clothes off before throwing herself in the crashing waves. She wanted to wash off the presence of her father. She took comfort in the fact that his death would be very painful. The poison she had dozed the Thalmor's drink with was very potent. It was slow working and painful. It also didn't have a cure. Most cures would just make it worse. "Disgusting man touching little ones like that," she muttered. She set fire to the clothes she had worn and dropped the appearance illusion on herself as she got out of the water. Naya did the same for herself and Rashall.

Rhavaniel pulled new clothes out of the bag Naya carried. "I know where we need to go. The Ruins of castle Rilis now hold the assassin pens," she informed the other two.

"We need to get a message to the others," Rashall said.

"I can send my familiar unless that will be a problem," Rhavaniel said.

"This one thinks that will be fine," Naya said.

Rhavaniel summoned her familiar. A white raven settled on her shoulder. She told the bird what needed to be done. Thankfully, they had both been to the island before so Ianith knew where they needed to go.

"This one's mother leads the Khajiit," Naya told the bird.

Ianith cawed in response before taking off from Rhavaniel's shoulder. She flew high into the sky and disappeared against the clouds. "We should get going too," Rhavaniel said.

The Khajiit nodded.

They followed the shoreline around the island. It was a fairly safe way to travel with only a few crabs nipping at their feet at times. A pack of wolves tried attacking them, but Rhavaniel and Naya scared them off.

1st of Sun's Dusk, 4E 202

The ruins seemed abandoned at first. Rashall, Naya and Rhavaniel arrived from one direction. Naya's mother, Maina, approached from the other side. There were several hidden entrances to the underground ruins. They would enter through several different ones. Rashall led their team down into the ruins.

It was dark. Thankfully that didn't matter to any of them. Even Rhavaniel did fine. Back in the day, she had learnt a spell that allowed her to see the same as a Khajiit. Night-Eye was an illusion spell that was no longer taught as far as she knew. It had something to do with the Dominion and the Thalmor taking over. They didn't want others to be able to see in the dark without them knowing.

That, of course, meant little to elves like her who were older than their restrictions.

Weapons were drawn. Only the cubs would survive.

Rashall rushed forward quickly and stabbed a poisoned dagger into the unprotected back of a Thalmor. A Khajiit guard moved up behind him but didn't get close enough to hit him. Arrows were sticking out of his back. Rhavaniel lowered her bound bow. The three of them kept moving slowly. They weren't going to collect cubs. Their job just like all people that entered first was to just clear the place from adult Khajiit and mer.

The second wave would get the cubs out.

Rhavaniel rushed down a corridor. The path had split earlier so she had gone down one path and Naya and Rashall had gone down the other. She took a sharp turn while conjuring an ice spear in her hand. She rammed it straight into the first Thalmor she came across. Weaving through rooms quickly, she took most guards by surprise. Thalmor were well trained in combat, but they usually didn't carry antidotes with them. She poisoned many. Burned a few. Fried some. The path of carnage she left behind would guide others to follow her. She found the Thalmor living quarters.

The rooms were decorated with heavy red silks. The guards were out of their uniforms. A heavy smell of burning candles hung in the air. Rhavaniel tore through the rooms like a whirlwind. She didn't leave a single mer standing.

In one of the private bed chambers, she found a man bent over a small Khajiit girl. Rhavaniel's magic tore through him leaving him as a wet splatter on the wall. She uncorked a vial attached to her belt and fed it to the Khajiit. "There, there. This one promises that things will get better soon," Rhavaniel said in Khajiit. Her body tensed and she grabbed the girl and rolled off the bed. Bolts of lightning hit where she had been only moments earlier. She strengthened her body shield and stood up.

"Ah, foolish girl. Do you think you can face me?" the Thalmor said. "I assure you that this little rescue attempt will fail. I will kill all of your little friends and you will help me." He cast a series of illusion spells at Rhavaniel intended to control her. However, Rhavaniel just shrugged it off. She was a Master of the Mind. Such spells didn't work on her.

A tan hand rose as she gathered fire to her. "You will find that I'm not so easily controlled… Father," she said. She threw the fire at him, but it caught on his raised shield.

"Foolish girl, how could you be a daughter of mine?" the Thalmor said dismissively.

"Oh, I'm sure mother would be wounded that you do not remember her," Rhavaniel said sarcastically. "Miriel of the Deepwoods is the name of my mother. You toyed with her and I was the result."

Hadenel looked at her. Had his fun given him a daughter. He should have kept better track of the wild woman. Had he known she had given him a daughter he might have kept her around. In chains of course. Miriel was more akin to a wild dog than a woman. It would seem her daughter was more refined. However, now that had happened. It was a shame she was working against him. He threw another lightning bolt at her.

Rhavaniel dodged the attack.

"You should join me," Hadenel said. "Together we could prove the superiority of the mer to the world."

Rhavaniel snorted out a laugh. "Sure, you go ahead and think mer are superior," she said. "I'm just going to have to disagree."

"We drove back the Oblivion Crisis. We returned the moons!" Hadenel shrieked.

"Tahlvin the hero of Kvatch and Emperor Martin Septim drove the Crisis back. Thalmor had nothing to do with it," Rhavaniel said bluntly. "I was there. I helped them defeat the Daedra in the Imperial City." She threw a lightning bolt at her father.

"Lying brat!" Hadenel roared.

Fire slammed against Rhavaniel's body shield. She broke through the flame wall and grabbed her father. Ice spread from her hands. "I will not let you continue doing this," she said angrily. She pumped more power into her spell and froze him solid. Then she conjured a war hammer and shattered the ice statue. Her breath came out in short puffs for a long time after. She was shaking. She had killed her own father.

The small Khajiit walked up to Rhavaniel. She pulled at the mer's hand.

Rhavaniel moved with the girl as they left the room.

Rashall swore. He could hear the fighting. He could hear Rhavaniel screaming at someone, but there was no way for him to get to her without running all the way back. He knew she could handle herself, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least be a tiny bit concerned about her. There was no pride, no joy in killing his brainwashed brethren. They were capable, yes, but they had no drive. No will to fight for their own survival. Rashall turned a corner and entered yet another room filled with training dummies. A Thalmor and his charges had been torn apart by two large Senche. Two pairs of sky-blue eyes turned his way.

"Ah, but if it isn't, little Rashall-ma, yes," one said.

"This one didn't know Rash-ma would be here," the other said.

"Zemiz. Zersy." Rashall greeted his sisters. "Ya haven't changed much." His tone was unfriendly. He had never cared much for his family.

"Ah, Rash-ma doesn't like us," Zersy whined.

"What did this one ever do to Rashall-ma, ne?" Zemiz asked.

Rashall grumbled under his breath. His sisters were annoying. He wished he had gone with Rhavaniel or Naya instead.

"Now, how come a thief and a liar would help his people?" Zersy asked. She walked up to him. "Shouldn't you be off stealing something somewhere?"

Rashall hissed at her. "There's more to me than a simple thief," he said irritably. "Not that ya would ever understand. Ya're as close-minded as mother."

Zemiz hissed this time. "Don't you dare compare us to her Rashall-ma," she said. "We are nothing like our mother."

Rashall huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest. There was no point in going forward. He might not like his sisters, but he knew they were capable fighters. There wouldn't be anyone left alive behind them.

"Ah, Rashall-dar, there you are."

Rashall turned slightly as Rhavaniel walked into the room with a little girl in tow. His sister got ready to pounce the mer.

Rashall stepped forward, placing himself between his sisters and the newcomer. "She's a friend," he told his sisters. "Ya could attack her, but ya won't survive it."

"You are friends with elves?" Zemiz hissed angrily. "Do you hold no pride."

Rashall hissed back.

"First a thief. Now an elf lover. This one doesn't know if you can call yourself Khajiit anymore," Zersy said.

Rhavaniel snorted. "Rashall honours his past. My grandmother, Cariel, and your ancestor Razum bore the title Eye of the Queen during the reign of Queen Ayrenn," she said. "Rashall is the eyes and ears of Queen Katla. How is he not honouring your family?" She gave both giant felines a pointed look.

"Katla is not an elven name," Zersy said.

"She's a Nord also known as Maid of the Forge," Rashall said.

The twins stared at their brother. The Maid of the Forge was an amazing Blacksmith even capable of making things for the quadruped Khajiit that fit well and worked fantastically. How had he become friends with her? Sure, she was a Nord, but unlike other human or elven races, she didn't act as if she was better than them.

"That's impossible," Zemiz said.

Rhavaniel rolled her eyes. "Rashall walked Katla down the aisle on her wedding day. They are like brother and sister. You may not believe me, but that, to be honest, is your problem," she said.

While Rashall's sisters considered what Rhavaniel had told them, Naya was making her way deeper into the slave pit's cave system. She came upon a fork in the road and stopped for a moment. "When in doubt follow the left wall," she mumbled. The corridor she walked down had heavy iron gates along the walls. Naya could see quadrupeds of all ages and sizes laying in filthy cells. A dying mother was curled around her young cubs. Naya got a key out of a pocket. She had taken it from a Thalmor just a little while ago. She would never need it again.

Naya unlocked the gate and walked inside. The little Senche cubs whimpered as she got close. "Calm sister," she said as she reached out towards the mother. Her injuries were grave. Naya wasn't sure she had what it took to save her. That made her angry. "We are saving the cubs," she said softly.

"My children will be safe?" the mother breathed heavily.

"They will," Naya promised.

"Name them after those who rescue them," the mother said.

"This one will," Naya said. The cubs cried out as their mother drew her last breath. Naya was filled with rage. She promised herself to come back for the cubs. For now, someone had to pay. Quickly she prowled back along the corridor until she reached the split. She's headed the other way. Soon enough she found a big open room.

"Kill her!"

Naya turned to see a female Thalmor pointing in her direction. She ducked as a dagger passed over her head. Two Khajiit walked out of the shadows in front of her and she could hear more behind her. She smirked. Her daggers left her sides. She blocked and parried. She buried one of her daggers in the stomach of one of her attackers before sending off a frenzy spell and turning invisible. She made her way over to the Thalmor while the assassins fought each other.

Naya snuck up behind the Thalmor and placed a dagger against her neck. "This one wishes she could have done worse to you, but you are not worth Naya's time," she hissed in common. She slit the woman's throat before killing off the rest of the assassins.

On her way back to the cubs, Naya ran into Rhavaniel and Rashall. "No enemy still stands this way," she said.

Rashall nodded slowly.

"Many Khajiit lay hurt here," Naya said as she led them down towards the cubs.

"Then I guess we'll help them until the extraction team arrives," Rhavaniel said. She and Rashall split up along the corridor. They started feeding potions to the many Khajiit that lay injured.

Naya headed straight back to the cubs. There were three of them. She lifted the little ones away from their dead mother and surrounded them in a calm healing glow. Rhavaniel eventually made her way down the corridor to her.

"The others are coming now," she said.

"We'll carry these ones," Naya said. "Their mother wanted me to name them after their rescuers." She handed a small strawberry red kitten to Rhavaniel. "This is Ravali," she said. She picked up the next cub as Rashall made his way over. "This is Sharra," she said as she gave him a little black kitten with red spots. "And the last one is Nayru." Naya looked down at the cub still in her lap. She lifted her up and the three of them headed outside with the cubs.

Rashall placed a hand on Naya's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Rhavaniel might need someone to talk to," he said in common. "She killed her father today, and she seems a little unhinged."

Naya nodded. She watched her friend walking away from everyone else. She didn't follow right away. She would give Rhavaniel a bit of time.

"Naya dear. There you are."

"Mother," Naya said with a smile.

"Now is this your young man?" Maina asked her daughter as she winked at Rashall.

"Yes, mother," Naya said with a sigh. She looked at Rhavaniel. The elf had walked out into the sea. She was standing in the rolling waves with her long hair blowing in the wind. "This one needs to speak to Rhavaniel-dra," she said. She dodged her mother and headed down to the beach. She walked out next to the mer.

Rhavaniel was smiling. She looked a bit crazy. "You aren't supposed to be happy you killed your own father, are you?" she asked softly. "I'm almost buzzing. It felt so good to just crush that arsehole of a man." She giggled.

Naya smiled softly. She wrapped an arm around Rhavaniel. "Your father is dead. He wasn't a good person. Maybe being happy you killed him isn't healthy, but I don't think you are bad because of it."

Rhavaniel nodded slowly. She would have plenty of time to work through her feelings. Naya would be able to help her.

"This one thinks we should get the cubs over to the caretakers," Naya said. She led Rhavaniel over to the Khajiit.

Boats lay in the water. They would take them out to a ship. They needed to get away from Auridon as fast as possible.

Rhavaniel, Naya and Rashall would spend winter in Elsweyr so they could help heal the cubs while also adding protection to the fort they were taking them to. These Khajiit would not be in danger of Thalmor ever again.