Alright, so here's Seleema and Farkas. I should warn you, gentle readers, that this chapter may be a bit more… steamy than the last one. I'm sorry if it grosses anyone out, it's just what it called for. I meant for it to come out a different way, but Farkas' and Seleema's chemistry was too strong for me. I couldn't fight it! Hopefully it's not too awful.

As usual, I own none of the characters, and apologies for any scared retinas that may occur after reading this chapter.

The Convoluted Path

The last time Farkas had seen a woman send Skjor flying into the air with an attack had been… well, never. Aela was no pushover when it came to a fight, but her strength was in her speed and fast hands. She could grab an arrow to shoot a bird down faster than it could take off into the skies. Farkas knew this for a fact: he and Vilkas had once timed it. Ria was skilled in combat, but not enough to take down Skjor, and especially not that spectacularly. Njada knew better than to try it. She could probably take the old man if she had a mind to, but it would be too much effort for a simple training bout. The woman knew her limits and she wasn't about to go pushing them for something that wasn't life threatening.

But Seleema was a different matter entirely. Unlike the other new recruits, she stood her ground as Skjor sized her up and made comments about her being a new whelp. When he tried to say something disparaging, she ignored him. When Vilkas made a comment about her being new and needing to run errands, she would say something snarky and then go do it anyway. But she never did a halfway job. When someone asked her to do something, told her to do something, challenged her to do something, the Redguard did it wholly and completely, whether it made the requester happy or not.

That was how and why Skjor found himself being flung across the training grounds; he had mockingly said that Seleema's muscles were only good for show, except that it failed to interest anyone. The Redguard had calmly asked the man to step outside so that she could show him whether or not the muscles were useless after all. They were not. She had rammed into him like a bull, and this time she didn't bother hiding the pure anger on her face when she walked over to him and smashed her foot into his stomach. "Any time you want to go again, big boy," she spat at him, and then walked back inside.

Seleema was terrifying when she was truly angry or upset. The good news was that she rarely was, and that everyone knew what made her angry. The first thing that got her riled up was when someone insinuated that she was powerless or had no skills. Oddly enough she didn't mind someone pulling rank on her; she knew that she was a new member and so didn't mind having to prove herself. What she minded was when someone considered her weak without basis.

Another thing that infuriated the woman was when someone tried to mess with Morregon, the Breton Mage-woman who had come with Seleema. Farkas had nothing against her himself, except that she used magic. He distrusted her because of that, and made no pretense of hiding it. At least he was more polite than some of the others though. He tended to ignore the mage while the others ridiculed her frequently.

It was on one such occurrence that Farkas had learned that what Seleema hated most of all was inaction, especially against something she deemed as wrong.

Skjor and Tovar had pinned the Breton at the dining table while she was eating. They spoke and laughed loudly together, mocking her 'sparkly fingers' and wondering what good she'd do once she was out of magic. Farkas remained seated in his chair, impassively watching the events unfold. Seleema walked in just as Morregon walked out, and her friend hadn't missed the carefully placed mask of blank emotions start to slip as a miserable expression appeared. The first thing Seleema did was punch Tovar right in the nose, and then start a shouting match with Skjor. That had been fun until Kodlak came in and with just a few words, put them all back into place. Farkas didn't remember exactly what was said, but it was something along the lines of actions backing up words and Morregon succeeding very well in that area. What Farkas did remember in great detail was when Seleema strode up to him afterwards and stared at him with an expression he had seen her giving nasty insects before.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"You just sat there while they said all those horrible things about your shield sister and didn't do a thing to help her."

Farkas shrugged. "She's supposed to be a fighter, right? She needs to learn to fight back."

Seleema smacked him hard over the head, ignoring his yelp of pain. "You need to learn the difference between needing to fight and needing to have someone stand up for you."

He had no idea what she was talking about.

A couple months later, Seleema and Morregon announced they were going away for a while. When asked what for, they said "Dragon hunting." The Companions weren't sure whether to believe it or not, but Farkas hadn't wanted to take the risk. He'd be kicking himself for weeks if they came back with dragon paraphernalia and he'd missed out.

"They're not going to hunt dragons, ice brain," Aela told him with an exasperated face. "They're just saying that because they're off to do something else."

"What if they're not lying? What if they are going after a dragon?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes up at the ceiling. "Fine, go ask them if you can join. If they say no they're lying."

"And if they say yes," Farkas said smugly, "then they're telling the truth and I'll go with them."

"Fine. But they won't say yes."

Farkas won five gold from her when they did.

True to their word, they did in fact go and hunt dragons. And Farkas witnessed firsthand the powers of the Dragonborn, as well as the full destructive capabilities of Morregon's magic. Ysmir Himself, she had practically fried the dragon in its own scales with her magic. The mage was more than impressive, certainly, but Seleema was… Farkas' words did not do justice to it, especially since his vocabulary was marginally more limited than Vilkas'. Instead he had patted them both on the back (somewhat roughly, but his enthusiasm was not unappreciated) and said the hunt was the best he'd been on in years.

Morregon and Farkas may not have always seen eye to eye on things after that, but he never again doubted her prowess in battle and made it clear to the others upon their return that he wouldn't tolerate people saying such things around him either. He hadn't thought this was such a big deal when he did this; Morregon was a friend, and she didn't deserve to have those things said about her, especially now that he knew they weren't true. Morregon (when not being verbally assaulted or in an uncomfortable position) was a very friendly, funny, talkative and creative person. But when he stood up for her, strangely enough it was Seleema that came to thank him first. Morregon shyly thanked him afterwards, but it was nowhere near as enthusiastic as Seleema's thank you. She had run up to the tall Nord and had thrown herself at him, declaring him to be one of the most thoughtful men she'd ever known.

Looking back on it, that was possibly the start of it all.

From that point on, Farkas seemed to develop strange symptoms whenever Seleema came around. They were relatively mild at first and then gradually grew. He found himself vouching for Seleema whenever they were discussing something that had to do with her, going out of his way to offer her help whenever she seemed to need it, even when she didn't want it. When she smiled at him it was as though his entire day was brighter. When he said something to make her blush and look at him shyly from under her lashes, it was like he'd taken down a troll barehanded and by himself. Things were just better with her around. She did things to make him happy without him saying anything, and it was after their first slightly awkward but wonderfully sweet first kiss that they decided to quietly begin courting.

It wasn't as though it was a terribly huge secret; every Companion knew it, had seen it lead up to that point. Luckily no one said anything to either of them, although Morregon once told him quietly that Seleema cared for him greatly and if he did anything to hurt her she'd set him on fire faster than he could blink. He didn't doubt her. Farkas occasionally found himself at a loss as to what to do, of course, having never properly courted a girl before. Sure, he'd bedded a few here and there, but nothing serious. It was always just for fun and he and the girls had parted ways in the morning usually on friendly terms. But Seleema was completely different. He had no intention of treating her like that; he wanted to do it right.

However, they were both still Companions, and as such he still had to think of her as a shield sister in some regards. When Aela quietly suggested that they introduce Seleema into the Circle, Farkas had enthusiastically agreed. Vilkas had also put forth Morregon's name, which Farkas had been fine with, but Skjor and Aela had turned that one down, to his brother's deep disapproval. Farkas hadn't agreed with that decision really, but he was subordinate to the older Circle members and wasn't about to challenge the ranks. And so Seleema had been Turned, but it wasn't the way that they had said it would be. They hadn't brought Farkas with them so that he could help keep her calm. They had discovered some time before that when the Redguard woman went into a berserker mode or became too emotional to think clearly, Farkas had a rather unique ability to calm her down. Morregon managed to keep her friend's head on most times, but Farkas had a way with his peaceful voice and naturally amiable personality to ease her rage. He had planned to be there at her Turning because he remembered what had happened at his own. He had been power-drunk, energized, his blood singing with strength, but completely disoriented. From his own experience, Farkas knew that the first Turning was frightening. He had wanted to be there so that when she Turned, he could as well in the hopes that his own wolf form would still be familiar to her in a primal sense.

They had ignored his request, of course. And she had gone tearing out and around the town, terrorizing people because she didn't know any better. Seleema was not in control of her own body, and when they found her naked and shivering out in the grasslands she had an expression that made his heart ache. She looked up at him with her blue eyes as though to say Why was I alone? and all he could do was cradle her in his arms all the way back to Whiterun.

Things changed from that point. Seleema seemed to be lost, especially after Morregon left to go to Winterhold College, and every attempt to speak to her was rebuffed with varying degrees of coldness. She seemed to just shut everyone out, and Vilkas was no help after Morregon took her leave of the Companions. Farkas found himself feeling out of place as well. His best friend was pinning after another of his friends, and the girl he was fairly certain he loved was no longer speaking to him.

All things considered, life became very miserable in a very short amount of time. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about everything at this point. It was at moments like this that he had to stop thinking, he had to stop worrying, he had to do something to make his mind go away, if only for just a little while. And so that night when the moon was at a perfect crescent, he walked outside the city (such as it was) and out into the plains wearing a black cloak. The grass brushed gently against his legs and hands as he walked further and further from the city, towards the woods. He stopped after a couple of miles and stood stock still, listening to the music of the world around him. He took a deep breath and then let his cloak fall from him, revealing his nakedness. The cloth fell behind him, now forgotten as he reached deep within himself, felt his blood and forced the beast within him up, up through his bones, his muscles, his skin-

A howl ripped out of his throat as he changed his form, his bones and body cracking and altering as he transformed into the werewolf. And then he was running, running faster than he ever had before, the wind ripping through his fur and the wilds calling to him, a quiet, powerful call. He answered it gladly another howl, only to freeze as he heard it echoed. It was not the cry of a wolf, but of a Sibling, another werewolf. Farkas spun around, his keen sense of smell and sight scouring around him. He heard the neighboring howl once more and looked to see the other. It was a female werewolf; he could smell the different scent on the wind, and not an unfriendly one. They stared at each other, and then she took off running, a challenge clear. Farkas took off after her, quickly catching up, and then they were side by side, the echoes of the night around them and they cried out to the moon together. Farkas didn't know how far they ran, wasn't paying attention to it. Distance was no problem for him, no concern because he was used to this form. His running partner however seemed to be growing winded, her breath coming out in short bursts. He registered that she must be new to the changes, and gently nudged her towards a nearby treeline. Although it was safe to change into a werewolf form out in the open, it was not safe to turn back into a human. Turning to a werewolf, you were already gaining the power and agility of the wolf, whereas turning into a human you were losing it.

They reached the edge of the woods quickly, and the woman was already starting to transform. He followed her into the woods to ensure that she would be safe; their shared condition gave all werewolves a sense of camaraderie. He too began to revert back, the fur sinking back and his fangs growing back into his teeth. His nakedness did not concern him. The female was quickly changing, staggering through the woods, and he noticed a familiar scent. He sniffed the air and followed closely. It smelled of something foreign and sweet, like the faint smell of a soap that Seleema used.

Farkas froze and stared at the woman. He could see clearly in the dark, and yes, her skin was changing to the proper color, her hair was the right shade of black- she turned her face towards him and Farkas took a breath. "Seleema."

Her eyes were a rich golden color, glowing in the dark. The beast form had left her, but it still boiled in her blood. She bared her teeth at him, a feral vestige of the appearance that had left her. She was glorious. Farkas' eyes glowed in response and he felt himself growl deep and low as he walked towards her.

She watched him as he approached and when he was just inches from her she whispered "Farkas." He growled again and then suddenly she sprang up and he was holding her, his arms holding her up in the air while her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly. He kissed her hard, noting with no small amount of pleasure how good it felt to have her pressed up against him.

Had either Farkas or Seleema any control over their minds at that particular moment, had they been in full reign of their senses, they would have separated instantly and given each other some polite distance without holding the moment against the other and instead filling it away for a later time. But now the wolfblood rushed through them, their bestial nature taking over, neither of them caring about the consequences or ramifications of their actions.

Farkas pressed her back against a tree trunk, moving his mouth moving down her throat to nip and bite at her skin. Her hands in return traced over his back, her nails carving their way along his spine. The pain of her fingers digging into his skin mingled with the pleasure he felt at her touch and he noted with no small amount of satisfaction how she groaned when he ground his hips against hers. In response, she pressed her chest against his and he moved a hand away from her side down to her breasts, pinching one of her nipples in a way that was just short of rough. Seleema tried to wriggle against him, panting as she reached for his length, wanting to feel him inside her. He obliged her, raising her up before lowering her down onto his erection. Normally this would have been uncomfortable to her; she was aroused, but not to the point where she could take this without some discomfort. But in her current state, she didn't care and pressed against him wantonly, encouraging him with her body and moans. Farkas dug his fingers and nails into her hips as he pounded into her, not caring about anything other than the ecstasy pouring through him as he pushed her and himself closer and closer towards the edge.

It didn't take either of them long to reach their peak; she screamed out her rapture towards the skies and he bit her neck as he came within her, groaning loudly. She would have sunk down had he not been supporting her, and they stood there leaning against the tree as their breathing calmed and evened. The lust and hazy feeling accompanied by their changing blood was clearing from their minds, and they stared at each other with eyes changing from the molten gold of wolves to the deep blue and rich brown that they normally were. Neither of them moved during this, as they realized what they had done. As they stood there they were faced with a choice, an unspoken option; the first choice was to simply separate and walk away, behave as though it never happened. Neither of them knew what changes this would bring about, only that it would be denying what they had done and what it meant. Farkas had changed many times before, alone and with others, including women. He had never before done what he had with Seleema. His new lover, on the other hand, was unsure and felt completely over her head. Never before had she behaved as she had with this man, and never before had she felt so unsure about what he thinking, so worried about what he would do now. She had the horrifying thought that perhaps he would be disgusted with her, toss her aside, amount their actions to a singular incident.

This was unacceptable. She would not allow him to push this away although she knew that he probably wouldn't and he knew he would never forget this for the rest of his life. But it was too late to turn back now. The warrior woman surged her hips towards his again, earning a groan from him, still inside her. He tried to pull out, whispering her name hoarsely, but she would not allow him. With a determined expression she shoved against him, making him fall backwards onto the ground. He slipped out of her as he fell and they both felt a moment of relief when they realized that he had landed on a patch of soft grass. It could have been much worse.

She hesitated briefly, closed her eyes and swallowed. "Seleema," she heard him murmur, his voice unsure, and without a moment's hesitation she straddled him, rubbing herself against his length again. He groaned loudly and she felt with satisfaction as it began to rise against her. She leaned over, letting her breasts brush against Farkas' chest, but pulled back as he reached for her. He snarled in frustration. He didn't understand what this woman was doing. This was not the time, not the place. It wasn't safe-

She surged against him once more and all thoughts of safety flew from his mind faster than a deer from a sabercat.

With a snarl he reversed their positions so that she was beneath him. He flipped her over so that she was on her knees in front of him and he reached around her to rub the nub of flesh between her legs making her gasp loudly. He covered her, slipped himself inside her and grinned against her neck as she gasped out his name. Then his teeth sunk down into the skin of her shoulder as he moved within her again, his hand still working between her legs. She shuddered under him, her cries echoing in the small space they inhabited for that space of time. There was nothing there but them, and he concentrated only on her as he moved in and out. Shudders of pleasure swept through him as her body reacted to his, her inner muscles growing tighter. The wolf within him began to whisper within him once more and he moved faster, not caring that his knees were starting to bleed slightly from the rocks he was kneeling on.

Seleema bit her lip tightly as she tried to hold back her sounds of pleasure, but Farkas was having none of that as he pushed his fingers against her harder and thrust deeper. It was building up once more; it seemed as though it would never come but at the same time like it was coming too fast. Her arms and legs were trembling, her breath coming out in short gasps and she could hear him straining as he continued to move inside her. Finally it was too much and she screamed out his name as her body finally gave in to the pleasure. Farkas tried to hold back, tried to ride it out, but it was too much and he too gave in, groaning her name in her ear.

They both collapsed on the ground, their bodies slick with sweat and some blood. Farkas lay on his back and Seleema on her side, facing away from him. Neither of them moved for a few minutes while their breathing evened out, and then Farkas turned his head to face her. He noted with concern the marks he had left on her shoulders and slowly reached out a hand to trace them.

"Oh, Sel…" he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… to hurt you." He sat up (trying to ignore the sudden lethargy that was overwhelming) and with a rising sense of horror noticed all the marks he had left on her. "Oh, gods, Sel, I'm so, so sorry. I… I didn't… I mean... I..." He swallowed and tried to make his fingers stop trembling as they reached out to brush her hair out of her eyes. She wasn't looking at him, still laying on her side and staring off into the woods. "Sel, please, say something. Are you alright?" She didn't answer and Farkas turned away, burying his face in his hands out of self-loathing. He had hurt her. He had hurt her and… and… "Oh, gods," he whispered brokenly. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to, please, please say something."

Seleema stopped his broken pleas by reaching one of her hands out to cover his. "It's alright, Farkas," she murmured. "It's alright." But her mind was swimming with emotions, threatening to drown her in them. What had she done? How could she have done that? She shoved the thoughts down and sat up next to Farkas, wrapping her arms around his shoulder, noting with sorrow how she had marred his skin. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should never have… I didn't mean to do that." He just shook his head and kept staring at the ground. Seleema frowned. "Farkas," she said insistently, "please look at me."

He hesitated but did as she asked. His eyes moved over her face. "You aren't hurt?" he asked uncertainly.

She hesitated. "You didn't hurt me," she said finally. "There was nothing you did that I didn't ask for."

"Look at you," he said, waving his hand at her. "I didn't want it to be like this. I wanted… I wanted our first time to be… to be different."

"I understand," she said softly.

Neither of them spoke after that, just watched each other's faces. Finally, Seleema reached out and pulled him towards her, curling her body up against his. "Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked him.

Farkas stared down at her and then smiled uncertainly. "If that's what you want me to," he said.

They ended up going to a small hut that Farkas knew of nearby that had blankets and a small bed that barely held the two of them together. "It's a place we put together," he explained, meaning the other members of the Circle. "When we run too far away from Whiterun we usually come here, or if we just want to hunt."

Seleema examined the small hut with a blanket clutched tight around her and gave him a smile that made his heart jump. "It's lovely, Farkas. I really like it out here."

He smiled back at her, a real, honest smile this time. "I'm glad." He turned away for a moment to toss some blankets on the bed and then looked back at her hesitantly. "I was going to wait for a better time to say this, but I might as well now." She watched him expectantly as he took a breath and said, "I love you."

She gave him a beautiful smile, somewhat amused at his usual bluntness, and said, "Oh, good. I love you too."

Later that night they were both laying in bed, both on their side, and he was holding her tightly to him. They hadn't done anything else before falling into bed. Neither of them wanted to say it, but it was the cold, hard fact- they shouldn't have done it. It was too soon and fast and not what they were used to. In truth, they were both slightly shaken from it. Seleema usually wasn't into rough sex. Playful, sure, but what they had done was… not what she was used to. And Farkas had never taken a woman so forcefully before. It was some consolation that she also had pleasure from it, but it was not what he had wanted for her. She deserved better than that.

Still, she assured him that she was fine, and that she did in fact love him as she had said. He managed to fall asleep with this knowledge, his face buried in the crook of her neck, breathing her scent as though he never wanted to smell anything but her. Seleema tried to stay as close to him as possible, doing her best to imprint the feeling of his arms around her, the sound of his breathing, the warmth of him next to her.

She'd worked up the courage to tell him that she loved him. She hadn't been able to tell him that the next morning she was leaving for her training with the Greybeards and didn't know when she'd be back.

The next morning, Farkas found a note where Seleema had been the night before.

Being Dragonborn comes with responsibilities I cannot shirk. I'll come back as soon as I can. If you decide to move on while I'm gone, I won't blame you.

I meant it when I said I loved you.

-S

Farkas sighed as the read the words, and ran a finger over the hastily scrawled letters. He'd wait for her. He knew she'd come back too. She may not have realized it, but the night before had been more than a night of debauched sex. They belonged to each other now, and he knew sooner or later her convoluted path would lead right back to him.

So there's Farkas and Seleema for you. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review if you see something that you think could be improved, or if you just have a suggestion. Thanks so much!