Chapter 3

This chapter is a bit longer than usual, I just felt like my story needed a touch more of seriousness. There will be a few hints into Juheena's past in this chapter, you may have to look closely though. **Warning** there is a bit more violence in this chapter, but my T rating still stands**

*I do not own Skyrim, but I do own Juheena, and Juheena owns Farkas*

As a month passed, Juheena became much more respected. In fact, she had won everyone over except for the drunkard and Vilkas in the first week. Though, to be fair, after she had run a mission in The Rift with him, he had warmed up considerably towards the feline Companion. They had been responding to a young girl who had been kidnapped by bandits for ransom. Juheena was the first to volunteer, for she could relate to such a horrible fate….

She tried desperately to push out thoughts of what those disgusting bandits were doing to the poor innocent girl, though these same thoughts made her run all the faster out the door, and down the beaten stone path leading to the mountains. Vilkas was quickly left in the dust, his heavy Wolf pelt armor weighing him down. Juheena also was leaner and lighter, and traveled with less bulk. Her quick feet attached to her long, muscular legs carried her strides twice as far as her follower's.

This was the reason she was the first to step foot in the dank, musty cave. Vilkas had been lost miles ago. It was cold, and icy water dripped from the cracked ceiling, making Juheena bare her teeth and flatten her ears in determination. She would free the girl. Hopefully she was not too late.

Slipping off her boots, Juheena folded them silently and left them at the door of the cave, replacing them with waterproof, and more importantly, silent, leather foot wraps. She slipped off her arm guards, wincing as one fell to the floor, clanking against the stone she was sitting on. Once all armor was removed from her body, she slipped on the black Shrouded Robes Gabriella had sown for her, complete with a hole in the back for her tail.

Gabby, she smiled, thinking of the Dunmer's endless black eyes. They would be filled with as much anger and barely restrained rage as Juheena's own, she guessed. Gabby was always on her side. As was Babs, and Nazir….. She shook her head. All in good time, she told herself. You will see your family again soon enough.

Right now, she intended to honor them will a great kill. One she would deliver mercilessly. It would be sort of like revenge for herself as well as for the girl…

Her ears pricked up, her keen feline senses hearing footsteps coming closer. She shrouded herself in the shadows, as she had been taught by the Daedric Mistress Nocturnal herself years ago. Pulling out a simple iron dagger, she waited. Then when she saw her prey's shadow…

She pounced.

The orc was dead in a matter of seconds. No scream, no cry of pain, no noise at all. Her alchemy skills had perfected what she had lovingly dubbed "The Harbinger of Silence" years ago under the tutelage of Karliah, the Nightingale. The potion, applied to the tip of a dagger, then sliced through one's throat, effectively numbed the muscles that constrict the vocal chords upon contact. A feat that had taken many months and also many, many wasted Nightshade blooms and void salts. But it had proven invaluable to her skills as an assassin with the Brotherhood.

As she looted the bandit's corpse, she mulled over all of her nefarious ties throughout Skyrim. A thief, a Nightingale, and a Dark Brotherhood assassin. Well, she mused, nobody could ever call me un-talented. She would perhaps redeem herself somewhat through the Companions. She could put all her skills to a good cause. Silently, she sent a prayer to Lady Dibella, and also to Mistress Nocturnal for luck. She also pleaded with Stendarr to have mercy on the child, and to let her get home safely.

And with that, she was off, down into the tunnel. She passed barrels of mead, and various containers filled with old, wilting produce. She glanced quickly over the bookshelves, seeing no book had been spared from the dripping water, and the bookshelf itself looked ready to cave in under the weight of the soggy pages it held.

She slowly pushed open an ornate door at the end of the hallway, then made her way silently inside. The room was filled with sleeping mercenaries. That's odd, she thought, why would bandits need to hire a bunch of mercs?

One by one, she coated an iron dagger with her specially crafted potion, and slid it through each merc's neck as she made her way to the other door at the end of the long rectangular room.

She slipped down each hallway, taking out a few mercs on duty patrolling the area. New questions kept rolling through her head the farther she went.

Why were mercenaries guarding bandits?

Are they hired for security? Securing what? Their treasure?

Perhaps, she thought, they were hired to protect their hostages. Maybe they had quite a few people held in this cave, and they needed to make sure that they would remain that way until they got their money, or whatever else these damned bandits wanted.

I will free them all. I will.

Finally, after numerous tunnels and hallways, she came to an ornately decorated iron door. Oddly enough, she could hear the noise of quite a few people behind it. Cheering…

Oh no. Juheena started to panic. Images of wolves fighting each other to the death in an arena, much to the crowd's delight filled her head. Money passing from one drunk patron to another. All at the expense of wolves, who belonged in the wild, not in cages for entertainment.

Swallowing hard, she passed through the door. What she saw on the other side, made her heart stop completely. Tears ripped through her eyes and rolled down face, diluting the war paint.

She wasn't too far off in her assumptions. Only instead of wolves in the arena, there were women. Scantily clad, underfed, sickly women. The men and patrons handled them like animals, and Juheena looked away, memories filling her head. No. This couldn't be. Rave filled her chest, and she drew her ebony sword, and with a great cry, she jumped from the balcony, murder in her eyes.

She slashed through the bandits she was initially after, then quickly polished off the drunken patrons drawing daggers. She fought off a few mercs filling their way in from the bar, and she had nearly finished off the room when…

*clang*

xOoOoOx

Juheena's head was pounding so hard, she thought that the cave itself had grown veins and arteries and was pumping blood throughout the room. She blinked the unconsciousness from her eyes, and as they came into focus, she could see she shared a cage with someone else.

"You're awake! Thank the Nine!" It was a little girl.

"Anja? Is that you?" Juheena asked, suddenly more alert.

"Yeah, I'm Anja. Are you from the Companions? One of the nice ladies that escaped said she would get help! Please say you're here to help!" Juheena sat up and grabbed the little girl's hand and held it until she calmed down.

"Little fairy, I am a Companion. Worry no longer. We will escape this I promise you." Her eyes softened as the little girl, clothed, unlike Juheena herself, hugged her. Her heart broke as she looked around them, at the cavern filled with cages. Cages filled with women, elves, Khajit, and even a few males. She sighed, her ears flattening in defeat. She had let this happen. She let her anger control her thoughts, and she had messed up. Big time. Tears rolled down her face.

She put the mission in danger, and she only hoped that Vilkas would come in shortly after. She could use some backup right now. She was hit in the head with something…. She reached back and rubbed her hands through her hair, feeling a big lump on her head. Ouch.

"I saw what happened. Don't worry, they didn't touch you except to take off your armor and put your stuff in one of those chests up there." Anja pointed above them, at a balcony filled with shelves, barrels, and the chests. "Of course, then they threw you in here with me."

Juheena kissed the girls auburn hair, which was tangled badly, then set to looking for something to pick the lock with. She held her tail through her legs to cover her delicate areas, which made the girl laugh.

"That makes you look like a boy!" She giggled.

Juheena smirked. "How do you know of such things?" But then her face clouded when she remembered where they were.

"Don't worry, they haven't messed with me. I just carry around drinks 'n stuff. But I'm not that young. I'm almost 13 years old!"

Relief flooded through Juheena, and she laughed. "Oh, I see then." She picked up an empty bucket in the corner and broke off the wire handle. She worked for an hour bending it into shape, while talking with the girl. She learned that Anja had 3 brothers, her mom was a dress maker, and her father owned a mill outside Whiterun. The girl seemed to keep up the spirits of the other victims here, and for that Juheena was immensely thankful, and respectful. The girl was young, but used her jovial youth in a very loving way. It was almost as if she were the one looking out for the rest of the people here.

When her makeshift lockpick was finally done, she motioned quietly at Anja to follow her. She silently crept up to the door, and slid the wire into the lock. A few seconds later, the door swung open. Juheena said quietly, but loud enough for everyone around her to hear, "I am going to fetch my bag, it is filled with lockpicks I enchanted myself. Once I get my things, I will free all of you, and lead you to safety."

Some of the weaker women looked at her with appreciation in their eyes, but the stronger women, those who hadn't been there as long, looked to her with determination to help as soon as they were able.

"We will be safe soon." Anja said. "My new best friend will save us." Anja squeezed Juheena's hand, and the Khajit returned the gesture warmly.

Author's note:

So this chapter was a bit darker, but I'm getting deeper into the storyline.

Also, I would like to say that there is no "Harbinger of Silence" potion in the game, no is there any foe-silencing potion. I totally made that up, haha! But it's a good idea, right? So don't go off wasting your Nightshade and Void salts to make up my mythical potion :D

Farkas loves Juheena with 99.999% of his capacity to love, but the other .0001% goes to you lovely readers! Plus, comments make Juheena purr! She's cute when she purrs. Ask Farkas.

Seeya next chapter!