Part 3

I don't think much time passed before I opened my eyes again. I hadn't dreamed at all, so I either didn't sleep for more than an hour or I just didn't sleep very deeply. Farkas was still sleeping in front of me. I knelt beside him so I could see if he was seriously injured, his left leg appeared to be badly bruised. I didn't know why I cared, but it didn't matter anyway. He moved his arm slightly before I could touch him, so I pulled my hand back. His hands curled into fists as he lifted his head with a grunt. His ice-blue eyes blinked open, focusing on me. Our eyes met for a moment, his full of confusion.

"You... didn't kill me?" he said softly.

"Well, this isn't exactly Sovngarde," I replied.

"I would've expected it," replied Farkas, propping himself up on his elbow, "I was trying to rip you apart."

Ah, so he kept the memory of our little chase. Perhaps becoming that creature is a conscious thing. "That you were, but I don't think you're much of a threat at the moment," I said, glancing at his bruised leg.

He followed my gaze, wincing when he noticed his injury. "I think it's broken," I said. I heard him curse under his breath.

"What will you do now?" he asked.

"I want to ask you some questions."

"Why should I answer them?"

I giggled a little. "Well, you can't move, can you? Ah, and you don't have a weapon, but I do."

"I can smell your fear."

My fake smile disappeared. Ah, to blazes with acting brave, I thought, It won't get me anywhere. "I suppose I am afraid. I've just been nearly killed by a gigantic wolf-man-beast-thing."

"Werewolf," Farkas corrected.

"Werewolf..." I whispered, looking at the ground. It was a strange, foreign word to me.

"I'm a member of the Companions," Farkas continued, "and part of the Circle. All members of the Circle are werewolves. It was supposed to be a secret."

"I've heard of you," I said, "The so-called strongest band of warriors in Skyrim." I paused for a moment. "You were hired to kill me."

He nodded.

"Who hired you?"

"I don't know."

"What? How?"

"He wore a mask and didn't speak. He simply handed our Harbinger a note and left."

"What did this note say?"

"It just said to kill you and send word to Riften when you were dead."

Riften, eh? I zoned out for a moment, wondering about the significance of Riften in all this. My thoughts were interrupted by a shout of pain from Farkas. Startled, I looked up to see him clenching his teeth, breathing heavily. He must have tried to move his leg. His brother would be searching for him, and had probably heard that. I had to get out of there.

"I wish I could help you," I told him, "but it's not safe for me here. Your companions shouldn't have much trouble finding you."

With that, I darted out of the cave and immediately slipped into a thick bush nearby. It didn't take long for Vilkas to show up and run into the cave. I took the opportunity to get back to Whiterun and hire the carriage driver, Bjorlam, to take me to Riften. It was simply too far to walk. Besides, I could use the opportunity to relax for a bit. Bjorlam was a talkative man, and seemed content to ramble on about trivial matters while I sat silently, tuning him out. Eventually, however, he did say one thing that caught my attention:

"Have you heard the rumors lately? There's been a thief slinking around, taking massive amounts of coin and valuables from nearly every house in both Whiterun and Falkreath Holds."

Whiterun and Falkreath? Those two holds were the only two I'd visited since entering Skyrim. "A thief, eh?" I said, "What sort of thief?"

"No one knows for sure," Bjorlam replied, "She's never been caught, not even seen for more than a second, but word is she's some sort of elf."

"How would one know that if she's never been caught?" I was getting a bit worried now. I had a feeling these rumors referred to me.

"Small and slender with pointy ears."

I suddenly became self-conscious of my long ears and small frame. There was no more question in my mind now. Someone was onto me.

"They've taken to calling her 'Shadow-Hand'."

Well, now there was something I liked. "Luceria Shadow-Hand"... I could get used to that. It did, however, mean I was in danger.

Bjorlam continued to talk. "Some think it's a whole band of thieves," he said, "they say even the Dark Brotherhood couldn't get rid of them... or her. Whichever one of those it is."

I smirked a little. I was proud of myself for that. A masked assassin had shot an arrow at me one night as I wandered around outside of Riverwood. After hearing the bowstring being pulled back, I'd managed to dodge the arrow and slip into the shadows, catching the assassin off guard and slitting their throat.

I stopped paying attention while he continued to chatter. I decided to lay low for a while; refrain from stealing things while I looked for answers in Riften. I wasn't even sure what to look for. At least I'd get a chance to try Black-Briar mead.

A/N: I know the chapters are short. Bear with me, they'll get longer as I get more ideas.