Driftshade Refuge

It had only taken Shay a few hours to get to the Silver- Hand's fortress. With any luck none of them had seen her approaching and she could pick them off one by one. She was ready to slaughter them all.

Shay held her bow tightly and pulled an arrow from her quiver to set it in place. One Silver- Hand was stationed on top of the fort while another was standing at the entrance, both looked ready to kill any unwanted visitors. Shay wondered how many werewolves these savages had killed. Though many, she assumed, were rogue wolves, the thought that one of those wolves could have been Vilkas made her heart ache. This was why they all had to die. She would not let another one of her brothers or sisters die at the tip of a silver blade ever again.

Shay aimed for the higher target first. She didn't want to take the chance of the bitch being a good shot. The other stationed by the door looked like he only held a sword so he would be an easy kill. Shay positioned herself so she could get a clear shot. She needed to make sure that her first shot would be the killing blow. There was no room for error. If all of these Silver- Hand bastards were alerted of her presence, she would be found and killed for sure.

Shay took her shot and her silent arrow struck the Silver- Hand between the eyes and she fell from her watch leaving blood spatter on the freshly fallen snow. YES! The other Silver- Hand was now alert and ready for a fight. Shay needed to move quickly or he might warn the others. She positioned herself again and pulled another arrow from her quiver.

Three…

Two…

One…

Her second arrow struck the brute in the chest where it bounced off his armor and fell to the ground. "Shit!" The Silver- Hand looked up from the arrow by his feet and spotted Shay. This was do or die now. She wasn't expecting her cover to be blown so quickly so she had to act fast. Shay sheathed her bow and drew out her sword and dagger. While this Breton was a deadly archress, she was an even deadlier swordsman. Shay emerged from her hiding spot and the brute came charging at her with his great sword drawn and ready to kill. Shay didn't hesitate. She quickly positioned he dagger and threw it at the Silver- Hand, striking him in the leg and making him stagger. This was her chance. She quickly moved forward and struck the Silver- Hand again in the shoulder sending him to his knees. "You… You're one of them, aren't you?" The brute looked Shay in the eyes as blood gushed from his shoulder. His wound looked the way Vilkas' had when she had returned from Glenmoril Coven, only this wound would not be tended to. "Quiet you son of a bitch!" The Silver- Hand cringed as Shay positioned her blade at his abdomen. "Now I am going to make sure that you and all of your friends burn in hell." And with a single thrusting motion the Silver- Hand was dead and bleeding at her feet.

Adrenaline coursed through Shay's veins as she retrieved her dagger from the dead man's leg and cleaned off the blade. This was only the beginning. She didn't know how many of these bastards were held up in the fort and the thought still lingered in the back of her head that she may not make it out of here alive, but she would damn well try.

Shay continued on into the fort. The Silver- Hand now had the advantage. Shay had never been here before so she had to be wary of traps and other things that could possibly give away her position

As she traveled through the twisted corridors Shay could hear voices getting louder. She came out at a landing that looked down to what looked like a dining area. One Silver- Hand was stationed at a door on the opposite side of the room while three more sat around a table, watching as a female Silver- Hand stripped out of her clothes and began to touch herself and moan loudly. Shay watched as one of the men reached up and twisted the woman's nipple while beginning to touch himself through his trousers. Sick bastards, Shay thought to herself as she reverted back to her bow.

She aimed for the Silver- Hand stationed by the door knowing too well that the others would be too distracted to notice one of their companions being shot down by an unknown source. The first strike was easy. The Silver- Hand fell just as fast as Shay's arrow had struck his heart, with no sound. Shay's second arrow struck the woman right in the middle of her breasts, sending her toppling over on the man that had been previously touching her. Now Shay had to work fast.

One by one the last three Silver- Hand men fell by Shay's deadly arrows. She wished that she could have been more artistic with her shots and made the bastards suffer, Gods only knew they deserved to suffer, but there was no time.

Shay continued through the fort picking off the Silver- Hand residents one by one. None of them seemed to be aware of her presence yet, but she became even more anxious as she continued on down the long stone hallways.

Her heartbeat was steady and her breathing was soft as she rounded a corner leading to another open room. An Orc Silver- Hand stood by a large fire place with a giant Dwarven Warhammer drawn. "Someone is in the fort and I want to know who!" Shay froze. "It's probably one of those dogs from the Companions." A much smaller Silver- Hand retorted. The Orc swung his hammer over the head of his comrade who ducked to avoid the blow. "None of those savage beasts could get in this damn place with two guards watching the door, idiot! - Wait…" The Orc sniffed the air then looked back at his companion that was still trembling on the ground. The beast grabbed the man's arm with an enormous dark green hands and hoisted him back on his feet, "Maybe you aren't such an idiot after all. One of the mutts are here. I can smell them."

Oh No.

"You!" Something grabbed Shay from behind and dragged her back into the stone corridor. "You are the one who has been going around and slaughtering all of my friends, aren't you?" Shay squirmed around trying to free herself from the grasp of her assailant. Something cold and sharp was thrust against her neck, "Answer me dog!"

Shay began to feel her bones break and skin tear. Then… all she saw was red.

Vilkas ran. He had never run so fast in his life. Even with his heavy wolf armor and great sword he ran as if he were wearing nothing. He needed to get to Shay before she made a mistake that would get herself killed. The last time that one of his friends went storming into a Silver- Hand fortress without a Shield- Brother, he had died. Vilkas' heart ached for Skijor, but he knew he couldn't let Shay share the same fate.

As Vilkas approached the fortress he stopped to examine the bodies of the fallen Silver- Hand. Not Bad. The Breton had some fire in her. Maybe she was still alive.