Chapter 29 – Alpha

"I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people"
-Quote, Jarl Bulgruuf of Whiterun

Tai whined as Brand rose to his feet, his shirt removed. Tai noticed every vein in his body stood out, a faint glowing orange. His entire body was embraced by shadows, almost armour in itself. Tai shook his massive head as he saw Brand's eyes, unchanged yet no longer the Brand he knew. They were so… angry.

"Brand!" he growled again.

Brand wasted no time in charging, his boot connected with Tai's gut. Tai groaned, turning to defend himself. He couldn't believe it; Brand had healed him to betray him. Another boot to the knee came from Brand. Tai yelped, his teeth and claws lashing wildly as Brand beat him down.

"Enough!" A wolf's voice came. Tai instantly felt small, afraid in the voice's power. It was clearly female, someone he knew.

Brand was lifted then tossed aside by the wolf, Tai whined weakly as he tried to shake the pain from his bones, the fog from his tired mind.

The wolf that stood before his was massive, glowing pure white in the moonlight. Its eyes were deep and dark, midnight blue. They shone savagely; even in wolf form Z had her markers. A black stripe down her spine to her nose and tail. The soft yet hard face, the expressions. Z could never hide, even furry and naked. Tai then noticed the wolf was wearing armour of some kind, much like Z's save only modestly covering her. Her arms were also covered down the outside with leather.

"Why did you do this Brand?" Z demanded, her neck bristling. Tai noticed how long her claws were, sharpened almost. He winced, if Brand had annoyed Z it would show across his flesh in seconds.

"Isran told me you ordered this" Brand snapped, Z shook him violently.

"Isran… I'm going to have wor…" She tossed Brand to the ground midsentence and turned, her paw closed around Tai's neck.

"Control yourself!" Z snarled straight into his face, baring her sharp fangs. Tai shuddered; he had seen blades duller than Z's teeth.

"He let Serana be taken! He stopped me saving her! He dies, and anyone in my way dies!" Tai growled. He suddenly regretted his words; Z was taller, stronger and faster than him in wolf form.

Another wolf sprinted up, placing its paws over Brand. Tai looked; it was quite small for a wolf, nimble and spidery. It was a light brown colour, its eyes a bright golden. What shocked Tai was the red colour mixed with the black of his pupil. Tai saw the wolf was male.

"He was just a pawn" Z growled. Even in wolf form she was controlled. Tai shuddered; the wolf and Z were completely one. She was born to be a wolf.

"To oblivion with him!" Tai snarled back. His eyes flicked to a third wolf.

The next wolf was slightly larger than Z, yet clearly not as strong. Its fur was dark brown, sitting over black skin. This wolf was fairly hairless; its hair was like Farkas' in his human form. The wolf's eyes were bright, a burning orange yellow. There was a kindness to this wolf, despite the crinkled nose and harsh limbs.

"Watch your mouth!" The wolf spoke, it was Farkas.

"Serana was taken!" Tai cried out desperately. His body was shaking; rage and fear were flooding his mind. He couldn't fathom he had lost Serana, the sickness he felt was nothing compared to his adrenaline.

"You didn't listen to the Harbinger" Aela's voice came. She was also in wolf form, her body average considering her human form. She was black, larger than the nimble wolf but not closing on Z. Her eyes were a brilliant purple, something Tai had never expected.

"Foolish pup" Vale's voice came from the nimble wolf. Tai was shaken; Vale's wolf form was male.

He didn't speak again; he simply drove his paws into Z's gut. She released him, snarling bitterly as Tai found his feet.

Z wasted no time in blocking as Tai swung his paw for her head. Z's paw closed around his and pulled, Tai was thrown to the ground again. Z's grip never loosened as she pulled him into a hold like Serana had. Z was not Serana. Tai yelped loudly as he felt his shoulder dislocated, bones possibly broken. When Z released his arm he could not move it. He whimpered as Z's large arms closed around his throat.

"Please no" he begged, Z's grip never loosened.

"Do not fear the void, embrace it"

"Tai!" Serana screamed as she woke. Her body was burning, an intense pain had settled into every bone in her ancient body. She hung her head, feeling the binds around her wrists. She was held up by her arms, yet her feet hit the ground. She knew this chain well; she had inflicted it upon many.

After a moment of haze the stench of unclean urine, old rotted flesh and sweat attacked her heightened senses. Naturally she gagged, spitting on the ground before her. The ground was old stone, mixed with dirt. She shuddered.

"No" she whispered, still she looked up. There was no mistake where she was. There was a trap door across the room from her, piled around it were hundreds of years worth of bones. The lighting was dark, making use of Serana's vampiric sight. She already knew what Oblivion was lurking; she was after all in a dungeon, in this dungeon.

"Welcome home my daughter"

Tai screamed as he woke, fully dressed and lying in his furs. He didn't feel any pain, but he remembered each injury with perfect clarity. Z had taken him down quickly, yet she had not neglected to harm him.

"Welcome back from the void" Z's voice floated to him. Tai bolted up, staring down the fully dressed assassin. She shrugged, pointing to Tai's chest.

"I decided on a simple shirt" she joked, her voice still the Listener's.

"Serana…" Tai trailed off, Z's eyes hardened.

"I told you not to take your eyes off her!"

"She was asleep in my arms!" Tai snapped before he could control himself. Z's face became amused.

"You were busy pleasuring yourselves outside, in Skyrim, at night. Good instincts Tai. Open a woman's door and she will never close it, so it seems for Serana" Z was amused, chuckling softly as Tai stared. He wasn't blushing now, he was beyond caring.

"Harkon has Serana, or Bal does. I need her back Z, I can't do this without her" Tai crumbled, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I failed her. I lost Serana" he broke down sobbing. Z walked to him, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him. Her actions were warm, but the assassin cool was still there. Strangely it was comforting, the calm against Tai as he sobbed. Z rocked him, never speaking, never making a sound or motion to ease his tears. She was just there, a silent comfort.

"Isran!" Brand growled, Tai watched in shock as Brand took his hand across Isran's face. Isran glared.

"What is this?" He demanded. Brand drove his fist into Isran's gut.

"You tricked me!"

"Don't try to deny it Isran, I'm standing right here" Tai growled, striding through the door to the torture chamber.

The companions stalked in, surrounding Isran. Vale, Aela and Farkas silently hunter with Tai. They stalked around Isran, boxing him in like a bird in a cage. Tai was beyond furious, at Brand, at Isran. He was furious at everything, at everyone around him. Tai had never felt as furious as he did now, it sat in his heart. Every limb was on fire. Everything was moving so slowly, he wanted to beat the world to move faster.

"You told him Z wanted Serana gone! She was warning me, and I didn't listen. You Isran! You betrayed me! After everything" Tai slammed his fist into the wall, he winced at the painful moment of contact. He felt his own blood trickling from his knuckles, the cracked rock dust falling into the wounds. He didn't even care; he simply stormed up to Isran and gripped his armour by the collar. He pulled Isran close, his forehead almost touching.

"I should just…" Tai rolled his lip back, ensuring his breath hit Isran's face. He shook his head, his knuckles were going white he was gripping so hard, his hand was numb.

"No. You're not even worth it" Tai snarled, then he threw Isran across the room. Isran bounced from the wall with a loud groan.

Tai was beyond reason. He liked hearing Isran's pain, it made him feel so good, so powerful. He walked across the room and drove his foot into Isran's gut. He repeated his actions. Each cry from Isran weaker than the next, Tai was in control. He could unleash everything on this meat sack. He dropped to his knee and punched, feeling the flesh bruise beneath his strikes. Tai needed this. Eventually he stopped, lifting Isran again by the collar. He dragged the limp man to the rack, throwing him over it. Tai leaned in, dagger drawn across Isran's throat.

"Have you ever been stabbed in the gut? I have both mentally and physically" Tai growled, pushing the dagger slightly to emphasise his point.

"Right now, I've been stabbed through the heart. Every reason you hate vampires, imagine if they took your soul and left you a husk of who you were. That's what you have done to me. Maybe that is why I can kill you without guilt" Tai continued pushing. Brand's hand closed around Tai's wrist.

"Control your emotions" Brand spoke calmly. He was himself again, the lines down his body had faded save across his heart in a weave of threads. Tai growled.

"Don't you dare talk to me about control; you were the one who stopped me from saving her! You are no better than this" Tai jerked his head towards a more conscious Isran. Brand was healing him.

"I was played, Isran is no use to us dead" Brand reasoned. Isran coughed. Tai shook with rage, glaring down at the man who had cost him so much. His knuckles regained their colour as Tai released Isran.

"Tell me when you get him ready for an execution" Tai growled then began to storm out the room. The Circle followed. Tai knew what they were doing, they were guarding him. He was losing control, the wolf was bleeding through and Tai was under lock and key by his own pack. It stung, but he couldn't find a reason to care. Serana was gone.

The sunlight shone on her brightly, Z naturally flinched. She enjoyed the sun on the warmer days, lying in the grass with Farkas. Now everything would change, she had to embrace family. The stone was mossy, each step was slippery, one wrong move and she would fall to the ground bellow and perish. One wrong move and she would never hold Farkas in her arms again; never hear him whisper to her every naughty thing he would do. She would never tell him, never see the look in his eyes. She would never know what he would say, how he would react. She would never know.

She crouched, bow drawn as she glared across the roof at the guard. Isran had tightened security since he had caught wind of Z creeping around. She despised the man, he played the game well but he was not as good as his master. For once, she was grateful for Vale's connections, her forgiving nature behind her elfish rage.

She sighed, firing the arrow past the guards head. The guard turned, by then Z had travelled the distance along a roof beam and had her hand firmly around the man's cloak. He shuddered, so close to the edge and his life hung on one woman.

"Where is he?" Z hissed. The guard shook his head. Z was simple in her actions, she pushed and released. The guard fell, screaming as his body travelled for its certain doom. Z brushed her foot down the moss, now the guard had slipped. Z had never been there.

She looked over the edge and sighed. Then she followed the man, freefalling before she caught the window ledge. She then grinned, knocking on the glass. It was such a strange substance, used only in the finest churches. She liked it, the smooth feeling and stillness. Yet it was flowing, very slowly. Only a dragon could see. She was Dragonborn.

"Excuse me! I'm in a bit of trouble, don't leave me hanging" Z called quietly as she saw the glass darker. She paused for a moment, gathering herself. The window opened.

"What the?" A guard demanded. Z's hand shot around his long hair and pulled. The man toppled past her out the window, his screams unheard by anyone. No one looked down the far side high castle of Fort Dawnguard, and it was where all the dirty secrets were buried.

Z dusted her hands as her feet hit the ground, she closed the window calmly. She sniffed the air, tasting the many creatures that had recently passed through. Z thought for a moment, her eyes darting down the walls. She then jogged lightly down the left passage. It was dark, ill lit by sunlight through dirty glass windows. The halls appeared slightly green, yet faded drapes and curtains decorated the grey stone in red and gold.

Finally she came to a door, she didn't even bother opening it, instead she pressed her hand to the wall beside it.

"FEIM ZII GRON" she whispered, feeling the effects almost imminently.

She grinned as she passed through, the Wizards of old had amazing skills with magic. She had a the shout she had just used. She was a ghost, she could not harm of be harmed. Z had tinkered, trained and now she could not be stopped by mortal means.

She emerged through the rock into a dim room with no window. It was rounded, a bed made into the wall. Z tensed, she knew a dead man's room when she saw it. The room was reasonably bare, save a desk and burning candles. In the dim light she saw a man, his expression was blank and eyes pure white. She looked, seeing the tinges of grey through his hair yet the blood gushing from his nose.

"Who possessed this body?" Z asked simply. The man looked at ease with Z's company.

"A friend from Markarth, my sister" The voice was not the possessed body, it was someone Z knew. She grinned.

"Malketh"