Days past and Farkas avoided my company while Ria and Njada were muttering things about me every time I passed them. I slept in the room with the other whelps and woke them every night with my screaming. They were getting impatient with me and I was avoiding them during the day. Vilkas would send me on some errands around Jorrvaskr to keep me busy. Simple things such as bringing weapons to Eorlund, cleaning their boots and setting up the targets each time someone knocked it over. I didn't mind, it kept me occupied, but I was getting a little tired of working here for the Companions, playing servant to Vilkas.
'Vilkas, I'm leaving for Winterhold soon,' I told him after I set up the target for him again.
'I thought you might tell me that soon,' he said as he sheathed his sword.
'I don't think Farkas wants to see me,' I whispered.
'He told me what happened,' he said, placing his arms across his chest. I took a small step backwards. Would I be in trouble for knowing the secret of the Companions?
'He told me you want to make him a cure,' he scoffed.
'Yes,' I said in a small voice.
'There's no cure,' he told me and turned towards Jorrvaskr. I hurried up beside him.
'That's why I want to create one. My mother believed it was possible and so do I,' I told him as bravely as I could muster.
'You can't solve a problem with magic.'
'Just because you're a Nord who doesn't trust magic folk does not mean you should force your belief onto others, Vilkas,' I spat. He stopped in his tracks, turned slowly and gave me a glare. 'You're a true Nord and I know you are hurt by the Thalmor outlawing Talos worship. That's how I feel when you speak ill of magic. You trust me on some level, and you know Farkas does too. You don't want me to go to the College because then you'll be expected not to trust me.' He said nothing he just walked through the hall and down to the living quarters.
I stood for a few passing moments before ducking my head and walking down the stairs. I decided to go and try to speak to Farkas, knocking lightly on his door I expected him to tell me to go away, but there was no answer. I knocked again, harder this time, but still no answer.
'Farkas?' I knocked again. I opened the door slightly and peeked my head through the door and looked around to see him sitting on the floor with his back against the bar, his head slumped back with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open. He surrounded himself with empty bottles of ale and wine and a tankard falling from his hand. I entered the room and gently shut the door.
I sat on the floor beside him, pushing the bottles out of the way. I took the tankard from his hand and sat it beside us. I took his hand in mine as he slept and closed my eyes to join him.
I felt him tense beside me and groan as he moved his head. I kept my eyes closed for a minute, keeping my hand in his.
'Do you still want to go to Winterhold?' he whispered.
'Yes,' I said, my eyes still closed lightly.
'Will you come back?'
'Of course.' I opened my eyes and turned my head to him. I gave him a small smile and he nodded.
'Can we try the hunting thing again before you go?'
'Of course,' I laughed.
We stood in the training court, Farkas holding a bow, trying to mimic how I held it. So far he could hit the target, but he couldn't hit the red circle on the target.
'Hold your breath,' I told him, 'Then release.' I lowered his elbow gently and held my hand over his to relax his grip. He released the arrow and this time hit close to the red target.
'Better,' I said encouragingly.
'Good thing you can hold a sword,' Vilkas teased. 'Pity Luna can't.' He picked up and apple from a bowl as he walked out towards the courtyard and took a large bite from it. I held my bow and loaded an arrow silently. I released and snatched the apple from his hand and pinned it to the wooden post behind him.
'Pity your reflexes are rusted Vilkas,' I said with a sickening smile.
'Careful, or you'll be scrubbing boots again before you leave,' he warned.
Farkas put the bow down and handed me a sword identical to Vilkas' and showed me how to hold it upright. I struggled with it, a lot more than he had struggled with archery. He told me to hit the target with the sword and as I swung I stumbled lightly but regained my balance as the sword lodged itself into the target.
'You need better posture,' Vilkas called at me, barely even glancing up from his book that he was deeply immersed in. I straightened my back and took another swing for the target, managing to keep my balance this time.
After a while of training with Farkas I realized I hated using swords…
-x-
Farkas had frightened the fourth rabbit and failed at shooting it in time before it disappeared into the bushes. He was getting impatient with his failures.
'Why don't we try deer? They're larger and easier to shoot,' I said. He nodded and we walked back towards a clearing near Whiterun. Once we spotted a deer I told him to stay quiet and stay down. He was doing well at staying quiet so far. I hoped it stayed that way so that we could bring back something to Jorrvaskr to show for our hunting trip, and to stop Vilkas teasing his brother.
'Ready your arrow slowly,' I told him. He did as I instructed, moving incredibly slowly with a small smile on his face. He was hopeful. I told him to shoot and he did and missed the deer. It was startled by the sudden arrow and began to run away. I stood up and watched it run into the distance. I could shoot it in the back of the head and land us with something to show but I didn't want to embarrass Farkas so I left it be. Farkas stood up and looked at me a little disappointed by his poor attempt.
'Do you want to try again?' I offered.
'Yes,' he said.
'I think you just need to work on your aim,' I said. We walked up for another few minutes before we saw an elk and I pulled Farkas to the ground to hide in the tall grass. The elk was feeding on the grass with its huge antlers moving up and down as it moved. I nodded to him and he slowly pulled back an arrow, ready to release it. He focused hard on his aim this time, persistent on getting it right.
He released the arrow on my instruction and pierced the deer in the neck. It fell to the ground as it bled and died.
'Yes!' he hissed in victory. I smiled at him and he swooped me up into a hug. He was like a giant grizzly bear, only he wouldn't tear my head off and eat me. He was an overgrown dog.
'You did it!' I congratulated him and we hurried up to the elk to bring it back to Whiterun.
'Will you carry the bows and the arrow holder…thing,' he asked, handing me the quiver.
'What parts are we taking?' I asked.
'All of it,' he said, grabbing the antlers of the elk and dragging it onto his back, holding it up by the antlers and allowing the rest of the body to drag along the ground.
'All of it?!' I asked.
'Yeah. We use everything,' he said.
'What could you possibly need of the head and the antlers and the hide?' I asked, placing my hand on my hip.
'Sell it to people who want it,' he said, 'Come on before we miss food.'
'If you say so,' I said.
He dragged the elk the whole way back to the city of Whiterun with no struggle. He was incredibly strong and powerful and I felt weaker than I normally did compared to the Companions, although I knew Vilkas, Njada and Ria didn't even come close to matching Farkas' strength, he was twice Vilkas' size.
'Whoa!' Vilkas gasped, dropping his book onto the floor of the back of Jorrvaskr. Farkas let the elk fall to the ground in a dusty heap in the training grounds of Jorrvaskr.
'I shot it,' he said proudly.
'Aren't you a wonderful hunter,' Vilkas teased, placing his book on the table and walking up to us to inspect the elk. He smiled to himself as he inspected the kill and nodded in approval.
'Pretty good for a first kill,' I said.
'Not bad. Now get rid of it before it starts to rot and makes the whole place smell as bad as you do,' Vilkas called as he walked back to the chair he was residing in.
I arrived in Winterhold with Farkas and Vilkas with my robes from the Vigilant hugging my cold skin. Farkas and Vilkas were Nords so they were used to the cold Skryim weather and they only wore their usual attire, their armour. People stared as we approached the College bridge and Farkas and Vilkas began to tense. Typical Nords.
'I think I'm okay from here,' I said, turning to the twins.
'Are you sure you don't want Farkas to tuck you into bed?' Vilkas teased with a smirk. Farkas darted him an unfriendly glare before looking at me.
'I have some gold to give you. In case you need something,' Farkas said, pulling out a coin purse from his belt. 'You have to take it.' He sounded like he was ordering me to take his money.
'I'll pay you back in ale,' I promised, accepting the pouch and placing it on my belt.
'I guess we'll see you later, whelp,' Vilkas said with a small attempt at a smile.
'I'll see you soon,' I nodded.
'If you're not back in a month, Aela and me are gonna…uh…bring you back,' Farkas warned. I chuckled lightly and nodded my head "yes". I gave him a hug and Vilkas nodded his head at me as a farewell before turning away.
'Don't forget to write,' Farkas said.
'Me? Please, ice-brain, you better not forget to write. I left some paper and a quill and some ink in your room by your bed so you better not forget!' My best friend smiled at me and turned to return to his duties. He glanced back over his shoulder and I waved. He walked down Winterhold with his brother and left the small village.
I wiped the sweat from my hands nervously into my robes and walked up the steps to the bridge. Only now, on my own, did I realize how horridly bleak this place was. Snow, wind and nothing but white, grey and black.
'Can I help you?' asked a proper voice. An Altmer woman stood out from the grey shadows on the bridge.
'Yes, I wish to join the College,' I said nervously.
'Do you now? What is it you seek here?'
'I wish to learn to control my ability.'
'I see. Well, if you can prove your ability then I can escort you inside,' she told me. She was kind for an Altmer. 'If you could kindly cast a firebolt spell please.' I gulped and held up my hand. She stood aside and I shut my eyes in hope that it would happen and not set her alight. But nothing happened.
Shit.
'When you're ready,' she prompted.
I jolted my hand forward and a single blast of fire shot out and hit the snow and stone. I surprised myself and smiled in glee at my success.
'Follow me,' she said simply, leading me up the bridge. 'I'm Faralda. I teach Destruction magic in the College. But Mirabelle is who you will want to speak with. She's probably in the courtyard reading again. What did you say your name was?'
'I'm Luna,' I said nervously. She led me up the bridge, explaining that it was destroyed in the "Great Collapse". I wondered why they never repaired it as I walked uneasily across a part of the bridge that had almost nothing left of it.
'What brings you here with two Nords?' she asked.
'Oh, they're my friends. I was in Whiterun,' I explained.
'And they accept the College?'
'Not quite. They're not too fond of magic,' I said.
'Typical Nords,' she said, putting her nose in the air as she walked. As we walked into the courtyard of the College I saw a magnificent blue glow coming from the centre of the courtyard with a huge statue of a wizard with his cloak blowing backwards in the wind. He was lightly coated with snow and ice, but he was still powerful and mighty looking. A huge tower stood before me with a glass window at the very top with an eye shape in the centre and an inverted star shape around it. I guessed it was a symbol of the college because it seemed to stand out against the grey of the bleak building.
'Mirabelle is over here,' Faralda said as she led me over to a Breton woman who stood reading through a spell book. We stood before her and she looked up from her book and closed it shut in one hand.
'And who might you be?' she asked.
'This is Luna, she wishes to join the College,' Faralda said.
'Is that so? Well I suppose we have a free bed and we could always do with some new faces around here,' the Breton said, raising her eyebrows at me. 'I'll show you around and have someone leave some robes and a hood on your bed for you. You don't have to wear them but they are useful to those who want to use magic.'
'Thank you,' I said quietly. Faralda left without a word and Mirabelle showed me the dorms and showed me to a room and told me it was mine. There was a well type structure in the centre with a blast of blue light going up to the ceiling. It was mesmerizingly beautiful as it glowed blue like running water and lit up the whole hall. I felt a sudden warmness in my stomach as I saw the room with a cosy looking bed with a green quilt draped over it. The room was warm and there was no trace of the cold outside.
I left my small rucksack by my bag. It only contained a dagger from Farkas and some rolls of paper with a quill and three pots of ink and a few sticks of charcoal. I had eaten the apple from it on the trip to Winterhold.
'I believe Tolfdir is giving a lecture in the Hall of the Elements at the minute. Perhaps you would like to attend given it would be your classmates attending it now. Or you can get settled in and attend tomorrow,' she said. I told her I would like to attend now and she showed me to the hall.
A Dunmer girl, a Nord man and a male Khajiit stood around listening to the teacher. I smiled to myself at the observation of the students. A Dunmer, a Nord and a Khajiit… It sounded like the beginning to a bad joke. I walked up to my classmates and silently joined the group and began listening in.
'Magic is a very powerful thing and first you must learn to control it. It can be very dangerous!' he insisted. 'Ah! Come and join! Don't be afraid!' He welcomed me into the group and I stood shyly between the Dunmer and the Khajiit. He rambled about how magic was very dangerous for a few minutes and how it could be used as a weapon against us. He continued to explain how ward spells could be used to defend ourselves.
'Wards are very useful and they are very simple to cast,' he said. He talked more about wards before my classmates tired of his ramblings and insisted on us doing something practical in the class.
'And what do you think?' he asked, looking at me. I looked around in a panic and then shyly looked to him.
'I don't know. I think magic is dangerous if you can't control it…,' I said quietly. I looked up and saw three very unhappy students sending me glares. 'But I guess… it would be fun to do something practical?' They all looked to Tolfdir.
'Very well, we will practice a ward spell,' he said. He asked the Dunmer girl to hold up a ward spell while he sent a spell at her. She proudly held up a lesser ward and he sent purple sparks like lightening towards her but she was left unharmed as her ward protected her from the unfriendly spell.
'Very good!' he said happily, 'Is everyone familiar with wards? Do you all know a ward spell?' I raised my hand shyly and shook my head.
'I don't…sir,' I said nervously. The Khajiit snickered at my lack of knowledge and I felt my cheeks flush red. I had a pale complexion as it was and I was paler from the cold so the pinkness on my cheeks was highly visible and this made me even more embarrassed and I felt my whole face grow hotter.
'Not to worry! I have it in a book,' he said, picking up a tattered old book from the steps in the Hall and handing it to me.
'Thank you,' I said, holding the book to my chest and keeping my head down.
'Not to worry. Now, everyone get some rest tonight and we will all meet here tomorrow for a trip to Saarthal for an expedition!' he exclaimed happily. I wondered what Saarthal was and why we were going there, but right now that was fading from my mind. I hurried up to Tolfdir as the other three left together.
'Sir, I was wondering if I could ask you something,' I said.
'Of course, my dear, what is it? Are you finding the class okay?' he asked.
'Yes sir. I was just wondering if you had any information on lycanthropy. I'm new here and I was hoping to do some research on different things,' I explained.
'Lycanthropy?!' he exclaimed.
'Yes sir.'
'Well, you can try in the Arcanaeum, I'm sure if we have anything on Lycanthropy in the College it would be in there. Urag may be able to help you find something,' he said. 'Just don't damage any of his books! He takes his job very seriously and he wouldn't be too pleased with you if you did any damage to a book in his library.'
'Thank you,' I said with a smile.
'What an exciting question on your first day,' Tolfdir commented.
'I'm sorry if that was too forward. I was just hoping to get started on some research,' I explained.
'Not at all! The sooner research begins the better! It's wonderful to see such a young mind so eager to learn and begin studies,' he said with a kind smile.
-x-
I returned to the living quarters in the College, the Hall of Attainment. It wasn't nearly as homely as the living quarters in Jorrvaskr, but it was nicer than sleeping in the snow outside. It was warm with a comfortable bed and plenty of space, and the best part was it had no arrogant Nord telling me I was a "lady of the night" to put it nicely.
I decided I would visit the library tomorrow after the expedition in Saarthal and I would get started on the Lycanthropy research then. I wanted to get it started as quickly as possible to help Farkas. I took off my clothes and cuddled into my own warm bed and for a second I thought I was home…