Author's Note: My update times are ridiculous I know and I must apologize to everyone. All of my stories are still in progress despite slow going; nonetheless, here is the new chapter of Running!

R

The moon hung low and silver in the sky, a perfect crescent against the pitch black of the night; stars dotted the ebony sky, bright beacons of light in the darkness. Rodana gently licked her lower lip, her mouth was dry and her feet ached from walking barefoot over thorns and rocks. The Breton that she had followed out of the forest seemed to have a general idea of where they were going despite her hesitation; she wouldn't admit that her sense of direction was garbage, but the Orc could tell.

She would stop and backtrack, blaming it on the setting sun confusing her "inner compass." Madetiene made feeble attempts at explaining her navigating, but as an experienced navigator and tracker, Rodana knew it was a farce.

After what felt like hours, the Breton gave out a victorious shout when the duo stumbled across a worn dirt path.

Rodana looked about, underwhelmed, "What in Oblivion are you yelling about? We found the road after hours. Surely if you had let me lead we would have been here over an hour ago."

The mage turned around to glare at the Orc, her crystal blue eyes wide with fury. "As if you would have any idea where we are, savage. If I am not mistaken, you were the one who was nearly devoured alive by wolves. Not to mention you only have a blanket for clothing." The Breton finished with a smarmy grin, clearly satisfied with her sharp response.

Rodana licked at her lower lip as she smirked, preparing a sharp response;. "Fair enough, mage; are you done insulting me or are you ready to lead us in the wrong direction for an hour again?"

Madetiene glared daggers into the Orc. "I regret this decision already." She rolled her eyes and turned sharply on her heel before walking down the dirt path away from the other woman.

Rodana began chuckling loudly, "Breton, I do believe you are walking the wrong way again."

Madetiene spun around, a loose hair brushing across her sharp cheekbone, her brilliantly blue eyes blazing like fire. "Excuse me, savage?"

Rodana jerked her thumb at the smoke in the distant sky. "I don't know how it works for you humans, but for Orcs, smoke usually means a stronghold or a camp." A smug grin was plastered over her lips, her teeth looking dangerously sharp in the setting sun.

The Breton scowled at the Orc before she looked to the sky, seeing that there was indeed smoke rising in the distance, stark and black against the bright moon; a sure sign of a civilization. She looked away, not meeting the Orc's bright emerald eyes, "Okay...I will give you one thing, savage, you are observant."

…

R

Madetiene had put up a hood and covered her face with a strange veil; it was an odd thing, looking like spikes that came down from the crown of the veil and covered some of her face. It looked sharp and dangerous. She kept her head down and walked quickly as they entered the village.

Rodana followed close behind, feeling nervous as she saw several pale humans that were clustered around a water pump stopping in their tracks and giving her odd looks; she pulled the blanket closer around her body. "I take it you don't have another weird veil thing for me, do you? I'm getting some pretty dirty looks."

Madetiene smirked under the veil, keeping her eyes ahead. "Do I sense a case of the nerves in the all powerful and fearless huntress of a savage?"

Rodana growled lowly, her lips pulling into a frown. "I haven't encountered many humans in my life. The few that I have...well those encounters never ended well. Humans can be such ignorant, foolish creatures; yet you claim we are the savages. Don't blame me for being nervous."

The Breton gave a small shrug, "Well enough I suppose. Just do not do anything that would attract unwanted attention. If someone were to challenge you, do not pay them any heed."

The shorter woman had really stepped up her pace, walking quickly towards a small shop, the Orc spotted a small and rather unimpressive blacksmith's forge near the side of the building. "What are we doing here?"

"Do you wish to continue to walk around in a blanket and without a sword to protect your sorry backside?" The Breton looked over her shoulder to give a smirk; the veil cast a shadow over her face, and all Rodana could see was small even white teeth.

Rodana barely had time to react before the other woman was pounding on the door to the small building. Despite how tiny her fist was, she struck the worn wooden door with enough force to make it rattle on its hinges. The Orc felt her cheeks color and she looked around nervously, silently thanking that there were no humans around to witness this brash and surprisingly loud display.

There was a thump from inside the house, followed by a man shouting "Gods damn it, stop that pounding!" There was a pause as footsteps thundered closer before the door was wrenched open so roughly that Rodana was surprised it didn't come off its ancient looking hinges. A tired looking Nord stood in the doorway, his long blonde hair fell down to his shoulders, a small section of it was in a braid that hung against one of his sharp cheekbones. His blue eyes suddenly went wide, his tanned cheeks flushing a bright red as he looked at the Breton standing in his doorway.

"Oh! Gods, Madetiene! I am so sorry I didn't realize that it was you," He paused for a moment, fumbling with his words while the Breton looked up at him from underneath her veil like the cat that ate the canary.

"You look like you have seen a ghost Erick, calm yourself," Madetiene's smirk never disappeared, as she looked at the awkward man. Rodana felt an odd tension between the two.

The Orc turned slightly, looking to her right towards what appeared to be the town square; several small shops surrounded a small well that was encircled by flowers that were varying shades of reds, blues, and yellows. Her attention was immediately caught by the ancient looking ruins of a charred and mostly collapsed building; the stone and what remained of the wood was blackened from being licked and consumed by flame. The sight of the ruins made a chill shoot down the Orc's spine; why would these strange humans leave these ruins here? It seemed almost symbolic.

The Nord man seemed to finally notice Rodana when he gave the Orc a disgusted look, his grunt of disapproval bringing the woman's attention back to him. She gave him a challenging look until he finally moved his eyes back to Madetiene. "May I ask why this savage is following you around?"

Madetiene gave the man a smirk. "Oh that's actually why we are here Erick, my friend here is in need of some armor and a weapon. Would you like to take her measurements or shall I?"

Erick grimaced and gave Rodana a once over. "Uh sure Madetiene, but I am doing this for you, not that thing."

The Breton gave the Nord a winning smile, her hand caressing his bicep gently and making his whole body give a noticeable tremble. Rodana arched her eyebrow at the two. Erick retreated into his home for a moment, returning with a simple cloth measurement tool. He gave the tool to Madetiene and leaned in the doorway, waiting for her to get the Orc's measurements.

The Orc watched the Breton skeptically, feeling herself suddenly tense upon seeing the smaller woman's catlike grin. "What?"

Madetiene gave a slight chuckle. "How am I supposed to get your measurements if you stand there stiff as a board in that blanket?"

Rodana gave the woman a pointed look. "What? Just take them over the blanket. You don't need to make this any more awkward than it already is." She felt her cheeks color slightly.

Madetiene scowled and held up the measuring tape impatiently. "We have not got all night. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can move on."

The Orc sighed, clenching her jaw slightly in frustration. Averting her eyes to the dirt, she slowly removed the blanket, feeling the brisk night air meet her bare flesh.

…

M

The Breton knew that she was being sadistic, but just couldn't help herself; seeing this intimidating Orc blush was far too amusing. She moved to stand behind the larger woman, her eyes tracing over her impressive amount of tattoos on their own accord.

She took the measuring tape across the taller woman's shoulders, taking note of the number before quickly looping the tape around her breasts. She felt the Orc's breath slightly catch, making the Breton give a small smirk of amusement. "Does this make you uncomfortable?"

Rodana seemed to almost hold her breath until Madetiene moved the tape down and around her waist. "Would it not make you uncomfortable? Being in your undergarments in front of two people you barely know?" She nervously licked at her lower lip, her eyes wandering about as if she couldn't decide where to look.

The Breton let her fingers skim the other woman's shapely hips; some random part of her mind noting that the tattooed skin was surprisingly soft. She paused her movements, giving a small chuckle. "Some people make good coin that way."

Rodana gave a nervous laugh, not daring to look back at the brunette. The smaller woman was amused by the Orc's awkward behavior, but decided to finish up the measurements quickly. Erick looked even more awkward than usual standing in the doorway of his small shack, and the Breton found herself drained from the long day.

She rattled off the numbers quickly to the Nord, barely giving the man time to write them down before she was tossing him the measuring tape and turning away from him. "Thanks, Erick, and please hurry; I need to get away from this cursed place."

…

R

The local inn was a rather bleak and unimpressive thing. A tired looking Breton tended a small bar area with a rather pitiful selection of food and drink, and the center of the room was dominated by a fire pit. Tables and chairs were scattered about the room, and a small set of rickety stairs led up to the actual rooms of the inn.

Madetiene still hadn't taken off her odd looking veil; she looked about the empty inn and turned her nose up. "Just as classy as I recall. What is the plan, savage? Have you any coin?"

Rodana felt her cheeks flush slightly. "I don't even have any clothes, so I'm gonna have to go with no."

The Breton grit her jaw. "I do not have much coin either at the moment, but that is a matter to be resolved in the morning. For now, how are sleeping arrangements going to work?"

"What do you mean?" Rodana arched her scarred eyebrow at the smaller woman.

"This place is pitiful, if you could not already tell; they only have small rooms with twin beds and the floors are cobblestone. I am sure that will not affect a savage like you?" That smug grin was back, visible under her veil.

Rodana wanted to throw her hands in the air in exasperation. "You despise me so much you would have me sleep on cobblestone?"

Her laugh was musical yet somehow still held malice. "You are huge, surely you will take up most of the bed and I will have to push you onto the floor anyhow."

The Orc sighed. "How do you know what these rooms are like anyway? You seem very familiar with this town despite not living here." The Breton had been acting strange since they entered the village. Her cocky disposition had changed ever so slightly, she seemed unsettled and nervous; she was hiding her emotions behind that veil. Despite being somewhat awkward with people, Rodana was an expert at reading them.

Small brown eyebrows knit together as if she had just been accused of something heinous; Madetiene put her hands on her shapely hips defensively. "I have only passed through a few times. I am a wanderer, but even I want to have a small taste of civilization from time to time."

The smaller woman got defensive and there was a dramatic change in her body language as the subject brought up, Rodana had her now; she was lying. The Orc spoke with a smirk, "Then why have you kept that veil on since we set foot in this place? Not to mention the way you keep looking around; you may as well write "Suspicious" on your forehead."

Madetiene clenched her jaw. "Let's just move on, savage. I do not want to linger here for any longer than possible." The Breton's sudden change of mood was alarming, but it confirmed Rodana's suspicions; Madetiene had some sort of past here.

…

R

The room that the two would share at the inn was a rather unimpressive thing, sparsely furnished with a simple twin size bed and a table with a single chair sitting crookedly; a red threadbare rug covered most of the floor and a few books sat on a low bookshelf. The two had ordered a simple meal of grilled salmon and potatoes. It was poorly cooked and slightly burnt, but the Orc was so hungry she didn't even care. She hadn't eaten in nearly three days at this point. Madetiene had to be equally famished, but she ate slowly and carefully.

Rodana finished eating first, and she put her now empty plate on the small table that she sat at; Madetiene had taken the bed, choosing to put her plate on her crossed legs. Feeling awkward, Rodana made her way to the small shelf covered in books, choosing one at random.

She opened to the title page, arching an eyebrow at the text; The Lusty Argonian Maid. "I'm going to have to give this one a definite nope."

That caught the Breton's interest, "What are you doing?" Madetiene's accented voice was genuinely curious.

Rodana turned her head slightly to give the Breton a grin. "Would you be interested in hearing the tale of The Lusty Argonian Maid?" The Orc gave a chuckle and pushed the book towards the Breton.

Madetiene grimaced as if Rodana had pushed a poisonous snake towards her and gently slapped the book away. "Get that filth away from me! I hate Argonians and I have read it before; such a boring bit of smut."

"Gods no, you have read this before?" Rodana laughed and tossed the book in the general direction of the shelf, somehow making it land right on top.

"Not my proudest moment, but oh well." Madetiene stood and placed her plate on top of Rodana's, before turning to stare at the Orc for a moment. "Well?"

She pulled her blanket tighter around herself without thinking. "Well what?"

Madetiene rolled her eyes and motioned toward the bed. "Are you not exhausted?"

The Orc was confused for a moment. "I thought you would prefer me to sleep on the floor?"

"I changed my mind, you can join me. But if I have to shove you on the floor for any reason, I will not hesitate," Madetiene's smirk was playful.

Rodana rolled her eyes and climbed into the bed, pulling her blanket around herself. Madetiene blew out the candle that sat on the table and climbed in after the Orc without a second thought. The two were silent for a few moments before Rodana began to grow uncomfortable.

The Breton was pressed nearly flush against her body, but the Orc did not dare touch her; she kept her arms tucked near her head and they were starting to go numb. She could feel herself blushing profusely, and she couldn't help but note the Breton's scent. The smaller woman smelled sweet like fresh flowers from being in the forest all day. Rodana couldn't deny that Madetiene was beautiful despite her often sour mood, and the Orc had found herself admiring the woman many times throughout their travels together.

Exhaustion soon started to take its toll on the Orc, slowing her thoughts of her new companion; a few moments later, she had succumbed to the pull of sleep.