Back at the fort, we sought out Dexion as soon as we checked in with Isran. He greeted us with a nod in our direction, but remained sitting where he was. "I trust your journey was successful?"

"We found them," I said, setting the bag that contained them down gently. They were heavy, and weren't actually fragile, but it seemed respectful.

Dexion sighed and raised his head, and I saw the cloth tied around his eyes. "I'm sorry, my friend. I can no longer be of any help in this matter."

"How did you go blind?" I asked, more demanding in my shock than I should have been.

"It's my fault. In my haste to read the first scroll, I neglected the careful preparation required. I thought I'd be able to allay the effects, but I was wrong." He sighed again. "Now I'm paying for it."

I winced. It was unfair that he should pay such a price. "Is there anything that can be done?"

He shook his head. "It will have to run it's course, and there is always the chance I may never recover."

"Then we're finished," Serana said hollowly.

"No." The Priest's voice and word startled us both. "There is another way. The question is, how much are you willing to risk to find Auriel's Bow?"

Anything. "What do I need to do?"

The Priest hesitated. "I can't guarantee you'll be free from harm, and becoming blind may be the least of your worries..."

"I'll risk it," I said firmly. "Just tell me."

He reached blindly for a piece of parchment, and handed it to me. "Scattered across Tamriel are secluded locations known only as Ancestor Glades. There's one in Skyrim, in the Pine Forest. This map will lead you to it. Performing the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth within the glade should provide the answers you seek."

Seeking answers from insects? "Explain this 'ritual'."

"In keeping with tradition, you must use a specific tool in the Ancestor Glade, and implement known as a draw knife. Every Moth Priest is taught the ritual, but few ever get the chance to perform it." He smiled wistfully. "You should consider yourself fortunate, if it works for you, that is."

"Hm." I glanced at the bag. "Do I need to read the scrolls in a specific order?"

He nodded. "From what I saw in the vision, the Elder Scroll which foreshadows the defiance of the gods with the blood of mortals is the key to the prophecy."

"Thank you, Dexion," I said.

"Good luck in your endeavors."

The map led us to a glade, high in the mountains near Falkreath. Inside we found nothing but loose foliage and rocky crags. Serana was disappointed. "It's not very impressive. If this ends up being a wasted trip, your friend Dexion and I are going to have some words when we get back."

I stared at her. "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

I shook my head and scrambled over some rocks. The cavern came into view, and the roaring of the waterfall got louder. A stream ran through the entirety of the cave, which echoed with the sounds of water and insects. This was truly a place of nature.

"Wow," Serana whispered, looking around. "Look at this place. No one's been in here for centuries. I don't think there's anywhere like this in Skyrim." She smiled. "It's beautiful."

I smirked, and walked toward the stone arch that held the knife. "'It's not very impressive'," I said, mocking her voice. "'This is a wasted trip'."

"Stop being so snide and grab the knife, will you?" She glared, and I smirked in response.

I took the knife, a blade held between two sticks. "Now we need to find one of those Canticle trees."

"Do you think it's that one?" she asked. I followed her pointing finger to a tree that seemed very different from the others in the glade.

"It's worth a try." I climbed up the rocks, which seemed faster than taking the actual path. The knife slide easily through the bark, cutting away a piece the size of a thin book.

"I hope those moths like the bark as much as Dexion said they would," Serana said doubtfully.

"He didn't give us much to go on," I agreed. Bark in hand, I walked toward a nearby swarm. They immediately surrounded me, floating around the bark.

"Look at them." She looked impressed. "They've definitely taken a liking to you. And..." She squinted. "Unless I'm seeing things, you're starting to glimmer."

I started off toward the next group. "Hopefully it's temporary," I called back.

A few swarms later, and it seemed as the cavern had gotten darker. "You look like a walking lantern," Serana said, and I knew she was hiding a grin behind her hand.

I shot a glare at her. "If this isn't temporary, I'm following you around for the rest of eternity."

She laughed, not bothering to hide her mirth now. "Let's head back up there and see if you can read the scrolls before you start making threats."

I made a beeline for the pillar of light that streamed through a hole in the ceiling. She noticed me hesitate. "Nervous?"

"Nah," I said, with bravado I didn't quite feel, and took out the scroll her mother had given us.

The ink on the parchment began to glow brightly, and lifted off the paper. I felt my hand reach for the other scroll, and open it. The image from that one joined the first, though both scrolls were now at my feet. The symbols and lines shimmered and merged together to form a map. Though there were no identifying marks, I knew it to be a map of Skyrim, and I knew where it was telling me to go. Suddenly the light died, both in front of me and around me, and my vision dimmed considerably.

"Are you okay?" She frowned. "I almost thought I lost you there. You went white as the snow."

I blinked rapidly, feeling less nervous as my vision cleared. "I'm fine."

She growled. "I never trusted those damn scrolls. You saw what they did to Dexion."

I grinned in reply. "Aw, you do care. It's all okay. I found where Auriel's Bow is. Darkfall Cave, in Haafingar."

She sighed. "Then it's finally over. We can finally put an end to this ridiculous prophecy. We should get going, before my father has a chance to track us down."

Were I a beast, my ears would have pricked up, but instead, my eyes shot to the entrance we came in at. I could smell vampires. "A bit late for that."

After a short battle, we left the grove. "There should be a carriage we can take to Solitude," Serana said. We could see Falkreath from where we stood, and there did seem to be a carriage waiting there.

A whine escaped my throat before I could stop it, and I grinned sheepishly at her questioning look. "Sorry. My beast hasn't gotten to run since I got her back. We've been in so many carriages over the past few weeks- she's getting anxious."

I dutifully pretended nothing had happened and peered at the town. "It looks like the driver is going to be busy for a little while, he's flirting with..." I laughed, loudly. "Ah, he's flirting with Narri. He'll definitely be busy long enough for us to get down there."

"Don't you want to run?"

I looked back at her, eyes wide in shock. "Well, yeah, I always want to run. It's in my blood. But we need to hurry and get to Darkfall Cave. The sooner this prophecy gets finished, the sooner you'll be safe from Harkon."

She smiled at me, but it was a strange smile. "Ever since I woke up you've been nothing but accommodating. You traveled as a human, you traveled at night, you kept me fed, and you rode in carriage after carriage because I couldn't keep up. Why?"

I huffed out a breath. "I just did. It seemed like the decent thing to do."

"Would you do it for anyone?" The smile was still there.

"Haven't I made that clear?" I demanded. "No, I wouldn't change my patterns to keep just anyone happy. I didn't kill your kind indiscriminately for Isran, I refused to become a vampire for your father-" I shook my head like I was trying to clear it of water. "Damn it, what do you want from me?"

Her next question startled me so badly that I nearly fell over.

"Would you become a vampire for me?"

My jaw worked furiously to make words, but all that came out was nonsensical sounds. Finally, I gave up, and just worked on breathing, focusing on a particularly green pebble at my feet. Then it dawned on me.

I would. I honestly would. Losing my beast-blood had made it clear that even without the instincts of a wolf, I still considered Serana pack. Family. The only difference had been... There really hadn't been a difference, actually. If it meant staying by her side, keeping her safe from people like her father, and making her happy, I would do it in a heartbeat. That thought terrified me, but I also felt... happier. The loneliness I felt despite the wolf that walked always by my side lightened as I realized I'd throw away everything I had. For her.

She stayed quiet while I was hit by that interesting revelation, waiting. I looked up, and silver eyes met gold. "I would," I told her. "If you asked."

A myriad of expressions appeared and died on her face in the course of a few heartbeats. Shock, happiness, fear, and the light of hope that I had never really seen on her before, even when we found a way into the Soul Cairn and she found Valerica. She settled on a small smile of acceptance and something that I really didn't want to place. "If you're willing to do all that for me, then you should run. I'll take the carriage to Solitude and meet you in Dragon Bridge."

On one hand, I really didn't want to leave her behind. I knew she could take care of herself, but that nagging feeling of what if stuck with my human mind puzzled out all the complications and distractions, my beast heart let out a fierce howl of happiness that made my decision for me. "I'll fly like Kyne is letting me travel her domain," I told Serana, grinning. "I might even beat you there."

Serana chuckled lightly. "You're probably right. Don't let a bear eat you."

She started down the path to Falkreath, but I grabbed her hand before she could go. "Wait," I said.

She glanced back, and I pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you," I whispered.

Her answering squeeze was all I needed. I let her go and dropped my pack off of my shoulders, kneeling beside it to root around for a rope. I used the length to make the straps on my bag longer, and more suitable for carrying as a wolf. I looked back when all was ready. She had left.

Even so, I still felt the elation from earlier. I stripped off quickly and stuffed my equipment into the bag. My quiver I tucked inside the compartment as well, so the arrows wouldn't fall out, and my bow I strapped to the back. The result wasn't pretty, but it would work.

I closed my eyes and let down the barrier between the beast and I, until the two were so intertwined that it was impossible to know where the human or the animal began. The change was more exhilarating than I remembered it being since before my pack had been decimated, 16 years past, and I howled my delight to the moon.

The straps on the bag now fit perfectly around my torso and arms. They were interlocked in a way that allowed for full mobility, stayed on well, and was easily accessible by my long-clawed hands. When everything was set, I knelt in a crouch, taking off like an arrow from a bow with a snarl.

It was a long journey. At a dead run, it would take me about twelve hours to complete. But I knew that the carriage would take half that again, and my beast knew that she could hunt the elk that grazed along the river in that time easily. There was no quiet stalking, only a roar to frighten the kine into running and churning the earth with my claws as I gave chase.

I didn't bother going after the old or weak. I ran straight for the large buck that led the herd, leaping up a tree to jump back down and land on his back. He made a barking yelp of terror as my claws dug into the flesh of his neck and hit the ground, the momentum throwing us across the dirt. I ended his struggling with a bite to the back of the neck, leaving the rest of the herd to run in fear of me while I fed.

The first mouthful of warm, bloody flesh tasted better than the finest mead the Companions that allowed themselves to be leashed talked of. I devoured the rest of the creature hungrily, until only bone and hoof and horn remained. A lesser beast might have felt compelled to sleep after such a meal, but I felt no such weakness. I continued my run, steel-tight muscles never weakening as each bound brought my close to my destination.

I ran through the day, delighting in the frightened gasps and shouts of townsfolk that saw me through the trees. I came across a group of Stormcloaks, easily recognized in their blue-cloth armor. I refused to go around. I ran right through their party, bowling the lesser humans over. By the time they recovered long enough to try and fight me, I was already long gone.

I never felt more at ease than when I was running, not until I met Serana. It was hard to decide which I prefered; her company or moving through the trees like a phantom of the hunt. The Companions of Jorrvaskr, at least the ones "afflicted" as they were so fond of referring to it, were fools. Sovngarde could not hold anywhere near the delights of running and hunting and chasing and killing for eternity with Lord Hircine.