AN/ this is my first story and writing something like this. I hope you guys like it and will try to update as soon as I can. And a special shout out to Mateos, who without this story might not have shown up, read his story it's good.
Disclaimer; I own nothing but my OC's and this sandwich but even that is questionable.
"It's snowing again." Silence reigned in the small alcove like shelter beneath a rock. "Of course it is, it's always snowing", grumbled the disgruntled traveller. He wore a long, dark fur cloak made out of sabre cat fur with the cowl over his head and covering the upper part of his face. The size around his midsection told of a life that didn't travel much or face much danger. In the opening in the cloak he wore robes that looked to be of Dunmer origin, and radiated a slight aura of power signifying an enchantment of some kind. He seemed to have no weapons on him.
"You don't talk much do you?" he asked. Turning around, the rest of his face was visible to show that he was indeed Dunmer. He had a pointed chin, with high cheek bones and red eyes peering out from the darkness under his cowl.
"I talk when I feel it's necessary." the other traveller responded. This one was a nord, long braided brown hair with a bit of stubble. He had a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes, and had a strong build about him, and under his right eye was a swirling arrow tattoo that was dyed pure black. He was tan, for a nord. He was dressed from the neck down in steel armor, with an Imperial shield and an Imperial Legionnaires sword lying next to him.
"Great. Just, great. I'm going to be talking to myself until we reach the next town in this gods forsaken land of yours.", complained the dark elf while sitting down next to the small fire for warmth. "I have no idea how you Nord's can stand this cold without going mad".
All he heard in response was a snort and his companion turning over onto his side.
"Well, my name's Endrur Llerlan, what's yours?", without hesitation his companion responded, "Do you want to keep your tongue.", it wasn't a question, it was a statement with every intention of doing just that if he didn't stop talking.
"Fine, Just trying to get to know who I'm going to be stuck with for a while." said Endrur while rolling over to go to sleep after muttering, "I'm going to ditch you as soon as we get to the next town."
His dreams were haunted by what had transpired in Helgen. All the gore around the town and the smell. It was like a terrible nightmare, or the Oblivion crisis all over again.
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Snoring was all that was heard with the occasional groan. 'Good, I can finally think', thought the Nord. 'I wonder what time it is? Early morning probably by the light that's here''. The sun's rays washed over his face and a nice breeze blew past him as he climbed over their shelter for the night. After looking around he saw there was no immediate threat, so he sat down on one of the stumps of a fallen pine tree and pulled out his sword.
'Hmmm, a little dull. Well that's what you get when you're on the run and escaping a dragon', he pulled out his whetstone, which was in the same shape of disrepair as the sword, he managed to find before leaving Helgen. Helgen, it all seemed like some bad nightmare now. Fires raging everywhere, on people and on buildings, blood was all over the place, like in a butchers shop and the screaming. Not to mention the smell of burning flesh and blood was enough to make even some of the soldiers vomit.
He kept thinking about Helgen as he got to work sharpening his sword. 'I wouldn't have made it out of there if not for Alvor. Damn, I should've decided to follow him anyway. Now I'm stuck with this annoying elf that won't shut up'.
Hearing a noise, he looked over when he saw the elf, what was his name again? Ah, Ender or something like that, come around their shelter to sit on an adjacent stump. They sat there for a while, neither one talking until Endrur decided he wanted to see if he could find out more about the Nord. "Good morning. Expecting trouble so soon after the dragon flew away?" he asked while the Nord continued to sharpen his sword.
"It's not the dragon I'm worried about." the Nord responded. "Why? That dragon would have scared everything of", replied Endrur, "Or they could see the fires and decide to see if there is anything of value left, or wild animals would have been forced into their den's in the area and would now be hungry and looking for food." rebuked the Nord. 'Is this elf really that stupid? Well he doesn't look like he's done too much hard travelling before. He's going to die and get me killed with him, I just know it.'
"Well, not all of us have been living in this frozen hell of a province like it you have.", this Endrur was starting to really get on his nerves. "I have travelled around Tamriel for….. years, facing more danger than you've probably ever encountered in your life!", he shouted, "and more than what you'll probably ever face or know. Let's just get to the nearest town." he said calming down and getting off his stump and packing up his gear, Endrur was quick to follow, not that there was much to pack up, and head down the road once more, while wondering what had the Nord so agitated.
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After travelling along the road for an hour they crossed what appeared to be carved stones. "What's the point of having carved stones this far from any settlement?" asked Endrur. The Nord rebuked him, "Watch yourself, these are the sacred standing stones that are around all of Skyrim. They are far more important than you realize.", he started to walk up to the one on the right and place his hand near it, "They used to give power to the heroes of old, and those they deemed worthy. No one has received their blessing in hundreds, possibly thousands of years." He finally placed his hand on it and a blue glowing ray of light shot down from the sky and hit the stone on the top, filling the circle in the middle with it's energy and flowing down to the rest of the dots on the statue making a glowing form of a warrior with a spear and shield.
They just stood there in stunned silence, both quiet trying to register what just happened in front of them. "Was that the stone giving you it's blessing?", asked Endrur, "Or does it respond with a light show to everyone?" The Nord was to shocked to say anything for a moment. "I….I think so, I'm not sure.". Endrur went up and touched the same stone. "Nothing." looking at the other two stones he could see a faint outline in the dots of a person holding a staff and a cloaked figure with a dagger. Deciding he went up to the one with the person holding the staff and touched it, and much like when the Nord touched the other stone, a ray of light shot down and struck the stone in the top and filled the statue up revealing a mage like figure.
They both stood there in silence trying to figure out what to think of the events that just transpired. "We should get to the next town" stated the Nord, breaking the silence.
They continued along the path in silence thinking about what had happened when a howl broke their thoughts. "That sounded close, get ready to defend yourself." the Nord said. "Why would wolves be out in the day? I thought they were nocturnal animals?" Endrur asked. "They normally are but the dragon would have forced them into hiding and now their coming out and looking for food, be ready.", and at that moment three black wolves appeared over the small overhang, looking thin and almost mad, with a larger white wolf, that seemed to be in better condition than the others, not far behind them, "Great, of course there had to be a damn ice wolf."
"I take it that's the big white one?" asked Endrur.
"Yes." responded the Nord, pulling out his sword and unstrapping his shield off his back.
Preparing a firebolt spell he noticed a significantly less amount of effort to call forth the magic required to cast the spell, was this because of the what happened earlier with the standing stone? Snapping out of his pondering he realized that the wolves had started to move and were coming near them, he shot out his first bolt at the nearest wolf to him and the wolf whined in pain as its shoulder was burned and was continuing to burn the fur and flesh around the wound. Looking over he saw another wolf coming towards him about to leap on him, casting two firebolts right as the wolf was jumping was a regrettable decision he found out, as the wolf's skull was blasted apart from twin point blank range firebolts and was pelted by bone, flesh and blood.
The Nord was busy circling with the other wolf, each trying to find an opening in the others stance, finally the Nord lunged at the wolf catching it in the side, amazed at how the sword seemed to be easier to move than before, and the shield seemed to weigh nothing as he carried it around. Then the wolf pulled itself off of the blade and started growling and leaped, with a quick dodge to the side and plunging the sword down he caught the creature in the head and had stabbed it through the brain sending blood spraying everywhere.
Endrur had lessened the amount of power he had put into his spells so as to not have another exploding wolf, but this one was already injured and soon had the beast in a smoldering pile of burning flesh on the ground.
Turning around he saw the Nord in a fight with the ice wolf and saw the Nord on the ground holding his shield with the wolf bearing down on him while he tries to reach for his sword. He blasted with two firebolts into the creature's side but it seemed to have less of an effect than it did on the other wolves. Turning up the power in his spells he continued to launch them at the wolf hoping to bring it down but instead succeeded in bringing its attention to himself. The wolf started to dodge and weave while heading towards him.
The Nord got up off the ground and saw the wolf racing towards the elf, and about to reach him. Thinking quickly he grabbed his sword and ran as fast as he could, right as the wolf stopped and crouched into a lunge he brought his sword back and continued to run.
Endrur was in a panic, most of his spells had missed the wolf and now he was about to be killed by the wolf. It was crouching into a lunge, right as it jumped he started praying to Azura and the other Daedric princes hoping for a good afterlife. He heard a whooshing sound and looked up to see the body of the wolf come and flop on top of him in a pile. Looking up he saw the Nord with his sword in two hands pointed towards the ground, the blade covered in blood, and the wolf's head nearby on the ground. Pushing the wolf's body off of him and getting up he shakily walked over to the Nord and put a hand on the panting warrior's back, silently thanking him.
"We should move on a bit and then rest for a while, the smell of the burning wolfs is starting to become annoying.", said the Nord, "We're going to need our strength back after that.". Endrur didn't argue against him, he was shaken. He had been in duels before, but that was about it. He had never killed anyone or anything with his spells and was shaken at his first kill. Sensing this the Nord asked, "First time?" the elf responded with "What?"
"Killing something. Was this your first time?", asked the Nord.
"Yes." Endrur said. "You rest up I'll keep watch for a while, and… thanks for saving me back there.", the Nord said. Looking up surprised Endrur replied, "You did the same for me, we're even."
"Maybe, but I'm still grateful. Endrur, right?", he nodded, "My name's Ysjarn by the way." Endrur was surprised once more, the Nord who had escaped Helgen with him and had only spoken when he felt necessary and refused to tell him his name was here talking to him and telling him his name and seemed to remember his name.
After a few hours of rest they continued along the path. "Shouldn't be too long until the next town now.", said Ysjarn, "Can't wait to get a warm meal in my belly once again and a bath to wash off the sweat and blood.". As they continued to walk they saw small stacks of smoke and heard a few whispers of conversation along the wind.
A after they rounded the next outcrop saw a straight path leading to a stone archway with a covered platform on top and a small town laid out in front of them.