"This is why I love light armor."
Caillech glaced at her cousin out of the corner of her eye snearing smuggly at him. He glared at her and wiped the beads of sweat from his forhead. Serana laughed from behind the two bickering Nords. The three of them were walking from Whiterun to Dustman's Cairn, almost directly northwest of the city. The afternoon sun was beating down on the trio, and Farkas was struggling with the heat in his heavy steel armor.
"Fuck you Lex, at least I'm not afraid to get into a fight." he said agitatedly.
"Watch yourself cousin, or you'll get your ass kicked again." she snarled back. Caillech could feel the tension of their wolf sides building, vying for dominance. With perfect timing on her part, Serana came between the two, placing each of her hands on their shoulders.
"Now, now, childeren." she reprimanded them. Farkas growled and pulled his shoulder away from the vampire's grip. Caillech smiled at Serana. The first time she had called Caillech a child, the werewolf had almost wanted to rip the vampire's head from her shoulders.
"An adolecent response." Serana had stated with disinterest. Granted she was era's older than either of her current companions, she had spent who knows how long locked in a tomb underground. Serana herself didn't even know how long she had slumbered exactly. When Caillech had found her locked away, she didn't even know there was an Empire. Which means she had been locked away before the the founding of the First Empire, some 4,000 years ago. Not to mention being a vampire at that time, so in reality, she was most likely even older.
The large pillar stones, marking the enterance of the cairn, loomed on the top of a low hill. Caillech admired the antient stones, Nordic carvings and runes marred the faces of the stones, moss grew across the rough surface. She wondered how they looked when they were first errected, if they were as breath taking then, as they were now. Caillech picked up her pace, Farkas gave a loud groan of displeasure. Ignoring her griping cousin, she jogged up the side of the hill. Standing at the top of the stone stairs that twisted down into the earth to the large wooden doors. Serana raced up and stood beside her, her face alight with excitement.
"Nordic ruins... Even older than I am. I wonder if the draugr are as gullible as they were when I was a girl." she grinned at Caillech, pulling her elven dagger from it's scabbard at her hip, making her way down the stone steps. Caillech grinned. Many inexperienced people feared the draugr, undead nords that slumbered within tombs and caves. As a young girl, admitably, she too would have nightmares about the glowing blue eyes, rotting skin, and death rattle growl, crawling in through her bedroom window. A grumbling Farkas followed the vampire down to the wooden doors, pulling his steel greatsword from his back. Caillech's finger tips tingled as she gripped her bow tightly, readying herself for whatever might be inside the tomb.
Farkas had been given the honor by Skjor, a senior member of the Cirlce, of retriving a shard of Wuuthrad. The battle axe weilded by the Nord hero Ysgramor, who lead the Five Hundred Companions on a crusede against the native Snow Elves of Skyrim, and even Solstheim. The gray haired Nord, whom Caillech had only ever seen with a full head of blonde hair, didn't even remember who she was. Scoffing at her and questioning her ability when Farkas had asked her to be his Shield-Sister for this particular quest. Caillech had had to bite her tongue almost to the point of bleeding to stop herself from snapping at the old man and challange him to a fight. Her wolf side barred her teeth at the older adversariy, flexing her muscles and flattening her ears. He had no idea who he was dealing with.
"You coming Lex?"
She nodded at her cousin, jumped down from the top of the stone wall, and followed him through the wooden doors. As they slammed shut behind her, she glanced around the entry chamber, the sound of the doors closing echoed loudly off of the stone walls. Serana fell into step behind Caillech as they made their way through the charmber. Four large ebony sarcoffogi stood against the walls. Two had fallen open, and draugr corpses lay on the lids, the foul stench of decay and death lingered in the air. Poking at a corpse with her toe, Caillech turned the body face up. A large gash split the sternum and gray tones, lifeless organs spilled from the chest cavaity. The hairs on the back of Caillech's neck bristled.
"Some one has already been here." Caillech murmered kneeling beside the draugr, examining the torn flesh. Her voice was low, attempting to keep the echo's to a minimum. It was a clean cut and break through the chest bone. "It was made by a blade," she said to Serana and Farkas over her shoulder.
"Then we need to watch our backs." Farkas said, standing beside Caillech. Rising to her feet, she turned to see Serana kneeling beside a chest, her brow furrowed in concentration, fiddling with the lock. Her red eyes flicked up to meet the amused look on Caillech's face.
"What?" Caillech shook her head and grinned at her companion. The two of them had perfected their lockpicking skills over the few months they had travled together. Serana had a natural aptitude for the craft, and made quick work of almost evey one she encountered. She had the chest open in no time, and she rummeged through the loot quickly, pocketing small vials of red liquid and tossing Caillech a small pouch of coins. Farkas looked at her disapprovingly as she tucked the pouch into her belt, she smiled at him. They hadn't really spent time together in over a decade, he didn't know the first thing about her anymore.
"Come on," Farkas said, in an annoyed way and led the trio down a couple flights of stairs into small burial corridors. He held his fist up, comanding the two women to stop behind him. He pointed ahead of them. A draugr was standing with it's back to them, swaying from side to side, it's harsh breathing a rattle. It gripped a large rusted blade, the tip of it scraping and clinking against the stone floor. It hadn't noticed them yet. Caillech pulled an arrow from her quiver and stepped lightly passed Farkas, her footsteps as silent as death. She drew her bow and aimed at the dragur, breathing in deeply, the string of her bow caressing her lips. The arrow sailed through the air and embedded into the middle of it's back with a thud, forcing the draugr forward and crashing to the floor.
Caillech barely had time to notch another arrow before two more rounded the corner, great swords raised above their heads, screaming in rage. Their blue eyes glowing with magic. Farkas and Serana charged forward, swinging their blades in unison against the advancing undead. Metal clanged against eachother, and in a flash of black congealed blood, both draugr hit the ground, heads seperated from their bodies. The three of them moved slowly through the chambers, Farkas on point, carving down two more draugr with single, powerful swings of his sword. Serana brought up the rear, checking their tails periodically to make sure they weren't snuck up on by anything unsavory.
"See the release anywhere?" Caillech asked her two companions as they walked down a flight of stone stairs into a large chamber. Moss hung from the ceilings, and pillars had crumbled with time. A large iron gate closed off the only way to continue through the tomb.
"Yeah, I see it." Serana pointed to their left and made her way towards the lever. There was a raised stone platform in the center of the chamber, Caillech and Farkas stood in the middle as Serena walked into a small nook off the side of the main hall. Pocketing a few more bottles of potions she pulled the lever. As one gate lifted, another closed, trapping Serena into the small nook. "Shit." she muttered, and tried to yank the lever back. It wouldn't budge. "Little help here guys." she called to them from behind the gate. Caillech smiled and jogged towards her,
"Way to go." she teased her friend. There was no way any of them would have known that was going to happen. But she wasn't going to pass up the oppertunity to poke fun at the proud vampire. Serana glared at her from behind the iron bars,
"Don't worry, we'll find the-"
"Don't move Companions!" A male voice echoed around the chamber. Caillech whipped around, her inner wolf lifting her head and snarling. A group of warriors rushed through the now open archway into the next chamber. There were at least 8 of them at the least, and each armed to the teeth with glinting swords. They surrounded Farkas and Caillech, advancing slowly,
"Which one is that?" one of the women whispered to a man next to her,
"It doesn't matter, he wears that armor, he dies." Caillech glanced at Farkas, wondering what the hell they were talking about. Taking a closer look at her cousins armor, she noticed small ornate wolf heads in various places. He chest plate at the nape of the neck, and a few more around his waist. Farkas glanced over his shoulder at Caillech as they drew together, back to back, protecting their flanks, his eyes were cold and almost appologetic.
Great... wolf hunters... Caillech thought to herself bitterly.
"Killing you will make for an excellent story," another woman sneered at them from somewhere behind Caillech, pressing closer to the two cornered wolves. Caillech's heart began to beat faster and she ccould hear her blood singing with anticepation. Her limbs began to tremble and her lips curled up over her teeth, a low snarl building from deep within her chest. She flicked her eyes around the four in front of her. Though they pressed forward confidantly, she could see the unease in their eyes, and her nostrils flared as she caught the scent of fear in the air. Her mouth began to water and she felt her canines elongating in her mouth. She knew her stance must have lowered and her eyes lit up, because the woman in the center of the four advancing on her hesitated her blue eyes growing wide. She would be the first.
"None of you will be alive to tell it." She could hear the wolf in Farkas' voice, and feel his whole body shaking behind her. She couldn't hold back any longer, Caillech let out a feroucious roar, and launched herself at the woman in front of her. She shifted to her wolf form in the blink of an eye, her nails elongating into ebony claws, outstretched for the Nord woman before her. Her vision tunnled to the woman's terrified wide eyes as Cailleh colided with her delicate body, knocking her clean off of her feet. Caillech felt the Nord's bones snap beneath the weight of her paws. Sinking her teeth into the woman's head, she tasted the sweet metallic flavor of her blood. Crushing the woman's skull between her jaws, she turned to see three men charging at her, screaming in rage. Growling low in her throat, she stood on her hind legs, towering above her attackers. With a powerful swipe of her paw, she knocked them to the ground, blood splattering onto the stone floor. Two of them struggled to clamber back to their feet, the third lay very still face down, a puddle of blood growing around him.
"Stendar curse you!" one shouted as they charged her again. Dropping to all fours again, Caillech dug her back claws into the stones and jumped at one of the men. Leaping passed the other, fire erupted up her arm to her shoulder from her elbow. Ignoring the pain she dug her claws into the man's armor, shredding through it like parchment. She knocked the man's silver sword from his hand as blood hit her in the face, her long claws penetrating into the man's chest cavaity. Baring her teeth in the man's face, she pushed down on his chest, relishing the sickening crack of his sternum colapsing under her paws. His eyes became bloodshot and the hot red liquid dripped from his mouth and down his chin. He gurgled in agony, fighting vainly to thrown her off of him. Caillech lapped at the sweet blood on his chin, hunger building deep in her belly, his eyes widening in horror. She dug her teeth into his throat, ripping his esophogas from the skin. She crunched it between her teeth, chewing on the tough cartilage like flesh, before dropping it and tearing soft meat from the man's shoulder, feeding on his still struggling body.
A stabbing pain in her back brought Caillech back to the situation. She turned, her eyes blazing with bloodlust. Her final advisary was aiming at her with a silver tipped arrow, his eyes cold in petrified determination. Parting her jaws, she roared at the final Dark Elf, advancing on him on her hind legs. He kept his arrow trained on her chest, but his arms began to shake uncontrolably. Standing before him, she stretched herself to her full towering height. The scent of fear was so intoxicating, Caillech paused, snarling at the Dunmer gnashing her long teeth in his face. He let his arrow fly and she flinched slightly, flattening her ears as it whistled over her shoulder. The Dunmer struggled to notch another arrow, too late. Caillech swipped at him with her paw, knocking him to the ground. She felt his neck snap from the blow, and he crashed to the ground, never to move again.
Dropping to all fours, Caillech turned towards Farkas, who was still in his dark gray wolf form. His face and claws splattered with crimson. She stalked forward towards her cousin, her tail held straight out behind her, ears pricked forward. Her mucsles rippled beneath her light gray almost white fur, the tension in her shoulders relaxing, and her hackles lowering. Serana was standing beside Farkas, her eyes wide, Caillech couldn't make out what emotion was lurking within their glowing depths. Farkas must have found the release for the gate.
"You have an arrow in your back," Serana said, striding forward, digging her fingers into Caillech's long fur and ripping the fixed arrow from her shoulder. She snarled in pain and gnashed her teeth in Serana's direction. She held up her hands as an apology and threw the silver arrow to the ground. It skittered across the stones and came to rest beside the Nord woman Caillech had killed. She glanced at the other three. Their broken bodies littered the stones. An arm was laying some feet away and she looked at the third man she had attacked. His throat ripped from his body, the snow white bone peaking from the scarlet mass of torn flesh. She hadn't even noticed she had ripped his arm from his body when she knocked his sword away.
She looked at Farkas who was now back in his human form. His gray eyes were wide and looking at her blood soaked face with... Horror? Wonder? Mistrust? Surprise? Admeration? A mix of everything? Serana was looking at her with almost the same expression. Confusion built within Caillech, why the hell were they looking at her like that? She bared her teeth at them and growled, wishing she could form words, wanting to scream at them to stop looking at her. Rage, and fear boiled in her blood. What had she done?