Skylar opened the door to the Jorvaskar and stepped in. The first one to look up was Aela. She smiled but it was almost instantly gone when she saw the look on Skylar's face. She stood and took her friends hand and lead her out back.
"And here I thought I would never see you again." Aela said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, well things change." Skylar said as she looked anywhere but Aela. This did not go unnoticed by the red head.
"What happened?" Aela asked as she gently took Skylar's chin with her fingers and forced her to look at her. "Tell me." Aela said in her strong yet gentle voice.
Skylar took a deep breath. "I changed my mind." She said. "I'm in." Skylar said as she pulled away not wanting to be touched.
Aela dropped her hand and nodded. "You're hiding something." Aela said gently. "A broken heart perhaps?" She asked.
Again Skylar began to look everywhere by Aela.
"How about you? Can you tell me who hurt my friend?" Aela said as she turned slightly. It took a few moments before it clued in. She looked up at Dash and then at Aela.
Aela stood there with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Dash. "Wait, you can see him!?" Skylar said as she pointed at Dash.
"You can see me!?" Dash asked as he pointed at himself.
"Yes I can." Aela said with her arms still crossed over her chest.
"You can see ghosts?" Skylar asked her again. Again Aela nodded. "Yes, I have been able to since I was first changed." She said with a nod. "Although I have yet to see one that actually follows someone. Usually I see them in tombs, grave yards, or haunted places... Never a haunted person." Aela said with a chuckle.
"You never answered me." Aela said now in a serious voice. "Who broke her heart." She said as she took a step closer to Dash. "Speak!"
Dash began to trip over his words. "Aela stop." Skylar said in a tired voice. "It doesn't matter." She muttered.
Aela looked at her for a second before she nodded. "Alight... I will take you to the barracks, you look like you need some sleep." Aela said as she led the way.
"Yes she does! She hasn't slept in forever!" Dash cried.
"Shut up Dash!" Skylar yelled.
"Yes mam."
Serana looked out over the lake as she waited for Skylar. Another day had gone by and still there was no sign of her anywhere.
"Something has happened, I know it." Serana said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Isran was standing beside her with his own arms crossed over his chest.
"Skylar is strong... She can take care of herself." He said gently.
But Serana shook her head. "I'm going to go look for her." She said.
But Isran only shook his head. "And where will you go look? You have no idea where she went." He said with a shrug.
"I dont know... I can just stand here anymore." Serana said weakly.
Isran rubbed his chin with his hand. He too was beginning to worry about the little werewolf. "Alright, You know what, wait until morning. Just to give her a chance in case she is on her way here right now. If she is not here by morning... I will come help look for her." He said before he turned and walked back into the castle.
Serana turned a little shocked but then she nodded. "Ok, morning I will come for you Skylar." She muttered as she continued to wait on the steps of Castle Harkon. With every second that passed she expected to see a boat making its way towards her little island... But no boat ever did.
"So you all know the plan?" Skjor asked his new group of werewolves. Aela, Vilkas, And Farkas were there as well. Skylar looked over at the group of new werewolves that they had just turned the night before. She had somehow slept through it all. The entire group of new pups looked absolutely thrilled. No fear was present. Skylar still felt like she was against this... But there was no turning back now.
"Ok we will take you to where the creature was last seen, If you see, hear or smell anything that is out of the ordinary... Call out." Skjor said as he led the way away from whiterun.
Skylar stayed close to Aela. She was not used to being close to her own kind, at least not anymore. It felt weird to be near so many, there were at least twenty of them now... Skylar knew without a doubt that if there was a monster out there... Twenty werewolves would probably have the upper hand. She shook her head as she remembered being told about the child that was slaughtered. Whatever it was had no mercy.
They decided to stay in their human forms. It would draw less attention than twenty people walking through the woods. If they were seen in such a large group and if they were questioned they would explain about the child and say that they were trying to help find the beast. It technically was not a lie.
"Here we are." Aela said as she looked around. "This is where we were attacked." She said as she looked around. This is where Aela received all of her scars. Skylar thought to herself as chills began to run down her spine.
"Everyone spread out! If you find anything Call out!" Skjor yelled.
"I don't like this." Dash muttered as he stayed close to Skylar.
"What? That other people can hear you talk or being out in the open like this?" Skylar asked him quietly.
"Both." He whispered harshly. "I mean look around you Skylar, who knows what some of these new werewolves will do with this kind of power when no one is around." He said as he followed Skylar.
"It seems like you read my mind." Skylar sighed. "One of the reasons I didn't want any part of this." She muttered as she ran her hand over the bark of a tree. Something big had ripped a chunk clean out of it.
"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you fight it?" He asked her.
"Because it was not done against anyone's will, they all wanted to do it..." She muttered as she turned to him. "My hands were tied." She finished with a shrug. "And now I can only hope that we take whatever this creature is down before Harkon Finds it first." She said as she turned back to the tree.
"This is where I was attacked." Skylar froze when she heard Aela speak.
"How big was this thing?' Skylar asked quietly.
"Huge, probably three times the size of me when I'm in my wolf form, four or five if it's you." Aela muttered the last part.
"Is that your way of telling me that you're worried about me?" Skylar turned with a half smirk on her face.
"Maybe." Aela said as she gently pushed Skylar playfully.
"But seriously, be careful." Aela said a she took a step back.
"Any idea as to where it went?" Skylar asked.
Aela shrugged. "I was out cold by the time they got it off of me." She said honestly. "And no one was really paying attention to catch where it ran off to." Aela muttered.
Aela turned as she looked at the tree. Skylar had full view of her back. Aela's armor exposed her entire back.
Skylar felt her stomach do a backflip as she looked at the scars. "Do they hurt?" Skylar didn't realize that she asked it until the words were already out of her mouth and out in the open.
"Sometimes." Aela answered her as she looked around for any sign of the creature. "Not as bad as when it happened." She said honestly. Skylar nodded as she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the redhead's back.
They spent hours looking, finally Vilkas threw his hands up in frustration. "Ok so the creature was here! But obviously it is not now!" He yelled angrily.
"Calm down." Skjor said in his calm deep voice.
"Brother listen to Skjor, I don't think yelling will make the creature come out any time soon." Farkas added as he nudged his twin.
"Let's round up the tea-" Skjor was cut off by a scream of agony.
Skylar was already running in its direction before the others even had time to figure out what it was. Someone had been attacked. The sun was gone now and so it was hard to see where exactly she was going. All she was going by was the cries. In the distance she could see a large mass on the ground not too far away from where she was. At first she thought it was a large bush... Until it raised its head and looked at her with glowing eyes. Skylar stopped dead as a very deep low growl was heard. She watched in terror as it began to slowly stand... Aela was right... It was huge... far larger then Skylar when she was in her werewolf form. Skylar quickly ignited her hand so that she could get a better look, perhaps thinking that maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her in the dark. But when the light shined on the beast... Only one word came to mind; monster.
She did the only thing that came to mind at the moment. She threw a fireball from her already ignited hand. She took a step back to try and run away but her boot got caught on a root and she fell.
The fireball hit the creature in the chest, but the creature didn't budge, no cry of pain, nothing. 'iI am going to die here.' Skylar thought to herself as the creature drew closer. But instead it turned its massive head in the direction of a large group of werewolves charging out of the trees.
The creature growled and jumped up and climbed up a tree. "Don't let it get away!" Skjor yelled before he transformed. The creature jumped down and landed on a werewolf, killing it instantly.
Skylar had never seen anything like this before in her life. Every attack that this creature threw was almost an instant kill for anything in its path.
Just then Skylar remembered the cries of pain she had heard. She got up and ran over to where she had first seen the monster, soon enough she found herself standing over a young man, in his early twenties. Blood was everywhere, and he was still alive. She watched as blood oozed out of his mouth. He was going to die a slow and painful death, there was no way to save him. She did the only thing that was left to do. She pulled out her dagger and plunged it into his chest to end his pain.
She didn't even flinch. She tore her dagger out of him and turned back to the battle. Before she could even take one step... It was on her. She cried out in pain when she felt the claws rip over her back, then her stomach, then her leg. She fell to her knees. It was like it was everywhere at once. There was no light. She could see it. She cried out again as the felt another blow to her back. The tried to roll away to get as much distance as possible between it and her. But she didn't get too far. The creature grabbed her and threw her into a tree.
She could feel the blood. She was soaked in it. There was no way that she had enough energy to turn into a wolf. Skylar lifted her hand and ignited it again.
This time she aimed the fireball at the trees. The fire spread and for the first time since the beginning of the fight she could see. To her horror she was that they were losing the battle. Dead werewolves lay everywhere, they turned back into human when they died.
Vilkas, Farkas, Skjor, And Aela were the only ones that remained. They didn't stand a chance. Not because the creature was stronger in every way shape and form... But because there was more than one of them... Skylar coughed. It was then she realized what they were. Much like a werewolf is a wolf... This creature... Is a werebear. And there were far more of them then there were of Werewolves at the moment. She heard Skjor howl in defeat before he raced into the trees.
Watched as one of the werewolves run towards her and pick her up before they charged into the trees as well.
Skylar was weak from loss of blood but she remained conscious. After a few minutes she could see where her and the other werewolves were going. "We can't to back to Whiterun! Are you crazy! The guards will kill you all!" Skylar rasped.
But instead of running straight into Whiterun there was a hidden passage in a rock wall that lead them straight into the hideout under the forge.
"Take her to the old lady!" Skjor said as he turned back into human. Skylar turned to see that the wolf that had been carrying her was Farkas.
"Right away." He said as he ran out of the hideout and into Jorvaska. But that was it. Skylar's vision faded and she passed out from blood loss, the last thing that popped up in her mind and the monster that had ripped apart an entire group of werewolves without even breaking a sweat.