Author's note: hey! Yo! Hi! Too long since my last update... So sorry.

Cleansing Souls

When Eleni woke up, she didn't bother opening her eyes. She only smiled to herself. She could feel Farkas behind her, his chest pressed tightly against her back. His body was curled around hers protectively - her smile widened. She sighed and wiggled her hips, getting closer to him if it was at all possible.

Farkas' hold on her tightened and he nuzzled the back of her neck. Her body reacted instantly, though she ached between her legs and they'd barely slept. "You're awake..." she murmured. She turned over, looking up at him with a soft smile. He leaned closer to kiss that smile. "You're leaving today, aren't you?"

"Vilkas said that Sahana agreed, so we should be returning to Ysgramor's Tomb, yes." He dragged his stubble-rough face over her shoulder. She moved, allowing the bedfurs to slide against her sensitized skin. She wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him in for another kiss.

"You're going to be tired," she told him, frowning now.

Farkas shrugged, too busy admiring his handiwork to answer. He'd left his mark all over her. No one would be able to deny that she was his. He touched one of those dark smudges, the one on her left breast. He traced a circular pattern over that mark.

"That tickles!" She swatted at his hand, laughing. She stopped laughing when she saw that look that she was becoming accustomed to. The one that reminded her that he was more than what he seemed. The one that told her that he was still a predator, no matter how gentle he was with her. "You couldn't possibly..."

"We won't if you're hurting too bad," he assured her. He simply couldn't get enough of her. He'd had her, and now he was addicted.

She rubbed her face against his chest as if she were a cat. "I want to be with you forever, you know that?"

So, she wanted something more. It wasn't hard for him to offer that… "I feel the same, but about you. You want to be married?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and teary. She nodded furiously. "Alright, then. You and me."

She hugged him tightly, burying her face in the curve of his neck to hide the fact that tears were streaming down her face. It would do her no good, though; he could smell her tears. "Love me," she whispered next to his ear, tugging on his dark hair. Now she seemed desperate for his touch.

He kissed her, possessing her mouth with his own, branding her his for all time. "Afraid I won't have the time to do so today..."

Knock! Knock!

"Sahana's waiting," he murmured.

When Sahana knocked on Vilkas' door, he answered almost immediately, already dressed and ready to go. They simply stared at each other for a long moment. "Are you ready to do this thing?" she asked him. He nodded slowly.

He was more than ready. He looked down, noted that she carried the sack with the remaining witch heads inside. When he looked her in the face, her eyes were dark and intense. His wolf howled, calling to his mate. Sahana's wolf was already close to the surface, but Vilkas could see that the woman kept a tight rein on her beast – for which he was thankful.

Farkas stepped out of his room, Eleni at his heels. The mage offered them a smile as a greeting. They moved as a unit as they walked through the living quarters and then up the stairs. When Farkas stopped, Vilkas and Sahana paused and glanced back. Farkas leaned down and touched his lips to Eleni's in a brief display of affection. Vilkas looked at Sahana out of the corner of his eye, at the pained expression she wore. He had to turn away to hide his amusement.

Eleni's cheeks reddened when Farkas finally pulled away. She cleared her throat before saying, "They're waiting for you…"

"Yeah. I'll be back soon."

"I know." He caressed the side of her face and then turned away, following Sahana and Vilkas as they led the way out. Eleni sighed and then, with a smile, went to feed the dogs.

Outside, Farkas watched as Vilkas and Sahana walked side-by-side. Vilkas had shortened his stride, keeping pace with her. Whether he was aware of that or not, Farkas didn't know. When they reached the stables, Sahana stepped away to greet Enya, touching the gentle beast's nose. Afterwards, they walked up to the carriage driver, Bjorlam.

"We want to go to Dawnstar," Sahana told him. Having traveled there before, she knew she'd have to drop fifty septims into the man's hands – she had a coin purse already prepared.

"Sure. Get on board."

They climbed into the back, taking their seats. Vilkas sat on one side while Sahana and Farkas took up the other…

Sahana's wolf responded instantly to Farkas' close proximity, growling and pacing. He smelled of sex. Eleni's scent clung to him like a second skin, and her wolf obviously took offense. She could feel his wolf prowling ever closer, far from sated and searching for his mate. She knew that Farkas would be rid of the beast soon enough, but that did not seem to mean anything to her own wolf. She scratched her arm as fur raced just beneath the surface and blinked hard in an attempt to fix her blurred vision.

"Farkas," Vilkas spoke up suddenly. "Switch places with me."

Farkas nodded and moved to take Vilkas' spot. Her wolf settled the moment Vilkas' arm brushed hers. She looked at him as if he were some sort of miracle-worker. And that look of admiration had him frowning and looking away, strangely unsure of himself.

Sahana, feeling daring, leaned her head against his shoulder, rubbed her cheek against it as if she were a cat. He looked down at the top of her head and, for the first time in a long time, he actually felt himself relax.

Farkas stretched out as much as he could on his side of the carriage, using one of their knapsacks as a pillow. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. Eleni waited for him in his dreams.

Sahana jumped down after grabbing her bag. Vilkas and Farkas stepped down after her, watched as she lifted her head to scent the wind. She looked at them from over her shoulder, "Let's move."

They allowed her to lead the way. They rented a boat and pushed it into the icy water. Sahana sat, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and perch her chin on her palm. "What's that face for?"

Surprised, she lifted her head to look at Farkas. "It's nothing," she murmured. "Just thinking. You two will be rid of your beasts soon. I'm glad you're letting me come, considering how important this is to both of you."

"You've been good to me and Vilkas," Farkas told her. "Of course you'd be coming with us."

She offered him a small smile. The twins had weaseled their way into her heart. What they wanted, she wanted – and she would provide if it was within her considerable power.

The tomb came into sight and Sahana went through her supplies for maybe the hundredth time. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding as they reached the island. Vilkas and Farkas jumped out and dragged the boat onto land. Sahana stepped out, stretched briefly, and then descended the stairs leading into the tomb.

When they reached the blue flame, Sahana looked at Farkas. She reached into her bag and dragged a witch's head out. She held it out towards him. "You first," she said. He took the thing by the hair and turned to the flame. He dropped it in.

The wolf's spirit was thrown from Farkas, appearing before them with a physical body. Threatened, it responded as any wild creature would – by going on the offense. The wolf whirled and went after Farkas. The big man reached for his weapon, but not in time to defend himself. Having lost a major piece of himself, he was already weakened. The wolf's power knocked him back on his arse.

Sahana dragged a sword from its sheathe and ran forward, plunging the blade into the wolf's back. It howled and turned on her, snapping with its powerful jaws. She jumped back and swung her sword again, slashing the beast's face. It snarled angrily.

Vilkas stepped forward, pushing Sahana aside. The wolf lunged at him, trying to get a taste of him. Vilkas looked into the animal's eyes, which were somehow far too much like his own. The wolf bit down hard, trying in vain to break through Vilkas' armor.

An arrow buried itself deep in the wolf's neck. It yelped loudly, swinging its head around to look at Sahana as she raised her bow again. When it came at her, she shot off the next arrow and it dug into the beast's shoulder. Still, it ran at her.

Sahana jumped out of the way; the wolf nearly ran into the wall, but turned and went at her again. Vilkas was there immediately, sword at the ready. He shoved it straight through the beast. It let out a strange, blood-curdling cry. As it fell, it began to dissolve, as if it were merging with the ground.

Almost instantly, Vilkas and Sahana stood near Farkas. "Are you all right?" Sahana asked him, kneeling down and resting a hand on his arm.

"Yeah… Knocked the wind out of me, though. Just have to rest for a moment."

Vilkas helped his brother over to a far wall in order to keep him out of the fray when they freed his own wolf spirit. Sahana waited, staring into the fire. When he stood by her side, she looked up at him, a small smile on her face. She retrieved the only other witch head she had and handed it off to him.

Vilkas held the head above the fire, watched as those flames rose to lick at the vile thing. He took a breath. Dropped it.

The wolf gave an anguished howled as it was ripped from Vilkas. It took on a solid form as it escaped. Vilkas had never felt so weak… Blade drawn, he tried to kill the beast where it stood. In retaliation, it lashed out, smashing into Vilkas and causing him to drop his sword.

It whirled, sensing that Vilkas was not its only opponent. When it saw Sahana, it paused, curious. Her scent was that of…mate. Sahana prepared herself to strike; her wolf's reaction was immediate and less than pleasant. She rushed to the surface, hoping to shield her mate in the only way left to her. Even without seeing herself, Sahana could tell that her face was contorting, taking on the beast's shape.

Sahana fought back, though suppressing the wolf took a lot out of anyone. She ground her teeth, broke out into a sweat despite how cold it was. Knowing she wouldn't be able to fight the female off completely, she lifted her bow, tried to see past her blurred vision enough to get a good shot.

The wolf sprang into action. She shot off the arrow and…it missed. There was no time to do anything else. The wolf was already on her, snapping her bow in its mouth. Sahana lifted her arms to protect her neck and face. It chomped down on one of her arms, wrenching it this way and that.

Farkas let out a loud cry as he ran forward, slamming into the horse-sized wolf. Its teeth were torn from her arm, taking cloth, flesh and blood with them. Now free, Sahana struggled to stand for a moment. She looked over, watched as Farkas wrestled with the great beast, nearly lifting it off of its feet.

"Hey! Sahana, if you're going to do something, best to do it now!"

She found her blade, glared at the writhing creature in Farkas' arms and ran at it. She sunk her blade into the wolf's head and it let out a weak yelp. It stopped fighting against Farkas' hold and then simply disappeared as Farkas' beast had.

Sahana's wolf was already whining and weeping. Connected as they were, Sahana wept with her. Tears formed in her eyes and she hid them behind her hand. She struggled to move, to breathe… She pitied her wolf.

Farkas stepped around her to go to his brother, helping the man up. After she recovered, Sahana turned to face the twins. She offered them an unusually bright smile. "Well? How do you guys feel?" She tried to sound normal when her wolf had her shuddering with both rage and pain.

"Relaxed," Farkas said. "I'm losing aches I didn't even know I had." His fingers curled, forming tight fists. "This is how a warrior should feel."

"It's like waking up from a dream," Vilkas murmured. "I can breathe more deeply now. My mind is…clear."

Sahana nodded. "Should we go now, then?" She turned away, heading for the exit.

"Actually, we'd like to stay for a bit. Last time, we didn't get to see the tomb."

She looked over her shoulder at Farkas, gave another nod. "I will wait outside. Take all the time you need." She left the tomb and loaded their stuff back into the boat. She sat down with a long sigh. Her beast no longer raged, but had gone utterly still. It was with a heavy heart that Sahana realized that she'd taken the fight out of her wolf.

She lowered her head into her hands...

When Farkas and Vilkas got back to the boat, Sahana was seeing to the bites from Vilkas' wolf. Not by any means a healer, she'd simply splashed it with water and wrapped it. She straightened, offering them a smile as they approached.

Farkas returned her smile and, when he was close enough, rested a giant hand on her shoulder. No words needed to be spoken.

Vilkas stepped close to her, eyes trained on the icy waters. "Thank you," he said. "We won't soon forget this." In response, she patted him on the arm and climbed back into the boat. Vilkas stood for a moment, looking back in the direction of the tomb. With a sigh, he turned and helped Farkas push the boat back into the water.

This was where they would begin their lives as true Nords, he and his brother. He glanced at his twin, and then Sahana, who was watching the waves smack into the side of the boat. He couldn't think of anyone else that he'd rather start this new life with…

"Hey, Vilkas, you're actually smiling…"

He looked back up at her, into her big brown eyes. Despite being without his wolf, he could sense that some part of her was in agony – it didn't matter that she was trying to hide behind that lovely smile. Not wanting to call her out here, in front of Farkas, he simply nodded.

Slowly, Vilkas' gaze lowered to the blood-stained cloth around her forearm. His wolf had taken a chunk out of her. The area would scar and forever remind them both of what he'd been…

When Sahana realized that he was staring, she glared at him as she placed a hand over the tender flesh. "What is it?" she grumbled. "Stop looking over here."

He shook his head. While it was true that he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather be with right now, she was still as troublesome as ever…

Chapter end! Thanks for reading!