M'rissi grinned to herself as she left the small town of Ivarstead behind. She couldn't believe it. Last night felt like a dream, and despite her nightmare, she felt better than she ever had before.

She felt safe, and even though she and Erik were going to be moving all around Skyrim, she felt at home with him.

M'rissi even had a hard time believing that any of this was real.

As she realized that the town was no longer within sight, she knelt to the ground, closed her eyes, and listened to her surroundings.

Then she heard it.

The subtle crunch of a dried leaf and the huff of a grazing deer off to her left.

It wasn't very far from her.

M'rissi smirked and drew an arrow, nocking it and inched towards where she'd heard the deer. It took a while to approach without making much noise, but when she found her prey, her heart almost stopped.

It was big for a deer. Enormous, even, and the antlers, by the gods, the antlers were almost as big as she was.

Erik will be proud of M'rissi when she slays this one!

M'rissi grinned, her razor-sharp teeth showing as her lips curled.

She pulled the string of her bow back and felt the tension in her fingers as she took aim.

And then she let the arrow fly, and it found its place right between the beasts' ribs.

The deer let out a pained cry for a moment before it collapsed and bled out in mere seconds, and for a moment, M'rissi felt bad for taking its life. After all, it had never hurt her, or known she was there—but she and Erik needed it, and she needed to know how to take life so that they could eat.

But before M'rissi could claim her prize, she felt something big and heavy slam into her side, knocking her to the ground.

"I can't believe it! Weeks of tracking you and you just come right to me!" an unfamiliar voice laughed in her ear as she struggled to get away from him.

"Let M'rissi go!" she yelled and bared her claws, trying to swipe at his face, only to be pinned down.

"Oh, no! I'm not letting you go. Those damn elves paid me a fortune to bring you back—"

The man's words were cut off as M'rissi sunk her teeth deep into his arm.

He let out a roar of pain as M'rissi dug her fangs deeper into his arm and ripping a chunk of flesh out as he reared his fist back to punch her off of him.

"Fuck!" the man cried out as she spat out the bloody chunk of flesh and pounced on him as he tried to get up, pinning him on his back.

"You will not take her back to those monsters!" M'rissi exclaimed as she used buried her claws into the man's throat before he could try to kick her off of him.

The man tried to struggle, his gurgling and gasping filled the air around them, and M'rissi could feel his pulse fading with each passing second as his warm blood covered her hand in a thick coat.

She watched as the life faded from his eyes. But no regret came over her for this kill. Only anger and fear as she realized that they had been followed. She quickly searched the man and found a note on him, similar to the one the other mercenaries had, only this one was signed by Eleria.

M'rissi didn't bother to collect her arrow from the fallen deer, instead, she got up and started running towards Ivarstead as fast as she could, only stopping to wash as much blood off of her as she could before going to the camp.

But Erik wasn't there, and neither was his equipment.

Panic filled her heart as she turned to the only place she thought he might be, the inn, and made a bee-line for it.

"Erik!" she cried out when she burst through the door and saw him with the innkeeper.

"What is it?" Erik asked as he rushed to her side.

From there, it was kind of a blur. The two of them collected their belongings, destroyed what remained of their camp, and then she brought Erik to where the man was, only to discover that a couple of bears had found the fallen deer and mercenary and had started to tear the bodies apart.

"Damn," Erik sighed as he and M'rissi hung back, away from the scavengers. "I was hoping to see if he had any gold on him. The other mercenaries had five hundred from Isael."

"She could kill the bears if you would like?"

"No," Erik said, shaking his head. "An arrow would only piss them off. Their fur is too thick."

M'rissi shrugged and followed Erik as he began to walk away and back towards the main road.

"We'll cut through Helgen, this time. No sense in going North, we'd probably end up running into them. After that, I suppose we could circle back and head to Riften."

"Are you sure that is such a good idea?" M'rissi asked.

"Riften is too close to Windhelm—"

"You said they wouldn't follow us to Ivarstead, but they had mercenaries follow us," she said, looking up to Erik with a scowl. "M'rissi thinks it is best for us to find a better solution."

"And what would you suggest, then, my kitten?"

"She—does not know," M'rissi admitted, sighing as they walked through the forests. "She—she has an idea, but it is based on rumors that she heard from Isael, and she is unsure that looking for such rumors is a good idea."

"What is it?" Erik asked.

"When we got to Skyrim, Isael would speak of these tunnels that the deep elves dug between their cities. It is said that they connect the Nordic cities as well. M'rissi wonders—if we could find such tunnels, we could use them to get away from the Thalmor."

"Dwemer tunnels, eh?" Erik scratched his chin as he thought. "Well, if these tunnels are real, and we can find them, they would be of use. If we head to Riften, we might be able to ask around, but the Thieves' Guild there probably won't want us poking around if they use the tunnels as smuggling routes."

"Thieves' Guild?" M'rissi shot a sly grin. "Would you be upset if M'rissi told you that she is very good at thieving?"

Erik raised an eyebrow and returned her smirk.

"On the contrary," he said as they turned onto the road that would bring them to Helgen. "Let's be honest, that's a skill we're going to need, and I imagine if we're to speak with the Thieve's Guild, it will be one we can use."

"So, you really wouldn't mind stealing?"

"At this point—no. We need to find a way to get across Skyrim without bringing the Elves with us. That seems like it would be the best option, if they're real, of course. On top of that, if the Thieves' Guild is guarding the location to the entrances, I doubt they would say anything to the Thalmor."

"It is true, the nasty elves do not like thieves," M'rissi replied with a grin. "If we can get in good with the thieves, we could hide from the elves."

"Assuming these tunnels are real—although it would make sense," Erik nodded. "Alright, we'll try to head to Riften."

As the day came to a close, and the sun began to set on the horizon, the two of them came upon the half-way point of the pass that led to Helgen. The two of them set up a small camp off the road, far enough away that they wouldn't be noticed, should anyone pass by.

"She is very cold..." M'rissi shivered as Erik used his fire magic to light a small, smokeless fire pit that he'd managed to build.

It gave off a decent amount of heat, just enough to keep them from freezing, but without a tent that kept the heat in, it wouldn't be much.

"I know, M'ri," Erik replied. The cold didn't seem to bother him as much, but to her, every gust of wind was like being shot with icicles, even as they sat in their tent. "I'll try to find a fur tent when we get to a town," he said as he removed his armor and pulled himself closer from behind, his thick arms wrapped around her body. "But you know, we can keep each other warm at night."

M'rissi giggled and kissed him as she turned.

"M'rissi would like that very much," she said as she pressed herself into him. "But—M'rissi is scared. Eleria will know where she is soon, and—"

"You think too much, M'ri. We're at least a week ahead of the elves," Erik replied, kissing M'rissi.

His words did little to quell her fears, but something in the way he held her comforted her. Even though she knew the Thalmor could easily kill Erik, she let herself believe that she was safe with him.

Maybe she was fooling herself, but in that moment, she didn't care.

M'rissi let out a soft purr as she leaned into him and nuzzled his big, strong arms.

"Oh—you purr?" she heard Erik ask.

"Yes, she does—but she has not purred in a very long time. She—she does not remember the last time she has purred," M'rissi replied and moved his hands to her breasts. "She would like to feel your touch tonight," M'rissi whispered. It wasn't long until she felt a bulge poking her from behind, which made her smirk and giggle.

Erik's heart jumped as she felt M'rissi move his hands to her chest. He was still getting used to the amount of physical affection she'd been giving him, but he enjoyed it.

"She would like your touch tonight," M'rissi whispered, and that was all it took to excite him. And then she giggled and looked up at him with a smirk that drove him crazy.

Erik grinned and slipped his hands into her robes. As his hands grazed against her soft skin, he felt her shiver, and her nipples hardened not long after.

"Your hands are cold…" M'rissi gasped as Erik massaged and groped her breasts.

"Then let me warm them up," Erik grinned and moved his hands down and slipped them into her pants. As his fingers grazed her folds, M'rissi yelped and pulled his hand away from her sex.

"Erik! Your hands are freezing!" she said, glaring at her lover.

"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted my touch," Erik replied, pushing his hand back down her pants and slipping his fingers into her, much to the displeasure of M'rissi, though it only lasted a few seconds before she began moaning and leaning into his touch.

"See? All warm," he grinned.

"She—she will get you back for this…" she gasped as he pushed a finger deep into her and drew out a louder moan.

"Yeah? I look forward to it," Erik chuckled as he pulled his fingers away from her sex and traced a line up her stomach as he pulled his hand out of her robes and licked it, savoring her salty-sweet taste.

M'rissi looked up to him and grinned, pouncing on him and pinning him to the floor of their tent.

"It's her turn to be on top," M'rissi said as she undid her robes and let them fall.

"I'm not complaining," he said as he helped her take his shirt off.

Soon, they were lost, deep within the throes of passion.

Passionate moans of pleasure filled the dusk; the two of them didn't get to sleep until well after the sun set beyond the mountains that surrounded them.

When the sun greeted them the next day, their fire had gone out, and the warmth it provided was now taken by cold gusts of wind that battered the front flap of their tent. Even with it closed, and in his thick bedroll, with M'rissi laying on top of him, it was hard not to feel a bit chilled by every gust that managed to blow threw.

"M'rissi?" Erik whispered, giving her a shake.

M'rissi stirred, groaned, but didn't wake.

"M'ri, if you don't wake up, I'm going to crawl into this bedroll and lick you until you cum," Erik said, smirking.

"She would like to be licked…" M'rissi slurred out as she rolled off of Erik and cuddled up next to him.

"Alright, don't you dare get mad at me for this," Erik chuckled as he retreated into the warmth of his loose bedroll and positioned himself between M'rissi's legs, his hands grazing against the soft fur that covered her legs as he brought himself to her opening.

The musky scent that came from her sex was almost intoxicating, like an aphrodisiac, and the taste that came from each lick drove him crazy.

It reminded him of the salted honey-covered nuts that his father would make as a treat.

M'rissi began to stir more and more with each lick, and Erik looked up just in time to see her moving the cover for the bedroll to see him as he dug his tongue into her.

"Erik…" she moaned and ran her fingers through his blonde hair.

The Nord chuckled as he gave one last lick, letting her taste linger on his tongue for a moment before he swallowed the juices that had collected and created a trail of kisses that started just above her clit and ended on M'rissi's lips as he positioned himself on top of her.

"You wouldn't mind having some morning sex, would you?" he asked as he teased the entrance of her sex.

"Not at all, she could use it. M'rissi is very cold," she replied with a sexy smirk.

"Good, because I'd be very disappointed if you'd let me go this far but stop me here," he said and pushed his member deep into her, eliciting a sharp gasp and a moan.

Before long, Erik was rocking his hips back and forth, hilting into her before pulling out almost all the way and feeling her walls wrap around his rod as he pushed back in.

M'rissi gasped every time began to pull out and moaned with each thrust, her arms and legs wrapping around him, and soon her walls began to pulse around him, and her moans intensified.

"E—Erik!" she said as he started planting kisses that lined her neck and shoulder.

"Cum for me, kitten," he whispered into her ear.

That's all it took to push her over the edge, her walls squeezed Erik's manhood tight as he joined her in her climax, and they both let out satisfied moans.

"By the nine…" Erik said between breaths as he pulled out of M'rissi and kissed her, pulling her close to keep her warm in the cold. "I will never get used to your body, M'rissi."

"Is—that a good thing?" she asked, looking up to him.

Erik chuckled and nodded.

"I just mean that you will never be able to not satisfy me when we do this."

"M'rissi is happy you feel that way. She feels the same," she said, kissing him. "We should get dressed and start going, however. The sooner we get away from the pass, the sooner M'rissi will feel safer."

"Agreed," Erik nodded and returned her kiss, pulling their clothes to them, and as he did, a roar echoed off the mountains from the distance.

"What was that?" M'rissi asked, her fur bristling.

"That—I'm not sure," Erik admitted as they slipped their clothes on and M'rissi helped him into his armor.

Another roar cut through the wind as they left their tent and an enormous shadow passed over them. Erik's head snapped to the sky as he caught sight of the monster that cast it.

It was a massive scaled beast with wings that could blot out the sun.

"A dragon…" Erik gasped; his eyes widened as he followed the monster with his eyes as it started to head west.

West, towards his home town of Helgen.

West, towards his parents, towards his family.

West, towards Riverwood, and Whiterun.

"We need to go," Erik said, panic in his voice.

"What—but our stuff—"

"Leave it, the damn thing is headed towards Helgen!" Erik demanded and took off after the dragon, taking only his shield, his sword, and his bag.

"Erik!" M'rissi called out from behind him, but he didn't stop. He had tunnel vision, and the only thing he could see was that dragon.

Damn it—not there, please Talos, Akatosh, Mara, Stendarr, have mercy and let this monster pass Helgen and Riverwood!

Soon, though, Erik's muscles began to burn. His armor slowed him down, made it harder for him to move until he had to stop and catch his breath.

"Erik, stop!" M'rissi pleaded with him, holding him steady, even though he was trying to pull away from her. "If we rush into this, we may die!"

"It's heading towards my home town, M'rissi!"

"She understands, but she cannot lose you! We need to be smart!"

"Damn it—this would be easier if we had a horse."

"How far is Helgen from here?" M'rissi asked.

"Not far," Erik said as he started jogging again.

It wasn't long before they saw the smoke rising above the mountains, and Erik could feel his heart wrench.

"No, no, no…"

He pushed himself harder, running faster, his muscles burning like they were on fire, but he didn't care.

He could see it now, the town was burning, smoke rose high above the walls and towers in the town.

His heart stopped. There was barely anything left—just a few towers, the keep, and the walls. Everything else was burned to ashes. As they neared Helgen, he could smell the burning flesh, and when they pushed the gates open—there was nothing but burned corpses. The houses that were once so familiar to Erik were now unrecognizable.

The Nord stumbled through the town, hoping, praying to the divines that his parents' home would be untouched—but his heart shattered the moment he saw what little remained of his parents' house, and the two corpses that still burned inside.

The Nord fell to his knees, tears streaking down his cheeks.

"Erik…" M'rissi gasped when she saw the bodies. "She—I am sorry…"

A/N: Yo guys, how's it going? So, I know it's been a while since the last time I updated, and sorry about that, but I just recently got a job, and I work every other day, so my time is gonna be pretty split between writing for ToT and finishing up my novel.

So, in other words, it's gonna take a bit of time between updates, but don't worry. I fully intend on continuing this.