Chapter XXI – Hunters' Bonding
Bishop was right about the room. At least when it came to him.
The heat seemed to be really unbearable for him. She had never seen him that uncomfortable. He kept tossing and turning and sweating all night. He even pulled away from her for the most part and left the blanket all to her to try and escape the heat, but it was no use. She didn't get much sleep, more because of his constant fidgeting than anything else.
Their stay in the wilderness was a very welcome change after that.
They left Bravil after a horrible breakfast of bread that looked only a day away from getting moldy. It may have been for the best that the inn had nothing else to eat.
But nothing mattered when they set up a camp in a small bay south of Bravil.
It was so pleasantly secluded. They had access to the cold waters of the Upper Niben to wash up and stock up on water and there were many convenient rocks around, hiding them from any river traffic and available for Aeyrin's chains to hold her.
Bishop did try to talk Aeyrin into forgoing the chains this time, but she was not on board with it. The last time she agreed, she was drunk and very fragile after Kvatch. Right now, she didn't understand why she ever agreed to such a thing, even if it all worked out alright in the end.
Now she wasn't willing to risk that, but then again, when Bishop made it clear that he was not going to keep his distance from the werewolf anymore, she didn't argue nearly as much.
The first night went smoothly. Bishop wanted to catch up on his sleep too, so once Aeyrin turned and he fed her and returned her necklace, he managed to convince her again to lie down and he joined her eagerly. It was actually… nice. He wasn't sure how to explain it. Like the werewolf still had that bond with him, even if Aeyrin wasn't conscious through it. Or maybe they had a different bond together. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was comfortable around him in that form at last.
The second day came soon and Aeyrin didn't even freak out as much when she woke up in her chains in his embrace. He was clearly still alright. She just hoped that it wasn't just dumb luck.
But she didn't want to dwell on it today. It was an important day after all. One that needed to be enjoyed.
"So… what do you want to do today?" She poked his arm teasingly while they enjoyed their breakfast by the fresh fire.
"I don't know, I thought we were staying here until Secunda wanes," Bishop gave her a confused look. Wait, did he not remember? She thought that after she promised him 'whatever he wanted' for his birthday, he would be counting the days. Then again, lately their lives had been a bit hectic and chaotic here, despite them being determined to enjoy their trip away from the Brotherhood and the dragons.
"Did you forget?" She giggled at him as she put down the empty bowl after her finished meal and leaned against him. "It's your birthday."
"Wait… really? That's today?" Bishop seemed genuinely taken aback by that. "Fuck, I completely blocked that out. Damn… that changes things."
"Oh? You had a plan?" Aeyrin looked back at him in surprise. She didn't think that he would actually have anything specific in mind. She hoped it wouldn't make her plan impossible, but that was doubtful.
"You bet."
As soon as he finished the sentence, he tossed his own, still unfinished, bowl aside and he practically lunged at her, pushing her to lie down on the ground and kissing her fervently. Aeyrin could barely let out a giggle in between the breaths he stole.
"First rule today. No clothes," Bishop smirked at her before he dipped his head in to kiss her again.
Well… that actually did interfere with her plan. But no matter, she was pretty sure he wouldn't mind her breaking that rule a little bit.
"Now, let's get rid of them already," he growled eagerly against the skin of her neck. "I'll figure out the other rules later."
…
The day had been going very much according to Bishop's plans so far.
Well, there wasn't much of a plan. And he did stick to only that one rule so far. He was pretty much happy with what they had been doing up until now. What more could he need, really? They just had sex all morning, had a really good lunch of those pre-steamed mudcrab legs to make up for the horribleness that was Bravil, and he could always cool off in the chilly water. It was perfect. He wasn't sure which part he enjoyed the most. The sex or the way Aeyrin moaned when she was eating the food he made. She did offer to make it instead, since he shouldn't do stuff on his birthday, apparently, but he wanted to do it. He would never get tired of cooking for her.
But now, suddenly when he was eager to get back into their activities after the food, Aeyrin pulled away. Did he wear her out already? Well… it was a pretty eventful morning.
"What's wrong? Too much for you?" He chuckled at her and he did pull her into his arms again, despite her pulling away before. It was fine if she wanted a break, but he just wanted to have her close.
"Pfft, don't flatter yourself," Aeyrin giggled at him. She was more than eager for another round, but she was even more excited about the gifts. This seemed like a nice time to start. "We'll get back to that soon, unless you're put off. Or so awe-struck that you're incapable of doing anything else," she chuckled at herself a little. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't really that self-conscious about this. She knew he was gonna love it all.
"Wait… what?" Bishop cocked his head at her in confusion. Understandable.
"Well… since you don't want to do anything but eat and have sex… not that I'm complaining, I think I should at least make some effort to make this day special. Especially since we're making up for the last year too," Aeyrin smirked.
"Oh really? Such as?" He grinned. He was already getting excited and he didn't even know why yet.
"First, let's make this a proper birthday surprise." She gave him a sly wink as she reached out for her pack, rummaging inside until she found one of her washcloths. She still had those silky yellow ones she made from her fist dress – the one that Mercer had forced her to wear so long ago. She rolled it up a bit and presented it to Bishop, making it clear she was going to blindfold him.
"Oooh, I like that," he smirked.
"You'll like it even more when you take it off," she only giggled again. She hoped so at least.
She tied the cloth securely around his eyes before she left his embrace.
"No peeking!" She called out before she dragged her pack away a bit. She didn't want him to hear what she was doing either.
She found the lingerie she had stolen at the Imbel's House and started to quickly put it on. Gods, it was really see-through. It only had lace covering her skin and a strangely thin fabric that hid nothing. Same as the stockings. Bishop would love that.
She took care to fit everything to her body perfectly and she let her hair down from her ponytail, brushing it with her fingers a bit. Though she didn't exactly want to preen for a long time. She was too keen on showing him already.
She tried to strike a somewhat seductive pose, but she felt silly doing that, so she just put her hand on her hip to accentuate her silhouette a bit. Good. Now it was ready. The first part at least.
"Alright. Ready. You can take it off now," she spoke, breaking the tense silence in their camp.
Bishop practically ripped the blindfold from his eyes and he looked at her promptly. That was exactly the reaction she was hoping for. He was left staring at her with eyes wide and his mouth ajar.
"Holy shit." Those were the only words he could manage just then. She had a point with the whole awe-struck thing. She looked so gorgeous. The lingerie only barely hid her body. It hugged her curves as if she had nothing on at all and when he looked carefully, he could make out her bare body, her nipples and slit behind the lace. Fuck, she was perfect. And those stockings!
"You said you liked black on me," Aeyrin flushed under his scrutiny and tried to present the outfit in the best way possible. "And I thought that place had way too many of these outfits anyway."
"Good call," Bishop laughed. "Fuck, love, you looks so fucking perfect. This is the best surprise ever. Come here!" He outstretched his arms, gesturing for her to go back into his embrace. It was the only thing to do now after all. He couldn't wait to play with that outfit and take it off her in the best ways possible.
"Uh-uh, not yet," she winked. "There's one more part to this."
"Really? Fuck, I have no idea how you could make this even better," Bishop smirked. He was getting a little too keen to take her again, but he could wait if it meant more surprises like this.
"Well… I needed to get a proper outfit for the gift. You've been asking me for this one for a while after all. It has to be special," she chuckled.
He has? What on Nirn had he been asking her for that she was denying him? He couldn't think of anything. Though granted, all he could think about now was sex, and he couldn't think about anything in that area.
Much to his surprise, Aeyrin turned back to her back and reached out inside. She didn't have to search for long. What she was looking for was hard to hide, it barely fit inside.
After only a second, she pulled out her lute and she promptly sat down on a nearby stone, clad only in the see-through lingerie, lute in lap, ready to play.
Suddenly it dawned on Bishop. What he had been asking for and could never convince her to give him.
"Shit. Do I really get my private performance?" He chuckled. That dirty song she had told him about once and without a doubt regretted it ever since. He really wanted to hear that. And with that view. Damn.
"Yes, and just so you know, this is a one-time thing. I've never sung it in front of anyone but myself. I'm pretty sure I'm going to burst into flames," she smirked. She was often able to ignore her shyness or nervousness when she was playing her songs, but this one was different.
"Alright, alright. Come on then, I want my present," he urged her. He was really excited for this. Hopefully it would be properly dirty and not just suggestive.
Aeyrin's face flushed and she cleared her throat. Alright. It was just in front of Bishop – she didn't have to be embarrassed in front of him. She could do this.
She struck the tune soon, letting the soft melody carry through their campsite before the time came for her to sing.
.
"He was a minstrel so fair
Always attracted each stare
He was so young
So very well hung.
And he sang for all folks, no matter the where,"
.
Bishop let out a snort at the first verse already. Good start, though it figures it was going to be about some bard's 'conquests'.
.
"He traveled the entire land
With company of his own hand
The lasses were drawn
To his voice, not brawn
But his prattle then not one could stand."
.
Yeah, that sounded right. That was pretty much every bard he knew, except for Aeyrin.
.
"There was a scoundrel so glib
Ruined everyone's life with his wit.
He mocked and he pranked
Sometimes he got shanked
But he was a man, sly and smooth like a scrib."
.
Were scribs sly? They were good roasted though. Aeyrin would like Morrowind food. Maybe they should go someday.
.
"The Countess of Anvil declared
To court her if one would dare.
She'd never been laid
And she needed the aid
To finally spawn her very own heir."
.
Bishop tried to remember what the Countess of Anvil looked like, but he wasn't even sure if there was one. Eh, he never cared much for the posh idiots. And stealing from them was usually too risky for the 'whelps' to undertake. It didn't matter. Whatever she looked like, it could definitely not compare to Aeyrin right now.
.
"The rule there was only one
Who amused the countess, he won,
The bard saw his chance
To wetten his lance
To bury his prick in between her soft buns."
.
Bishop let out a laugh. He was surprised at how he was more charmed than amused. She looked so fucking cute when she blushed at every single innuendo.
.
"The bard, he worked to the bone
A song to have her mind blown
He measured each word
Every note that he heard
So that he could at last hear a real woman moan."
.
Who wouldn't? Unless it was this song though, it would hardly be that 'amusing'.
.
"His show had finally come
Determined to make them all hum,
He struck up the tune
But instead of his boon
The man was just foiled, that poor handsome chum."
.
Good, Bishop didn't want the bard to win the challenge. He wasn't sure why. He just kept imagining some prick like that asshole from Whiterun who had been harassing Carlotta before Bishop had a 'talk' with him.
.
"The scoundrel had a good ploy
A way to amuse and annoy
He bared the bard's ass
To every lass
For the entire Nirn to see and enjoy."
.
Hah! Now Bishop was worried that he would actually try to do that to some bard when he was drunk, when he had that in his head.
.
"The Countess giggled and laughed
At scoundrel's wit and his craft
She took him by hand
Wanting to be manned
Eager to finally play with a man's shaft."
.
Bishop was rooting for the scoundrel anyway, even though there was barely anything said about him in the song.
.
"The bard, left with his front bare
For everyone else there to stare
He was left there alone
But little he known
The sight he had shown had its very own flair."
.
Pfft, he still didn't get the Countess though. That was the whole point, right?
.
"Every lass around heard
To action all they were spurred
Each wanted a piece
This bard to seize
Until his eyes from passion got blurred."
.
"Ha! That was fun," Bishop chuckled. He didn't know if he should clap at her, that felt weird here. Come to think of it, he never really clapped at her performances, but she knew he loved them anyways. She did have to see that he enjoyed this one too. Surprisingly enough though, he was more into the story than the dirty parts. It was an interesting one. "Figures that a bard would compose a song where he gets all the wenches in the end."
"Not all," Aeyrin chuckled.
"True. If you ask me, that scoundrel still won all the way. Who the fuck cares about scores of meaningless flings when you find the right one."
She smiled back at him affectionately. How true. She couldn't really imagine that the scoundrel would envy the bard. She wouldn't, in his place.
"Maybe the countess wanted a scoundrel from the start anyway," Aeyrin gave him a sly wink.
"Wouldn't surprise me," he smirked. "Thanks, sweetness. That really was the perfect gift."
Aeyrin gave him a wry smile in return. She still had one surprise up her sleeve, but she was excited to enjoy the fallout of this one for now.
"Now come here already," Bishop gestured to her. "I really need to take you again."
She promptly put down her lute and walked over back to Bishop again. He was still sitting on their bedroll by the fire, completely naked and clearly getting excited.
She eagerly straddled his thighs and pulled herself onto his lap with her arms wrapping around his neck. His eyes were still on her outfit, roaming over the lace partially covering her breasts while his hands instantly went to stroke her thighs, over the stockings.
He moved in to kiss her passionately, sliding his tongue into her mouth and teasing hers. Aeyrin's hands weaved into his soft hair, grabbing it and pulling him more into her embrace. While they continued the exchange eagerly, running their tongues over each other, over their lips and nipping gently occasionally, Bishop's hand snuck to her breasts and his thumbs rubbed over her nipples, making her feel the rough contours of the lace properly. Aeyrin shuddered at the sensation and a muffled moan escaped her lips.
His kisses moved over her jaw and onto her neck and he promptly located his favorite spot there, suckling her skin between his teeth to leave a mark. When he was done and she let out a pleased whimper at the treatment, he pulled back for a spell to inspect his handiwork.
"I love you so fucking much, sweetness," he whispered before he dipped his head down and licked over the sore spot.
"I love you too," she murmured into his ear, enjoying the feel of his soft tongue on her skin. "Happy birthday."
"Best one I ever had," Bishop chuckled. "I mostly don't even know what day it is, but I can definitely safely say that."
Good. And it wasn't over yet. Aeyrin snuck her hand down between their bodies and took a hold of his cock, stroking him lightly. Bishop let out a pleased grunt against the skin of her neck before he moved to bite into her shoulder a bit. Gods, she loved when he did that. Her grip on him promptly tightened and she started to stroke him more vigorously.
Bishop brought one of his hands down from her breast between her legs and began to rub the rough lace in between her folds. The contrast of his soft lips, occasional bites and the fabric on her sensitive flesh made her go wild.
She moved her other hand down as well, though it was beginning to be hard to tangle all their arms there between their bodies, but she managed to sneak it down to cup his balls gently and tease him even more.
Bishop groaned against her flesh again before he sunk his teeth into her shoulder once more. She still teased him mercilessly while his hand continued to rub the lace against her slit, before he finally snuck it inside the undergarments and touched her bare flesh. Aeyrin stopped stroking him for a while, though her hand remained firmly around his cock, while she shuddered at the sensation.
It only lasted a minute or more before Bishop felt himself get too close. It was too soon. He needed to be inside her. Now.
Instead of getting her off his lap and undressing her, he worked on pushing the undergarments aside until it bunched up in the crease of her leg, leaving her uncovered enough. His hand moved from her breast to her back, pushing into it a little to urge her to arch back. She did so instantly and he didn't hesitate before he moved his kisses and nips to her cleavage.
Aeyrin lifted herself on her knees just enough so that she could position his cock to her wet entrance. She teased the head for a bit before she slid down enough to have the tip inside. Then, in one smooth motion, she lowered herself down on him entirely.
Bishop let out a growl of approval as he started to suckle on the skin of her breast, leaving another mark. It was a good thing that her new shirt would cover that. The last one wouldn't. Though the bite-marks on her shoulders might be visible now…
Eh, who cared? She was past being too self-conscious of whatever marks Bishop left on her body. She still tried to cover the one on her neck with her hair when they were in public, but other than that, it was hardly a concern. Besides, sometimes he was left with some deeper scratch-marks on his back or chest, more prominent than she had intended them to be. But he liked that. And she liked this too.
She ground her hips against him, it felt like she was taking him deeper with each thrust and her gasps got more and more high-pitched with every motion. Bishop continued to kiss her breasts eagerly, letting out muffled moans against her skin, sometimes running his tongue over her nipples beneath the rough lace, sometimes nipping or sucking on the uncovered flesh above the lingerie. His hands were back on her thighs, constantly running over the stockings.
Aeyrin had to hold onto his neck to keep steady as she continued moving against him, meeting his own thrusts – as much as he was able to thrust in that position. She was feeling a little light-headed, but in the best way possible.
Soon she had to pull herself up, leaning on his chest instead and denying him access to her breasts. He didn't seem to mind in the slightest though and he promptly continued to kiss her neck again while she hugged him closely, panting and gasping into his ear with each thrust. She was close. And she could feel that he was very close too by the way his muscles tightened and his cock throbbed inside her.
After a while, she finally felt release wash over her, her inner muscles spasming and pulsating around his cock. Bishop's own climax wasn't denied for long after. When she tightened around him and let out a loud moan, letting it echo over their campsite, Bishop moved to thrust into her roughly a few more times before his own groan of pleasure drowned hers out.
They stayed in the close embrace for a while, breathing heavily. They would need some time to recover.
But they both knew that this was definitely not the last time they ended up entangled today.
…
"So… since I might have some time to breathe now…" Aeyrin chuckled in a moment of respite when Bishop was lazily contemplating starting dinner. He wasn't actually making it yet, he was just thinking about it. But he was reluctant to leave the snug embrace as they laid on their bedroll after more of their ministrations.
"Don't get used to it," he smirked. What did she expect, with that black lingerie still largely on her – except for the underwear? That part had to go.
"I'm not. I just wanna use the time to show you your next present." She nuzzled his neck for a bit before she reached out for her belt – tossed somewhere near the bedroll.
"Wait, there's another?" Bishop's eyes widened at her. Fuck, he had never even gotten one present in his life for his birthday.
"Yes, but I'm just gonna show you. You can't get it yet," she smiled as she rummaged in a pouch of her belt. "You have to earn it."
"Princess, whatever it is, give me ten minutes and I'm going to earn more than you can imagine," he smirked. Dinner could definitely wait.
"Not like that," she giggled. "Though you can thank me for it like that." She wouldn't say no to that. But right now, she was too excited to show him the earrings. She just hoped he wouldn't be against getting them in his ears.
Bishop sat up on the bedroll and peered curiously at her hands, trying to see what she was holding. She soon unclenched her fist and showed him the earrings.
"I saw these at the jewelry store in the City. When you were being pestered by the assistant," she smirked. "The man said that these were made for a huntress – instead of mounted trophy heads, she earned earrings for her best hunts."
"Damn, these are nice," Bishop took one of them into his hand and examined the small head on it – the minotaur one. "There's so much detail. And they look so much like the rings we have."
"Yeah. So I was thinking, you'd have to earn these of course, like a proper hunter. I can't give them to you yet," she nudged him playfully.
"Is that a dragon one? The huntress killed a dragon? In… Cyrodiil," Bishop gave the earring a dubious look as he took it in his hand.
"In the Jeralls, apparently," Aeyrin nodded.
"Impressive. But I've already killed a dragon. And a troll. And a bear. I got three of them already," he grinned proudly.
"Nope. Doesn't count. You need to do that again. You gotta earn your new trophies, one by one," she shook her head.
"What a fucking racket! But don't think I won't," he chuckled before he examined the last one. "A werewolf? Really?"
"Not me, please," she smiled weakly.
"Well… I mean, I can 'hunt' you in a different way," he smirked and leaned in closer to her.
"That's not even an innuendo," Aeyrin shook her head, though it did sound like an innuendo when he said it in that tone. Anything probably would.
"I'm making it one." He captured her lips in his promptly, giving her a brief but passionate kiss. "Thank you, love. I like them. It will be a fun challenge."
"Even if we'll have to stab them into your ears?" She chuckled a little nervously.
"Ha! I think I'll survive that," Bishop laughed. He'd definitely been through worse than some ear punctures. "Is that really how it's done though?" That sounded odd. Though effective, probably.
"No. It's done with ice and a heated needle… you shouldn't really feel it and it shouldn't bleed much, if I understood it correctly," she nodded. At least from what she knew about physiology, though she hoped that the Nordic resistance to cold wouldn't make the numbing with ice ineffective.
"Interesting. Well… I should be on the lookout for minotaurs then. Not many chances when we go back home, right? And I wanna earn one already."
Aeyrin giggled at his impatience. He kept looking at the earrings, over the fine details. She was really glad he liked them. He leaned into her once more to give her another grateful kiss, but he did stop when her hands went to his and she took the earrings back from them.
"Hey!" He smirked.
"These stay with me until you deserve them," she gave him a sly wink and she put them back into the pouch on her belt. She didn't get to enjoy denying him for long though. Bishop lunged at her instantly – not for the belt, but he began dragging her closer again, kissing her eagerly all the while.
He was definitely going to be thanking her properly for the gift.
…
"So, princess," Bishop stroked through her hair gently in their embrace as he broached the subject.
It was already past sundown and the two of them were still just lazing around the camp, enjoying Bishop's special day with no interruptions. It was a shame that it had to end soon. Secunda was already visible on the skies and reaching its highest point steadily.
But even that couldn't ruin this perfect day.
Bishop was a little concerned with ruining it by his request, but he felt like he was getting somewhere at last with Aeyrin's attitude towards the werewolf and there was one thing he kept thinking about today. He didn't want it to end yet, even if Aeyrin would be… different, they could still do something fun. What was the harm in trying to ask?
"You've already given me so many gifts, I kinda feel shitty now for only buying you some treats for your birthday," he chuckled. Though the celebrations that day were nothing to scoff at either.
"Are you kidding? Those were so good," Aeyrin snuggled closer to him with a pleased smile on her face. "And the day was great. And the next one too. That's all I wanted."
"Yeah. Today's been great too," he nodded. Alright. Here goes. "I've… kinda been thinking that it would be nice to end it with a hunt."
"Oh. You wanna go hunt? Sure… I mean… I don't think anyone will see me here… that's why we picked this place…" Aeyrin shrugged. She didn't need the supervision – by now she knew that the chains would hold. She'd even done this herself before. But there was always a bit of uncertainty when it came to this. It was still so uncomfortable that she remembered nothing from those transformations.
"Well… I was thinking… I'd like to go on a hunt… with you." Bishop got the words out. He couldn't help it. He was curious about a werewolf on a hunt. About how much she would listen to him. He was pretty convinced that she would.
"We only have about an hour," Aeyrin scowled. It wasn't enough time for a hunt. And she wasn't sure she could actually go on one at night.
"I know. I meant… after that," he clarified.
What? Did he mean in the morning? Or…
Oh Gods. No, he didn't really want to hunt with the monster, did he? Why was he still so fascinated by it? She knew he was trying to help, but sometimes it felt like he was making things harder for her. She was so terrified of what was happening each time and he only made her worry more and more.
"Bishop!" She gave him an outraged look. She knew that she had transformed before for a moment without chains, and also in that basement to kill Ri'zhassa's goons. But… this was different. She didn't do it voluntarily on the full Secunda. And she had no idea what she was capable of in that state.
"Just hear me out," Bishop raised his hands defensively to stave off the shock and anger. "I know it's risky, but the more we do shit like this, the more in control you'll be. You already are, even if you don't remember. And I'm gonna take every precaution. I have my bow, I'll paralyze your leg if I have to. We'll chain you first, I'll see how… receptive you are and all that. I promise, I can handle this. And there's nobody anywhere near here. Nobody that could get hurt."
"Except for you," she scowled.
"I thought we've been over this. If you wanted to hurt me, you could have done that easily so many times before. Like last night," he sighed. It didn't matter if she had chains on when he was that close to her.
Aeyrin didn't answer for a while. She still wasn't sure why Bishop was so obsessed with the werewolf and getting closer to it. She thought this was all to help her remember the transformations, but she still didn't. And now she wasn't sure if he didn't just… miss Karnwyr. She still felt so guilty about keeping them away from each other.
She really wasn't sure if that was the reason. Maybe it was everything combined. He wanted to help her control it, he missed his friend, maybe he was even curious about that monster. She couldn't pretend like she wasn't curious too. Things were getting… muddied. It was so clear before – that thing was an uncontrollable vicious creature. Except that it wasn't. Bishop not being torn to shreds every night of this was proof of that. And she didn't even want to start thinking about the whole thing with the wolf-head ring necklace – when he said it 'calmed her down'.
Ugh, she hated constantly agonizing over this. Why was it so hard to just… trust him with this? She had no issues trusting him with anything else in the world, but… the loss of consciousness was too much. How could she trust anyone or anything when she didn't trust herself?
But then again, what else was there to do but leave it to his judgment now? She wasn't sure if it would get better with time – she couldn't know that. It hasn't yet, not the memories at least. Bishop was probably the only one that knew anything about that beast.
"Are you really sure about this?" She let out a resigned sigh. "I don't mind if I wake up with an arrow in my leg, but I can't stand the thought of hurting some innocent passerby or something when I'm not in control. Not again. And… I definitely can't stand the thought of hurting you."
"I'm sure. I'm completely sure. I promise, this will be good for you. I think you just need to focus on controlling those… beastly urges more when you're transformed. And you're already managing that well."
"With you, either in closed space with me or blocking my path. Here, out in the open, it can outrun you and…" Aeyrin frowned again.
"That's what the bow's for. For emergencies," he gave her an encouraging nod.
Gods, he looked so hopeful about her lack of outrage and resistance. How could she say 'no' now? No matter how much she wanted to.
But maybe it really would help.
…
"Alright, princess, are you ready?" Bishop nodded at the werewolf with determination. "Just a quick one. We get one thing and come back, understood? Baby steps."
Aeyrin whimpered at him uncertainly. He was right in front of her and she was fed and had her necklace in her claw. She didn't even flinch this time when he approached, but now she looked scared again.
"And… maybe don't… eat. I doubt you'll like the taste of raw meat in your mouth when you're awake," he cringed. He wasn't sure how he could prevent that. He was probably a little over-confident about his 'taming' abilities. She would not listen to everything he asked of her. Not even Karnwyr was that obedient. But he was pretty sure that the fear was still borne out of the same thing it was when she was in her elven form – she was so afraid of hurting someone innocent. She really didn't seem bothered in that basement. But even when she wasn't being wolfy, she would have no qualms about killing those assholes. It was likely the same.
"I'll start with the neck one, alright? No biting. We'll do this slowly."
He had never actually removed her chains when she was in this form. He was worried that the fear would make her lash out. But when he reached out to her, she only reacted in the way he was already used to. She curled in on herself more and whimpered, but she didn't try to stop him in any way.
He slowly undid the chain around her neck before stepping back for a bit to see her reaction. She looked a little uncomfortable, though it was hard to tell. She did stop whimpering though.
"Alright. I'll do the hands now. Ready?"
She didn't nod or anything. He didn't even expect her to. He just approached closer once more and started to undo one bond around her arm, then the second. When he was done and she was chain-free at last, he stepped back once more.
She just stood there, though she looked a little fidgety.
"So… what now?" Bishop wasn't even sure why he never thought this part through. "I'm not sure if you're just gonna… follow me calmly like Karnwyr usually does until we find prey. Or… can you smell something or…"
At those words, a growl left her maw and now it was Bishop's turn to flinch. He wasn't sure what that meant. He had his bow firmly in hand in a second – he was already fully equipped after all. But Aeyrin only started to look around with strange motions of her head. Like she was hearing something.
Could she hear something? Bishop couldn't hear anything other than the usual sounds of the wilderness.
Then, suddenly she bolted.
She ran off, away from him, leaving him dumb-struck there.
"Fuck!"
Bishop instantly sprung to action and chased after her. She was fast, but fortunately, running through the thick bramble and bushes slowed her down a bit. And she did kind of trample the path for him. He still didn't want to shoot her, not when he could still see her and catch up with her. Not when she wasn't actually doing anything bad.
She never ran from him before. She had an opportunity to go on an actual killing spree in Skingrad if she wanted. She could also get out of that house in Kvatch, despite the fire, if she was fast enough and made it to the nearby fountain or something. Why did she run now?
But then, she suddenly stopped. Bishop continued running until he caught up with her and then he spotted what made her stop in her tracks.
A boar.
Huh. Was she actually hunting with him like he wanted her to? She was just… more proactive than he was used to.
And was she waiting for him to take the shot?
Oh. No, she wasn't.
She ran forth soon after he had caught up, intent on catching that boar. She wasn't really subtle. Maybe werewolves weren't really the silent kind of predators, or maybe it was just her usual lack of subtlety shining through. The boar noticed her instantly.
But she was much faster than it.
A pained squeal echoed through the trees for a while before it stopped. It was a quick kill. And when the sounds ceased, Bishop rushed after her again to catch up. He wasn't used to taking a support position on hunts. Not that she needed any support.
By the time he was by her side again, she was quite contently ripping into the boar's flesh.
"I told you not to eat the raw meat," Bishop sighed, but his words were only met with a warning growl.
Message received.
"You know, you're not that different from when you dig into food in your elven form, aside from the 'raw flesh' part," he smirked, and instead of more chastising, he tried to reach out to ruffle her fur. Surprisingly enough, that she let him do.
"Maybe if you keep this up, the elves of Valenwood will invite you over for their flesh-eating rituals or whatever they do. I don't know shit about Valenwood. You would have probably been offended if you remembered this," he chuckled. "And was the meat I already made for you still not enough?"
Another growl was her answer, but this time it was not a malicious one.
Maybe she did need more food. Or maybe she just wanted to feel the thrill of the hunt. Though was there even any thrill with her getting her prey this easily? It was kind of impressive. And kind of terrifying. But then again, what did he expect from a werewolf?
Bishop continued to stroke her fur while she fed, enjoying the quiet of the night. This hunt may have not been like the ones he was missing, but it did have its own charm. Mainly because she was allowing him so close. Maybe it was the strange closeness he always felt with Karnwyr when they were hunting alone in the night.
He missed him. He enjoyed the werewolf's company, or maybe he enjoyed the challenge of it, but nothing would feel like it was supposed to until Aeyrin was cured. Both for her sake and for Karnwyr.
Bishop couldn't wait until they could all be together again.
And just maybe, understanding the werewolf more would help.
…
The morning rays of sun reflecting off the distant surface of the bay were quite the pleasant thing to wake up to.
It didn't hurt either that Bishop woke up in Aeyrin's arms, with his head resting comfortably on her breasts. Fuck, he could get used to that pillow.
He stirred, nuzzling a bit into her skin, but when he did, it made her wake up slowly too.
"Hmm… Bish," she mumbled somewhat incoherently. Normally she would doze off more at this point, but it seemed like she was forcing herself awake. "What… what happened? I'm not…"
Right. The chains. That proved to be a bit of an issue in the end.
"Yeah… first of all, don't worry. Nothing bad happened," he needed to reassure her before she had a thousand panicky questions. "We went on that hunt. You just… didn't really like the idea of being chained again after, so we just rested like this. I was like this the whole time, if you moved, I would wake up. Even woke up when you transformed back, so no need to worry."
"But… I… there's a taste in my mouth…" Aeyrin shifted in discomfort. Though it didn't feel the same it did after she… killed someone in that form. It still wasn't pleasant.
"It's boar meat. Raw. Sorry about that," Bishop chuckled a little. "I tried to explain to you that you wouldn't like it in the morning. But… oh well."
"Ah…" Aeyrin nodded. Alright, that wasn't a bad thing. She couldn't imagine eating raw meat in any form, but at least nobody was hurt. "So… everything went alright?"
"More or less," Bishop smirked. "You are a damn impressive hunter in that form. Though… not what I'm used to."
"What does that mean?" She scowled. She wasn't sure how to interpret that.
"Well… you know the whole 'hours of patiently waiting and watching prey' thing? That doesn't really fly with you. You just… smell or hear something and… charge," he chuckled a bit. "It was interesting to watch. And hey, gotta study the werewolves more if I wanna earn that earring, right?"
That was true. Aeyrin let out a soft chuckle at that. She still wasn't too comfortable with all this, but if he said it was alright, she was going to trust him.
All she needed now was to get that taste out of her mouth. It was making her sick.
Hopefully tomorrow she wouldn't have to deal with it again. One hunt was enough, wasn't it?
As excited as she had been for the stay in the wilderness, she was really looking forward to Secunda waning again.
Only one more night.
Author's Note:
Yes, I did write that cringy dirty bard song :D It was surprisingly fun. I hope you enjoyed the birthday chapter and all that it entailed. And now I hope that you're all excited for Leyawiin – the last major city in Cyrodiil we have yet to visit. Wonder what awaits there and if the chase is finally over ;)