Trust

There is a high level of difficultly in tracking werewolves. Despite their large frame, they move lightly on their feet and rarely leave tracks behind. They are tireless and fast; they could easily travel many leagues in one night. So had Aila not found Kathryn until morning, it would've been no surprise at all.

She looked for hours, calling her name until her voice was sore. Every once in a while, she heard a howling, far off in the distance. Whether it was Kathryn or a pack of regular wolves, Aila had no idea, yet she ran toward it anyway.

Aila thought she may have found a footprint of a large creature in a muddy patch. It looked like a wolf's, she thought, but it was much bigger. It had to be Kathryn. She had nothing else to go on, so she trudged on with hope. She called out again, but there was still no answer. Suddenly the trees gave way, and Aila found herself standing on an some sort of overlook. For a moment, Aila thought she was somehow back at Riverwood, at the Guardian Stones. But then she realized there was only one stone, and this one had neither a warrior, mage, nor thief imprinted on it, so it could not possibly be a Guardian stone. This one had only a hooded figure. The stone itself was sitting on the edge of the overlook, and as Aila moved closer, she marveled at what she saw.

Despite the dark, she could see miles around. Riften was down below. I looked so small from so high up. Far off to the North, Aila saw a faint light. She guessed that was Shor's Stone, the settlement Delvin had told her about. The clear sky added to the scene, the stars and the moons shining brightly in the sky. It was all so beautiful. Then the world started to spin, and Aila suddenly remembered her fear of heights. She stumbled and reached for the closest object to her for support.

The moment her hand touched the stone, it started to glow. Aila took a startled step back and watched in amazement. The hole that was carved into the stone was filled with a bright light and another shot up into the sky. Before Aila could even register what was happening, it stopped. As she stood there gawking at it, she heard movement behind her. She turned just in time to see a large, black, furry figure run into the trees. "Kathryn!" she yelled, and ran after her.

The stone was forgotten as Aila chased Kathryn. Every time she thought she lost her, she would show up again for a brief moment before disappearing once more. It happened so fast that Aila never got a clear view of her. When she came upon small clearing, her breath caught in her throat.

The biggest wolf Aila had ever seen was leaning over a pond, drinking. It was thrice the size of a normal wolf. It's paws were the size of Aila's head. It's fur was dark brown, almost black in color.

"Kathryn?"

The wolf lifted its head and looked at her with golden eyes. Aila suddenly realized she was afraid. She had no idea what to do. Kathryn had once told that her she didn't have full control over herself when she was turned. But Aila couldn't believe that she would ever hurt her. Even like this. Aila took a cautious step forward.

The wolf stared at her, unmoving, and Aila gradually closed the distance between them. When Aila was no more than a few meters away, it started to growl and she froze in place. It lifted itself up onto its hind legs, so that it was standing almost like a human. She could see three long scars on its torso. Aila stood still, her heart thumping in her chest. "Kathryn," she said. "It's me, Aila. You know me."

The wolf snarled at her and lowered itself back on all fours. It slowly crept forward, until it was right in front of her. It was so close, Aila could feel its hot breath on her face. She could hear it sniffing her, taking in her scent. Then the wolf changed. It's body became more relaxed, and it made a noise somewhere between a bark and a howl. Then it licked her face.

Too stunned to react, Aila watched the wolf as it paced around her, panting in glee. She brought a hand up to her face an wiped away a significant amount saliva off her face. "Eww." The wolf looked at her expectantly. It barked again.

Aila couldn't keep back a smile. Kathryn was acting almost like a dog. A very, large dog. Aila reached out and gingerly touched her on the head. Kathryn's only reaction was to push her head further into her hand. Aila smiled again. As she contemplated the softness of her fur, a thought hit her. She reached over and scratched her behind the ears. Kathryn started panting happily and Aila saw her tail swinging side to side. The sight of an enormous wolf being treated like a puppy was so comical, Aila had to laugh. She held Kathryn's head in her hands and pressed her forehead against hers.

"You're not as bad as you think you are, Kat."

Aila suddenly realized the irony of the nickname she had given her. It was hard to believe she had never noticed before.

Kathryn barked and trotted off the edge of the clearing, where she turned and barked again. She wanted Aila to follow. So she did. Kathryn led her through the woods to a small pile of rocks. There were various articles of clothing scattered about. Kathryn must have come here just before she turned. Aila went around gathering up her clothes and setting them down in one place. Kathryn meanwhile, was making herself more comfortable. She found a soft patch of dirt to lay in. Her front legs were crossed over each other, and she was resting her head on the ground, watching Aila's every move.

When she finished gathering up Kathryn's clothes, Aila seated herself on a rock and watched Kathryn watch her. They stared at each other for a while, until Aila started to shiver and yawn. The night was cold and dark, and she was tired. She wondered if Kathryn would mind if she laid next to her. She doubted it. Aila stood and moved toward her. She could feel her eyes on her as she sat cross-legged beside her. Aila could feel her presence, but it was different somehow. It was odd, and she didn't quite understand it. She still felt like Kathryn, but... a different Kathryn. Or rather, a part her that she always kept hidden. Aila never really noticed it until now, when it was so very... obvious.

She scooted herself closer to Kathryn and leaned against her. Kathryn continued to watch her. "Why do you hate this so much?" It occurred to Aila that she had never asked that before. She knew Kathryn hated being a werewolf, but she didn't know why. She touched her fur with her hand. "What is it about this part of you that makes you so resentful of it?" She didn't know if Kathryn could understand her, and if she could, she couldn't answer. "I still love you, even like this. I'll always love you." Aila felt her eyelids growing heavy. Kathryn was even warmer than usual, and her fur was soft like a pillow. The rhythmic rise and fall of her body as she breathed was soothing, and soon, Aila fell into a deep sleep.

Aila never learned of this, but they were visited many times during the night by many different animals. A rabbit entered the area before instantly dashing away at the sight of Kathryn. A few foxes were a bit more daring, but they too ran off when Kathryn let out a low growl. The most dangerous visit was a pack of wolves who were hunting for food. They had caught Aila's scent and followed it here. They emerged from the trees, six of them in all, led by the Alpha. At the sight of Kathryn, it growled out a challenge. Kathryn didn't answer, but she eyed them with intensity. Taking her silence for submission, the Alpha bolted forward, meaning to take Aila away. Before it even got close, Kathryn snarled fiercely in warning, and it faltered, but stayed it's ground. The other wolves crept closer, circling around Kathryn and Aila, waiting for their Alpha's command. They never got the chance.

When the Alpha charged forward, the moment it was in her range, Kathryn snapped her jaws around its neck and threw it to the ground. The Alpha whimpered and struggled to get to its feet, bleeding violently. Once it finally stood, it ran off whining. With their Alpha gone, the other wolves fled as well. No other creatures bothered them that night.

As dawn crept over the horizon, Aila woke with a start. She had thought she heard whimpering. She looked around and she saw Kathryn, still in her wolf form, pacing back and forth in the shadows, like she was afraid of the sun. "Kathryn?" Aila said. "What's wrong?" Kathryn whined loudly in response. Then Aila heard a crack and Kathryn's leg went rigid. She howled in pain as her body shifted back to her human form. Aila could do nothing but watch. She couldn't stand to see Kathryn in so much pain.

As Kathryn grew smaller, her howls turned to screams, and the sound became unbearable. Then, at last, the screaming stopped. Kathryn was lying face-first on the ground, unmoving. Aila rushed over to her and knelt beside her. She turned her onto her back and held her. She was still breathing, thank the Gods, she was only unconscious. Aila suddenly realized she was crying. She wiped away her tears and held Kathryn tighter.

"A... Aila," said a soft voice. "You're crushing me."

"Kathryn!" Aila exclaimed.

"Aila," Kathryn said again, "Can't... breath."

"Oh! Sorry!" She loosened her grip on her a bit.

Kathryn took a deep breath and let it out. Her eyes scanned the area around them. "Where are we? And what happened to my clothes?"

"You don't remember?" Aila asked.

She shook her head. "I remember running. I was trying to get away from Riften before... something bad happened. Then there was pain. So much pain. Every part of my body hurt. And then the pain stopped and I felt... free. Like I had been locked in a cage and I finally got loose." Ever so slowly, it dawned on her what happened. "Oh."

"Your clothes are over there," Aila said, pointing. "You were able to get them all off before you turned. Well, almost. The breast-band was torn in half."

Kathryn chuckled softly, but then she looked at Aila in a serious manner. "Why are you here, Aila?" she asked.

Aila didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

Kathryn made an effort to sit up. Once she was upright, she looked at Aila again. "Why are you here? Did you follow me when I left Riften?"

"Of course I did."

Kathryn sighed dejectedly. "Why did you do that? That was too dangerous."

"I couldn't just let you run off by yourself. I was worried about you."

"I doesn't matter! You could've been hurt!" Then she looked away from Aila, down at her lap and said a little more softly, "I could've hurt you."

"I don't believe that," Aila said sternly, and firmly believing it.

"How do you know?"

"I think it's a safe bet to make considering I was with you the whole night and you didn't do a thing!"

Kathryn looked like she was going to argue further, but then she stopped herself. "You were?"

"Yes."

Kathryn closed her eyes, as if trying to remember something important. "So that was you?" she said, almost to herself.

Aila sighed. She wrapped her arms around Kathryn's waist and pulled her close. "What exactly do you remember?" she asked.

"Not much," Kathryn said, mimicking Aila's actions. "Just bits and pieces. I remember something else being there with me. Something precious; that I needed to protect no matter what."

"Aww," Aila said. "That's sweet."

Kathryn smiled softly. "I suppose."

The two went silent, lost in each others embrace. After a while, Kathryn let go of Aila, stood, and went to gather up her clothes. Then she started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Aila asked.

"To the lake," Kathryn answered. "I need a bath, I feel filthy. You're welcome to join me." she said with a smirk.

Aila's mouth twisted into a grin, and she jumped after her. Several minutes of walking later, Aila realized that she had no idea where she was. She asked Kathryn if she know where she was going.

"No," she admitted. "But I can smell the water from here. I'm just following the scent."

"Really? Wow."

"Normally, I can't smell something from so far away," Kathryn continued, "But after a transformation, it's like my senses are on overdrive. Especially my sense of smell."

They walked in silence for several more minutes before Aila asked another question. "Aren't you embarrassed?"

"About what?"

"You're walking around in the middle of the woods completely naked!"

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Kathryn said. "The only one around is you, and you've seen me naked plenty of times."

Aila felt her cheeks reddening at the statement, and she looked away.

Kathryn laughed. "You're getting embarrassed and you're not even the one who's nude."

When at last they found the lake, Kathryn dropped her clothes and dived right in. Aila, however, was hesitant. Kathryn called out to her. "Come on, Aila!"

"What if someone sees us?"

"Like who? Come on, don't be such a baby." She splashed, spraying Aila with water.

"Fine, then!" Aila said, and she started to unbuckle her armour. When all of her garments were off, both outer and under, she dipped her toes into the water. It was cold, but not freezing. She stepped further in, wading her way to Kathryn. When the water was shoulder-high, she leaped forward, gliding into Kathryn's arms. "Mmm... you're so warm." she said as the chill of the water began to recede.

"Aila," Kathryn said. "So... you were really with me the whole night?"

"Unless you ran off and came back after I fell asleep, then yes."

"And I didn't hurt you?"

"The only wound I suffered was when I skinned my knee after tripping on a tree branch looking for you."

"And you didn't run. When you saw me, you didn't run away."

"No," Aila said, horrified that she would ever think she would do something like that. "No, of course not. I love you. And I already know you're a werewolf. Just because I saw you as a wolf, doesn't mean I love you any less." Then Aila saw tears running down the sides of Kathryn's face. "Kat? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kathryn said smiling. "Everything is perfect."