(Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim; just Xana, Brii and my other OC's.)

(Authors Note: Hello dearest readers/fellow writers! Thank you all so much for sticking around and taking the time to read this story and this latest chapter of mine. I apologize for not uploading this chapter sooner, but life has kept me busy and left me with limited time to create new content. Regardless, I hop you enjoy this new chapter! Also, feel free to leave a comment (no hate, please) as I draw inspiration from them and enjoy the feedback :) Again, thank you and enjoy!)

-Meanwhile-

Reem-Sha tiredly stepped out of the house to tend to the animals; however, as he neared the barn, his mind drifted to the young Redguard woman inside his room. He hadn't seen her since last night, but from what his Mother had said, he'd likely see more of her as she needed time to recover from her injuries. Swallowing his guilt, he mentally hoped she didn't remember him shooting her with a silver arrow.

Of course, if she did, he planned to apologize and make it up to her somehow. For now, he just wanted to focus on tending to the animals and gathering eggs for breakfast. Stepping into the barn, he was met with the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of the livestock as they welcomed him with bleats and brays. Feeding the horses first, he made sure to give them each an extra apple for their breakfast, to which he then released the sheep from their pen and began to herd them out of the barn and over to the adjacent field. Upon closing the gate, he then headed over to the chicken coop to gather eggs and scatter dried corn out for them to eat at their leisure.

Afterwards, he returned to the house and placed the eggs inside their designated bowl before washing up and brewing some tea. Seeing that his Mother had already made vegetable soup and fresh bread, Reem-Sha helped himself and sat down at the table to eat before spotting his sister and brother-in-law approaching:

"Morning, Reem-Sha," Xana tiredly yawned as she and Odahviing followed his example and dished themselves up some breakfast.

"Good morning to you both as well. How did you sleep last night?"

"Meh, I slept okay for the most part," she admitted with a shrug before dipping her bread in her soup and taking a bite, while Odahviing did the same. "By the way, how's our guest? Is she awake yet?"

"She is," Flower-Song answered as she stepped into the vicinity with a tray of dishes. "She's still a bit sore, but should make a full recovery. For now, she is to remain on bed rest and avoid any strenuous activities or movements as that would aggravate her injuries."

"Ah, so she's essentially in the same boat as Renessie," Xana noted, to which she gave a nod:

"Here and there. Now, with that being said, I'll need you to help me change her bandages later. Also, Reem-Sha, she's requested to meet you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I suggest you speak to her now while she's still awake. She'll likely fall asleep soon as I gave her some medicine to help soothe her pain."

Wordlessly, he nodded and stood up from his chair before headed over to the room where the woman was residing. Rapping his knuckles on the door, Reem-Sha thickly swallowed his nerves as a soft voice answered:

"Come in."

Opening the door and stepping inside, the Argonian was met with a pair of bright emerald eyes as the young Redguard stared at him from the bed. "..Hello. You wanted to see me?"

"I did," she answered with a curt nod. "I wanted to thank you for bringing me here."

"Oh, you're welcome. I mean, it was kind of my fault that you were injured.."

"No, it wasn't," she disagreed with a slight shake of her head. "Yes, you shot me with that silver arrow; however, in doing so, you temporarily freed me from my beast form. Your action was one of mercy, and for that, I thank you."

"..You're welcome. Though, I didn't see it as a merciful action at the time."

At his response, she softly smiled at him, "Trust me, it was."

Taking a seat in the adjacent chair, he then asked, "What's your name?"

"Imogen."

"Imogen? That's a beautiful name."

At his response, she blushed and shyly smiled, "Thank you. Might I ask your name?"

"Reem-Sha."

"Oh, I like that name. It suits you perfectly."

"Thanks," he lightly chuckled before asking, "So, Imogen, would you mind telling me what happened to you prior to me shooting you with a silver arrow? I mean, you don't have to, but seeing as how you're covered in wounds, I'd like to know who or what attacked you and if there's anything more I can do to help."

*sigh* "Alright. As you already know, I'm a werewolf; however, I wasn't always one, nor did I become one out of my own free will. I was once a stable girl living in Anvil. One night, I awoke to frantic braying and howling, to which I rushed outside to see what was attacking the horses…and that's when I first encountered him."

"Who?"

"Arik," she flinched while rubbing her bruised arms. "It all happened so fast. I don't remember anything prior to waking up in a cave, covered in blood and in a lot of pain. To my horror, I discovered that I was naked and had a large bite mark across my right collar, as well as a stabbing pain between my legs," she admitted with a frown as she stared down at her hands, avoiding his gaze. "That's when I saw him crouched nearby, staring at me with those burning red eyes and a wolfish grin lining his muzzle," she trembled, not wanting to delve further into that part of her past.

"My first transformation was excruciating and bloody. While I wanted to escape and seek help, I was constantly reminded that no one would bother helping me once they knew what I was. So, for the last three years, Arik kept me under his control. We constantly moved to avoid being hunted, and he often used me for personal pleasure, while also inflicting his own form of punishment on me whenever I did something he didn't like."

She swallowed her nerves before continuing, "But when we arrived here, I finally decided that enough was enough. After his latest hunt, he tried to have his way with me while we were both in our beast forms, to which I fought back as best as I could, leaving him a little worse for wear than he was the night prior. I then tried to run away, but because I was half starved and weak from previous beatings, I didn't get far before he attacked and left me with those marks across my back. Thinking he would then try to mount me from behind, as I was in a vulnerable position, he left his member exposed, giving me a small window of opportunity, which I took. Summoning every ounce of fight I had left in me, I quickly reached back and used my claws to tear off his penis before slipping out from underneath him and taking off like a bat out of Oblivion. I would have kept running; however, my gnawing hunger forced me to seek sustenance, which is where you came in and how I ended up here."

Horrified by her experience, Reem-Sha gently placed his scaly hand atop hers, "I cannot even begin to imagine the pain you've endured all this time, but if it's any consolation, I will do everything in my power to help you."

"Thank you, Reem-Sha."

"Of course." A smile then lined his face, "I'm glad you at least neutered him before you escaped."

"Same here," she agreed with a soft laugh. "Ironically, I had wanted to do that ever since he took me captive. While I know he's not dead, I'm at least grateful that he can no longer do to others what he did to me."

"Agreed. Although, I still plan to bring him down."

"If you do, you'll need help. Arik is far bigger than most werewolves and I'm sure his newfound disfigurement has left him even angrier than he normally is, so he'll be twice as dangerous."

"Understandable. I'm sure I would be too if a vital piece of my anatomy was torn off," he smirked, making her blush.

XXXXX

-Later-

Suffice to say, Imogen was now acquainted with everyone within the household, including the children. For the time being, Brii was wearing her alteration amulet, per her parent's request. Seeing as how the Redguard woman was still new to all of them, they thought it was best to keep her true identity hidden for the time being.

At the moment, the little (disguised) hybrid girl was sitting on the bed across from Imogen, while her Monah cleaned her wounds and changed out her bandages. "What's it like in Cyrodiil? I hear it's really pretty and not as cold as it is in Skyrim."

Smiling at the child, the Redguard emitted a sigh as she thought about her former home, "It is indeed lovely. Having been to every city within the province, I can say that they all have a unique charm about them. As for me, I lived down in Anvil, where the sea kissed the shore and the air smelled of salt and brine. As far as temperature goes, it's not too cold most of the year; however, Bruma is always cold as it borders the Jerall Mountains and Skyrim."

"I wish we could visit Cryodiil sometime," she pouted, to which Xana smiled:

"We will someday."

"You promise?"

"I do," she curtly nodded before placing a kiss on her forehead. Afterwards, she glanced back at Imogen and asked, "Are you currently in any pain or discomfort?"

With a sigh, she answered, "There's some slight discomfort in my back, but that's to be expected considering the damage that was dealt. Otherwise, I think I'm okay at the moment. Thank you."

"Of course."

"Miss Imogen, can I ask you another question," Brii spoke up, bringing another smile to the woman's face:

"Of course, little one."

"Are you going to marry my Uncle Reem-Sha?"

"Brii," Xana addressed her in a slightly scolding tone, while Imogen felt her cheeks heat up:

"Um, well, he's very kind and rather funny, but I don't really know him well enough for that."

"If you got to know him some more, would you marry him?"

Xana was about to scold her when Imogen gave her a reassuring look as if to say 'It's fine.' "I suppose if he and I got to know one another better, I might consider it. I mean, he did save my life and he's been nothing but kind to me ever since he brought me here. Plus, I have to admit that he is rather cute."

That made the youngster grin from ear to ear, while her Mother just shook her head in silent amusement before a sudden and loud *MRROW* caught everyone's attention.

Rushing outside to see what the matter was, Reem-Sha, Tenova, Shastan and Swims-To-Sea were met with the sight of a young Khjaiit woman, limping and covered in blood on her right side.

"Hold on, Miss. We'll bring you inside for treatment," Tenova stated as he and Reem-Sha helped her inside, while Shastan and Swims-To-Sea surveyed the area to make sure whatever had attacked her wasn't lurking nearby. Thankfully, all was clear.

"Khajiit is most grateful for your assistance," the woman exclaimed as she was brought over to Xana's bedroom and placed upon the soft mattress before Flower-Song appeared with her medical supplies in tow.

"Well, we're just glad you stumbled upon our dwelling," the matriarch stated as she gently helped the younger woman remove her dress so she could properly examine her wounds (after the men left the room, of course). "What's your name, dear?"

"This one is called Tawnyfrost," she answered with a slight groan as the Argonian woman began cleaning off her wounds. "Might I ask what you are called?"

"I am Flower-Song. The men who brought you inside are my mate, Tenova, and our sons', Reem-Sha, Swims-To-Sea, and Shastan."

"You all have my gratitude and thanks for your kindness."

"Well, we're never ones to turn down someone in need. By the way, what happened to you?"

*sigh* "Khajiit was attacked by a werewolf while gathering berries in the woods, but Khajiit was quick and fought back before running away and stumbling upon your place, but not before sustaining injury to ankle," she gestured to her left foot with a wince as Flower-Song carefully removed her boots and set them on the floor alongside her large knapsack (which had been removed prior to her being placed in the bed).

"I see. Our farm was attacked by a werewolf the other night and we lost a couple sheep as a result. We're hoping to put an end to its terror, but so far, we haven't made much progress."

"Werewolves are clever beasts. This one has learned that the best way to trap them is similar to how one would trap a lion: you have to lure it in with the scent of another of its kind. Like lions, they are territorial by nature, so if they smell another in their marked area, they will investigate it."

"Interesting. I hadn't thought to try that," she noted while sterilizing her needle and threading it before beginning the tedious task of stitching her wounds. Thankfully, she only had two scratches along her side that actually needed stitching. The rest would only require some salve and bandages.

"Well, unless you happen to have the scent of another werewolf, it won't be inclined to investigate," Tawnyfrost winced as Flower-Song expertly began to sew her up.

(Another Authors Note: Hello again! I would just like to make a disclaimer and state that Tawnyfrost is not one of my OC's, but rather, she belongs to the wonderful and talented nadillaandlaprasthefireandice. She is actually her Dragonborn, but since there can be only one Dragonborn in my story (suck it, Miraak!), she is just a humble Khajiit trader :) Regardless, thanks for letting me use her in my story. There will be more of her still to come in future content ;) Anyways, thank you all again for taking the time to read this latest chapter.)