I Get a New Ring
I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping.
All in all, it wasn't too out of place. I had woken up to similar noises before. My Daddy's farm had lots of wildlife around it. Small singing birds weren't uncommon. In fact, it would've been odder for them not to be singing.
Then, came the headache.
It was an awful thing. Something in my skull was trying to get out. A sense of nausea washed over me. I could feel the world twist and turn from where I laid on the ground. It felt almost like I was on some gigantic boat, sloshing to and fro. The blinding sun coming down overhead didn't make it any better. Roughly, I shoved a limb overhead trying to block the damnable light.
I couldn't tell how long I laid there, the pressure waxing and waning.
After an indeterminate amount of time, I forced myself up. It was a struggle, my limbs not wanting to listen. A loud groan left my lips as I finally roused enough strength to sit up. Something hopped in front of me, oblivious to my problems.
Silently, I watched.
A little animal roamed by my feet. Curious black eyes looked up at my own. For a moment, the critter stared. Its fur was a dull gray, perfectly mixing in with the foliage of the forest floor. The bushy tail behind it stood straight up in the air. Two small ears perked up on the rodent's head. Suddenly, Its nose scrunched before the little creature ran away.
"A gray squirrel?"
Finally seeming to get a hold of myself, I observed my surroundings.
Large hickory and oak trees dotted my vision. The gnarled things shot up into the sky with every manner of life following up after them. Mosses and lichen blanketed the plants like a multi-colored mold. The ground was covered in moist leaves. They were a sea of muddy brown and gray. I could easily pick out things moving atop the forest floor, skittering and squirming.
An odd feeling came over me as I watched.
My eyes darted back and forth. With each new thing I saw, more confusion settled in my gut. Where was I? This didn't look anything like the forests surrounding my father's farm. This whole place didn't even look like Montana. There were none of the little shrubs and big pines I was used to. There weren't any redwoods either.
There was something else too. Something, I couldn't get it quite right in my head. Things looked different. The colors, the detail, the clarity of it all, it was stunning. I could see everything that there was to see and more. Six trees away from me a ladybug was chasing an inchworm down the side of a leaf. It made my head spin, my eyes involuntarily bouncing from one thing to the next.
I took a deep breath.
An unyielding stench entered my nostrils. It was vile, putrid. An earthly aroma mixed with hundreds of different odors, all perfectly coming into my face. I gagged, bile traveling up my throat. I fell forward, spewing chunks to the ground. It only made it worse. I could taste everything to the n-th degree.
Tears started to leak from my eyes. Mucus came next, freely flowing out of my nose. Roughly, I scraped at the ground. The rough dirt and slimy leaves dug through my fingertips. It tickled at my skin, the feeling entirely unwelcome.
Little things chittered and crawled in the distance. I could hear them, burrowing beneath the earth. The sound was almost painful to my ears. The sound of the birds above me no longer brought any comfort. Each little chirp was head-splitting agony. I groaned from the floor.
"S-Stop it." I coughed.
After what felt like centuries, the sensations dulled. They were all still there. The almost painful virility of it all dulled into manageable levels. Slowly, I was able to handle it all. Each of my senses came back under control.
"What the hell is going on?" Nothing made sense. I couldn't remember how I got here. I didn't even know where here was! Everything around me was wrong. Everything in my head was wrong! With a grimace, my head pointed down at my cracked and torn skin. There wasn't a single piece of clothing on my body. I asked, "Was I drugged?"
It made sense, in my head at least. I've never done any drugs before, never really had a desire to. I always just saw it as a giant waste of time. Both of my parents had beat that idea into me long before I even had the chance to be offered anything...not that anyone ever did. I was never much of a partygoer in my school years.
But this had to be some kind of drug trip right?
It was the only explanation that made any sense. Why was I naked? Where the hell am I? Why was all of reality kicking rocks into my head? It answered all my questions. That explanation would do for now. I didn't have a better one. In the back of my mind, I knew it didn't make sense.
What was the last thing I remember?
For a moment, my mind felt cloudy. Then, it hit me. The memories of the past month came crashing into my consciousness with a vicious cry. I could remember hunting down that white-haired stag. I could remember how it toyed with me when I gave up on it. I could remember how it died. I killed it, and then...
-]-|=|-[-
Well met, hunter.
The words reverberated into my skull. The masculine voice seemed to come from everywhere yet nowhere all at once. The stag stood there, its mouth hung wide open. Its jaw didn't move, simply exposing its gullet to the world. The great beast's dead eyes stared into my own.
"W-What?"
The word left my mouth without a thought. I knew the stag wasn't a normal elk, but this. I didn't even have words for it. I stood there, moonlight peaking over my shoulders, dumbstruck. The great beast didn't seem to care.
You stand before the spirit of the hunt.
None of it made any sense to me. It couldn't. My mind wouldn't let it. I had to be dreaming. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't believe it. My hands trembled. The knife in the right felt heavy.
"I-I killed you. You've got a watermelon-sized hole in your chest!"
The stag didn't show any reaction. What the beast called a face didn't even flinch. It simply stared, its eyes unblinking, mouth wide open. I was freaking out. My heart thundered beneath my ribs. I could feel warm blood drip down my back. Every breath I took hurt.
You did. It was a longer hunt than most, but one finished all the same. Now hunter, I ask of you your name.
When the seemingly undead deer possessed by a spirit asked for my name, I gulped. I could feel something settling in on my shoulders as it watched me. It felt like something was pressing down on me, making the very air feel heavy. Indignant anger built in my chest.
"Y-You. You did all of this!" I shouted. I stuck out a finger at the thing's snout. The knife in my hands felt underwhelming as the great beast ignored my accusation. At that point, I didn't care anymore. My mouth opened spitting, "The fence, the crops, my car. Fucking everything!"
A moment of silence passed between the two of us.
I could feel something perk up in the air. It settled over me like a cloud. I could practically taste it. A low hum came from the white stag. If one was hard of hearing they might have even called it a chortle. I wasn't amused.
Yes and no. Gulibeg played with you then. Indolence dulls the senses, snares the mind. The fox drew you out. He and I are the same and yet entirely different.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" I growled. Each word left my mouth with more pent-up rage. It was practically exploding out of me. Only later would I realize just how much my mouth would cost me.
The same beast, a different coat of fur. The color doesn't change its nature. Together, a greater being. Hircine. Separated we are merely a glimpse. I shall ask again, your name.
The great beast stared me down. None of it made any sense: A hunt, beasts, the fox, Gulibeg, Hircine. I felt the same presence press into me. It was a shard of hot bone eating into my skull. I gasped. My voice came out all on its own.
"Mason." I cried, the sharp pain in my head suddenly disappearing.
I have watched you since the last moon. It is not often a mortal makes prey of one my own and live to tell the tale. You have proven yourself young hunter. Proven yourself over the rest.
It paused. Something pressed into my head again. It burned in my mind, rooting its way through my head like it owned the place. I dropped to my knees, a scream tore its way through my throat. It hurt, good God it hurt. My buck knife clattered to the ground. My muscles tightened, painfully forcing me down.
Yes. I see it now. Everything you've done for this hunt. This quarry shall not be your last. I offer you an accord young hunter. Take up arms in my name. Another beast lies far to the east.
Numbly, I listened. The words filtered into one ear and then out the other.
He proclaims himself as the King of Wolves. He takes on himself that which is mine. Go there, young hunter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me.
Something bubbled in the back of my mind. Vitriol. It sat there. An acidic ember left where this thing had rooted through my head. I couldn't put to words how I felt. How violated I was. It was the only sanctuary of which nothing could enter. Of which I thought nothing could enter. I had never felt anything like it before. There was something so irreversibly, disgustingly wrong with what it had done. Everything over the past few weeks, and this night compounded on each other. I exploded.
"Go fuck yourself, you disembodied freak!" Violently, I stood up. Blood rushed into my ears and face. My face contorted. Teeth bared, I spat. Saliva left my mouth and landed on the great beast's left eye. The thing didn't move, didn't react. I was idiotic. Stupid. If only I'd used what laid between my ears. What I said next didn't do anything to help. Growling, I continued, "I'd sooner stick my dick in a cactus than make any offering to you!"
Finally, I got it all off my chest. How dare it? How dare this spirit, this beast, this bastard? It destroyed my father's crops, half the farm's fence line, a car with three generations of love put into it, and it had the audacity to go rooting around in my head. Angrily, I stomped forward. Pain flared from my chest as I let out a few angry heaves. Wincing, I groped at my torso.
Quietly, I looked back up at the white stag.
For a while, no more words were said. I stood there, staring the beast down. Something started to slowly build its way up into my gut. It was a dizzying feeling. Nervousness. Fear. The reality of my situation was starting to set in. The presence was still there. I'd shocked it silent. I didn't have any idea as to what to expect next. Surely, some type of retribution. Would it kill me? I didn't know. I didn't want to find out either. Putting strength into my legs, I tried to run.
I didn't make it a single step.
The spirit bled over me. It felt like the world was set on my shoulders. It was not a kind affair. This so-called spirit never was kind. It never would be either. It crushed me. An unfathomable power pressed down on me. I was already broken and bleeding; I didn't have it in me to resist. Crying out, I fell to my knees.
Never. Never before have I come across one so brave as to insult the Huntsman. Bravery or simple stupidity? No matter. You are lucky the fox was not your aspect in the end. Gulibeg would've held you to your words. No. I am not so cruel. However, disrespect is not to be forgotten.
Then, something caught my eye.
It dripped down from the moon above. Liquid silver fell from above, like rain. It dripped onto my skin. Steam hissed from my right hand. I screamed, falling to the ground. I landed on my back, fiery pain lancing up from its destroyed skin. It was nothing compared to the broiling fire coming from my hand. I didn't know what was going on. Every signal in my body, every instinct was yelling at me to run away. The spirit wouldn't let me. It held me there, crushed on the ground.
The pain, it felt almost alive. It traveled around my hand, going from finger to finger. It was like a fiery serpent, eating away at my flesh. For a moment, my eyes darted to my fingers. There were no wounds. No blood, no discoloration even. The skin of my hand was completely unblemished. Something jumped, it was alive. Bright silver molded itself over my hand. It ran from digit to digit, bringing nothing but pain with it. Finally, the liquid metal settled on the fourth finger of my hand. It stayed, turning solid.
A wolf stared back up from my hand. Its eyes were wrought with hunger. Pointed ears slid upon my skin. It was a ring, in the shape of a wolf. The mouth of the beast engulfed my finger. Its silver fangs bit into my skin. Blood slowly dripped from my ring finger. It was a dull color. An unsightly black. More fear wracked me. With my other hand, I grasped at the ring. I tried to pull it off. It didn't move, only serving to give me more pain. I screamed in a mixture of fear and agony. Thoughts ran through my head, each of them more and more fleeting.
If your words are like a beast, so you will hunt as one too. I shall have my pelt hunter. Yours or his. There are others who would gladly accept my favor. They will hunt you both. A pelt for a pelt. His own for your sorry hide. Your choice hunter.
Slowly, my eyes drifted up. The moon still hung overhead. The pain disappeared. Everything disappeared. That moon was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
AN: Howdy folks!
I'm going to keep things brief here. I don't want to bloat the word count. Anyway, chapter-wise we didn't get as far as I would've liked to. I have another character I wanted to introduce, but I don't have the time to write it. Maybe tomorrow, we'll see.
If you notice any mistakes in the writing or have any thoughts please put them down below. Especially for Elder Scrolls lore. It has been a while since I've written about it, and I am certainly jumping into the deep end. That's how you have the most fun through right? Anyway...
~ciao