Dragonborn: Chapter X

Dragonborn
Chapter X:
A Close Call


A dense fog began to take up residency in the quiet, Nord village of Riverwood. The mist limited the visibility of the sun, so naturally the townsfolk retreated indoors for the evening. The village was still until the very last bit of moonlight, protruding from the thickness of the fog, had given up and disappeared into the night.

The Dragonborn was the first soul to break the veil of mist. She limped across the bridge slowly, taking each step carefully. Mackenzie was badly injured during her journey given by the Greybeards. She stopped abruptly upon hearing a twig break in the distance. The Dragonborn snapped her head in the direction of the noise. She thought she saw something move over by Hod’s mill, but the fog was too thick to know for sure.

The smell of prey lingered beneath the nose of the feral beast that stalked quietly in the shadows, observing Mackenzie. The forests near Riverwood always seemed to be teeming with wildlife, but this creature had his eyes on a much easier prize. The sight of the injured Dragonborn made the beast very happy, he knew he wouldn't have to work hard for his meal.

The savage wolf of a man hid behind a tree as he watched the young woman limp towards the Sleeping Giant Inn, her left hand tightly grasping her side. She was in serious need of a healer and wouldn’t put up much of a struggle. The Dragonborn stopped abruptly and leaned her body against the covered walkway the guards used to patrol the village. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any guards patrolling the village tonight.

Taking slow and carefully thought out steps, the afflicted man crept towards the Dragonborn. His eyes were filled with bloodlust and his mouth dripped with salivation. He couldn’t wait to sink his wolfish teeth into Mackenzie’s tender flesh.

Completely unaware of what was happening, Mackenzie continued to take her time walking to the Inn. She had no idea that the man stalking her, was nearly on top of her position. She heard a noise just a few feet behind her. She couldn’t tell what it was, perhaps just the howling of the wind. Either way, she felt uneasy and decided to make a quick break towards The Sleeping Giant’s porch.

Mackenzie mustered every ounce of strength her body could expend and dashed toward the inn. She didn’t waste any time trying to look back and see if she was being pursued. Her whole body felt tight with fear as she moved as fast as ones legs could carry them.  As soon as her boots clicked off of the wooden steps, she slowed down. Her body ached worse than it had before. She took a deep breath before instantly lifting her head at the sound of another twig snapping nearby. Without pause, she reached for the handle of the inn door and entered with no hesitation.

Once the young woman had closed the door behind her, she let out a sigh of relief and hobbled over to the bar at the far end of the room. She pulled out a stool and sat on top of it, beckoning for Delphine, the innkeeper, to come over to her.

“Back already, eh?” Delphine asked, setting a tankard on the counter and filling it with mead. “This one is on the house. You look like you need it.”

Mackenzie huffed and pulled loose the ties of her cloak. She slid the garment off of her shoulders and placed it on the stool beside her. She opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but no words came out. The Dragonborn wanted to warn Delphine about the unease she felt outside but thought it best not to start a panic. The walls of the inn seemed strong enough to keep unwanted visitors out.

The inn was nice and warm and it gave Mackenzie a much needed opportunity at rest. She had almost forgotten about her injuries until the innkeeper pointed them out. “Those wounds are starting to fester, why don’t you head up to Whiterun in the morning and get them tended to by a priestess?”

The Dragonborn sullenly looked down and noticed just how beat down her body was. “I have to get back to Ivarstead as soon as possible. Might you have a healing potion for purchase?” She asked.

Delphine turned and looked through her stocks. She pulled a poultice from a wooden chest and made her way back over the fair-haired Nord sitting at the counter. “‘Fraid not darling.” She said as she handed the poultice over to Mackenzie. “But if you use this salve on your wounds, it should keep any infections at bay. I’ll cook you up a hardy meal to help you regain your strength until you can see a healer.”

Mackenzie thanked Delphine for her hospitality. “Is there any chance I could rent the attic room for tonight? I’m supposed to meet with someone in private.”

Delphine looked at the woman in front of her curiously. “Attic room, eh? We don’t have an attic room but you can have the room on the left, let me show you.” With that said, she ushered Mackenzie into the room and shut the door behind her.

“So you’re the Dragonborn I’ve been hearing so much about.” Delphine accused.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes and sat down in the chair that was taking residency in the corner of the room. “Why is everyone so obsessed with ‘the Dragonborn’?” She asked, desperately wanting to know why she was so important.

“I think you’re looking for this.” Delphine responded. “We need to talk.”

Meanwhile outside of the Sleeping Giant Inn, the beast was still stalking the town of Riverwood. After roaming around for hours, looking for an easy meal, he decided to turn his attention back to the injured woman he was after before. The rogue wolf had located her room in the inn by chance. A dim light in the distance caught his attention, when the man crept over to investigate he overheard the Dragonborn and the innkeeper talking.

The ravenous beast laid low beneath Mackenzie's window, waiting for his opportunity to strike. The cool night hair ghosted over his back and caused the fur to stand on end. He peeked over the windowsill and carefully watched his prey as she undressed from her armor and climbed into bed. His animalistic hunger panged deep within his gut, he could not wait any longer.

A quick rustle of bushes caused the creature to turn his head towards the noise to investigate. He raised his noise to the clouds and sniffed the air furiously. The werewolf was not alone anymore. He recognized the smell of one of his own and stood up straight in a display of dominance. This was his prize and no scavenger beast was going to take that away from him.

The smell became more pungent as his fellow wolf crept closer. The creature was sideswiped by surprise and flung backwards into the fog. A sharp yelp unwillingly escape from his throat as his body landed up against a tree. Moments passed as he laid on the cool, moist ground. A sound in the distance caused him to jump quickly to his feet. He pointed his nose to the sky once more in an attempt to pinpoint his attacker’s location. The mist plaguing Riverwood had become too thick for even this nocturnal beast to see.

Taking a step forward, the wolf scanned its surroundings to the best of his ability. His attacker had disappeared into the abyss of cloud cover and darkness. Just as the beast was about to return to his position beneath Mackenzie's window, he was bludgeoned again. However, this time his enemy had not retreated back into the unknown.

The wolf regained his composure and finally rested his eyes on his attacker. He knew this man, a Companion he was. The beast was once one himself but was exiled when his body count began to grow startlingly fast. Banished to hide from the warriors of Jorrvaskr for the rest of his life. The beast saw this opportunity as a chance at revenge. He quickly lunged at the Companion beast and sank his wolfish teeth into the man’s neck.

The Companion let out a low, territorial growl and tackled the other beast to ground. The two of them fought back and forth trying to gain the upper hand. The rogue beast searched around for a rock or something heavy to use to his advantage. His clawed hands scoured the earth’s surface in desperation, the beast yearned for the rough feeling of stone against the pads of his fingertips.

He found it.

The creature took in a deep breath and overpowered the Companion. He raised the stone from the earth and bashed it against the side of his attackers head. He continued to hit the other wolf until a thick crimson liquid began to trickle out. The Companion’s vision became blurred and then slowly faded away as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

xxxxxxx

When he awoke, Vilkas was chasing prey through the wooded area southwest of the city. It wasn't his favorite spot to hunt in the slightest, but it was the closest to home and most accessible in the daylight. There were no cliffs he could fall off of or mountains to block his path, and much to his pleasure, they weren't full of people.

He was coming up on his prey fast, a deer, just shy of the tree line. Quickly, the deer rushed into the open field by the western watch tower only to be struck with a blast of fire. The situation was not new to him. A feeling of déjà vu overcame his mind, he had certainly lived this before.
Vilkas hung back momentarily while he transformed back into his human appearance. Hiding behind a rock, he peered out towards the tower. A bronzed dragon flew overhead, causing the tree limbs to sway back and forth. Vilkas ducked to avoid exposure as the dragon pulled the attention of the guardsmen towards his position.

After Vilkas heard the dragon land, he peeked around the side of the rock and watched the action unfold before him. A few moments passed before he saw a familiar looking woman, Mackenzie. This time her glowing blonde hair was singed and her arms were covered in fresh burn wounds. Her injuries didn't seem to slow her down as she leapt on top of the ferocious beast and placed her sword in its skull cavity.

The Dragonborn gave her sword a swift twist before removing it and jumping down from the dragon. Vilkas watched as she took a few steps back and wiped sweat from her brow. A magical wave of fire erupted from the dragon’s core and enveloped its whole carcass, burning away everything but bone. Then, a white beam of light danced its way over to the Dragonborn, encompassing her.

Vilkas turned away and leaned against the backside of the rock. "What have I just witnessed?" He spoke softly to himself. He spun around with force when he heard and earth shattering noise.
Turning his attention back to the Dragonborn, he saw a guard fly backwards into the field. He heard the other guards call out to her. “The Thu’um!” They shouted one after another. Vilkas heard of the legends about the Thu’um and the Dragonborn but had never seen it for himself. Needless to say, the warrior was impressed by the display.

Vilkas moved away from the western watch tower, being mindful to not be seen. It’s not that travelers in the plains were a rarity, but naked men sure were. Upon feeling the call of Hircine, The Companions prefer to strip down instead of having their armor torn to bits by the transformation into beast. It’s less costly that way. Vilkas needed to get back to his arms and armor before he was spotted by guards or worse, the Dragonborn.

He had tucked them into the center of a tree trunk that rotted out from the damp winter weather. Vilkas stepped in to his underclothes and pulled his cuirass over his head, sliding his arms into the holes as they passed. He picked up a boot and shook it out, making sure spiders hadn’t made a new home in them. As he was pulling it on to his foot, he heard a shout in the distance. “Oi! Behind you!” The strange voice called in Vilkas’ direction.

‘This isn’t right’. He thought to himself. ‘This isn’t supposed to happen!’ Vilkas turned around, as he had not remembered being called out to before. All he saw was a furry figure overtake him before his vision faded, and then finally, it turned to darkness.

This time when Vilkas awoke, he laid beneath a tree sore and battered. He sat up slowly, grimacing through the pain. Letting out a low growl as he brought a hand to his head, the blood from his wound was dry and matted in his hair. Suddenly, he remembered why he was there. Vilkas ran back to his armor, his speed competing with the rising of the sun. He mustn’t be seen.

Going through the motions of last night, Vilkas quickly picked up his gear and hid behind the Sleeping Giant Inn. Mackenzie’s window was still intact. ‘Was she still alive?’ Vilkas asked himself. He got his answer rather quickly, as he heard Mackenzie’s voice echo through the inn. “Thank you for the salve and dinner, Delphine.” He heard her say.

Vilkas waited patiently for her to exit the building and carry on with her journey.  Once he had her in view, he made a promise to himself that he would not let her out of his sight until he knew for sure that the wolf who caught her scent – was dead.