The Fight Against The Thalmor

Chapter 17

AUTHORS NOTE: Several sections of this chapter take place all the same time in different places. You may see numbers at the beginning of a section (111,222, etc), any sections with matching numbers are happening at the same time. Any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism on a better way to do that is greatly welcome.
Chapter Text
                                                                              

Two days later. Six month after the Thalmor incident in Winterhold.

Aratore was in the back of the yard finishing butchering the last bit of the fruits of his hunt. It was quite awkward in his leather armor but he had agreed with the assumptions of his knights that being prepared was a necessary precaution for now.

Mud had happily stayed at his feet as he always does while his master butchered. The opportunity to collect whatever goodies get dropped was too much for any dog to resist. Aratore was quite the clean butcher and decided to reward the dog's patience with a nice femur bone from a deer. He heard Astrid and Vhornyak approaching and grabbed his new prize to happily show off.

Vhornyak grabbed the other end of the large bone and began pulling on it to play with the dog.

"That's my bone. You think you can handle this big bone mutt?" He said playfully to the dog. Mud was now so excited that his bite remained attached the bone as Vhornyak lifted it in the air. The dog wagged his tail in joy as the big orc swing him in a slow circle.

Astrid walked over to Aratore and saw the deer skin hanging at his butchering station .

"Why do you have all these deer hair?" She asked him.

"Winter will be here soon, you'll need a new coat." He answered

"Coats are made out of deer hair?!" She asked as she made a pouty face and her eyes started to swell up.

Aratore was remorseful as he remembered not everyone is hunting and butchering by the time they could walk like he was. He wasn't really sure what to say to calm her nerves.

She wiped her eyes.
"Can my coat be made from the prettiest deer?" She asked

He then smiled and kneeled down to her.
"This deer was the prettiest deer that ever lived."

"You sure?" She asked

"Very sure" he said

"Do we make coats from those bunnies too?" She asked

"No, those are for food."

Her eyes began to swell again.
"Food is made from bunnies?!"

"Damnit." He said under his breath.

Finally, Anaelle and Deena had come back from the markets and Astrid ran over to Anaelle.

"Aratore eats bunnies" she said as she grabbed onto Anaelle's out stretched hand.

"Wait until she founds out what you eat." Vhornyak laughed and said.

Anaelle slapped him in his arm.
"What is wrong with you?"

Thankfully, Mud created a change of topic when he dropped the bone and began to sniff in the air. He then growled and ran through the yard and jumped through the fence posts and darted away.

"What's with him?" Vhornyak asked

"He probably smelled a fox, he's very protective of that chicken coupe." Deena responded

Vhornyak just groaned and everyone walked inside leaving Aratore to finish his butchering.

.......................................................................................................................................................