The Elder's Scrolls

A Bandit's Night

"Get up, cat!"

Pale blue eyes opened to mere slits. The Khajiit hissed, raising her paws to shield her eyes from the flickering light of the torch suspended above her.

"Come on, up and at 'em. Boss wants to see you." The torch was pulled back from the cat's face, giving her sensitive eyes free rein to open completely.

"You up, cat?"

The Khajiit blinked in the pale light the torch provided. The pale blue orbs shifted to the door- less doorway, where the world outside was still dark and the sky still full of glittering stars.

"By Masser and Secunda, what do you want with this one?" The Kahjiit finally spoke. Her voice, though usually soft and smooth, was raspy and scathing.

The giant Nord laughed. It was a loud, bellowing noise, which was sure to wake the others, but, to no one's surprise, they remained fast asleep.

"Boss wants to see you. Dunno why, he just said send in the cat. And you're the only cat we got."

"This one doesn't see why he couldn't wait until morning," the she-cat hissed, sitting up from her bedroll. She didn't even bother to try and cover herself from the cold. Her fur had grown thicker than most Khajiit's.

The Nord grunted. "Dunno. Probably because you always disappear at the break of dawn and only return when you've captured at least three deer."

The Khajiit chuckled under her breath. "This one thinks ... you have a good point."

"Of course. Now get up, cat, we've wasted enough time. Boss'll have my skin if you aren't up there within five minutes."

"I have a name, you know. It's Seby." She said as she began to dress.

"Well, you should already know I'm known as Tonk. But names aren't important when you're a bandit. Just how much gold you bring in."

Seby finished strapping on her bracers and reached for her bow. "What'd you think Boss'll have me do? Go clear out our rivals' hideout? Or maybe there's been a dragon sighting nearby!"

Tonk shook his head. "How old're you, cat?"

"I've been alive for sixteen seasons. If my mother was still alive, I'd have gotten my Moon Amulet long ago."

The burly Nord snorted. "You've yet to see true death, cat. It'd change your attitude towards the life of a bandit. You'll see. Now move. Get on up there; I imagine Boss is livid by now!"

***

"You wanted to see me, Boss?"

A tall, pale figure stood at the far end of the cabin. A single cone - shaped candle held a flame in the far corner of the square room, giving it a soft, comforting glow.

It seemingly took an eternity for the bandit chief to reply, and when he did, his voice was chilling.

"Yes. I did."

The lilt of his voice was nothing like the rest of the bandits; the chief's voice had an accent. Each word came out somewhat of a squeak, with an upward ending. It was, unmistakably the accent of an Altmer.

"I'm going to skip the chitchat and get right down to business, as we are losing time. This is a basic order, Khajiit, and you'd be foolish to mess it up."

"Yes, sir," Seby murmured.

The bandit chief turned to face the Khajiit, throwing his shadowed features into relief. His pasty golden yellow skin was in very sharp contrast to his jet black hair, and an even more contrast with his bright green eyes.

"I've gotten word of another Khajiit entering Skyrim, a male." The Altmer paused to run a hand through his black mane of hair. "I've been thinking of recruiting him. I hear he's heading towards Whiterun, from Windhelm, which means he'll pass right by Valthiem Towers. I'll have to set someone up outside to catch him, no problem ..." his voice trailed off as his thoughts gathered in his mind.

"Anyways," he snapped suddenly, whirling back around to face Seby. "I need you to take a ... hiatus. I'd suggest you go to Falkreath; the entire Hold is teeming with wildlife. I know how much you enjoy hunting."

"But Boss!" Seby frowned, her ears half- flattened to her skull. "Who'll provide dinner while I'm gone? You know I'm the only one who can hunt."

"I've thought that over, Seby, trust me. We have some fruit and vegetables in the barrels in the first tower; we'll survive off of that until I can get the new cat tamed. Gods know how wild male Khajiit can get around female Khajiit."

Seby gave a muffled squeal. She most definitely did not like the prospect of leaving the only family she's had since her fourth season alive. But she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Boss's orders weren't to be ignored or exploited in any way.

"Since you won't be a Valthiem bandit from now 'til up to a year from now, you are no longer to call me 'Boss'. If you are to become a civilized Khajiit, you need to know me as a brutal bandit, not a friendly face." The bandit chief had begun to pace, but, upon completing his sentence, stopped.

"And, if we're to ever meet in the world of Skyrim as rivals, my name is Sansiil."