Saahni Kishvi, the tale of a khajiit

Chapter 4

Sorry bout the cliffhanger :/ but it was necessary!

      Everything is dark, no I have a cloth on my face. Am I dead? I still hurt so I don't think so.

     I go to stand up and I hear an elfish accent, "don't stand up too fast, might get sick or start bleeding again." I just remove the cloth and look around, where am I? the elf is a wood elf. They are from Valenwood?

     "I am Saahni Kishvi, where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?" the place I am looks like a hut that was thrown together. The ceiling has gaps and so do the walls which are adorned with all sorts of herbs.

     "You are at the border of Skyrim and Morrowind. I am Rael (ray-el) Willowrock (will-oh-rock) and I was visiting a friend in Riverwood when I noticed your uh, misfortune. So I took it upon myself to get you healed enough to bring you here. My home was destroyed in Valenwood so I live here, I like it here in fact. I get to live in the woods with streams and I do enjoy it."

     "What of Ralof?"

     "Faendal took care of the situation. The time has come for you to eat up! And then you must rest."

     "Are you discriminated against too? An elf in Skyrim?" I venture.

     A shadow passes over his eyes, "Of course, but many know of me so they don't bother me too much. In fact, I'm surprised you don't know me! I'm known all throughout Tamriel! But I don't want to talk about the past, now eat up!"

     I take the bowl of soup (vegetable maybe?) and I gobble it down. Good thing Rael has seconds for me. I took my time with the second bowl wondering about him. He seemed nice but the way he said he was known throughout Tamriel made me want to question. But I didn't for I did unforgivable things that I wouldn't want to bring up either. Especially not with a stranger. He did save my life so I will wait til I know him better.

    I finish eating and lay down to sleep. Sleep is a strange thing, and it eludes me. I look through the cracks in the ceiling and it is dark. I hear Rael go to sleep so I pull back the blankets and walk outside to a stream and remember I left my armor in Riverwood by the stream. I just strip myself of my bandages and torn undercloth and ease into the stream, I kept my dagger to kill any fish or slaughterfish I might find. The sounds of owls and wolves are relaxing, I look at my fur floating in the water, a black panther my ma called me, dark as night, beautiful, sleek and sly. I ran from them, too many memories they brought.

     I shove those thoughts away as I get out, I shake off my fur and decide to go hunt something. I get on all fours and I listen, I hear a rabbits heartbeat thumping away about a few yards to my right, I hear a fox trot about farther away to my left. Rabbit's easier to catch so I stalk it on my haunches, when I'm ready to pounce I hear someone, "Always killing rabbits, never learned to kill anything else". It has a khajiit accent, a familiar one. I sit and scan the area, Rael is still asleep and I don't see anyone around.

     I turn back to the rabbit and a hiss emanates from behind me, I slowly turn and again, no one, I might be going crazy. I pounce on the rabbit and with a bite to the neck it's dead.

     "Look at you Saahni, you don't even know where you are, what your purpose of being here is, do you trust this elf? I think you need to remember what we taught you." the voice switches to a Nordic female accent, "I wish you would come home Saahni dear, stop being afraid, we love you " then the lady shrieks.

     "MA?!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!!" I hear the chuckling of a nord man, "thought your mother could escape me?!" the male khajiit, "leave my wife alone, leave my daughter alone!"

     I grip my head, squeezing my claws into it hoping it will drive them out, I'm done with ma and pa, I don't know the other man "JUST LEAVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I howl, tears streaking my face. I feel someone grab me, trying to comfort me, I slash at them, "STOP TALKING!!!!!! i'm done, please, just go..." by this time I'm quaking and the person has me in their lap rocking me and humming an old elven tune.

     "Shhhhh, it's okay, they aren't here, you're fine, shhhh." Rael is holding me. I sob into his homemade shirt. I finally noticed the scratch across his face, I hold his cheek in my hand.

     "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I mutter, he just kind of chuckles. We lay there long enough for me to slip off to sleep.