White Wolf

Ch. 4

Three weeks into the Companions, and Kina finally decided to go hunting. Aela wanted to join her, but she insisted on going alone. She only took a bow, some steel arrows, and a dagger. She chose this night due to the clear sight, but didn't count on becoming prey.

She stalked the deer, a fairly large creature for the planes, and knocked her arrow. She waited until the beast was perfectly still, aiming for it's lungs, hoping her bow's strength would send the projectile through the organs and into the heart of her prey. Her sight tunneled to her target, where her arrow would strike true: between the 5th and 6th ribs. She pulled the string, feeling the taughtness of the bow as the arrow was pulled back. In the stillness of the night, she fired.

In that moment, her prey was struck down. A perfect kill. Minimal damage to the coat, and it was ended quickly. She smiled, approaching her kill. The woman heard rustling in the grass several yards away, and reached for her dagger. She heard a growl. Not the growl of a wolf or a dog, but something far bigger. Something she wasn't counting on encountering. A sabre cat.

The large predator stalked towards her, baring it's dagger like teeth as it positioned itself to pounce. Kina knew she couldn't take the cat with just a dagger. The course, layered fur was too thick for any significant damage to be done to the skin below. Those claws and teeth would shred her delicate body in a heartbeat. She knew it would chase her down if she ran, so she had to fight.

She crouched, dagger point down and out in front of her. She bared her small human teeth at the cat and growled as well as any human can. The sabre stalked closer, growling loudly at the Nord in response, pouncing. She braced for the impact, but it never came. She heard a vicious battle in front of her, and cracked open an eye. What she saw shocked her.

A  large, darkly colored creature had attacked the cat as it pounced, knocking it to the side. She couldn't see it clearly, but terror rooted her to the spot. Whatever it was finished off the sabre quickly. Once it was finished, it sat up and turned it's long face to look at her. Her blood ran cold. Werewolf. It seemed to look her over, dim amber eyes seemingly glowing in the shadow of its's maroon face, then howled and ran the other way.

She had no idea how long she sat there trying to wrap her head around what in Oblivion just happened. A werewolf that apparently still possessed a human conscience. She'd never heard of such a thing! The books she read all said they went mad after turning! "Well, I guess even scholars can be wrong, right?", she though aloud, getting up. She shouldered the deer, and hobbled with it back to Whiterun.

The walk seemed to take forever, even though she tried to hurry. By the time Kina got to the gate, she was struggling for breath. "Do you need any help with that?", a guard asked. She shook her head and walked inside. "You can be such a stubborn ass sometimes.", came a familiar woman's voice. Kina looked up to see Aela and Vilkas, worried looks on their faces. "You've been gone a while. Did something happen?", he asked. Kina blanched, recalling the sabre cat and werewolf. "Nothing I would like to discuss here." "Let me help you with that.", Aela said, shouldering the front of the deer.

Walking into Jorrvaskr was a bit awkward at first. Kina was tired, and felt she had every right to be so. She stalked that deer for hours, then killed it only to be confronted by a sabre cat, then a werewolf of all things defends her from the cat. Yes. She feels very, very tired indeed. The brunette nearly dropped once the warm air of the mead hall's fire hit her. "Easy, now.", Vilkas said gently, catching her before she fell. Skjor ran over and took the hind half of the carcass, leaving her with the dark haired Nord.

Once down the stairs, Vilkas ushered her to his room for privacy...at the end of the hall. He sat her down, and closed the door. "I've never seen a hunt take this long, and neither have I seen a hunter come back in such a state. What happened?", he started. She laughed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "Try me. There's not much I don't believe, and fewer things I won't look into."

She looked at him, and said, "I was attacked by a sabretooth, and saved by a werewolf." She could see the pieces of the image click together in his head, "I see. That is indeed, strange. Do you think you could describe the werewolf for me?" "Why?" "Werewolves keep certain physical aspects of their human body. Hair color, height and weight are proportionl, etcetera." Kina narrowed her eyes, "How would you know that?" Vilkas sighed, "Look around. I've read about it."

Kina sat in the chair, twiddling her thumbs. Vilkas watched as she tried to remember such aspects. Her furrowed brow and downcast eyes, the way she lightly chewed on her bottom lip, making it swell. The dark haired Nord had to stop his train of thought before it escalated into action.

"I don't know about height and weight, but I think the fur was a dark red-ish, rust-ish color" 'Aela', he thought. "I'll look into it." She smiled, "Thank you. "No problem. Now go to bed, whelp.", he said playfully, ushering her out of his room. Once that was finished, he set out to find the she-wolf.

He found her talking to Skjor....about Kina, no less. He sat on her other side. "Can I help you?", she asked. "Why did you go? I appreciate saving her life, but why did you go?" Aela's face softened, "There's something about her, Vilkas. I want to protect her. Farkas has already told me he feels the same way, and I know you do too." "I want to protect everyone in the hall." "But you feel drawn to her. I've seen it in the way you act around her. You've already fought her twice. Don't tell me you don't feel something."

Vilkas nodded in agreement. He knew he felt something, but he didn't know what it was. He felt more natural around her. That was all he could say for certain, well....maybe a minor infatuation. "More naturally, maybe." She smiled at him. Skjor cut in, "So, you finally admit something." "Gods dammit, don't start that with me tonight."