The World-Eater's Eyrie

A Promise To Fight

When Ullr finally arrived Cerise had just finished her last strokes along Bruse's slicked fur. The onyx coat of the wolfdog was glossy and soft by that time and Cerise rose to greet Ullr at her arrival.

Ullr glanced up as Cerise returned her morning greeting, taking note of the fact that she had. It wasn't the first time she'd done so (aloofness to that extent was unimaginable for the orcish halfling), but, as the huntress was always selective in her responses, it only ever occurred when she was in a good mood. Ullr still hadn't learned to spot the signs of that legend, however.

As she moved closer, Bror nickered quietly at her, happy to see the halfling after her long absence. It made the girl smile. She ran light fingers down his snout, stroking along the small white spot near the top of his muzzle as the two shared a whispered conversation – well, a rather one-sided one.

Ullr spoke of her fighting skills and Cerise managed a grunt in response, but her steely eyes sparkled with a hidden respect for Ullr's ambition to learn to fend for herself.

"I think we can manage that." Her words were not grisly or callous, they were soft and light. Perhaps the night of ale did the huntress well or maybe the fact that she would soon see her family lightened her tongue, but she nodded to Ullr lightly.

There was silence as always as they readied their horse and packed their saddlebags. The orsimer halfling left for a moment to refill her waterskin and returned shortly, after which both travelers were ready to depart. Small stops were made to replenish supplies and other important things, but the pair were soon underway. They mounted in a few beats of silence and as Cerise led the group to the road she seemed to be in the best mood she had so far. The horses were led in the direction of the road they had come from, as the group was backtracking to make easier their journey to Falkreath. Ullr noticed this and took note of important landmarks in case she ever had the need to return on her own.

The halfling and the huntress rode easily and without hurry – there was still time to spare at the moment, thankfully. Time enough to train and prepare for the bigger plan at hand. In the silence, the orsimer wondered what Cerise's family was like. She imagined that they were just as scary and stoic as the nord herself, which made her question if she could handle more than one person like her current travel companion. The thought brought a slight grimace to her features as she cast a small glance in the other woman's direction. One she hoped the huntress missed.

As Bror flicked a curious ear at his rider's distress, the girl's wandering thoughts were reigned in at the sound of Cerise's voice and Ullr was brought back to the present.

"There is a few things you will need to learn first. You're going to need to be strong to wield a weapon, so lots of meat in your meals. It will help with your muscle development. You also need to find what weapon will suit you best. Battleaxes are deadly, but it is all in the strokes you throw that make them so. They aren't fit to pierce armor like a sword will so they are reliant on hitting exposed areas to land a decent blow.

"You have a knife, but knives are only good if you are quiet enough to reach the enemy without being seen or heard. You're an orsimer; your blood isn't known for their quietness." Cerise's words were informative and the Nord woman rode peacefully beside Ullr rather than ahead of her. The girl nodded softly at everything the other mentioned, picking up on their familiarity.

"My father tried to teach me when I was younger," Ullr admitted with a smile, reminiscent of the time, "but I could never quite get it right. I was simply inept, supposedly, so I'm not quite sure what weapon suits me. We only ever tried axes and longswords if that makes any difference."

Ullr found she quite enjoyed the lack of tension between them – the huntress seemed more at peace than usual that day, which in turn relaxed her orcish companion. It was nicer, less jagged side of herself the Nord had decided to show, and the younger woman soaked it up while opportunity presented itself.

Cerise guided the party into a trot. It was a steady, relaxed pace that kept upbeat with her words. "We will set up camp earlier on our travels. Sunset should give us enough time to eat, set camp, and then practice. We'll make a warrior out of you yet."