White Wolf

Ch. 8

Later that night, they were awoken by Kodlak. "Mnmmn...." "What time is it?" "You three have a visitor." That snapped her out of her sleep. "Excuse me?", she asked, trying to untangle Vilkas from her. Realization dawned on her: three days. "Vilkas, wake up." He groaned and stretched, then settled back down. Kina sighed, and proceeded to punch the shit out of his arm. "Ow! Kina! What in Oblivion was that for?" She cut her eyes up to Kodlak, who was trying to hide the smile on his face. Vilkas turned to look over his shoulder at the elder. "He's in the Underforge.", Kodlak said, turning to go to Farkas's room. They heard a "Yeah yeah, I know." from Farkas.

Since they knew what the Daedra wanted, they didn't bother to dress in armor, but opted for their cotton clothes. Stepping outside at night was a terrible idea at first, but they were thankful when the stone door to the Underforge closed behind them, cutting off Skyrim's wind. Inside, they noticed a man dressed in fur armor wearing a dear skull mask. Hircine.

"Kina! Look at how you've grown! Last time I saw you in this realm, you were a mere babe!" 'He sounds happy to see me.' "Have you made up your mind?", he asked. Vilkas nodded, "I'd rather not be trapped in a soul gem for eternity." "I take it you are all in agreement. Then let's begin." He took off his mask to reveal a Nord with long, snow white hair and bright, golden eyes. "Step forward." Vilkas obeyed, and approached the Huntsman. "You have treated my daughter well, and kept her from falling to their curse. For this, I thank you, and grant you this gift in addition to your birthright."

As he said that, he slid a blade into his open, face up palm, and offered it to the Nord in front of him. Vilkas didn't hesitate when accepting the offered blood, but he did grimace afterward. Hircine chuckled at the expression while waiting for the man to calm down before the next part. "And now, I gift you your birthright.", he said, tilting Vilkas's head to the side a little. He moved the shirt enough to reveal his collarbone, and bit down on the muscle that connected his neck and shoulders.

Vilkas gasped in pain, and fell to the ground. Hircine looked genuinely pained by this. "The curse is battling with his blood. Give him time to cleanse his soul, and he should be fine. Farkas. Step forward." The other twin approached nervously, glancing at his floored brother. "I now gift you your birthright.", Hircine said, tilting Farkas's head back just like he did Vilkas. He bit in the same place, and Farkas had a similar reaction. He was brought to his knees by the pain, but managed to curl around his brother before completely succumbing.

"What happens now?", Kina asked. "Now we wait. They need time to cleanse their souls, so they'll be here for a while. A few hours at least. I need to get back to the Hunting Grounds, but I'll be able to keep a check on their progress depending on how well I can see them." "Riiiight.....creeper is creepy. Gotcha.", Kina retorted.

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He was running through the underbrush. It was foggy, severely limiting his visibility, but he kept running. He had to. He had to escape the thing behind him. He heard it crashing after him, and saw it's silhouette land in front of him. He backed away. It stalked closer, baring crystalline teeth and claws, dim amber eyes seemingly glowing.

"How in Oblivion am I going to beat this thing?", he thought to himself. He couldn't let the crystal wolf reclaim him, under any circumstances. He thought of Kina. Of his brother. His family. Friends. He had to stay for them. For himself. His soul was on the line, and he was willing to fight for it, dammit!

He snarled at the crystalline beast, and crouched. He bared his teeth, and had his elongating claws ready to strike. He felt himself grow and stretch, not bones snapping in and out of place. He felt adrenaline flood his system, making him more powerful while cancelling out the pain. He roared at the false beast, watching it shrink away in fear. He was bigger, faster and stronger, and he knew it.