Keeper of the voice

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The campfire was beginning to splutter now, rather than the healthy crackled it had been no more than thirty minutes ago. It was cold, even by Skyrim standards this night, and fire was life out here in the forested mountains. The ability to create fire with magic was useless without the means with which to keep it burning. The young woman had gathered what dry wood she could find, and was terrified by the thought she was going to have to venture into one of the many caves in the side of the great mountain. A cave may offer shelter from the cold, but it brought with it all new kinds of danger. Bears and wolves would be the least of it, unintentionally stumbling upon a group of bandits was not what she needed right then. A cloud of vapour escaped into the air as she exhaled heavily, longing for the place she had once called home. The place she could never go back to if she wished to keep her family safe. Of course, they were only family in the sense that she had known these people most of her life and loved them dearly, even if they weren't blood kin. Dark hair brushed her shoulders as she looked down at the silver ring that hung on a chain around her neck. She had been close to being married, once. To the king of the guild, no less. He had sworn he would have her head when she had broke it off, the night she had discovered the truth about herself, the night she had left the Thieves Guild behind.

Ruby was slowly beginning to back away, realising she needed to get both herself and her new found 'stray' out of there. "Uh-huh... Well, why don't you go do that, and I'll just... not." She replied.

The man made a grab for the shovel, barely missing it. "I am not about to have my family eaten by some mangy werewolf for an air headed Nordic girl! I will kill her and  you will not stop me!"

Ruby had her sword drawn before either of them could blink. "Then perhaps you should go and look after your family, assuming you actually have one." She hissed. "Loralie! Grab whatever you need and run!"

The man managed to kick the shovel away from Ruby and yanked  a dagger out of  his belt loop. He paid no attention to the fact that there was a rather large wolfish figure in the shadow close by. "Run, girl." He purred at Loralie, though hiss eyes never left Ruby.

Despite what Loralie had assumed, Ruby was indeed no 'warrior', she simply knew how to defend herself if needed. That usually involved slight of hand and deception, which one look at this man told her wouldn't be possible. Killing a few wolves was one thing, taking on a much larger man was something else. "Loralie, do it!" She barked without looking at the other girl, missing the sight of the wolf approaching the blonde and nudging her hand with it's wet nose.

"What's the matter, Imperial? you're not scared, are you?" The man purred, dancing close to her with the dagger held in front of him 

"Rafe?" The little blonde lifted her head and sniffed. For a long moment she stared at the massive dog before she dropped to her knees before him and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much!"

"I knew you were a liar the moment I laid eyes on you." Ruby spat, quickly realising her back had come against the charred wall of the stable now.

The wolf rubbed it's head against the human female for a brief moment before turning away, pausing only to make certain she was following.

"Oh come on now, it can't be that obvious." The man gave her a wicked smile, taking a swipe at her with his dagger. The blade went wide, narrowly missing her midsection. "I don't know why you are trying to defend that girl. She will die for ruining the village and then you will die as well!" He roared, his eyes glittering with hate. "Stand still!" 

"Rafe...I can't...my father...you don't understand..." Despite her protests, Loralie found herself following the large wolf. It was as if she couldn't resist him. "I'm such a monster...I'm so sorry for what I let him do to you...and now look..." She whispered, talking as they headed deeper into the woods.

"Our death's wont bring the village back." Ruby pointed out rather calmly. "The faact you claim to be the only survivor is just as suspicious. Makes me believe you did nothing to protect the villagers. Coward!"

It was only once they were deep in the trees and the sun was high in the sky outside the the wolf stopped. He reached up on his haunches with his front paws against a thick looking tree. The poor creature started heaving and wheezing as though in real pain before suddenly the coarse fur that had covered him started to simply drop off, revealing much more human looking skin beneath it.

"I'm no coward!" The man squealed, sounding more like a stuck pig than any sort of a man. Again he swung his knife, this time the sharp tip catching her on the cheek. "The witch told me if I spill blood she can change what was taken away. She told me if I murder the sacrifice then the werewolves will have no hold on the area. You understand nothing!" 

Loralie didn't know what to do. She couldn't scream and she certainly couldn't run. She pressed herself against the tree opposite the one where Rafe was twisting and changing so painfully. She wanted to touch him, to understand what was happening but she didn't dare.

For a moment Ruby kept her face turned to the side before slowly reaching a gloved hand up to wipe away the blood. "Witches? That's who is behind all this?" She hissed, jade coloured eyes narrowing at the man who had her cornered.

It seemed to take an eternity, but soon the wolf was gone, and in his place was a rather large, dark haired man. A naked man now he had shed his wolf skin. "Never gets any easier..." His gravelly voice wheezed, though he still leaned heavily against the tree.

"They were hired to help the wolf get what he believes belongs to him." The man answered. He wouldn't get to explain more as an arrow slammed into his throat and he stumbled forward and then back, finally falling face first on the ground. 

Loralie immediately covered her eyes, her cheeks flaming brilliantly. "I'm sorry." She stuttered. "I didn't see anything!"

Ruby remained still for a moment, expecting the owner of the arrow to show themselves, when she heard nothing she wiped her cheek once more and tore through the charred remains of the village.

"Didn't see a... oh..." The man chuckled when he realised what she meant. "I do this a lot... five feet to your left, there should be a chest concealed in the leaves." He instructed, though his yellow eyes were still rather hungry as they watched Loralie.

The one who shot the arrow smiled to himself and sat back in the trees. There was no sense in the foolish villager ruining all his fun so early. Besides, things were just getting good. the wolf had just taken his prey. 


[size=32]Loralie turned quickly and opened the chest, staring hard at its contents. she was surprised to see a familiar looking hair ribbon lying on a worn pair of pants. she held the pants put to him, keeping her eyes closed.[/size]

Ruby knew Loralie wasn't her responsibility, but the foolish part of her still wished to know the other woman's fate. She had been running in the direction of Riften, even if she hadn't realised it, until she headed into the trees looking for the missing blonde.

"Can't reach 'em from there, princess." The dark haired man chuckled, rather amused by the poor girl's blushing.

Loralie peeked at him through her lashes, her color deepening further. "Rafe..." She breathed. "I always thought there was more to you than what I could see. your eyes... the way you looked at me..." once he took the pants she turned to fetch a shirt. "It makes what I let my father do to you even worse. I don't blame your king for demanding my death."

"Your father knew." Rafe told Loralie sadly, that was exactly the reason he did what he did. He knew how I..." Rafe stopped himself, not wanting to make Loralie any more uncomfortable than she clearly already was. "You were with someone else, did she hurt you?"

"No...she..." Loralie turned, feeling guilty she'd forgotten Ruby. "She saved me from the wolf that attacked me last night. I owe her my life. I need to go back and make sure she's okay." She didn't wait for him to respond but headed back in the way she'd gone.
 It didn't help that the only thing she found was more hairy men burying the dead and but no Ruby. She was so engrossed in this fact that she missed that the men were bowing to Rafe as he passed them. "Oh...I guess she did what she promised and left." The little blonde sighed deeply, keeping her eyes off the village. Her stomach was churning with deep guilt. She couldn't take it anymore.

Rafe paused, appearing to sniff the air. "She's bleeding..." He murmured. "I smell fresh blood, from a wound, not from burns." He added, nodding to other men as he passed them by. "You don't owe her anything, she has bad blood."

"Why are you doing that?" Loralie stopped one of the men who was reverently laying out bodies near the center of town. "These are not your people. they are mine. This is not your fault. why are you...?" She stopped, choking on the words. "This is my work, sir. I can't ask this of you. I don't know you." It bothered her that Ruby was bleeding, this made it that much worse.

"It's just how it is." Rafe told Loralie sadly. "You can't do this alone, just as you couldn't stop what was meant to be."

"The man that was here...said something about a dragon. Was it what destroyed the village?" Loralie asked, wearily pushing stands of curly cotton colored hair out of her eyes. The northern winds had begun to blow, indicating an early snow. "Why would it want to do that?"

"You still believe those stories?" Rafe asked with an amused grin. "Dragons aren't real, Princess. I remember how much you loved to hear your father talk about them though." The dark haired man turned his head with the wind again, once more picking up the scent of fresh blood.

"Can you help me find, Ruby?" Loralie asked him when she saw him again smelling the air. she remembered him saying he'd sensed blood and  was still worried for the braver of the two of them. "I still owe her for saving my life the least I can do is make sure she's going to be okay."

Rafe seemed somewhat hesitant. "I don't know if that's a good idea..." He breathed. "It's too dangerous for you out there, especially after what happened here." He added. "If she was able to protect you like you claim, I doubt she needs our help."

In the forest Ruby was having somewhat of a hard time. She wasn't a tracker. Sure, she could shadow people unseen, just like any guild member, but finding someone who possibly didn't want to be found? Not exactly what came natural to her.

Loralie frowned deeply and shook her head. "I've already told you, she saved my life. I'm not about to just let that go." She turned away from him and bravely marched into the woods, leaving the other werewolf clansman staring after her. 

Her assassin was still following Ruby. He'd never left her, in fact. He was waiting for his moment. The time was not right. He wasn't sure when it would be however. But he was a patient man. He had no reason not to be.

Rafe could feel them all staring at this woman who dared speak to him this way, though he trailed after her anyway. "And what if she is just returning to whatever it is she was doing before you came along?"

Ruby didn't for a second think that there would be an assassin on her tail. She genuinely believed that she had left the guild on good terms, at least professionally. Personally, she knew the guild leader would never forgive her, no matter how many times she had tried to explain herself.

"Why do you care so much what I do?" Loralie asked him, pausing when she realized she was marching into the dark forest in a torn dress and no shoes. she wouldn't get very far. "I don't even know who you are."

"You're lost." The words came to her on a soft whisper. If Ruby wasn't careful she might very well miss them. "Go home. before it's too late."

"Princess, you know exactly who I am." Rafe replied with a devil may care grin. "Hiding from it wont change the truth of the matter."

Ruby heard the words all too clearly and halted in her tracks. The voice made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, a subconscious reaction to the fight or flight response. Ruby had never been one for running. "To be lost, you must first have a destination." She replied bravely.

"You're a werewolf. But I don't see how or why..." a dark skinned woman stepped forward and threw a cloak over Loralie's shoulders, then knelt to offer her a pair of boots. the little blonde gave her a strange look but accepted the warmth. her father had never given her anything so nice. 

"Then that means no one will be looking for you if you don't show up." came the soft chuckle. "Did anyone even care, my child? by that lonely look in those eyes I'd say no."