The morning light shone down among a patch of clouds. Hasir opened his eyes, yawned and rubbed the sleep out of them. He got
out of his furs and went up the stairs. He saw Iskenaaz talking to Aela, they were seated next to each other talking animatedly
about the task ahead. A loud 'thump' of Hasir's tail on the wood alerted them to his presence. They turned towards him, Iskenaaz
invited him to sit down. He had already pulled up a chair for Hasir sit down in.
Seconds later, Aela turned her head and smiled.
"Hasir, I did not expect you to be up this early. The moon is still up, you, my friend, should be asleep." She then leaned closer to
Hasir, "Why, then, are you here?"
Hasir opened his mouth and shut it again Why was he on the porch exactly? After much thought he finally came up with the reason.
"Aela, I was wondering if you could teach Rakel and I how to track animals." He looked at the chair Iskenaaz was sitting in with a
furrowed brow, "why is he here?"
Aela scoffed at Hasir and berated him for hise rude behavior.
"That was rude. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?" As she said this, she leaned forward with her hands on her
thighs, looking at Hasir as if he was no more than a pup.
Hasir's promptly shook his head.
"No I didn't. I was just wondering what he is doing here." He said with aa snarl. How dare the impudent red head suggest such a
thing He mumbled under his breath and he sat back down.
Aela looked back at Iskenaaz.
"Forgive me for my brashness earlier. Erm, he is here because we," gesturing from herself to the argonian sitting next to her, "are
here to help with the task that is set before you."
The argonian said he didn't follow. He chewed on Aela's words for a bit like a wolf would a particularly mouth-watering piece of meat.
After two seconds of him mulling this thought over in his mind, he finally spoke.
He turned to Iskenaaz.
"Iss thiss true? How are you going to help me along with my friends find, kill and bring an ice wolf back to the underforge?"
Iskenaaz put his hands in front of his face.
"Patience Hasir, all will become clear in time, now we must be off if we are to get to the mountain before the sun sets." He, Aela, and
Hasir all abandoned their chairs and walked down the wide stone steps to the training yard. Iskenaaz motioned for the rest of the
travelers, who were sitting on rocks or practicing their archery on the training dummies walked over to where Iskenaaz, Hasir and
Aela stood.
Meanwhile, two shadowy figures watched from the bushes; their eyes emitting an eerie glow as they waiting for the proper moment
to strike
Farkas and Vilkas found the opportune time and leapt out of the shadows, raising their swords and preparing to strike Aela and
Hasir. The argonian and nord reacted in kind. Hasir drew his Akavik katana to block Vilkas' attack while Aela had Farkas pinned to the
floor with a drawn bow and arrow aimed at his throat. Hasir fought Farkas, whose good footwork outmatched his own as he was
constantly tripping over his trail trying to get into position to try and best the strong nord.
The argonian finally managed to flip the nord onto his backside with his sword aimed at Farkas' throat just as Aela had done with her
prey. Aela and Hasir both helped their victims to their feet.
Aela looked sternly at Farkas while he unsuccessfully tried to manuver the sword away from his throat.
"So, icebrain. Mind telling me why you and you brother over there," She pointed at his brother with the tip of an arrow she had just
pulled out and was about to nock on her bow, "are doing here and why you tried to sneak attack us?"
Farkas took a deep breath.
"Look, sis, we were just trying to have some fuN. We also overheard a group of silver hands mean to ambush you on the way to the
throat of the world and three, we also heard stories of a pack of rogue werewolves living in that region. They are lead by Darkclaw, a
fiercesome beast with razor sharp claws and teeth to matching. We have been tracing these Shadow wolves for days."
Aela looked at her brother intrigued.
"So that's why you weren't present at last night's service? you were looking for rogue werewolves," Her look of intrigue turned to
one of rage as she advanced on Farkas, prodding him with her arrow with every word she spoke. You two should have had a shield
sibling with you."
Farkas did his best to dodge the arrow's sharp tip.
"Aela, I am sorry about not having a shield sibling," He sighed, "but, well, those werewolves were like family to us."
Aela narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean 'like family'? I thought the companions were your family?"
Farkas shook his head,
"Well, technically you are my second family, Vilkas and I were orphans that were found in the snow by a pack of shadow wolves.
Darkclaw, he took us in and raised us as his own, even though we were human and he was a wolf. He taught us how to use our wolf
forms to hunt our prey in a variety of different ways. He was lke a father to us." He sighed, "Sadly that all changed when Adrian
came into the picture."
Ceralyne gasped.
"Hopefully he did not harm them because Hircine help me if he did."
Farkas turned to the high elf.
"Eelax, elf, your brother did not hurt them, however, he did convince them to join him in wiping out all lycanthropes."
Hasir crutched over to see what they were talking about. Farkas turned and let out a yell complete will putting his hand over his
heart.
"For the love of Hircine, don't do that."
Hasir said he was sorry and that he could be as silent as the grave when he wants to be. He looked up at the sky and guessed it
was around eleven in the morning, judging from the sun's position in the sky.
"Well, time to take my medicine." He said with a smug look on his face which quickly turned to him sticking his tongue out and
making a gaging noise. The argonian set his pack down onn the ground amongst the rocks and pulled out two vials that were three
quarters full with a sickly looking red liquid. He toasted the Companions, "may our victory tastes sweeter that this awful pile of
kwama dung," He said and then added "The juniper berries were rather tasty." After saying this, he handed a vial to Ceralyne and
they drained the potion in four gulps.
The argonian and the elf felt a strange sensation traveled down their throats directly to the injured area of their bodies. There was
still pain, but it had lessened significantly due to Arcadia's briilliant potion making. Hasir surmized that, at this rate, if they kept
taking the potion once in the morning and once at night, their legs would be healing in no time.
Hasir knelt down and, putting the bag back on his shoulder, stood up, he walked over to Farkas.
"Farkass, I want to assk you ssomething. Who are the shadow wolves? Will they possses a threat to uss asss we complete our
tassk?" He asked.
The twins were about to answer, but they noticed an irregularity in the argonian's speech pattern. They asked Hasir about it. In
response, Hasir turned his back to them and muttered something about not being able to hide it and he was angry at himself for
exposing his 'secret shame' to them so early. Farkas and Vilkas watched wide eyed in wonder as Hasir balled up his fists so tightly
that blood began dripping from him closed fists. It cascaded down to the ground; looking like little crimson raindrops. The drops
pooled at the bottom, marring the section of ground with sanguine liquid.
Hasir sighed and mumbled to himself.
"I often hiss\ when I am unsure of things ahead or am scared, I'm sorry you had to see that." He sad, mournfully.
Farkas cupped his hand around his ear.
"Sorry I didn't catch that, can you speak up." He asked, mockingly
Hasir eyes became fiery red as he wheeled around aand grabbed Farkas by the collar, pulling out his dagger, he yelled.
"Just leave me alone ok? I have alot of shit to deal with without you assholes breathing hot air down my scales!"
He forcefully let go out the nord's wolf armor collar. Both he and his brother backed away from him and sat on a rock that jutted out
of the underforge. Steaming, he headed for the stone door that led to the underforge. Sensing something was wrong, Aela and
Rakel got up from their chairs and ran to the underforge door, effectively blocking Hasir from entering.
Hasir's face screwed up with rage and he forcefully placed his hands on Aela and Rakel and tried to muscle his way through to the
stone door. Both nords held their ground. Rakel tried to reason with Hasir, but she went too far without realizing it. In a fit of rage,
the enraged argonian threw her to the side, causing her to fly through the air only to smash her head on a rock. Vilkas and Farkas
looked from the unconscious Rakel, a huge gash in her skull, to Hasir and shook their heads.
Hasir was still trying to force Aela to move but she stood her ground. The stubborn she-wolf drew her bow and narrowed her eyes.
"Hasir, back off...now or else I will shoot and trust me when I shoot, I never miss." She snarled at him. Hasir's grip of her side
lessened, but he did not give up yet.
Aela sighed and shook her head.
"Then you give me no choice." Aela shot the arrow through his right wrist; shattering a few bones as it as it went.
Hasir grabbed his broken wrist and spat.
"You stupid bitch. I was just going to gain counsel from Hircine for ways to balance my emotions, FUCK YOU!" He said through
gritted teeth and disappeared into the chapel.
Aela looked dumbfounded. She had absolutely no intention of injuring Hasir since he had that one injury he sustained from the
silverhand in the cave. She slackened her grip on her bow and it feel to the ground with a clattering noise. She went over and looked
down at the pitiful form of Rakel; lying their in her comatose state.
Aela looked at her adopted brothers.
"You jackals started this, now we are all in deep shit because of one stubborn reptile. Help me lift her so we can get her to the
temple," She turned to them and saw that they had not moved, "What are you waiting for, shift yorselves, dungheads."
Farkas called out to her.
"No way. How was it our fault? We didn't cause Rakel to become a human wrecking ball." both he and Vilkkas roared with laughter.
Aela growled at them and lifted the body onto her shoulders and began the trek to the temple of Kynareth.
Once he stepped over the thresholld, Hasir blaned the scenery and walked to the altar, knelt down and folded his hands.
"Wolflord, I require your help as I have no idea what is wrong with me, why my emotions seem all over the place."
Nothing happened for a long time, then, a voice echoed around the cavern.
"My hound....Why have you summoned me?" The voiced sounded like it had just woken up from a nap.
Hasir raised his head so that he was looking att the wolfhead directly in the center of the altar.
"My lord, how do I gain control of my emotions? Please tell me." Hasir pleaded.
The wolf skull's eyes glowed a brilliant silver and a voice that sounded like it shaloowed gravel echoed throughout the underforge.
"Hound, controlling your emotions is easy. When Molag Bal and I get into arguments, rather than yelling at each other, we calmly
access the situation. However, that comes with years of practice. For you, though, since your struggle is with your emotions, you will
need to learn how to control them...before they consume you."
Hasir looked skyward, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"I know what to do, but, the thing is...how?" He asked the altar, as if the altar could speak.
After minutes of silence, of the altar 'thinking', it finally spoke.
"Hound, go to Akavir, they have what you seek, now, go and hurry, I fear something bad is in the works."
The argonian bowed his head, gave thanks to Hircine and went on his way to find the Tsaesci. He guessed that the tsaesci would
either be found at the temple of Kynareth or the meadhall of Jorrvaskr. He went to check the temple first as he had a good feeling
that he will find him there.
Aela hated herself for having to carry Rakel's unconscious body alone, with no help from those jackals that decided foolishly to make
light of a dire situation. She croosed the courtyard that the temple shared with Jorrvaskr and knocked on the door of the temple. A
light was on in an upstairs bedroom and she could hear feet running down the stairs, across the main temple floor and pushed the
door open.
Danica opened the door.
"Aela, what in Oblivion is this about? Are you hurt? Oh my," Her eyes went wide as she observed the limp form of Rakel slung across
the nord's shoulder, "What in Obliivion happened?"
Aela told her the story of how Hasir flew into a rage for some unforseen reason and threw Rakel intto a rock; cracking her skull wide
open. Danica motioned for Aela to come in. Danica pointed to a stone slab near the rear wall on the temple, telling Aela to lay her
down on the table. Aela walked to the back room and sat in the same chair Rakel had occupied some weeks earlier. In the main
room, Danica looked over the unconscious nord for any signs of trauma, she cirrcled the table clockwwise, probing the nord with her
finger so she could fell if she had any broken bones, she did not Danica was about to give up when she looked down and saw red
blood beginning to pool.
She ceased her prodding and walked to the head of the bed and saw an angry wound that burrowed deep into her cranium. Danica
knew this required more delicate procedures than she had put into practice on Hasir when he was here. She went over to her
medical cart and grabbed a damp linen cloth and returned to Rakel dabbing at the wound with the cloth. After minutes of dabbing,
the blood that was in he hair had gone, She had also cleaned out the bits of stone in and around the wound. Danica frowned as a
clear fracture line was visible between the two broken bits of skull. How could Hasir do this? He must've been ridiculously strong to
threw a hundred and ten point person againt a rock.
She walked over to the cart and wheeled it over to where Rakel stay. She fumbled in her cart for the proper tools for the job. She
moved aside leather casts, linen wrap and other thing and pull out a sewing needle and some surgical thread. Danica Pure-Spring
set to work sewing Rakel up like a piece of torn fabric. When she was done, she called to Aela. The fiery-haired nord jumped up and
ran out of the room with so much momentum that she slammed into Danica, sending the imperial sprawling to the ground. On the
way down, she spilled the contents forom the cart onto the floor, luckily though she caught some of them so she didn't have to
resterilize them.
Aela looked shocked.
"Hounds of the hunting grounds, I am so sorry, here let me help you pick these up."
She scrambled on the floor, picking up any instruments she could find and placing them back on the wooden cart. Danica came up
with the rest and placed them inside a large jar sitting on the edge of the cart with blue liquid inside of it. When Aela asked what
that stuff was, the imperial said it was used to sterilize equipment. Aela picked up the instruments she found and placed them in the
jar as well.
Aela turned to Danica, she had clearly been crying because her facepaint was coming off.
"Danica, will Rakel be ok? I will wring Hasir's neck for this, you can count on it." She said, furious
Danica, nodded and hussled everyone away for Rakel's bed.
"She just needs some rest, her wound is all fixed up, but there is a bald spot which she will have for the rrest of her life, nothing can
be done about that."
Aela found a sink in the back room and washed the smudged paint off her face. She reached into her leather bag and pulled out a
bottle of oil-based paint, dipped her hand in it and reapplied the claw-like paint to her face. She returned to Rakel's side once it was
done.
Danica cleared her throat,
"Er, Aela, I have something to tell you. Rakel...She er, well she is your sister."
Aela rounded on Danica.
"Why did you wait to tell me this? I grew up alone and you tell me, now, that I have a sister? By Hircine, what other secrets have
you or the harbinger himself, been hiding from me?" She lost control, she transformed before Danica's eyes into a huge red wolf
with yellow eyes, the wolf paced the floor to try and calm down. When she felt like she was in control again, Red howled as she
transformed back into Aela.
Aela's eyes went wide when she realized what she had done.
"Oh shit, I broke the number one rule of being a companion, never show your wolf form to outsiders," She turned to Danica, still
wearing that shocked expression, "Danica, I am so sorry. Don't tell the harbinger about this, please, he will have my hide."
Someone behind Danica said.
"Aela, why are you here?
Aela's threw up in her mouth. It was the harbinger coming to punish her for her crime. Aela tried to find something to hide behind,
but seeing nothing to use a cover, she stood there shaking like a leaf. She began to pace the floor. What the hell is he doing
here? Oh Hircine, come on Aela, get your head on straight, maybe he is here for a different reason than you think. This thought
continue to run through her head as she paced back and forth.
The harbinger placed his hand on Danica's shoulder.
"excuse me, but I have a warrior to see." He walked past Danica to the slab where Rakel lay.
Aela braced herself for the worst, she thought he was going to yell at her for being careless for letting one of her own get injured on
her watch or for breaking the number one rule of the companions. He did not yell at her, instead, he pulled Danica aside.
He lent against one of the walls, folded his arms and look at Danica with his usual 'owl' stare.
"So, do you have any idea how this happened? What I mean to say is who caused this."
Danica told him the whole story from Hasir's embarrasing encounter with Farkas and Vilkas to Hasir shoving Rakel into a rock,
causing her skull to split open.
The Harbinger looked down at his shoes, apparently lost in thought.
"Hmmm...looks like I'll have to have a word with Hasir about this. How is your patient doing?" He gestured to the bed where Rakel
lay.
Danica's face got red hot whenever she thought of Hasir pushing the sweet nord into a solid surface with the intent to cause harm. A
lot of thoughts ran through her head. Her foremost thought was what possessed Hasir to do such a heinous act?
Danica shook her head to clear her mind,
"I'm sorry about that. Now, what was the question again? Right, right, the patient. I cleaned most of the blood and stone out of her
hair and around the wound. I also sewed up the skin, I could do nothing for the bits of skull that broke away. We'll just have to wait
and see if it heals on its own."
Kodlak scratched his head.
"She is one of the best warriors we have. Can't we, erm, expedite the healing process a little bit?"
Danica reprimanded him in response.
"Now, now, Kodlak, we can't rush her, she will wake up when she is ready; there is no rushing these things." Kodlak looked down at
Rakel and nodded his head saying that he should get back his previous duties. He said goodbye to her as he departed the temple
and walked back to Jorrvaskr.
Danica walked back to the stone slab. She was halfway there when she heard a knock on the wooden doo., oh great, I wonder who
that is. She thoought as she reached the door and wrenched it opened. Outside was a very sad looking Argonian looking at the
ground.
She sighed.
"Yes, Hasir, can I help you?"
Hasir lifted his head and Danica could see tear streaks eminating from his eyes. He wondered if he could see Rakel. Danica moved
away from the door allowing him to enter. He had to squint because of the intense sunlight coming through the windows at the rear
of the temple. He saw Rakel's lifeless body laying on the stone slab ten feet from where he stood.
He went over to the slab and knelt beside it, head down.
"Rakel, I am so sorry, I-I lost my head and let my emotions get the best of me." He said. he wanted to say more, but he turned his
head away from her and shed a few tears.
He wiped them away immediately because he did not want his friends to see him as a weak softy who cried. He wanted them to see
him as a strong argonian who had all the answers even if his emotions were a bit out of whack. Despite his best efforts to hid his
tears, Danica spotted them sure enough. She walked over to him, knelt down and placed a caring hand onto his shoulder.
"Rakel will be fine, don't worry." She whispered into his ear. Hasir nodded, retrieved his crutches and went to put wieght onto his
good leg. As soon as he did though, both hands flew up to his head, a scream issued forth that scared Danica and Aela, they
both came running.
"AARGH!"
The argonian's face screwed up in pain as he felt his brain might burst from the pressure that some unknown force was putting on
it. Both Danica and Aela looked at each other in shock. Aela ran to the door, opened it and disappeared from sight. Minutes later, see
reappeared with the harbinger along with the blue khajiit. They walked to Hasir and help in any way they could, though they were all
clueless as how to do that.
Danica did they only thing she could think of; she felt Hasir's forehead. His forehead felt hot, he was burning up. She was no expert
on Argonians, but she at least knew one thing, their foreheads were not supposed to felt like an raging fireball. She called Aela,
Kodlak and Inigo over and together, they picked Hasir up and carried him over to the unoccupied stone slab and laid him down on it.
She then grabbed Aela and Inigo aside and asked them, in a hushed whisper.
"Aela, Inigo, what are we up against? Have either of your encountered this before?
To answer, they both shook their heads. Danica looked from the nord to the khajiit who both had the same concerned look that she
also wore. She then asked them if they know anybody who is versed in strange illnesses.
An idea just dawned on Inigo.
"Arcadia knows potions. Maybe she also knows mysterious ailments.
Danica waved her hand towards the door; signalling that Inigo should get right on it. He looked from Danica to the door and back
again. She raised a thin brown eyebrow at the khajiit. The cat knew what this nonverbal cue meant and did not need telling off
twice. He backtracked to the door, opened it and disappeared.
Danica turned to Aela.
"Now, with him looking into Hasir's ailment, we can focus on Rakel."
They went over to the far stone bed where the female nord lay on. Danica called upon her healing spell as she laid her hand on the
already healing wound. Yellow magics flowed from her hands as she focused all her strength into the contusion on her skull. The
wound magically began to sew itself together, leaving a scar along with a bald spot, where no matter how much Danica
tried, hair would not be able to grow over a very thick surface of scar tissue. Aela turned to Danica and asked why Rakel is not
waking up.
Danica just shrugged and tried the healing spell again. Aela went over to the wooden cart that stood near the entrance to the
backroom, ran a linen cloth under warm water and applied it to Rakel's forehead, hoping that the warm water would caused her to
wake up. It did.
Rakel's eyes opened and saw their smiling faces looking down at her.
"Wha-what happened?" She tried to sit up but her head throbbed terribly.
Danica put her hands on the nord's shoulder and pushed her down.
"Rakel take it easy, you suffered a nasty bump on the head."
Danica then told her the entire story including how Hasir pushed her in a fit of blind rage. Rakel was unsure whether to be shocked
or angry. She asked where Hasir was. Danica told her that he came in here looking for you so he could atone for his rather rash
actions. She also told him of how he was really sorry for what he had done. When she was done, she pointed to another stone slab.
Rakel gasped in horror as she saw Haisr's lifeless body laying there. Rakel asked what is wrong with him. All danica could do was
shake her head because even she did not know the answer.
A door opened and Inigo was standing beside an utterly bewildered Arcadia. They entered the temple and immediately the Imperial
and the khajiit went seperate ways: Arcadia to Hasir and Inigo to Aela and Rakel. When Arcadia got to the slab with the argonian on
it, she studied him for a bit before consulting the books she had placed on the end of the slab. These books were The Book of
Natural Remedies and The Big Book of Known Diseases.
She frantically flipped through one book, placed it down and then repeated the process with the other one. She found nothing in
each of the books about a blackish tint to argonian's scales, the abnormal paleness of the face or the raised bumps that appear all
over the body. She even looked through her alchemist's field guide. That book did not help either as she could not find any posion
that could do this to a reptilian body. She removed the books from the bed, placed them in in her satchel, got up and walked over
to Danica.
The imperial shook her head.
"I am sorry. None of my books shed light on this perculiar disease." She sat down an the edge of Rakel's slab, "have anyone else
who knows of a disease like this." She asked, perplexed.
Danica turned to Inigo, who frowned at her and waggled his index finger at her.
"No way. I will not be your retriever again, I am no dog." He said.
He gave in when Rakel gave him the saddest look he had ever seen. He went back out the door and returned minutes later with the
tsaesci, Quinchal. The tsaesci walked to Hasir's bed and upon looking at him and without touching him, knew exactly what was
wrong with him.
He addressed the temple at large,
"You see this?" He gestured to the limp lizard, "This is what we Akaviri call Zhànzhēng zhī hún, or, soul at war. This happens when
the yang or good side is threatened by the yin or bad side." He noted the vacant expressions of the people surrounding Rakel's
bed.
Quinchal found a stick leaning against a pillar and moved himself to the open area of the floor and drew two swirls, both starting out
fat and thinned out closer to the ends. He then poked holes at the farthest northern and southern points in the design and then
wrote the words yin and yang next to each swirl.
It was like the veil had lifted and every one of the onlookers' eyes were opened for the first time in ages. Inigo asked Quinchal if
there was a known cure. Quinchal said that was found in his homeland of Akavir and none of the alchemist shops in Skyrim or
Tamriel for that matter, offered the variety of plants he needed to cure the affliction. Quinchal said he would love to chat some more
and answer more of their questions but he had to get going.
Quinchal looked around the temple for something to help him move the unconscious Argonian.
"Do you people have a cart or something mobile to assist in the moving of the argonian?"
Danica said they did not but she would be more than happy to help him carry Hasir. Rakel, Inigo, Aela and Ceralyne joined in as well.
The khajiit, both nords, elf and tsaesci grabbed the argonian, lifted him off of his bed, headed for the door and went outside.
The cold afternoon air whipped around Quinchal and his companions and they walked down the stone steps into the market district
while holding up the argonian. One of the shopkeepers, a nord name Camilla offered them her daughter's wooden wagon to use to
easily transport the argonian. Quinchal thanked her with a warm smile and set the unconcious Argonian down on the wagon and
together, they wheeled him outside, all the while Hasir lay limped with his tail hanging over the edge.
They got to the Whiterun stables and told Bjorlam the situation. He told them passage to Windhelm docks would be fifty gold. Rakel
dug into her pockets, withdrew a purse, untied the rope and tilted it. She handed Bjorlam the money and Qunchal got in back and
the others wheeled the wagon around to the rear of the carriage and loaded the sickly argonian onto it. Bjorlam spurred the horses
to life and sped towards Windhelm.
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