Valindor and I slept in separate rooms, for I had coin enough to fund chastity. Which was quite unlike the year before when in the cold of night, in the cheapest rooms, my bygone friend and I took shifts sleeping in the bed. By morning, Val was gone, no doubt catching up with Faendal. I knew he would turn up again sooner or later, and with that in mind, I decided to do a little hunting. Just a little--enough to enjoy the quiet and clear my head.
I headed south of the inn, nodding to the guard as I passed through the gate. The air was cool and crisp, smelling thickly of plant decay and river water. Ferns slowly uncoiled in the dawning light. It was a good morning for a hunt. Slowly, I stalked through the reeds along the bank, following the one major source of water for miles. Creatures of all kinds would be drawn to its life-giving properties, though what I might have encountered was unknown at the time for many of the tracks were confused and muddled by last night's rain.
At last, I spotted my prey standing stolidly across the water. A deer, its antlers still intact, grazed just above the current in clear view and within range of an easy shot. Carefully, I stole behind a large cedar, peering with a single eye out at the creature. My bow creaked as I drew, and the deer's head rose sharply at the sound. I held my breath.
When its head returned to grazing, I drew my bow and prepared to fire. My fingers began to loosen about the string fractionally, then tightened. I realized, quite belatedly, that the sound I mistook for the cooing of doves was really the soft rise and fall of a choir of voices. It was the sound I heard in my dreams. The song like musical bees echoing from a strange vision on a distant night atop the tower of Dunstad. My senses felt oversaturated and it seemed I saw the very pollen drifting in the breeze.
The deer paused in its grazing to look right at me before a starling fluttered to land at its cloven feet. Its nose bent toward the bird, and I swore I heard it speaking. In awe, I lowered my bow and sheathed it.
Stealthily, I made my way towards the water, risking exposure as I stalked to the very edge of the reeds. About me, the musical humming continued unabated. The deer's voice resounded in my head, murmuring in tones like the slow groan of growing trees and rock crumbling under roots. Its language was unintelligible, for it spoke in the tongue of beasts. I once knew that language, but it was now seemingly lost to me. I no more understood what the creatures were saying than I understood the odd clicking of Argonians or grunts of Orsimer.
When I crossed the river, water squelching loudly in my boots, I gave up any pretense of hunting or sneaking and paced the distance between my quarry and I. The deer neither ran nor called for aid. He only conversed with the starling until the chirping avid went silent, and with a bobbing nod, flew away. Those dark eyes regarded my progress steadily.
At last, I reached him and stood before his great, antlered head with no small measure of apprehension. In my ears, the singing hummed so loudly I could hear nothing else. Then the sound stopped and the inside of my skull rang shrilly.
"Gwaihen...Gwaihen...Gwaihen...," a voice boomed from the ground.
I stared at the deer wide-eyed. "I know you," I croaked.
"Yes. Yes. Yes... Why have you abandoned me me me?"
"Abandoned you?"
"You have forgotten the trees and so you have forgotten me me me..."
"I--No! I haven't forgotten!"
"Gwaihen... Bosmer were never made to lie lie lie."
My cheeks flushed hotly in shame, and I stared intently at the moss peppering the soft soil. "Y'ffre, forgive me," I whispered.
"Finish the task task task that your dreams have led you to complete -plete -plete..."
"And I'll be forgiven? You'll take me up as a true Bosmer again?"
"This body body body...will take you to your task task task. Then I will help you you you..." And with that, the voice faded and the deer knelt awkwardly as if in a bow. His legs folded beneath his body until he lay on the ground and watched me expectantly.
" 'This body will take you to your task'," I mused, "Am I to ride you?"
The creature gave no response. Slightly wary, I clambered onto his back and gripped the fur on his neck as he stood. Shifting until I felt comfortable, I balanced on the deer's narrow back and nudged his sides so that he began to walk. It took a little practice until I gained control and felt confident and daring enough to urge the creature into a leaping run that jostled me horribly.
With one huge surge, the oversized deer soared over the river, landing with a splash on the far bank. Water flashed in the early sun. Shaking the water from my hood, I directed the deer back to Riverwood.
"Hoi! What have you there, Henny?" called Valindor from the inn porch, his face split in a wide, laughing grin.
"My ride to Whiterun it seems. I won't be needing Brelye!"
"Very nice. Only you would travel in true Bosmer fashion," he smirked, taking our packs and rearranging them between the two mounts. Taking advantage of the morning, we headed across the bridge and north along the road to Whiterun.
Comments
It does, however, look really awesome!