The Skinner: Part One

  • A thick layer of fog descended from above, covering the tops of trees and snaking down the trunks. With the suns dying light, it gave on last push to puncture the cloak of mist and beams of light streamed through and on to the ground.

    The Hunter loved this time of day, the mystery of the forest hidden behind a white shroud. The hunter wiped his brow of the moisture beginning to form there. The fog travelled in from Lake Ilinalta and acted like a wet cloth dampening anything it touched. The forest was becoming damp, which brought the sweet smell of the earth and rotting logs.

    The mist was heavy on the ground and only allowed for the most limited of visibility. The hunter crouched quietly waiting for his prey to walk by. A crack of branches underfoot brought his attention to his left, where he watched the blurred silhouette of a stag wander by. The Stag bellowed and seem to cause all the birds to fall quiet. The stag stood majestically like a king over his court. The Hunter reached for an arrow and slowly readied in the wooden grove.

    Breathing deeply, the Hunter pulled back the string to the side of his face and closed on eye. On the exhale, the hunter let go of the sting. The arrow silently snuck out its target and stuck into the side of his throat. The stag went into a frenzy of roars and pounded into the fog which quickly engulfed it. The Hunter hot on his tail.

    The tracks had gone cold and the black of the night didn’t help either. The Hunter carried on walking to where he anticipated the stag would fall. The sound of shallow breathing meant he was close. The Stag was a descent prize and would fetch a good price at with Valga Vinicia at the inn. The hunter proud of his accomplishment bent down to retrieve the arrow from its throat, only to realise he wasn’t alone.

    A low growl from just out of view caused the Hunter to slowly stand upright. A black figure slowly formed in the fog. The wolf was just out of view but he could feel it moving closer. The mist began part and let the full moon shine. The Forest cast dim shadows on the ground. The wolves yellow eyes seem to beat back the darkness so all could see.

    “GET” the Hunter yelled as he lurched forward in a desperate attempt to scare off the uninvited guest.

     The wolf’s growl only grew deeper.

    “GET BACK” he lurched forward again, causing the wolf to move forward.

    The Hunter could now see the size of the wolf’s head. It was large and could swallow a child whole. Its nose and eyes were covered in pink scars and only made the giant wolf look more intimidating.

    The Hunter slowly reached for an arrow and delicately place it in his bow, making as little words as possible. The wolf slowly paced forward revealing the width of its shoulders, at least twice that of any man. The Hunter pulled the string back and aimed at its head. The wolf began to rise and quickly stood above the Hunter. The Hunter stood petrified and could smell the wolf’s foul breathe; rotten meat and blood . The wolf let out a deep howl which echoed throughout the forest and caused the hunter to stumble backwards and let his arrow lose.

    With a thud the arrow found its target and pierced the wolf’s chest. The wolf let out a whimper and took off into the mist. The Hunter lay motionless, processing what he saw.

    If I kill this beast, I could, no would be the best hunter in Skyrim

    The thought spurred him on into action and the Hunter took off in a brisk pace as he followed the great tracks of the beast.

    The companions will have to have me

    The beast left a trail of destruction in its wake. Branches and small trees snapped in half as it clumsily ran and trees were covered in deep scratches which seeped sap. The blood drips which the Hunter was following were now small pools as the beast had slowed down. The tracks became closer together and scuffed the earth as it walked.

    The Hunter came to a clearing in the forest where the fog seemed to claw in but couldn’t break through. The tracks ended but the blood continued. A naked woman lay against a tree with an arrow protruding from her chest. The Hunter stood at the opening of the clearing and examined her from afar. She was a Nord woman and was covered in scars and blood. She was blonde; her hair matted and covered in mud, but she was still beautiful.

    The Hunter cautiously moved towards the woman whose shallow breathing he could easily hear. Her eyes only just open but her gaze distant.

    “Shes here” A voice echoed through the forest

    “Bitch thought she could kill Storn and still live” the voice said quietly and more relaxed

    “Yeah, wait till Bogrum gets his hands on her” a woman’s voice this time.

    The Hunter darted behind a tree at the edge of the clearing where the shadows and fog engulfed him. Two people approached the injured woman both clad in iron armour. The man was a Nord but the Hunter was unsure what the woman was, maybe an imperial or Redguard but her skin was far darker than his.

    “She’s good looking, you mind keeping a lookout while I have some fun” the Nords voice was hushed

    “Don’t take too long, even though I know you won’t” the woman laughed.

    “Shut it”

    The Nord began to unbuckle his armour but paused.

    “Good shot”

    The woman turned back

    “What. I didn’t shoot her, I thought you did”

    “No” The Nord stood up and looked into the forest, the women followed his gaze.

    “What” she asked

    “Nothing” as he continued to unbuckle his chest plate.

    The Hunter slowly felt into his quiver to find only one arrow left.

    They must’ve fell out

    He slowly drew back the string and contemplated who to shoot first.

    If I shoots the lass first the man would be too busy to notice, but the other lass

    If I shoots the man first the other lass will notice

    He slowly aimed up the man as he took his chest plate off, exposing his neck. The Hunter let his arrow loose and quickly unsheathed his dagger for the follow up attack.

    The man gargled and fell with a heavy thud, drawing the woman’s attention to the body.

    “Huh”

    She ran to the man and knelt over his lifeless body.

    “Help, Help” the woman cried

    “Keld been shot”

    The Hunter made his move and charged out from behind the tree and towards the woman.

    “What was that” the women murmured as she turned and faced Hunter.

    With one clean motion the Hunter knocked over the woman and drove the small iron dagger in behind the chin and up into the mouth. The woman coughed and blood began to fill up the gaps between her lips. Her hazel eyes looked past him and into the distance. The Hunter’s hand was covered in warm blood. He slowly pulled out his dagger and cleaned on his fur amour which was now covered in mud, blood and lichen from the trees. Blood poured from the body and a pool formed around his knees as he knelt over her. The Hunter leaned back with his arms out behind him. The rush of the fight beginning to fade and the realisation of killing a person crashed down on him. He pulled his hands around to look at them, they were covered in crimson blood and shaking. He tried to stand up but his legs would give way. Finally he stood up only to be grabbed and flung around by a brute of an orc whose fist was coming for his face. The Hunter was out cold before he hit the ground.

    The air was sweet and the sun light caressed his face and the rhythmic sound of a carriage on cobble pulled him back to sleep.

    “What’s your name boy?” The orcs voice coarse, but understandable.

    The hunter slowly opened his eyes to see the orc. His skin a swampy green and his arms as thick as trees. He wore full steel plate armour which had seen better days but still looked strong

    “I asked you a question” the orc’s voice was agitated

    “Where’s the lass”

    The orc kicked a bloody sack at his feet about the size of a head.

    “You could say she’s feeling a bit light headed” The orc burst into laughter, stamping his feet as he did.

    The Hunter’s feet and hands were bound and he was in a small rusted cage.

    “Why m’ I in here”

    “You killed my men which is why you in there, but you saved me a job that’s why you’re not dead”

     “Tell me boy, what’s your name”

    “Krev” 

Comments

7 Comments
  • Sean O
    Sean O   ·  February 6, 2014
    Thanks for the support. As I was rereading it, i did notice "The Huner" was used to much. And yes its going to be about Krev the skinner, so its ending wont be the happiest
  • Francesco Montagna
    Francesco Montagna   ·  February 6, 2014
    This is good. The only problem I noticed was that you said The Hunter way to much. 
  • Ryan Taffe
    Ryan Taffe   ·  February 6, 2014
    Love it so far! Great work, can't wait for part 2! :)

    by the way, this may be a stupid question, but is this supposed to be the story of Krev the Skinner during "The Silver Hand"?
  • Sean O
    Sean O   ·  February 5, 2014
    thanks for the feedback, i'll take it on board for part two. 
  • Okan-Zeeus
    Okan-Zeeus   ·  February 5, 2014
    Your grammar needs some work. Remember to add periods (or other equivalents) to the ends of your in-quotation dialogue, not just regular sentences. As Miles said, there are a few spelling mistakes too. To avoid these things in the future, make sure you ta...  more
  • Miles
    Miles   ·  February 5, 2014
    I like it, a few spelling mistakes here and there but not bad.
  • Sean O
    Sean O   ·  February 5, 2014
    Constructive criticism welcome