U.O.T.W. Chapter 49 Burning Chill

• Posted by Sotek July 5, 2015 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,195 views

  

  Authors Note: Adult Themes

  As Aela and Sotek traversed the plains heading south towards the lake, their path just so happened to take them past a small stream. Half buried In the mud that formed the banks were a few rocks which caught Aela’s attention. Due to the earlier tension between her and Sotek she hadn’t eaten much more than a few morsels of food. Everything was calmer now, everything, except her stomach which cried out for sustenance. Aela smiled to herself as she tugged on the reins of their horse to bring it to a stop. She nudged Sotek in the ribs with her elbow as she climbed down off the horse.

  “Let’s get some Mudcrabs. You can cook them up tonight”.

   

  Sotek looked around at the two banks and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I can’t see any”.

   

  “You haven’t spent much time in Skyrim have you?” She stated as she gave him a broad grin. Taking aim, she fired at a ‘rock’ the arrow struck hard, knocking the crab out from the thick brown mud which it had previously hidden itself in. “Mud crabs looks like rocks when their settled”. Then she took aim and shoot a second one.

   

  Sotek didn’t bother drawing his bow, instead he cast his conjuration bow spell. As before, a blue mist formed in front of him and the shape of a Daedra bow started to take shape. He plucked it out of the air and proceeded to take aim. After he controlled his breathing he fired a perfect shot. He smiled with quiet satisfaction as the arrow sliced through the air. A second later a loud ‘thud’ sounded out as he hit his target. Aela immediately burst out laughing.

  “Ermm that is a rock”. She stated as she tried to contain her laughter. “Look over there”. While she was still grinning at him, she pointed to another rock a few yards further along the bank.

   

  Sotek took aim and fired hitting the ‘Mudcrab’. Aela collapsed on her knees in an uproar of laughter as a second ‘thump’ rang out as the ethereal arrow struck the rock Aela had singled out for Sotek to shoot at. His shoulders in defeat as he slowly turned towards Aela.

  “Hssss”.

   

  Aela stopped laughing for a split second as she waved her finger at his face. “Don’t you hsss me!” She quickly covered her mouth as she started tittering to herself while Sotek shook his head at her.

   

  “I suppose you think you’re clever”. He stated as he tried to claim back some decorum. Aela however was having none of it and just chuckled louder. She wiped a few tears from her eyes due to her laughing while she watched him gather the crab meat up from the two she had killed. He systematically checked out the remains of the two crabs and broke off the main legs before storing them in an old rough looking bag which he kept in his pack for any ingredients he might find on his travels.

   

  “For your Alchemy?”

   

  “Yes, they are useful. Restore stamina’s the initial effect”. Then Sotek looked at her standing there as a thought occurred to him. “We’ve a few hours spare yet. You must be hungry”.

   

  Aela knew he was right on both counts. The lake was only an hour’s ride and her stomach was starting to ache. She glanced around their current location before moving off towards the horse.

  “Yes, but there’s no fire wood and we don’t have time to wander around looking for some”.

   

  This time it was Sotek who chuckled. He gave Aela a knowing smile as he replied with a sneaky expression.

  “I agree. Then again why have a fire when I can cast one…”

   

  He placed a large portion of the crab meat on a boulder then cast his ‘Flame Spurt’ spell on it as a means to cook it. The air filled with the aroma of crab, causing Aela’s stomach to rumble. Sotek then turned the food over and repeated the spell after giving Aela a sly wink. After just a few short bursts of fire which coated the meat, he presented the food to a more than slightly surprised Huntress.

  “Your trouble is you lack imagination. Here take a seat and eat. The others can wait”.

   

  She grudgingly took the meat from him as she sneered playfully.

  “That’s cheating”.

   

  While he watched her hungrily eat the cooked mudcrab his thoughts turned to the Companions themselves. Once Aela finished her basic but extremely welcomed meal, Sotek decided he needed answers so on the pretext that there was going to be no ‘perfect time’ he went for it there and then.

  “Can I ask you something?”

   

  Aela looked across the plains, the sun had started to set but there was still plenty of daylight left, so she knew they had plenty of time. She sat near Sotek but not directly next to him and prepared herself for what she knew had to come… Sotek’s questions.

  “About being a werewolf?”

   

  “Would you mind? We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to”.

   

  “No, you need answers. Go on, ask”.

   

  “To be honest I have loads, so I’ll ask them all then you can, if you want… Answer the ones you’re happy with”. He moved to the stream and submerged his flask to fill it. Once it was swelled up he took a small sip and replaced the stopper before resuming his position. “First off, who knows you four are werewolves? How long have you been one? How often does she need to feed? Is she a ‘she’ or is she ‘you’?”

   

  Aela looked a bit surprised at his response. She paused for a few seconds as her mind regained its composure.

  “Ermm they weren’t the sort of questions I was expecting, ok… As to who knows, it’s just us four… And now you. Even the whelps don’t know, nor the Jarl, no one. Oh Tilma knows but she knows a lot of things. She’s been the maid at Jorrvaskr for years. Even before I came along. We stay hidden, keeping it under wraps. As for myself, I’m a seventh generation werewolf, my grandmother was a werewolf, she had my mum, who was born a werewolf, then she had me… Werewolf”. She then paused, thinking back to her childhood, when she used to play in Jorrvaskr, as a little girl. “I had a difficult time when I was a little girl”.

   

  “I guess that caused some complications playing with the other kids”. As he spoke, Sotek moved across and put his arm around her, giving her some emotional support.

   

  “Oh, I didn’t play with the other kids, I had a bit of a temper as a child”.

   

  Sotek laughed.

  “You had a bit of a temper?”

   

  Aela threatened him on the spot.

  “I will punch you. Besides like you can talk, Mr Stressy pants”. Then she cats him a smile.

   

  Sotek held his jaw, thinking back to the nights events.

  “No thanks I had enough punches today”.

   

  “As for the change, it doesn’t hurt. But it’s very intense. I feel so alive, even changing back. She’s still there for a while, the hunger, her energy. As to how often, we can only change once a day. Oh yes, Red. That’s her name by the way. We call her Red”.

   

  Sotek grinned as a slight chuckle escaped his lips.

  “That must be referring to her silver chest I presume”.

   

  Aela leaned across and playfully slapped him on the leg causing him to scream out in jest.

  “No you slimy reptile. It’s cause she’s covered in red fur”.

   

  “In the troll cave you wasn’t your usual self. Is that because you changed? When you didn’t want me following you?”

   

  “Ah, yes… I was a bit extreme then, I’m sorry about that. When we change we still have control, but there is a hunger, a want to feed”.

   

  Sotek started tutting at her as he shook his head.

  “Aela... That wasn’t a need to feed”.

   

  Aela’s eyes fixed on him as a low growl dominated the conversation.

  “Next question... Now!”

   

  Sotek’s head rolled back slightly as he burst out laughing due to the face Aela had pulled. His hand slapped his knee to emphasise that he knew he rattled her slightly. Once he composed himself he chuckled slightly before resuming their discussion.

  “But you control it, it’s not like you’re not there just watching”.

   

  She shook her head

  “Oh no, we have control. We can chose to attack or not, who to attack”.

   

  “So you’re a full blown werewolf then”.

  With those simple words Sotek got up and started moving to the horse.

   

  She sat there for a second watching him.

  “Ermm yea”. She still didn’t know what to expect with regards to his reaction to her. One thing she was conscious of was that they were effectively dating one another yet he hadn’t hardly touched her since he found out what she was. She certainly wasn’t in any way shape or form ready for his next statement.

   

  As he prepped the horse he turned to her and beckoned her over towards him by gently slapping the saddle with the palm of his hand.

  “You don’t have to hide it from me, if you need to change, or you even want to, just do it, ok”. He came up to her and offered his hand, helping her up on her feet, then pulled her close, giving her a quick kiss “Come on we’ll be late”.

   

  They both got on the horse but Aela sat there quiet for a minute before she tugged on the reins.

  “I thought you would be angry about me being a werewolf. I thought you wouldn’t want to know me”.

   

  Sotek who was sitting behind, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back slightly so she was pressing against him.

  “I was angry at you for going off and nearly getting yourself killed. Lets drop that, it was just a bad turn of events”.

   

  She looked over her shoulder at Sotek as she spoke.

  “You’re not bothered that I’m...”

   

  Sotek grinned as he interrupted her.

  “A temperamental, fiery, redhead who’s a badass with her bow and can be a complete bitch if she chooses to?” 

   

  “Oi”. Aela answered as she turned around and slapped him on the leg. “Don’t call me temperamental”.

   

  “Oww that hurt” he stated jokingly as he pretended to rub his leg.

   

  “Wussy” she replied as she laughed.

   

  By the time they arrived at the meeting point, Farkas and Vilkas were already waiting for them, having already gathered up an ample supply of firewood.

  “You two took your time”. Vilkas smirked as he watched them approach the site.

   

  “Yes, sorry about that. We had a bit of a talk”. Aela replied in her innocence.

   

  Vilkas however didn’t see it that way. He had a big smirk on his face as he shook his head.

  “Oh is that what you call it now days. I thought it was called sex”. With that Farkas joined in laughing.

   

  Aela scoured at the pair of them before turning towards Sotek.

  “Tell them”.

   

  Sotek put an end to the matter on the spot at least both he and Aela had thought he did.

  “I gave Aela something to eat, she was hungry”.

   

  Aela glared at the two brothers as she leant on one leg. Her hip stuck out as she rested her hands on her waist giving the two Companions her full on ‘attitude’ pose.

  “Yep! So there”.

   

  Both brothers stopped chuckling as they looked at one another. They both nodded as they roared out with laughter.

  “Foreplay!”

   

  Aela’s mouth fell open as she stared blankly at them.

  “That’s disgusting… Right that’s it…” The next moment she punched Farkas in the arm. “Stop it ice brain”.

   

  Sotek chuckled as he pulled her away.

  “Aww let them get on with it. They’ll only stop when they want to. You can’t make them”.

   

  They tied up the horse near the stream, with the other horses which included a fourth horse which Vilkas had bought back for Aela.

  While everyone else gathered around the camp, Sotek prepared the fire before casting his Flame Spurt spell, engulfing the wood in flames. As the wood flared up Vilkas pulled over towards him a large sack which contained various bottles of mead. As soon as Aela saw them her eyes lit up.

  “Yaay booze”. Taking one, she promptly downed half of it then started drinking somewhat slower.

   

  As Farkas was looking at the flames, he glanced across the camp to Sotek.

  “This fire reminds me of that wolf,  your other familiar”.

   

  Sotek smiled briefly as he thought back to the Mages college.

  “Aela, you remember that book the conjurer Phinis passed you? That book contained the Flaming Familiar spell. It’s very useful, but it has a few drawbacks”.

   

  “Can you cast it so we can have a better look at her?” Aela asked.

   

  Sotek shook his head at the suggestion.

  “That’s the biggest drawback. If there is nothing to attack, it’ll...”

   

  Aela interrupted him on the spot.

  “‘She’, not an ‘it’, you calls the other one a ‘he’ so ‘it’, is a ‘she’ ”.

   

  Sotek smiled as he slightly nodded.

  “If there is nothing to attack then ‘she’ will stay with me”.

   

  “Where’s the drawback with that?” Vilkas asked.

   

  “Well, she will only last for about six seconds then she’ll fade… And explode”. As he said it Sotek mimicked an explosion with his hands.

   

  “Ok, maybe not then”. Aela shrugged as she laughed.

   

  Sotek looked across the lake. With the strain of the last few days, he was feeling drained and the water looked cool and soothing. His scales felt dirty and the red sensitive skin around his throat felt dry. An idea popped in his head which clearly showed as he started smirking away to himself.

  “Hey, out of you three, who’s the fastest swimmer?"

   

  Vilkas stated confidently as he grinned at Aela.

  “Both me and Farkas are about the same, Aela is slower… Lack of arm power”. With that he received a playful kick from her in the leg.

   

  Sotek smiled at Aela.

  “Ah, but did you know the other day Aela and I went swimming together. I ermm showed her a few tricks, ermm”. Sotek started weighing up his chances as a scam formed in his mind. “I bet you she could cross the lake to the other side before you guys could. 10 gold says she can”.

   

  Farkas looked straight at Sotek suspiciously. 

  “No spells, or items, no potions?”

   

  Sotek shook his head at the thought.

  “Nope, nothing like that. Just cross the lake, first one wins”.

   

  “In the water, not running across?”. Vilkas asked. He knew something wasn’t right, he just couldn’t figure out what so he thought it prudent to ask for clarification.

   

  Aela threw a bag of 20 gold on the ground.

  “Twenty gold says I can”.

   

  Both Vilkas and Farkas each threw twenty gold to the ground in rough piles.

  “We’re in but he’s up to something”. As Vilkas spoke he pointed at Sotek.

   

  “Why does everyone think I’m always up to something?” Sotek stated  mockingly denying it.

   

  “Aela has to start!” Farkas added at the last minute as he watched Sotek apprehensively.

   

  Sotek approached Aela and whispered in her ear.

  “Only take what you need”. She dropped her bow along with her quiver full of arrows and her pack by her bedroll. Vilkas and Farkas however kept their gear on. She entered the water and started swimming as fast as she could.

   

  About ten seconds later Farkas and Vilkas started swimming as well. In no time at all they overtook her. Only then did Sotek strip off his armor before he slipped into the water unnoticed.

   

  Swimming underneaththe surface of the lake, he passed Aela then rose up just in front of her. She immediately clung onto his back before signaling to him by tapping his leg with her foot. He dived under the water’s surface. Swimming as fast as he could he caught up with the two brothers. He easily spotted their silhouette’s above him. Farkas checked behind but there was no sign of Aela at all. Behind him all he could see was the swirl marking where he had been just mere moments before.

  Suddenly, Sotek with Aela laying on his back, broke through the surface completely clearing both Vilkas and Farkas as he and Aela dived over them in a large arc. They hit the water a few feet in front then Sotek swam as hard as he could on the surface with Aela still clinging on to him leaving the other two way behind.

   

  When Sotek reached the other side, Aela as cheeky as possible waved to the two brothers as they approached the edge of the lake.

  “Sooo, what kept ya?”

   

  “You cheaters” Farkas laughed.

   

  Sotek shook his head denying any involvement of trickery.

  “No, I never said you had to swim I just said she could get across first. Which she did”.

   

  What none of them realized was that further up the mountainside two enormous gluttonous orbs watched them cross the lake with a keen and evil interest. The first sign of their actual predicament was the loud hungry roaring screech which resonated down the slopes of the mountain. From it’s perch, a large green dragon cried out as it took to the sky and flew in a long descending glide towards them.

   

  Sotek was the first to respond. He moved to the side as he cast his bow spell and immediately started firing at it. Meanwhile Vilkas yelled at Aela due to the fact that she was just standing there watching the skyline as the dragon started turning in a large lazy circle.

  “Aela! Start shooting it!”

   

  She screamed back at him as she raised her empty hands out to him for emphasis.

  “I bloody can’t!” She went straight up to Sotek and slapped him on the back of his head in frustration. “You moron… My bows the other side of the lake!!!” Sotek, despite the threat of the dragon laughed loudly. The other two Companions quickly followed suit.

   

  As the Dragon turned towards them it’s altitude dropped alarmingly. The beasts chest puffed out which Sotek took to be a sign. A bad sign. He yelled at the other companions to move just as a large gout of flame roared downwards smothering the ground. Everyone ran for separate cover as they fled the burning scorched earth. Moments later the very ground heaved and shook as the monstrous creature landed heavily amongst the blazing inferno. Both Farkas and Vilkas charged it from both sides despite the intense heat which seemed to have little effect on the dragon itself. Fortunately the flames didn’t last for long and soon burned themselves out.

   

  Farkas through the corner of his eye saw the dragons tail lift up and coil to te side premarking te savage attack which would quickly follow. He shouted out a warning to his brother alerting him of the danger.

  “Vilkas, watch the tail!”

   

  The tail swept towards Vilkas, but he dug the tip of his two handed sword into the ground and pressed all his weight against it with every ounce of strength he had. The tip of the tail swooped around towards him and struck the blade perfectly. Vilkas was pushed back two feet from the impact but the tail came off far worse. The force was so strong and the dragons rage so intent that the tip of the tail sliced itself off the moment it came into contact with the sword.

   

  Vilkas seized his chance and drew his sword from the soil then hollered out a charge as he laid into the dragons side while the tail thrashed about uncontrollably squirting out gushes of blood all around as it flapped about uselessly.

   

  Sotek kept up his firing, while Aela threw rocks at it, completely unable to do anything else. The rocks just bounced off the scales, much to the amusement of the others.

   

  Sotek took stock of the battle and decided to bring another player on the field. He cast his flaming familiar right in front of himself. The burning wolf ran up to the dragon causing minimal fire damage until it exploded causing a horrific wound in the dragons underbelly. Sotek nodded with satisfaction and recast the same spell. The moment the flaming wolf closed in on the dragon, the great reptilian beast reacted with pure hostility and malice. Fortunately for Sotek, it’s reaction didn’t include common sense. The dragon immediately bit into the Conjured wolf destroying it instantly.

   

  As with all the Flaming Familiars, upon its death it exploded dramatically. This time however it was fully inside the dragons mouth, blowing a great hole in the side of its maw. Dragon blood and flesh sprayed outwards as the dragon’s head was thrown violently to the side from the blast. This and the other wounds which it had sustained from the fight was too much to take. The dragon collapsed within moments. As its head hit the ground, the dragon burst into flames while the soul was pulled out from its body, free for the scantest of seconds only for it to be greedily absorbed by Sotek.

   

  Sotek lent back against a tree lazily and folded his arms as he watched the others gather around the skeletal remains of the dragon.

   

  Vilkas sat on the remains of a tree log and wiped over his blade, freeing it from any impurities from the recent fight. Every so often you could hear the sound of him spitting saliva on the edge of his sword. As he cleaned the blade, he glanced over to Sotek.

  “Don’t that hurt?” He asked.

   

  Initially Sotek looked a bit perplexed until he realized that Vilkas was referring to the absorption of the dragon soul. Sotek just shook his head as he pulled himself upright.

  “No, it does feel a bit odd though”.

   

  “So this is your idea of a chill out. Fighting dragons while the archer leaving her bow behind, interesting”. Farkas then picked up a pebble and tossed it towards Aela. “Here you go, just in case we run into any wolves”. Everyone laughed except for her. She screwed her face up at Farkas then belted Sotek in the arm with her fist.

   

  She started searching through the dragons remains until she found a bone which she knew Sotek was after along with a few scales to go with it. She glared jestingly at him as she handed him the items.

  “Here you go. But I don’t know why I’m bothering”.

   

  Sotek gratefully took them examining the bone as he grinned at her.

  “I should have enough to try to use these now. You remember those books I got? They describe how to make armor and weapons from these”.

   

  “Weapons and armor? Now who’s jesting?” As Aela glanced at the bone, no matter how hard she looked, all she could see was a bone.

   

  “Would you be surprised if I told you that they would outclass, ‘Daedric weapons?” Sotek stated with a peculiar look in his eyes.

   

  “But the Foresworn use bone, theirs aren’t overly effective” Vilkas exclaimed.

   

  “The Foresworn? Who are they?” Sotek’s expression turned to one of confusion as he glanced across to Vilkas.

   

  Aela shook her head at him in pity and despair.

  “We gotta get you out more. Are these bones really that potent?”

   

  “If I can get it to work, then yes. But it’s goning to take a few days though” .

   

  That evening Aela hit the bottle harder than usual which wasn’t an overly good idea as she hadn’t eaten much so the drink went straight to her head. She got up and started to dance in front of Sotek provocatively, then offered her hand to him. He took it and pulled himself up. Standing behind her, he slowly danced copying her movements while she grinded her backside into his groin. His hands held her hips, keeping her pressed against him then he gently kissed her neck. After a few minutes they laid down together.

   

  Aela’s head span around fast making her dizzy.

  “Whooa head spin, oh gods”. She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to fight it while she held on to Sotek’s torso tightly. “Guys! I think I’m drunk”. A second later she burst out laughing uncontrollably.

   

  Farkas looked at her with a big grin across his face.

  “Yep she’s gone. Dizzy, Dizzy Huntress laying on the floor”. With that Vilkas joined in laughing while Aela cried out in hysterics.

   

  In the morning Aela was the last to get up. Sotek offered her a cooked fish but she just went white and laid down where she was.

  “Sod off you bastard! I feel terrible… How much did I have?”

   

  Farkas didn’t even bother to count the bottles by her bedroll.

  “Pathetic. You had six. You didn’t even get near your record”.

   

  Sotek gave a small laugh as he watched her screw her face up.

  “What was her record?”

   

  “She isn’t one to hold her drink, it’s ten”. Vilkas sniggered.

   

  The three Companions packed up camp while Aela tried her best to sleep it off. By the time they were ready, Aela had recovered a bit. As she staggered to her feet, Sotek came alongside her and steadied her.

  “Are you ok to ride?” He couldn’t help but wonder due to state she was still in.

   

  She nodded very slowly as she grudgingly made her way to the horses.

  “Yep. Let’s just take it easy though”. She replied, then her horse slowly trotted off.

   

  By the time they got to Whiterun it was well into the afternoon. Aela was feeling a lot better having nearly recovered from the previouse nights drinking.

   

  At the top of the steps of Jorrvaskr the Harbinger, Kodlak was waiting for their return. Upon seeing him Aela ran up the steps and gave him a big hug, like a daughter would hug her father.

  “Don’t have a go at me. I’ve been told off enough”. She stated as she sheepishly looked at him.

   

  “I’m just glad you’re safe”. He held her tightly as he spoke.

   

  Then he examined Sotek for a few seconds.

  “I guess we need to talk. No doubt you have questions”. He couldn’t hide the fact that he was a bit worried in how Sotek would respond to the situation he now found himself in.

   

  Sotek surprised him totally by literally just walking past him.

  “Not really I’m good”. However when he neared the two wooden doors he froze and stared at them blankly. “Ermm we need to talk”. He stated as his eyes fixed on the door.

   

  “Yes, I thought we would, let’s go inside, we can talk there”. The Harbinger answered.

   

  “No!!! Aela and I need to talk”. Sotek still had his eyes fixed on the door staring straight at it.

   

  The Harbinger rested his hand on Sotek’s shoulder.

  “No doubt you have questions for her and us. Let’s talk inside”.

   

  “No, we need to talk. We need to talk now before we go insside”. Sotek couldn’t help but hiss as he glanced at the Harbinger while his finger gently tapped on the door.

   

  The Harbinger looked at the door then his face went white as realism struck him.

  “Oh my!!! Ermm”.

   

  With that, Aela, who was now confused, walked up to Sotek.

  “You froze. You stopped at the door, why?”

   

  “Huh?” that was all Sotek could think of. His mind went completely blank under her scrutiny.

   

  She poked him in the chest as she closed in upon him.

  “You froze at the door, you only back off when it’s me. Me!” Then she walked towards him, he quickly grabbed Farkas and Vilkas and used them as a shield.

  Aela looked at them both then shouted at the two of them.

   

  “Move, now!” With that they broke away leaving Sotek standing there defenseless. She grabbed him by the collar as he backed off, walking backwards into the door. “What’s the matter?” She demanded.

   

  “Well.. We didn’t know where… You were”. Sotek stuttered as he tried to answer. “Sso I urmm, ssearched your room”. Then he winced, as he braced himself for the inevitable slap.

   

  “My room! You been in my room? My room?” She stood there glaring at him then she remembered something. “My door! It was locked. You swore you wouldn’t picklock it, you bloody liar”.

   

  “I never picked your lock” Sotek denied that part fully, which didn’t help at all.

   

  “The door was definitely locked”. She pushed him backwards pinning him to the door so he couldn’t move away.

   

  Sotek took a big gulp of air then closed his eyes.

  “What door?”

   

  She just stared at him for a second then shoved him to the side. The doors to the hall threw open as Aela burst inside Jorrvaskr. She literally screamed at any whelp who was foolish enough to get in her way. When she got to her room, she found it completely wrecked. The only thing remaining of the door was the two large hinges hanging off the doorframe.

   

  Even though they were still outside they heard her roaring shout.

   “I’ll bloody kill him, Soteekkk you bloody bastarred!”

   

  Sotek turned to the Harbinger as he made his way down the steps away from Jorrvaskr.

  “I’ve ermm gotta see the blacksmith. I’ll be back ermm next week”. Then he shot off before Aela could get back outside.