Aela settled the Companions differences over Sotek’s white werewolf form and the possibility of Albino claiming Farkas’s or even Vilkas’s werewolf skins for his own. It was a simple task to accomplish by lightly stabbing Farkas’s leg with her dagger. Both Farkas and Vilkas backed off and Sotek was bought to heel in a matter of seconds. Now that Aela was in charge, she led the way forwards and they set off once more towards Korvanjund, which according to the note that was delivered to Sotek in the early hours in the Hall of Jorrvaskr, was where they would meet a member of ‘The Blades’.
Just as dawn was breaking, Korvanjund appeared out of the gloom in the wilderness which seemed to consist of a few pathways that were smothered and half buried in snow and ice. Even the trees were painted white and the mountains which dominated the landscape added to the coldness of the frozen land. Sotek seemed to slouch in his saddle and buried his face in his arms almost like he was sleeping. He sat there on his horse for a few minutes and blanked any attempted conversation which the other three made.
Once he lifted his head up again, he glanced about almost drunkenly until he looked at the ruins itself. It seemed, to Sotek at least, to be nothing more than a pile of rubble and a motley collection of pillars carved out of rock. The only slightly interesting thing he saw was a stone archway which had survived the various winters. At least that was his opinion until they actually drew closer to it. The ground opened up to reveal a man made chasm carved into the very rock bed itself. He guessed the bottom was about twenty feet down but it could have been much deeper. Snow lined the floor way below him and stone steps seemed to spread out in a multitude of directions.
Aela was the first to dismount. She slid off her horse and a soft ‘crumpled’ sound of crushed snow told the others that she expected them to follow her lead.
“Well, this is where we are supposed to meet them... Where the hell are they? Oi, Sotek... Exactly what did the letter say?”
Sotek shrugged his shoulders as he passed Farkas the reins to his horse. He approached Aela and peered over the edge of Korvanjund a second time.
“All it said was to come here. They, whoever they are, will meet us”.
Aela rolled her eyes at him and grumbled to anyone who would bother to listen to her.
“Great, here we are in the middle of nowhere in the blasted cold... Wait!!”
She lifted her head up and started sniffing loudly. Quite suddenly she ‘snorted’ through her nose just like a dog would do to clear any unwanted scents then of her own accord, she started sniffing again.
Vilkas smirked at his brother at Aela’s actions.
“Hey, looks like the family pet’s found something... Bet it’s a rabbit”.
She answered him with the solitary use of her middle finger before she glanced at Sotek in alarm.
“Horses... I smell horses”
Farkas burst out laughing and slapped his thigh with the palm of his hand. His eyes stared watering while Aela glared at him angrily.
“I don’t want to scare you Aela... They’re behind you”
Aela growled and lashed out with her fist in an attempt to hit Farkas’s leg but Sotek grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
“You’re like a flask of oil on a fire. Calm down”.
Aela yanked her arm away from him and turned her anger towards her mate instead.
“You calm down, blasted reptile... Other horses num nuts... Not ours... I’m surrounded by idiots”
Sotek tutted then walked away from her and started to systematically search the snowy ground. He glanced at the two brothers and called out to them so they could assist him although he was sure to give them a warning at the same time.
“You two, you started her off... Get down and look around for horse tracks. And for the love of Hircine don’t point at our tracks and say you found some. She’s not in the mood”.
Vilkas disagreed and stayed mounted upon his horse. He signalled at Farkas to do the same.
“If I were you Sotek, I’d get on your horse and wait. Aela’s on the scent. Yes, I know we call her a bitch and a hound but she’s the best tracker in Skyrim. If she can smell horses then she will find horses. Mount up and stay out of her way. Aela, we’ll follow behind”.
Aela growled softly at him and her eyes narrowed giving her an evil look but she quickly realised that Vilkas was, for once, being serious. She nodded slightly then almost as if by instinct, she headed south. The wintery wind waylaid the horses scent and carried flakes of snow that drifted between the trees. They covered the tracks but Aela was relentless. There were even a few occasions where she ended up on all fours as she scurried across the frozen ground like a scavenging Falmer.
The terrain ahead of them gradually changed from flattish rough ground to hills and mountains which caught Aela’s attention. She walked onwards to a disused track and signalled to everyone to dismount once again.
“Tie the horses up here then we can go on foot. Its steep and I don’t want the horses panicking on the way down”.
Vilkas and Farkas dismounted, but Sotek rode past them and started heading up the slope by a good few feet before he called down to the three Companions.
“Nope! You’re going to need your horses”.
Aela stopped what she was doing and barked out her orders again without giving him the courtesy of even looking at him.
“We leave the horses here!!”
Sotek rode back down the trail to Aela who was by now tapping her foot as if it was a way of her gauging her patience which was rapidly running out.
“We’re taking the horses with us. Mount up all of you”.
Sotek studied the mountain for a moment then glanced back to Aela as something puzzled him.
“What’s up there?”
Vilkas answered on Aela’s behalf by shaking his head.
“Nothing... There’s nothing up there”.
Sotek huffed at him and repeated his question to the others.
“There has to be something up there”
Farkas joined in but all he did was back up his sibling.
“Aela’s the best tracker but Vilkas knows more about these mountains than anyone. If he says there’s nothing then there is nothing”.
Aela cut the conversation short with a swift retort to the three of them.
“Why are you standing there? Move damn it”.
Vilkas mounted up on his horse but Farkas just stood there. Between the two of them they felt like a couple of kids caught in the middle of a domestic argument between two parents.
Vilkas had enough and neither Sotek’s nor Aela’s attitudes were understandable nor could he stomach it any longer. It was as if they had decided between them to argue for the control of the pack.
“Hey!! This is no time for a pissing contest! Come on, what’s up? You two always work together... Most of the time...”
Sotek dismounted but as he did so he caught his arm, making him curse out loud with pain.
Aela snapped her head around in his direction and paused for the briefest of a second before she went over to him. She rested her hand on his cheek and softly turned his head to face her as she whispered to him subtly. Her voice was gentle and placid, rather than a shout which she would usually use in these instances.
“Hey, we need to leave the horses here. It’s not fair risking them. Look at that path Sotek”.
Sotek shook his head slightly and grimaced due to the fact that the smallest of movements still pulled on his shoulder. He sighed heavily then lightly tugged on her arm.
“Come with me”. He led her to the path where he rode his horse up earlier and showed her what he had seen.
“Where are the horses you tracked? Now you take a look at the trail...”
Aela looked along the stony pathway. Where the track was higher up, it was clear from the fresh snow that the wind blew in from the waste ground. The older horse tracks were as plain as anything, even a blind man could follow them.
“Horse tracks, it looks like four. There’s at least four people up there already”. Aela cursed out loud then gave Sotek a fleeting glance before she walked past him to where the others were.
“Mount up. I was wrong, ok! It’s that bloody simple!”
Both Farkas and Vilkas started to head up the mountain side but Sotek hung back a bit. Aela rode her horse slowly past him and he chose that moment to study her. She seemed troubled and he knew she seldom played things so cautiously. Sotek knew something else was going on and he was determined to find out what it was.
“Vilkas, can you two stop before you get to the top. I want to check it out first”. Once he was satisfied that the others wouldn’t go too far ahead, he turned his attention to Aela. “Hey, what was that all about?”
Aela slowly turned to Sotek and caught him by surprise by thudding her head into his chest. Her hands gripped his waist tightly as if she was afraid to let go.
“I don’t know... Alright I do know. It’s you, ya great bloody slime ball. Your shoulder’s fucked and as for Albino... I’m worried about you and your werewolf form. I’m worried about the pair of you”.
He kissed the top of her temple reassuringly and tried to pry a little deeper into her psyche.
“Be honest with me. You were expecting my werewolf form to be more werewolf than a stumpy troll?”
She burst out laughing and shook her head in an attempt to stop herself. A big smile filled her face as her eyes seemed to glow.
“No, that’s silly, but I was hoping that we could...”
Aela’s voice trailed off as she blankly stared in to the distance leaving Sotek seemingly by himself.
“We could what?”
She looked around at the mountain side and off in the horizon so she could mentally picture the plains in her mind. She desperately wanted to explain how she felt so she took a deep breath and decided to go for it.
“I wanted to hunt with you, run with you, across the plains. I wanted Red and Albino to share the kills, the thrill of the hunt. I can’t ask that of you, it hurts you too much. How the hell am I supposed to ask that of you knowing every bloody time you’ll double up in agony?”
Sotek held her tight and gently kissed her on the brow. He nodded to her so she would know that he understood but then tapped her forehead as his voice rapidly changed from a soft loving tone to one of a much sterner and far harsher task master.
“Now you listen to me!! If you want to run then we’ll run! When you want to hunt, I’ll be there, white paws and all. Yes, you have all the advantages here, but you mark my words... If we ever hunt on top of the snow covered mountains, then it’ll be my turn to rule. Now just so we all know. Who’s the Alpha here? You or me? I don’t mind either way but we need to know”.
Aela chuckled as she gazed up the mountain and studied the snow drifts then took a deep breath to calm herself down. The palms of her hands rested against Sotek’s chest for a few moments then she pushed him away so she was in her own personal space.
“I’m sorry, I’m just worried about you. You’re the boss”. She then gave a salute which would have gladdened the hearts of any Imperial officer. “What are your orders sir”.
Sotek saluted back as he stood at attention.
“First job soldier is to make camp then get yourself to my bed”. Within a few seconds Sotek doubled up pretending he was hurt from the punch Aela gave him in his stomach.
Aela stood back up and watched him while she smirked wildly.
“Sorry sir that was insubordination. Don’t get up or I’ll do it again. I’d hate to be insubordinate twice in a day”. Then she laughed as she walked back to her horse.
Sotek straightened himself up and called out to her.
“We friends again?”
Aela turned back to him and smiled warmly before she wrapped her arms around him.
“We’re more than friends”.
The two brothers were a few hundred feet from the top of the pathway when the glanced down the trail to see Sotek and Aela head up towards them. Once they were all back together in a single group, Sotek dismounted from his horse and handed Aela the reins. He headed further along the track after he relayed his instructions to the other Companions in a hushed voice.
“Everyone wait here for a minute. I won’t be long”.
Aela watched him cautiously and whispered to him before he was too far away to hear her.
“You still suspect a trap?”
Sotek paused and slowed down his breathing so his emotions were all in check and controlled. Glancing back over his shoulder, he discreetly nodded before he resumed his journey on foot.
Aela’s attention flicked between him and the other Companions until she couldn’t help herself. In one swift motion she dismounted and thrust the two pairs of reins into Vilkas’s hands.
“Wait here”. Without another word she crept towards Sotek to join him.
Farkas shook his head ruefully and whispered to her.
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing?”
Sotek huffed when he glanced over his shoulder at Aela who was now a mere few feet from him. A slight thump in his leg warned him to accept the fact that she was there so he willingly agreed to the change of plan.
“Oh hi Aela. Didn’t recognise you with your clothes on”.
A second later her hand pushed his face into the snow as Aela smirked at him.
“Any other funny comments?”
Sotek slightly shook his head but Aela held it firmly in the snow for a few seconds. He lifted his head up and spluttered out a mouthful of snow in front of him.
“Mmmffff... no...”
She lightly slapped him on his backside then crept forwards so she could peek over the top of the edge of the plateau that they had come across. Trees lined the far side but some of them were nothing more than blackened spikes that protruded out of the ground while others were torn up by their roots and tossed aside like they were naught but twigs. Aela found herself being shoved to the side as Sotek deliberately pushed into her. His eyes scanned the area while he grinned at her until he saw movement to his left. The four horses were tied up and three figures were in a small group. The dawn had yet to reach this side of the mountain but the light bounced off the snow making the figures clearly visible.
The one thing which confused Sotek was the vast pile of white logs which he could just about make out near the cliff face of the mountain that loomed over the plateau.
He whispered to Aela about the whole set up and one thing seemed more off than anything else.
“There’s obviously been a dragon here judging by those burnt trees but where the hell is it?”
Aela shrugged her shoulders but as she gazed up at the mountain top a vague memory came back to her from when she, Farkas and Vilkas spied on Sotek in the training yard of Jorrvaskr.
“How the hell am I supposed to know that? I track things on the ground not in the bloody sky... Use that Aura shout”.
Sotek huffed at her then lifted his head up slightly and shouted out in dragon tongue.
“LAAS YAH”.
Comments
As I beat you over the head.
Communication is key. This was a sweet chapter and smooth read, +1
This chapter was a massive edit from the older chapters so yea, I was worried about it.
Aela has got a soft furry side. Trouble is it has fangs and claws.