U.O.T.W. Chapter 141 Alone In The Dark

• Posted by Sotek June 12, 2016 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,105 views

   

  Scarface’s senses were sharp, far sharper than Sotek had realised. He began to understand why Aela could sense the different animals so easily; she learned at an early age to tap into Reds abilities. If he was to learn from her, and to master the werewolf form properly then he would have to do the same. For now though, there was no need; Scarface was there, he would do the work. All Sotek had to do was stay out of Scarface’s way.

  The trailing scent of Red stood out like a torch in the darkness. She had only been here a few minutes before and all the elements worked in the hunter’s favour. The wind was light, causing minimal disruption to her aroma and the two moons shone above lighting Scarface’s way. He followed it to the north where her path seemed to form a wide circle around Whiterun. He could tell she wanted to get to the plains on the other side of the city to the west but in werewolf form she knew to stay away from the towers.

  Scarface started to speed up. The more he followed her scent, the more he homed in upon it. Soon he was able to easily distinguish it from the other animals. He could sense wolves in the area and they detected him as well. Their natural curiosity to such an alpha as himself drew them towards him. They sped up to catch him but they seemed to recognise his superiority and ran for a few moments alongside him as if he was the head of their pack.

  Once Reds trail slowly turned towards the west, the pack dispersed and returned to their territory, leaving Scarface alone once more.

  He suspected that Red would head to the plains as it was her hunting grounds which were what she had initially done but for some reason unbeknown to all but herself, she turned northwards.

  Such an action threw Scarface off for it wasn’t a move he had expected. He ground to a halt, spraying up dirt and dust with his claws as they tore into the ground, bringing his massive bulk to a stop. In the pitch black darkness he rose up on his hind legs and sniffed at the air. Some other scent started niggling his senses, something Red detected as well; Whiterun Guards.

  His eyes scanned the area to the west where he could make out the silhouette of a guard tower. It occurred to him that Red must have known about it. That was why she turned north away from Whiterun. Scarface backtracked and slowly followed her trail north for a moment then picked up the pace once more.

  Once Red had circumnavigated the tower, she continued on her journey across the plains to the west. Scarface followed her trail until some other scent caught his attention. He slowed down and turned towards the northern mountain range while his senses screamed at him.

  Scarface’s ears worked overtime as his eyes scanned the shadows. The scent of a second hunter filled his nostrils, giving the Sabre cat’s position away.

  As if it appeared from nowhere, the Sabre cat lunged forwards to attack but Scarface reared up to his full height and caught the Sabre cat in midair. Undeterred, the cat’s razor sharp claws cut into Scarface’s fur while simultaneously sinking its teeth into his shoulder. It had hoped for a quick kill by puncturing the jugular in Scarface’s neck but the cat misjudged the height of its prey.

  Scarface howled out in pain and sank his own fangs in the nape of the Sabre cat’s neck. Where Scarface was so large, he managed to get a good grip and bit down hard. Where the cat failed, Scarface succeeded and blood spilled out in the werewolf’s maw. While he maintained the pressure in his powerful jaws, his paws pushed the cat’s torso away, despite the cat’s claws which were still flailing against Scarface’s chest shredding fur and flesh.

  The cat was flung upwards by several feet then monstrous claws swiped out at the hapless foe as it tumbled towards the ground. It whined in agony but it paid the ultimate price for mistaking a superior foe for mere prey. Scarface tore into flesh and ribs, inflicting colossal damage to the Sabre cat before it could get back on its paws. In a few seconds, the cat was torn to pieces where it fell.

  Scarface’s own wounds seemed to burn like they were on fire. Blood spilled on the ground from the deep cuts in his limbs and chest. Even his shoulder where the sabre cat had bit him felt like it had been stabbed with white hot pokers. Scarface lifted himself up on his hind legs and howled out, a desolate angry cry mixed with agonizing pain.

  Even before he fed of the corpse, his wounds started to heal up and close. Once he had his fill of fresh meat, the hunter resumed his journey across the plains as he followed Red’s scent. Within moments Scarface was on the trail once more.

  Within an hour the scenery seemed to become more and more familiar although he couldn’t pinpoint any reason why. Vague memories of the river which ran across the plains pulled at his mind and the different smells of various plants caused images to form although they meant very little to him. Amongst these semi familiar scents, two were more pungent than any other; Red and the smell of death.

  Following the stench of blood, Scarface came across two deer corpses. Both had been killed and torn open, a clear sign that Red had eaten. He breathed a little easier knowing she would be somewhat calmer. At least that’s what he had hoped.

  He followed the bloodied trail towards a small stream that trickled out from beneath a large mound of moss covered boulders. Red’s paw prints were left in the muddy banks from where she had quenched her thirst. They led off towards the north and disappeared around the knoll. Scarface wearily followed the tracks to find himself near a strangely familiar sight.

  From the darkness of the overhang, a loud growl signalled the fact that he had been detected. No sooner as he took a few paws forwards, did Red come into view, brandishing her fangs and claws, fully intent on defending her territory from all comers.

  Undeterred by such acts of ferocity, Scarface lifted himself up to his full height and growled back, matching Red’s display with his own. His eyes locked on to his target and he moved forwards, stepping inexorably closer and closer towards her.

  To counter such an unwelcome intrusion, Red held her front paws out and howled as loud as she could but the intruder seemed to ignore her warnings. She watched as the large werewolf took yet another step towards her and she soon decided it was one step too many.

  Scarface’s instincts kicked in and he charged forwards to meet his attacker head on but Red was faster, she bound across the ground knocking two chairs aside and her claws flashed in the moonlight, delivering three massive blows across Scarface’s chest, splattering blood against the rocks. Red attacked him like a creature possessed, all her frenzy brought to bear against a single target. All her spite, anger and guilt wrapped up in a savage and brutal assault.

  Scarface howled out as he fell back but Red increased her ferocity. She saw him back away and for the scantest of moments she believed she would be the victor.

  Red swiped at his chest again as ferociously as she could muster. All her control lost to rage and hatred. Scarface decided he had bled enough and swiped back, backhanding Red in the side of the head. She stumbled sideways in a daze from the blow but despite her senses reeling, she still tried to lash out at the blurry form that stood in front of her.

  Scarface brought the fight to a close by charging forwards, knocking her down straight onto her back. Within moments his larger paws had a hold of her forearms and he lent over her pinning her to the ground. Red shook her head to clear the dizziness which helped her eyes to focus although it done nothing to help her situation. She looked up to see Scarface’s wolfish green eyes peering down at her.

  She snapped her fangs at his face but he was out of her reach, all she could do in her vulnerable position was await the outcome.

  Slowly, Scarface eased himself away from her but he made sure to add a threatening growl so Red knew not to move. As he released the pressure on Reds upper limbs, her breathing seemed to slow, giving Scarface more cause to think she was reasserting control over her wild emotions.

  Drops of blood fell and landed on Red from the wounds in his chest. Over the course of the next few seconds, his wounds started to heal, bringing the loss of blood to a halt. She snarled out at him defiantly, but he just stayed there holding her.

  By now he had shifted most of his weight off her so she wasn’t feeling crushed and with a final snarl as a warning, Scarface lifted himself up. Gradually he backed off and let her go so she was free to move once more. She laid there on her back hardly daring to breathe then she flipped herself over and pulled herself up on all four paws. She snarled out at him and once again rose up on her hind legs. For a few moments she stayed where she was, giving the impression that she was obeying him until she brandished her fangs and growled defiantly. Scarface snorted back at her but she wasn’t listening. Red howled out at him, trying a second time to get him to back off but her cries weren’t having the desired effect.

  As he stepped closer to her, she raised her paws threateningly but Scarface just ignored them. Red followed through and went to swipe again at him, but he lunged forwards gripping her arms in his paws once more as he forced her backwards, pinning her against the back wall. He held her there for a few seconds then he let go of one arm and as gently as he could, he held her waist. Ever so slowly, his other paw moved to her hip and he held it tightly in his grip although he was careful not to cause any pain.

  Scarface stayed where he was with Red just a single foot away from him. His paws held her while his prone body was within Red’s striking distance. Moments later the female werewolf’s head thudded into his chest, giving him dominance over her while her own paws clung on to his waist.

  He could feel her heart beating near uncontrollably like a rabbit who had just evaded a fox. She panted loudly, in an attempt to cool herself down despite the cold night’s air. Scarface gave out a low soft growl causing Red to react by lifting her head up. Scarface could see Red was confused and frightened so he stepped back a few paces, pulling Red away from the wall. Despite the confusion, Red clung on to him and followed him step for step, while she held on to him as best as she could.

  When she looked up at his blood covered face, clarity seemed to take hold of her emotions. She rested her head against his chest and gripped his sides tightly as if she had done it all her life. Scarface moved his own paws across her back and pulled her even closer to him. Without moving away, Red howled out and transformed back into her Nord form. Aela stood there holding Scarface in her arms, or rather he held her in his as all she could do was rest her palms against his chest. Two heavy paws smothered her back and he cried out a long hollow howl as he followed Aela’s lead.

  After a few seconds Sotek had also transformed. He kept a firm hold of Aela and prepared to fight off any resistance to her being in his arms but there was none to fight off. Aela’s hands slowly slipped around his torso while the side of her face tucked itself against him.

  “How did you find me?”

  Sotek was near speechless due to the fragility in Aela’s voice. He expected her to react as Red had done until he realised her anger and fear was spent. Now she needed answers; they all did. He took a few moments to find the words let alone to actually say them.

  “Me? I didn’t find you at all, Scarface did. He tracked your scent to here from Jorrvaskr”.

  Aela looked up at him with a pleasant surprise to her voice. The whole situation seemed bizarre to Sotek as she talked excitedly at Scarface’s accomplishment in tracking Red rather than the fight they had.

  “Yea? The whole journey? Good for you”.

  Her voice broke into a whisper as the frail young girl sprang out from nowhere. Once again she seemed to be made of glass and as she spoke, she kept her focus on the ground so she wouldn’t have to see any hurt in Sotek’s eyes.

  “I meant to tell you about Scarface but I was worried. I tried to fight him off, Red tried, but she couldn’t”.

  Sotek shook his head at the whole mess and thought back to what the Harbinger had told him. He held Aela’s head firmly in his hands and tilted it back so he could kiss her. She returned his gesture although confusion still reigned inside. Sotek knew what she was feeling; it was obvious to him from the way she responded to his advance so he gave her a slight squeeze to reassure her.

  “The Harbinger believes that you both were subconsciously aware of me. He feels that’s the reason why you and Red had a strong connection with Scarface”.

  Aela looked up at him with eyes full of hope. She replayed his words but such a simple answer was too easy, too convenient and yet she clung on to them as tightly as she clung on to him.

  “Is that what you believe? It seems an easy way out to me. All nice and neat with pretty pink bows. Red knew you were there so she was all over him like a whore?”

  Sotek scoffed at her reply and threw Red’s actions back in her face.

  “Made her act like a whore? She attacked him on bloody sight!”

  Aela chuckled and blatantly replied back.

  “Well he pissed her off. She was angry with him”.

  Sotek sat down upon a large boulder and shook his head at her. He knew what was going on in Red’s head and he was fully aware of such emotions in Aela as well.

  “So you ran outside of Jorrvaskr and Red bolted across the plains so you two wouldn’t take out your anger against me?”

  Aela’s face scrunched up and she jolted her shoulders in reply. Sotek offered his hand and was relieved to see her take it. She snuggled up against him and spoke.

  “I don’t know do I? Ok, she was scared. I’m scared. I don’t know what it was about him. What it is about him. When Omega died, his wolf spirit was pulled back into his corpse. You only have one wolf spirit, don’t you? When the skinner threw me at Scarface, he pushed me to the side. He knew who I was. Red must have known there was something about him. But she didn’t know what. Can’t you remember anything? If you could then you would know the truth, the actual truth”.

  Sotek nodded then slid off the rock so he could hold her in his arms. Even now things didn’t make a whole lot of sense to him. Dawn was only a few hours away and he was tired; he had enough.

  “I don’t want the truth”.

  Aela gulped and turned her head away from him. She stared off in the distance, half terrified to his answer.

  “What... what do you want?”

  Sotek gently pulled her head around so he could look at her in the eyes. He chose his words carefully and spoke slowly so everything he said had a chance to sink in.
  “I want everyone to butt out of Scarface’s and Red’s life. That includes you and me. This is between Red and Scarface. We’ll let them decide each other’s fate. Only they really know what they want. I sure as hell aren’t going to try. Agreed?”

  Aela nodded and glanced over her shoulder so she could look towards the east where Whiterun lay.

  “This is going to go around and around till we both puke from dizziness. Agreed, whatever their fate may be. We’ll find out soon enough. I’m dreading Red having to be alone. I don’t want that for her”.

  Sotek’s answer was a swift slap on Aela’s backside. He added a slight smack on the back of her head for good measure.

  “You ought to be more concerned about if they get together. Hircine knows what they would get up to”.

  Aela chuckled and gave a sly wink as she spoke in her husky voice.

  “I know exactly what they would get up to”.

  Sotek instantly took a step back away from her and shot his head around towards Whiterun where a certain two brothers currently resided.

  “Aww crap”.

  Aela just froze where she was. She looked to where he was focusing his attention and found herself asking about it.

  “What? Whenever you say ‘aww crap’ all kinds of hell happens. It’s either dragons or trouble”.

  Sotek moved well away from Aela as he tried to explain the night’s conversation with Farkas, Vilkas and the Harbinger.

  “They ermm guessed”.

  Aela turned back to him in bewilderment. She had no idea what he was referring to but as he offered no other explanation, all she could do was repeat what he had said and try to figure out the meaning to such a bizarre statement.

  “They guessed? They guessed what? What don’t they know? They know everything! Everything except.... Oh Hircine no!!! You moron”. Aela nearly screamed at him as the realisation that the others knew about Omega and Red’s sexual activity sank in. “I can’t go back there and face those two oafs! How can I! Oh Hircine, they know? How the hell do they know?”

  Sotek half heartedly shrugged his shoulders as he watched Aela literally run around in a circle as if her ‘tail’ was on fire.

  “Like I said’ they kind of guessed”.

  “You should have denied it; why didn’t you?” She went up to Sotek and slapped him across the face.

  Sotek rubbed his cheek and snapped back at her angrily.

  “Oww! What the hell was that for?”

  Aela responded in a similar tone, in an attempt to justify her anger from all the embarrassment she felt.

  “It was to make me feel better”.

  “Well, did it?” Sotek asked as he watched her cautiously lest she tried to slap him a second time.

  She burst out laughing at the situation. Jestingly she raised her hand up.

  “A little. Let me do it again”.

  Sotek lunged forwards and grabbed her arm then spun her around on the spot. She was abruptly turned upside down then she screamed out as spiky teeth sank in her backside.

  “Oww! You bastard. Put me down!” She dug her fingernails into his tail, causing him to yell in pain. However she failed to think it through and screamed a second time as she fell to the ground to land in a heap on the floor.

  Once she picked herself up, Aela slapped Sotek on the arm while she cursed out at him.

  “You bloody moron”.

  Sotek nursed his tail and hissed back at her.

  “Well what the hell do you expect? Hsss”.

  The she-wolf screwed her nose up at him then headed off towards Whiterun, rubbing her haunches as she went.

  “I didn’t expect to get bitten on the bloody backside”.

  Sotek laughed as he watched her hobble away from him. He ran up to her and fell in, positioning himself alongside her.

  “You asked for it. Let’s call a truce; we won’t get much sleep as it is”.

  By the time they reached the steps of Jorrvaskr, the sun was starting to rise. Aela gently pushed the external door open to check if anyone was inside but fortunately for her, the hall was empty. As it looked clear, the two Companions sneaked inside and headed straight to her room. They both paused as a single step creaked from their weight but soon enough Aela was leading the way along the Undercroft corridor, dragging Sotek by the hand behind her.

  The whole of Jorrvaskr seemed lifeless and when she finally shut the door to her room, she breathed a sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that she got back unnoticed.

  “So you found her then?”

  Aela screamed from the shock of seeing Kodlak sitting at the table in the corner of her room and fell back against the door.

  “Harbinger!”

  Sotek’s own heart was racing and his eyelids were tightly shut as he tried to calm his already frayed nerves.

  “Yess, yess I found her. I told her that you all know about Red and ermm”.

  Kodlak chuckled and pushed out a chair with his boot then motioned to Aela to sit down.

  “Yes, indeed”. Once Aela was more comfortable, not that such a feat was easy for her due to the circumstances, Kodlak set about putting her mind to rest. “I can easily guess by your face that you feel somewhat embarrassed?”

  Aela looked away at a corner of her room and shyly nodded. She didn’t talk; her mind was too numb with emotions.

  The Harbinger leaned across the table and rested his hand on her forearm. He lightly rubbed it with his palm, telling Aela he wanted her to look at him which she unwillingly complied with.

  “We all know you’re more in touch with your wolf side than we are. Did you know that your mother was the same? You’re so much like her in so many ways”.

  Aela looked at him in a mixture of surprise and pride. He hadn’t often spoken of her mother but the Companion was revered in the Harbinger’s eyes and of Aela’s. Such a comment from Kodlak meant a lot. It also raised a few questions as well.

  “Her werewolf had sex? Who with?”

  “Oh yes. Who with? Your father of course, who else would she do it with? He was in his werewolf form too mind you”

  Aela laughed “I meant... ermm”. She became tongue tied and started chuckling, returning the Harbinger’s warm smile with one of her own.

  “That’s better”. Kodlak stated. “See how easy things can be when you smile? Yes and they tried to keep it a secret as well. Secrets here are like trying to keep a candle lit on the plains in a blizzard; damn near impossible and utterly pointless”.

  Aela glanced over to her door and gulped loudly. She knew full well that come the morning the two brothers would be waiting for her.

  “Those two apes, they know all about Red and Omega?”

  The Harbinger nodded at her but he did have something which he knew would help in such a situation.

  “Unfortunately yes, I fear you’re in for some leg pulling. However, if it gets too much, just tell Farkas you know all about the notches on his bed”.

  Sotek moved away from Aela’s bed which he was until now, sitting on. He walked over to the table and started tapping his claws on the table. “Ermm what notches?”

  Kodlak gave him a sneaky smile, telling him that the Harbinger knew everything which went on in the hall.

  “Oh the Notches he makes every time he sneaks a maid down here without anyone knowing; those notches”. With that the Harbinger got up and went to leave.

  “What about Vilkas?” Aela enquired as a massive beaming smile broke out across her face.

  Kodlak looked over his shoulder at her and saw two light grey eyes blaze with mischievousness. He chuckled to himself then exited her room, closing the door behind him.

  “Good night Aela”.

  Aela span around to Sotek and giggled.

  “He makes notches in his bed post?”

  Sotek responded by laughing at such a thought but the day took its toll so he stretched out on her bed and kicked off his boots. With a heavy yawn, he groggily spoke to Aela, trying to convince her to settle down.

  “Time’s getting on and the other’s will be up soon. Get some sleep”.

  Aela lay next to him but she was full of excitement.

  “I’m not tired; I want to ask Farkas about the notches”.

  Sotek rolled his tired eyes and mumbled back in response.

  “That’s fine; I expect he can’t wait to ask us about Red and Scarface”. He watched her face, the moment he said it she stopped smiling and just stared blankly at the wall.

  The next second he received a punch in the stomach as Aela snarled at him.

  “What the hell did you tell them for?”

  His head lazily flopped to the side so he could see her.

  “I told you they guessed”.

  “I should make you sleep on the floor”. As she spoke she sniggered when she glanced at a fur lying in the corner of her room.

  “You should sleep on the floor, not me”. Sotek stated.

  “Why? It’s my room?” She asked. She noticed his eyes were closed so she rested her head on his chest, leaving the conversation where it was.

  Sotek wasn’t quite finished with it though and quickly responded.

  “All the hurt and betrayal? You and Scarface? Let alone Red and Scarface, poor Omega”.

  Aela punched him again, but this time it was a lot harder.

  “That’s not funny, not one little bit”. She then held on to him tightly resting her head on his chest. “Don’t say that”.

  Sotek gave her a kiss on the top of her head then held her in his arms. “You ok?”

  She just nodded then gave out a big yawn.

  “Yea, just tired”.

  Within a minute she was asleep but Sotek laid there for a little while holding her, quietly thinking about Scarface and where he had actually been.