U.O.T.W. Chapter 187 North and South

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    A few hours later they came across the remnants of what looked like a failed expedition to one of the dwemer strongholds which were scattered around the north of Skyrim. Old wooden buildings with partially collapsed roofs and holes in the walls were all that was left behind. They were near a state of collapse from being constantly battered by weather and ice.

     

    Sotek pulled off his pack and threw it in one corner of a hut. The roof seemed relatively intact although one whole wall was missing.
    “Get out of the wind. We’ll take shelter in here. Aela, gather wood, there’s plenty about. We’ll camp here for the night”.

     

    While Aela set about her appointed task, Sotek had the Whelp help him block up one of the sides with a fur to cut out the wind from blowing through the hut. The fire Aela set cast a wave of heat, warming up the Whelp. She started cooking the rabbit using some old cooking utensils which was long since abandoned from the previous owners.

     

    Aela set off by herself and quickly disappeared from sight while the Whelp slept after she ate her share the meagre meal. Sotek kept a watchful eye on the Whelp while he scanned the darkness for any sign of his mate. She soon returned, dragging a goat behind her. He congratulated her on her hunting skills and picked up the carcass then brought it back to their camp.

     

    The Whelp awoke to see a large plate of cooked meat waiting for her. A cauldron was filled with warm water where Sotek had melted snow so they could drink which was just as welcoming as the meal itself. She couldn’t help but comment on the two Companions ingenuity.
    “You two are amazing! Water, meat, furs; we’re in the middle of nowhere. Farkas can’t produce all this on the plains!”

     

    Aela screwed her face up at the unexpected praise and disregarded it just as quickly as Sotek did.
    “It’s only a goat and melted snow!”

     

    The two Companions took turns to watch over the others while they slept due to the danger of ice wraiths and trolls. Once the sky started to brighten due to the approaching dawn, the three Companions ate the rest of the meat then packed up their gear.

     

    With each member’s spirits on a high due to them all feeling warmer and with well fed bellies, they resumed their journey towards Dawnstar.

     

    Now that the sun aided them, especially as the sunrise was behind them so they weren’t snow blinded, the three Companions made good speed across the base of the mountains. A few hours before midday however Aela called them to a stop.

     

    She had spotted an old fort in the distance which caused her to curse out loudly. Grabbing Sotek’s arm, she dragged him away from the Whelp so they could talk in private.
    “Can I have a quiet word? Now!”

     

    Sotek knew something was wrong but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Red had fed less than forty-eight hours ago, same as Scarface so he was at a complete blank for Aela’s seemingly strange behaviour.
    “Sure. What’s wrong? What is it?”

     

    “I didn’t recognise it. I’ve been here before with Vilkas. Look, I’m sorry, we came from a different direction ok. It’s not my bloody fault”. She almost snarled with anger and spite as she glared at the crumbling fort in the distance. “That place! It’s Driftshade Refuge!”

     

    Sotek stepped forwards to peer across the snow laden landscape to study the fort. He looked blankly back at Aela and shrugged.
    “So?”

     

    “You moron! It’s a Silverhand base!” Aela stated as she tried to quell a shout.

     

    Sotek dropped to the ground, dragging Aela with him. He crept forwards so he could see if anyone was about. Two Silverhands were standing on the roof looking towards the northern pathway. The tone in Sotek’s voice told Aela everything she needed to know. He understood completely.
    “You have got to be kidding me? This is bloody priceless!”

     

    Aela nodded back at him and flipped up her quiver which was empty.
    “We’ll have to go around. We can’t fight here with the Whelp. I’ve no arrows and we can’t change either. We can’t fight”.

     

    Sotek readily agreed. They fell back in good order and informed the Whelp of the situation although Sotek took care not to mention the exact details of their actual predicament.
    “We can’t head west anymore; there’s a base of some sort being used by bandits I think. We’ve hardly any supplies and no ammo. Any attack would be foolhardy so we avoid contact. Aela, scout ahead to the north. We’ll give them a wide berth”.

     

    The Whelp more than happily agreed with their decision and stayed close by Sotek’s side as they traversed the terrain. It was less than an hour when she heard someone approaching. In a panic she grabbed Sotek’s arm only to realise he had been aware that the certain ‘someone’ was Aela and he knew of her presence way before the Whelp did.

     

    Aela made a beeline for Sotek. He could see she was troubled as he waited for her report.
    “We’re heading straight to an Imperial camp”. She declared, knowing it only complicated matters.

     

    Sotek buried his face in the palms of his hands while he fought the urge to kick Aela in the ass. Knowing it wasn’t her fault didn’t help matters either. He couldn’t help snapping back at her as he turned towards the west, leaving her and the Whelp behind.
    “We’ll have to go around those bastards too; they ask too many awkward bloody questions. Anything else you want to tell me? The location of a Stormcloak camp perhaps?”

     

    Aela fell unusually quiet. She knew they were between a rock and a hard place and now wasn’t the time to get into a fight. A part of her couldn’t help retaliating though especially when none of it was her doing.
    “I didn’t tell them to camp there you know!”

     

    He stopped where he was and spoke in a drained quiet voice.
    “I know...”

     

    Somewhere deep within his soul a flame ignited, giving him the strength to take back control. He knelt down where he was then laughed.
    “I’ve an idea. Aela, how far is the camp?”

     

    “About fifteen minutes walk to the north. Why?” She watched him for any signs or clues to what he was thinking but he never said anything.

     

    Instead he picked up three rocks and handed them to her.

    “Make your way to the camp and throw these at the soldiers. Make sure you are seen but not so you are recognised. Run back here as quick as you can”.

     

    “They will chase me. Is this what we want?”

     

    “Yes. It’s exactly what we want”. Without any further explanation he sent her off then he headed south with the Whelp by his side.

     

    When Driftshade Refuge came into view, Sotek summoned his bow and took aim at one of the people on guard. He fired a single arrow and watched as it flew towards the base where it struck one of the guards in the leg causing him to holler out. The shout sounded the alarm throughout the base, drawing several Silverhands out from cover. They gathered around the injured man and looked in the direction of the attack. Sotek fired off a second missile without even bothering to aim it properly. By the time it reached the camp he had already fled as he and the Whelp headed back to meet the Huntress.

     

    As for Aela, she burst out of cover and almost ran into the Argonian while several angry shouts could be heard behind her. She quickly spoke while she wondered what the hell Sotek was doing.
    “They are pissed right off. Now what?”

     

    “They aren’t the only ones. Quick, this way and stay low!” Sotek led them along the pathway to the west while several yells could be heard from the north. Moments later yells and battle cries rang out as the two factions clashed on their search for the two ‘agitators’.

     

    Aela stopped for a few seconds and giggled at Sotek’s audacity.
    “You bastard! You set them on each other. See? I said Sotek was a sly reptile”.

     

    As they made their way along the trail, two arrows thudded into the rocks and shattered on impact just above Sotek’s head. He instinctively dived for cover while waving Aela and the Whelp onwards.
    “Keep going; don’t come back”. Moments later he had half buried himself in snow as he prepared to ambush a small separate group of Silverhands who had spotted their escape.

     

    He lay in wait with the patience of a hunter as he listened to the sounds of a single figure walking towards him. When the man passed by his position, he burst out of the snow and dived at the man’s back, knocking him over.

     

    Sotek knelt on the Silverhand’s back and shoved his head in the snow as hard as he could. The man struggled to get away but Sotek was too strong and his weight too great. He held the man’s face deep in the snow until the flailing arms and legs stopped as the man suffocated to death.

     

    Sotek paused for breath as he listened for any signs of movement. A scent on the wind caused him to turn around in shock to see a Silverhand standing three feet behind him. The brutish man swung the sword down at Sotek just as he rolled to the side. Blood sprayed up as the Silverhand struck the dead body, slicing a gaping wound in the back of the dead comrade. Before he could raise his sword a Dragonbone dagger slid along his throat opening it up to the sound of a sickly gargle.

     

    Aela stepped from behind him and snatched the arrows from his quiver while Sotek helped himself to the first man’s ammo. He sheepishly looked up at Aela as she smiled back at him.
    “Do I always have to watch your back? Come on you, you silly reptile”.

     

    Moments later they were gone like a pair of ghosts, leaving nothing but two bloodied corpses in the snow while the ongoing battle raged behind them.

     

     

Comments

5 Comments   |   The Wolf Of Atmora and 4 others like this.
  • Aela The Huntress
    Aela The Huntress   ·  February 4, 2017
    That was cool. Sneaky git...
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  February 3, 2017
    This chapter does serve a few purposes so it is quite vital in it's own way. It shows Sotek isn't infallible, his ambush was perfect but he failed to take into account the second Silverhand. Their wolf senses aren't always 100%. Winds, strong smells aroun...  more
  • The Sunflower Manual
    The Sunflower Manual   ·  February 2, 2017
    I actually didn't notice the skipped chapter, since this one was pretty self-contained.
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  February 2, 2017
    This actually does tie up some loose ends
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  February 2, 2017
    Somehow I missed this chapter out entirely. So glad I reads my work to Aela else I would never have found out...
    Kicked myself hard for this one. :S