She could smell them coming, hear them approaching and it set off from her maw a tremendous howl. Where ever her paws met earth she considered now her hunting grounds, her path and she’d be damned if she was going to let the wretched Draugr interrupt her hunt. She could feel through her pads and in her bones the silence of the forest, the creatures that inhabited it attempting to hide their very existence from the she wolf and her challengers this was the quiet before the storm. The night sky loomed overhead dark yet spilling over with glimmering stars like gems in a rich man’s pouch they lit the wandering path of the dancing ribbons of light swimming with hues of greens, blues, purples and pinks. The moons appeared as the queen of the night sky swathed in her grey-blue cloak of clouds she spilt down her light giving clear paths to her children of the night. Her beams tonight where akin to the blue eyes of the living dead who now came, raised and hungry setting an eerie tone to the already ghostly surroundings.
Brynn breathed in a deep breath before a sound, no a rumble, a growl that could cause skin to crawl, blood to freeze, and heart to stop erupted from within her as if the beasts blood in her heart was calling, speaking to the world from inside. The creaking of ancient bones grew louder in her sensitive ears and the smell of the crypts from which the dead had meant to stay buried within had climbed was pungent to her keen nose, it was almost time. She felt a certain anger grow inside though her beast blood crackled and burnt causing an excitement, a joy towards the challenge of her new prey. Foreshadowing their arrival she still sounding her challenge brought her forepaws to the earth, sharp claws creating ridges in the soil as she racked them slightly forward and then back preparing for battle. Her stance allowing her the maximum force that with which she could spring upon her enemies and in this way she waited with embers in her eyes for them to break the evergreen tree line.
Then through the trees and darkness they came. Brynn lowered herself to a crouch, she would let them get closer and then she would attack. The corpses ambled towards her at first then with more intent and speed than before began in her direction their sightless glowing eyes bobbing in the darkness as if they were ridding on invisible waves. By Kyne she thought to herself sneering or perhaps snarling just my luck to have stumbled onto more of these miserable smelling things. Light my path. As by my claw and teeth these Draugr will tear not another soul from these lands. With this final though Brynn launched herself forward through the trees that lined her side of this meadow. She could feel the cold air rushing past her as she propelled her way towards the Draugr and as first contact was made there was a satisfying crunch between her jaws. She had bore down upon the first, her teeth bearing down on his neck with all her force behind them. She quickly bounded to the next few swiping them and crushing them with her vicious claws she extinguished the lights within another group of glowing eyes. This is when the first of the many arrows fired hit her well muscled shoulder; she stood on her hind legs and with arms extended to her sides let out another this time furious howl. She turned, standing on once more dead she had just slain and with all of the wild spirit taking over her eyes she roared. Swivelling she sped off once more to claim the life of her prey, zigzagging slightly to avoid further pain. She assaulted them with all the ferocity that was allotted a she wolf; her fire burned causing her to ignore the cutting blades and stinging arrows.
She went on swiping, slicing, tearing, ripping, and crushing until not a single Draugr was left and she stood, all four paws on the ground covered in blood and shaking. Her breath was heavy and she panted loudly a “wolfish grin” across her furred face. She had taken several arrows, taken the biting of a few swords and the bruises she assumed she would have would be an impressive show. Perhaps she thought I won’t even need to sneak. The green and yellow that will surely cover my body will provide perfect camouflage. She padded about; examining her kills and calming her mind thing to herself their bad enough when they stayed in their crypts but now this… the divines surely test us to see if we are worthy beasts to walk in their lands. She had blocked out the images that began to surface in her mind of the innocent and defenceless fallen, she felt sadness for the beast kind that walked these lands along with her. I haven’t really needed to hunt for quite some time for all the animals that lay dead. Surely not the divines, they would not test us all so. She shook her head; blood sprinkling off like rain drops off a bird’s feathers. The smell of the corpses and the memories became too much for her to remain and with that she took off again in the direction she had come.
She reached her destination, slowing to a stop she listen and probed with her fine tuned nose for signs of life, she was alone. Finally she let her head hang low, her tongue loll, and her mind wander. Her bag or pack lay by a stream the babbling of which calmed her fire. Then with a flash of light in her eyes she transformed back to her human form. Brynn lay now naked on the ground; she felt venerable and took not a second to stand up. Her golden brown hair lay in soft waves covering her chest but other than this it was blood that hid her smooth skin from view. Sighing she walked a few steps to her pack and rummaged about finding a small healing potion she threw her head back and drank. She wiped her full lips and walked towards the stream, the water was cold to her warm skin but she did not care she was a Nord after all. She let the water that stung her skin surround her, it became almost soothing as she stood with her eyes closed fingers trailing over the top of the water. Once her spirit was once more tamed she lowered herself in and submerged only to break the surface of the water once again. She wiped the water from her eyes and began to clean off the blood, sweat, and all other matter of nature’s filth that had clung to her body. Her hair floated around her as she clean, her blue eyes sparkling and just as reflective as the pool that the stream had fallen into in which she bathed now.
Although thoroughly clean she remained her arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed with smiling lips slightly agape listening to the forest. She began to hum as she lifted herself from the water into the night air the blue moon still casing its light onto her, lying like a blanket over her shoulders. She returned now to her pack and finding a rough blanket she dried off, rubbing her body vigorously then turning her attention to drying her hair. She ran her fingers through her soft curls feeling her scalp, scars caused the smooth skin to rise as hills on a plane. She could almost hear the memories come back as she felt the very first of the few that she had received. A young child’s voice, a girls just shy of six or had it been of age five whispered in her head;
“Mama,” the voice asked, so innocently so sweetly “Where’s Daddy…”
The voice faded as quickly as it had come and Brynn tried to ignore the effect it would usually have had on her. She began now to pull on her undergarments then reaching for her customary Ancient Nord armor she began to redress herself. Once she was strapped in, boots on, and gauntlets secured she braided back the front half of her hair, painted on war paint over each eye, then as a final step she lowered her helmet unto her head. She dressed her wounds then shouldering her pack she looked around, making sure not to forget a single thing she traipsed off in search of a place to rest. She soon found what she was looking for in the hollow trunk of a fallen tree. Unrolling her bedroll she lay inside, curled up feeling at peace and at one with her bestial blood. The hunt for her kin would have to resume in the morn.
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