U.O.T.W. Chapter 69 Night Breed

• Posted by Sotek August 10, 2015 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,080 views

  

   

   

  Authors Note: Adult Themes

  As the three Companions rode into view of the Winterhold stables. The young stable hand looked over to them with a bemused expression due to the fact that Aela and Sotek were both sharing a horse. Once Vilkas handed over his stallion, the stable hand led the two horses to the far side of a small paddock so they could rest and feed.

  "Will you be needing the horses again? Or will you require three horses? None of the carriage drivers like the horses carrying two people, it wears them out too much”. The stable hand stated his concerns with as much authority as he could muster.

  He lost his bravado as he watched Aela’s stance turn from placid to an openly hostile posture.

  “His bloody horse was stolen. If the carriage drivers don’t bloody like it then tough luck. Scram you little bloody…” Aela almost yelled at him for daring to reprimand them. However before she got carried away, Sotek intervened.

  “What Aela is trying to say is this... There’s a horse missing. I’ll inform Bjorlam of Whiterun as it was from his stables. We’ll be taking the carriage back so no thanks, we will most definitely  not be needing horses for our return journey”. Sotek gave the lad a few gold septums for his troubles. He then pulled Aela aside by the arm. “He’s a stable lad not a bloody bandit. Will you please try to show some restraint!!!”

  The Stable hand tossed a gold coin up in the air just to catch it a few seconds later. As he headed over to the carriage driver to discuss the horse situation he whistled a tune to himself. He winked at Aela as he walked past her. She stood still like a statue form surprise at his audacity but when he turned around to face her back he ‘wolf whistled’ as his eyes moved up her legs to rest on her backside. A loud threatening growl made him jump and scamper off.

  Aela grinned as she glanced over to Sotek.

  “He’s just a boy with hormones Mr. ‘Show some restraint’”.

  Sotek glared at the lad for a few seconds then slapped Aela on the arse as the boy watched almost as if he was marking his territory. The stable hand ran to the carriage driver then pointed towards the horses in the paddock. Sotek rapidly changed from his current state of anger to one of curiosity.

  "What are they talking about?”

  Aela tucked her arm around his waist and pulled herself close to him. “Someone’s jealous… To put it bluntly you green eyed… Green eyed reptile… You have green eyes so I had to say it twice… They have too many flipping horses. So, what they are discussing is how many horses to send back to Whiterun. Sometimes, like now for instance, the stables become too full. So to counter that, the carriage would be pulled by two or even three horses. That’s how the drivers like Bjorlam, spread around the horses so they all don’t end up in one city’s stables”

  “Ok… It’s time to break the attitudes else you’ll both start brawling in the street. You two are either fighting each other or shagging. Why can’t you both be normal just for once. I’m not your bloody keeper you know. Come on, I’m hungry”. Both Aela and Sotek glanced at Vilkas as he headed off in front and made his way to the frozen Hearth. As they watched him it quickly became apparent that he didn’t care if they were following him or not.

  The moment Vilkas opened the doorway he felt the warm air rush past him as it tried to escape from the confines of the Inn. He walked over to the fireplace and removed his gauntlets then eagerly rubbed his hands together to restore the blood flow to his fingertips. Once he was joined by his shield siblings, he called out to Dagur the Inn keeper.

  “Can we have three meads and three hot meals please”.

  Sotek in all his innocence glanced back at Aela.

  “Who’s turn to pay?”

  Aela and Vilkas both smiled to each other then left him standing there as they both headed across the hall to sit at a large wooden table. Sotek’s shoulders slumped down as he unfastened his money pouch.

  “Why did I ask?”

  Aela called him over to her.

  “Come on you… Sit”.

  One of the maids carried a tray with three flasks of mead on them. She placed the first one in front of Aela as she greeted her. However once her eyes fell upon Vilkas, she buzzed around him forgetting altogether that Sotek was waiting for his drink. After a few minutes Aela spotted Haran from across the bar. She had just left the kitchen so no doubt she was cooking their meals. Aela left the table and approached her. As they talked they literally blanked Sotek’s presence altogether.

  “Well hello again Aela, and how’s Sotek doing with his magic?"

  "Hi, he’s doing ok. Well better than what he was at any rate. How many rooms do you have spare?" Aela asked as she quickly scanned the hall. There were only a few people there and she recognized them as regulars. She felt quietly confident that they could indeed rent two rooms as the Inn didn’t seem overly busy.

  "Oh we have a few spare. Did you want the one room?" As she talked she reached back for a single large iron key.

  "No, we’ll be needing two rooms". As she spoke she placed twenty gold on the side.

  "Two rooms? All’s not so good then". Haran looked a bit surprised as she turned back to face Aela.

  Aela laughed shaking her head. "Yea, we’re fine there’s another one of us this time. I’m not having that great ox share with us".

  With that Vilkas came over to them both and blankly butted in on their conversation.

  "Have they got enough rooms?"

  Haran froze as she took a step back to examine him better.

  "Oh my you’re a strong one aren’t you. Well I’m sure the girls will be pleased to see you around. Are you staying long?” She asked as her eyes fixed on his.

  At that moment a gruff voice yelled out from behind the bar as Dagur called out to his wife. “Kitchen, you have work to do…” As she muttered under her breath Aela noticed that her eyes never left Vilkas neither did Dagur’s. In fact he watched Vilkas for an exceedingly long length of time.

  Just before Haran disappeared she handed them both a key each. As she talked to Vilkas, she pointed across to Aela.

  "You might be big and strong but you got your work cut out beating her… She’s the reigning champ at the moment".

  Vilkas felt some confusion sweep over him as he turned towards Aela.

  "Reigning champ of what?"

  "Nothing!!!" Aela stated as she practically ran over to Sotek and buried her head in his chest as she felt her face redden. As Vilkas went to sit down opposite Sotek, he could hear the maids giggling. He turned to face them and gave a slight wave of his hand.

  Throughout the evening Vilkas disappeared for an hour at a time to return to the hall just to vanish again. Sotek and Aela on the other hand contented themselves by laying together on a fur by the Hearth. As usual Aela rested against Sotek’s torso as his tail coiled around her leg. Later that evening Vilkas carried a stool over to join them as a group once more.

  Aela screwed her lip up as she glanced at him. She pretended to be disgusted but inside she knew what he was like. He had been a womanizer for years. She also knew that Farkas was no better, after all they were brothers, two and the same.

  "That’s three girls you been with… What’s wrong with you? And why are you looking so smug?"

  Sotek grinned at her as he chuckled.

  “Why do you think?”

  Aela started laughing but then she dropped the act and glared back at him. The next moment Sotek groaned as she punched him in the chest. “Finding it funny now are we?”

  Vilkas still had a dopey smile plastered across his face as he rested his hands on his knees to lean across to them both.

  "Next time you’ve got to bring Farkas as well… This place is great. I just bet my girl will be the loudest tonight… 10 gold in the pot, oh yea baby. I’m gonna try the blonde, she’s a live wire".

  Aela Just sat there with her mouth open, while Sotek laughed. He then whispered over to her. "Easy money, we got this". She just turned a bright red then slapped him.

  After they had eaten their meal, Sotek excused himself from the table. "I’m heading to the college, there’s a few things I need to look up".

  "I’ll come with you… If you want”. She was hoping he wouldn’t mind her tagging along but at the same time she didn’t want to intrude with his college studies. All the while she kept thinking ‘Don’t leave me with the great lug, he’ll go off with a maid again’.

  Sotek gave her a funny look then pointed to a corner of the hall.

   "What? If I want you to? No, I have a task for you instead. Stay here and keep an eye on that stool over there. Aela, if it tries to leave, shoot it".

  Aela glanced over towards the corner where the stool was and stared at it for a few seconds until it dawned on her as to what Sotek had actually said.

  "Oh you smug bastard…" She downed the rest of her drink then headed outside and followed him to the college grounds leaving Vilkas by himself. One thing Aela was sure of was that Vilkas wouldn’t be alone for long.

  The bridge was icy and treacherous as the two Companions followed the pathway. The pools of light illuminated the worst of the walkway but Sotek had cast his candlelight spell to give them extra light as they crossed. On a few occasions Aela felt her feet slip on the ice so she held on to Sotek’s arm for extra support.

  As they neared the gate Aela breathed a sigh of relief as she felt solid ground beneath her once more.

  “They ought to sort that bridge out… It’s bloody dangerous”.

  Sotek nodded in agreement.

  “Yes but the trouble is that magic is a bit shunned in Skyrim. You bloody Nord’s don’t like it… It smells funny… So there aren’t any stone cutters willing to help out and repair it”.

  Aela slammed the palm of her hand in his back as she snapped at him. “I have never said that magic smells funny…”

  Sotek lurched forwards and grabbed hold of the gate to keep his footing. “Careful!!! Ok but you weren’t enthusiastic on my spell casting were you hmm…”

  Aela glared at him as she pointed across towards Whiterun despite the fact that it was a day’s ride away.

  “You burnt the crops. What was I supposed to be? Over bloody joyed?” Sotek huffed as he headed through the gate leaving Aela to follow him from behind.

  When they arrived at the college Sotek led Aela straight to the large door at the far end of the courtyard then proceeded to ascend a spiraling flight of stairs which bought them to the library. Urag the Orc librarian was sitting at his desk with his nose stuck in a book as always.

  As they walked across the floor towards him, he lifted his head up with a somewhat startled expression but recognition quickly took its place.

  "Well hello there, how’s the nightmares?" He asked. Although Aela cast a warm smile at him, she couldn’t help but feel he had asked just for the sake of asking when in reality he didn’t give the slightest damn if she was ok or not. She found herself feeling somewhat irritated as if she was being scrutinized.

  Sotek however was oblivious to the way she felt.

  "Oh she’s ok, we’re winning" Sotek responded. His tail slashed around which caught the librarians eyes as Sotek lent on the desk and leaned slightly towards the Orc. "I… That is rather we need a few books".

  "Well you’re at the right place, what’s the subject?" He enquired as he watched Sotek with interest.

  "That depends on your answer". Sotek replied slyly as he coaxed the Librarian along.

  Urag closed his book then slammed it down on the desk as he muttered under his breath.

  "Ok, to what question?" He was ready for all sorts of strange requests, especially from the students. He was quite used to their bizarre enquiries by now.

  Sotek took a deep breath then looked at Aela who shrugged her shoulders at him. It was obvious that she had no idea what they were doing there. Sotek rolled his eyes then turned his attention back to the librarian.

  "Can, and this is only a thought… Can other creatures catch Lycanthropy other than sentinel species? Or particularly if you prefer, can a troll catch Lycanthropy and if so, roughly how big would it be? If it did, would it still retain its healing abilities when it transformed?" Then he stood back and waited while he watched his query roll around inside the Librarians head.

  The librarian looked at him as if he was actually messing him about but something inside told him that Sotek was serious. He sighed loudly as he scratched his head.

  "Oh wow, that’s a ermm yea".

  Then he turned to Aela and almost pleaded with her.

  "Anything you’re looking for? Please say yes. A nice book on Daedra or something like that?"

  Aela shrugged her shoulders as she blatantly snapped at him.

  “Don’t go asking me, how the hell should I know. I don’t even know what we’re doing here tonight… Exactly when is someone going to sort out that deathtrap which you call a walkway anyhow?”

  He just shook his head and sighed as he beckoned Sotek to follow him.

  "Very well, come with me". He led them to a section of the library were two massive rows of bookcases stretched upwards towards the ceiling. Fortunately for Sotek, there was a ladder nearby which he could use to reach the higher shelves. Urag tapped his finger on a seemingly random shelf as if he was drawing Sotek’s attention to it. Once he was sure Sotek was watching, he muttered to them both.

  "This is the section your after… Good luck".

  Sotek examined the shelf which the orc had singled out for him. He quickly realized that there were no reference numbers what so ever on the shelving. He confusingly called out to Urag.

  “What section? The shelves aren’t named".

  Urag grinned as he stared straight at Aela. “Some students lack respect. Others should be more careful when they bring their friends here. If their friends lack respect then as I see it, they lack respect… That is the section, good luck. I’ll be at my desk. Please… Don’t bother me again…” Then he turned around and went back to his book.

  Aela looked at all the books then thumped Sotek hard in the arm.

  "I haven’t got all bloody night".

  Sotek initially ignored her as the realism of the momentous task he had unwittingly laid out for them struck him harder than Aela’s fist. He turned towards her to reprimand her on her attitude when his eyes fell upon her dagger in her belt. The feint memory of when they were in the troll cave rescuing the students played around in his mind.

  “I’ve an idea. Let’s find that Khajiit and the Elf, they can help".

  Aela restrained from shouting but she was still forthcoming in her reply.

  "Help with what exactly? Just what are we looking for anyhow?

  Sotek rested his forehead in his palm as he groaned.

  “Oh Aela… Think outside the box for a change. You always take things at face value… That werewolf you saw, what if he wasn’t a werewolf, but something else with the disease".

  Aela grabbed him by the collar and forced him back against the bookcase. Her other hand formed a fist which she held up to Sotek’s face in a threatening gesture.

  "It’s not a disease and it isn’t no stinking curse either!!!" She tried to push him back more but his weight resisted her attempt. Instead she just dropped her hand away in disgust.

  Sotek held her, giving her some support.

  “That’s not what I meant, but think about it what if it wasn’t a werewolf but something like a were-troll, that’s why it’s so bloody big. It explains its healing ability, the extra strength, even the claws"

  Aela reached out for a book and weighed it in her hand. Mentally she had a guess at the number of books there were to sort through. She came to one possible conclusion. Sotek was right they needed help. "Let’s find them".

  Sotek led her straight though the courtyard to the student quarters. Instead of searching around the building, he saved himself time and used his Aura shout.

  “LAAS”. As before, he saw everyone’s life force. A student was in their room studying but Sotek ignored them and looked up towards the second level. He guessed the two whom he was after were there as they were as usual together. When he turned to Aela however he stepped backwards in shock. Although her aura was the same reddish hue as everyone else’s, Aela’s was huge. It enveloped her entire body like a thick red cloud. Within moments the Thu’um wore off dispelling the auras.

  Aela saw Sotek move away from her and she couldn’t help but notice the tip of his tail rigidly slide between his feet.

  “What the hell is up with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”.

  “Huh? Sorry I ermm. Are you ok?”

  Aela rolled her eyes as she made her way to the stairwell.

  “No I’m getting pissed off being asked am I ok. Are those two morons up here?” Without even waiting for a response, she started ascending the stairs.

  Sotek gulped then slowly followed behind her while he muttered under his breath.

  “I only asked you once!!!” The moment he reached the top he stopped talking as he was met by Aela’s cold hard stare. She clicked her fingers at him as she pointed across the hall to a room situated on the left hand side.

  Sotek smiled weakly at her as he headed off in front and greeted the two students.

  "Hey J’Zargo, Brelyna… Guess what?"

  The Dunmer, Brelyna approached Aela the moment she stepped into sight and shook her hand vigorously as she thanked her for their rescue some weeks before.

  "Thanks for your help. If we can ever repay you, just let us know".

  The Khajiit, J’Zargo, just stood there with his eyes fixed on Aela’s dagger. Obviously he was still afraid of her as his jaw trembled despite his reluctance to talk. He was more content in allowing Brelyna to speak for the both of them.

  Aela sharply pulled her hand away as she scorned the pair of them. “Helped you? We pulled your bloody backsides out of there… Just what the hell were you both…”

  Sotek pulled her away by the arm to have a quiet word with her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that bridge had shook you up so much. We’ll send these two to the library then I’ll walk you back to the Inn. You can rest there while we check out the books”.

  Aela grabbed him with both hands and pulled him around to the protective wall which surrounded a hole in the floor so you could look down to the light blue arcanic fire pit build in the center of the atrium. “Don’t you dare presume to tell me about my fears… You know nothing of them…”

  Sotek gulped at her sudden aggressive nature as he felt the lip of the wall rest against the top of his legs. He was more taken aback at her strength which belied her build.

  “Aela… What are you doing?”

  Her face changed from her hostile glare to one of confusion. She glanced behind him and almost screamed.

  “Oh bloody hell… I’m sorry, I’m…” She threw her arms around him and held him tightly as her eyes stayed fixed on the hole in the floor.

  Sotek gently pulled her arms away and sat her on the edge of the wall. He knelt down in front of her and held her hands tightly.

  “What’s going on with you?… This is to do with Red isn’t it? She hungry?”

  Aela slightly shook her head as she nervously watched the two students who were staring fearfully at her. Sotek followed her eyes then sighed and rose up to meet them.

  He rested a hand on each of their shoulders as he replied to Brelyna’s earlier statement.

  "Well it’s a funny thing, but there is something you can do for us. We need help in the library on ermm research into werewolf’s". Sotek tapped J’Zargo in the chest to make sure he was paying attention. "Meet us there in ten minutes. It’s going to be a long night".

  As the two students headed down to make their way to the library, Sotek returned to Aela who was barely managing to stop shaking. Sotek pulled his pack off and retrieved his herb pouch. “Here, this will help”.

  Aela glanced down at the strange vial as Sotek pulled the stopper off. “What does it do?”

  “It will make you feel somewhat warm and fuzzy. Dissipate some of that pent up energy”. He then proceeded to pour some off white powder in the palm of her hand.

  Aela looked at the compound with inquisitive eyes. “I’m not even going to ask what that is… I hate taking this stuff”. Her face screwed up just at the thought of it.

  Sotek chuckled as he opened a flask of water. “It don’t taste great does it”.

  Aela sniggered as she shook her head at him. “Nope, it’s like one of my toasted sweet rolls. Bloody disgusting… It makes me sleepy”.

  Sotek laughed as he sat alongside her. “Well it won’t this time. Just dip the tip of your tongue in it a few times”.

  Aela did as she was asked but then she shuddered at the taste of it. “Ughrr what is that?” She snatched the flask and washed her mouth out swallowing the water greedily.

  He pulled her up to her feet then headed off to meet the others in the Library.

  “Ground Bone marrow… Just try to have some restraint. Are you sure you don’t want to head back?”

  “No I’m fine, honest. I’m sorry about earlier and I’m sorry for being a grouch bag. Have you got a spare apple in your pack?”

  Sotek tilted his head to the side as he blankly glanced at her. “Huh? An apple, yes I expect so”. He handed over the apple which Aela held tightly in her hand as if her very life was dependent on it.

  Upon entering the Library, Sotek moved towards a small unused table and tapped on it as he called out to Urag.

  "Can we borrow this?"

  The Orc glanced over to him and waved him off dismissively.

  "Yes, that’s fine".

  Sotek immediately picked it up and carried it towards the section where the other students were waiting for them. He then collected two chairs and placed them at the table. Meanwhile Aela slowly approached Urag who was once again reading an overly large book. He peered over the top of it and watched her as she walked towards him. She never said a word to him but instead she placed the apple on the table then headed off to meet up with Sotek. As she walked away a single loud crunch rang out from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Urag smiling at her as he ate the apple.

  Sotek’s first task was to pull out a chair for Aela. Once she was sitting down he tackled his second objective, the two students J’Zargo and Brelyna.

  "Right, I need anything on were creatures other than wolves. All the information the library has on werewolves and the like or Lycan if you prefer is here". He smiled as he heard Aela groan from his poor attempted humour.

  Aela sat there staring at the three of them which only made the Khajiit even more nervous. She stared at the table for a few seconds then glanced up at him. “I’m sorry for earlier, I’m just a bit snappy. If you’re both willing to help then I’m needing… Oi Scales… What am I needing?”

  Sotek stood upright and slowly turned towards her. “Scales? What you are needing my dear furless is anything to do with Hircine’s hunting grounds and Greymane”. He then turned towards the others as Aela screwed her face up as she tried to work out what he had meant. “All you two have to do is find a basic reference of either subject. Leave it to us to see if its viable. Oh and don’t worry, we have all night". With that he smiled and sat alongside Aela.

  Aela suddenly realized what he was referring to and gasped out loudly. “Oh you bastard…” She went to slap his arm but he managed to pull it out of her way so she struck the table instead. “Oww… Reptile!!!”

  After a few hours of frantic searching, Aela was no closer to finding out any information which helped with their current situation let alone anything on Hircine’s hunting grounds. In frustration she huffed as she threw the latest book which she was given onto the table. The librarian quietly approached her while Sotek’s head was stuck in a book.

  “Here I found this, it might have what you’re looking for”.

  She said thanks as she smiled but she refrained from looking up at him. When she did finally turn to glance at the Librarian he wasn’t there. She shook her head and took a proper look. Urag was at the other side of the room sitting at a large wooden desk. She opened the book up to a random page then shouted out with glee, making Sotek jump with fright.

  “Got it!!!”

  Sotek started laughing as he held his hand up defensively.

  “Well don’t go giving it to me!!!”

  Aela screwed her top lip up as she groaned at him. “Oh shut up and listen Scales…”

  She came upon an entry referring to Hircine’s Alpha wolf. “It says here that the Alpha wolf is the top wolf of the hunt. There may be several hunts but only the one Alpha Wolf and Alpha Bitch at any one time. If ever the Alpha wolf falls from a single challenge then, that wolf which beat him becomes the Alpha.”

  Sotek looked a bit pleased at the new piece of information.

  “Great so we find him then I kill him and bye, bye, Alpha Greymane”. However he was having no such luck. “Everything points towards Sentient beings. There’s werewolves, were bears, even were crocodiles, well rumors anyway, but they all have a Sentinel being at the heart”.

  He looked up at J’Zargo and noticed he was struggling with the lateness of the hour. He guessed that both Aela and Brelyna were fairing no better especially as Aela had started yawning. He chuckled to himself as each yawn sounded like a high pitched howl. Closing the book in his hands he admitted defeat.

  “We aren’t going to find out any more tonight, J’Zargo, Brelyna, thanks for your help. Get the hell out of here”.

  Sotek replaced the two chairs and the table to where he had borrowed them from earlier while Aela returned the books to the selves. Once they had tidied up they thanked Urag for his time and the use of the library before they headed off through the courtyard towards the Inn.

  As they got outside Aela appeared to be rejuvenated by the cold night air. By the time she crossed the bridge she was wide awake however she also seemed somewhat out of breath. She held her hand to her left breast and felt her heart which was beating furiously. It was only at that point that she realized she was panting. As her eyes cast upwards to the two moons she cursed out loud.

  “We been in there for hours… Damn it… Bloody hell…” The beast blood coursed through her veins, overwhelming her body. She quickly cross her legs as her eyes shot wide open while she grabbed Sotek’s arm in a vice like grip. She stood there tensing her thighs as she stared at Sotek with an almost ecstatic look strewn across her face.

  Sotek went to speak but that just made her grip his arm even tighter. He tried to pull away but that just made her nails dig in to his arm so he remained silent and stopped resisting as he watched the odd spectacle which played out before his eyes. Aela took back control of her body and yanked on Sotek’s arm which had started to bleed from the wounds her talon like nails had caused. Without any explanation she burst inside the inn dragging the hapless Sotek behind her.

  Once they were in their room which only took a mere few seconds due to Aela’s frantic shoving, he pulled off his shirt and examined his arm. Four deep nail marks had breached the surface of his scaly skin and blood trickled down from the wounds. A quick basic healing spell was all that was needed but by the time he had sorted out his arm, Aela was already on the bed laying on her back.

  As Sotek settled alongside her in the bed, he felt Aela somewhat surprisingly sit just above his feet facing him. She then stretched over him, kissing him on the lips then slowly worked her way down past his chest, kissing his body every few inches. For the next hour and a half various certain howls echoed through the Inn, while a certain unhappy Nord who went by the name of Vilkas, banged on Aela’s and Soteks wall.

  In the morning the three of them met downstairs at the large wooden dining table. The Innkeeper’s wife Haran placed a small bag of gold alongside Aela’s drink.

  “Once again our reigning champion wins”.

  Vilkas however was far from happy at his loss.

  “I didn’t know you counted… That’s not fair, how much gold did you win anyhow?”

  Aela tipped the bag out in front of her then cheerfully counted it up.

  “Thirty gold”. She beamed as she laughed at Vilkas’s loss.

  At that moment, Sotek came over to them with a bag in his hand as well. Vilkas just stared at it as his jaw almost fell onto the floor.

  “What the hell… How much did you guys bet?”

  Aela who was feeling far more like herself, laughed at his response.

  “I bet 10 gold I’ll be the loudest”.

  Sotek tipped his bag out and rapidly counted it up.

  “I bet 10 gold that she’ll be the loudest but I also bet she’ll be the longest as well. 50 gold pieces…” He added a big pouch of gold which he had stored in his backpack to it and counted out various piles of fifty gold septims while both Aela and Vilkas stared wide eyed at the rapidly growing ransom in front of them.

  He scooped ten of the piles into a rough leather bag and carried it to the bar where Haran and her husband were working. In his haste he forgot to repack the rest of his gold which was still piled up on the table.

  As he stepped up to the bar he placed the bag on the counter.

  “There you go… Five hundred gold as promised. Thanks for the loan”.

  “You’re welcome, it’s been a pleasure”. Haran took the gold gratefully then thanked him for returning the debt.

  When he got back to the table however his hundred gold which he had inadvertently left out was gone.

  “Hey… Where is it?” He asked as the two Companions sat there watching his tail slam onto the wooden floor.

  “Where’s what?” Aela asked as she supped on her flask. Vilkas was busy eating his meal which consisted of some sort of broth. He hungrily dipped a large roll in the depths of the bowl then took a big bite of it as he shrugged his shoulders.

  Sotek gave a sigh, as he turned towards Aela. “Where’s my gold you thieving harlot?”

  She held the bag out and shook it vigorously.

  “I believe I earned that, so no… It’s not yours, it’s mine”. She then promptly blew a raspberry at him.

  Sotek threw a look at her as he groaned at Vilkas.

  “How much did the maids charge you for the night?”

  Vilkas burst out laughing as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

  “A lot less than that… You got expensive tastes”.

  Aela went over to Sotek and seductively sat on one of his knees drawing him into a false sense of security. He watched with some interest as her foot pushed against his other thigh separating his legs. The whole mood was promptly shattered when he heard the thud of her dagger embed itself in his chair. He looked down in shock to see the small blade rest just two inches away from his groin.

  “Say one wrong word and you die”.

  Sotek looked at Vilkas for help, but none was offered. Instead Vilkas half turned on his chair so he wouldn’t be involved.

  Aela glared at Sotek evilly.

  “Say something you bastard”.

  Sotek moved back in his chair to try to put as much space between himself and the blade as possible. He gulped loudly as he slowly looked up at her.

  “Errmm, oh hell your worth every piece!!! Ermm last night was great but… I still want my gold back”. The moment he said it his eyes slammed shut as he braced for the feel of her hand across his cheek.

  Vilkas spluttered a mouthful of mead across the table and half choked as he stared in disbelief at Soteks flippant remark.

  “No way… There’s no way you just said that!!!” He burst out laughing then ran for cover leaving the remainders of his breakfast behind.

  Sotek, who was still waiting for the inevitable slap, half opened one eye to find Aela staring back at him in a manner set to kill.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked as he took a gulp of air. The thought did occurre to him that it could well be the last breath of air that he ever gets to take so he took a second gulp just to play it safe. Then it also occurred to him that if he played it safe to start with then he shouldn’t have asked her to give him his gold in the first place.

  Aela glared at him angrily as she snapped out her response.

  “Like what? Like I’m going to kiss you cause I’m so happy and in love, or like I’m going to kick you in the bloody balls?”

  “Ermm the first one…” He stated as he tried to move away from her.

  The next second Sotek yelled out as she stabbed him in the leg with her dagger.

  “Oh grow up you no good hatchling”. She laughed as she moved away from him with the blood tipped dagger held loosely in her fingertips.

  Sotek hollered at Vilkas as he covered the wound with the palm of his hand.

  “She stabbed me!!!”

  Vilkas unsympathetically roared out with laughter as he pointed to Sotek’s groin.

  “You’re still standing aren’t you? Count your bloody blessings she didn’t take your balls. Aela stop stabbing him else I’ll tell the Harbinger”.

  Sotek turned to her angrily but his temper was quickly quashed as she was standing there staring at his groin while the dagger slowly span around in her hand.

  “Quit it… Now” Sotek demanded as his hand lowered to protect his groin. “Stop it please, please… My little mountain flower”.

  She walked up to him as sexily as she could. Her hip stuck out with every step she took.

  “You’re in my room tonight… Sweet dreams”. Then she laughed along with Vilkas leaving Sotek more than slightly worried.

  Once they packed their gear, they headed to the carriage to make their way back to Whiterun. A few hours after they left, Aela snuggled up to Sotek. She closed her eyes as she rested her head on his lap while she laid out on the bench. She then spoke to Vilkas.

  “Make sure Sotek, don’t come to any harm… I don’t want to find him hurt when I get him home. I want him intact and breathing… Well breathing at any rate”.

  Sotek looked out of the carriage desperately.

  “Hey, it’s my stop”. He stated as he pointed to a random tree.

  Aela without even looking up, punched him in the leg.

  “Like hell it is”.

  Authors Note: A bit of a monster this one. It was 2200 words but after a serious editing frenzy it now stands at over 6000 words. I've been reading Lissette's work too much. Sorry about that.