U.O.T.W. Chapter 70 Lover's Bite

• Posted by Sotek August 12, 2015 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,186 views

  

   

   

  Author's Note : Adult Themes

  After a good few hours of travelling, Vilkas decided to break up the boredom by taking it upon himself to act as Sotek’s personal guide. Throughout all of this time Aela was peacefully sleeping with her head in Sotek’s lap. Her hands loosely held onto a fur which Sotek had covered her up with earlier. He gently stroked the back of her head while Vilkas pointed out a few animal caves, a possible bandit location and even an old Nordic ruin which he thought would be of interest to Sotek on his numerous adventures.

  Soon enough though they reached the one location which Sotek didn’t need a guide for, the plains. In the distance, Whiterun loomed up towards them.

  The rear wheel of the wagon hit a rock and inadvertently lurched upwards in the air by a few inches awaking Aela with a start.

  “What the hell!!!” Her eyes half opened as she looked around whilst she tried to remember where they were. Realism set in as she recognised the outline of the city. “Oh Whiterun, soon be home”. She stated as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. However she then moved away from Sotek to give herself some space leaving the fur to fall to the carriage floor.

  “You woke up just in time”. Vilkas remarked as Aela straightened herself out. Her eyes stung so she kept them half closed.

  “Would it really matter if I didn’t wake up till we got there?” She snapped angrily catching Vilkas in surprise at her sudden and unprovoked outburst.

  “Ermm, no not really”. Vilkas discreetly rolled his eyes at Sotek as he put Aela’s mood down to being tired.

  Sotek however noticed Aela wasn’t being herself. If she was angry then she would be in his face not backing away to be by herself at the end of the carriage. He gently reached out to her hand and was somewhat surprised to find it clammy to his touch.

  “Hey, Aela… Are you ok?”

  She replied angrily to his question however she never turned her head towards him. She just closed her eyes tightly as she growled.

  “What? Yes I’m fine” As she responded to his question she couldn’t help but show some annoyance at being spoken to.

  Sotek expressed some concern, he could also see Vilkas was watching her closer than usual. “Are you ok?”

  She turned her head away from him and stared in the distance with her back to him as she tried to refrain from yelling.

  “No, I’m not. I feel hot, irritable and I want to be left alone”.

  Vilkas tried to tactfully change the subject however his attempt just fell flat on its face.

  “We’ll be back soon then I’ll show the Harbinger the claw marks. Might have a quick run across the plains with Farkas… Do a bit of hunting for a few hours before sunset”.

  “You got a really annoying voice… Do you know that?” Aela snapped as she half turned to face him. However what Sotek and Vilkas failed to notice was that she never looked at either of them directly.

  “Sorry… I’ll be quiet”. Vilkas stated sarcastically as he grinned at her. “Little miss has a bear head on, oh dear”.

  She just sat there glaring at him through narrow eyes for several seconds before turning her wrath onto Sotek.

  “For the love of god… Stop bloody staring at me, you’re pissing me right off”.

  Sotek turned away from her and glanced across the plains. Whiterun was still about half an hours walk away when he called out to the carriage driver...

  “Can you pull over? We’re getting out”

  “Who is?” Aela’s attitude came to the fore as she crossed her arms as if they were a barrier between her and the world. Her voice was no less friendly and it sounded bitter.

  “Me and you. The walk might do you some good”. Sotek suggested innocently.

  She just shook her head at his suggestion.

  “You get the hell off if you want, but I’m not bloody moving”.

  Vilkas caught a glance of her eyes which forced him to take a second look. However Aela kept her head down so he couldn’t see them. He rested the back of his hand against her forehead.

  “Damn it you’re burning up. Look at me”.

  Aela glared at him in her usual ‘I’m gonna bust your balls’ kind of way.

  “Look at me” Vilkas demanded. She opened her eyes properly and when he looked into them he saw she had a yellow tint to her eyes instead of her usual light grey. He turned to Sotek and whispered so the coach driver didn't hear. “She wolf biology 101… We’re in for hell… See her eyes, that’s not a good sign”.

  “I am here assholes, I’m not a bloody dummy on bloody show”. Aela growled as her face screwed up.

  Sotek gulped then whispered back to Vilkas.

  “I thought that was just a sign of Red feeling hungry”.

  Vilkas stared at him while he groaned quietly.

  “What the hell do you mean… You thought that was a sign. When exactly did you notice her eyes?”

  Sotek flicked his head to the two of them as he answered as best as he could.

  “Last night at the college. We were talking to the other students but Aela was being aggressive. I noticed when she grabbed me by the collar… What’s going on?”

  Aela covered her face with her hands as she whispered to Vilkas.

  “I didn’t realise… It’s not for another six weeks… Why now?”

  Vilkas sat alongside her and shook his head sympathetically.

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s to do with you two. You’re in a relationship, that means sex… Maybe that brought it on… Once we stop you get your ass in your room. I’ll talk to the Harbinger”.

  When the carriage pulled up outside Whiterun, Aela was the first off. She practically ran straight to Jorrvaskr without saying one word to anyone. Aela burst through the doors which flew open making everyone in the hall jump in fright. Tilma called out angrily to her but she blanked her as she sprinted for the stairwell. The moment her door slammed she started franticly searching around her room for something.

  Vilkas and Sotek entered the hall of Jorrvaskr a few minutes after Aela did to find the place in an uproar. Tilma and the Harbinger were arguing while a few of the whelps were scattered around in small groups. The other Whelps simply fled to the training area. Both Sotek and Vilkas guessed the argument was over Aela from the way Tilma was pointing at the stairwell. The two Companions rolled their eyes at each other then Vilkas stepped forwards and stopped the argument in its tracks.

  “Harbinger, Tilma… With all due respect, shut the hell up!!! Harbinger we need a word, and it won’t wait”. He then immediately approached Kodlak and pulled him aside so they could talk quietly.

  “I meant no disrespect Harbinger but we have a problem”.

  The Harbinger moved to a corner of the room then pressed both Sotek and Vilkas for answers.

  “I presume that’s why Aela’s so angry. She burst in the hall and literally ran down stairs. She scared us to death… Tilma called her back but she ignored her. So, now I ask you two. What’s happened this time?”

  Vilkas looked at him with concern, as he pondered on how to explain everything.

  “Well, there’s this werewolf… Thing… Aela saw him, it… She reckons it stands over nine feet tall. It must weigh around 600 pounds. The Silverhands, they are up to their necks with this guy. However we have a more urgent problem regarding Aela. Ermm, springs come early this year”.

  The Harbinger initially looked a bit confused until Vilkas raised his eyebrows at him. Kodlak looked around the room to see who was about, then he glanced at the stairway where Aela had headed down earlier.

  “Are you sure?”

  Vilkas nodded at him.

  “I’m afraid so. Her signs are obvious, there’s already a yellowing of her eyes. We haven’t got long”.

  Kodlak nodded then looked back at Vilkas. “It takes anything up to a day so we have around 12 hours to prepare…. Right, this is what we’re going to do”.

  Vilkas gulped as he shook his head. “12 hours? If we’re lucky we’ll have around 4. Numb nuts here knew she was overly aggressive last night and he never told me”

  Sotek’s jaw early hit the floor as he pointed to the stairwell.

  “Since when is Aela ‘overly aggressive’. She has two moods, unfriendly or damn right hostile”.

  Kodlak mumbled under his breath before he snapped out his orders. “Sotek does have a point… Farkas, gather up all the whelps. I want them all in the courtyard immediately. Once they are there, you and Sotek gather supplies for them. Farkas… I want you to take them out for a few days on the plains. Keep them together, we want no problems. It’s a field trip, deer, stags, wolves, nothing else. Don’t come back giving me excuses why someone ended up getting hurt”.

  The Harbinger’s next task was to head downstairs to Aela’s room. She was sitting on her bed crying.

  “Aela?”

  She looked up at him with tears streaming from her eyes which were heavily tinted with a bright unnatural yellow glaze. Her voice was broken and stressed as she garbled out words which seemed to mould together in one incoherent mess.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be now. It’s always been during Second Seed… Always. We haven’t even entered Rain’s Hand yet… I didn’t know… Not till Vilkas told me in the carriage. Why am I always the last to know what my bloody body’s doing? I can’t find it, It’s not here!!!” She then started franticly searching through her chest of draws for a second time.

  Kodlak held her in his hands and forcibly turned her to face him.

  “What are you looking for?”

  Aela almost screamed at him as she pulled herself away from his grasp. “My key!!! It’s not here… I can’t find it!!!”

  He took her arm and sat her back down on her bed. As his eyes flicked to the passageway just outside her room the whole circumstance they found themselves in suddenly dawned on him.

  “It’s a new door!!! Oh by the Nines, we haven’t fitted a lock yet”.

  “Oh no, I should have done it earlier. I thought I had more time”. All of a sudden she gripped her stomach as she screamed out in agony. Her arms started shaking as she tried to fight off the intense pain and delay the inevitable.

  “How soon? Aela, how soon?”. He rested his hand on her shoulder to try to get an answer from her but she pushed him away as she fell to her knees and doubled up.

  She rolled on her side and formed a ball while the Harbinger watched on helplessly. Moments later he jumped with fright when Aela yelled at him.

  “She’s close!!! …. Oh Hircine… Where are the Whelps?”

  “Their heading to the plains, Farkas is with them”.

  “AAggghrrr!!! It hurts”. Aela hollered in pain as she threw her head backwards and arched her back while her arms and legs spread out. Her fingernails clawed at the stone floor as her eyes filled with tears while sweat poured off her brow.

  The Harbinger grabbed Aela by the collar and lifted her head up off the floor. His other hand formed a fist and delivered a haymaker punch to her temple. Aela was knocked out and fell limply to the floor. Kodlak picked her up in his arms and rested her in her bed. He laid her on her side so if she was sick she wouldn’t choke on her vomit then after he was satisfied with her wellbeing, he covered her with a fur and headed to the corridor. As he started walking away from Aela’s room, he saw Sotek and Vilkas waiting for him by the stairwell door.

  However he had only taken a few paces when a loud creak sounded out from behind him. He momentarily paused as he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later a horrendous crash echoed across the Under Croft as Aela’s door was ripped off its hinges. Red leapt out of Aela’s room to slam into the opposite wall. She gave out a piercing howl as she proceeded to charge straight towards the Harbinger. A cold shiver shot down Kodlak’s spine as he ran to both Sotek and Vilkas who were already sprinting towards him.

  Kodlak glanced over his shoulder in fear as he felt Reds hot breath on the nape of his neck. Everything seemed to slow down as he instinctively ducked mid stride as a red paw swiped just above his head.

  Kodlak’s face filled with fear. He mentally counted every second as he quickly ran towards safety. Red was used to chasing deer across the plains. Deer were fast, agile, nimble… Kodlak was none of these things, Red’s second swipe was far more successful. Kodlak fell forwards as three claws tore across his back.

  Fortunately for him, he nearly always wore his armor as he knew there could be any manner of important visitors who could arrive at the doors of Jorrvaskr during all sorts of untimely hours. He found that out to his cost once some years ago when he wasn’t feeling overly well. He had inadvertently been in the hall wearing his gown when the Jarl himself knocked at the doors of Jorrvaskr and had entered. Since that day Kodlak always wore his armor when he ventured upstairs. It was only this simple fact that saved his life.

  Red trod on the Harbingers back causing him to cry out. He tried to move but he was completely pinned down. The more he struggled then the more Red seemed to press down on him however when he stopped moving Red slightly released her grip. She stood up to her full height and howled out at the approaching Companions as if to dare them to attempt to deprive her from her prey. In between strides, Sotek grabbed a chair and swung it at Reds head despite the fact that he was well out of range.

  In mid swing he shouted out his Thu’um which propelled himself forwards at tremendous speed.

  “WULD”. With an ear shattering smash, Sotek whacked Red in the head with the chair as hard as he could. Bits of splintered wood flew in all directions as the chair obliterated on impact. Red staggered to the side and released Kodlak from under her paw. Using strength he never knew he had, Sotek grabbed the back of Kodlak’s armor and pulled him to his feet just as Red snarled at him with saliva dripping from her fangs.

  Sotek yelled at Vilkas to run as he stayed just behind Kodlak. He glance at Kodlak’s armor which was literally hanging off while his ears listened to the pounding of Reds paws. He knew that it would only take a glancing strike to tear Kodlak’s back to shreds. With only a few seconds to spare Sotek played a desperate and deadly game. He shoved Kodlak full in the back shoving him off his feet but well away from Red’s grasp.

  Kodlak stumbled forwards due to his momentum. He stuck his hands out and crawled up to his feet as he carried on running for a few seconds until an unearthly Argonian scream cried out.

  As Sotek shoved Kodlak, he inadvertently slowed down himself. Red switched targets instantly and pounced at him. Her hind paws thudded into his legs bringing her new prey to the ground. Sotek slammed into the stone floor, stunning him as his legs burned like they were on fire. A second later his left shoulder cracked sending searing pain through his body as Reds fangs tore into armor and flesh with equal ease.

  A shield was wrenched off its wall mounting and crashed down on the top of Reds head. A loud metallic ringing resonated from the blow which forced Red to let Sotek go. Both his hands were unceremoniously grabbed and he was pulled across the floor. In agony from the pain in his shoulder and the fact that he was dragged away from Red by that arm caused Sotek to scream out. The pain overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious.

  Vilkas grabbed a lantern from the wall mounting and threw it on the stone floor between them and Red. It exploded in flames as the oil ignited in a blazing wall of fire. The sudden wave of heat bought Sotek around as he was being dragged away by the Harbinger while Vilkas came behind them.

  Sotek pulled himself away from Kodlak and staggered on his feet. He lifted his hand to his left shoulder to find blood pouring from the wound, his left arm hung uselessly by his side. He saw Vilkas run past him to his bag and throw a bottle to someone behind him. He faintly heard Vilkas shout out "It’s a special". Reaching out he grabbed the wall holding it for support as his head started spinning, all the while his eyes fixed on Red who menacingly looked on from the other side of the blazing wall which separated the Huntress from her prey.

  He felt a hefty boot push against the back of his leg forcing him to his knees on the ground. Then a heavy hand pulled his head back as a vial was shoved into his mouth forcing him to swallow the liquid. He tried to cast his spell and for a brief moment his hand glowed with the golden light. Then everything went dark. The last thing he heard was Tilma screaming out his name, he could hear her crying it out. Then he heard nothing, he was just dimly aware of hitting the stone floor.