U.O.T.W. Chapter 131 Aela's Dream

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    Red was running as hard as she could across the snow smothered plains. From the corner of her eye she watched in fascination as the ground rushed past her. She lowered her head down to squeeze every ounce of speed from her slick form and pushed even harder. The thrill of the chase flowed through her veins while her paws left a trail behind her, showing where she had been.

    When she reached the crest of a small hill, she came to a stop and glanced in several different directions to get her bearings. She knew where she was, the feel of the wind against her fur, the smells, the moon filled sky. She was in the Hunting Grounds and she loved every second of it. Red lifted her head up and howled out in the night.

    She had traveled for what seemed like hours, across snow drifts, rolling hillsides and dense pine forests scaring deer, rabbits and other such wildlife. They all fled the moment they picked up her scent on the winds. A few wolves had detected her intrusion where she had crossed their borders and they called their pack to defend it. The two leaders, the Alphas recognized her easily and knew well to leave her alone. They howled out to the pack and turned around, heading deeper in their territory.

    Red weren’t after any prey though; she had already came across a half eaten deer which provided a free meal. She wasn’t fussy; the carcass supplied her with all she needed. The reality was such that she wasn’t actually chasing anything. She was just enjoying the thrill of running as fast as possible. It was a waste of energy but she didn’t care, she was free. She gave out a howling cry then with a burst of speed, Red bolted down the hillside as fast as she could, almost leaving her tail behind in her wake.

    Beyond the hills she saw a familiar sight; her den. Numerous wolves surrounded the area below a large slab of snow covered rock, the overhang. Some spirit wolves lazed around in pairs while others formed small groups. Red though, she was set apart from the others. She was the Alpha bitch, the only female in the pack that had rights to the Alpha male and the Alpha male was the only one with rights to her; as long as she let him. When she neared the pack, she sped up, running straight for the overhang, regardless to whom was in her way. She ran through the various groups, scattering them. Those who didn’t move out of her way quickly enough were snapped at for reacting too slowly as she ran past

    No-one challenged her, to do so meant they challenged the pair of them, her mate and herself. Any wolf so much as dared to challenge either, challenged both. He was her reward and every night she loved making this journey, almost as much as the hunts themselves; every night for eternity in Hircine’s Hunting Grounds.

    Finally she walked towards their cave. As always, he was there standing on the outcrop, waiting for her safe return. He was the Alpha wolf, Scarface. As she approached him she broke into a run, she could make out the three scars over his left eye; the scars he as an Argonian had made years before when he failed to protect her.

    He never failed since.

    Every night she would come here after a day’s hunt. Most of the time he would hunt besides her, the two spirit wolves hunting as one, leading the pack which as always ended up running behind them. Sometimes, like tonight she would hunt alone, her way, her methods. When she did, he would be here waiting for her return.

    As she got close she slowed down then walked up the ramp towards him. She stood almost a foot taller than the other wolves yet he was even bigger. She licked the edge of his mouth but then she bit him on the scruff of his neck. He howled out in pain and collapsed on the ground where he rolled around, whimpering. Red growled at him, a low soft growl as if she was laughing. Within an instant he was back on his paws with his tail wagging behind him.

    As Red walked past, she made a point of rubbing her shoulder against his side then she slowly entered the cave. She stopped just inside their den and turned around. He stood there watching her then he walked to the edge of the overhang and slowly gazed across the plains. Once he was content all was well he turned and followed her inside.

    That night the two moons shone brightly, smothering the crisp snow in a silvery sheen showing all the footprints from the day before. A single hawk flew back to its nest from its days work, hunting rabbits and voles. Across the plains, Red’s howls could be heard as they echoed through the valley.

    Just as the day was breaking, Scarface walked out from the cave onto the rocky outcrop. The pack below had gradually started waking up, forming themselves into their groups, various families and small packs all together as one. None of them argued with each other, this was his pack, his rules and all obeyed. Two Beta wolves sat outside and waited for him, he gave a slight nod as he went past and gazed across the plains. Lifting his head right up, he could smell a scent from three deer, there in the distance. He smiled to himself; she always liked a hunt before she ate.

    Behind him the Red wolf moved forwards exiting the cave’s entrance; she could smell the scents too. Her fur was up raised in anticipation of the hunt, the kill. She stood next to him and nuzzled the side of his mouth like she did the night before. Scarface returned her affection then he howled out, a mighty cry on the wind, telling everyone he was there, he was hunting. Red howled out; joining in with his chorus, their howl becoming one.

    Without any signal, Red broke into a run. Scarface followed behind and quickly caught up and fell in beside her. She could outrun any wolf there, all of them, except one, Scarface who near always ran by her side.

    The two Beta’s whined softy to one another and rolled their eyes. The pack had hunted in the early hours. The morning’s breakfast was already laid out. Knowing the two Alphas would be gone for the best part of the day, the two Beta’s returned to the pack and started devouring the Alpha’s carcass between them. There was no point in letting good food go to waste.

    Two deer took flight, breaking away in random directions, changing quickly from one course to another. The two spirit wolves, Red’s and Scarface’s paws hammered into the snow as they picked up their pace. Scarface leapt at one deer but it just managed to turn away. The Alpha relentlessly pursued his prey. Red lashed out just missing the back leg of her target as the deer leapt into the air, desperately trying to escape.

    The hunt was on.

    Aela woke up with her senses on full alert. Inside she felt warm and safe, a feeling she hadn’t felt for a long, long while. It grew to a point when she dreaded dreaming of the Hunting Grounds, the grey wolf would always be there waiting for her. She knew it was a sign from Hircine; her Lord. He was letting her know the nightmares were over. She remembered everything about the dream, she could remember Scarface’s passion with her, the crisp morning air as it filled Red’s lungs, the thrill and desire of the hunt. Red’s speed as she ran.

    Sotek was still asleep but Aela was too desperate to tell him of her dream. Patience wasn’t one of her endearing qualities; she lacked the capability to wait for more than ten seconds to see if he would wake up. Or rather, she would have waited ten seconds but it was nine and a half seconds too long. She started shaking him until he stirred.

    He moaned quietly and his tail flipped up in the air but then his head flopped to the side as he fell in a deeper sleep. Having decided he had actually slept enough, Aela gave him a massive shove.

    “Wake up sleepy head”.

    Sotek groaned and opened his eyes.

    “What? What’s up?” He asked sluggishly.

    Aela sat on his lap and crossed her legs. Her eyes shone with excitement as she talked to him, regardless as to whether he was listening to her or not.

    “I want to tell you about my dream. Oh it was amazing; we were there in the hunting grounds....”

    Sotek started chuckling and quickly butted in.

    “I had a great dream too”.

    Aela’s palms rested on his chest. Her eyelids flashed at him, while she eagerly listened to every word.

    “Ok you tell me yours then I’ll tell you mine. I bet mine was better”.

    Sotek took a deep breath then smiled; he laid there with his eyes closed as he spoke.

    “My dream? I was sleeping next to this amazing red headed beauty. She had three painted lines across her face. They called her the ‘Huntress’. In my dream, she woke up then quietly went upstairs and left me alone to sleep for the rest of the night”.

    Aela half smiled then picked up a flask of water which was sitting comfortably on the bedside cabinet. After she took a sip of the cool liquid, she slowly tipped it out onto Sotek’s head, covering him in the water.

    He shot up, coughing and spluttering almost knocking Aela off his legs in the process.

    “What the hell? Aela!”

    With a massive grin on her face, she got up and grabbed his hand.

    “My beds soaked now so we’ll go to your bed then I can tell you about my dream”. Without a further word she started pulling him towards the door, giving little care to the fact that she was actually half naked.

    They ran down the corridor like lovers sneaking in the night and burst into his room as quickly as they could so they wouldn’t be caught. The moment the door closed behind them, Aela pushed him on the bed and straddled on his lap. She lightly punched him in the chest to make sure he was paying attention to her words rather than her body.

    The two Companions sat there on his bed for over half an hour while she told him of the dream in all its details. Sotek gathered the importance of the dream and what it meant for her so he was careful to give her all the time she needed to tell her tale.

    Once she had finished, he pulled her down close to him and whispered suggestively in her ear.

    “We cant today because we are showing the others my werewolf form. Tomorrow! Well get up really early then head out to the plains, just the two of us. Scarface and Red can hunt together. It’s a good opportunity to see how they get on”.

    Aela felt a wave of mixed emotions. Her feelings of betrayal were lost in the excitement of Red running across the plains. However she knew from Kodlak’s earlier warnings that there would be problems.

    “We can’t, it’s forbidden”. She longed to feel the grass beneath her feet. Often when she hunted she would take off her boots to feel the earth between her toes just like Red would with her claws.

    Sotek knew what she was referring to and he fully understood. The renegade in him though wasn’t so forthright in obeying rules, regardless to the importance of them. He wanted his ‘partner in crime’ to join him and he knew exactly what to say.

    “That dream you had, do you want to experience it for real?”

    Aela looked at him in shock. She knew he had a wild streak in him; she did so too but to openly defy Kodlak? Slowly she glanced at his door and her will crumbled, she was in.

    “We’ll leave around two tomorrow morning”.

     

     

Comments

9 Comments
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  May 30, 2016
    Ermmmm  yea! Fixed
  • Aela The Huntress
    Aela The Huntress   ·  May 29, 2016
    Shame the 'Next' link don't work.
  • Aela The Huntress
    Aela The Huntress   ·  May 29, 2016
    This is how it should be.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  May 9, 2016
    I tend to give the Hunting grounds it's own 'eco system' balance of prey, predators ect.
  • ShyGuyWolf
    ShyGuyWolf   ·  May 9, 2016
    Vole is a type of rodent.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  May 9, 2016
    In paragraph 12 I read this. "hunting rabbits and voles." What is a vole? Is vole a typo?

    Why do I feel in the chapter when Scarface and Red get out in the plains there will be "Adult Content" sitting at the top?
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  May 8, 2016
    Grrr, naughty werewolves, disobeying rules! LOL
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  May 8, 2016
    Aela has something she needs to do first then we'll have the big intoroduction. A few chapters down the line, not many though.
  • Lyall
    Lyall   ·  May 8, 2016
    Nice dream, but I was waiting for Sotek to scare the living daylights out of Vilkas and Farkas.*Pouty face* Really though, it's a nice dream, I'm glad to see that Scarface and Red are getting along.