U.o.t.W. Chapter 223 Wolf Kin

• Posted by Sotek June 24, 2017 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - #Sotek  #U.O.T.W.  - 1,179 views

  Chapter 223 Wolf Kin

   

  Aela, who was sitting on the step while she tapped her foot against a post, was a bit surprised to see Sotek enter from the other door. Sotek quickly looked around the hall at everyone then quietly moved towards her. 

   

  She stayed silent and pleasantly smiled until he was within striking distance. When he was too close to get away, Aela dropped the ‘sheep’s clothing’ and pounced on her unsuspecting prey.

   

  “Ok snake! What time do you call this?” She snapped as she grabbed him by the arm. “I didn’t think you would be this late! It’s past midnight”.

   

  “Poachers, I had a poacher problem”. Sotek said nervously. He tried to free himself from the viper’s grip but the Huntress was having none of it. 

   

  She cut his excuse down with a single word while at the same time cutting out all the chatter in the hall.

  “Bull!” 

   

  “Seriously, you can check with the guards at Riverwood!” Sotek stated in his defense. “Two poachers there were. One’s dead, and the other one has been arrested. Either that or wolf food; I’m not too sure yet”. Sotek exclaimed. “Besides, Aela! I said that I needed two days. So it’s past midnight? Big deal! Also, my dear stroppy, wolf kin. You said you would help me so I need you to get yourself down to Belathor’s shop. He’s waiting for you”.

   

  “Stroppy wolf kin? You bloody moron, the shops shut”. Aela declared as she stepped back. She rested her hands on her hips and glared at him but it was too late. Sotek had recovered from her initial assault and now he was playing ‘alpha’.

   

  “No, it’s open. Off you go and don’t be too long! Dragonbone is a pig to work with, you know that”. Then Sotek waved her off. She walked past him, complaining bitterly then she shrieked as he slapped her backside to hurry her along.

   

  The Harbinger flinched when the door closed, he was half expecting it to slam but for some reason Aela became submissive when Sotek was forceful with her; on rare occasions. However Kodlak knew such moments were indeed rare and they never lasted. He just hoped Sotek knew as well.

  “You are really pushing your luck with her, you know that? You can take the edge off her yes, but not for long. I’ll not have Tilma mop up your blood”.

   

  Sotek nervously laughed as he whispered to himself.

  “Not as much as I’m pushing it with you lot”. He gulped loudly then gazed around the room before picking out a Companion. “Farkas, can you get all the Whelps up here please? I need everyone here”. Then Sotek sat on the step where he was and waited. Kodlak’s words ran through his mind and he took a mental note of where Tilma was and, more importantly, the location of her mop.

   

  As for the Huntress, Aela began knocking on the door to the shop and was surprised when it opened. 

  “Ah yes, Aela. You came for something didn’t you? Do excuse me, now where did I put it? Where were they? Ermm”. Belethor then spent the next ten minutes searching high and low for something. He checked the shelving, large crates and bookshelves, sacks and barrels but every time Aela asked him what it was he was looking for, he wouldn’t give a straight reply. All she could get from him was a half hearted answer.

  “Well it’s like the ermm... you know! Those things you see? Its, well, its shaped like a... ermm”.

   

  Aela started tapping her foot impatiently but to his credit, despite feeling nervous, Belethor kept it up, keeping Aela there for over fifteen minutes as he searched his store.

   

  Now that the Whelps had joined everyone else in the hall, Sotek stood up then addressed the whole lot of them as a single group.

  “As you all are aware I’m the... a... Dragonborn. So, with this in mind, there are times when I have to be away from Jorrvaskr. What that entails is, at times, is this. I won’t always be able to take Aela with me”.

   

  Without waiting for anyone else to respond, Farkas called out from his seat.

  “And don’t we just know it, she’s intolerable”. He was followed by various nods and muffled agreements.

   

  Sotek laughed as he clicked his fingers at the Nord.

  “Yes, precisely, and you all agree! Now, what would you all say if I had to go away for a whole month?” Then Sotek stopped talking. He watched everyone’s faces; each one looked near horrified.

   

  The Harbinger was the first to speak. He voiced everyone’s concerns without any exceptions. 

  “A month? You can’t leave her alone for a month! She won’t take it; no that’s ridiculous”.

   

  “She won’t or you won’t?” Sotek asked. He knew he was going about things the long winded way but there were times when a feverous mob was more gullible than a quiet calculating crowd. If he was going to get his way he needed everyone to be emotional and not relay on their wit.

   

  “None of us will!” Vilkas shouted out. “It’s not fair! You can’t do that to her, or to us for that matter”.

   

  Sotek nodded in satisfaction. They all acted the way he thought they would. Now was the time to strike.

  “No, I can’t, I need her too much. I can’t leave her for that length of time either but there will be times when I have to go off and leave her behind”.

   

  Ebony raised her hand and spoke. She found herself having to shout just to be heard.

  “So you’re not leaving for a month?”

   

  “No Ebony, I’m not”.

   

  “Oh thank the Nine for that”. The Harbinger stated. “What is the point to this terrible nightmare?”

   

  “The point is” Sotek said with a sly smirk. “I may have an answer to Aela feeling so alone when I’m not around. However, I want you all... all of you without question, including the Whelps and Tilma to agree. If you don’t then Aela won’t need to know of any of it”.

   

  Kodlak couldn’t read Sotek’s face but his tail was flapping around so much it was practically using sign language. With every twist the Argonian’s tail screamed ‘Sotek is up to something’ at the Harbinger. Kodlak gave Sotek a hard scornful look and asked the dreaded question.

  “What’s your idea?”

   

  “I have kind of came across a ermm puppy? It needs a home. Now, I thought, if Aela looked after it, it would give her some companionship while I was away. What I need is a definite yes from all of you. If there is just one of you who says no then Aela won’t know about this conversation and it never gets mentioned again. I bind you all to this; it is never mentioned again”. That was it. All of Sotek’s cards were on the table. He had nothing else to add or any way to counter arguments. All he could do was sit back and wait.

   

  The Harbinger walked over to Sotek and asked him to stand. Kodlak held him by the shoulder and looked right in his eyes as if he was searching Sotek’s soul.

  “Have you thought about this?”

   

  “In all honesty?” Sotek asked as he cringed up his face. A solitary loud bang came from behind him as his tail hit the floor.

   

  The Harbinger sighed long and hard. Such was his state of mind and the speed of his breathing that he almost paused before drawing in air. Even when he did finally breathe, it seemed to take ages to fill his lungs. So many times he had the Argonian stand before him and tell ‘truths’. They were always truths mind; as long as you squinted your eyes, tilted your head or looked at them from some other strange perspective. 

  “That would be a nice change; yes”.

   

  “Yes I have. Harbinger, it’s a bad idea. The hall isn’t set up for animals, bar Red and Scarface mind... However, here’s the thing. She will like it, she will look after it and it will be a companion for her; even in her werewolf form. My concern is everyone else”. His voice trailed off by the time he finished speaking. He prepared for the ‘no’ and what that would entail. He had no idea what he would do with the cub then. One thing he was sure of; killing it wasn’t an option.

   

  The problems and concerns over the ‘pup’ came thick and fast but surprisingly, two unexpected allies came to his rescue.

   

  Sam spoke to the group first and gave his reason for not allowing the ‘pup’ to stay.

  “Dogs bite”.

   

  Vilkas laughed at him and brushed his objection aside.

  “So does Red; and Aela for that matter”.

   

  Tilma spoke next. Her concern was the state of the hall. She spent too long a day sweeping behind everyone as it was.

  “A dog is out of the question. It malts, too many hairs”.

   

  Vilkas and Farkas both laughed. They called out as one while they pointed across to Sotek.

  “So does Red and Scarface”.

   

  Ebony cringed as she thought about the wolves they skinned. Often the pelts would need washing due to the bugs and parasites living within the coats. 

  “It will have fleas”.

   

  Both Farkas and Vilkas were now hysterical. Everything mentioned caused them to think of Aela’s and Sotek’s counterparts. Fleas were no exception. Farkas was too busy wiping his eyes from the tears so it left Vilkas to counter Ebony’s concerns and he did so with gusto, yelling out joyfully. 

  “So does Red and Scarface! Hahaha”.

   

  Kodlak rapped his knuckles on the tabletop to quieten down the two brothers. They ceased their boisterous cries and settled down to smirks and muffled chuckles as they held their hands across their mouths to stifle the noise. Now that a certain level of decorum mastered the hall once more, he refocused on Sotek and the question of having a dog in the hall. 

  “It will chew everything”.

   

  Farkas and Vilkas both banged their hands on the table, loudly pointing to Sotek, or rather the side of him where his mate, Aela would sit. The two brothers tried to talk but they couldn’t with all the laughing they did. Kodlak covered his eyes as Farkas pointed across to the stairway. They all remembered the damage Red did when she had an early season. It took them weeks to replace everything she destroyed in those few nights of rampant destruction.

   

  Their meaning was lost to the Whelps though as even now they weren’t aware of the truth. Sabre gave them a funny look then turned to Sotek with his own concern. He wasn’t much of an animal person and he was painfully aware that many a night Aela would also vacate the hall. Now though they all understood why. It was during the night when Red hunted.

  “It will need to be taken out on walks and Aela won’t always be here”.

   

  Farkas slammed his hand down over and over again. He gave his brother a shove and cried out in laughter.

   “So will Howler and Spike. I win!!”

   

  Vilkas creased up in hysterics. He profusely nodded at his brother despite knowing he lost their bet. If he told the truth he had forgotten all about it until now.

   

  The Harbinger shook his head at Farkas and Vilkas’s behaviour then he stood up and beckoned silence in the hall. He didn’t like Sotek’s idea what so ever and yet the idea of Aela’s temper running unrestrained filled him with dread. Torn between the lesser of two evils he spoke his mind.

  “To be perfectly honest I’m not happy with it, nor is Tilma. Farkas and Vilkas seem ecstatic but I feel you’re right Sotek. Its better a dog running around than it is with Aela being moody. And yes, I think she would look after it and get some companionship. All in favour raise your hand”.

   

  Farkas and Vilkas raised their hands but even then they couldn’t stop laughing. The Whelps raised their hands next, except for Sabre who then grudgingly raised it up. Tilma kept her hand down then the Harbinger turned to her. They shared a glance of apprehension then as one they both raised their hands. 

   

  Despite agreeing to it, Tilma laid out her concerns along with a warning. 

  “It will be disruptive and cause chaos around every corner. Any problems and I’m coming after you! It’s up to you to tell Aela. Complaints to you, then you deal with Aela and the mutt”.

   

  Sotek gulped loudly and he began wishing he said cub at the start. He knew though the moment he did everyone would say no without giving it a chance. He hissed a half hearted reply and buried the worrying sensation he felt. Many a time he found himself on the wrong side of Tilma’s broom and mop. He half expected another encounter before the night was done.

  “Ermm, ok, I guesss”. 

   

  Now that everyone was in agreement, Sotek moved to the second phase of his plan. It was time to fetch Aela and bring her home. Turing to the closest Whelp, he called her over to him.

  “Ebony can you tell Belethor ‘two’ please?”

   

  “Pardon?” Ebony said. She looked at the Harbinger as if she was asking for his opinion of what Sotek had said. All Kodlak could do was shrug as he had no idea what Sotek was up

  to. All he knew was Sotek was indeed up to something. 

   

  Sotek hissed to himself then spoke louder, causing Ebony to quicken her pace.

  “Two; can you tell him ‘two’ please. He’s expecting an answer. Don’t tell him or Aela what we have discussed”. Then Sotek sat down and waited for Aela to return.

   

  In the shop Aela was getting angry and frustrated. She wasn’t in the mood for being messed about and yet this had the feel of one of Sotek’s games. As the ‘reptile’ wasn’t here to answer her, she turned on Belethor.

  “For crying out loud; what the hell are you looking for?”

   

  Truth be told Belethor was actually starting to get scared. Aela was not the calmest of people at the best of times and tonight was no exception. Fighting back the panic in his voice he tried to explain the unexplainable. He just wished Sotek would hurry back.

  “Ermm, it’s here I know it is. It’s like those things you find. You know? The funny shaped ones? Like those other things you don’t find, but not as big”.

   

  A loud growl caused him to stagger backwards. He bumped into the counter and held on to it to support his trembling knees. Just then, much to his relief, Ebony walked inside the store.

  “Belethor? Sotek said two whatever that means. I don’t know what he is talking about. He isn’t making much sense although he had asked us all about... oh I’m not to mention it. I erm... He said two”. Her gaze fixed on Aela’s eyes which seemed to be a second away from tearing her apart.

   

  “Oh thank the Nine”. Belethor said. He picked up the two metal bowls from the top of the counter which happened to be right next to him and passed them over to Aela. “Here you go”.

   

  Aela looked at them in disbelief. She stared back at him as an infuriating feeling washed over her.

  “What? They were here all the time; on the bloody counter! What the hell is going on? Whelp; tell me damn you”.

   

  Ebony turned around and ran. She threw open the door and pelted through the now deserted market then sprinted up the steps as fast as her legs could go. The Whelp burst into the hall, causing everyone to jump, then as quickly as she could, Ebony ran behind the Harbinger, using him for protection.  

   

  Sotek stood up and chuckled at her.

  “Terrified Whelp using Kodlak as a shield? Aela’s on her way then I presume?”

   

  A few moments later Aela burst into the hall carrying the two bowls. The moment she saw Sotek she raised a fist at him and smacked him in the chest with the two dishes.

  “What the hell are these and what are you bloody playing at? You’ve wasted my time you bastard! Don’t just stand there gawping at me; tell me what’s going on you lousy reptilian snake!”

   

  Sotek held his hands up to her and tried to quell the Huntress’s ‘ruffled fur’.

  “Aela, calm down and breathe. Breathing’s good, it helps you to relax”.

   

  Aela was having none of it. She brushed his wasted efforts aside with a heavy threatening snarl.

  “Talk or die, your choice. Aww screw it”. She went for her bow but then she remembered it was broken. Cursing at the empty weapon rack, she drew her dagger instead.

   

  Sotek took one look at it and groaned as he fell back for safety. 

  “Oh great the dagger. Aela!! Calm down will you?”

   

  She shouted back at him with the tip of the blade pointing at his throat.

  “Talk”. Kodlak slammed his hand down to stop the fight but he was completely ignored. 

   

  Having little choice, Sotek stepped slowly towards Aela and lightly pushed the blade away with the open palm on his hand. His tail wrapped around her leg, holding her while Sotek’s other hand stroked the back of her head, flattening down her hair.

  “You ssit down first; on our sstep”. 

   

  His actions had their desired effect and she sat down albeit grudgingly. Her eyes still blazed with the untamed savagery they all came to expect from her. The wolf in her was never buried deep. Just a thin layer of skin separated the girl and the beast which dwelled inside. Kodlak knew that was why she snarled and growled when she was angry; which was more often than he would like.

   

  At the moment Aela was totally wound up. Sotek could see it as he tried to placate her. 

  “Hey, it’s been a long few days but it’s ok. I needed you out of the way because I’ve got something for you; after I give you it I’ll tell you all about it”.

   

  As he spoke he held her hands while his tail pushed the dagger which was now laying on a step, out of her reach. 

  “Close your eyes”. Aela did as she was told, but she still wasn’t happy. While she waited, Sotek went to the back door and produced the box. 

   

  Her eyes shot wide open when she felt the wooden crate rest in her hands. 

  “What the hell! Its moving”. Everyone could see it tip and sway as she held it tightly. A high pitch ‘whimper’ caused Aela’s jaw to drop. Clarity struck her like a giants club. Every sense told her what she was holding but she couldn’t comprehend such a thing falling into her hands. She slowly opened the box, confirming what she already knew. “Oh Hircine’s claws... Sotek! Where? How? What?”

   

  She fell silent for a few moments as she watched the cub tilt its head at her. It lifted itself up and clawed at the side of the box to get to her. Some inner sense told it she was a kindred spirit, a wolf. As she watched it, she turned back to Sotek in shock.

  “Where the hell did you get it? What are we going to do with it?”

   

  “Well”. Sotek said as he sat beside her. “That’s what I needed you out the way for; to see if you could keep it”.

   

  Aela shot a look at the Harbinger. All her hostility was gone and in its stead was a little girl clinging onto all her dreams and wishes.  

  “Can I? Can I keep it?”

   

  Kodlak nodded although he refrained from smiling. He wanted her to fully understand she had ownership and not have such matters brushed aside or forgotten.

  “Yes, but only if you swear to look after it and take full responsibility for it; it’s not Jorrvaskr’s it’s yours”.

   

  Her eye’s watered as she gave it a piece of chicken which Sotek handed her.

  “It’s a hungry little tyke”. Sotek stated. 

   

  Aela lifted it up and cradled the small animal in her arms. She broadly smiled as it chewed on the soft white meat.

  “He is. He’s a ‘he’, not a ‘it’ thank you”.

   

  Farkas glanced across the hall at it then looked again. In complete shock he shouted out as he pointed his finger straight at it.

  “It’s a wolf!!”

   

   Sotek quickly answered back, defending it although he knew Farkas was right.

  “It’s a puppy”.

   

  Vilkas cried out alongside his brother, adding to the shouting.

  “It’s a wolf cub”.

   

  The Harbinger looked hard at Sotek; he stood up and brazenly stepped across the flooring towards the two Companions. 

   

  Upon seeing him, Sotek grinned. It was sickly, weak and nervous as he knew he was in trouble despite both him and Kodlak knowing full well it was too late for the Harbinger to act.

   

  Tilma weren’t under such binding terms. She acted by slapping Sotek hard across the base of his head, making him flinch. She grabbed hold of one of his bone spikes and lowered his head so she could yell in his ear.

  “Don’t you know the difference between a cub and a puppy?”

   

  “I do now”. Sotek said as he rubbed the back of his head. He stepped away from Tilma, freeing himself from her grasp and pointed to the cub in Aela’s hands. “Look at the poor thing”.

   

  The Harbinger walked over to it and scrutinized the cub.  Aela, half worried that the Harbinger would go back on his word, held it up to him in the hope of playing on his good nature. The wolf wasn’t privy to Aela’s plans, hopes or intentions. It saw the Harbinger as a stranger and he smelt funny. Something about his ‘wolf’ was off. He held up a single finger to it so it could take in his scent but it lunged forwards biting him just below a small scar. 

   

  Aela gasped in horror and pulled the cub away from the Harbinger’s hand and scorned the young wolf by tapping it on the top of the head.

  “Bad wolf, bad. Sorry...” She closed her eyes tightly, wishing it was a bad dream; at least the part where Kodlak was bitten. The rest she hoped was real. 

   

  Kodlak Sighed as he examined his finger. The scarring was from when Aela had bitten it when she was naught but a pup herself. 

  “It’s definitely you Aela. Sotek, where did you get it?”

   

  “Ahh that’s the sad part I’m afraid. Coming back from Lakeview Manor ermm Riverwood. When I was heading to Riverwood I heard this poor might whimpering. He was lying down next to a dead wolf; it looked like it was dead from starvation. Poachers caught it in a trap and they never bothered to check on it for three days. The wolf I guess was its mother so it was a case of bring it back here or kill it. That’s when I thought Aela might look after it and it would be company for her when she’s alone”. Sotek added the last part stating it again to help fortify his situation and refrain the Harbinger from letting Tilma hit him with her broom.

   

  Aela glared at Kodlak and clung onto the cub tightly.

  “You said I could keep it so it stays”.

   

  “In your room” Tilma demanded.

   

   “Fine!” Aela snapped back at the maid then lovingly spoke to the cub. “We don’t want to go near the nasty lady and her kitchen do we? No we don’t”. As Aela talked to it she lifted it up to her face. The pup murmured in response then licked Aela on her nose. 

   

  Farkas shook his head at her and commented on the cubs actions.

  “See! See that? Even the bloody cub knows she’s more wolf than anything else”.

   

  The Harbinger tapped Sotek on the shoulder and spoke sternly to the young Argonian. He wasn’t amused with what Sotek had done and he was determined to let him know.

  “Sotek, you played us!”

   

  “Yess. Yess I did” Sotek said. He held his hands up, accepting blame for his deception before raising a few points which he relied upon in his defense of the situation. “I did also ssay I wass pusshing my luck with you. Kodlak... Harbinger, Tilma, I still feel it’s for the best. But to be fair though; no one, not one of you asked what it was or to even see it”.

   

  Aela looked around the hall and realised there were more angry faces looking back at them than she initially realised. She could feel her world being torn from her fingers; along with the cub.

  “Who did you ask? Kodlak? Please tell me you asked the Harbinger!”

   

  Sotek couldn’t help but smile at her. He nodded back and pointed around the hall.

  “Not just the Harbinger; I asked all of them; of sorts”.

   

  Then his voice turned far more serious and his tail slammed down behind him. He turned to Farkas and spoke somewhat loudly, drowning out everyone else.

  “Hang on a minute! Who the hell is Howler and Spike?”

   

  Both Farkas and Vilkas looked at each other then burst out laughing.

   

  Farkas looked over to Aela then laughed again while his brother dug him in the side with an elbow. 

  “They’re nicknames; like we gave the Whelps”.

   

  Aela looked at them both then at Sotek who was too busy covering his face with the palm of his hand.

  “Who are they?”

   

  Sotek gave a groan as he peeked a look at the Huntress between a gap in his fingers.

  “Us, Aela, they are us. You’re ‘Howler’, think about it. I’m Spike”.

   

  Aela looked confused until she realised it was because she howled during sex. She looked at Sotek’s bone spikes and glared at Farkas. 

  “Right! Sotek, think of a name for them”.

   

  Sotek laughed and took his place next to Aela on the step. He grinned at the two brothers and shrugged their goading off. 

  “Oh please Aela, that’s too easy”.

   

  “Oh yes? I bet you can’t”. Farkas laughed. Had he been less drunk then he might have kept quiet but the drink made him throw the challenge to the Argonian when wiser men would have kept silent. 

   

  “Oh yes I can; and it’ll shut you both up”. Sotek said smugly. 

   

  Vilkas saw the confidence in him but such a thing was lost to Farkas. He laughed again and beckoned Sotek forwards, literally forcing him to continue.

  “Ok Spike; go for it”.

   

  Sotek shook his head and gave the Companion one last chance to back away.

  “No, it’s not fair”.

   

  Now Vilkas wondered if Sotek was as confident as he seemed. He took to the idea that the Argonian wasn’t and joined his brother. They both chanted at Sotek, giving him no way out but forward.

  “Spike is a coward, Spike is a coward”. 

   

  Aela glared at him and she lightly kicked his tail for good measure. In her eyes the only one who could pick on Sotek was her. He was her property, not theirs.

  “Get them; now!”

   

  Sotek gave a drawn out sigh then he began chuckling. He smiled broadly and his tail flapped about as he responded to their taunts.

  “Ok, you asked for it”. Sotek pointed to Farkas and called out loudly. “Peaches”. He then pointed to Vilkas and shouted out. “Peppercorn”.

   

  Now Aela burst out laughing along with Sotek. Farkas sank down in his chair and glared back at him while Vilkas’s jaw dropped to the floor. Neither one was impressed.

  “That’s so not funny”. Vilkas declared as he fumed. 

   

  Sotek wasn’t going to stop there. He looked at the table and commented on the evening’s meal. 

  “Hey we got chicken! Peaches, Peppercorn, any one you know?”

   

  Aela had to put the cub on the floor as she held her sides from laughing, even Sotek had to sit down, all the while the Harbinger and the Whelps were looking at each other trying to get the joke.

   

  Tilma however had another issue to deal with. She tapped the table and threw her question to everyone in the hall. 

  “Speaking of chickens. I had six cooked for tonight’s meal. Who was it that stole one from the stores?”

   

  The whole hall fell into silence except for the sound of a certain Companion’s tail which flapped about nervously.