C.O.T.W Chapter 63: Stalemate

• Posted by Hasir July 17, 2021 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - #TSC: Long Story  #Hasir  #C.O.T.W  - 701 views

  

  

  Hasir woke up early the next day to the sweet smell of slaughterfish eggs being fried in a wooden pan. Hasir got up groggily as he

  trudged over to where the scent originated. Danica looked up and smiled at him,

  "Good morning, how is my patient doing today?" She asked pleasantly

   

  The Argonian stared at her and said he was fine. Danica scowled and him and said sternly,

  "That was not what I meant and you know it." She said as she glared at him, waggling her finger at him

   

  Hasir hissed soflty as if he were trying to beat some rather colorful retort back into hiding. Danica smirked at him while she picked

  up two plates from the stack on the empty wooden medical cart, doled out equal helpings of one egg each and one side: seared

  silverfin for her and a piece of fish and venison for him. He thanked her and went over to one of the stone beds and sat down on the

  bed with his tail and legs hanging off of the edge.

   

  He tore into his meal as if he were a wild animal, which wasn't far from the truth. He seemed to relish the venison more than the

  eggs and fish; although he did like fish. He tore into the venison, greedily tearing the meat from the bone with his pointy teeth,

  chewed and swaalowed. When he was finished, he turned to Danica,

  "That was really good, er where did you get everything for the meal?" He asked inquisitively 

   

  While she picked up the plates, she told him that the slaughterfish eggs were found in shallow pools near the banks of the sea of

  ghosts, I fished for the silverfish in the Whitefish River and I hunted for the vension in the forests around Whiterun. Hasir looked at

  her and sniggered behind his hands,

  "You? Hunt and fish all by yourself? Don't make me laugh." Her gawping made him laugh even more 

  
  

  The nord looked taken aback by his garish behavior. She sighed and sat down next to him,

  "Well actually, I got the companions to do all that stuff for me." She smiled, got up and went to check on Khash 

   

  Khash, however, remained unchanged; she did not show any sign of improving or waking up. Danica decided she would go to

  Arcadia's Cauldron to see if the Imperial has any potions to help the Argonian's situation or else has some information on which

  potion shop in Skyrim does have a potion if the Whiterun potion shop does not have one in stock. Before departing, she double

  checked her spellbooks in the corner bookshelf to see if she had overlooked anything. She picked out one books after another and

  rifled through each of them. She did not find any spell that could delay the infection long enough so that she could find out if her

  strain is in someway different than any of the other wolves in Skyrim. 

   

  Danica went down the steps in front of the gildergreen and tried to open the shop door. The nord healer frowned in frustration as she

  found the door to be locked. She looked in the direction of the general goods store and saw Inigo still leaning against the pillar that

  did not look like a carriage had driven through it. She strode over to Inigo and glanced toward the main gate where a khajiit with

  sunset colored fur wearing a red hip-length coat and black trousers and matching black boots stood flanked by two brutish looking

  khajiit.  She walked over to where Inigo stood. Aela made absolutely sure she did not make it far, however, because when the khajiit

  came within  an inch of her she punched the offending khajiit in the nose. 

   

  Aela's haymaker carried so much rage behind it so that Affraji dropped to the cobblestone like a bag of bricks. Aela stood over the

  khajiit and smiled darlky as a steady stream of blood seeping through her fingers and stared at the the pitiful creature with

  indignation, Aela felt unbridled rage as she looked down her nose at the creature before her because long ago a khajiit explorer who

  was tasked with going with Kiara, Aela's mother, on a expedition to scout out a dwemer ruin named Arkngthamz pushed Katria off of

  a ledge to her demise. To this day Aela does not know if this was intentional or if they were just playing a little too rough. Aela still

  blames the race of cat people for her death.

   

  Affraji hissed at the nord,

  "What in Oblvion is your problem, shaveskin? I think you broke this one's nose," She stared at the nord through angry eyes, "may

  you walk on cold slate." The khajiit shot back.

   

  Aela responded to this by spitting in the khajiit's face. The captain's brutish helpers, Kharjo, a brown Khajiit with black hair half

  obsuring his left eye and outfitted in steel armor nnamed Kharjo and Ra'jirr, a black khajiit with white tiger striped facepaint adorning

  his face outfitted in leather armor held Aela back as she clawed ceaselessly at the fallen khajiit. Affter a few seconds, all fight

  seemed to leave her as she stared scathingly at the khajiit lying amongst the blood splattered stone. 

   

  Inigo walked over and helped Affraji up and saw that her nose was indeed broken as blood suffused her sunset colored fur; he

  looked down and saw her coat was also smeared with blood, dulling the brilliant golden curly designs on her coat. The blue khajiit

  helped the yellow khajiit up while glaring and shaking his head ashamedly at Aela,

  "What the hell did you do that for? You have serious jealousy issues, maybe you should go to Arcadia and she can make you a

  potion  of compassion! I thought you were better than this." With that said, he put an arm around Affraji as he walked her to the

  temple. 

  

  Danica heard movement behind the door; Danica walked inside and marveled at the spectacular sight; granted, she had never been

  inside Arcadia's shop before herself because she had never had a need to but this time was different. She walked with a sense of

  purpose over to the counter that Arcadia stood behind, beaming.
  

   

  She leant over the counter and asked Danica what she was here for,

  "Danica, I honestly didn't expect you. Are you here for potions?"

   

  The Nord nodded and explained in detail why she was there, complete with Khash's situation. The Imperial nodded and plucked

  two potions off of the wrap around shelf underneath the counter and set them in front of the box she had several of her ingredients

  in. She gestured to them, explaining their name and some uses they have,

  "This potion," She said gesturing to a red bottle, "is a cure disease potion, it can-" Danica cut her off, saying she knew what that

  potion did
  

   

  She, however, was gawking at a tall, thin glass vial with pinkish-purple liquid inside, She glanced at Arcadia bug-eyed,

  "What kind of potion is this?" She asked picking the vial up off the counter, "I've never seen a potion like this before."

   

  Arcadia said she had a keen eye; that particular potion is actually bottled hist sap and its intended purpose is to mutate the Argonian

  just enough to drive the infection or whatever ailment the Argonian has out of their bloodstream. Danica was about to pay for the

  two potions when she paused, coinpurse halfway to the Imperial's outstretched upward palm; she aked if it works. The Imperial

  nodded and said she tested on her lover and sniggered.

   

  Danica looked at her with her face screwed up in disgust,

  "Gods, that's horrible! What happened to him? Is he ok?"

   

  The sniggered as she walked over to the small closet in the corner of the room amongst stacks barrels and crates and opened the

  door. Danica had to cover her nose as an acrid stench crawled out of the open door and assaulted her nostrils. Danica shrugged and

  said the smell was strong for her too the first time but she got used to it. She kicked the door open all the way, and, horrified, the

  nord saw a skeleton laying on the floor with one arm propped up on a stack of crates stacked in the corner by the skeleton.

  

  Danica noticed the smell eminating frrom the skeleton: it was the same exact scent she smell when she pick up the bottled hist sap;

  she had to fight to urge to throw up,

  "Well, I guess the potion did not work well for him." She said as she gestured to the skeleton with her free hand 

   

  Arcadia shut the door and strode over to the Nord, she put her arm around her,

  "Danica, did I tell you that the sap is poison for non-Argonians? No? Well I'm tell you now."

   

  The Nord's eyes darted wildlly around as her mind was waging a battle whether on whether or not to believe the apparently mad

  alchemist. Arcadia smiled and quickly apollogized for her having to see such a macabre scene. Danica paid the imperial, who

  had resumed her potion behind the counter, the reqqested gold for the potion, smiled and placed it into her bag in such a way that

  did not shatter the glass container and left the shop. When she was outside, a cold stole over her that had nothing to do with the

  chilling evening air.

   

  She shivered again, trying to shake off the 'incredibly false' thought she had about Daniica being somekind of deranged murderer.

  She set her sights on getting back up to the temple and proceeded in that direction; she had to see how Khash was doing and if the

  potion worked as Arcadia suggested it would.

   

  She nearly made it to the temple door when she heard Kodlak's heavy footfalls on the steps leading from the mead hall. Danica

  turned around a smiled as he approached,

  "Harbinger, you gave me a fright," She said as she leant agaiinst the temple door, "What, er, are you doing here? Don't you need to

  train the whelps in the training yard?"

   

  The Harbinger shook his head and told her that Aela already has that covered; he kicked a rock with his boot and followed it with his

  eyes as it bounced off of the the adjoining wall with the steps to the mead hall. He told her that he was here because he wanted to

  check on the young Argonian's well being; he cocked his head and asked the nord healer if she was awake yet. Danica shook her

  head and gestured him inside the temple.

   

  Kodlak gasped as he noticed a new amiittant to the temple; a sunset color-leopard spotted Khajiit with brown hair laying on the

  stone bed near the eastern wall of the temple. Kodlak's eyes turned slowly from the Khajiit over to the bed near the southern wall

  where two Argonians were and he strolled over to them. Upon reaching them, he looked at Hasir with a worried look on his face,

  "Hasir, how is she? Is she going to be alright?" Hasir answered this with a shrug.. Kodlak did not know if this was a shrug of

  indifference or he did not really know her fate.

   

  The harbinger straightened up and walked over to Danica, who was busy checking the small Argonian for any signs of any

  improvement she might've shown because of the potion. Kodlak strode over to the small round table in the corner by the small

  kitchenette area. The Harbinger sat down after Danica had taken her seat; she asked him what this was about. Kodlak told her to

  keep his voice down; as if thaat would help becasue they were not exactly members of the thieves guild discussing plans to steal

  something valuable from some rich jarl,

  "Danica, do you have any more information of Khash's condition?" He folded his aarms and placed his face on them

   

  The healer shook her head, explaining that, despite her having poured the potion down the Argonian's throat, she had not seen any

  evidence of the potion's effectiveness. Kodlak looked thoughtfully at her with his owlish eyes,

  "Thanks, Danica, keep me up to date on her improvement, will you?" He asked, smiling as he got up and strode over to the blue

  khajiit, whom he felt so terrible for not introducing himself. 

   

  He prodded the khajiit on the shoulder; he gave a yelp of fear as he felt his thick fur standing on end. He turned around so fast he

  nearly toppled over,

  "Can you warn me before you give me a heart attack?" Kodlak looked ashamed; Inigo gave him a light punch in the chest and

  sniggered, "I was joking, lighten up."

   

  Kodlak smiled and introduced himself to the khajiit; the khajiit did likewise and they shook hands. He said his name was Inigo and

  also said he was also a new whelp for the companions. He gestured to the Khajiit on the slab. He had to fight back tears as he told

  the harbinger how his khajiit friend came here.

  

  Kodlak sniggered as Inigo leant against the stone bed, stumbled and fell flat on his face. He ran over to help him up and helped him

  brush the dust from his white miner's shirt and brown trousers; Kodlak smirked in embarrassed, Kodlak clapped him on the back and

  smiled,

  "Nice to see new whelps taking an interest in our endless fight." 

   

  Inigo looked up at him and eyed him in bewilderment,

  "I-I'm iisorry... new whelps? fight? What are you talking about?"

   

  Kodlak knelt down beside Inigo and told him that he was sitting on a chair on the mead hall porch when the 'trial of the newbloods'

  was going on. Inigo gaped at himwhile his tail rapidly flicked side to side. the harbinger also told him about their endless fight against a

  small group of werewolf hunters known as the silverhand. Inigo's face screwed up with confusion. Who in Oblivion were the

  silverhand? he thought as he resumed his silent prayer as he knelt beside the bed of his friend; the prayer however, was not for her.

  "Divines, even though I've never formally met her, please help Khash, I do not want to see my friend Hasir so upset."

   

  After he finished his prayerr he looked up to see Danica standing there getting ready to set Affraji's nose. Inigo winced as her nose

  was set into its pre-injury position secured with leather straps. Affraji's hand grasped Inigo's during the entire procedure. She got up,

  thanked Danica and walked with Inigo and the harbinger towards where Hasir knelt, who was, likewise, praying, though to a different 'god'

  than Inigo did minutes before.

   

   Inigo placed a paw-like hand on Hasir's shoulder, the Argonian looked up and sighed,

  "Inigo, when will Khash wake up? It's already been two days." He slumped over Khash's unconscious body and thumped it

  repeatedly with his fist, sobbing softly, "She was so innocent, I was not thinking, why did my wolf have to destroy an innocent life?"

  He turned to Inigo, his eyes swimming with ears.

  

  Inigo patted the distraught Argonian on the shoulder and pulled him into a bear hug,

  "Give her some time, everyone's body is different. Try not to beat yourself up too bad, my friend, it was not your fault; wolves get

  hungry too. " Inigo held him at arms length, gazing at him with his pumpkin eyes and smiled broadly, "She with awake in time I am

  sure of it." 

   

  Hasir smiled warmly and said that he really values the khajiit's unique insight. The smart blue cat smiled and said that he appreciated the

  Argonian's kind words, His brow furrowed as he thought on something,

  "Ermmm... Inigo, how do you maintain such a level head in tense situations-whether it is having an argument with a friend or when

  someone you care about is fighting for their life?" 

   

  Inigo sat down on the edge of the stone bed by Khash's limp tail. He chuckled and said that when the Argonian had seen as many

  bad things as he had, he would learn some empathy and would have a much easier time in dealing with whatever negative situation

  gets  thrown at him.

   

  All the while the khajiit was talking, the Argonian just stared at him; he envisioned a little blue furred khajiit with orange eyes

  holding his anger inside him. His 'friends' were making fun of him and him cowering in the corner with his knees drawn up to his

  chest; covering his ears, clenching his teeth and closeing his eyes tightly while humming a tune his adoptive mother sang hin when he

  was a kitten. His fur started turning black as his anger leaked out of him like a leaky faucet. He held it in for as long as he could as

  the bandits peppered him with insults and jeers that they thought were all in good fun. A small voice in the khajiit's head told him to

  stop cowering and stand up for himself.

   

  The khajiit shunned this voice as he thought that what he was doing was right; besides anything he would say would come off

  drastically different than how he thought it would go in his head. When he could not take the ridicule anymore, small patches of

  black fur would erupt on his body as anger leaked out of him like mini tributaries that branch off from the main flow of emotions. He

  let the emotional dam open in his mind and black fur spread all over his body and three white stripes of fur stretched across his

  back. 

   

  His fellow cohorts cowered against the rear wall of the settlement they were tasked with 'sweeping.' One of the bandits shivered just

  as the now black khajiit opened his eyes, his irises were no longer their orange hue. They were now replaced by rage-filled red ones.

  The khajiit got up, bellowed with fury and ran full out at the bandits. One bandit broke off from his brethren and tried to run but the

  small khajiit's claws swiped through the bandit's chest as though it was tissue paper. The scared bandit clutched his chest while his

  intestines drooped to the floor like a slippery red snake. The khajiit advanced on him with murderous intent while the bandit's blood

  ran across the floor like a miniature red stream.

  

  Hasir snapped out of his vision and looked at Inigo like he had just been stabbed by a silver sword,

  "Inigo, while you were, er, telling me why you try to stay on the positive side of things, I saw a vision of sorts where you were in

  some kind of building when you were a kitten," When he said this, his tail drooped, "I, er, saw you sprouted black fur when you could

  not take the jackals' ridicule." He studied the khajiit's face but saw no trace of emotion on his face.

   

  The Argonian's face darkened significantly,

  "Inigo, is there anything you wish to tell me?" 
  
  

  Inigo roared with laughter and raised a eyebrow,

  "What, no, they are not dogs." Inigo sniggered but stopped immediately when he saw that the Argonian wasn't joking

   

  Hasir eyed him fiercely and told Inigo that not everything is a joke: that he had to face the truth sometimes. Inigo's face fell and his

  tail slid between his legs,

  "Okay, my friend, you're right I did not tell you everything when you met me in that jail cell all those months ago."

   

  He sighed and ran a hand through his blue fur, "I did not tell you that I was a member of The Dark Brotherhood." Hasir looked at him

  as if he were a confused wolf pup, Inigo nodded glumly, "Yes I was out on a contract and  a group of bandits found me and

  persuaded me to sign up; I was a kitten, mind you so I did not know what I was getting into. I had sme reoressed negative emotions

  towards others that the bandits somehow managed to dredge up. I kept these feelings to myself and got criticized for it."

   

  Inigo paused, wiped a tear from his eye and continued,

  "What you saw in your vision was what transpired the night after Anise had did something so terrible that this thing, this

  Doomstrider, woke up inside me crying out for revenge." After he said this, he threw himself at Hasir's feet sobbing uncontrollably.

   

  The bewildered Argonian tried to ask who Anise was and what she did, but Inigo's words became unintelligable as his sobs began to

  obscure them like clouds obscure a beautiful blue sky. 

   

  Hasir raised an eyebrow as he was processing what his furry friend had told him,

  "You told me who Anise is... but not why she does what she does." The Argonian said as he helped Inigo told his feet. the Khajiit

  wiped his eyes and started to explain, but, at that moment, Affraji appeared behind Inigo, placed a paw-like hand on his shoulder

  and kissed him while ruffling his nightshade-colored fur, 

  "Sorry, I was held up; I was busy chasing a yarn ball." She laughed at her own stupid joke, "Mind if I ask who these

  creatures are?" She asked

  

  Inigo's fur turned white while his hackles stood on end,

  "Sure, Hasir, this is my friend Affraji, Inigo said as he gestured from the Argonian to the Khajiit

   

  Inigo did the same, albeit in reverse, for Affraji's introduction to the Argonian, she smiled curtly. The Argonian and khajiit exchanged

  friendly gestures. He eyed the Khajiit, smirking evilly,

  "Inigo, I think you and Affraji are slowly becoming more than friends." He said as he sniggered in his hands. Inigo shot him a look

  that told Hasir to stop laughing. He did so immediately; hie looked sullen again as he turned back to his unnconscious illlegitimate

  egg-sibling. Inigo and Affraji did the same.

   

  Hasir wanted, more than anything, for Khash to be ok; Inigo and Affraji did not share the same mood that Hasir had; they did not

  know her as Hasir had done. They just looked at the little Argonian with unknowing looks but they sobbed and prayed for her

  recovery nonetheless. 

  

  Khash's mind waged a war of its own and did not register that there were three creatures kneeling beside her stone bed. Her sanity

  was busy being tested as it was fighting the disease that threatened to overwhelm her. Khash woke up and was lying on her back on

  the plaiins in front of Whiterun. She looked over to her arm; white fur was covering it. She crawled on her belly to a stream adjacent

  to the Whiterun stables, peered into it and saw an black wolf with amber eyes starng back at her. She gave a yelp of fright, hiding

  behind a nearby tree. 

   

  She padded back over to the stream to make doubly sure that that had not been a product of her fevered brain; it was as genuine as

  it was before. Her stomach groaned audibly, forcing the wolf to search around for any source of food that she could find. A deer

  pranced in the grass a fair distance away; the wolf's ears perked up at the rustling a few miles away; powerful paws dug into the dirt

  as she gave chase. The wolf had never felt this this alive before, nor had she saw the plains, streams and trees in shades of blue and

  yellow before either. The wolf could see the yellow-shaded deer dart to and fro a few miles before her; When she got to where the

  deer pranced, the deer looked behind it, gave a squeal of fright and darted away once more. 

   

  The deer did not look back as he ran this way and that trying desperately to elude the hungry wolf. The wolf's tongue lulled out of it's

  mouth riddled with pointy fangs as she ran faster than she had in her life; she felt free, as if there was nothing in all of nirn could not

  sullen her mood... or her seemingly insatiable hunger. She skidded to a halt as she saw the deer standing a few feet from her, tail

  raised and swishing back and forth. From her hiding place in a patch of grass by a stream, she leapt out taking the stag by surprise.

  Her claws and pointy fangs ripped into the deer's fur; it toppled over like it was shot by an arrow. When the last of the deer's feeble

  cries died away, The wolf did not have long to feast on the corpse with the god of the hunt appeared before her; rising like a

  cyan mist out of the deer's corpse. 
  
  
  

  The wolf's tail drooped in apprehension of what this stag she had never met mightr, or might not, do. The stag's head turned in her

  dirction and saw the fear reflected in her eyes,

  "Greetings my hound, I can sense you have mixed feelings about the affliction you now have." He looked at the she-wolf as if he

  were getting ready to tell her the hard truth. The stag told her that she may not pull through and that the wolf might, in fact, take

  her life.

   

  The stag turned and started to walk away; he thought of something and turned around, 
  

  "My hound, er, would you please follow me... I have something to show you." The black wolf followed him as the stag strode though

  the plains following the white fish river northward but, had a million questions running throuh her canine mind. The black she-wolf

  stopped where the stag did; at a lone shack near the river. The stag jerked his head towards the shack and told her to get closer.

  
  

  The wolf crept near the shack and was about to go insde when an acrid scent hit her nose causing her to emit a long, low growl; she

  knew something was not right about this place. She peered though a hole in the base of the shack just big enough for one wolf eye

  to look through. She looked through and saw brown boots and the bottom of a robed woman standing at an alchemy table. The foul

  scent floated up from a myriad of potions the stood resolute upon the alchemy table. She recognized the sweet smell of a cure

  disease potion, the ambrosial scent of a resist magicka potion and the nauseating smell of crushed deathbell flowers beside a

  medium-sized stone bow; beside the deathbell was a portion of ground silver dust mixed with bits of wolfsbane.

   

  Burning with anger, the wolf ran flat out to the door and sunk her fangs into Anise's arm; she bore so much weight that the woman's

  arm broke in two places: the humerus and the ulna; blood spurted from the wound, forcing the woman to cry out in pain. The shack

  began to fade from view. Khash's mind snapped back to its prison; deep within the unconsious Argonian's body. She had no idea

  while her mind was on the plain in front of the ciy that the wolf inside her was hungering for meat, so much in fact that it attacked

  the first thing it saw: a juicy, blood-filled Argonian. It was Hasir not the woman who had screamed when the wolf bit down on his

  arm. 

   

  Inigo heard this and looked over toward his reptilian friend. Blood was oozing from the spot where the wolf had bitten him and he

  was swaying on he spot, fighting to stay conscious. Inigo saw that Hasir's color was draining fast; he ripped of a good sized bit of

  cloth from his black furred armor and used it to try and staunch the blood as well as hold the two broken bits of arm together, at

  least until Danica or Arcadia could ftind something to heal his arm. 

   

  Affraji craned her neck to see what Inigo was doing. He had just got done tying the ends of the length of cloth when Hasir's scales

  went white and fell against the southern most pillar, causing the crates and barrels to scatter to the four winds,

  "Inigo, what happened? is he... is he dead?" She asked as her eyes found Inigo's orange ones. Inigo shook his head and told her he

  just fainted.

   

  "Fainted?" She asked, her tail flicking from side to side, "How did it happen?" She asked inquisitively

   

  Inigo scowled at her, tail thrashing about wildly,

  "You didn't see the puncture marks in his arms?" He said, exasperated

   

  The khajiit could smell blood on the air and sure enough, she saw the four, rather large, puncture marks that Khash's large fangs had

  made in his skin. Inigo knew that the Argonian's accelerated healing could not heal this wound. 

  

  Affraji stood up abruptly and left the temple headed for the potions shop. Ingo glanced up and retreated backwards and almost

  toppled head over tail over another stone bed; he gave a shriek of pain and hid behind the edge closer to the temple door. He

  grabbed the stone edge and peered over the edge. Inigo went bug-eyed as he saw amber eyes staring hungrily back at him.

   

  "Affraji, the wolf is awake," He yelled at the door, but his khajiit friend couldn't hear him,

  Stupid Khajiit. He scoffed, turning back to the hungry wolf which was getting ready to pounce, the she-wolf gripped the edge of the

  stone bed and lunged at the scared khajiit; jaws gaped, ready for the kill. Inigo darted across the temple where his argonian friend

  lay; he shook him gently, Hasir did not stir but instead remained in his unconscious stupor. Ingo glanced at the wound covered by

  the blood-stained cloth; it still was not healing properly.

   

  Inigo turned toward the door, A knowing smirk broke across his face,

  "Oh so that's why Affraji went to the shop," He said, stupidly, "I am such a inept kitten sometimes." He said, chuckling to himself

   

  He turned his attention back to the wolf, whose head had bounced off the stone bed he hid behind some minutes previously. She

  shook the pain out of her fur like a mosquito off a horse's tail and chased after Inigo,

  "Down wolf, down, nice wolf. Quit you beast, daedra take you!" He screamed as he ran around the temple cloosely followed by the

  wolf. 

   

  He heard the tell-tale movement of someone coming out of a state of consciousness and turned around quickly,

  "Urrggh! Hircine's claws, what happened?" Hasir asked as he looked over to his bandaged arm with a bewildered look on his face. He

  went to move but the moment he did, silvery light came flooding through the temple's windows. Hasir got on all fours and screamed

  in agony both due to the transformation pain as well as the pain in his left arm. When the long and painful transformation was over,

  Twilight tried to remain standing but instead crashed into the stone altar before him. Twilight gave a pitiful whine as he beared all his

  weight on his left paw; he crumbled to the floor, his left arm fell useless to his side like a pillar put together by an inept architect.

  

  Inigo ran to Twilight's side and saw that the bandage disappeared when he transformed. The khajiit lifted the wolf's broken arm in

  his hands; he let go as Twilight uttered a yelp, causing Inigo to let go. The paw hit the temple floor with a muffled thump, causing

  dust to rise up around the paw like invisible wraiths. He heard movement outside the door; sure enough, there was Affraji, panting

  heavily from traversing the steps up to the cloud district, clutching a dull red bottle in her left hand.

   

  Inigo folded his arm across his chest. He did not look at her as he greeted her,
  

  "Nice of you to show up." He said coldly, still clinging to his friend's side. "Did you find anything?" Ha asked

   

  Afrraji wondered why her friend was being such a kitten about all of this, she had done nothing to him; she thought she didn't

  anyway. The organish khajiit strolled over to Inigo and caressed his cheek while kissing the back of his head; he still did not turn to

  face her no matter what she tried. She finally slumped onto the edge of a stone bed that lay three feet from him,

  "Inigo, I'm sorry for... whatever I did," She pressed her hands together as if in prayer, "Please, don't be mad at me." She did her

  best sad kitten face she could muster; she had hoped that Inigo would see this and turn letting it melt his apparently cold heart. He

  however did not trun around but held out a claw hand; wordlessly asking for the potion she bought from the potions shop. 

   

  Affraji frowned at this but got up, strode over to him and gave him the potion; feeling it's weight in his claw, he uncorked the bottle

  and poured it on the Argonian's arm, which lay bare after he had removed the blood-stained cloth. The potion flowed out of the vial

  like a free-flowing stream. Inigo looked at this a bit puzzled; he sat for a time hoping that the potion would do something.

   

  His tail thumped the ground as he yelled out in frustration,

  "AARGH!, stupid potion, work, damn you!" His face took on the color of a beet with a bad temper as he threw up his hands and

  growled softly. The place where he poured the potion glowed yellow for a second and then faded. The blue khajiit sat near the

  southernmost pillar of the temple, amongst the boxes that Hasir had fallen into when he tried to shake the wolf off and eventually

  fainted; tail twiching wildly behind him.

  

  The khajiit swore under his breath as the moments of silence didn't prove beneficial for Hasir's state; the arm still lay useless, like a

  green rubber glove, by the Argonian's side.

   

  Danica came over and asked Inigo about how Hasir was doing. The khajiit looked at her with a sneer and told her coldly to ask him;

  The Imperial walked over to Affraji and asked what was up with the angry khajiit; she shrugged. Danica nodded slowly and walked

  over to the Argonian. She knelt by his left side, lifted his arm and examined it. Inigo looked sidelong at her; Danica shook her head,

  signaling that he shouldn't worry about it. 

   

  She strode over to the medium wooden medical cart next to the wash basin and removed a roll of wisp wrappings, some hardened

  leather, a length of cloth and a perculiar potion that stood next to the bit of leather. She carried the leather, cloth, wisp wrapping and

  potion back to where Hasir lay. Inigo was watching his arm intently as if he were waiting for it to bloom feathers. Danica cast a small

  smile in Inigo's direction, uncorked the bottle and dabbed something white on the areas where the fractures were, wrapped the wisp

  wrapping around his arm, overlapping it twice to ensure it healed properly, encause the arm in two arm length halves of harden

  leather and unrolled some clolored clth and placed the arm into the makeshift sling and tied it taut letting his left arm rest against

  his chest.