U.O.T.W. Chapter 68 Stop! Thief!!!

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    Sotek groaned as his eyes flicked open to see the horizons color change from pitch black to blazing oranges and reds as the sun was just starting to climb. The night itself still clung on to the last ruminants of darkness before giving up the sky to daybreak. Most of the stars themselves had already surrendered to the mornings brilliance and had faded into nothing. Sotek started to sit up but the moment he lifted his head, he felt dizzy, weak and thirsty. As his mind tried to clear, he remembered this feeling from days ago when he was at Jorrvaskr. That was when Tilma had made him swim in the pool by Dragonsreach for a fish only to discover that she didn’t want it at all.

    He chuckled slightly as he murmured to himself.

    “I need water”. He spoke aloud just so he had a voice to listen to then he reached over for the flask from his pack. The cool water quenched his thirst although it was only a temporary respite. He rolled his head back slightly as he tipped the remainders of the flask over himself and shivered slightly from the sensation of the water trickling down his back.

    One thing he did remember was what Vilkas had told him about the terrain towards the north. If he kept heading towards Winterhold, somewhere was a lake where he could resupply with fresh water and even have a swim to try to shake off the awful clammy feeling he had. The lake lay somewhere to the north. By the time he packed camp, the sun was starting to rise. The brightness of the morning combined with his current state caused his eyes to squint until he became more used to the sun’s glare.

    By midmorning he still hadn’t come across any sign of the lake. He was as thirsty as ever and he felt like he was burning up. Nausea started to set in which drained his resolve.

    “Where the hell is it!!!” He cursed loudly as he tried to keep his focus. Sotek patted the side of the chargers neck as he spurred it onwards. “Come on you, let’s get some height”. Changing his direction slightly, he deviated from the main path then rode his horse up a hill to try to get a better view of the local area. There to the east, just a few hours ride away was the lake which his body so desperately needed. He licked his dry lips at just the thought of swimming in its crystal blue waters. To the north he could see Winterhold. It was still a good days ride ahead.

    Turning east he headed down the hill, wondering what Aela and the others would say if they caught him talking to his horse. Soon enough though he reached the lake. It formed into a river on the far east side as it wrapped it’s snake like tendril around the base of the mountain. He dismounted from the stallion as he hissed out loudly which inadvertently caused the horses ears to flap about and twitch.

    “It’ss at the bloody mountainside? Cheers for that piece of strategic information Vilkas... Thankss”. He snapped himself out from his sorry state as he tied up the horse near the lake so it could drink. Once he dropped his pack to one side, Sotek dived into the cold near icy water. He swam as fast as he could and with every few seconds that passed, he could feel himself cooling down and his sluggishness seemed to have been simply washed away. After a few minutes he just rested at the bottom of the lagoon until a small fish caught his attention. He lazily swam around as he followed the fish through seaweeds and other underwater plant life.

    His legs kicked out as his tail whipped round giving him a rapid burst of speed. This time however he wasn’t playfully following a fish, this time he had purpose. There ahead of him were two salmon and within seconds he was in pursuit. The first one had no chance. As he closed in upon the fish he swiped out with his clawed fingertips killing it as he swam past. The second fish fared little better as his hand closed in around it. Although it was slimy and thrashed about, Sotek’s claws gave him the perfect grip. With the minimal of effort he had caught both of them and only then did he head towards the shore and break through the surface of the water.

    As he turned to where he tied up his horse, he saw a figure standing next to it. The man was franticly untying his steed from the tree where he had secured it earlier.

    “Hey!!! What the hell are you doing?” He shouted then swam full bore towards the stranger, leaving his salmon behind floating in the water.

    “Sorry, it’s Silverhand business. I need to borrow your horse!!!” Before Sotek was even halfway to the shore the Silverhand was up on his horse and riding off towards the west.

    “You bastard!!!” Sotek shouted out at the thief but all he could do was watch his horse disappear around the hillside out of sight. “That’s another reason why I hate ‘em”. As luck would have it, when he walked up the shoreline, he noticed his pack remained untouched. Thankful for the small mercy that his backpack wasn’t still on his horse, he gathered up a pile of wood for a campfire then cooked the two salmon which he had retrieved from the lake. Feeling better for his meal and the swim but considerably worse from the loss of his horse, he gathered up the scant few pieces of gear that he was left with. He cursed at the fact that he would be lucky if her arrived at Winterhold before dusk.

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    Aela and Vilkas headed north around the mountain then turned west. “Shouldn’t we head straight to Winterhold”. Vilkas asked.

    She shook her head as she surveyed the landscape.

    “Nope, he likes a swim and he knows there’s a lake nearby. He’ll head to it, then go north from there”.

    “Yea but we hit a base last night. He would be in front of us by now”. Vilkas pointed out.

    Once again she disagreed.

    “Nope wrong again, he won’t be rushing to get there. He would have camped last night, we’ll come across him, no worries. Bet ya 50 gold”.

    With that Vilkas spurred on his horse, over taking Aela, totally ignoring her bet. She just laughed as she dug her heels into the horses side and followed him.

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    Sotek climbed up a hill as he had done before for a better view of the terrain but this time without a horse. As he looked to the north east, in the distance he could see two riders. Although he couldn’t make them out properly, his instinct told him they were Aela, and Vilkas. Obviously they were too far away to hear a shout but he thought about when the Greybeards first summoned him to High Hrothgar.

    Drawing a deep breath Sotek shouted out his Thu’um.

     “FUS RO”.

    The shout echoed across the plains like a thunderclap. Within a few seconds the two riders who were galloping along the rugged terrain stopped then turned towards his direction. He double cast his flame spell straight up as a signal flare then watched as the two riders headed towards his current position then he sat down and waited patiently for their arrival. Within half an hour, he saw Aela and Vilkas heading up the hill side on their steeds.

    “Hey, any chance of a lift?” He asked sheepishly.

    “Well Winterhold has certainly changed… Didn’t they have a college at one point? My horse is tired, where’s the stables?” Aela said grinning. Then she looked around for his mount. “Ermm, where’s your horse?”

    “Some thieving bloody Silverhand stole it. ‘It’s Silverhand business’ I’ll give him bloody Silverhand business… I’ll shoot the bastard in the bloody arse”. He vented his anger knowing full well Aela and Vilkas were just dying to laugh. “Go on… Release it, else you’ll pop”. As he spoke, he smiled at Aela which was the final straw.

    Aela burst out laughing as she climbed down from her horse, setting off Vilkas who laughed loudly himself. However he then slipped from his saddle and landed on his backside, sending Aela into a state of uproar, uncontrollably laughing in hysterics.

    “You, you…. Lost your horse…. And he…. Can’t… Ride one”. Then she creased up as she dropped to her knees while her hands held her sides. Meanwhile Vilkas and Sotek just stood there watching her.

    After she composed herself, Sotek gathered his gear together and attached it to Vilkas's horse then he watched as Vilkas and Aela mounted up. Sotek went to get on Aela's horse but she stopped him in his tracks. "Hey, what ya doing?"

    "I need a ride, shift over". As he spoke he prodded her in the leg.

    She waved her finger at him as she shook her head.

    "No way, I aint loosing this horse". Then she started riding off, leaving him standing there watching her.

    Within moments Vilkas rode off as well.

    "Don't look at me".

    "Aela, get your arse over here!!!" He shouted out at her but he was fully aware he could do nothing to stop her teasing him.

    She rode towards him cautiously.

    "It’s not an ass, it's a horse, and it's mine". She couldn't help but laugh at him. He started to run towards her but she reared up her horse then shot off away from him.

    She stopped then tipped her head to the horse telling Sotek to climb on but as he approached it she rode off again.

    She stopped a few more yards further away then nodded to Sotek once more. As he drew close, she shot off at speed riding well away from him. Vilkas stopped then watched her tease him.

    "Come on Aela, let him on".

    She turned her horse around and rode straight at him. He side stepped as he grabbed hold of the reins then swung onto the horse’s back as Aela continued riding along.

    "You two have done that before". Vilkas commented. He was clearly impressed with their teamwork. "Hey that reminds me, you blasted rouge".

    Aela stopped the horse next to Vilkas.

    "Who you calling a rouge?" She asked.

    "That thing behind you, you owe me a chest. Why did you teach her to lockpick?" He asked in a demanding tone as he had remembered how easy it was for Aela to open the box.

    "Who, me?" Sotek stated acting innocent. "Aela, who taught you to be a naughty girl and pick locks?". He asked jestingly.

    "Oh my mate did, he's a right scoundrel". Her voice had a serious under tone as if she was deliberately mocking Vilkas.

    Sotek chuckled as he glanced towards Vilkas. "Don't you worry. When I see him I’ll have words with them both".

    "Is that a promise?" Aela purred.

    Sotek slipped his hand under her armor then very lightly traced the shape of an ‘s’ with the tip of his finger down the back of her spine making her shiver.

    "Oooh!!! Stop it".

    Vilkas just shook his head then started riding off. That was when he had a thought about what Sotek had said.

    "Hey, what Silverhand stole your horse?"

    "He looked like a 'Skinner' judging from his gear". He replied.

    Aela stopped the horse, then side saddled to face him.

    "What? He was wearing heavy plate and had short, dark hair?"

    Sotek nodded as his tail flipped around which caused the horse to unexpectedly move forwards.

    "Yup, that’s the one. I take it you guys met".

    Aela’s eyes opened wide with surprise as she grabbed hold of Sotek to prevent herself from slipping off the horse.

    “Whoa!!!. Moron…” She dismounted then walked to Vilkas's horse and retrieved the broken piece of door to show him. "Yep.. He's the one that slapped me in the face. The bastard split my lip".

    "Vilkas!!! You were supposed to look after her you idiot". Sotek snapped as glared at the unfortunate Companion.

    "Hey, that wasn't my fault!!! Well ok it was, but I got her back didn’t I? Where’s your bloody horse?" He remembered he stepped on the plate causing them to get separated.

    Aela started laughing as she watched Sotek’s lips curl up due to his growing. Sotek done his best to ignore them. He turned away as he admitted to himself that he had lost the argument. He then looked at the door piece blankly.

    "What am I looking at?"

    Aela pointed out the claw marks.

    "These were made by Scarface".

    Sotek stared at her for a few seconds as his studied the claw damage.

    "Who the hell is Scarface?"

    Vilkas who was still sitting on his horse, pointed to Aela.

    "Aela saw him, I haven't. However she reckons he's a werewolf standing over nine feet tall. We’ve no idea how much he weighs, but I guess he must be around twice the bulk of Red judging by the marks he left in the stonework".

    "Stonework? His claws damage stonework?" Sotek didn't believe what he was hearing.

    "Oh yea and he regenerates” Aela stated. She almost seemed ecstatic that such a creature existed. “He was wounded in his chest, in a few seconds the wound closed". Sotek watched her face carefully as he tried to work out if they were serious or simply tail pulling.

    "Please don't tell me that’s Greymane". Sotek was hoping they wouldn't but deep down he considered the fact that the two were the same.

    Aela shook her head as her face belied the sudden fear she felt.

    "I don't know. I hadn’t thought about that. He pinned me to the ground but he didn’t actually hurt me. He was angry with me, I could feel it. His attitude changed though when I transformed, he was… Do you think he is?”

    Sotek paused as he glanced at her.

    “He was what?”

    Aela walked past him to avoid his face.

    “Nothing… He’s a big bastard”.

    Leaving Sotek deep in thought, Vilkas moved alongside her and whispered in her ear.

    “Well? He was what?

    Aela’s eyes stayed fixed on Sotek as she answered.

    “He was after Red…”

    Vilkas gave her a slight hug to reassure her.

    “He was after everyone. I saw the place remember”.

    Aela looked up at Vilkas as she tightly held on to him.

    “He didn’t want to kill her… He was after something else”.

    “Oh right… Ah… That’s… Not good”

    Aela broke away and walked over towards Sotek. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder towards Vilkas.

    “Keep it to yourself… He’s worried enough as it is”.

    Sotek saw her approach so he moved towards the horses.

    "Well you two better come with me to the college. We'll see what we can find out". Then Sotek climbed on the horse, while Vilkas mounted his. Aela went to climb up but Sotek rode off leaving her standing there.

    "Don’t you bloody dare!!!" She snapped at him.

    He stopped, then called out to her.

    "Come on you".

    As she got close he rode away like she did to him before.

    "You get back here you bastard". She yelled at him.

    Sotek rode the horse away from her then turned in a big circle. He then headed straight towards her. Aela in one fluid motion, sidestepped as she grabbed hold of his side. She swung up and landed behind him, then she coiled around his body moving to the front, facing him. As he rode she dug her heels in his back and moved tightly against him. She held his head and kissed him for several seconds before she span around on the spot to take command of the reins.

    Vilkas just shook his head at the pair of them.

    "That’s showing off and try to remember there are three of us here".

    Aela laughed loudly as they all then turned north towards Winterhold, and hopefully towards some answers.

     

     

Comments

21 Comments
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  April 4, 2016
    Good idea on the title, I'll adjust it now.
    Sotek and Aela have their little banters between them. For me, it adds that 'spark' in their relationship.
  • Relycs
    Relycs   ·  April 4, 2016
    Great chapter, it appeared to me like it had been written by you and.. not by you (in a good way).

    Aela really isn't the nicest person around, neither is Sotek. What a pair.



    Maybe change the title to "Stop, Thief!!!".
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  October 22, 2015
    I'll just stick with the idea about what he did to mikael in the bar as an "or else".
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  October 22, 2015
    There is no or else what. Read my story, only she gets to call him Albee. She's Tilma, she can do whatever she wants. 
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  October 22, 2015
    Or else what
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  October 22, 2015
    Only Tilma gets to call him Albee. 
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  October 22, 2015
    Why, does he not like the name
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  October 22, 2015
    Yep thats the guy. we call him Albee but never to his face.
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  October 22, 2015
    You mean Aelberon
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  October 22, 2015
    Albee is the main char in Lissette's story. Straag Rod. Worth a look.