The Call of the Wind, Children of Kyne, Volume I Options

[Kane]

I just finished up the long volume II of this series, so I thought I'd start posting them both here. This entry is one of my first real stabs at writing out a tale and one of only a couple I ever finished. The dialogue is a little stilted and the chapters are short (needed more practice) so it isn't a long read. If you are interested in reading it, I hope you enjoy! (PS, I'm too lazy to proofread this one and I wrote in 2018, so if there are any spelling or grammar errors, I apologize in advance!)



--------------------------------------


Prologue

The morning dew lay gleaming on the lush, green undergrowth of Cyrodiil’s Great Forest as the morning sun shined through the branches of its lofty trees. Deep in the heart of the woodlands, sat a small clearing and at its center lie a large rock, covered in silky green moss. Here upon this stone, sat an impressively large brown hawk - it looked far out of place among the other birds of the province, but it was not without purpose. Sitting as still as the unmoving stone beneath it, a wanderer could have mistaken it for a small statue to some long forgotten god.
Nestling its head into her wing feathers, she waited impassively for her prey. Soon thereafter, a crashing could be heard in the forests nearby. Quite suddenly, a pale, sickly looking Colovian emerged from the dense brush and scampered right through the clearing without so much as a glance at the large hawk.

Craning her neck, she listened for the pursuer she was expecting.

And sure enough, the gentle footsteps of a practiced stalker could be heard approaching the clearing, following the rampant destruction of the woodland left in the wake of the panicked, clumsy runner. The hawk lifted her head and waited for this new, but nonetheless expected visitor.

Ah, I see this predator is much too clever to wander into a forest clearing. The professional that he is knows to avoid such a thing, as it is ripe for ambush. Perhaps a little encouragement is needed…

-------------------------

The mercenary did not like what he saw ahead. Peering through the bramble, he intensely surveyed the clearing, looking for any sign of an ambush. The vampire he pursued had thus far been crashing through the forest like an ogre, but that may have been a ruse. Vampires, he had always thought, were usually much cleverer than this oaf was.

Hesitating outside the clearing was wasting time, but his instincts were kicked into overdrive as he approached it. Long ago he learned to trust those instincts, and many times they had been the difference between life and death. So there he sat, eyes darting around the forest opening, searching intently for signs of danger.

Quite suddenly, the once calm morning changed as a brisk northern wind began to flow through the woods, rustling the treetops and bringing a slight chill to the air. Our mercenary barely noticed the change in clime, until he heard the whispers on the wind. Startled, he relaxed his eyes, and instead strained his ears to the wind, where he swore a voice had whispered to him. The breeze fluttered once more, and this time he was positive…his name was carried gently on the wind.

Kirin...approach my child. Follow your instincts…and my voice…

Standing up nervously, he shouldered his composite bow, and walked boldly into the clearing. To his utter surprise, the hawk he’d mistaken for a statue hewn above the boulder stretched its impressive wings, and spoke to him with an undoubtedly feminine voice.

“It is time for you to return home, my child. Skyrim awaits you, and your destiny has come. Left behind will be your days of mercenary work and feeble pleasures. They matter not now, and only what you accomplish next will be of any consequence.”

This was unexpected, and temporarily froze Kirin, as a million thoughts raced through his mind. He settled on only one, though.

“And if I refuse?”

“It will matter not. The aspect of destiny is inescapable, and utterly final. Try as you might, it will simply catch up to you later, at a time when you may have less choice in its subtleties. Heed my words, and I promise you will not regret the choice to follow them.”

Kirin pondered on her words once more, and quickly realized what he was dealing with. One should not refuse the finality of the divines… He removed his helmet, and knelt on the grass before the large northern hawk.

“Lady Kyne, I see the wisdom in your words, and I pledge myself and my service to you.”

“Very well, young Kirin. Your time in Cyrodiil is at an end. Return to your fellow brothers and sisters of Skyrim, and your true journey shall begin in earnest.”

She then spread her wings once more, and took to the skies above Tamriel, flying ever northwards.skies above Tamriel, flying ever northwards.

This post has been edited by Kane: Dec 10 2024, 03:08 PM

[Kane]

The Wheel Turns

Fighting his way through the ancient Nordic tomb was no easy matter, but Kirin handled it professionally. He had plenty of experience with the undead whilst exploring the extensive ruins of the lost Ayleids in Cyrodiil. Surviving a barrow in Skyrim was more about avoiding the various traps, and less about the numerous Draugr that walked the halls of the ancient fanes. The only real challenge was the Overlord at the end of the winding mass of corridors – and that was only because Kirin was caught off guard.

The moment he crested the stairs, and stepped onto the raise dais a slight breeze blew through the immense cavern, as the sound of chanting and the whispers of some long forgotten language began to flow towards him from the half-moon wall. It grew louder as he approached, drawing him in almost completely unconsciously. Kirin reached out to touch the glowing marks, but before he could lay his hand on them, his vision darkened and a burst of knowledge flooded from the wall, right into his mind. The sudden inrush of power, brought him to his knees but faded quickly. As quickly as it had come, it was now gone, and only whispers of what he learned could he remember.

Raising back to his feet, he slowly turned his attention back to Nirn, or more specifically, the large wooden chest that stood nearby him in the depths of Bleak Falls Barrow. Kirin walked towards it, but stopped in surprise when a sharp crack echoed through the cave. The lid had burst off of the carved stone coffin that lay nearby, and a rather large Draugr stood to face him. The Nord was not ready for what came next, as the ancient undead turned his gaze towards Kirin and uttered three short words, that nearly blew him off his feet. The hide shield he carried disintegrated under the force of power that rushed at him, as the echoing of thunder reverberated throughout the cavern.

Kirin was unprepared for what had hit him, but not inexperienced. He quickly noted the dark potion vial on the nearby embalming table, and recognized it as some kind of poison. Moving faster than the Draugr probably expected of him, Kirin deftly stepped towards the table, smashing the flat side of his blade on the vial, lathering it with the deadly concoction. It only took a single parry and several quick slashes of steel, before the Overlord fell back into his long, dark sleep.

--------------------

After the long adventure in the barrow, making the short journey back to Riverwood and Lucan was a sweet roll walk. The shopkeeper rewarded Kirin handsomely and welcomed the young Nord to his shop anytime he liked. Kirin bartered with Lucan for food and supplies, before striking back out on the road. He had to figure out what to do with the hefty stone tablet he found in Bleak Falls, but nary a soul in Riverwood had any clue to what it was.

The damned thing was heavy, and Kirin was going to leave it behind after he plucked it from the chest to examine it. But just as he began to set it back down, the same gentle breeze that ushered him towards the mysterious wall blew by him once again. ‘As you wish, Lady Kyne.’

And so there he was, lugging it towards Whiterun. Kirin reasoned that since he was already going there to warn the Jarl, he may as well stop in to see the court wizard. The wizards were usually well trained at their College in history and the oddities it contained – maybe this one would recognize the intricately carved stone.

--------------------

A few hours later, Kirin stood before the leader of Whiterun hold – Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, and his court. After informing them of the dragon issue at Helgen, Kirin stood back while they debated on what to do. He detested politics, and would have left right then and there had he not gotten a stern glance from the Jarl’s housecarl, Irileth. The Dunmer had a fiery look about her, and did not look like someone to disregard. A few moments later, Balgruuf addressed Kirin again.

"Well done. You sought me out, on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't forget it.
The Jarl then rose from his seat, and handed Kirin a reward for his effort. A steel battleaxe with a nice enchantment on it. Kirin bowed short, and accepted the offer gratefully, even though it didn’t fit his preferred method of combat.

"There is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your particular talents, perhaps,” continued Balgruuf. “Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and...rumors of dragons."

That suited Kirin perfectly, as he needed to speak to the wizard anyway. To his delight, Farengar’s job offer had been to retrieve exactly what Kirin was coming to see him about! The wizard was pleased, and had just begun to dismiss him when Irileth rushed into the chamber.

“Farengar! You need to come at once! A dragon has been sighted nearby! She then turned to look at Kirin, “You should come, too.”