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]

Drawn from the Depths

Needless to say, Divines do not like being made to wait – even the benevolent ones that have chosen their champions and their children. So with that, when late morning began to approach, the large brown hawk that watched over the makeshift campsite let out a hearty morning caw, to waken the sleeping beauties.

Kirin jumped from his sleeping bag in alarm at the piercing call that sounded like it was right on top of them. Pushing Lydia into wakefulness, he stumbled out into the snow and began looking around for the source of the call. He spotted the hawk nearby, and bent his knee in honor.

“Hello Mother. What brings you here to us on this fine winter morning?”

The avian divine cocked her head sideways to study him, before shifting into her fair human form. Kyne smiled down at him.

“I answered your prayers, of course. It is not often that you call upon me for aid, so I felt it wise to come see you. I am glad to find you well, and that I caught you before you embark upon the next chapter of your journey.”

“Do you have need of us, Lady Kyne? Aside from what we are already doing, that is.”

Lydia emerged from the tent and bowed in respect to her matron.

“Ah, Lydia, there you are dear. I trust you slept well last night?”

“Much better than I thought I would, that’s for sure. A dragon could have roared overhead and I might not have even stirred,” she laughed.

Kyne smiled knowingly. “Good. You will need the rest for the next leg of your journey. Which brings me to the reason for my presence out here.”

The Goddess paused, and turned her attention back to Kirin.

“Before you return to Paarthurnax, I ask that you wear the amulet given to you by Dinya, and let Mara guide you once more. She offers a blessing and it is one that you shall need, if you are to survive your fate.”

“Then that is what we will do, Mother,” said Kirin. “I’ll rustle up that amulet as soon as I can.”

“Very well. I shall leave you to it, then.”

Kyne turned back towards the open sky she descended from and prepared to shift back into her hawk form. But she looked back one more time at the two Nords with a smile, and offered a final word of advice.

“And Kirin, dear? When Mara grants her blessing…try not to act so surprised this time.”

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

About an hour later, they had packed up their supplies and began the descent down to the plains of Whiterun, when Lydia finally asked the question that was niggling at her.

“’Try not to act so surprised this time’…what do you think she meant by that, Kir?”

“I have an idea and something tells me it won’t be the last time it happens. I would say that scholars have gotten a number of things wrong about the history of Tamriel, and that they continue to do so.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Kirin smiled. “You’ll see soon enough.”

They continued on across the thinly treed tundra, kicking their way through tall grasses and flowered fields. Far off in the distance, deer pranced across the open meadows while sabre cats stalked them in the grasses. Wolf packs roamed in tight groups, avoiding the Giants and their mammoth herds. Kirin knelt to fill up his waterskin at a small stream wending its way through the earth, and nearly got knocked over by a mudcrab as it burst from the dirt. A quick arrow from Lydia buried itself in the crab’s underside just as it leapt towards Kirin.

“Nice shot,” remarked Kirin, as he got back to his feet. “How’d you react so quickly?”

“Luck. I spotted a buck nearby and was waiting for it to come out of the grasses when I heard the earth breaking. You should pay more attention to where you rest.”

He made his way towards her and clasped her shoulder. Lydia couldn’t help but notice a different look in his eyes than she had ever seen before and a soft smile on his lips.

“Well if I were so careful, then what need would I have of you to protect me?”

Hooking his waterskin back on, Kirin resumed their march west, towards Gjukar’s Monument. He wasn’t sure what drew him there, but trusted Mara and her guidance. The amulet around his neck seemed to ease his burdens, and stifle doubt. Everything he looked at seemed to having a glowing aura…and Lydia more so than anything else. Several times, he had to avert his gaze to avoid being caught staring at his loyal friend and companion.

After the third time this happened, Kirin shook his head and tried to focus on their quest, and figure out their next move.


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

It was nightfall when they finally approached the tall stone monolith that loomed over the western plains. Masser and Secunda glowed down upon them, illuminating the whole area in pale light, while Kirin and Lydia searched around the statue for a sign of their goal.

A few moments had come and gone before a ghostly figure appeared at the base of the towering monument. Kirin approached the spectral being, and to his surprise, she answered his call to her.

"I'm searching for my Fenrig. He was marching with Gjukar's men, who they say were wiped out here. I've turned over every body, though, and I can't find him. Please help me look. He has a bright red beard and hair."

Lydia joined them just after she finished speaking.

“She’s obviously convinced that she is still alive, Kir. Let’s just look around for this Fenrig, and see what happens. Do you feel any guidance though the amulet?”

“Some – but not the kind I’m looking for. Give me a moment to sort it out.”

He hung his head in concentration and tried to sort out the turmoil of emotions that had risen to the top once he donned the amulet. Listening, or rather – feeling – intently for a nudge from Mara on where to look next, his feet began to move him back east and slightly north.

“C’mon Lyds…I think he is back this way.”

They searched the area around the lonely mountain that sat alone in the middle of the open tundra. Long ago some unknown force had pushed up this single peak, far from the nearest ranges and isolated by the grassy plains surrounding it. At the northern base, they found another ghost, milling about aimlessly.

"Ruki? Where is she? If she's come this far from home, it must be important. Lead on. I just need to report back to camp by sunrise."

Vanishing with a wisp of spectral smoke, Fenrig left Kirin and Lydia alone once again. The tightened up their packs, and began a quick jog back to Gjukar’s Monument, hoping to catch the forlorn lovers before they vanished forever. The tundra raced by as they picked up speed, soon opening into an all-out run across the meadowlands. Two blue lights flickered in the distance, as
Ruki and Fenrig were finally reunited. Kirin kicked in an extra burst of speed and caught up to them just in time.

"Fenrig! You're alive!"

"Of course I am. What brings you here?"

"I had heard that Gjukar's men were wiped out. I came to find you."

"But that battle isn't expected until tomorrow... Ruki, what's going on?"

The two ghosts, reunited at last had begun to elevate above the ground as they spoke, rising higher and higher into the clear night sky. Their conversation began to trail off, but Kirin managed to pick out their last words to each other before leaving the mortal realm.

"I'm so confused. What's happening?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm here. We're together now. And we will be forever."

And they vanished. Together again after a hundred years of fear and longing, Fenrig and Ruki departed for the halls of Sovngarde, to enjoy eternity together, under the watchful eye of Shor. Lydia had just caught back up to him, and hunched over on a nearby rock.

“Did you make it in time?” she asked, breathlessly.

“I did. They’ve been reunited, and have moved on from our world.”

“And a fine job you did of it, too,” said a voice, drifting out of the darkness.

Kirin and Lydia both leapt to the ready and drew their weapons in surprise. The voice had caught them off guard and they hadn’t heard anyone approach.

“Who goes there!” yelled Kirin. “Show yourself!”

From behind the tall standing stone, emerged a figure robed in a simple habit of the purest of white. It strode toward them gracefully, hands folded in front and bearing no hostility. Kirin and Lydia both eased up and sheathed their swords, just as the feminine form approached them.

“Thank you for stowing your weapons,” said the robed woman. “They would not have helped you, but you needn’t them anyway.”

“You gave us quite a fright, ma’am,” said Kirin. May I ask what you are doing out here, in the middle of the night?”

“Looking for you of course, son of Kyne.”

Lydia started – no one but the two of them knew of Kirin’s connection to the sky goddess.

”You may rest easy, Lydia – mortals may not know of Kirin’s fate, but we Divines are an entirely different matter.”

She lowered her hood and smiled at them. “It’s nice to finally meet my sister's chosen one. Good evening, Kirin. I am known to your kind as Mara."