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> The Wobbly Goblet Playground
Elisabeth Hollow
post Feb 7 2014, 01:58 AM
Post #821


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Aelena smiled up at the barman as she carefully sipped her cider. The warmth seeped down into her gut in a pleasant way. She licked her lips briefly and set the menu down.

"The crab dip with bread sounds lovely. Can I also get a glass of water with this, please?" She smiled sweetly at Auguste and sipped her cider.


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Darkness Eternal
post Feb 17 2014, 11:49 PM
Post #822


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From: Coldharbour



Lycus discarded his apron and left it in the kitchens. The food was already done, over with. All that was left was for them to be eaten. He knew as quick as they were served, they would disappear. It was the least he could do to take his mind off certain things that peeved him. Much more beneficial than drinking wine until the point of unconsciousness as a substitute for a lack of a restful sleep.

The cook allowed him to take his own plates to his room, which was free for the night. He saved one for Vera before she returned. He knew how much she liked his cooking, despite him hating hers. She was a tough woman, a cold woman, but he knew how to warm that demeanor of hers. It took patience and affection.

The warrior headed off from the kitchens and into open balancing the plates in both of his hands. Though he knew just how savory the work of his hands tasted for years now, he was still eager to take a bite out of it. But he would wait until Vera returned.

Lycus hurried his pace to get away from the others when he was intercepted by a man who was apparently too distracted to see him. The big Imperial's legs collided with the man's knee, and he felt himself trip over with the food in his hands. The room was an immediate daze that he could not tell right from left right away until his fall came to an end.

The food in his hands was gone. It was there, just not in his hands.

It was over the floor, all over his face and caked over someone else. That victim was a Redguard woman full lips and blue eyes with braids longer than his own hair but in various colors. The colors were added with new ones made of pudding, sauce and meat and other ingredients from different plates all mixed together.

Lycus shot a glare at the man, who apologized to him right away as the other patrons began to look in his direction, either to think of him a clumsy oaf or otherwise. It was an accident, and they happened regularly. He couldn't care less about any of that . . . all he cared now was that his food was everywhere but in his mouth.

He didn't apologize to the dark-skinned human, not right away. He only breathed heavily, with eyes closed and a restrained composure. He let the air escape from his lips thinly than he sucked them in. His fast-beating heart began to slow the drumming beat, and his hot blood didn't' feel nearly as boiling as they did when it happened.

The last thing he wanted was to trigger the change here.

There were too many people here. People who just wanted to celebrate the holidays and engage in festivities.

He didn't want to add them to the list of slaughters.

After he was done he looked to the woman, and shook his head. "My apologies," said Lycus with a hoarse voice.


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Elisabeth Hollow
post Feb 18 2014, 06:38 PM
Post #823


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Aelena's contented feeling ended when hot food was tossed at her. Not intentionally, by the look at the large man and the other patrons. Some laughed, and the man took a few calming breaths.

Must have a temper...ow...this food is hot!!

"It smells like it would've tasted delicious." Aelena replied to his apology. "Accidents happen. That's not the worst I've had thrown at me." She joked with a smile at the man. The man behind the bar, Auguste, she had heard someone else call him, sighed and gave her a rag to clean up with. Luckily it wasn't the one he was already cleaning the bar with.

"I suppose this means I'll be taking a bath here." She kidded lamely as she wiped her braids, a frown on her face. She dispelled the spell on her hair, showing the true color of jet black as she wiped them off.

"I'll help you clean the food up." she said to the large man. She stood up and realized she only came up to his chest. she smiled up at him and laughed a little.

"Either I'm very small, or you're massive!"


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Darkness Eternal
post Feb 20 2014, 08:41 PM
Post #824


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Lycus almost murmured at her comment about the food tasting savory had the accident not happened. He supposed what was left of it could be put to good use . . . by feeding the dogs. Yes, he thought, that would be appropriate. Such a fine dish he put effort into shouldn't go to waste.

He sat there and began to clean as Auguste tossed a rag at her. It was a miracle he didn't foam at the mouth and jumped in their midst to clean the floor. Lycus had a rag in his hand that he used to hold the hot plate. He now began to clean it up.

"The baths here are worth it," he said lowly, occasionally looking up to her as he cleaned the floor beneath him. "Hethilion does a satisfactory job. I find no fault in the man."

As he said those words he noticed her hair changed color to shadow black, and realized she was keeping her hair under an illusion spell. The woman must have some understanding of the magic arts. A mage, it would seem.

He didn't like mages much, just as he didn't like many things. But he could make an exception to a few. Being a good judge of character, he could see that this woman was something different. His instincts told him she wasn't as malicious as the other magicka-using wizards and spellcasters.

Lycus looked down on her as she looked up at him, making a comment about his size. It was odd that his strange, not-so-stellar face and imposing height and mass didn't scare her off. He supposed it was better her see him in this form, than to face the immense seven-foot tall creature that was his true form.

"You have my sincere thanks," Lycus nodded once to her, and then his lips nearly parted for a smile, one that yet looked like a grimace, as if he was having trouble doing so. "Aye, it is both. You're very small. And I am very large."

Her skin-color and attitude reminded him of a woman he once knew when he was just a human. And he took a step back as he collected all of the spilled contents of his plate. "Haven't met many of you Redguard who dabble in magic," he noted silently that only she could hear. His voice raised when all eyes flicked from him back to the usual routine and activity before the accident. "I can assume you're neither Forebear or Crown."


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Elisabeth Hollow
post Feb 21 2014, 12:41 AM
Post #825


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From: Texas



"You'd be right." She got on her hands and knees and helped him clean up. "I was born and raised in Cyrodiil. Chorrol is the closest I've ever been to Hammerfell. Seven generations my family has lived here. My sister, Ionna, went to the Arcane University, just like my mother. I followed in their footsteps. They're not very happy at my area of skill, but it is what it is."

(Edited to fix mistakes and add a smidgen of detail)

This post has been edited by Elisabeth Hollow: Feb 23 2014, 07:00 PM


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King Coin
post Feb 22 2014, 03:46 AM
Post #826


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Aravi pushed the door open to the now familiar inn. She could have pressed on a little longer and made it to Chorrol, but why not stay here for a bit? Her limbs were tired from the road and her belly empty. She wasnt in any hurry anyways.

The hot baths may have crossed her minds as well. Grime from the road accumulated after her hard wash in the springs.

Inside, she was prepared to see the gleaming bar, the Khajiit bouncer in the corner quietly watching, and a smattering of patrons scattered in small groups.

She wasnt prepared to see Lycus and a Redguard woman standing amidst a mess of food on the floor.

Lycus towered over both of them.

What happened here? she asked either of them.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Feb 24 2014, 03:37 PM
Post #827


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Lycus didn't look surprised, though he was. The girl might have been in her early twenties by the looks of it and yet she hasn't so much as touched her the lands her people were native of. It was common, more so when he was in slavery than he was a free man.

A redguard mage was not common. Their people valued might and arms and honor. Magic and such had no place in their culture but that did not stop a selected few to stray from their people's customs in pursuit of their own agendas and livelihoods.

"Many will not support what you are and what you do for a living," Lycus told her as he rose up at last, and set the plates on the counter. "All you can do is focus on yourself, and forget about the others that can anchor you. The world is bad enough as it is. You don't need others forcing their bile on you."

It was then that a familiar face had came in, asking what had happened. Lycus appraised the newcomer to the unfortunate event. It was Aravi.

The khajiit woman was dirty and much of the grime from the roads had gathered in her fur. He could smell it a mile off. But while he wasn't displeased to see her, he did expect to see another individual who shared his blood.

Vera.

Aravi came back alive, and alone. No sign of Kayla, no sign of that Breton mage and no sign of his woman. Lycus didn't draw too many conclusions from her absence, but he did fear that the worst was possible. As gifted in killing and a talented huntress, she wasn't immortal. And neither was he.

He knows was death felt like. He didn't think it would happen to Vera anytime soon. But he had to know for sure. He was confident that neither of them would face fate quietly in a death bed.

We've killed too many to be granted a peaceful, painless death.

"Accident," he said abruptly, and then turned fully to face Aravi, bit of concern written in his expression. "You've returned, alive and well. But my woman, what has become of her?"


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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King Coin
post Feb 24 2014, 08:25 PM
Post #828


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Aravi looked confused. She isnt here? We separated for the return trip and she started back much earlier than I.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Feb 27 2014, 08:48 PM
Post #829


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From: Coldharbour



Lycus devoted most of his attention to Aravi. The Redguard woman took a little too long to reply to his answer. She must have been still gawking at his size and frightening looks. He did expect Aravi to explain a little bit more on the subject, in longer words. But she was mum.

The Imperial looked visibly bothered by his woman's absence that his brow had folded and his jaws had tensed up a bit. He made a sound of consideration as he pondered on the reason why Vera hadn't shown yet when she left before Aravi did.

Lycus set his gaze down on Aravi. "I would like you to explain what happened in your journey."

He wasn't asking for specifics, but he wanted to know details on what occurred when they were out there. He could assume they were all alive. Aravi wasn't in mourning nor did she look distraught saves for the exhaustion and grime painted in her face.

Did Vera really return?

While he felt the suspicions creeping in, he knew he shouldn't have Aravi as a suspect. But yet couldn't trust anyone. Vera wasn't the kindest person in the world, and she was brutally truthful when she had to be. That never sat too well with anyone. Hells, her condition never sat well with anything either.

"Come," Lycus said, gesturing for her to follow him upstairs.


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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King Coin
post Feb 28 2014, 03:45 AM
Post #830


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Aravi frowned, and followed Lycus up the stairs.

She could sense tension from him. She decided to offer more of an explanation as they walked.

Kayla and I went to Winterhold, the bard went off on her own. Darnand and Vera went immediately back to Cyrodiil. Everyone made it through the cave, she hesitated. She almost said fine, but Kayla did almost die

Well, everyone made it.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Feb 28 2014, 05:05 PM
Post #831


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Lycus climbed the stairs up to the corridor and then followed it to his own room. He stopped, and then opened the door and admitted Aravi inside as she explained what happened.

Within the room Vera's daggers and weapons left behind were kept in a secluded corner. Lycus' obsidian-colored armor of steel was sitting beside a dresser along with the greaves, boots and gauntlets. The snarling wolf helmet was there, as well, polished to shining.

The lycanthropic Imperial scratched his thick black beard as Aravi finished telling the story. Part of it, anyway.

They parted ways. The mage and Vera came together while her and the high elf woman went further north in Skyrim. When she spoke at the end, however, there was just the slightest hesitation in her voice. This prompted him to investigate further.

"Please," Lycus gestured toward the chair. "Take a seat. I'm sure whatever you need done can wait."

"I will be honest," Lycus said after a moment of thinking. "It is dangerous when one werewolf is in the company of men. More so when two werewolves are locked in combat with a group of non-lycanthropes."

He made no secret here to tell Aravi that he knew. He's always known since he first saw her. He didn't know if she was aware of his own condition or not, but he would soon find out. Whether by his words or by Vera's actions who's details are unknown to him.

"I know my wife well. She is a solitary woman. She hides her intentions and knows how to conceal what she is. This isn't something I like to admit, but I know she has fallen from her comfort zone when she agreed to leave with you and your . . ." he had to find the right words for this. "Friends . . . I suspect she may have been holding back on what she could do, and she was never a woman to temper her emotions much when they're swirling within her like clouds of flame. I want to know: has Vera jeopardized her secret?"


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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King Coin
post Mar 1 2014, 04:35 PM
Post #832


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Lycus brought her into his room and offered her a seat. She sat, her aches and pains from travel not forgotten but ignored.

She would be first to admit that she didnt like Vera, but she was concerned that she never returned. She should have been here long before I.

Lycus reminded her of Red Mountain. Huge and calm at the moment, but capable of exploding into violence that would destroy this very inn and everyone in it. She was much more capable now than when they first met, but she was sure he was as well.

Aravi fought because she didnt want to be under anyones power again. Lycus fought for that and more. He took to the warrior culture more than she did. He enjoys doing battle.

She admitted there was an inexplicable rush that was like nothing else.

He spoke, and Aravi listened. She couldnt help but blink when he revealed he knew what she was. Why should that surprise me? Vera knew.

When he was done speaking, she remained silent a moment. Here we go

Her secret was revealed. Both of us were revealed. It was that or death.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Mar 3 2014, 03:05 PM
Post #833


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Aravi spoke the words Lycus suspected would come but wish they didn't. Things went from bad to worse.

Lycus folded his lengthy arms across his broad chest and shifted uncomfortably in the position. His eyes stared into nothing in particular as he analyzed and studied the situation, forming possibilities of what might've happened in the moments Vera and the group were gone from the Wobbly Goblet.

Vera would never voluntarily skin-shift unless there was an absolute necessity to do so. Same as him. He recalled one time where he was poisoned with an arrow coated with Wolfsbane extract and the juice of ripened belladonna berries. Trapped in the form of a man, he had no choice but to shift to wolf to acquire the supernatural healing from the blood and flesh of his enemies. It was a necessity.

How strange- and perhaps fortunate- that everyone made it out alive. He's seen the aftermath of Vera's carnage when she turns. Sometimes, only bones remain . . .

Either they were lucky and intelligent to find a way to flee or the gods must have a tremendous sense of humor.

In any case, death was almost certain in many situations. "Hmm, you may have chosen death regardless," Lycus said with a heavy emphasis on the word may. "It is as I've feared. I have been exposed by Abiene. She saved my life here in the Inn. And in exchange for her good deed, I promised I shall not take her life in knowing the secret of what I am." He looked out the window. "I do not know much of your friends, and I have been wrong before in judgment but I hope that they aren't as fickle-minded and trapped by the outdated mores as the rest of society who wish to mount our heads on walls and use our coats for warmth and pelts as trophies."

He walked over to the door. "Though you've become a strong woman since the time I remembered you, I can see you are fatigued by your travels, Aravi. I do not wish to burden your conscious with worry. We wolves are not meant to be paranoid, but simply cautious and aware. Keep your eyes open, and on the prey, not the horizon. Get some rest. I would speak to you at another time."

With that, Lycus bade her a farewell with a gratuitous half-smile.


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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King Coin
post Mar 7 2014, 02:31 PM
Post #834


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Aravi saw that her news was less than welcome. Obviously it would be. Everyone would have been happier if it had never happened.

His next words made her think that the bloodshed may not be over. She narrowed her eyes and her ears shifted back in the slightest.

He walked her to the door and bade her farewell. Before leaving she said, I do not know why Vera has not yet returned. I can assure you it has nothing to do with my friends. You will not harm them.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Mar 7 2014, 07:53 PM
Post #835


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Before Aravi left his quarters, her last words to him was a bit of a mystery. Lycus implied it as a subtle threat. The kitten has gone bold . . . a bit too bold. He had no reason to harm her friends. They weren't his enemies. But if they gave him or his woman any threats or if they were a danger to his survival and Vera's, he would have to do the worst imaginable.

Simple.

He hoped, deep down, it wouldn't come to that.

Nevertheless he was grateful for Aravi coming to him and telling him what had happened. It meant he could count on her for something. Still, he did feel her loyalty was to her friends and not so much herself. To what she is.

But that is her burden alone.

The big Imperial closed the door as she left and walked to the window to gaze out into the world of white beyond the Wobbly Goblet Inn. The landscape was covered in snow and the green trees were blanketed with white.



--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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King Coin
post Mar 9 2014, 06:32 AM
Post #836


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Despite how tired she was, she was now on edge. Did Lycus think her friends were involved in Vera’s disappearance? If he did, they would be in grave danger. And she wouldn’t let him harm them.

She blew air out of her mouth.

I would try.

She arrived at the foot of the stairs and looked around the tavern. Simpler problems came to mind. Food or bed?

This post has been edited by King Coin: Mar 9 2014, 06:51 AM


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Mar 14 2014, 03:10 PM
Post #837


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Vera Castius trekked through the thick snowy terrain, leaving her footprints dotting the path. Her body was covered from her head to her toe yet she couldn't feel any warmth despite walking in her heavy ebony gear.

The trip from Skyrim to Cyrodiil during winter was a long, arduous trip but still worth it and productive. A few coins richer was never something to complain about. At least not for me, Vera thought.

Lycus, on the other hand, wasn't enamored with the idea of living off gold as she was. The land offered sustenance. Currency was something invented by men and used throughout civilization. It didn't surprise her a man like him who has actually met the first hunters in history in Oblivion, and who has hunted with them as a pack throughout the Hunting Grounds, would set aside shape and societies' advancement in exchange for a time similar to that of the Dawn Era. A time before recorded history.

It wouldn't be long before he made her make a decision on how to live. To raise their child in the forests of Valenwood or Skyrim. Or even Cyrodiil where the majority of her family lived in through the centuries. Her son or daughter would be a Castius after all.

Hells, he'd even go as far as to try and raise our offspring in Hircine's Hunting Grounds.

Vera sighed.

A baby was long overdue. She's not getting any younger.

She walked through the snow, and into the Wobbly Goblet. She didn't know who she would find here but she deeply hoped she wouldn't see Aravi or any of the members of the group. It wouldn't feel right being around regular people knowing exactly what she can turn into. The prejudice and fanatical crusades against her kind had made her extremely distrustful.

Vera went through the door, walked past the patrons, and hurried up the stairs.

I hope my husband is here.



--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Elisabeth Hollow
post Mar 24 2014, 03:05 AM
Post #838


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Ushak gra-shub walked.

She walked through the early morning and grumbled to herself.

She trekked over hills, dipping high and low, ignoring the beauty of the snow and ignoring the warmth her armor provided her and complained silently to herself The path was too gravely, the sun too hot, her armor too heavy. She sorely needed a bath and someone to warm her bed. She laughed at the thought.

You couldn't get Sanguine himself to warm your bed. She thought bitterly. She didn't see anything wrong with her appearance. Her tusks were short and out of the way, her body was strong and lean. BUt for Orcs, her face was too soft and human-like, and for man and other mer, too Orc-like.

She wasn't concerned about it at the moment. She had plenty of experience warming her own bed.

She passed the Priory, waving to the monks that lived there. She asked if they needed any assistance with anything, as her savings wasn't running dry, but it was lower than she would like it to be. They shook their heads and pointed her to the inn up ahead, and she kept moving. She walked in, nodding to the barman and ordering food while a tall Altmer got her room and bath ready.

She couldn't wait to get her armor off. She sat at the table and drank her water.


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Darkness Eternal
post Apr 4 2014, 08:27 PM
Post #839


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Lycus argued with his woman. No blows were exchanged save for the insults. Insane she-wolf, he says. Hypocritical bastard, she barks. The room is nothing but a prison where two inmates bicker.

It doesn't bother him. She'll be kissing his feet, and him showering her with love later on.

But as of right now, he needed to clear his mind. Meditation wouldn't do. Nor would cooking.

Hunting is the only true pastime to hunter.

Lycus stormed from the room. Vera did not bother asking where he was going. This happened occasionally.

Out of the inn and into the open, Lycus was in a black mood, and not just because he dropped his plate full of food. His marriage was in agony. The two were at odds, and a few others seemed to know it. Their argument was loud, but the most precious of secrets kept under harsh whispers. When Lycus passed the stable, hed heard two young newcomers sniggering behind his back. He could almost imagine that the horses were sniggering, too.

Lycus took nothing with him but heavy layers of fur coats to cover his body, and boots for his feet. A bow was slung over his back to join his quiver of steel arrows. He prayed to the Huntsman that tonight would be favorable. When a lad, hunting during Evening Star was more challenging than other seasons. The streams in the Great Forest were small and icy, and the game scarcer. Long ago, Lycus hunted and fished when he could, but it was harder, and some nights even in his true form he found no suitable prey. At times he went to sleep with an empty belly.

Traveling the area, Lycus was determined to stay well away from roads. Where one find roads, one finds travelers, and travelers have eyes to see and mouths to spread word of a tall Imperial with a wolfish grin and fur growing out of his ears. That, and traveling highwaymen stubbornly eager to make some coin. Lycus wanted to avoid them like a plague.

Highwaymen learned to group up. And in a unit, they're more dangerous. Lycus had just a bow and his arrows. It wasn't enough. Using his bare hands would inspire the beast to unleash itself. He simply couldn't have that. He was already angry. Any spark would set everything to flame.

Perhaps the wilderness could keep him calmer. People had the tendency to do the opposite.

Moonlight painted the wet forest in shades of silver and turned the grey peaks white. Owls hooted through the dark and flew silently between the oaks, while a fox scampered about to hide away in its den. Lycus closed his eyes and attuned himself to the forest.

Waiting. Listening.



--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Darkness Eternal
post Apr 8 2014, 10:51 PM
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Lycus couldn't control it. His mind gave in. His emotions raw and unrestrained, everything else was lost in the throes of the shift.

The Imperial dropped the two rabbits in his hand and fell to his knees with his hand reaching to his chest.
Everything went wild. The effect was instantaneous.

His copper skin changed color, turning a light shade of gray. His unruly scalp birthed a mane of silver fur that sprouted from his head and shoulders, and then all across his body and limbs, which themselves grew much larger in the space of a painful heartbeat. His blood-splattered fur coat and breeches came apart at the seams as he assumed the proportions of an enormous canine. His fist curled into monstrous hands. Clawed feet replaced his human ones, and a tale grew from his backside.

The effects of the transformation pulled on his flesh and bone, so that it flowed like a wild tide. His very skull underwent a grotesque metamorphosis. A canine muzzle protruded from his face. His brow sloped backward over fierce yellow eyes. Tufted ears tapered to a point. Flattened nostrils flared above a maw full of sharp incisors. He was tall and ferocious and beyond belief. Like the giant beasts of ancient Nordic myth. The beast exulted in his newfound power. An overwhelming sense of exhilaration accompanied his transformation. He flexed his great limbs, feeling the inhuman strength and vitality in them.

Feeling so free.

Or so deadly.

There were always things to see and things to smell, and an entire wilderness to hunt. And he could run! There was nothing better than running, unless it was running on the heels of prey.

The seven-foot tall lycanthrope shook the cloth from his hide, and explored the wilderness in search for prey. Sliding in and amongst oaks and trees in search for food, he startled four white-tailed deer and sent them bounding away through the forest. The beast saw the flash of motion and was after them at an instant, falling to all four to gain speed. He panted, with jaws slavering, practically tasting the meal to come already.

The deer leapt and spread, and the wolf chased a single one target into the open road and across it. The snowy terrain was no tough ground. He was able to traverse it with ease with his powerful legs.

The omnivorous mammal ran, but not too fast. The beast gained speed, and tackled it with brute force. He aimed for the throat while his claws raked the deer to open the belly where the meat would be found right beside the spine. The beast dug its head deep inside the open stomach, swallowing the contents within until he was able to reach it. He ate over a hundred pounds of flesh, and still wasn't sated.

He raised his blood-stained muzzle to the air and sniffed it. The wind carried a scent.

He followed it, but not before stopping to pick at the berries growing in a bush.

The werewolf explored the country-side looking for food and came upon a enclosure of sorts. A flock of sheep and cow were huddled inside a wooden lair. To the werewolf, it was just a matter of getting there.

With careful eyes that searched for a weakness, the massive beast took the front path and invaded the front door, crashing through. The sheep huddled together, bleating loudly. The werewolf's jaws bared a row of long, sharp fangs, and his lips pulled back into what could be considered a smile. The sheep had nowhere to go.

It attacked.


****


Vera approached the counter with a bag of coins in her hand, courtesy of Aravi. It was too cold to hunt outside, and she'd rather rest her body after that trip. Though able to travel great distances, she preferred to spend the some of her coin on food. She remembered when she had lost her home all those years ago. It felt like it happened in a span of a few years rather than many. Thirst; hunger; despair. They were her constant companions, with her every hour of every day, and in time she had come to think of them as her allies. They motivated her to hunt. Now she had the luxury to buy food when the mood didn't strike.

She admitted being side-tracked before returning to the Goblet, but she sincerely thought Lycus would understand. And so wolfman and she-wolf bit at each other's throats. Mostly about [censored] that wasn't necessary.

He's sleeping in the snow tonight for being stubborn.

She made a large order of food to the Orsimer woman at the front, and sat and waited. As she did she saw another Orc sitting just beside her with heavy armor. Vera glanced at her direction twice. Once to sum up her size, and the other to capture her face.

Two things were certain: she was too pale for an Orc. too soft-skinned, it would seem. Then again, she was big enough to crush a woman not able in battle.

Vera's peripheral vision saw a mace at her side. Orcs . . . they do have a love for blunt weaponry. Maybe because it matched their personality?

Orcs were hardened warriors, and more disciplined than other cultures in some ways; no doubt under the guidance and protection of a higher power. Much like her and Lycus and other packs of men-beast.

Aside from her looks, Vera also took notice of the amulet around her neck. Every little boy, girl, hatchling or cub in the Empire learned about Mara and the faith of the Nine Divines. Most of them, anyway.

Vera was no stranger in growing up in a household that valued the Nine, long before tragedy struck. She recognized that those who wore the amulet either served Mara faithfully, or were looking to be betrothed.

For some reason the woman didn't strike her as too religious.

Pity a human man who marries an Orc, Vera thought the words Lycus told her once. Poor bastards can't handle such a woman. She recalled a tale her husband said of a Redguard lad who shared his heart with an older Orc woman from Orsinium. They didn't last two weeks before she ate his horse and nearly bashed his skull in with a club for him eating too much. Vera knew better; it was probably that time of month again.

No matter how savage Orcs were to people, Vera had to admire their fortitude. No matter how many times their lands were sacked and pillaged, they came stronger and tougher than before. If they behave like beasts, it's because half the humans in Tamriel talk to them like they're big dumb beasts.

Vera had a different mind. As a wise hunter once said: Not every beast is a brute. Even a large monster can outsmart a man.

As Vera anticipated the arrival of her food, she saw the green woman take a sip of her water. Not too fulfilling in a time like this, Vera mused.

"You should try the Spiced Honey Boar or the Hunter`s Stew," Vera said to the woman, turning only gently in her chair. "They make the meat just the way you'd want it."

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Apr 8 2014, 10:57 PM


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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