shadowkitty
Mistress of Shadows
CHAPTER 105: ANCESTOR GLADE
“By the Maker!” Wyldfyre cursed as she took in the scene. Serana entered the room and let out a gasp as well.
“Wyldfyre, he is Vampire, I can smell it” Wyldfyre could smell it also. Someone, most likely Isran, had strapped the young man to the rack and tortured him.
“Why did they do this to him?” she moved towards the rack, gently holding up Samuel’s head. At first she was afraid he had died but his eyes flickered open suddenly.
“M...my Lady?” he mumbled. Blood poured from a gash to his left cheek. “I failed you my Lady..” he sobbed. Wyldfyre was beyond distressed.
“Shh.. I’m here now.” She soothed him. “Serana, help me get him off this damned thing” they unstrapped the man and laid him down on the floor, Wyldfyre cradling his head and stroking his hair as he sobbed. She took a cloth Serana handed to her and began to wipe at his wounds.
“Why isn’t he healing?”
“He is newly turned. It takes a while for a vampire’s regeneration to fully develop. I suspect Isran knows this and did this to keep Samuel weak with the blood loss”
“What could he have hoped to gain from that?” Wyldfyre said angrily. “He knows nothing about your father, barely knows anything about vampires!”
“Indeed” Serana agreed. She tenderly touched the wound on Samuel’s face. Her fingertips then glowed and suddenly the wound knitted back together, a thin scar was all that was left behind.
“Serana!” Wyldfyre breathed in wonder. The Vampire smiled.
“It is a gift that an Old One can bestow on a youngling” she explained. “But that is all I can do. The rest are for him to bear alone” Samuel stirred again, his eyes a dark orange, blazing with hunger.
“I tried to stop her, but she was too strong. Why did she do this to me? Why didn’t she just kill me?” he murmured. Wyldfyre looked to Serana.
“His maker.” She answered Wyldfyre’s unspoken question.
“I don’t want to be a vampire! I don’t want to be a monster!” he said then, getting more agitated. Wyldfyre was starting to have a hard time holding him down.
“He needs to feed” Serana said as she joined in on holding the young man down “It’s the only way we can make any sense out of him”
“He can’t take my blood” Wyldfyre said. “He is human and I am a Werewolf, he will be turned into one”
“I will give him mine then” Serana said and Wyldfyre watched carefully as Samuel at first tried to resist Serana’s offer, but then succumbed to his nature and clamped down on to her neck. His hands slid around Serana’s shoulders as he suckled on her. After a few minutes she could see Serana trying to pry the man’s hands off her.
“That’s enough Samuel!” she said then, trying to push herself off him. Wyldfyre grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled back until his fangs released and Serana was able to push off his chest. She rubbed at her neck while Samuel gasped and scrambled backwards, sitting up against the rack.
“Why did you do that?” he asked; his eyes wide with terror. Even now they faded from the dark orange to a lighter colour.
“Samuel” Serana said soothingly “You needed to feed, Dear. It was the only way you were able to calm down. I suspect Isran starved you as part of your torture”
“He did” Samuel nodded, visibly calming. He wiped at a spot of blood in the corner of his mouth and looked at Serana, who held her neck still.
“Did I... hurt you?” he asked; a look of distress on his face.
“A little, but I’ll be fine” she said lightly. Wyldfyre shuffled over to him and took his hand.
“What happened?” Samuel then told them of the morning of the vampire attack. He was part of the guard that was supposed to be coming off a shift. He was tired from the night’s patrolling and was looking forward to a hot breakfast and his cot. But then he heard screams and yelling and somehow amongst the fighting he was knocked off the rampart. While he lay there winded someone came up to him and he felt a pain in his neck. He struggled but then everything went black. When he woke up he was strapped to the rack and Isran was standing before him.
“I didn’t know what was going on at first. I didn’t believe Isran when he told me what I was.... But then I started to feel the changes inside me, tearing my insides apart, Oh gods!” he sobbed again. “The thoughts that started running through my head. I wanted to rip Isran’s throat out. I wanted to kill everyone in this Fort. I could smell them, hear their hearts beating..!” He grabbed onto Wyldfyre’s hand with his other.
“Please! Kill me! I don’t want to be a vampire!” He looked at Serana, his distress and confusion evident on his face. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I would rather die than become the very thing I fought to destroy” Serana studied him for a while before she nodded.
“Do not trouble yourself with it Dear. I hold no hard feelings towards you for feeling like that, especially seeing you were turned without your consent.” She stood up and looked sternly at Wyldfyre. “You know what to do. I will guard the tower. Make it quick.” And she left them alone. Dread filled Wyldfyre’s heart as she looked at Samuel. He peered at her with wide eyes. Even though he said he wanted to die, he was still deathly afraid. But death was not what was on Wyldfyre and Serana’s mind. She shuffled around so that she was closer to Samuel.
“Before I do this; know you have a choice. I didn’t want to do it this way but we are pressed for time...”
“Are you going to stab me in the heart?” he whispered.
“No Samuel. I am going to be your Forbearer. You are going to become a member of The Circle” she said, then added “...If you want to”. Samuel’s eyes grew even wider as he took in what Wyldfyre had just said to him. She realised that Samuel didn’t know what being a member of The Circle fully meant and was about to explain further until he surprised her by asking;
“You mean you are going to turn me into a Werewolf?”
“Yes” she recovered quickly, “If that is what you want. If you wish to rid yourself of the vampire curse and you wish to live, then this is the only way”
“Well. I don’t really get much of a choice do I?” he smiled then, which reassured Wyldfyre somewhat. She squeezed his hand knowing how he was feeling all too well. One day she would tell him about her own initiation. She was also worried about her blood being a mixture of Wolf and Dragon, but that was not something she had the luxury of thinking about at that very moment. Isran was sure to be back up here soon and they needed to get Samuel out.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s going to hurt like nothing you have felt before. But in the end, you will know such power, such freedom, without lusting for the blood of those around you. Your thoughts are your own. You don’t have to join the Companions, but I would very much like to have you join our family, become our Shieldbrother.” she waited while Samuel thought some more. Then he nodded.
“It would be my honour to become a Werewolf, and to have you as my Forbearer” he said reverently.
“Well that’s as much ceremony as we have time for” Wyldfyre said then loosened her chestplate, letting it fall to the floor. She untied her undershirt and opened it to expose her neck. Even though Samuel had just fed, his eyes flashed and he licked his lips.
“Normally we would do this in the Underforge, our sacred place, with the ceremonial well, or a goblet, but as we don’t have any of that, you will just have to take the blood from me”
“I really don’t like doing this” he said but Wyldfyre shook her head.
“It’s the only way. Samuel, are you really sure? Serana could help you become a vampire like she is”
“No” he shook his head with determination “I don’t want to be this thing”
“Alright. Take my blood, but when I say stop, you need to stop, or I will have to take measures” He looked down to see she had drawn her dagger and it was pointed straight at his heart. He nodded. Without any further word, Wyldfyre leant towards him and he took her into his arms. It was a tender hold, not like the savage feeding he had done to Serana. This time he tried to control his urge to just rip into her neck. He sniffed her skin and his nostrils flared at her scent. His hands tightened on her and she felt the sting as his fangs pierced her neck. He moaned at the taste of her blood, the power in it rippling through him. Wyldfyre sat there and let him take in her blood. She had done this. This was all her fault. Sending him back to this place instead of keeping him in Whiterun.
Upon a mutual unspoken agreement, Samuel’s fangs left her neck and Wyldfyre moved away to give him some room. She knew the next few moments would be a painful experience for him and she winced as he suddenly gasped, his body going rigid and falling to the floor. He convulsed and cried out in pain as her powerful Wolf/dragon blood coursed through his veins, ripping apart any trace of vampire that was left in him. Wyldfyre quickly shed the remainder of her armour and clothing and changed into her Wolf form, as Samuel’s body started that first, slow, agonising change. She watching in pity as he cried out with every bone break, every muscle rip as his human form was taken over by the beast that now resided in him. It only took a few minutes but for Samuel it would have seemed a life time. When fully formed he lay on the floor, whimpering for a moment until the She-wolf bent down, bumping him with her snout.
“Samuel” she sent out to him. He blinked and his tongue lolled out as he scrambled to his feet. The She-wolf stood to her full height and studied the new pup before her.
“Welcome, whelp” she sent to him, along with a flash of warm feelings.
“I hear you” he sent back. A jumble of thoughts bombarded her mind. Samuel was like an excitable puppy as he strode around the small room bumping into things, getting used to his new body. Wyldfyre needed to calm him down so they could figure out how to leave the fort without raising suspicion. She showed him how to change back, turning around quickly so she could put her clothing back on. Samuel did the same and they sat and talked quietly while they waited for Serana to return. She smiled when she entered the room.
“No problems down below. No-one heard anything except for me”
“Good” Wyldfyre nodded. “Now for the hard part, we need to get out of here without Isran discovering that Samuel has made a miraculous recovery.”
“I can handle that” Serana said “I will be able to use my speed to get us both out of here. But Isran will look for the three of us, thinking we set Samuel free. We can never return here, so you will need to see Dexion and convince him to leave with you, so that he can read the scrolls”
“Oh, that could be a problem” Samuel said and they both looked at him “Dexion is blind”
“What?”
“Yes! I am blind Girl!” Dexion said irritably, a piece of scrap fabric secured over his eyes. Serana and Samuel had left the fort and were waiting for her in the cave at the other end of the valley while she went to talk with the Moth Priest. She sat down heavily, disappointment etched across her face.
“We are lost then” she said.
“No no.. not entirely” the priest said. “I was foolish in my haste to read that scroll you brought to me. I didn’t make the proper preparations. But not all who read the scrolls know how to do this. There is another way though. There is a place, a vale where some go who want to read the scrolls. The moths will help you” he nodded.
“Moths?”
“Yes! Moths girl!”
Ancestor Glade was easy for Wyldfyre to find. It was just west of Falkreath and very near to the Lake House. She was very tempted to go home before they entered the Glade but Serana pointed out that they should read the scrolls first. The entrance to the glade was an unassuming cave of medium size. Serana sniffed as they looked around.
“Is this it? Not very impressive...”
“Wait!” Samuel called out to them “I’ve found a tunnel” They followed Samuel along a narrow tunnel until it suddenly opened out into a massive chamber. All three of them stood in awe as they surveyed the scene before them. It was like a small piece of Sovngarde, lush grass, flowering trees, crystal clear waterfalls. Rabbits grazed without a care in the world and small birds flitted through the trees. Several shafts of light from above streamed down, giving the whole place an ethereal glow. It was beyond beautiful. Wyldfyre could see below on the valley floor that there was an odd looking ruin of some sort surrounded by trees heavy with pink blossoms. She started down the narrow path, the others following in single file. Words did not seem necessary in a place like this. Wyldfyre wasn’t sure about the other two but she felt calm and completely content in the glade. A state of being that she had not felt for a very long time.
As they neared the ruins, they could see one squat stone structure with a circle cut out of the middle, inside the circle sat the knife that Dexion had told Wyldfyre about. It was called a Draw Knife and she was supposed to use it to peel some bark off the Canticle tree. The bark was to draw the moths to her that resided in the glade. Wyldfyre was a little skeptical when the Priest told her about the moths, but she was willing to try. She peeled off a handful of bark, while the others watched. Setting down the knife she waited, peering around the glade. A light fluttering noise touched their ears and soon large moths appeared, heading straight for Wyldfyre. She stood very still so as not to startle them.
“How do you feel?” Serana asked.
“I feel fine. Why?” Wyldfyre answered, suppressing a sneeze when one moth decided to land on her nose.
“Well, you’re...glowing” Wyldfyre looked down at her arms and indeed she was giving off a golden glow. She moved slowly forward.
“I’ll see if I can attract some more moths” she moved about the glade carefully, picking up more swarms of the moths as she went. By the time she got back to the central platform she was covered in them. Samuel actually laughed at her.
“You look like some sort of forest nymph!” Serana smiled.
“They tickle” Wyldfyre giggled. Then she held out her hand “Hand me the scrolls one by one” Serana handed over the first scroll, the one she was most familiar with, the Dragon Scroll. She opened it and a bright flash temporarily blinded her but seconds later her vision cleared and a part of a map glowed before her. She opened the other two scrolls and the map was completed. She studied the map carefully, noting the landmarks, locking them into her mind before it started to fade and then it was gone. As soon as the map was gone the moths also dissipated. Wyldfyre dropped the bark and returned the Draw Knife to its resting place.
“So.. did you get anything?” Samuel asked. Wyldfyre had given both Samuel and Serana strict instructions not to try and look at the opened scrolls.
“I did. The exact location of Auriel’s Bow. The Forgotten Vale” she answered him. Serana drew in a breath.
“Then we almost have it” she whispered. Suddenly an arrow smashed against the stone pillar they were standing near. The three of them scattered as vampires, thralls and a gargoyle charged down the path towards them.
“Samuel! Change!” Wyldfyre shouted even as she started to shimmer herself, there was no time to take off her armour. It burst apart as her body grew and expanded, pieces of metal and leather falling to the ground. The Wolves roared their challenge as Serana hovered in her Vampire Lord form. The She-wolf took off after the gargoyle, remembering the beast’s weak spots and tearing into the foul flesh. It lashed out with its claws, giving the wolf a large gash in her thigh before its throat was ripped out. The She-wolf turned to see the other wolf finishing off a bandit thrall, the vampire lord was savaging the neck of another. She lunged at a vampire, tackling it to the ground and tearing at its head and chest. The vampire shrieked until the She-wolf ripped its heart out. When she stood everything was silent in the glade again. She shimmered back into her human form, gasping at the pain in her leg.
Samuel and Serana were both injured. Bodies lay about the glade, their blood befouling the clear water. The Glade was no longer a place of serenity and beauty. They washed their wounds and bound them. Wyldfyre and Samuel dressed in their light clothing they had in their packs, their armour laying in ruins. Wyldfyre deeply regretted loosing yet another set of armour. Both of them would have to go to Whiterun and visit Eorlund at the forge. Their trip to the Forgotten Vale would have to be delayed.
As they neared the Lake House, Wyldfyre reached out in her mind to see if anyone was there, but no other Were answered her. She hoped Farkas and Wilhelm were home at least. The house stood silent as they arrived near midnight. They entered quietly and headed for the kitchen. Wyldfyre stoked up the fireplace and put a kettle and a pot of water on to boil. She found some food for herself and Samuel. While they were eating, Wilhelm walked through the kitchen doors, eyes blinking wearily.
“Wyldfyre?” he peered at the three and saw their injuries. He immediately became more awake, bustling about the kitchen, pulling out bandages and salves. “So what have you been up to now?”
“Battling vampires” Wyldfyre said in between bites of a sweetroll. She let Wilhelm tend to her leg and then left him to the other two while she thought of what to do with the scrolls. They no longer needed them, but she couldn’t leave them just lying around. She gathered them up and took them down into the basement. Over in the far corner, the darkest corner, she placed the scrolls into a long chest and locked it. Pocketing the key she then covered the chest in various furs and tools. Satisfied the scrolls were safe for now she went back upstairs. She opened the door to her bedroom quietly. The room was dark except for a single shaft of moonlight that shone a ray of light upon the sleeping form of her husband. Wyldfyre’s heart swelled as she watched him, his steady breathing soothing her.
She stripped and slipped under the covers, snuggling up to Farkas, who came awake enough to lay his arm over her and kiss the top of her head before falling asleep again. Wyldfyre lay in the comfort of Farkas’s arms, the warmth of his body lulling her to sleep.
“By the Maker!” Wyldfyre cursed as she took in the scene. Serana entered the room and let out a gasp as well.
“Wyldfyre, he is Vampire, I can smell it” Wyldfyre could smell it also. Someone, most likely Isran, had strapped the young man to the rack and tortured him.
“Why did they do this to him?” she moved towards the rack, gently holding up Samuel’s head. At first she was afraid he had died but his eyes flickered open suddenly.
“M...my Lady?” he mumbled. Blood poured from a gash to his left cheek. “I failed you my Lady..” he sobbed. Wyldfyre was beyond distressed.
“Shh.. I’m here now.” She soothed him. “Serana, help me get him off this damned thing” they unstrapped the man and laid him down on the floor, Wyldfyre cradling his head and stroking his hair as he sobbed. She took a cloth Serana handed to her and began to wipe at his wounds.
“Why isn’t he healing?”
“He is newly turned. It takes a while for a vampire’s regeneration to fully develop. I suspect Isran knows this and did this to keep Samuel weak with the blood loss”
“What could he have hoped to gain from that?” Wyldfyre said angrily. “He knows nothing about your father, barely knows anything about vampires!”
“Indeed” Serana agreed. She tenderly touched the wound on Samuel’s face. Her fingertips then glowed and suddenly the wound knitted back together, a thin scar was all that was left behind.
“Serana!” Wyldfyre breathed in wonder. The Vampire smiled.
“It is a gift that an Old One can bestow on a youngling” she explained. “But that is all I can do. The rest are for him to bear alone” Samuel stirred again, his eyes a dark orange, blazing with hunger.
“I tried to stop her, but she was too strong. Why did she do this to me? Why didn’t she just kill me?” he murmured. Wyldfyre looked to Serana.
“His maker.” She answered Wyldfyre’s unspoken question.
“I don’t want to be a vampire! I don’t want to be a monster!” he said then, getting more agitated. Wyldfyre was starting to have a hard time holding him down.
“He needs to feed” Serana said as she joined in on holding the young man down “It’s the only way we can make any sense out of him”
“He can’t take my blood” Wyldfyre said. “He is human and I am a Werewolf, he will be turned into one”
“I will give him mine then” Serana said and Wyldfyre watched carefully as Samuel at first tried to resist Serana’s offer, but then succumbed to his nature and clamped down on to her neck. His hands slid around Serana’s shoulders as he suckled on her. After a few minutes she could see Serana trying to pry the man’s hands off her.
“That’s enough Samuel!” she said then, trying to push herself off him. Wyldfyre grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled back until his fangs released and Serana was able to push off his chest. She rubbed at her neck while Samuel gasped and scrambled backwards, sitting up against the rack.
“Why did you do that?” he asked; his eyes wide with terror. Even now they faded from the dark orange to a lighter colour.
“Samuel” Serana said soothingly “You needed to feed, Dear. It was the only way you were able to calm down. I suspect Isran starved you as part of your torture”
“He did” Samuel nodded, visibly calming. He wiped at a spot of blood in the corner of his mouth and looked at Serana, who held her neck still.
“Did I... hurt you?” he asked; a look of distress on his face.
“A little, but I’ll be fine” she said lightly. Wyldfyre shuffled over to him and took his hand.
“What happened?” Samuel then told them of the morning of the vampire attack. He was part of the guard that was supposed to be coming off a shift. He was tired from the night’s patrolling and was looking forward to a hot breakfast and his cot. But then he heard screams and yelling and somehow amongst the fighting he was knocked off the rampart. While he lay there winded someone came up to him and he felt a pain in his neck. He struggled but then everything went black. When he woke up he was strapped to the rack and Isran was standing before him.
“I didn’t know what was going on at first. I didn’t believe Isran when he told me what I was.... But then I started to feel the changes inside me, tearing my insides apart, Oh gods!” he sobbed again. “The thoughts that started running through my head. I wanted to rip Isran’s throat out. I wanted to kill everyone in this Fort. I could smell them, hear their hearts beating..!” He grabbed onto Wyldfyre’s hand with his other.
“Please! Kill me! I don’t want to be a vampire!” He looked at Serana, his distress and confusion evident on his face. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I would rather die than become the very thing I fought to destroy” Serana studied him for a while before she nodded.
“Do not trouble yourself with it Dear. I hold no hard feelings towards you for feeling like that, especially seeing you were turned without your consent.” She stood up and looked sternly at Wyldfyre. “You know what to do. I will guard the tower. Make it quick.” And she left them alone. Dread filled Wyldfyre’s heart as she looked at Samuel. He peered at her with wide eyes. Even though he said he wanted to die, he was still deathly afraid. But death was not what was on Wyldfyre and Serana’s mind. She shuffled around so that she was closer to Samuel.
“Before I do this; know you have a choice. I didn’t want to do it this way but we are pressed for time...”
“Are you going to stab me in the heart?” he whispered.
“No Samuel. I am going to be your Forbearer. You are going to become a member of The Circle” she said, then added “...If you want to”. Samuel’s eyes grew even wider as he took in what Wyldfyre had just said to him. She realised that Samuel didn’t know what being a member of The Circle fully meant and was about to explain further until he surprised her by asking;
“You mean you are going to turn me into a Werewolf?”
“Yes” she recovered quickly, “If that is what you want. If you wish to rid yourself of the vampire curse and you wish to live, then this is the only way”
“Well. I don’t really get much of a choice do I?” he smiled then, which reassured Wyldfyre somewhat. She squeezed his hand knowing how he was feeling all too well. One day she would tell him about her own initiation. She was also worried about her blood being a mixture of Wolf and Dragon, but that was not something she had the luxury of thinking about at that very moment. Isran was sure to be back up here soon and they needed to get Samuel out.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s going to hurt like nothing you have felt before. But in the end, you will know such power, such freedom, without lusting for the blood of those around you. Your thoughts are your own. You don’t have to join the Companions, but I would very much like to have you join our family, become our Shieldbrother.” she waited while Samuel thought some more. Then he nodded.
“It would be my honour to become a Werewolf, and to have you as my Forbearer” he said reverently.
“Well that’s as much ceremony as we have time for” Wyldfyre said then loosened her chestplate, letting it fall to the floor. She untied her undershirt and opened it to expose her neck. Even though Samuel had just fed, his eyes flashed and he licked his lips.
“Normally we would do this in the Underforge, our sacred place, with the ceremonial well, or a goblet, but as we don’t have any of that, you will just have to take the blood from me”
“I really don’t like doing this” he said but Wyldfyre shook her head.
“It’s the only way. Samuel, are you really sure? Serana could help you become a vampire like she is”
“No” he shook his head with determination “I don’t want to be this thing”
“Alright. Take my blood, but when I say stop, you need to stop, or I will have to take measures” He looked down to see she had drawn her dagger and it was pointed straight at his heart. He nodded. Without any further word, Wyldfyre leant towards him and he took her into his arms. It was a tender hold, not like the savage feeding he had done to Serana. This time he tried to control his urge to just rip into her neck. He sniffed her skin and his nostrils flared at her scent. His hands tightened on her and she felt the sting as his fangs pierced her neck. He moaned at the taste of her blood, the power in it rippling through him. Wyldfyre sat there and let him take in her blood. She had done this. This was all her fault. Sending him back to this place instead of keeping him in Whiterun.
Upon a mutual unspoken agreement, Samuel’s fangs left her neck and Wyldfyre moved away to give him some room. She knew the next few moments would be a painful experience for him and she winced as he suddenly gasped, his body going rigid and falling to the floor. He convulsed and cried out in pain as her powerful Wolf/dragon blood coursed through his veins, ripping apart any trace of vampire that was left in him. Wyldfyre quickly shed the remainder of her armour and clothing and changed into her Wolf form, as Samuel’s body started that first, slow, agonising change. She watching in pity as he cried out with every bone break, every muscle rip as his human form was taken over by the beast that now resided in him. It only took a few minutes but for Samuel it would have seemed a life time. When fully formed he lay on the floor, whimpering for a moment until the She-wolf bent down, bumping him with her snout.
“Samuel” she sent out to him. He blinked and his tongue lolled out as he scrambled to his feet. The She-wolf stood to her full height and studied the new pup before her.
“Welcome, whelp” she sent to him, along with a flash of warm feelings.
“I hear you” he sent back. A jumble of thoughts bombarded her mind. Samuel was like an excitable puppy as he strode around the small room bumping into things, getting used to his new body. Wyldfyre needed to calm him down so they could figure out how to leave the fort without raising suspicion. She showed him how to change back, turning around quickly so she could put her clothing back on. Samuel did the same and they sat and talked quietly while they waited for Serana to return. She smiled when she entered the room.
“No problems down below. No-one heard anything except for me”
“Good” Wyldfyre nodded. “Now for the hard part, we need to get out of here without Isran discovering that Samuel has made a miraculous recovery.”
“I can handle that” Serana said “I will be able to use my speed to get us both out of here. But Isran will look for the three of us, thinking we set Samuel free. We can never return here, so you will need to see Dexion and convince him to leave with you, so that he can read the scrolls”
“Oh, that could be a problem” Samuel said and they both looked at him “Dexion is blind”
“What?”
*****
“Yes! I am blind Girl!” Dexion said irritably, a piece of scrap fabric secured over his eyes. Serana and Samuel had left the fort and were waiting for her in the cave at the other end of the valley while she went to talk with the Moth Priest. She sat down heavily, disappointment etched across her face.
“We are lost then” she said.
“No no.. not entirely” the priest said. “I was foolish in my haste to read that scroll you brought to me. I didn’t make the proper preparations. But not all who read the scrolls know how to do this. There is another way though. There is a place, a vale where some go who want to read the scrolls. The moths will help you” he nodded.
“Moths?”
“Yes! Moths girl!”
*****
Ancestor Glade was easy for Wyldfyre to find. It was just west of Falkreath and very near to the Lake House. She was very tempted to go home before they entered the Glade but Serana pointed out that they should read the scrolls first. The entrance to the glade was an unassuming cave of medium size. Serana sniffed as they looked around.
“Is this it? Not very impressive...”
“Wait!” Samuel called out to them “I’ve found a tunnel” They followed Samuel along a narrow tunnel until it suddenly opened out into a massive chamber. All three of them stood in awe as they surveyed the scene before them. It was like a small piece of Sovngarde, lush grass, flowering trees, crystal clear waterfalls. Rabbits grazed without a care in the world and small birds flitted through the trees. Several shafts of light from above streamed down, giving the whole place an ethereal glow. It was beyond beautiful. Wyldfyre could see below on the valley floor that there was an odd looking ruin of some sort surrounded by trees heavy with pink blossoms. She started down the narrow path, the others following in single file. Words did not seem necessary in a place like this. Wyldfyre wasn’t sure about the other two but she felt calm and completely content in the glade. A state of being that she had not felt for a very long time.
As they neared the ruins, they could see one squat stone structure with a circle cut out of the middle, inside the circle sat the knife that Dexion had told Wyldfyre about. It was called a Draw Knife and she was supposed to use it to peel some bark off the Canticle tree. The bark was to draw the moths to her that resided in the glade. Wyldfyre was a little skeptical when the Priest told her about the moths, but she was willing to try. She peeled off a handful of bark, while the others watched. Setting down the knife she waited, peering around the glade. A light fluttering noise touched their ears and soon large moths appeared, heading straight for Wyldfyre. She stood very still so as not to startle them.
“How do you feel?” Serana asked.
“I feel fine. Why?” Wyldfyre answered, suppressing a sneeze when one moth decided to land on her nose.
“Well, you’re...glowing” Wyldfyre looked down at her arms and indeed she was giving off a golden glow. She moved slowly forward.
“I’ll see if I can attract some more moths” she moved about the glade carefully, picking up more swarms of the moths as she went. By the time she got back to the central platform she was covered in them. Samuel actually laughed at her.
“You look like some sort of forest nymph!” Serana smiled.
“They tickle” Wyldfyre giggled. Then she held out her hand “Hand me the scrolls one by one” Serana handed over the first scroll, the one she was most familiar with, the Dragon Scroll. She opened it and a bright flash temporarily blinded her but seconds later her vision cleared and a part of a map glowed before her. She opened the other two scrolls and the map was completed. She studied the map carefully, noting the landmarks, locking them into her mind before it started to fade and then it was gone. As soon as the map was gone the moths also dissipated. Wyldfyre dropped the bark and returned the Draw Knife to its resting place.
“So.. did you get anything?” Samuel asked. Wyldfyre had given both Samuel and Serana strict instructions not to try and look at the opened scrolls.
“I did. The exact location of Auriel’s Bow. The Forgotten Vale” she answered him. Serana drew in a breath.
“Then we almost have it” she whispered. Suddenly an arrow smashed against the stone pillar they were standing near. The three of them scattered as vampires, thralls and a gargoyle charged down the path towards them.
“Samuel! Change!” Wyldfyre shouted even as she started to shimmer herself, there was no time to take off her armour. It burst apart as her body grew and expanded, pieces of metal and leather falling to the ground. The Wolves roared their challenge as Serana hovered in her Vampire Lord form. The She-wolf took off after the gargoyle, remembering the beast’s weak spots and tearing into the foul flesh. It lashed out with its claws, giving the wolf a large gash in her thigh before its throat was ripped out. The She-wolf turned to see the other wolf finishing off a bandit thrall, the vampire lord was savaging the neck of another. She lunged at a vampire, tackling it to the ground and tearing at its head and chest. The vampire shrieked until the She-wolf ripped its heart out. When she stood everything was silent in the glade again. She shimmered back into her human form, gasping at the pain in her leg.
Samuel and Serana were both injured. Bodies lay about the glade, their blood befouling the clear water. The Glade was no longer a place of serenity and beauty. They washed their wounds and bound them. Wyldfyre and Samuel dressed in their light clothing they had in their packs, their armour laying in ruins. Wyldfyre deeply regretted loosing yet another set of armour. Both of them would have to go to Whiterun and visit Eorlund at the forge. Their trip to the Forgotten Vale would have to be delayed.
As they neared the Lake House, Wyldfyre reached out in her mind to see if anyone was there, but no other Were answered her. She hoped Farkas and Wilhelm were home at least. The house stood silent as they arrived near midnight. They entered quietly and headed for the kitchen. Wyldfyre stoked up the fireplace and put a kettle and a pot of water on to boil. She found some food for herself and Samuel. While they were eating, Wilhelm walked through the kitchen doors, eyes blinking wearily.
“Wyldfyre?” he peered at the three and saw their injuries. He immediately became more awake, bustling about the kitchen, pulling out bandages and salves. “So what have you been up to now?”
“Battling vampires” Wyldfyre said in between bites of a sweetroll. She let Wilhelm tend to her leg and then left him to the other two while she thought of what to do with the scrolls. They no longer needed them, but she couldn’t leave them just lying around. She gathered them up and took them down into the basement. Over in the far corner, the darkest corner, she placed the scrolls into a long chest and locked it. Pocketing the key she then covered the chest in various furs and tools. Satisfied the scrolls were safe for now she went back upstairs. She opened the door to her bedroom quietly. The room was dark except for a single shaft of moonlight that shone a ray of light upon the sleeping form of her husband. Wyldfyre’s heart swelled as she watched him, his steady breathing soothing her.
She stripped and slipped under the covers, snuggling up to Farkas, who came awake enough to lay his arm over her and kiss the top of her head before falling asleep again. Wyldfyre lay in the comfort of Farkas’s arms, the warmth of his body lulling her to sleep.