KeysAug 09, 2017Aug 09, 2017 at 11:50 PM
#1
Diraen watched the clearing for at least half an hour, dying of curiosity about the bronze antler he'd caught sight of from the branches. He had to wait, though. Someone might see him. Something might see him. He quietly pulled himself up to the next-highest branch and looked at the sky. It was time.
Gripping bark just tight enough not to damage it and finding footholds in the tree were second nature to the boy, but constantly watching the ground from such a height made his head spin a little. He took deep breaths and let his gaze rest on the bark as often as he could stand to. Every breeze, chirp, and distant slap of the ocean's waves became a vicious wolf in his mind. Sweat slicked his hands and feet, making his descent twice as difficult.
"What am I doing? He's going to turn on me. I'm going to get eaten. Even if I leave, I'm alone on the road with only a flimsy bow. I don't even have any silver."
Someone appeared before the statue. He could see it better now. A stag-headed figure with two wolves flanking it all in bronze, and in front, a hooded bosmer. Diraen almost fell out of the tree.
"Wouldn't do to break your leg out here. I'm sorry you had to come alone."
The mer drew his hood back.
"D-Dad?!"
"I'm not your real dad. The one who taught you to climb like that is. Yet, I'm flattered."
"My 'real' parents are assholes."
"That's true, but they kept you alive and healthy. Relatively healthy. Is that your stomach rumbling I hear?"
"It is."
"Do you want Hircine's blessing? We could hunt together."
"Can we, uh. Just hunt together? No bites?"
"We'll do that now, but we'll come back here to eat and talk it out."
The hunt went well. Diraen's father let him do most of the work - he found the tracks, stalked the doe, and shot it once in the foreleg, then once more in the eye. His father plucked the second arrow out and impaled its brain with his dagger, giving it a quick and merciful end. The mer set up a large fire before the shrine.
"We thank you for this sacrifice. You were a worthy beast." the older bosmer intoned as he skinned the deer. "Bless this prey, Oh Hircine, as we feast and accept our offering of its flesh in thanks to you."
He carved the best cuts out and threw them onto the roaring bonfire he'd set. Diraen watched it burn while his father cooked enough for the both of them on sticks, keeping it rare.
"Why do you worship Daedra?"
"One specific Daedric Prince, my boy. I was unwillingly bitten. I resented him, at first, but over the years I've come to see that what some call a curse is, in fact, a gift. My senses are keener than any normal mer's. I never go hungry, and I only lose fights against my own kind. Hircine is a kind god. You hunt well. You already worship him with every shot you take."
"Not deliberately."
"But you do."
Diraen wiped the venison's juices from his chin and shook his head.
"So you won't accept his blessing?"
"I won't."
"You will eventually. Don't let yourself go hungry. My pack will be here soon, expecting two wolves. Go along the road. Get to a town. Take this." He handed the boy a pouch of coins. "We'll meet again. Now, run."
Gripping bark just tight enough not to damage it and finding footholds in the tree were second nature to the boy, but constantly watching the ground from such a height made his head spin a little. He took deep breaths and let his gaze rest on the bark as often as he could stand to. Every breeze, chirp, and distant slap of the ocean's waves became a vicious wolf in his mind. Sweat slicked his hands and feet, making his descent twice as difficult.
"What am I doing? He's going to turn on me. I'm going to get eaten. Even if I leave, I'm alone on the road with only a flimsy bow. I don't even have any silver."
Someone appeared before the statue. He could see it better now. A stag-headed figure with two wolves flanking it all in bronze, and in front, a hooded bosmer. Diraen almost fell out of the tree.
"Wouldn't do to break your leg out here. I'm sorry you had to come alone."
The mer drew his hood back.
"D-Dad?!"
"I'm not your real dad. The one who taught you to climb like that is. Yet, I'm flattered."
"My 'real' parents are assholes."
"That's true, but they kept you alive and healthy. Relatively healthy. Is that your stomach rumbling I hear?"
"It is."
"Do you want Hircine's blessing? We could hunt together."
"Can we, uh. Just hunt together? No bites?"
"We'll do that now, but we'll come back here to eat and talk it out."
The hunt went well. Diraen's father let him do most of the work - he found the tracks, stalked the doe, and shot it once in the foreleg, then once more in the eye. His father plucked the second arrow out and impaled its brain with his dagger, giving it a quick and merciful end. The mer set up a large fire before the shrine.
"We thank you for this sacrifice. You were a worthy beast." the older bosmer intoned as he skinned the deer. "Bless this prey, Oh Hircine, as we feast and accept our offering of its flesh in thanks to you."
He carved the best cuts out and threw them onto the roaring bonfire he'd set. Diraen watched it burn while his father cooked enough for the both of them on sticks, keeping it rare.
"Why do you worship Daedra?"
"One specific Daedric Prince, my boy. I was unwillingly bitten. I resented him, at first, but over the years I've come to see that what some call a curse is, in fact, a gift. My senses are keener than any normal mer's. I never go hungry, and I only lose fights against my own kind. Hircine is a kind god. You hunt well. You already worship him with every shot you take."
"Not deliberately."
"But you do."
Diraen wiped the venison's juices from his chin and shook his head.
"So you won't accept his blessing?"
"I won't."
"You will eventually. Don't let yourself go hungry. My pack will be here soon, expecting two wolves. Go along the road. Get to a town. Take this." He handed the boy a pouch of coins. "We'll meet again. Now, run."
Edited Aug 10, 2017 at 12:30 AM by 0