Haisr arrived at the hut in the middle of the oasais, climbed the steps and approached Vatalia.
"I did as you asked. The black dog won't bother anyone again."
Vatalia smiled; it look more like a grimace than a smile, Hasir thought. To him it looked as if she was holding back some troubling thought.
"Hasir... erm... I don't know how to say this, but those deer that you killed... were Hircine and Kynareth's favorite forms." Hasir looked takenaback by this; his eyes narrowed and fangs bared. "Not that you did horrible, you did great... but Hircine notified me that you are out of the pack."
Hasir's tail slammed down so hard that Valatia yelped in fright.
"What!?" He roared. "It'll be fine." He lied, both to himself and the khajiit. "It'll be like when I got ousted from the companions for a short spell after accidentally killing that stupid preacher in Whiterun. Seriously, though, those people shouldn't be allowed out in the daytime, if they are, it should be on a very short leash." Hasir snickered at his own joke. Valatia, however, scowled and suggested that he take this a bit more seriously.
The argonian rasied both hands to should height as if pushing some invisible barrier.
"Okay... okay... I can sse I've sstruck a nerve." He said nervously. "Let's see, I can go back to Whiterun. The companions would love to have me... even if I did piss of their patron deity."
Valatia rubbed her chin, obviously lost in thought.
"I dunno seems a bit suspicious, you showing up on the companions' doorstep and them not mounting your head on a post. I should know. I disgraced the nature gods in a similar manner."
Hasir stared at her in disbelief. He'd not expected her to disobey a god that obviously granted her son the shapeshifting ability. Valatia smiled feintly.
"Yes, I took my son from Hircine... I, er, stole him from his den with the other wolf pup, newly born, they were. So cute and innocent. I thought that, by spiriting him away to this place, I could spare him the life of hunting for sport. I was punished dealry for my betrayal. I was given one," She held up one clawed finger an inch from Hasir's face. "Chance to rectify my misrtake, otherwise I would be stripped of my wolf fur and disgraced among other werewolves." Hasir held on with bated breath. "I did the only thing I could think of, I came here. far from civilized society." She hid her face in her hands. "I just couldn't bare the shame of letting people down nor could I go through with the insurmountable redemption task Hircine had set for me."
Hasir looked at her curiously as if she had ten heads. He'd no idea she was part of Hircine's pack as well.
"What should I do? Should I hide out until Hircine sees fit to offer my rank back? I mean, I've my wolf fur, that has to count for something." He said, smiling warmly at her." At least he hasn't used that to decorate a house with or worse, mounted my stuuf wolf's head on a wall." Just thinking about that time he witnessed that stuffed horned god decapitate him and watching his lifeless body die gave him goosebumps.
Valatia shook her head which made Hasir feel as though he had swum in an icy pond.
"I mean... y-you can renegotiate with Hircine. I'm sure many deer have been killed? Why does this have to be different?" He stammered nervoused, becoming more and more paranoid by the second.
He begged the khajiit to see reason, but she seemed to remain resolute in her logic.
"I'm sorry Hasir, if I could disobey the wolf lord further I could be I am already on thin ice with him as it is. Perhaps its best to rip the leather strap off early to avoid further awkwardness. As I said, I disobeyed him once before, I do not wish to traverse that dark road again. I'm sorry, my word is final." She said, folding her arms aacross her chest. "I wish you well, packless. "She said, shed a tear. I can, however, grant you this." Hasir looked at the folded fur and wondered what it is. Sensing this, Valatia voiced his concern. "That is a cloak I fashioned for you out of the deer that you, unfortunately killed to... remind you of your new... status. May you find favor with Hircine and his sister, farewell."
Hasir unfolded the fur cloak and placed it over his shoulders, pulling the hood up, turned and trudged through the desert and, just when he had thought he wuld never find the portal, he stmbled across it like a thirsty deer stumbles upon an ever-welcoming lake. He sighed, looked over his shoulder in the direction of Valatia's hut and stepped through.
Swirling sands turned to vast expanses of snow fields as he fell face-first into a bunch of grass. He smelled something cooking over a fire and lifted his head to see Inigo sitting on a log cooking some kind of fish.
Upon seeing him, the blue khajiit smiled and remarked on his new cloak.
"My friend... wow, nice cloak. Where did you get it?"
Hasir scrampled to his feet and brushed the grass off of his cloak. Heartily embarassed, he hastily took of the cloak, folded it and stowed it in his bag.
"Inigo, I know you admire the cloak, but it's more of an offering of shame." The khajiit looked as through he swallowed rotten fish. Hasir sighed, "Let me explain... er, mind if I sit down?" Inigo nodded and made room for his reptilian friend. "I was on a shamanic journey for some crown that is sold here in Elsweyr. The khajiit, Valatia, she said it was Akatosh's crown that was stolen by Molag Bal. Akatosh turned the crown black to brainwash Molag Bal to make him see the error of his ways." He slid his hands between his legs." I just hope that I do not run afoul of that black magic when I acquire the crown."
Inigo gestured to Hasir to slow down and start at the first chapter instead of the middle of his tale.
"My friend, calm down, take a few deep breaths, in and out, yes? You rambling does no one justice. You, me, the fire spirits in the fire." He said, gesturing to the fire. "It does no good at all, that and... you are likely to pass out if you don't take breaths every now and then."
Hasir did so and thanked his feline friend. He dialed it back so the horse bearing the carriage began at a walk instead of a flat out run.
"Thanks Inigo, I am so glad to have a friend like you." In the glow of the firelight, it was uncertain if Inigo was blushing. "Anyway," He said, taking a deep breath, "I got this cloak from two deer that I killed in the barren wastleland..."
Inigo shrugged.
"So? What's so horrible about that?"
Hasir ignored the obvious tinge of aggorant ignorance his friend desplayed and pressed on.
"Inigo, those two deer. how was I supposed to know they were Hircine and Kynareth? What if they morphed into the stag and doe to test me? What if I failed? What if...?"
Inigo sighed and placed a hand on Hasir's shoulder.
"My friend, stop! No need to scare the horses. You made a mistake, it's okay. Besides you had no idea who or what those deer actually were. So you've been kicked out of the pack. There are worse things you can be, you could've died, for example."
Hasir adopted a more relaxed posture; as relaxed as he could get without falling off of the log and nodded.
"You're right. There are worst things out there. I apologize. I should'nt've leapt to worse case scenarios faster than a wolf killing a hare. It's just whenever I get into that state of mind, I find it exceedingly difficult to pull myself out of the deepening hole I start digging for myself. Again, I apologize."
Inigo shook his head, putting Hasir fears at eas and making him breathe a little easier.
"My friend... apology accepted. You know I'll always be here if you need me, right?" Hasir nodded and hugged the khajiit, thankful for his understanding.
Hasir nodded. The argonian's tail wrapped around the khajiit's leg. Inigo leapt into the air.
"Eugh! What on Tamriel was tthat? a mutant nirnroot?"
Hasir chuckled and shook his head.
"No it wasn't. That is an Argonian's way of saying he or she trusts someone deeply."
Inigo began to chuckle as well. One he got over the grossness of the tail, he found it rather heartwarming.
"Wait a minute, you're not coming on to me are you. I draw the line at us being strictly friends." Hasir said he would never dream of jeopardizing their friendship plus he didn't feel that way. Inigo exhaled and nodded. "Okay then." He thought for a long while. "Exiled huh? geez, that's a bit of sour skooma, isn't it? hmm... we can go to the forest not far from Elsweyr. If anyone, the companions, for instance find us and question why we're there, we can just tell them it's a sort of improptu vacation." Hasir stared stonefacedly into the fire. "That or... or we can always go to Cyrodiil and camp out along the Niben River or we can always settle down in your home of Blackmarsh. I was always partial to the swamps and the bugs."
Hasir cringed at this thought. He did not much like the idea of dagging an accomplice, an unblemished soul into his exile.
"I thought you hated the swamps of Blackmarsh. Why in Hircine's name would we go into exile there? Anyways, It's me who has to go into poackless exile. You have nothing to worry about."
Inigo nodded awkwardly as if he were hiding a secret.
"Yes, I... I do, I just thought..." The khajiit tailed away as his eyes became unfocused. "I forgot, while you were away, I got you a present."
He examined Hasir's face to catch a glimmer of a smile or a sparkle in his eye but he remained resolute. The khajiit retreated in a nearby bush and withdrew a cage containing a small, magical cat. The small kitten furiouusly tried to claw him into Oblivion.
Hasir's face screwed up in disgust. He'd no idea why Inigo had stolen an Afiq from the Afiq-ruled temple. Inigo shook his head.
"I did not steal her from the temple. I took her from the ttemple elsewhere in Elswyer. Elsewhere in Elsweyr... get it?" Hasir looked nonplused "Well we're in Elsweyr and Elsweyr and elsewhere are homonyms, get it? Oh, you're no fun." He said, dismissing the Argonian's deadpan look at his seeming humorous joke.
The creature in the cage made a swipe at Inigo and Hasir who'd bent down to examine her.
"Let Sereyne out now! That is, unless you want her to transform your nose into a tomato."
Hasir turned to his feline friend and inquired as to his unorthodox decision.
"Inigo, erm... why did you kidnap or dare I say... catnap Sereyne? Did you get a bunch of moonsugar for her? A kind of catnip for a magically inclined kitten?"
Inigo was shocked at Hasir's humorous wordplay.
"I didn't know you were a verbably vivacious Argonian. Hehe." He said, sniggering. Inigo became stone-faced when he caught the Argonian's glance. "I, erm, sorry. I procured Sereyne to start a game of Afiq chess.
Hasir's eyes narrowed. He smelled a hidden motive, which, he expected Inigo, himself, did not know himself yet.
"Seriously? He thought about this for a minute. "Oh, I get it. Is it because we will be, in a couple months, on a real life chessboard in Coldharbour?"
Inigo nodded and set the cage aside; make Sereyne look at him rather indignintly.
"Yes, that was my thought as well. Are there any other plans for you while being exiled? I mean, we can't just travel the country. Is there anything you're not telling me?"
Hasir sighed while his tail flopped anxiously about. He was fidgeting badly, quite unsure of how his friend would take the news.
"Yes. I forgot to mention that I may be seeking to join the Stormcloaks. That and... well, I wish to do justice by my parents by ridding Tamriel of the pregenitor of the plague and if I need to insight, or take part in, a rebellion to do so, so be it."
Inigo looked at him as if he had ten heads and, after a long while of deliberating, nodded while his tail flicked restlessly behind him.
"The stormcloaks? Seriously?" He asked, taken aback. "I get avenging you homeland but joining a rebellion your people have no interest in joining over a little cloud of gas? That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard... admittedly noble, but incredibly stupid."
Hasir huffed at the khajiit and crossed his arms in front of him and hissed indignantly.
"Hmph! Some friend you are!" He stated, rather coldly. The khajiit bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Sensing hostily, Hasir softened. "Inigo, I'm sorry, but, I have a strong feeling in my gut that I have to partake in this neccesary evil for the sake of my homeland."
Inigo gave his friend a sorrowful look, tilting his head back as if he was pondering something.
"Ok. Le me think, erm,.. how exactly will this help you with the Hircine connondrum you're having?"
Hasir ignored him, produced a lockpick and started picking the lock to Sereyne's cage. The afiq looked, a little unfocused, at the Argonian.
"Thanks, I... think. Which one of you is my savior? I see three of you, is that normal?" She sighed, "must be someone slipped some tainted skooma in it." What may I assist you with. If you do not answer, I may crawl back into the mead barrel."
Hasir told the Afiq that she should ask Inigo as he unfairly trapped her, not him. She nodded and turned to face the khajiit. He gulped and unsheathed his bow in case she shot him with magic.
"Relax, foolish khajiit." She laughed with a hiccup. "I would have snapped that like a twig with one lightning bolt." Inigo giggled nervously and sheathed his bow. As if accepting this as surrender, the afiq lay on the ground, eyeing Inigo intently. "Good to know that khajiit has a conscience."
She acknowledged Hasir and turned to the indigo khajiit.
"Sereyne is curious. Why did khajiit lock her in the cage?" She asked, eying Inigo with indignation.
Inigo looked at her; half curious, half repulsed.
"I thought it would be funny to... play chess with afiq pawns."
Hasir looked at Sereyne and stepped on her tail as she attempted to extract Inigo's eye balls for her yarn balls.
"You thought?"" She snarled, eyeing him maliciously. "I should claw your eyes out for saying that! We afiq are proud mages, not pawn for your chess game."
Inigo looked taken aback by this and shugged.
"I just meant... not literal chess but, rather, the metaphorical chess game that will be inevitable between our forces and Molag Bal's. That reminds me... we still have to obtain some more khajiit for the Elsweyrian half of the army. By my reckoning, we have one khajiit caravan on board, we nedd, at max, erm... three willing caravans. Perhaps we can plan our next move somewhere... I don't know, away from prying eyes?"
He glanced at Hasir who released Sereyne. She glared Indignantly at the khajiit but, agreed with Hasir.
"What argonian says is true. I know just the place." She held out her paws and, no sooner did the argonian and khajiit grab them than all three vanished.
Hasir, Inigo and Sereyne appeared in a walled cobblestone valley in front of a high wrought iron fence. Taking a moment to get their bearings, they looked around to ascertain their location.
"Well, we are in Senchal, that much is certain." Hasir said, panting. "But, as to our exact location? I'm not sure." He thought for a bit until a lightbulb went off. He turned to the blue khajiit who got to his feet as well, leaving the poor Afiq sprawled on her back. "Inigo, isn't this Affraji's place?" Inigo shrugged. "No, it is, I remember her saying she lives somewhere around here."
He opened the gate and they entered. They all looked amazed at the, small though it may've been, courtyard containing nothing but a white table and a matching set of chairs on a raised platform under a small sandcastle looking gazebo overlooking the ocean. Vines also threatened to overtake the walls. They all ascended the small stone steps and noted the beautiful view. The ocean's waves lapped at the rock below like a dog starved for thirst.
Hasir moved to the door and opened it.
"You guys wait here for here. I'll check inside." He called as he crossed the threshold.
The house was smaller than he expected, smaller even that Ceralyne's parents' house but it still had a good enough sized entryway, paneled with wooden walls and Elsweyrian-styles bneches. Hasir's jaw dropped at the amazing detailed wood paneling. Ascending the staircase he see two room branching off of each other. He decided on the right one, ascended and called out for the khajiit.
He was even amazed at how his voice bounced, like rubber balls, off of the wooden walls. Tail and hopes drooping, the Argonian went back outside and sat down at the table, head in his hands.
Inigo saw his forlorn friend and inquired as to his search.
"Did the scaly tree bear any frunit or am I supposed to assume that said fruit smashed into a million pieces?"
Hasir shook his head, mumbling something inaudible under his breath. Inigo opened his mouth to ask him to repeat, but was cut off by a sound of an extremely large knife cutting through the buttery surface of the ocean. Hasir turned his head to see a familiar brown-sailed ship coming towards them. He saw a leopardine khajiit at the helm and a mysterious stranger sitting a few benches behind her as well as a mountain of fish onboard.
The ship slowed just as it neared the porch were, Inigo, the Afiq and Hasir sat. Haisr and Inigo helped unload the fish from the ship and tied her to the small dock below the porch. With that done, Affraji, the khajiit, Argonian and the newcomer walked up to the stone porch. Hasir hugged the leopardine khajiit and inquired to wom to red cloaked stranger was.
Affraji giggled and punched the Argonian in the arm. Hasir feined injury.
"How could you not know who this is? You were under the impression that he was brainwashed. were you not?"
Hasir grimaced; rubbing his arm where he was sure a bruise would soon surface from the scaly swamp.
"First off, I didn't kill him. In fact, I don't think I remeber who did. Geez, I think your punch gave me amnesia." He said, snarling
Affraji laughed and pushed Hasir into a chair.
"Stop being a moron. punches can't give you amnesia, only a powerful blow to the head can do that. Do you really not recognize him?" She sat down opposite the Argonian. Hasir shook his head making his leafy hair blow like trees in the wind. Amazed, Affraji approached the newcomer and grabbed the fabric and tugged.
The hood fell away revealing a red furred khajiit with yellow eyes. The khajiit smiled and greeted the Argonian.
"Nice to see you again, Hasir. I must ask, where's that bitch that threw me overboard? I would like to exact revenge."
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