“Wheein, we have to go.”

It was routine for them every day to be travelling to different places, never staying put no matter how comfortable they may be.

“Where are we going next?”

As young as she is, Wheein understood that the world is much bigger and wider than what is seen. Leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle with her guardian provided her an insight that life was not always easy. Currently, they are in some place called Riften. It’s located to the far southeast and reeks of maliciousness and wrong-doings.

But it is home… for now.

Ggomo, her guardian, seemed to be a bit reserved compared to all of the cat-people she has met. When Wheein met him, he was just at the edge of adolescence for felines and her elven mother treated him with fondness. At the time, she and her mother were travelling the golden sands of Elsweyr.

Her memory in that moment was vivid as it was her first time to meet a Khajiit with such bright colors. His flame-colored streaks were a stark contrast to his snow coat. It was no wonder that he was sought after by many slave traders that were in search of the exotic compared to the usual dull gray and black spectrum for the rest of his kin.

As it turns out, Wheein’s mother made the right choice of adopting him in their travelling family. The both of them then grew up along the road, with books to satisfy their curiosity and each other for company.

Almost all the time, disaster strikes when everything is peaceful. In other words, chaos is more natural than order in this realm.

It was Wheein’s first time to travel across the sea and the salty air was something new to commit to memory. Ggomo was more apprehensive of the water due to his feline nature but their mother calmed him down with the wonders of the sky.

“Ggomo you can’t just sulk through the trip,” the woman reprimanded lightly.

They were currently on deck and the sun’s rays were not particularly insufferable. The feline made his way to the edge carefully despite his apprehension and neared his family. The mother took pity on him and rubbed his ears lightly to calm him down and began to talk on how to navigate.

The lesson took little Wheein’s interest and she sat down with them. Her elven features haven’t fully developed yet so she needed to be nearby in order to learn. Her mother started to discuss about the clouds and made a point on how the sky is a big map.

The sun can tell the time as well as the four main directions, north, south, east and west.

Tracing the clouds in the clear blue sky can give a clue about wind direction so the sails can be more effective.

They stopped a while for lunch but immediately went back to their spot as the children were thoroughly engrossed in learning how to see maps in their surroundings. From the sea, the teachings moved on to forest tracking and open areas, all the while with Wheein drawing on the boat with a scattered charcoal from the torch lamps.

Late in the afternoon, stars begin to litter the night sky and the lesson shifted appropriately. Unconsciously struck by inspiration, Wheein looks up from time to time and places dots on the wooden floor as stars and later on decorates them with squiggly lines.

Early in the next morning, the little family was at a loss as to why the crew was gathered in their spot from the day before.

“Ggomo, take Wheein and stay in the room for a while,” their mother spoke softly.

Ggomo obediently listened and took his adoptive sister by the hand and led them both to their ship quarters. His features tell the girl of his uneasiness but decided to not comment on it as he waited patiently in the doorway.

From time to time, her brother’s ears would twitch in tune with his tail halting. Suddenly, he started to hiss at the door and his claws were exposed. His normally calm demeanor was shattered by what is going on behind the door and Wheein became wary. She suddenly hid herself under the bed if only to avoid what happens next.

Two men broke down the door and were surprised to see Ggomo have his claws out. One of them even had the gall to taunt him.

“Where is she?” The Khajiit snarled violently.

“Looking for your master, huh, little kitty,” the man looked down at him. “Now, if you know what’s good for you, you will listen to us.”

As he is too impatient and far too provoked to negotiate, Ggomo tore at the men’s faces without mercy. Wheein didn’t recognize her adopted family at all and so closed her eyes and silently whimpered, willing it all to be a bad dream.

More men flooded into their humble quarters but Ggomo kept at it with the grit and motion of his more primal ancestors. Whether it is to protect Wheein or lash out at the ones keeping their parent captive, it is uncertain.

All but one man perished at his fury. The feline proceeded to pin him on the wall and started to interrogate him. Everything was too sudden. How did their mother know that they might be attacked when a child was merely drawing on the deck?

“Answer me if you don’t want your innards pulled out,” Ggomo warned menacingly.

“R-runes! Dwarven runes wa-was what the lord sent us for,” the man confessed while trembling.

Having fulfilled his purpose, Ggomo slammed him unconscious into the wall and made his way to Wheein.

The girl didn’t want to believe the rumors that her brother truly was a monster from his coat alone but the reality of the situation doesn’t escape her. However, seeing no other choice in the situation, she followed along when told so.

Ggomo and Wheein looked out the hall quietly. They tried to avoid commotion but the merchant boat they rode on had no more people in the quarters area. Instead, they heard screaming from the deck. Immediately springing into action, he grabbed their mother’s bow and quiver then ran for the emergency. Wheein didn’t want to be left behind and followed closely.

With the boat calmly riding on seawater, they did not expect the sight that greeted them.

The sky was painted with angry clouds looming directly over them and their mother was tied to the mast with her head down. From the girl’s line of sight, she can see a strange man dressed in robes muttering a very long string of incantations.

Suddenly, heavy rain came pouring down the deck and the waves became turbulent. Fearing for her mother’s life, Wheein made a move to try and run for her. However, a tight grip found its place on her shoulder. With an intent gaze to the unwelcome company, Ggomo held her back.

He slowly handed her the gear they took and sneaked on deck. The feline kept himself hidden among the barrels scattered around and had the rain mask his steps. Nearing his target, he turned back to Wheein to communicate a single thought.

Now

At the age of 10, Wheein can be considered as a prodigy with the bow with her having already mastered the proper techniques. She learned to hunt small prey for recreation with the guidance of her mother. This, however, stresses her too much, making her hands jittery and picking up an arrow difficult with her fingers frenzied. However, she must not hesitate.

Thump Thump

Hunting has become almost therapeutic for Wheein. She found comfort in feeling the breeze as it caressed her arrow to where it is intended. It held memories of her mother back in simpler times. However, no matter what the season may be, there was a thought at the back of her mind on that day at the sea.

It was unfortunate that they boarded a boat with that wizard on board. After the lightning strike, the boat rocked violently. Wheein was able to hit the wizard on the chest but froze at the aftermath of the spell.

There was no trace of her mother left except for the locket that Ggomo lunged for. The Khajiit then grabbed her by the waist, high-tailed out the deck and jumped into the sea. The wizard’s enraged screaming still haunts her dreams sometimes.

Speaking of the feline, he was quiet as ever in their new settlement near Riften. The local inn looks less than what you would expect from a big city but with its presumed reputation, its upkeep is certainly not worth it.

She was mainly hunting for dinner as their lodging does not sell food but does allow its patrons to cook in the indoor fire pit.

Lately, Ggomo looks much more uneasy than he did before. When he officially became her guardian, he had no idea on how to take care of a human, much less an elf that has mysterious ancestry. That day on the ship was scarring to him to say the least. He tried to get Wheein incorporated in an Elven village but was promptly shunned from him being a Khajiit and the girl not showing “true elven characteristics”. They deemed her too brash in her trying out chores and her interest in smithing heavy metals instead of refined glass is the factor they took for confirmation.

The only time they truly considered her as one of them was when she showed her expertise with a bow that bested their top defensive squad. It was something, Wheein thought, but she didn’t stay.

It was worthless to stay somewhere that only thinks of using someone for their own advantage.

Riften was the worst reputable city among the biggest ones in the kingdom of Solra. Its origin as a center of mercantile development led the way to undercover operations to eliminate what would have been healthy competition among businesses. This resulted to the monopoly of products in Solra. The operations ran so deep that some small-time merchants think that the court might have a hand dipped in the monopolies.

Travelling once more, Wheein and Ggomo are about to take on some freelance work in the city and maybe sell their excess in deer meat.

“Wheein, you go sell that meat while I get our new work.”

“Where will we meet?”

“You can wait for me at the Jarl’s palace. Just don’t provoke the guard this time,” Ggomo looked at her in the eye and warned softly, “you know he’s still traumatized from getting an arrow to the knee.”

The girl nodded with a pout and went to the marketplace, securing her weapon and belongings.

It took some time and sanity but Wheein was able to get out of the marketplace without missing any of their possessions. As she made her way to the palace, she observed that the usual clean-cut guards on duty were changed by much more gruff-looking men.

If the Jarl suddenly changed her taste on guards, it really isn’t her business. However, these don’t seem to be trained at all. They constantly shift posture as opposed to the stiff men Ggomo mostly complains about. Their eyes lack the mechanical movements that were usual and the way they are holding weapons loosely is somewhat a telltale sign.

Wheein blended back into the crowd of the marketplace and quietly observed from the corner of her eye. She did a quick perimeter check of the vicinity, simultaneously picking up a cloak undetected for concealment.

After confirming that the general area was clear, she made a run for the cemetery to the east of the palace. Once out of plain sight, she discarded the cloak from earlier then put on a cowl and raised a scarf to her eyes. Ready for infiltration, she took off in the direction of the nearest wall of the palace.

Wheein scaled the wall stealthily and jumped to a roof quietly. Scanning the area once more, there was a suspicious mound covered in cloth away from public view near a pillar of the palace. She was about to go down and investigate but heard the distinct creak of the palace door. The investigation has to be postponed for another time.

Walking out of the palace gates, Ggomo was intercepted by Wheein.

“So… what is it?” the girl asked eagerly.

“The Jarl’s witch needs us to go to some ruins this time,” he answered. “She said she just needs the components delivered and nothing else. I guess that means no holding back on the loot.”

“Cool. When do we go?”

“We’ll leave before dawn,” then quietly he added, “I saw it too so we best keep moving.”

Internal conflict needs a bit more time before it becomes profitable.

“How far do we still have to go?” Wheein shouted to the treetops.

Ggomo then suddenly dropped from an impressive height and approached.

“We still need a day’s travel. The snow’s picking up from there.”

The ruins they need to go to were located on one of the prominent mountain ranges in the region. It was located on the northern portion of the map with not much people venturing into the icy wilderness.

“Wouldn’t that mean that we need somewhere to stay for the night?”

Ggomo nodded his answer. “That’s right. We should have enough for the journey if we stay a day or two.” He then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and examined it. “If this map from the witch is right, we should be able to reach a small village called Kynesgrove along the main river.”

“Kynesgrove? Isn’t that near Windhelm?” she was skeptical about the nearby locations.

“Don’t worry, we’ll only restock there and wizards are less likely in the area since the University is just up north in Winterhold. They don’t have significant business in a discriminating community.”

The people of Windhelm were proud descendants of the original northerners, with their light skins, bright eyes and relatively high volume of body hair. These people call themselves as the Nords, claiming all of the land to be their ancestral domain despite the existence of the Forsworn in the same period. It gained political heat but the empire and royalty made clear of their intentions in uniting the continent.

It was messy to say the least.

With those people holding their ancestry on a pedestal, foreigners to the land are understandably wary of them. However, Wheein would prefer their discriminating glares rather than a wizard’s crazed observance.

Kynesgrove doesn’t present much in both danger and hospitality. They do not ally with anyone considering the turbulent political climate and every villager mostly cares about their own welfare.

The inn was considerably smaller than what they were used to in Riften but it does serve its purpose.

They were only getting settled in the inn when a particularly loud clap of thunder was heard.

Ggomo never truly got over the incident at the sea and was startled at the sound, combined with the reflex of digging a claw into the wooden wall of the room. Wheein, on the other hand, only gripped her bow and heaved a huge sigh. She may look calm but there were images in her mind’s eye that no one deserves to see.

A little while later, they kept quiet in the room after the brief episode. They were keeping their peace and wits about them when a ruckus erupted in the inn.

“Open up!!! We know you’re in there!”

Alarmed, Ggomo shot up from his seat and looked for their closest way out.

A/N: Hello! This one has been too long in the works but I hope you enjoyed it. Some parts will need reworking since I've finalized that I'm using Skyrim as the setting but still with mixed lore with LotR as much as I can apply

Constructive criticism and your predictions are always welcome  :D