{"id":100,"date":"2020-10-29T11:29:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=100"},"modified":"2020-11-02T21:25:34","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T04:25:34","slug":"chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-1\/part-1-moonlight\/chapter-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

The sun hadn\u2019t gotten very high into the sky.\u00a0 It was still very dark on the southern side of the Lake Ilinalta ridge, where the terrain dipped down into a bowl-like forest between the lake and the leading edge of the Jeralls.\u00a0 And Chip wasn\u2019t really watching where he was going.\u00a0 He was simply putting one foot in front of the other, weaving his way among the trees while his mind raced.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a werewolf.<\/em><\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t stop thinking about the sound of bones cracking in the courier\u2019s neck as the werewolf \u2013 no, he<\/em> \u2013 closed his jaws around it. His mind kept replaying the sensations of opening a man with his hands… no, paws.\u00a0 <\/em>He looked down at his hands. They were just normal, half-Nord hands. Calloused from the bowstring, perhaps, but normal hands.<\/p>\n

It was a new thing to him, to be horrified by something he\u2019d done after seventeen years of being, well, average<\/em>. He\u2019d certainly practiced at weapons over the years at his family\u2019s insistence; but he\u2019d never taken a life. There\u2019d been no reason to. He\u2019d kept to himself, honed his ability to stay hidden, and used the high ground and his bow to his advantage. He knew there were times when it was a requirement, but none of those times had happened to him. And in the past night he\u2019d killed and eaten <\/em>how many?<\/p>\n

So many things made more sense now. He\u2019d never been able to sleep well, not from the earliest days he could remember. His mother said that his father rarely slept either, so he\u2019d always assumed he\u2019d gotten that from Brynjolf. He\u2019d always been restless; pacing, poking into every corner, getting into things that had his mother and Iona, his other caretaker, pulling out their hair. He\u2019d always played at being a hunter; in fact, his father often told the story of how he had crept toward High King Ulfric with a bow made out of grass and sticks, saying that he was \u201chunting bear.\u201d He didn\u2019t remember that, but he did remember that toy bow he\u2019d made, and the ones he\u2019d crafted later, as his hands grew and his ability to draw a bowstring increased. It had been an obsession, almost, for him to master the bow.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d always attracted dogs and wolves. Dogs were curious about him; but dogs were curious about all people, truthfully. Wolves had always attacked, in numbers and anywhere he went. When he\u2019d been old enough, and independent enough, all of the adults had given him training with the bow. They were all good with the weapon but none of them, not even Dardeh – who had fought Deathlords in Skuldafn – was as skilled as the Bosmer Niruin, who had been happy to give him lessons on the sly, for a price, when he emerged from the Guild\u2019s headquarters. As a result, Chip had amassed enough pelts and enough money from them through his arrangements with Delvin that he\u2019d recouped his costs and saved enough to build his own cabin, a place where he could roam and pace and practice and hunt in peace and quiet.<\/p>\n

That had taken a great many wolf pelts, to say nothing of deer, elk and fox. It had almost been too easy, given how attracted to him the wolves had always been. And now he understood why. He also understood now why they\u2019d curiously stopped attacking him, just in the past several weeks. They would come out of the undergrowth, as they always had done; but they would stop, and examine him, and sniff; and sometimes they would howl from a distance, drawing his attention toward other prey.<\/p>\n

Now he knew. The wolves had stopped attacking because they recognized their own kind. Now he understood why he\u2019d been restless for weeks; the moons were filling, their influence on him growing stronger and stronger until finally he\u2019d turned.<\/p>\n

But how? I thought you got this disease by being scratched or bitten by a werewolf. I\u2019ve never come near one. How could it be that I am a…<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He rounded a large boulder and blinked to find himself facing lit candles and what was clearly a grave, just in front of him. \u00a0At the head of a mound of earth and stones was a sword, plunged well into the ground, an ancient iron helm resting atop its grip. Around the end of a short stone wall were more grave mounds, some marked with very old Nord headstones and others with additional weapons or newer granite slabs. He\u2019d been paying so little attention that he\u2019d stumbled into the place that gave the city beyond its claim to fame, as well as the names of its shops. Other parts of Skyrim had their spectacular, ancient barrows: this one had a huge, open-air graveyard.<\/p>\n

Falkreath. I\u2019ve come onto it in spite of staying off the roadways.<\/em><\/p>\n

He looked up at the sky.\u00a0 It was getting lighter, but the sun still hadn\u2019t risen high enough to bathe this low-lying city in its direct beams, not quite yet. He worked his way through the cemetery, trying to be respectful and not tread on the time-worn resting spots of heroes; but it was difficult to tell where some of the oldest graves ended and simple forest floor began. Eventually he spotted the first of Falkreath\u2019s buildings before him. He also smelled something. Stopping to sample the air again he sensed people, freshly turned earth, and a slight whiff of decay. Nearing the Hall of the Dead \u2013 identifiable by its banners of Arkay outside the door \u2013 he heard a voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe god Arkay was once like us, bound to winding mortality. But he willingly gave up his existence that we might better understand the vagaries of life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an old Altmer priest speaking, standing beside a grave with a couple. The Nord man and Imperial woman were clearly in mourning, the woman sniffling as the priest continued.\u00a0 Chip\u2019s nose told him that this new grave was the source of the decay he\u2019d scented.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is through the ebb and flow of this cosmic tide that we find renewal and, in the end, peace. May the spirit of Lavinia and all those who have left this world and its suffering know the beloved serenity of Aetherius, and may we one day rejoin them in eternity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The priest nodded to the couple, and then made his way back toward the Hall of the Dead through the headstones. Chip had been standing quietly and respectfully to one side, not wanting to interrupt the ceremony; but he looked up to find both the Nord and his wife staring at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA sad time,\u201d the man murmured, clearly expecting some response from Chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm,\u201d he started awkwardly, not really knowing what a person should say under these circumstances. \u201cYes. Who died?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh that was smooth. Da would be rolling his eyes if he had heard that.<\/em><\/p>\n

It had been hard growing up in the shadow of a man who always knew the right thing to say, who thrived on his ability to flatter and manipulate others. That had never been Chip\u2019s best thing, and he\u2019d just proven it once more. The man didn\u2019t seem offended, though. He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur daughter. I\u2019m Mathies and this is my wife Indara. It was our daughter. Our little girl. She hadn\u2019t seen her tenth winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Chip said softly. And he truly was. He could sense their grief, almost taste it rolling off them in great waves in spite of their stoic expressions. He found himself fighting to suppress the sudden urge to raise his face to the sky and wail aloud. \u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was\u2026\u201d Mathies started to speak and then his voice caught for a moment. \u201cHe ripped her apart. Like a saber cat tears a deer. We barely found enough of her to bury!\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip felt the hair on his neck begin to rise, his heart following suit and trying to make its way up into his throat. This was entirely too fresh an experience for him not to recognize it, especially given the fact that Mathies had said \u201che\u201d and not \u201cit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did I do this? No, I couldn\u2019t have. I remember the ones I\u2026 don\u2019t I?<\/em><\/p>\n

He knew that he should just offer further condolences and leave but he couldn\u2019t bear it. He had to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 terrible. Who? Who would have done such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mathies snorted, his face taking on an expression of disgust. \u201cSinding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just that one word sent a flood of relief coursing through Chip. He struggled to keep his expression from changing.\u00a0 Thank all the gods it wasn\u2019t me. I couldn\u2019t live with myself.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe came through as a laborer,\u201d Mathies continued. \u201cSeemed like a decent man. He\u2019s stewing in the Pit while we figure out what to do with him, if you\u2019ve got the stomach to look at him.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head again. \u201cWhat could drive a man to do something like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip\u2019s heart pounded in his chest. The moons. That\u2019s what it is. The moons, and the scent of prey, and the need to hunt and howl. I don\u2019t understand how it is that I know this to be true; but I do, and it is. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said again. \u201cI\u2019ll go talk to him. Maybe I can get some more information out of him.\u201d\u00a0 Without waiting for any further interaction, he turned and trotted up the now well-lighted path toward the city proper. He knew where the Pit was, deep in the underbelly of the guards\u2019 barracks, and he was going there regardless of anything else.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Halfway up the path he realized that he was getting dizzy. He stopped beside a section of wall, putting out a hand to steady himself and lowering his head while he breathed slowly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s alright. It wasn\u2019t me. I didn\u2019t kill their girl.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

But it might have been me.\u00a0 I barely knew what I was doing last night. It\u2019s a wonder I didn\u2019t kill the bard as well.\u00a0 It might easily have been me. I couldn\u2019t bear it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once he no longer felt as though he was going to faint, Chip straightened slowly and proceeded up the path into town.\u00a0 It was futile, he decided, to expect answers mere hours after having turned for the first time. This situation was going to require time, and thought, and research.<\/p>\n

And maybe a silver bolt.<\/em><\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t get it out of his mind. It was one thing that he\u2019d shredded and consumed Forsworn, or bandits, or people who were actively trying to kill him. It was quite another to do what this man Sinding had reportedly done.\u00a0 If he ever attacked and killed an innocent child \u2013 well, that would require some intervention.<\/p>\n

Bad enough I killed that lone hunter at the camp. He wasn\u2019t doing anything to me at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

He was in a somber frame of mind as he reached the barracks and pulled open the outermost door.\u00a0 There was a single guard at the table inside the barracks; the man nodded at him as he crossed the room toward the stairs down to the jail. It was a new experience for Chip to cringe at another man\u2019s gaze, wondering whether he could be seen for what he was beneath his skin. Maybe Sinding could give him some insight.\u00a0 He had to know.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He blinked in the dim light of the lower level, squinting into the shadows and sampling the air before realizing that he smelled water and a trace of wolf off to his left. The Pit was, as its name suggested, the lowest part of this jail; and being as low as it was and partially open to the sky, water had seeped into it over time.\u00a0 As Chip approached the narrow iron gate that secured it, he could see the pool at the bottom of the Pit as well as a barefoot man in tattered trousers leaning against its far wall.<\/p>\n

That must be Sinding<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sinding approached the gate and climbed the few short steps to face him just beyond the gate. He was fairly scrawny, for a Nord. His build was slight, and lean, and the trousers hung loosely on his frame.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to gawk at the monster?\u201d he asked, his words sarcastic but his tone soft and almost apologetic.<\/p>\n

Chip started to nod in agreement, but then stopped himself.<\/p>\n

Wrong, idiot. Just tell him why you\u2019re here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNot to gawk at a monster, no. But I did want to talk to you. I hear you attacked a little girl. Is that true?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinding opened his mouth and shut it again; then he peered at Chip through the bars of his prison. He sniffed once or twice, and then nodded.<\/p>\n

Ah. He can sense me, just as I can tell what he is.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t anything I ever intended to do,\u201d the man said. \u201cI just\u2026 lost control. I tried to tell them, but none of them believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip once again felt the hair on his neck rising. I believe you. I know just what that feels like. <\/em>He didn\u2019t dare speak, but he did nod, this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all on account of this blasted ring,\u201d Sinding grumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cRing? What ring? What are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the ring of Hircine. I was told it could let me control my transformations.\u201d He frowned. \u201cPerhaps it used to, but I\u2019ll never know. Hircine didn\u2019t care for my taking it and threw a curse on it. I put it on\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Sinding\u2019s voice rose, both in volume and in emotion. \u201cAnd the changes just came<\/em> to me.\u00a0 I could never guess when. It would be at the worst<\/em> times! Like\u2026 with the little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip could see him almost trembling as he spoke of it, whether from fear for his life, or exhaustion, or disgust, he couldn\u2019t be sure. But he had a suspicion that he understood.\u00a0 He took one step closer to the gate and lowered his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I understand, Sinding. But tell me what kind of transformations you\u2019re talking about. I really need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose there\u2019s a point in keeping it secret if I\u2019m going to die in here anyway. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of men who shift to beasts under the influence of the moons. I am one of them. A werewolf. It\u2019s my secret, and my shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip felt the horrors of the previous night stab him anew. He could almost feel the inescapable pull of the moons again, taste the flesh as he tore it from the courier\u2019s bones. There had been no choice to that; he\u2019d been directed<\/em>, somehow, to kill. He closed his eyes against it and nodded, briefly.\u00a0 He was certain Sinding knew what he was, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I wanted the ring,\u201d Sinding continued. \u201cIt was said to give men like me control. I may look like a man but I still feel the animal inside of me as strong as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHircine,\u201d Chip murmured. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you not know the Daedric Lord of the Hunt? He revels in the chase, and also gave the \u2018gift\u2019 of lycanthropy to mortals. A powerful force, not to be crossed. A lesson I learned too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what you mean,\u201d Chip said, almost to himself. \u201cBut what made you attack the girl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had just come into Falkreath. They needed some help working the mill, and I thought that would be something safe. Something I could do. When I saw the little girl I was just\u2026 I could feel it coming on. I could taste<\/em> the\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He grimaced. \u201cI needed to hunt!\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes. Like a heart about to burst out of your chest. A voice, telling you to feed. I should have known it was Hircine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut this pitiful, limited body wasn\u2019t meant for hunting. Slow. No claws. Weak, mashing teeth for chewing cud.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Chip peered up at him again. He\u2019s right. But I\u2019ve always hunted. Always. I\u2019ve always eaten my meat nearly raw, or at least as rare as Ma would let me get away with. I\u2019ve got a bigger build than he has, but I\u2019ve never felt weak, so long as I had my bow. Perhaps there\u2019s some hope for me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sinding was nearly growling now. Chip felt certain that if he could have transformed right then and there, Sinding would have done so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI held in my rage as long as I could but it boiled inside of me. She looked so fragile. Helpless prey. And then\u2026 I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His shoulders drooped and his voice subsided again. \u201cI feel terrible about what happened. About what I did. It would probably be best for everyone if I just\u2026 went away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t say that,\u201d Chip said quietly. \u201cI do understand. I think you can tell that I understand. It\u2019s all very new to me. But I\u2019m sure there\u2019s something that can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinding\u2019s eyes flickered with what seemed to Chip like a ray of hope. \u201cI\u2019ve been looking for a way to appease Hircine. There\u2019s a certain beast in this land. Large, majestic. It\u2019s said that Hircine will commune with whoever slays it. I tracked it into these woods but then I had my accident, with the child. I want to beg his forgiveness. Give him back the ring. But while I\u2019m stuck in here the beast wanders free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip\u2019s mind raced. He couldn\u2019t stand sensing the raw grief radiating from Sinding. If anyone could track and kill a beast, he was that person. Before he had a chance to change his own mind, he blurted it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take the ring back to Hircine. You\u2019ll have to leave this place \u2013 Falkreath \u2013 but at least if you don\u2019t have Hircine\u2019s curse, you\u2019ll have a chance to start over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinding\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cOh, my. You would do this for me?\u201d He pulled and twisted and wrestled with his own hand until the ring was off his finger, and passed it through the bars to Chip.\u00a0 \u201cHere, take it. I don\u2019t want anything to do with the wretched thing anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip could feel the excitement rising in Sinding\u2019s demeanor as he slipped the ring onto his own hand. It seemed as though he could hear the man\u2019s heart racing. He looked down at his own hand and realized that the ring was tight around his finger, bearing down into his flesh.\u00a0 He tried to slip it off; but it was obvious that the ring had simply transferred itself from one willing subject to the next and was not going to budge.<\/p>\n

What in Oblivion have I done?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSeek out the beast,\u201d Sinding told him. \u201cHe wanders these woods. Bring him down, and, well, the Lord of the Hunt should smile on you. I wish you luck. I should leave here while I still have my skin. Should our paths cross again I will remember your kindness. Farewell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sinding turned away, descending into the pool at the bottom of the Pit.\u00a0 Then, as Chip had suspected was about to happen, he transformed. He watched, both horrified and fascinated by the thought that this was what he must have looked like, as Sinding\u2019s arms, feet and face lengthened, lush fur appeared on his body and a tail extended behind him. He could remember the sensations so vividly that he feared he himself would turn, right then and there; but instead he watched as Sinding howled and then leapt up the sides of the Pit, pulling himself up the timbers with his claws and finding toeholds in the rocks, and disappeared overhead.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was an utterly glorious day, now that the sun was high in the sky; but Chip barely took note of it in his excitement. He\u2019d always felt energized when it was time to hunt, even as a child. This time, though, there was an added element of suspense to the experience. His hearing seemed keener; he could identify every bird and rabbit rustling in the undergrowth. There were loons on Lake Ilinalta; they weren\u2019t hard to hear on any occasion but today it seemed as though they were directly beside him. And his sense of smell? Well, that was working better than ever before. He could tell where the bandits that forever cropped up along the road to Helgen had built their latest camp, well before he reached the area. Wood smoke was easy to pick up in the air, anyway; but this time he smelled unwashed men and simmering stew as well. It was not a good combination, truthfully; he had to wonder what they\u2019d put in that stew. Skeever seemed a possibility. At least the light breeze had the fragrance of pine constantly flowing through the air.<\/p>\n

He dropped into a crouch as he approached the footbridge across the road, and slipped into the tall grass on the uphill side of the path. He could see boulders strewn along the cobbles; he\u2019d known it already from the smell but this was additional, visual proof that bandits had taken up residence west of Helgen yet again.\u00a0 He wondered why the Jarl of Falkreath \u2013 or his Uncle Dardeh, for that matter, given that he was a Thane \u2013 hadn\u2019t just burned that hazard to the ground by now, but apparently it had been there for decades.<\/p>\n

As he clambered up the steep slope his heart began beating faster. What had sent him directly to this part of the enormous Falkreath forest he didn\u2019t know; but he was certain he would find the beast Sinding had spoken of here, in this part of the woods. Maybe there was something about the Helgen area that had extra power to it, and that\u2019s why it had drawn Alduin all those years before. He didn\u2019t know; but the closer he rose to the crest of the slope, the more excited he became, and the more certain he was right.<\/p>\n

There was one last boulder between him and what he knew was a relatively flat area at the base of the mountains. It was from that direction that the scents of cooking and bandits came. But there was something closer. If he strained, he could hear intermittent, soft scuffles and an occasional snort, of the kind a large animal would make while grazing quietly by itself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He inched his way around the boulder and into a space between it and a large pine just uphill from it, and caught his breath.\u00a0 There in the sun, next to a small pool and a grassy dirt embankment was a beautiful, healthy elk.\u00a0 But it was not just any elk.\u00a0 This one was pure white, like a cloud in the sky, the cap on a wave or a drift of freshly-fallen snow.\u00a0 He\u2019d never seen anything like it.<\/p>\n

There you are, my beauty. You\u2019re the one Sinding has sent me to bag. It seems a shame to mar such a beautiful pelt with an arrow but there\u2019s no help for it.\u00a0 I\u2019m a hunter; and I\u2019m not going to let the beast inside me get you before I do it with my bow.<\/em><\/p>\n

The bow he\u2019d been using for some time now was a finely-crafted hunting bow, which he\u2019d lovingly tended and improved over the years he\u2019d owned it until it felt like an extension of his own arms.\u00a0 He slipped it carefully up in front of him and chose one of his best arrows. It took what felt like a lifetime to draw the bowstring and take aim; but once he loosed it, the arrow flew straight and true, striking the elk in the chest and dropping it cleanly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh,\u201d Chip muttered, rising from his crouch to start down the slope toward his prize. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect it to go down with one shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hopped down over the rocks toward the elk\u2019s carcass and then stopped short, his eyes widening. Just beyond the trophy, a bluish, translucent copy of the elk itself rose from its remains to stand beside it.\u00a0 The ghost elk turned to stare at him, snort, and shake its head.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 I\u2026\u201d Chip stammered. \u201cDidn\u2019t I just kill you?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been this confused in my life. Why am I talking to an elk? Why would an elk understand my words?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd skillfully, too!\u201d a harsh voice chuckled. It was harsh, but somehow hollow, as if coming from far away.<\/p>\n

It felt to Chip as though he\u2019d been hit by a shock spell. His mouth fell open and he stared, stunned, at the being before him. It took conscious effort to start breathing again.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard that voice before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was you! Last night! In my head! Or\u2026 at least\u2026 the creature\u2019s head. You told us to hunt more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been watching you for ages, it seems,\u201d the voice told him. \u201cYou have the makings of a fine hunter. You may even be my champion. Perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your\u2026 champion? This is\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

As if he was somewhere else, watching himself interact with this being, Chip heard his own voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you Hircine?\u201d<\/p>\n

The ghost elk bowed its head and shook its antlers.\u00a0 \u201cI am the spirit of the hunt. Just one glimpse of the glorious star that your kind calls Hircine.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he heard the words, Chip felt himself flooded by an emotion such as he\u2019d never experienced before. It was a warmth, an excitement, a joy \u2013 an awe<\/em> \u2013 unlike anything else.<\/p>\n

Yes. A star. A piece of pure, shimmering power. Glorious. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2026 would you have of me?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYour fealty is precious to me. I will make good use of it. You bear my ring. The one who stole it has fled to what he thinks is his sanctuary, just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt but only ends up trapping himself.\u00a0 Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body and make it an offering to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A small part of Chip\u2019s mind tried to raise an objection. Sinding had done nothing to him; the poor man had been at the mercy of the inexorable call of the moons. But the rest of him \u2013 his mind, his body, and his spirit \u2013 were singing out a different tune.<\/p>\n

This is the one.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Uncle Roggi and Uncle Dardeh kneel to worship Talos, I feel nothing. When Mother or Da or Karliah say \u201cNocturnal hide you\u201d- even though they say it\u2019s not worship, not the same kind of thing – I feel nothing. I feel nothing when I pass any of the shrines to the Nine, or any of the old gods either. They offer nothing to me. They\u2019ve never spoken to me. They mean nothing to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

This being. He has been watching me. He understands me. I am a hunter. I have always been a hunter. This is why I am in this world. This is why I am a werewolf. He\u2019s waited for me to be ready. I will be his champion.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be done as you wish, my lord,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFly, my hunter,\u201d Hircine responded. \u201cThere are others who vie for my favor. A bit of competition. Don\u2019t dally while the prey flees.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ghostly elk disappeared, leaving behind the pure white pelt of the physical beast for Chip to collect, and he did so even while his spirit churned in a tumult of adoration and bliss.\u00a0 After so many years he at last had proof of something greater than himself; and that something recognized him, believed in him, encouraged him to press on to greater things.<\/p>\n

He spoke to me last night, when I was a wolf. He knew I needed guidance. I will do as he asks.<\/em><\/p>\n

He remembered Sinding telling him how Hircine reveled in the chase, and smiled. Inside, once more, his instincts told him where he needed to go to find Sinding. He turned in that direction, back to the north, and was overcome by the desire \u2013 no, the need<\/em> \u2013 to do something he had never done before.<\/p>\n

Chip Brynjolfsson dropped to his knees there on the mountainside, raised his face and his hands to the sky, and silently praised the Daedric Prince Hircine, Lord of the Hunt.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   The sun hadn\u2019t gotten very high into the sky.\u00a0 It was still very dark on the southern side of the Lake Ilinalta ridge, where the terrain dipped down into a bowl-like forest between the lake and the leading edge of the Jeralls.\u00a0 And Chip wasn\u2019t really watching where he was … <\/p>\n

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