For some reason, the idea of anyone else hurting and torturing Vilkas made her sad. Not to mention hunting and torturing werewolves – it was an offence against Hircine. Maybe Reachfolk wouldn't want to be one (and there were always exceptions even to that), but even so, werewolves were Hircine's children and deserved respect for that. These Silver Hand were animals, worse than animals.
“Wipe out werewolves?” Shevawna scoffed. “They might as well try to hunt Hircine himself. They could kill all the werewolves and he would simply make more. Storihbeg cannot be killed, no aspect of Hircine can even though you think you've hunted it.”
“Aye, I know,” Vilkas said wryly. “But that does not stop them hurting the innocent in the mean time. And I think there's more of them here. We'll have to be careful.”
“Then let's take them by surprise,” Shevawna said quietly, dropping into a crouch. “Show them what real hunters look like.”
Vilkas nodded and crept after her, actually looking pleased. “Spoken like a true warrior,” he murmured.
Shevawna couldn't help but feel rather pleased at that, and out of everything, that was the weirdest thing of all.
~~~~~~~~~~
So the two of them explored and sure enough there were more Silver Hand, not to mention Draugr. Shevawna dealt with the sleeping ones by creeping up and ramming a sword into them, which Vilkas muttered was not honourable and yet he didn't object to fewer enemies to actually have to fight either.
And so they explored and so they fought, and in the quieter times they talked.
“So they had this big werewolf in front of you, they sliced its arm open and made you drink the blood – Vilkas, at what point did you not realise this was a bad idea?”
“They said it would make me stronger, that all true Companions had the blood of the beast!”
“Peer pressure. I knew it. No Reach child would ever have made that mistake,” Shevawna sighed. “We all know it's a surrender to Hircine, we'd have said no. Or having said yes, would have gone in eyes open and not looked back. At the very least, we are taught from a young age that if you are invited to any sort of secret ritual involving drinking someone else's blood, you should ask a lot of questions before taking part.”
“Well, I know that now!” Vilkas sighed. “My childhood didn't involve a lot of discussion of the dark arts! My father hated all magic with a passion. Wanted no discussion of any of it.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Shevawna sighed. “And so you grow up knowing nothing, not even the basics, so when you do encounter magic and the spirit world, you make stupid mistakes like this!”
“I didn't know!” Vilkas cried. Then he sighed and stared at his feet. “I don't suppose you know a cure, do you?”
“No,” said Shevawna firmly. “I do not. I know enough magic to keep myself and sometimes others alive and kill my enemies. I do not know how to cure the fruits of a Nord's own stupidity for him.”
Vilkas growled slightly but thankfully did little else. Werewolf, so that was why he had anger issues. Or maybe he was an angry person anyway but the beast blood made it worse. And he wanted a cure. Kodlak was one too from the sounds of it. Did he want a cure as well? She'd have to ask him.
She'd certainly have to ask Keirine. The First Matriarch must know all about werewolves, surely?
“What about you?” Vilkas asked. “Your king's free. You staying here or going to join him? He must be planning something. Is he raising an army? Planning a new uprising?”
“I don't know!” Shevawna sighed. “He's probably getting used to the sun again, enjoying his freedom and figuring out his next move. The Forsworn aren't organised enough for another uprising, not yet. Too much bickering among the Hags for that. He'd have to get all four of the big Matriarchs round a table and persuade them to lend him their troops. That's going to take a while, Vilkas. It's like a High King or Queen trying to persuade all the Jarls to do things their way. Except the Jarls are Hags who can do dangerous magic. Even our First Matriarch can't order them all just like that, and she's on the King's side.”
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Witch of Jorrvaskr 6.7
Date: 2014-06-15 07:10 pm (UTC)“Wipe out werewolves?” Shevawna scoffed. “They might as well try to hunt Hircine himself. They could kill all the werewolves and he would simply make more. Storihbeg cannot be killed, no aspect of Hircine can even though you think you've hunted it.”
“Aye, I know,” Vilkas said wryly. “But that does not stop them hurting the innocent in the mean time. And I think there's more of them here. We'll have to be careful.”
“Then let's take them by surprise,” Shevawna said quietly, dropping into a crouch. “Show them what real hunters look like.”
Vilkas nodded and crept after her, actually looking pleased. “Spoken like a true warrior,” he murmured.
Shevawna couldn't help but feel rather pleased at that, and out of everything, that was the weirdest thing of all.
~~~~~~~~~~
So the two of them explored and sure enough there were more Silver Hand, not to mention Draugr. Shevawna dealt with the sleeping ones by creeping up and ramming a sword into them, which Vilkas muttered was not honourable and yet he didn't object to fewer enemies to actually have to fight either.
And so they explored and so they fought, and in the quieter times they talked.
“So they had this big werewolf in front of you, they sliced its arm open and made you drink the blood – Vilkas, at what point did you not realise this was a bad idea?”
“They said it would make me stronger, that all true Companions had the blood of the beast!”
“Peer pressure. I knew it. No Reach child would ever have made that mistake,” Shevawna sighed. “We all know it's a surrender to Hircine, we'd have said no. Or having said yes, would have gone in eyes open and not looked back. At the very least, we are taught from a young age that if you are invited to any sort of secret ritual involving drinking someone else's blood, you should ask a lot of questions before taking part.”
“Well, I know that now!” Vilkas sighed. “My childhood didn't involve a lot of discussion of the dark arts! My father hated all magic with a passion. Wanted no discussion of any of it.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Shevawna sighed. “And so you grow up knowing nothing, not even the basics, so when you do encounter magic and the spirit world, you make stupid mistakes like this!”
“I didn't know!” Vilkas cried. Then he sighed and stared at his feet. “I don't suppose you know a cure, do you?”
“No,” said Shevawna firmly. “I do not. I know enough magic to keep myself and sometimes others alive and kill my enemies. I do not know how to cure the fruits of a Nord's own stupidity for him.”
Vilkas growled slightly but thankfully did little else. Werewolf, so that was why he had anger issues. Or maybe he was an angry person anyway but the beast blood made it worse. And he wanted a cure. Kodlak was one too from the sounds of it. Did he want a cure as well? She'd have to ask him.
She'd certainly have to ask Keirine. The First Matriarch must know all about werewolves, surely?
“What about you?” Vilkas asked. “Your king's free. You staying here or going to join him? He must be planning something. Is he raising an army? Planning a new uprising?”
“I don't know!” Shevawna sighed. “He's probably getting used to the sun again, enjoying his freedom and figuring out his next move. The Forsworn aren't organised enough for another uprising, not yet. Too much bickering among the Hags for that. He'd have to get all four of the big Matriarchs round a table and persuade them to lend him their troops. That's going to take a while, Vilkas. It's like a High King or Queen trying to persuade all the Jarls to do things their way. Except the Jarls are Hags who can do dangerous magic. Even our First Matriarch can't order them all just like that, and she's on the King's side.”