It was nearing twilight as they left Ustengrav. The torchbugs were out thickly over the frozen marshes, like will-o’-wisps guiding travelers to certain doom in the cold water. In the distance, a wolf howled; Masser was just rising over the eastern horizon.
Suddenly, the world erupted in fire; Katla’s left side was engulfed, blazing. She cried out in terror and pain and rolled to the side, trying to pull her blade from its scabbard. “For the Aldmeri Dominion!” Katla vaguely recorded a voice saying over the screaming of every nerve ending. This is where I die, she thought, vaguely surprised.
And then something huge and dark shot past her, with a hair-raising howl. Vilkas! Oh, Gods, Vilkas! No!
There were shouts of fear beyond her, now. Shrill wails of horror, accompanied by savage snarling and the terrible sound of bodies rent apart, the death-rattles of the once-living. But all of it was sounding farther and farther away, and Katla found herself resting on the ground on her side. She wondered idly how she’d gotten there.
And then Vilkas… came back to her. His form was melting, changing as he ran, shifting from a loping beast to a bare-chested man, running toward her, panic on his face.
“Katla! Oh, Katla…” he said, dropping heavily to the ground beside her. Frantically he began digging in her pack, pulling the cork of a healing potion with his teeth and gently lifting her head to tip it into her mouth. Katla swallowed.
Stings… burns… OH GODS! Katla screamed in agony as feeling returned to her blackened left hand; it cracked and began bleeding. Hurriedly, Vilkas uncorked another potion, pouring it down her throat so fast she choked and gagged. The bleeding slowed, but every nerve ending was on fire as the tissue regenerated.
“The big red one, Vilkas,” she choked out, gasping for air, which suddenly felt too thin. She was shivering wildly. Vilkas was tipping the phial into her mouth; Katla swallowed as fast as she could. Tears were rolling down her face unheeded as she gasped and gulped the potion.
Receding… the pain is receding. Good. Katla clenched her left hand in a fist. It didn’t hurt; the skin was pink and whole again. She moved her arm; her blackened, charred armor flaked away from her left side. Opening her eyes fully, her vision was full of Vilkas, hovering over her with absolute terror on his face. She swallowed once, hard, before whispering, “Thank you, for saving my life.”
And then he was kissing her, hard, his arms clenched around her so tightly she could hardly breathe, pressing her against his chest like a drowning swimmer clinging to a life-line.
Re: F!DB fights for her life
Suddenly, the world erupted in fire; Katla’s left side was engulfed, blazing. She cried out in terror and pain and rolled to the side, trying to pull her blade from its scabbard. “For the Aldmeri Dominion!” Katla vaguely recorded a voice saying over the screaming of every nerve ending. This is where I die, she thought, vaguely surprised.
And then something huge and dark shot past her, with a hair-raising howl. Vilkas! Oh, Gods, Vilkas! No!
There were shouts of fear beyond her, now. Shrill wails of horror, accompanied by savage snarling and the terrible sound of bodies rent apart, the death-rattles of the once-living. But all of it was sounding farther and farther away, and Katla found herself resting on the ground on her side. She wondered idly how she’d gotten there.
And then Vilkas… came back to her. His form was melting, changing as he ran, shifting from a loping beast to a bare-chested man, running toward her, panic on his face.
“Katla! Oh, Katla…” he said, dropping heavily to the ground beside her. Frantically he began digging in her pack, pulling the cork of a healing potion with his teeth and gently lifting her head to tip it into her mouth. Katla swallowed.
Stings… burns… OH GODS! Katla screamed in agony as feeling returned to her blackened left hand; it cracked and began bleeding. Hurriedly, Vilkas uncorked another potion, pouring it down her throat so fast she choked and gagged. The bleeding slowed, but every nerve ending was on fire as the tissue regenerated.
“The big red one, Vilkas,” she choked out, gasping for air, which suddenly felt too thin. She was shivering wildly. Vilkas was tipping the phial into her mouth; Katla swallowed as fast as she could. Tears were rolling down her face unheeded as she gasped and gulped the potion.
Receding… the pain is receding. Good. Katla clenched her left hand in a fist. It didn’t hurt; the skin was pink and whole again. She moved her arm; her blackened, charred armor flaked away from her left side. Opening her eyes fully, her vision was full of Vilkas, hovering over her with absolute terror on his face. She swallowed once, hard, before whispering, “Thank you, for saving my life.”
And then he was kissing her, hard, his arms clenched around her so tightly she could hardly breathe, pressing her against his chest like a drowning swimmer clinging to a life-line.