This is a drabble. Feel free to make a request or two.
This drabble was requested by members of HERE WE STAND.
The rain poured down from a pitch black sky with the only light coming from the lightning. The nearly silent forest seemed to be torn apart by the thunder. If I had started heading to Saxhleel Farm just an hour earlier, I could've been inside my house sitting in front of a warm fire before the sun had set.
Pelican Town was small enough that I could pretend that I was back in Skyrim. If not in Skyrim, then safely inside the confines of Black Marsh. Anywhere that I could find something other than a dryskin would have felt welcome.
As another volley of lightning came down, the thunder made it sound like someone was dying. It sounded just like the cries Scouts-Many-Marshes, Lucia, and Blaise had given at the moments of their death. I had raced towards Lakeview Manor just a moment too late. If I had moved quicker or given up my adventuring ways, they would have lived.
My feet stepped on the sandy beach that covered the majority of the farm. I looked at the coop that was mostly hidden by the downpour and was thankful that I had been given a discount. Robin hadn't charged nearly as much for the coop and Marnie had given me a chick as a gift. The lonely demeanor surrounding me had made them feel pity towards my situation.
And how could I not be lonely now?
Bandits were cruel as they lived outside of society to make a living. There was a bandit camp close by to Lakeview Manor that I was constantly having to clear. My housecarl, steward, and myself had done a good job at making sure that property of mine was safe. Except for one day. One of the many days I had been gone and the bandits had found a powerful mage.
Only Kent could possible understand how it was ours to never be whole ever again. At least he had a family to help him with the pain that could never lessen.
I took out the majority of my catch from my backpack and made sure everything was wrapped correctly. Willy had given me some of the paper he used to wrap his fish with the promise I would pay him back. We both knew that could take a year at most for me to fully settle into my role as farmer.
After having gone over the fish, I put them into the Shipping Bin. The wooden receptacle was where I put anything that was meant for sale and Lewis would leave the gold in the mailbox in the morning. He wasn't a young dryskin and the walk every night must not be easy on him.
I heard a loud meow and turned to see Sithis shivering by the front door. His black fur was hard to see even when I knew where he was. At least he didn't have to be in the rain all day as the coop was open and there was a cave. But he must have been anticipating my return as he was soaked. He must have been waiting by the door for at least two hours.
Within the first week of being in Pelican Town, Sithis had found his way onto my farm. Marnie had told me that she would take him if I wanted that. But the pure black form of the cat had reminded me too much of home. So I kept him and named him Sithis after the one that paved the way for the creation of all things. Though many in Tamriel had seen Sithis as merely death personified.
If a dog had come on my farm that day and not Sithis, I would have named him Hircine. Would I see him again after I died or was I too far removed from my heaven?
Hircine no longer able to hear my prayers was a price that had seemed acceptable. Everywhere my eyes looked didn't have the luster it once did. Without my husband and children there was no reason for me to stay in Skyrim. So I made sure the vast number of organizations I ran had new leaders, all except the Dark Brotherhood, before seeking another reality to reside in.
Hence one day I found myself in the center of Pelican Town with the few dryskin residents going into shock.
It had taken around one cycle of the singular moon for Lewis to give me Rainbow Farm. It turned out the owner didn't want to uproot themselves to live at the farm. The property hadn't come with a price as it was the belief of the townsfolk that the patch of land would help with their financial situation.
As I wanted to rest in a bed I called my own once more, I agreed to live there and help with the town's financial situation. But I needed to reassure myself about this new reality and so I changed the name of Rainbow Farm. Both to assert my ownership of it and to remind myself of home. It took a few days to convince Lewis to let me rename the farm Saxhleel. He was convinced once I explained that the name came from that of my race.
The moment I opened the door, Sithis rushed inside as if dragons were chasing him. A smile flickered on my lips as I shut the door. He started crying out loudly again and only stopped when I lit the fire. The moment the heat hit his fur, he curled up by the fireplace.
There wasn't much in the small cabin. I looked around at the two windows, fireplace, small bed, an even smaller table, and a chair. It was a far cry from Proudspire Manor. When it rained in Solitude it was a melodic sound. But here it sounded like the cabin would be turned into splinters by the morning.
I removed my backpack and put it on the table. While I had made the decision to sell a majority of my catch, I held onto one fish. It was a large one and would keep me full until I fished tomorrow. As a Saxhleel, it took hardly any time for me to swim and catch a fish for each meal.
With my fish in hand, I sat in the chair in front of the fire. It took hardly any time at all for me to eat the fish. The small bits that fell onto the floor were quickly consumed by Sithis who went to sleep after getting his fill.
"Hircine," I began as I looked into the flames. "I don't know if you can hear me. Your presence is a constant ache in my soul and if you have willingly turned your gaze from me, I understand. But if my voice is still an ointment to your ears, I pray that you allow me to find peace in Pelican Town. When I transform into a werewolf under the solitary moon, it feels as if you no longer stand next to me. Will it always be like that?"
For a moment my soul waited to feel Hircine's reply. But he was silent. To distract myself I thought about the dryskins that were now slowly becoming my friends. I was especially drawn to Alex. He kept his body in peak performance and something told me there was sadness under that smiling exterorir.
Even if we fell apart, was it wrong to seek comfort in his bed?
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