The Worst Intentions

Snow blanketed the trail as it had since they entered the Pale. The Khajit caravan had traveled through most of Skyrim already and their wares had fetched quite a profit, enough to make M'Sari's father purr with satisfaction most nights. Her father Ri'Suro, the leader of the caravan, led one of the pack horses by the reins at the head of the column. His darker fur was covered in light tan stripes and shoulder cropped mane. The quiver of red fletched arrows and longbow were his only forms of weaponry. Most of the other Khajit serving to protect their brethren were archers, when things got up close and personal their claws were more than enough to suffice.

M'Sari was marked exactly the opposite of her father, lighter tan fur covered the majority of her body with black chevrons  lining her spine. While not as heavily armed as her father M'Sari kept a dagger hidden in the hem of her dress. She was far from a warrior but she was more than a helpless cub.

To either side of the caravan there was a solid wall of trees,  most of their party kept a wide eye out. On more than one occasion they had been the prey of bandits and they were the least of their worries in the frozen country. Bears, wolves, magicians, and frostbite spiders were all common predators in this region and there was no taking any chances in the wilderness.

A gust of frosted wind marked the coming of another blizzard, another thing common in the northern reaches of Skyrim. Having been traveling since dawn the entire day had been spent on foot, by about noon trees began to give way to open tundra and rolling hills. When the trail began to rise over the crest of one such hill.

"The path to Dawnstar should be just over this ridge." M'Sari's father informed. Sighs of relief spread through the entire caravan, reaching Dawnstar was one of the last places they would travel to. The path to Dawnstar was however only the first part of the more dangerous trek to Winterhold. That road was constantly shrouded in snowstorms, required climbing through sheer cliffs and over glaciers. There were also the much larger threats of sabre cats and ice wolves.

M'Sari had been born into a trading family, the Khajit were well known for their caravans that traveled Tamriel, almost as they were well known for their thieves and assassins. Khajit shared as negative a reputation as their native neighbors, the Argonians, which made business difficult but they managed.

M'Sari and her father had been in and out of caravans since she was born, her mother having died while giving birth, and having been traveling since she was old enough to stand on her own M'Sari still hated the walking. Barely into her twenties and she become more than accustom to travel, but that didn't mean she liked it.

As another strong wind blew over M'Sari became ever more grateful for her natural coat of fur which insulated her from the prevailing cold.

Once they climbed the last of the hillside they looked towards a few more rocks and a large rise to their right. The eastern hill was home to a large sentinel tower though it was washed with white from ice and frost. Also above the sound of the wind was the crashing sound of rolling waves. Not much further on they saw the makings of a fence as well as a few tents along some trees. Beyond the trees the caravan was able to make out the mast of a ship, several people walking either to the left or right on a well worn path in the snow and several buildings built at the base of the hill.

The caravan prepared to enter the village of Dawnstar when guards appeared on either side of the main road. They wore heavy mail and their shields bore the sigil of Dawnstar, they wore broadswords at their hip and a quiver and bow on their backs. "Halt Khajit, what business do you have in Dawnstar?"

"Just humble merchants passing through-" Ri'Suro was cut off by a hair-raising shriek. The air seemed to gain weight as a rumbling thwump reverberated through every solid object.

The horses tossed their heads, their nostrils flared and their ears laid flat against their heads as another thwump  Eyes, both human and cat scanned for what could have made such a noise. The shriek was heard again only the second time it seemed more guttural, it was only a few moments later that a man appeared over the hillside, the same way the Khajit had come.

From the distance it appeared that he was another traveler but when they all saw that he had a sword drawn and his other hand glowed with an unnatural light that one of the guards drew his steel blade and walked to the end of the column.

"Halt!"

The man kept running. As he came closer and light reflected off of the snow they saw he wore iron bound leather armor along with armored boots and gauntlets. A helmet protected his face from view but from the top of the helm, just behind the eyes jutted two horns that curled around where his ears would be and pointed forward like that of a ram. He also wore a massive shield over his back along with a powerful looking bow and a quiver full of arrows fletched with white eagle feathers.

"Halt in the name Jarl Skald of Dawnstar!"

"Get back!" The man yelled across the remaining distance.

"Halt or you will be-" At that moment a massive shadow appeared out of the sun, blocking much of its light and warmth. Another massive thwump rippled the air causing everyones ears to pop as if climbing through high altitudes. At the sight several of the Khajit hissed in alarm and the horses all bucked and attempted to dart away in fright.

The man continued to run in spite of the hulking figure looming in the air above him. Leather skin wings flapped with enough might to bend trees and from the beasts maw came a column of crimson flame. The dragon swooped ver the lone runner and its breath reaving a moat of dust and steam from the ice below. When it all cleared a veritable path was left etched into the earth, the dragons flame so hot that sodden dirt was turned to glass.

M'Sari was just as taken aback as everyone else when the guards began to retreat yelling "Dragon!"

A very few held their ground while drawing bows, Ri'Suro one of them. The dragon passed over leaving a clear vapor trail and setting the tree alight before disappearing over the hill. When the man joined the caravan he was breathing heavily, plumes of fog erupting with each heave. He took a quick look at each of them as they tried to calm the animals down and take cover inside the village. His eyes stopped on M'Sari longer than they should have before he looked to the armed Dawnstar guards and equally armed Khajit.

As the group moved the guards began shouting orders and directions After pausing to catch his breath for a moment the man called for everyone to be quiet. "That dragon is going to be any second, you and you." He gestured to guards and Ri'Suro. "If you wish to help then get into those trees there." He added by pointing to the tree line on the western side of the road behind the small camp. "Use your arrows and aim for the wings. If you get it down I can kill it."

The stranger was quick to the point and gave orders with authority but nobody moved. "Who are you to kill a dragon Nord?" Ri'Suro asked calling the stranger out by his heavy accent.

As distant thwump's became audible again the stranger only smiled, he emanated confidence. "I am the dragonborn."

"Now everybody who has a bow and can use it get under cover and bring that dragon down. The rest of you get indoors now!" There was a moment of hesitation before everyone moved to follow his directions M'Sari was about to head into the village but before she could take a step she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned expecting to see her father but instead saw the helmeted countenance of the dragonborn, a sly grin on his lips. "Where do you think you're going?"

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M'Sari awoke with throbbing headache, her neck was sore as was her back. Most of her plane of vision was dominated by frosted ground and the trunk of a tree. Farther ahead she saw the Dragonborn and a few of the Khajit from her caravan. She immediately recognized her father, the first thing she noticed was a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his shoulder and upper arm.

The Dragonborn was also somewhat injured. His leather armor was burned in several places, his bow was gone, his quiver empty, his shield heavily dented and his sword standing by its tip dug into the ground.

M'Sari tried to sit up but found her arms and legs couldn't move, she would have cried in alarm but she was gagged as well. She struggled to squirm free to no avail, the stress caused her head to swim and the world spun for a moment.

As she lay still allowing her head to settle she heard the conversation between her father and her captor, for she had no doubt it was the Dragonborn. "...I've seen men in full armor be turned from flesh and bone into dust and ash. Dragon flame is nothing to be trifled with." The Dragonborn said gesturing to Ri'Suro's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your daughter."

That only confirmed it, M'Sari started to struggle again while trying to make enough noise to get their attention but the dirt she lay in was soft and a line of foliage protected her from view on the road. Tears soaked the fur at the corners of her eyes as she realized how hopeless the situation was.

Somehow amongst all the chaos of the dragon's return the Dragonborn had rendered her unconcious, bound her and hidden her while apparently not getting noticed and he still killed the dragon or managed to make it leave. M'Sari's mind already tried to wrap around why he would have captured her and none of the outcomes were very appealing. Even at her age she'd never had a suitor, her life among the caravans and constantly going from city to city prevented her from having any personal relationships.

"Your condolences are welcome Dovahkiin, most would not offer as much. You also have our thanks, had you not been here that dragon would have taken more than just my daughter." Ri'Suro said dipping his head briefly. M'Sari wanted nothing more than to call out to her father but the gag muffled any sound she made.

After exchanging a few more words the conversation and Dovahkhiin and her father parted ways. All was quiet for some time after that, she lay alone on the sodden ground. Aside for the sun making its steady path across the sky M'Sari had no way of keeping track of time. It took some time to realize but at some point the birds had resumed their chirping and their birdsong could be heard through the pine canopy. 

Hours could have passed, easily, while M'Sari lied there. She tried as hard as she could to escape but none of her efforts were to any avail. Tears soaked the fur around her eyes and her body shook with sobs as all seemed hopeless while she waited for whatever fate awaited her. 

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M'Sari must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes again she felt an uncomfortable crust around her eyes that took a moment to blink away. When she could see clearly she saw that snow had already began to fall, a thin layer forming a blanket over her side. 

What had woken her though was the thick crunching of boots in snow. When the steps got close a shadow loomed over her for a moment and when she heard the stranger drop to their knees. She clamped her eyes shut and whimpered quietly when she felt a hand over her mouth but to her relief she noticed ringers working the knot of her gag. 

M'Sari's eyes snapped open in surprise to find herself looking up into the helmeted face of Dovahkhiin.