Added a whole new chapter and might continue it all together.. so far there are 17 chapters. I hope you like it, the grammar gets better as you go on"Worrying about that now will not help us, I am sorry for your situation, but you must calm yourself so we can remain alive and generally unscathed," Cassius said as he felt his bruise, wincing at the mere touch."Worrying about that now will not help us, I am sorry for your situation, but you must calm yourself so we can remain alive and generally unscathed," Cassius said as he felt his bruise, wincing at the mere touch.

I would write:
"You can't fool me," Modryn declared, his lip curling in a smirk, "the whole world can see it." He clapped Andre on the shoulder, man-to-man. "Do not worry, your friend will always be there for you." Now he smiled, and the warmth touched his eyes. "In the meantime, be happy for him. He's been of good cheer recently!"

Dialogue is one of the trickiest things for me to write. It's too easy for me to write one whole stretch of dialogue without speech tags; yet speech tags are so important to convey the nonverbal parts of dialogue - body language, gestures, and expressions that add greater dimension to the words being said. I find myself rewriting dialogue two or three times before I'm happy with it. Even then, it's not perfect!

I'm sorry if I'm coming off overly critical. I do find your characters interesting, and the training scenes with Modryn are great. You've got a lot of potential showing, it's just rough around the edges, I think. Do keep the stories coming - I am enjoying this too much!

without criticism how else would i know what i am doing wrong? It is greatly appreciated, thank you. I am glad you still like the stories, sorry they're so short.

Wilderness Survival....wait, was it written by Moira Brown? ARGH !!! She has invaded TES !!! - Your writing and story are both great (I don't critique grammer, I leave that to the experts !!) There is a natural flow and feel to your story, and you keep it interesting - Awesome storyline!


I love this:


- you are changing the way I will look at Modryn forever, ROFL !!! Awesome dialogue, imagination and creativity - your forte' is dialogue, it is perfect!!


I didn't get what you meant here:




*

Modryn is capitalizing on the fact that Andre didnt read the book and has no walking stick. So hes poking fun at him for being unprepared, thank you for still enjoying my series, im glad you like the dialogue

It sure has been a while, like 10 months since I began this story. So i chose to add one more chapter to it and see if anyone wanted it back.. its long. So without further adu..

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Chapter 17: The Wilderness

Andre followed Modryn through the highlands for what seemed like hours. The tall, savannah grass brushed against Andre’s legs, making them itch. The sun was low in the sky, casting brilliant reds and oranges to fill the heavens. It grew slightly chilly and Andre found himself crossing his arms, gripping his sides for some warmth. Modryn seemed indifferent, making no indication that he was cold. He made no indication of anything. Come to think of it, Modryn had remained silent most of the way.

The dark elf champion of the Fighter’s Guild trudged on up a hill, picking up pace. Andre silently followed. Once atop the hill, Modryn stopped and observed his surroundings; golden hills dotted the horizon from all sides. As Andre finally arrived up the hill and looked around himself, he felt as if he were in an endless sea of grassland. He had no clue where he was, exactly what Modryn hoped for.

“Set up camp here. I will bring back some game,” Modryn instructed the young bosmer.

Andre looked to Modryn, still having to squint from the rays of the sun, his one eye still bruised. “Why do you get to have all the fun?”

“Because you didn’t pay attention when I showed you how to build a tent,” Modryn replied flatly. “Anyways, I doubt you know how to hunt.”

Andre raised an eyebrow. Modryn’s comment seemed to come off as a little cold, which had been unlike him seeing as they usually poked fun at one another. Was he seriously mad about the tent? Andre thought.

Before Andre could say anything more, Modryn took off down the hill. “I took the manual with me!” The dark elf yelled as he reached the bottom of the hill.

Damn. Because Andre neglected to pay attention before, he was now being punished by his new mentor. Andre also had no clue how to set up a tent. With a sigh, he let his pack lazily slide off his shoulders and drop the ground. He then reached in it to retrieve the contents of the tent, tossing them down carelessly on the grass. Realizing he was running out of sunlight, he began poorly assembling the tent.

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The end product was not pretty. It barely resembled what Modryn had previously shown him and Andre knew that when his mentor would return that he would get an earful. However, dusk had already set and the moon had taken residence in the sky, emitting a weak light for Andre to see.

Andre was not happy with this campout already. He also needed to make a fire for the game that Modryn was supposed to bring back. Time passed and Modryn still had not returned. What the hell is taking him so long? Andre grunted, he was very hungry and getting impatient. He blindly reached into his pack, remembering he had snuck some food just incase of a situation like this. He produced an apple and some jerky and ate silently in the dark. As Andre ate he began to listen to his surroundings. Wolves howled in the distance, crickets sang and replied to one another, fireflies lit up every now and then. All of these elements reminded Andre of his isloation from civilization and his loneliness. The night grew colder, forcing Andre to cover up and wrap himself in blankets while taking shelter under his poor excuse for a tent.

He then came to a stunning realization. Modryn had ditched him. He left him there on purpose as a test. That’s why he took the book, so Andre would be forced to learn to survive. From the looks of it, Andre was failing this test. Andre felt betrayed. Betrayed by his old mentor, betrayed by his new mentor. As Andre sat there and soaked in his thoughts, he grew angered. He had alone time now to think about the past few days, his parents, those pirates.

Yes, come to think of it Andre was half way to Anvil from Chorrol. He could leave at dawn and arrive at Anvil late that night if he ran. Andre was now smug from his new plan. If they were going to leave him out here alone and by himself, he might as well get something accomplished. He brought back memories of his parents and his encounters with pirates. He didn’t notice it, but his knuckles turned white from gripping his blanket so hard. His teeth began to clench, and his eyes became narrow. He thought back to the wails form the grieving women. Oh how it fueled his flame. That story the man told of his parents death! Andre was fuming, all he could think about was ripping those pirates to shreds in Anvil. His hands became hot and red. He began to breath heavily. Smoke started to rise from his blankets. He was setting himself on fire with his own fireball spell!

Andre became aware of the intense heat and snapped out of his state. He jolted up as he noticed his blanket had caught fire and frantically snuffed out the flame with his foot. After cooling down, he felt he was ready to fight still. The only problem was that he needed armor and weapons, being left out without any of these crucial supplies by his mentor.

A part of him was afraid, telling himself that he wasn’t ready for this. It has barely been a week. However, Andre was making this decision on impulse and the influx of rage that ran through him, not reason.

Seeking shelter from the wind, Andre huddled back into his tent and prepared for bed, trying to think of a plan for tomorrow before falling asleep.

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A rustling nearby slowly woke up Andre. It was still night. Drowsily, Andre said, “Modryn, if that is you, it is too late. I made up my mind.”

There was no response, but as Andre listened, he realized that rustling was made by something heavier than a human. Andre’s eyes shot open in fright, as the figure made a low groan. A bear! Andre tried not to make noise as he slowly turned on his stomach and looked over to where the noise was being made. Not even fifteen feet from him sat a bear. It was rummaging through his pack. The contents were scattered throughout the hilltop. Andre forgot that there was still some food left in the pack and figured that it must have attracted this unwelcome visitor. The bear stuck its big, furry head inside the pack and made licking and crunching sounds, giving Andre the opportunity to slither out from behind the tent.

He inched backwards, carefully removing the blanket. Keeping his eyes on the bear at all times. Andre successfully was able to crawl to the opposite edge of the tent.

KINK!

His foot snagged the supporting pole, causing the front end to sway and topple. Wood smacked together alerting the bear, who immediately reached its head out of the pack. Andre panicked. He shot up and tried to run, however, the canvas of the tent was attached to his boot somehow, dragging it with him and slowing him down. The bear let out a roar, slobber falling from its mouth.

Andre attempted to shake his leg free, scared [censored]less. The bear started to approach Andre, leaving the goodies in the bag behind. The frightened bosmer grabbed at the canvas, pulling it up, hiding his body from the approaching bear. The bear gained on him, and when Andre judged that it was close enough he desperately threw the canvas at the bears head, hoping that the loose ropes would catch it and tie it up. However, Andre did not stick around to find out if his plan worked and he half dashed half stumbled down the hill. The bear was able to shake free from the makeshift trap and once again pursue his perspective dinner.

Andre ran through the highlands with the bear on his tail, once his thought process became clearer, he realized he could use magic. In mid stride he began to channel his energy, resurfacing heartbreaking and enraging memories. His hands grew hot. He could hear the huffs of the bear behind him. Andre curved his direction and emitted a powerful fireball from his palms., hitting the bear on the side of its head and knocking it over. It collapsed with a loud thud, vibrating the ground around it.

The beast’s fur was blackened. Smoke and the smell of burnt hair washed over Andre’s nostrils, causing them to flair. He collapsed himself, out of breath and panting as loud as the bear was before while clutching his cramped sides. His palms were blackened from his own spell and minor blisters formed. Andre’s mouth was so dry it felt as it was stuffed with cotton, causing him to gag when he attempted to swallow at first.

Andre observed his predator, at this point it was barely breathing, dying before him. While Andre hated to see animals die, especially one as noble as this bear, he knew that it was either him or it. Andre had a greater calling, this beast didn’t. The bear at this point was no further threat to Andre, who came over to the bear’s backside, and gently stroked his fur. A weak sigh came from the bear, who knew his time was coming. Andre tried to offer the ill fated beast some final comforts before it died, letting out a slow, deep gargle as it passed away.

This experience quickly taught Andre to appreciate life and the nature around him. He now understood that in to overcome his greatest obstacles, he must not panic, but control his thoughts and prepare his mind. His experience in the wilderness would ready him for his destiny. Andre now understood why he must persevere with his training and campout.

Andre returned to the hill and gathered his things that were strewn across the flattened highland grass. While reorganizing his pack, Andre discovered that there was a small iron combat knife in his pack. This was odd because Andre didn’t place it there. Knowing Modryn would not let him off easy and supply him with a weapon, he was able to conclude with a smile that it was his good old friend Cassius.

Heading back down the hill with his pack back on and the knife unsheathed, Andre again approached the bear. He began to cut away at the fur and ultimately attempting to fashion a pelt. Normally, Andre was not so keen to this kind of dirty work, but he was in a different state of mind, one intact with nature. He eventually cleaned it out and placed the pelt around him, with the bear’s skull placed on his head like a cap or hood. His shirt was now ruined and covered in blood, he discarded it on the rest of the bear carcass. He also was able to stuff his pack with some fresh meat.

The ordeal had begun Andre’s transformation into a real man. From his previous training, he had developed a tone body and some fighting knowledge. While he still relied on his magic, he hoped to be less dependent during the rest of the duration.

Andre, now looking like a wild savage with his bear pelt, tattered brown leather pants, and blood and dirt smeared torso and arms, trudged on through the wilderness with a new sort of confidence. What would happen next, only Akatosh knew.

This was HUGE!!!! I will never look at Modryn the same in game again, you have given him personality and depth I've not seen in any other fanfic. I love this story, and hope you continue writing it !!! The final image of Andre' is powerfully described, easily visualized.


Here is my favorite line to quote:




SPEW! I wasn't expecting that! ROFL !!!!

Please don't abandon this story, it is way too good to let drift away !!!! Your writing, imagination, everything about this story ROCKS !!!!!

haha I greatly appreciate your words. You were with this story every step of the way. Now I must continue with it, I have to consider some plot lines now. But I am glad you still like it=). And yeah, I think that magic shouldn't be so controllable and in a real situation you could lose control over your own powers, so i thought i would add that element of self inflicting damage. I wont be able to post a story right away like I used too but one will come up soon.

I am so glad you are continuing it !! Thanks for the PM to let me know it was posted, I have reset myself as a follower - but if you post and don't see me in twelve hours - PM, please !!!

Chapter 18: As Nature Intended

The midday sun beat down against Andre, causing him to perspire. He wiped the sweat off his brow, stopping on a nearby hill to get a sense of direction. With the sun slightly to his left, Andre came to the conclusion that he was heading in a northerly direction towards Chorrol.

He strode onwards before his stomach growled as loud as the bear from before, Andre had forgotten to eat this whole time even though he had a huge meal waiting in his pack. The young adventurer headed to a wooded area in order to find some kindling for a fire. The fallen, dry leaves and scattered twigs around the changing tress would offer great fire starters. Once he was able to pile enough kindling on along with some larger twigs and branches, he dug out a small round dirt pit to place it in. This aspect of camping Andre did remember, thankfully. He then produced flint and steel and began to strike away. Sparks flew out sporadically in a general direction towards the kindling. Soon one caught a leaf and started to smoke to Andre’s relief. He got down on all fours and blew onto it to get more oxygen flowing. Success. The leaf ignited, spreading to more leaves around it. Andre plopped more leaves on so the fire would shoot up in order to catch the kindling and other twigs. After repeating this process a few times, the fledging flame erupted into a full blown fire, contained in the dirt ring. Andre was proud of himself for being able to construct such a good fire, at least in his eyes.

Now it was time to cook the food. But how would he prop the meat up? He couldn’t just hold it with a stick over the fire. “What did Modryn show me?” Andre mused. He sat before the fire and tried to reach deep in the confines of his memory banks
In order to pull out the right information. “A spit!” Andre blurted out with a smile. He remembered how to make one, and after assembling some decent and sturdy sticks, he was able to construct a less than perfect one. It would serve its purpose.

Andre once more reached in his pack and pulled out the wrapped up bear meat. He had never had bear meat and wondered how it would taste. Deer? Beef? Pork?

After preparing two meaty chunks, he then impaled them on the spit and let them cook slowly over the fire. He hoped it wouldn’t take long seeing as his stomach was in knots from hunger and the bear had devoured the rest of his prepared food.

Life in the wilderness was tough but it gave Andre a sense of self sufficiency. A good feeling. He was able to survive in the wild so far, having no need for anyone or anything else. It was almost empowering. Natural. His ancestors had survived like this for millennia before being able to buy cooked food at markets and have protection from the weather and other forces. Andre pondered topics like this while he stared at the fire in a trance-like state. There was something about fire that attracted him, let alone any being. So soothingly warm, yet so harmful and dangerous.

Andre let his mind wander from time to time, occasionally checking on the meat and feeding the fire. When the outside of the meat was nice and brown, Andre decided, more importantly his stomach decided that it was time to eat. He carefully removed the spit so as not to burn himself. By the time the food was ready, the sun was nearly set and Andre’s stomach was whining. Andre placed the meat on a tattered rag from his pack and sat it on his lap. He picked up a chunk and bit into it. His mouth was overwhelmed with flavor. The meat was tender like venison and oddly sweet. Had this bear gotten into a fruit farm prior to his death? The smoke also accented the meat, adding to the already mouthwatering flavor. The taste did not get old as he kept on with his meal.

As Andre ate, he would appear like a primitive savage from the view of a civilized person. His hair was dirty and disheveled, hanging down to his shoulders. His body was filthy and he developed a nice tan from his constant exposure to the sun, giving him a darker skin tone. His brown bear pelt, which was partly burned, hung from his head like a tribal headdress, giving him the appearance of a young chieftain for a warring clan. All the while he was tearing away at a hunk of bear meat, digging his teeth in it and gnawing away like an animal. Proper manners and table etiquette did not apply to the wilderness and Andre did not mind. Savory juices ran down his chin and over his stubbles that would soon grow into a beard, and dripped onto his lap and muddy boots. He was enjoying his meal, one that he killed and cooked himself. He had survived, he felt as if he were king.

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As night began to set, the fire had dimmed down. Andre had decided against setting up a tent and just settle with sleeping with just his bedroll, taking refuge under a nearby oak. The fire would keep him warm, a luxury he went without the previous night. Andre layed on his side and tended to the diminishing flames with a poking stick. He still had a chunk of meat left and he left it on a small stone he placed next to the fire, too lazy to set up another spit.

The night breeze was more merciful this night and was generally calm. Andre was grateful for his good fortunes this day. Yet, a cracking in the distance set him off guard. He hoped it was not another bear, especially not a mother bear. Andre got up and crouched near the fire, knife ready, looking out as far as the light from the fire would allow him. Seconds later he heard a quick, heavy breathing. Not again. This time, a bear did not approach. The source of the breathing made itself known to Andre, this time in the form of a gray wolf. It circled around Andre, constantly keeping his eyes on him, but it did not snarl or bar its teeth. Andre looked down near the fire. Once again, it was the smell of the meat that had attracted the animal. I gotta stop doing that, Andre thought to himself.

Slowly, as to not to frighten or alarm the wolf, Andre reached down for the hunk of bear meat. Gripping it with his free hand, Andre was able to lob it across the fire to where the wolf was. It plopped on the leaf covered ground in front of the wolf, causing it to jerk its head back slightly, After a moment, the wolf deemed that it was safe and snatched up the meat, eating it before Andre, not bothering to trot off. Andre couldn’t help but find this action bold. Could it be a dog? It has the tendencies. Andre felt comfortable enough to let his guard down and return to his bedroll. He watched the wild but noble creature gobble up the last of the meat, licking its chops after it was done. The wolf, however, did not leave. Instead, it stared at Andre as if asking for more. Andre raised his eyebrow at this.

“This ain’t a tavern pal.” Andre said to the wolf. The wolf sat on its hind legs and continued to stare at Andre in attention. This striked him as very odd and unnatural. After a few moments of a staring contest, Andre gave up and reached for his pack to see if he had anything at all to give the wolf. He luckily had some scraps of beef jerky to provide it with. Andre tossed them over to the wolf, who caught them in the air and ran off, giving a guttural grunt as to say “thank you.”

Andre watched as the wolf eventually disappeared into the darkness before returning to his former position. He layed on his back and observed the stars through the tree. It was impressive how many stars there were that saturated the sky. But, Andre was still hung up on that wolf. Another experience for him. The encounter taught him that nature and man can coexist, they must coexist for man is apart of nature too. Man is never above nature and will be put in his place if he thinks so. Also, man must respect nature, and in turn, nature will respect man. Just like how Andre respected the wolf by giving it his food as nature respected Andre by supplying him with a bountiful meal. It was a cycle. Nature gives and takes away. That night, Andre decided to switch his worship to Ius, god of the animals, and Hircine, god of the hunt, to further respect nature and everything it encompasses. It seemed more fitting now, seeing as how nature had spared him and provided for him along with every other being on this planet.

Andre felt renewed once more. Again, this trip was only improving his understanding of survival, his limits, nature, and the cycle of things. After his destiny was complete, Andre now hoped to live off the land like nature intended. Nature was beautiful in all aspects, and he was just beginning to appreciate it and the simple life. Not a life with taxes and sin, but one with self sufficiency and dignity.

Yay! It's back :celebration:

haha thank you, I havent seen your comments before, but I'm glad more than 1 person appreciates this =)

Yeah, I think I started reading halfway or something. Didn't really feel like posting that far in I guess :shrug:

I have to come back and read this when my PC starts working again, it keeps crashing every five minutes. I know it will be great !!!


WHEW!!! What a powerful chapter! Your descriptions, little details, the mystery of the wolf's behavior - this chapter was RIVETING !!!!!!! I absolutely love this story !!!

Chapter 19: Omega


Vultures picked at the rotting bear carcass that lay baking in the sun‘s rays. Their beaks ripped apart muscles from bones like razor sharp shears to wool. As other scavengers were drawn to the free meal, the vultures found it a matter of defending their territory. They spread their wings in order to look bigger and screeched at each other until the larger mammals arrived, chasing them off.

The meal now belonged to a pack of wolves. The alpha led the way and started to gnaw and shred apart the hind of the cadaver. He allowed more wolves to join in but made sure that he got his fill first before overseeing the rest of them. Now and then he would have to use force to show his dominance over the younger, feistier members of the pack. The poor omega was the last to get the scraps, being treated poorly by the other members. This unfortunate wolf would barely ever get enough food for the day and on rare occasion would they find such a catch like a bear carcass. The wolf usually had to search elsewhere for his food. Maybe he would be lucky enough to stumble into a campground and be able to beg for some meat.

As the young wolf picked at the bones and scraps, he would be abused by the alpha wolf. Normally, he would be attacked at the neck or the legs, unable to fight back. Unwilling. The alpha wolf made it known that he wished everyone to move out while he growled at the omega, his brother. Nature could be cruel.

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The sun was high in the sky when the man had came into view of the bear. The smell was the first to reach him yards before the sight. By then the buzzards had returned to finish what was previously started. The bear was almost a complete skeleton, blood stained the grass around it. The scavengers had taken notice of the man and decided to flee yet again. The man watched as these bulky birds waddled off before taking flight and then laughing at their odd behaviors.

Upon reaching the bear, the man noticed a scorch mark on the skull. He knelt down slowly to get a better look. A fire spell seemed to be the cause of death. The man, clothed in a blue robe, cloaking his features, waived his staff. Almost immediately, the grass filled with little purple clouds, representing all sorts of tracks. The man was able to discern the vulture, bear, and wolf tracks from each other. However, there was another track left, older than the ones around it and stomped over by the animals. Humaniod.

The lavishly robed man followed the weak traces of the imprints. Soon he began to only see wolf and humaniod tracks. Getting a better look at them, he was able to rule out the tracks being Khaajiit, Argonian, or Orc because of the shape and how heavy the impression was in the grass. It seemed to be two days old and it was made by a lighter person and judging by the size of the foot, it must have been a bosmer. The footprints were traveling North by Northeast, towards the city of Chorrol, the man concluded. The wolf tracks began to break away from the bosmer tracks, making it easier for the man to follow. If he hurried, he could catch up to this elf.

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Andre had the feeling he was off track. He did not reach Chorrol as intended, or even a road. This worried him because by his calculations, he should have been somewhere more helpful to his current situation. Had the sun played a trick on him? The only welcoming sight was that of green grass, a sure sign that he was exiting the Colovian highlands, however, he was only on the fringes.

He was in need of a bath. It was a lapse in judgment for him to smear blood and dirt on his body during the heat of the moment from the bear kill. It now attracted flies and gave him a rash. His manly appearance did not matter at this point. He was done being a barbarian until further notice, or at least until he had found a proper pond or creek to clean off. To make matters worse he had once again ran out of food and being only armed with a knife did not help him with hunting. Having no knowledge of plants did nothing for him either. There were plenty of mushrooms and berries for him to consume, but he did not want to risk getting poisoned or getting dysentery. When he got back to Chorrol, Andre made a personal memo to read up on these sorts of things at the bookstore. The bosmer didn’t understand how he could feel like a king one night to a pauper on the next.

The weather added to his overall misery. Dark stratus clouds began to glide overhead while winds picked up and blew against Andre’s bare chest, causing him to clutch his arms together and hunch over a little to keep warm.

Andre struggled against the gusting winds up a hill, almost fighting for each step, trying to not get knocked over. To his joy, he found a small cave which would provide shelter for him from the incoming storm. He sprinted over to the craggy rock opening and escaped the elements with a sigh of relief.

He hoisted off his pack and set it before him before sitting down with his back propped against the cave wall. A light rain started to fall outside as Andre watched from the safety of the cave. Then, he focused his attention to the rest of the cave, which was shrouded in darkness. Andre was without a torch, and unwilling to search the rest of the cave, figuring nothing bad would happen at the mouth of it. Becoming increasingly bored, he eventually slipped into a daydream.


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Andre woke up, but he didn’t remember falling asleep. He craned his head towards the opening of the cave. Heavy rain pelted the entrance and the rest of the area. Lightning shot through the sky resembling fractured glass. Thunder boomed loudly and almost deafeningly. The young bosmer rubbed his eyes to focus them. A noise sounded from the depths of the cave, making Andre’s eyes widen. Not another animal, please!

Andre scuttled towards the mouth of the cave, knife in hand, pointed towards the noise. That dreaded growl confirmed Andre’s fear and great dismay. This time it was not a bear nor a wolf. Why are the gods testing me so much? Andre thought, a frown engraved on his face. The creature prowled into the light.

Today, it was a mountain lion. Its golden-brown fur was matted and dirty from living in a cave. The beast snarled and growled, revealing long, yellow fangs. It crouched down, ready to pounce. Andre’s fear turned to anger. He was fed up with nature at this point. He hated the weather, he hated its creatures, he hated its vastness, and most of all he hated how unforgiving it was. Andre anticipated the lion’s move and snarled back at the beast. “Come on then!” he growled, in an animalistic tone.

The lion pounced and Andre swung his knife. He did not take into consideration that the lion would reach out with his massive paws first and almost bat his hand away. Andre tried to evade the tackle, but was brought down. The lion dug its claws into his side and shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain. The cuts produced a burning sensation, but Andre had to concentrate on not becoming a late night snack. He forced his arms up and towards the lion’s throat, attempting to choke it like he had done with pirates before. But this beast was no pirate. Its neck was thicker and more muscular than any man could possess, even a nord.

The beast’s mouth was so close to Andre’s face that he almost gagged from the stench of its breath. It wreaked of goblin and Akatosh knows what else. Andre knew he was in a tight bind and tried to focus on concentrating like before, however, his arm strength was dwindling by the seconds and he could not hold off for much longer. The lion’s mouth was kept at bay, but its claws definitely weren’t. One was on the ground while the other was pushing down on Andre’s chest, claws digging into his flesh. The pain was overwhelming.

Andre knew there was no way to beat his foe. Nature had finally won. Or was nature the enemy? Just as Andre’s muscles failed him and he awaited the fatal bite to the neck, something saved him. The lion was tackled itself by another animal, which dug its own fangs into its neck. Andre looked over to see that it was a wolf. The same wolf whom he fed the night before. The omega wolf.

Luckily, it had thrown the mountain lion off guard just in time to save Andre, who rolled away and watched the fight. The lion had thrown the wolf off of it and the two began to circle each other, barring their teeth. Suddenly, they charged at each other, jumping up on their hind legs and duking it out with their own teeth and claws. The lion was he bigger of the two, and had more power against the little, weak wolf, and was able to knock it off balance. The gray wolf stumbled and was met again by another charge by the lion, completely knocking it to the ground. The wolf yelped as the lion bit at his neck.

Andre could not let this go on any further and decided to end it. He summoned up all the rage he could muster, forming one huge fireball with every ounce of his remaining energy and whirled it at the lion. A direct hit sent it sailing in the air, finally smacking against the hard, cave wall, completely ablaze.

The wolf recovered quickly and was up on all fours in seconds. A blood stain near his shoulder. Andre himself was bloody, and not from the bear. He had three, deep claw marks on him, which were bleeding steadily; one from his arm, one on his side, and the last in the middle of his chest. He staggered backwards, entering the rain, his bear pelt fell off of him and into a puddle. Andre felt relieved as the downpour cleansed his body from the dirt and blood covering him. He outstretched his arms and looked up at the heavens weakly before toppling over into a puddle himself, next to his bear pelt. He tried hard to keep his eyes open and himself conscious but his wounds tried otherwise. The wolf joined him out in the rain, staring at him yet again with big blue eyes. How beautiful those eyes are ,Andre thought, flashing a weak smile at his savior.

“I don’t have anymore food friend.” Andre said drowsily to the wolf, who lay down next to him, licking his face and whining as the rain soaked the both of them. The wolf then rested his head on Andre’s stomach as the young bosmer fell unconscious.

Fed up with nature already, eh?

WHEW !!!! What a read!!! I couldn't tear my eyes from the page!! And I'm dying to know who the mysterious man is...MORE!!! MORE!!!!

Chapter 20: The Odd Family

Andre had been unconscious for nearly an hour when the blue robed man had finally tracked him down in the storm. However, Andre was not alone like the man had presumed. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a drenched, mangy looking wolf, standing over Andre’s limp body, guarding him. Alarmed by this unexpected sight, the tracker tried to make sense of the situation, for he had not detected any other tracks besides Andre’s. He merely dismissed this slip up on account of the rain most likely being the culprit and clearing the tracks.

If the wolf was hungry, the kid would be dead by now. Odd, the man thought as he stroked his white, miniscule beard, the result of only two days without shaving. In his other hand he clenched his staff and cautiously trudged a little closer. As he approached, the omega wolf barred his teeth and growled, tensing up, ready to strike. The man, however, was not phased by the wolf’s bravado. Instead, he merely waved his staff and lowered his hood to reveal his facial expression to the wolf; that of a calm and gentle elderly breton.

The tension was broken when the wolf was the one to back off, as if the two had a silent conversation and the wolf came to an understanding, resuming his previous relaxed position. Fearing that the young bosmer would get hypothermia, the elderly man sped up his casual pace to reach him. He crouched down, examining Andre, noticing the deep gashes in his arms and chest, now worrying about the risk of infection. He hastily waved his staff over the battle weary bosmer and recited an enchantment in order to make the oncoming ordeal easier for the both of them.

After securing his staff around his back, the breton was then ready to pick up Andre. Trying to avoid further irritating the wounds, he carefully scooped the young bosmer up with unnatural ease for someone his age. Andre was as light as a feather to the old enchanter, who started to walk in the direction of Chorrol. He knew it was close, but the storm impaired his line of sight, allowing him only to see about twenty-five feet ahead of him clearly.

Despite the dreadful weather, the wolf’s tail wagged happily as he followed the old man, relieved that his newfound master would soon receive proper treatment. Even though he was tired and beaten, the wolf had a new kick in his step, as he gingerly kept pace with the old enchanter. The breton took notice of this as he slogged on through muddy puddles. They were all drenched and covered in muck.

The breton couldn’t help but smirk at the situation and quietly say to Andre with a rasp, “What the hell have you been up to?”

-------------------------

Andre woke up two days later in the Chorrol Fighter’s Guild. His eyes fluttered open and quickly shut; they did not take kindly to the sunlight that smothered him. He weakly raised his hand to cover them, but not without difficulty. His arm felt as if there were bricks tied to his hand making it difficult to raise them. Giving up, he decided it best to wait a bit and regain his strength. Glancing over in the other direction he saw a bed, one with a blue robe draqed over the post. Strikingly familiar. A split second later he came to a happy conclusion. Cassius! His old friend was back!

Andre painfully coughed, causing something to stir at the foot of his bed. In an instant this something was upon him. What seemed like a gray blur to Andre’s unfocused eyes was his unlikely savior. The omega wolf whined with delight as he attacked the groggy bosmer’s face with licks.

“Ugh!” Andre croaked, not prepared for this display of affection, feebly trying to bat away the incoming wolf love. Yet, the wolf did not stop, pushing back against the futile resistance and adding more slobber. Within seconds, Andre gave up and just embraced it and scratched the wolf behind the ears.

The whines alerted those downstairs and Andre heard a multitude of footsteps race up the creaky wooden stairs to his position. To his relief, the wolf was pulled away only to jump atop the bed and lie down at Andre’s feet. As he looked up he was greeted by the friendly faces of Cassius, Modryn, and Vilena. They all smiled at him, well, Modryn gave a smirk, retaining his cool.

It was Cassius who first spoke up. “I leave you alone for three days and I find you unconscious in a puddle, guarded by a mut, and clothed like an orc.”

The words may have been an insult but, coming from Cassius, that was one hell of a compliment. Andre smiled, “Good to see you too old friend.”

Cassius smiled at Andre, clapping his hand on his knee. After a moment he continued with, “I wish I could have seen you take on that bear.” A nice change of subject.

This particular comment caused Modryn to speak up, who was leaning against a wooden support column. “I would have liked to have seen it as well.” The corner of his mouth perked up as he finished that sentence, as if he knew what had actually happened. “I trust you made it…interesting. Knowing you, my friend.” This time he broke out in a slight smile as he kept his eyes trained on Andre, who blushed a tad.

“It was no spectacle.” Andre said flatly.

A moment passed in silence.

“Alright, enough talk of this. You must be famished! Look at you. Skin and bones. I’ll make some venison.” Vilena said rather loudly, her motherly instincts kicking in. She clapped her hands, causing the wolf’s ears to perk up, or maybe it was the mentioning of venison.

“What are you talking about?” Cassius inquired. “The kid was always skin and bones. He was like that when I first met him.”

Vilena ignored her suitor’s comment and turned for the stairs. Cassius followed her, continuing to complain, possibly jealous that she was making the meal for Andre in particular. “I was the one who carried his ‘skin and bones’ a mile to get here. I didn’t get venison. That feather spell wore off the last stretch you know!” He kept complaining as he followed Vilena down the stairs. He wasn’t really mad, he just liked to complain. Andre caught a slight smile from Vilena as she disappeared from his view.

As the voices trailed away, only Modryn was left in Andre’s presence, besides the wolf of course. Modryn left the column and walked closer to Andre. “You sure had an interesting experience,” he said, pulling back the sheet a little to reveal Andre’s battle scars.”

“It is easier to kill men than animals.” Andre replied.

“Perhaps,” Modryn started, reaching over Andre to recover something on a shelf situated above the bed, “you could have been better prepared.” He found what he was looking for an pulled down a familiar book. Wilderness Survival. He opened it up and flipped through the pages. Andre shook his head, knowing what was coming next. “Aha.” Modryn exclaimed, pointing to a page and turning it around to face Andre. “Chapter Seven. ‘What To Do During A Wild Animal Encounter’.” Modryn plopped the heavy volume on Andre’s lap, causing slight pain. “They don’t make these books to be neglected, Andre. Read up before coming to dinner. Reading will now be your new training.” And with that, Modryn turned and headed for the stairs.

Modryn was right. Andre was neglectful in his studies. He never thought that reading would be important for his quest. How wrong he was. Andre did as told, and with sigh he began to read. However, he could not focus. He could only think of how the three downstairs rushed up to see him. They cared, even Modryn. The four were like an odd family; Vilena and Cassius were the parents/grandparents and Modryn was the older brother to Andre.

It is nice to have a family again. Andre thought, petting the wolf. Hell, I even have a pet now. His thoughts reminded him of why he was on this quest in the first place, and with newfound diligence, he started to read.

:celebration:
You sure it's not a dog?

tamed omega wolf, how do you think dogs came to be? Friendly wolves came up to the cavemans fire and the rest is history

This was Awesome! I never suspected it was Cassius, I don't know why! Modryn has always been one of my fave characters in game, you bring him to life in a new way. Omega adds hugely to the story, you have wolf behavior down pat! Really Awesome Write. I am loving this story!

Thanks! I havent played oblivion in a while, and Modryn is such a [censored] to my dark elf. And he has that lame ass mohawk, I never knew that. so imagine him with more conservative hair, not jersey shore hair. Or if you like that imagery, do as you please

Do you play on the PC? I gave Modryn a makeover on my game - dropped his age down to 29, changed his hair, and a few tweaks on his face.

nope, on the xbox, i had to restart becaus ei deleted my account.. I didn't want to go to Kvatch and I ended up getting really bored.