Ch. 9: Just a kid

The group didn't take long to clear out the Skybound Pass, no injuries or deaths, while a dozen more draugr were killed throughout the whole clearing, although it was a small amount by what the experienced Companions were saying

After the Pass was secured, Volfir was put into a position of an errand boy and was told to go get the men stationed at the entrance to the Pass, as well as cooking up their first meal since noon after he brings them back

Volfir didn't mind the tasks, the companions stationed at the entrance were all less than cordial towards him, but Skyrim is not made of sunshine and rainbows. Plus he kind of liked cooking, there was a certain peace of mind when it came to focusing on prepping meals, followed by properly cooking them and trying to get a perfect, tasty flavour

After some considerable time when the boy returned with those three Companions, a small and temporary camp was already built, since they were inside a structure they didn't need to setup tents, leaving more space for other stations, like a training area which was already occupied, and an area filled with weapons and used arrows

Understanding his position, Volfir didn't waste time and went straight ahead to the cooking station to start prepping an ordinary meat stew, making use of some of the herbs he had stored inside his backpack

After getting all his ingredients ready, including the skinning and de-boning of the meat, he exited the spacious room through a door leading outside, a buffer zone before entering the North Skybound Watch itself, in order to collect some snow. After doing so, he returned with a bucket full of it, which he then placed inside an already heated pot along with the bones from the meat and some herbs

He planned to first make some broth, although it wouldn't be as flavorful as if he would let it simmer for a few hours, it would still let the stew be much better than without it

Volfir wasn't the only one doing something, every single person inside the room was busy with their self instilled duties, Arnbjorn was sharpening the dull edges of weapons and arrows which lost their sharpness or got bent after the fights with draugr and skeletons. Njada was doing some late night sparring with Skjor on one side of the training area, while the other was occupied by Aela, Vilkas and Farkas teaching some new moves, or was it skills? To the three Companions that came back with Volfir

The other two porters were sent to search through all the urns and shelves once again, just in case some gems or other treasures were missed when they passed through them the first time. Although the men were quite disappointed in the task, they swallowed their pride and words, after all it's very rare to get to work alongside with the Companions

To Volfir it was honestly surprising that nobody started drowning themselves in mead, and instead of loud and boisterous drunk voices, the area was filled with noises of steel hits, instructions and sharpening motions. At one point when Aela approached him to ask when the food will be done, he asked why nobody is drinking

"If we start, we can't stop, so even if it's not forbidden we tend to avoid drinking on the job, hahaha" she lightly laughed

Throughout the time clearing the Pass, Volfir has noted that Aela and, surprisingly Vilkas, always became warm and approachable when asked questions concerning the Companions, be it their history, habits and unspoken rules

This warmness made Volfir feel much more comfortable with the group, as he started getting completely into his assigned duties

-Some more time later-

"By the divines, this is one of the best stews I have ever eaten" spoke out Skjor, his eyes getting teary, probably because he served in the Imperial Legion where a cooked leather boot was a delicacy when on the move

Nobody else commented since they were too busy gulping down their portions, but after they finished most did their due and complimented Volfir and thanked him for the meal, the atmosphere becoming much brighter, leading him to remember his time spent with the Riverwood guards who changed his life so much, in the span of so little time

'Kinda miss Vonsnyak's never ending speaking, he truly does have a talent in speechcraft' Volfir thought with a smile

"Do you want to join us, whelp?" suddenly asked Aela, who was seated opposite him, around the fire

"I am not sure, I thought you said the Companions wouldn't accept me because of my age and little experience" answered Volfir, confused by the topic

"You would make a decent foundling, but your future is in your hands and your hands only" Skjor added

"Think about it, but know that we are not a charity, we won't teach you just for you to leave as soon as you can, think of it as a trade of interests" chimed in Vilkas, his tone devoid of his usual playfulness

"I don't see how I bring anything of interest into the Companions" countered Volfir, skeptical about the proposition

"Kodlak saw something in you, just like he saw something in each one of us before" answered Skjor, while patting his full belly, his words being almost dismissive, but still helpful to the case

'Doesn't really answer my question' thought Volfir, the offer was indeed enticing, the Companions Faction is full of capable warriors, resources and reach. He could learn how to fight, learn how to read and write and the exclusive contracts or quests offered by the most wealthy of Skyrim and Cyrodiil always found their way to the Harbinger's table, letting some of the warriors become rich rather fast

'It's just... that they live a life of constant action and danger' there were just as many downsides to being in such a famous faction. The senior members are few for a reason, most Companions die on the job without spending even two winters with the legendary mercenaries

And with the skirmishes between Stormcloaks and the Legionnaires, it was just a matter of time before the whole thing erupted into a proper Civil War and mercenary companies such as the Companions will definitely become a part of this large and bloody conflict

Volfir grimaced, it wasn't like him to be so indecisive, he always trusted his intuition before, that's the reason he is still alive, so feeling like he should take a leap of faith, he said

"...I do, it would be an honour to become a foundling", those words brought either frowns, smirks or full on smiles. Although the other two porters were biting their nails in evident envy, only the divines knew how much they tried to hold themselves back from speaking out, pleading to become a foundling or a Companion themselves

"That's a good man, hahaha, you should know that it would be better if you try some more weapons though, you are unbelievably crap in archery BAHAHAH" spoke out Skjor with a chuckle that converted into full blown laughter when he noticed Aela nodding in agreement

In-turn, Volfir turned embarrassed since he believed he had some talent and was confident enough to proclaim himself to be at an Apprentice level of archery

"Don't take it to heart whelp, you can still become a great archer, but perhaps you have more talent in wielding other arms, making it more worthwhile to spend time learning the art of that specific weapon" explained Aela

"Un..." affirmed Volfir, also nodding his head in understanding

"Time to get some rest, let's draw lots to see who goes watch first" spoke out Arnbjorn with a smirk, he was trying his best to ignore the boy, only sometimes perhaps mocking him, but the hateful teen was getting acknowledged more and more, thus catching his attention and making him remember the embarrassing situation back at Jorrvaskr

'Oh how beautiful his headless body would be' the man hid his thoughts behind a facade of a warm smile as Skjor started talking to him

-One comfortable sleep later-

Volfir was woken up as a part of the last watch rotation, deciding it would be best to use the time before everybody else woke up to start cooking up breakfast, he went ahead with the idea. Although when he exited the room, once again to collect snow, the sun was already high up, signalling that it was noon, so it made breakfast lunch instead, not that it mattered in such a profession though

The boy has already gotten used to taking hourly naps and sleeping through the day in order to wake up and work at night. While most kids his age spent their times at home, in the presence of their parents, learning and helping around with menial tasks, Volfir was busy earning septims so that he could eat, drink and sleep

At the very least, Volfir was grateful to the divines that sent him the opportunities he could make the most out of, such as learning under the roof of Jorrvaskr. It will be a great boon to his own ambitions, although he didn't see himself as a mercenary for the rest of his life

In the span of, what felt like, a few hours, Volfir was enjoying his meal with the rest of the Companions, who were checking their equipment one last time. Everybody knew that the real threat of the quest lay ahead, in the North Skybound Watch. It wasn't rare for skilled warriors to get overwhelmed with numbers, so the mood was sombre, there was no question that there will be at least one loss today

"I have decided to take you under my wing whelp, so you WILL do as I say, understood?" commanded Aela, her tone seeped with authority and seriousness

"Un..." replied Volfir who busy in his head, trying to ready himself for the near future engagements with the undead

"UNDERSTOOD?!" Aela shouted in his ear, jerking him up into a state of confusion and surprise

"Ye- yes!" Volfir unconsciously shouted back in a bit of panic, raising his voice for the first time in a very long time

"Let's move" Vilkas' heavy and serious voice brought shivers to the porters, including Volfir, none of the man's playful and suave nature remaining, as if a light has gone out in a blink

In fact, every single Companion in the room wore a cold, listless expression. Their minds were either already ready, or in the process of getting ready, for the dangerous battles they were about to engage in

It was at that moment that Volfir finally saw himself in them, the Companions, he could finally relate to them. There's no doubt the men and women in the room have lost at least one friend or maybe a confidant to a foe. But unlike the teenager, they have gotten over or used to it, although it didn't mean they haven't learnt from the experience. Each of them was a seasoned warrior, each of them have taken lives, each of them live on the edge of death

'W- wow...' Volfir got goosebumps looking at the Companions who silently started walking towards the exit, their arms ready, eyes steady and breathing - calm. They looked like a dangerous pack of wolves who caught sight of a delicious prey

-Scene break-

*Bash*

*Clank*

"Farkas finish him off!" shouted Njada, moving past the draugr she just bashed into the wall, dazing it

*Tink*

Farkas who was already swinging towards the bashed draugr didn't answer Njada, his eyes trained on the azure eyes of the monster, when it changed postures, letting the greatsword slice through the ancient iron armour

*Growl*

The undead who didn't feel pain or pressure didn't waste any time and sliced its own greatsword in an underhanded motion. Farkas was no newbie though, after the unsuccessful strike he brought the sword back in a blocking posture, not letting the slice touch his chin

*Clank*

The draugr's greatsword recoiled, it let go one of its hands from the hilt and was ready to hit Farkas with a punch, his face unguarded with no option to intercept the strike in such a close and quick motion

*Swoosh*

An arrow went through the draugr's forearm, the force behind the shot recoiling the strike away, making it miss Farkas' face by an inch

'That was close' thought Volfir, the one who shot the arrow. Sweat was covering his face, sometimes getting in his eyes, but he couldn't find the time to swipe it away as he was too busy shooting arrows

The scene was chaotic, when they first engaged the few undead that were in their way, one of the monsters growled in an almost speaking manner, that was when Oblivion dawned upon them. Just like back in the Embershard mine, more and more draugr got up, some breaking through the iron graves they were placed in

With all the swinging many torches blew out, significantly dimming the narrow surroundings the Companions were already uncomfortably fighting inside in. The darkness made it almost impossible for Volfir to hit his shots against the further back undead, while shooting those fighting in closer ranges posed a risk of hitting a friendly, even though sometimes such risks were crucial to take, just like now

The darkness problem didn't seem to affect the senior members though, especially Aela. Although she was right beside him, it was impossible for Volfir to follow her movements, her shots always seemed to find their targets as she supported her friends and took out the draugr archers

"Your quiver, give it to me!" she shouted, the teenager didn't question her command and unequipped his quiver, but just as he was ready to give it to her, she yanked him closer to herself

*Swish*

An eerie sound of an arrow closely passing by Volfir's ear made him realise he was just saved from death's grasp

"Argh!" somebody shouted from behind the duo of archers, followed by gurgling sounds, making the teenager turn around to find one of the fear striken porters clutching his neck with two hands, palms around an ancient arrow that was stuck inside his neck, the man was trying to yank it out on instinct, making blood periodically splurt as he tried to gasp for air, only to choke on his own spilled blood

Volfir could see the helplessness and fear in those dying eyes, the other porter was already long gone before this situation came to be, he ran away in fear when more of the draugr started waking up

The boy felt a pull by his hair, Aela was forcefully turning his head around so that he faced the front, while her other hand was taking the quiver out of his hands

"Go help, kill off the downed draugr, in fact just strike down every single one of them, that's on the floor on the head" she took out a one-handed battle-axe from Volfir's backpack and handed it to him. After giving him a slight push, she went back to shooting more arrows, this time from the teenager's quiver since her own were spent

When Volfir came back to his senses, he found himself running towards a draugr corpse, Aela's words registering in his head. He slid towards the undead on his knees and repeatedly striked its head, all the while her words kept repeating themselves, the sweat no longer feeling hot like before, instead feeling ice cold, prickly senses spread throughout his body, keeping him awake and alert in this Oblivion-like scene

Dodging more arrows, he made his way towards the frontlines where worn down Companions were battling a dozen more draugr at the same time, all the while striking the heads of every single corpse he found along the way

It didn't take long for Volfir's mind to empty as he started moving and striking in a rhythm, nothing except the bodies and projectiles registering in his eyes

The teenager became one with the bloody orchestra, dancing with death just like the other warriors on the scene

Strike

Strike

Strike

Strike

He could no longer feel the turbulent emotions, the cold sweat, the voices in his head, he just kept on swinging

*Huff* *Huff*

It felt like he has been doing it for so long, he was out of breath, he could no longer even see the corpses he targeted, sweat and blood clouded his vision while muffled sounds of battling and shouting became a symphony unlike any bard song he has ever heard before

When he unconsciously understood that he has striked every single corpse he has seen, his eyes caught the eerie azure glow of dark moving shades and as if something clicked inside his brain, he finally caught his breath, now letting it move according to the symphony of the battle

Locking his own azure eyes with the deathly azure glow that was closest to him, he moved towards it on instinct

Strike

Strike

Strike

Strike

No longer just targetting the heads of felled bodies, he slashed legs, struck necks, kicked heads, punched faces all the while quickly moving between figures far taller and bigger than him. His targets always remained the dark shadows with dead azure eyes

At one point, when he was slashing in a jumping motion at a head, he felt that his axe was no longer in his hand, so his rhythm broke, the physical strain returned, as did the voices and the vision which was soon clouded by a pale grey hand by a swiping motion

*Thump*

*Crack*

"Argh" Volfir swallowed the pain that came from getting hit in the face and getting the air blown out of his lungs when striking a wall with his back

*Swoosh*

The familiar sound of an arrow reached his ears, as his eyes registered the draugr in front of him getting hit in the head, the arrow going through his ear and out of the other. Then...

Silence

No more shouting, growls, armour clanking or weapons swinging, just silence, as they boy was taking in deep, yet quivering breaths. He was confused, where was he? What did he do? What's going on? Questions kept piling up inside his head, as his body ached

It was no longer just sweat that covered Volfir's eyes, he was also crying

"Wh- where's my mom?"