Birth

The first memory I had as a child was that of being cast Into the wild and frozen forest of Skyrim. Having been born to a Nordic prostitute and an unnamed imperial noble i found myself from a young age left with no supporters or any benefactors as i froze in the snow

Originally my mother had believed that she could use my parentage to gain benefits and a brighter future but soon after my birth my "father" had shown his cold nature, casting my mother aside much as she would soon do to me, throwing my infant body to the wolves like an unwanted burden

She had once called me something, a name of nobility, in order to reflect my parentage but now that name was simply a forgotten whisper on the wind that would give no protection against the bite of the cold. I remember crying and shivering, unable to process the sheer bite and loneliness of the woods

It was then that a shadow appeared, looming over my infant form, bathing it for the first time in sheer darkness, clouding my vision, and soothing my cries. It was a wolf. To be more accurate it was a Dire wolf, a creature far larger and more exotic than its pack mates, and while one might have expected me to be devoured that day, by that beast it was instead time for fate to intervene

As the head of the beast lowered to me, no teeth were bared and no claws sank into my infantile flesh as the beast licked my cheek. Giving a whine as it nuzzled against my small cheek and growled at its pack mates to stay back

I remember the awe and wonder i felt, even at such a young age towards the creature, the giant above me. It stood like a mountain of fur and fang yet it was gentle as a summer breeze, taking its teeth to gently grab the blanket wrapping my form and lifting me from the cold snow, carrying me back to the lights of civilization

It followed the same tracks as my original mother, its paws sinking into her footprints in the snow, crushing them in each step as the paws of the wolf dwarfed the shape of the small woman's feet. I remember what had happened when the wolves had caught up to her, i remember the sound of her screams as they ripped her limb from limb and i remember the taste of her blood as it sprayed upon my face

However, the wolves never took part in the meat, far too proud to take part in the trash before them, moving on as a pack past the remains of the woman and diverted from her path back to Winterhold, instead making their way to distant village lights

It was a small unnamed town along the coast of the sea of ghosts, often buried behind the woods and snow, unknown to even the jarls. But it was known to the wolves

I remember how they carried me through the small streets, ignoring the yells of the people and the howls of the animals as they traveled across the town's roads, walking calmly across the chaotic streets, until they eventually reached a house, one belonging to the towns chief hunter, Malatar Longclaw

From there i watched, my vision partially blocked by the blanket wrapping me as the man opened his door to the sound of the packs howls, only to find himself faced with not only an entire pack of wolfs on his doorstep but also a dire wolf, which eclipsed the light as it stood in front of him, tall as a horse and rippling with muscle and prepared aggression

I remember the small portion of time in which Malatar had reached for his warhammer, sweat cleaning on his brow, only to look closer to see my, hanging from the jaws of the beast and the near-human level of expression in the eyes of my savior as it gave a gentle huff, stepping closer to the nervous hunter before gently placing my small form on the huts front steps

It was then, ignoring the immense confusion on the man's face the wolves had simply walked away, not acknowledging the drawn weapons of the townsfolk and stepping away into the woods as if they were simply a fiction created by the mind, and many would have believed it to be so if not for the crying infant sitting in front of the hunters home

After this I felt true warmth for the first time in a while as Gori, Malatar's wife had taken me upon her breast, hushing my whimpers as the man himself went to confusedly talk with the other townsfolk

For a time the town elders had considered simply killing me, relating my strange appearance to the Deadra and dark magic, however that talk had died down once the head of my former mother had appeared in the town square overnight, facing the direction of the wolves had left and into the town square

The message was pretty clear "harm the child and you will suffer the same fate" is what the winds had seemed to whisper

However, I only learned of such things, much later in life, as i was busy being nursed back to health by Gori as, whether by fate or by the wolves' knowledge I had found myself within a family that had recently lost a child to the same cold forest that i had survived. In fact, it was lucky that the elders had forgotten their original plans as nowadays i am sure that the woman would have skinned them alive should they have tried to harm me, so strong was her loss and desire for a child

It was on this day, the day not far from my birth that I would gain the name that would stick beside me for years to come, the first of many

The Dire Child