#a small (vindictive…. frightening to herself) part of her wished to see him run through

[2usan]

susan had a lot of nightmares and sleepless nights from her time in tashbaan

[chaospenelope]

Dragon’s Roar

From Gallows To Fire

Everything was black and empty. A mental void surrounded her. It shrouded her thoughts like a thick impassable mist swirling around her. She felt alone in that moment, alone and scared. There was something in that darkness. A faint sound echoed from beyond. Was it a voice? "Hello?" She called. She thought she heard the voices respond. It was still weak but she knew it was more than one, they were mostly feminine. "Who's there?" She waited but the voices were cut off by a ear splitting roar. "Hello? Are you-?!" She tried to run into the darkness, only to see a large pair of jaws open wide and clamp down on her. She fell to the hard earth with a thud and it dragged her into the emptiness.

Her emerald green eyes shot open and her head jerked up to the dreary sky. She pulled her head down, ignoring the pain and took in the scenery around her. Pine trees, bushes, and mountain flowers crowded at the edge of the dirt path. The cart she was riding on creaked and swayed as it climbed over the small rocks. She looked down at her large paws to see strong bindings holding them together. She examined her dress that was now stripped of any valuables. It didn't look anything like their armor. She tried to think about why she was with them but her mind was a blank slate. She couldn't remember anything. "Hey, you're finally awake?" She looked up at the man who spoke. He was a breed of human with long hair and full beard. "You were caught trying to cross the border. Walked right into the imperial ambush same as us and that thief over there." "Damn you Stormcloaks... Skyrim was fine until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn’t been looking for you I’d have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." He glanced at her. "You there, you and me, we shouldn’t be here. It’s these Stormcloaks the Empire wants. She raised a brow at him, wondering to herself what he was hoping she'd do. Rebel or not he was still a thief heading to a damp cell. Her cooperation wasn't going to change that. "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now." The Nord answered. She didn't like that statement. The tone in his voice sounded grave. "Shut up back there!" "So what's wrong with him?" The thief motioned at the man next to her. A man with a gag shoved in his mouth. His armor was more impressive than the others and his face agitated by the question. She paid no mind to the man as he responded in an offended tone. The wind rustled her golden splotched black fur. She looked ahead and observed the stone wall in the distance getting ever so close. The large wooden doors opened as they approached. People crowded around the town gawking at the cart as it pulled by. "Who are they father? Where are they going?" A little boy stood on the porch with his parents, staring curiously at the prisoners. "You need to go inside, little cub." "Why? I want to watch the soldiers!" The child whined. "Inside the house, now." "Yes papa..." The boy was slightly frightened by his father's stern command so he relented and did what he was told. Her attention was pulled away as the horse was forced to a stop. A female elf and male human was now walking up to them. "Get these prisoners out of the cart!" The elf demanded loudly. The man was currently silent holding some sort of paper. "Why are we stopping!?" "Why do you think? End of the line." Everyone got up as the soldiers drew closer. The bear towered over the humans by a head. "Let’s go, we shouldn’t keep the gods waiting for us." She could see the fear in the thief's eyes. It was a strong contrast to the fur wearing men. "No! Wait! We’re not rebels!" "Face your death with some courage, thief." He spat as if he was ashamed to be near such a man. "You’ve got to tell them we weren’t with you! This is a mistake!" "Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" The guard demanded. "The Empire loves their damned lists." The Stormcloak next to her scoffed. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." The Jarl did as he was told, shooting the imperials a deadly glare as he moved over to the center of town. A stone and bucket waited for their gruesome bounty of heads. Standing next to it was the man and axe ready to deal the final blow. "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric" "Ralof of Riverwood." Ralof followed his leader without another word. "Lokir of Rorikstead." "No! I’m not a rebel! You can’t do this!" Lokir ran in a blind panic to the edge of town. "Halt!" Non of the Imperials flinched as he darted off but the elf captain cried out angrily as if to intimidate him. "You’re not going to kill me!" Obviously it didn't work. She couldn't really blame him. There seemed to be a slightly better chance surviving if he ran, as long as he had the stamina for it. She honestly didn't know why she herself was so calm. Perhaps she was with the StormCloaks, but if that were true why did he speak to her like she was a stranger? Why was she so content with this end? "Archers!" The captain pointed at the closest soldier, signaling for him to ready his weapon. He took two more steps before an arrow ripped through the side of his neck. There was loud pained cry as he plopped onto the dirt road. "Anyone else feel like running?" No one dared move, even the townsfolk were still as statues. The dirt was silently dyed a horrible shade of red. "Wait... You there." The Imperials shifted their attention to her. "Step forward." The second command ordered and examined his list as she obeyed. Her shadow crept over him. He looked up with a start just realizing how tall she really was. "Who are you?" "Neda Salmon." She answered without hesitation. "I never thought I'd see a Nanook in Skyrim. You looking for a fight or are you visiting family at the Golden Thread Inn?" She didn't have time to contemplate the revelation as he turned to his comrade. "What do we do Captain? She's not on the list." "Forget the list, put her on the block!" She spat as if Neda had slaughtered a dog in front of her. He seemed saddened by her oddly vindictive remark. "We'll send your remains up river to the sea. Follow the Captain, prisoner." Neda walked over next to  Ralof. She had a full view of the grooved stone stained with the fluid of previous criminals. The headsman's stance shifted from one foot to another. He was growing impatient. Unfortunately the soldier wasn't done yet. He stopped in front of the gagged man and stared him down. "Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn’t use a power like the voice to murder his king and usurp the throne." Ulfric could only growl as a response. "You started this war, flung skyrim into chaos. And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace." What sounded like an eerie rumble of thunder cut his righteous speech short. The sky was clear of any cause as the sun started to part the clouds. "What was that?" "It’s nothing. Carry on." "Yes, General Tullius!" Their tone was softer when they spoke to the approaching priestess. "Give them their last rights." She nodded and held her hands up to the sun. "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the 8 divines upon you-" "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." A rebel marched up to the block voluntarily. He was greatly annoyed. Neda figured he didn't want to postpone the inevitable or perhaps he didn't want the last rights of a religion he didn't believe in? She hesitated as she dropped her arms, giving the doomed man a look of pity. "…As you wish." "Come on! I haven’t got all morning!" He shouted angrily and knelt down without hesitation. His head pointed toward the headsman. "… My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?!" The Captain found it fitting to place a foot on his back. As the axe was driven through his throat. It happened so quickly there was barely even a gurgling before the head plopped into the basket in a waterfall of blood. "You Imperial bastards!" Cried one of the rebel soldiers as the body was kicked to the side. "Justice!" Responded one of the townspeople. "Death to the Stormcloaks!" Another concurred. "...As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof was suddenly sorrowful as he bowed his head. "Next, the bear!" The sky rumbled a little louder this time. "There it is again... did you hear that?" "I said... Next. Prisoner." "To the block prisoner. Nice and easy." Time felt like it was slowing as she made her way. She wondered what led her to this and was starting to get extremely frustrated at her blackened memory. She finally decided it was probably for the best, seeing how she was seemingly looking her killer in the eye as he raised his hefty weapon. Just as quickly as lightning a large scaly behemoth perched atop a stone tower looming above them all. It let out a vicious snarl that made the strongest of men recoil. "What in Oblivion is that!?!" "Sentries, what do you see?" "Dragon!!!" The citizens grew a mass panic as they let out horrible cries at the winged harbinger of old tales come to life. It let out a cry filled with an odd energy that gave Neda a strange chill. Meteors showered down, punching holes in clouds and crumbled buildings. "Guards! Get the townsfolk to safety!" "Come on! The guards won’t give us another chance! This way!" She pulled herself up to see Ralof motioning to a large set of double doors ahead. She scurried behind him and Ulfric. Dodging blasts of flame and power. The heat rose and swirled around them almost chocking them. Once forcing the doors open Neda and Ralof slammed them closed. He turned to his leader nearly out of breath. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" He took a blade and cut his comrades bindings. "Legends don’t burn down villages." He confirmed after doing away with the detested gag. There was another roar that sounded just outside the building before he could free her. "We need to move, now!" They ran up the steps with the bear in the lead. They were stoped as the wall at the top burst open revealing a very familiar set of machete sized fangs. The jaws split apart and a cloud of fire filled the upper floor. Neda used her arms to shield her face as the sparks passed her until the beast flew off. She swore she could hear a voice say something in the wave heat but her train of thought was cut off by Ralof. "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going! We’ll follow when we can!" She was way ahead of him. She ran up the rest of the stairs into a running jump. She didn't look back as she ran through the embers greedily consuming the inn. She felt splinters of wood jab her and rip into the skirt of her dress. The rest of the village was just as broken and scorched as the crumbling inn. "Haming, you need to get over here. Now!" A soldier in front of her was frantically trying to beckon a boy. The child ran to where he was directed. The man turned his attention to another soldier. "Torolf!" Torolf turned to him, making him too distracted to see the dragon. It's talon stepped his body and crushed it into two bloody pieces. "Gods... Everyone get back!" The creature bellowed another eerie cry has he lifted up again. Neda took the chance to move behind his view. The guard noticed her. "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join their defense." He started to to run ahead of her. He seemed to be leading him somewhere. She was curious why he was helping a supposed prisoner. Did he believe she was innocent? Did he think she deserved a second chance? Or was he saving her for a proper execution to make sure she dead without leaving it to chance? "Gods guide you, Hadvar." He whispered loud enough for her to hear as he led her between a sturdy wall and  burning houses. "Stay close to the wall!" He ordered as two scaly wings draped the wall crushing an archer and pushing another into the inferno. Neda pressed her body against the stone. The sound of shouting flame haunted her again. She was beginning to think she was insane. Once the beast took off again they bolted toward another opening and another stone fortress with two openings this time. "Quickly, follow me!" The general was at one of the entrances. "Hadvar! Into the keep, soldier, we're leaving!" "It's you and me, prisoner. Stay close!" They ran until he saw the StormCloak approaching the second door. "Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!" "We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time." "Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde." Ralof scoffed at his curse then looked up at the woman behind him. "You! Come on, into the keep!" Neda didn't take much time to think about it. Despite the Imperial's moment of kindness toward a child she couldn't honestly trust him or more importantly the superiors who just tried to execute her without considering her reason for being there. "Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki." She ran into the room secured with two bared doors on each side. There was a Stormcloak's corpse waiting for them.  "Here, let me cut you lose." He finally offered and with a swift cut of his knife her aching paws were now free. "You should see if you can't use one of Gunjar's weapons. He won't be needing them anymore." "I appreciate your approval..." She rubbed her wrist as she knelt. She examined the body but didn't want to touch the poor thing if she could help it. She felt it was disrespectful. She tucked the blade at his side into the sheath on the belt of her dress. Her paws still ached so she began to open and close them in fists. Ralof called her over as he heard footsteps and soldiers talking. She crouched down and hid on the other side of the doorframe. She knew she was in for a fight when she heard the female elf. Suddenly her paws lit up. One held sparking embers the other glowed with a calming light. The three guards walked through the creaking gate and were not match for the ambush. Ralof jammed a dagger into one of their knees and took a blade to the screaming man's chest. "You're not escaping on my watch!" The Captain charged at Neda angrily even as the bear's magic engulfed her body and burned every bit of her flesh. She swung her blade like a mad dog until the flames filled her lungs making her gag and choke horribly. Neda drove her sword through her neck to end her misery. The last one struck her just as she landed the cut. She quickly conjured another flame to blind him. He let out a horrible screech before Ralof rammed his weapon into his stomach. "You going to be alright? That cut is pretty deep." He observed the bleeding gashes on her broad back and arms. "I just need a moment to heal." She answered. Her breathing became heavy as she rested. She felt her wounds slowly close as she casts a bright healing light around her. "Alright. In the meantime the guards should have the key to that door. This one can't open from our side." She glanced at the burned corpse. She hesitated but knew she'd have to rummage through the pockets like a filthy grave robber. She was ashamed how easy it was for her to push aside what was once a living being but she found what they were looking for and she decided she would make it up somehow, just maybe not to the victims since they tried to kill her twice now. The key unlocked the gate and they rushed down the hall. A wall of rubble forced them into a storeroom. "It's the prisoners!" There were already two soldiers gathering supplies. They unsheathed their swords and closed in. They were met with a burst of flames. It didn't slow them. The first used all his strength to strike at the woman. She was able to block his attack and throw him off. She rushed him before he could recover. The cold steel cut through his armor and skewered the lungs. He spat a spray of blood in his last gasps of breath. The next Imperial was already on the cold ground when he slumped to his knees. "Check the barrels for potions. There are probably more soldiers ahead." "We better get some food too. Who knows when our next meal will be." She added as she butchered some hanging pheasant. "I like the way you think." He smirked as he took the gold from the dead Imperials. "But you don't have to be too concerned about going on the run. If you weren't on the list they aren't looking for you. You'll be fine as long as you don't run into another ambush. Whatever you did no one else knows about it." "Not even me..." She mumbled as she pocketed some magica potions. The sounds of clattering steel reached their ears. They rushed to see another battle between rebels and soldiers. The Imperials were gaining the upper hand. Ralof let out an angry cry as charged sword first at one of the men as they slit his comrade's throat. Neda punched another in the back of the head, catching him attention before he could do the same. She drew her blade after dodging his retaliation but didn't get to use it as his victim was able to stab him in the back. "Have you seen the Jarl?" Ralof asked the surviving StormCloak. He shook his head. "Not since that dragon appeared." "What were they doing down here?" She asked as she saw the cages containing bodies in various stages of decay. "Torture, what else?" Ralof answered without thought as he tried to fiddle with the cage's lock. "Must have been how they were able to set up the ambush...Do you know how to pick locks? We could use the gold in here when we get out." She paused, spotting some picks on the table and slipped one in the keyhole. It appeared to be a weak lock because she was immediately able to click it loose. She pulled the body from the cage and laid it gently on the ground. Then she took the spell book that was next to it. Ralof and his peers searched the room for more potions and resources as she quickly flipped through the pages speaking of magic sapping electricity. She was surprised how fast she was able to understand it. They went on the move again. The hall lined with hanging cages opened up to a cave. It started as a wide room with a path from their door to a tunnel. The was a steep slope from the path to a shallow pool of water. The water came from a waterfall that dissected the natural path where there was now a wooden bridge. Imperials were blocking the path and talking among themselves. That is, until the two StormCloaks decided to charge in. Neda rolled her eyes and followed. She noted the oil on the ground and used her flames to ignite it and everyone inside. In spite their pained horrified screaming they still managed to shoot arrows at her. She tried to avoid them, running down the steep slope and circumnavigate to the other end but she still managed to get struck by a couple. Unfortunately the archers weren't the only thing that caught on fire as after the fight she noticed some of Ralof's hair was still burning. "Sorry about that." She winced as she pulled the last arrow out of her shoulder. "Next time warn us first." He said sternly. Then he chugged a potion. "You two go on ahead, I'll wait here for Jarl Ulfric." The third member told them before they crossed the drawbridge leading to the tunnel. He didn't have a chance to change his mind as the tunnel entrance collapsed after another ground shattering roar. Ralof and Neda were on their own once more. The tunnel seemed to go on for miles as they ran into a den of poisonous frostbite spiders. They crawled and fell from the walls attempting to bite and add the intruders to their grisly collection. The cave finally seemed to be reaching it's end as they entered an even larger room. "You see that?" The Nord whispered as the Nanook plucked an oddly abandoned coin purse from a wooden cart. "Don't say it." She mumbled with a hint of annoyance as she spotted a very distant, wild, and less intelligent cousin sleeping in the middle of the chamber. "Say what?" "...Never mind." "Anyway...We should probably try to sneak past her, unless you want to take my bow." "Let's not test her." "Take it anyway. You might need it soon." The carefully snuck away from the animal and finally reached the exit. The sun shined on them as if to greet them. The calls of a dragon greeted them as well. They watched as it's wings carried it toward a nearby town.