[A/N: Sorry about yesterday guys! I had some nasty flu and it was annoying as hell. Here is your new chapter! Enjoy~❤]
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The road to Falkreath was as peaceful as ever. I was driving a carriage and Jull was driving another one.
The carriages were full to their with Orcish brand weapons and armors, as well as drinks, cloth, books, and money. These things have a very good price in the market no matter where one went.
Once we arrived at Falkreath town, we started making fast arrangements to sell the loot and reported our clash with the Orc bandits at 'Cracked Tusk Keep'.
The news was too shocking as the Guards were suffering from these bandits and it seemed a lot of trouble was caused by them. Once they heard the news from me, they sent a party of guards to go to confirm the deed. It took them a few hours but everything was confirmed in the end.
The news spread around the town like wildfire and Jarl Dengeir of Stuhn invited me to his Longhouse.
He thanked me a lot for getting rid of that thorn in his side that caused harm to the people of his hold. This was not the first time we meet each other. We shook hands before when I was participating at the tournament of the high king and he invited me to his hold.
I noticed that he has an annoying personality that is obsessed with conspiracy theories as he trusted no one at all.
Let's just say that I managed to get on his good side as he wanted to make me stay in his hold as a thane and promised he would help me gain some merits in the hold but I had to decline that one. It is not beneficial for me yet so I kept saying that I am on a training journey and so on.
After he accepted to let go of me, I headed back to the inn and ate a good meal.
Nefertiti was still angry at me and didn't even reply to me. She kept looking away every time I tried to talk to her.
I was a bit sad but it seemed that I am going take her with me tomorrow no matter what. It will not be anything dangerous and I will be the one doing all the work so Jull can take care of her while we are walking in the forest.
This left me with one last thing in mind.
How to contact Hircine!
I know how but I don't think I know where the mean to communicate him is. In the game, the player had to kill a certain beast to commune with the lord of the hunt.
Hmmm! Beast.
I killed bears and trolls before but Hircine won't appear with just that.
Now that I think about it, when we were coming from Helgen to Falkreath, there was a certain beast that appeared and drove away the wolves in the area out of their habitat. That beast may fit the conditions.
I went to the inn's hall and talked with some hunters about the beast, apparently, they have this rumor about the beast that is protecting the deer and the elks in the forest from the wolves and the hunters.
Many search parties were dispatched to get in touch with this beast or even hunt it down but it was mostly useless.
This made me consider my opinion even more. Maybe this beast is exactly what I am looking for.
I had to sleep early that night to have an early start tomorrow.
***
An early start as planned!
Good morning, Skyrim!
Another one of those chilly mornings of Evening Star. (December)
The weather is cold and dry, the snow finally started to fall, and the winds are carrying the chilliness of Jerall Mountains.
In this morning, we had a fancy breakfast and a fast preparing. I was given a permit to hunt in the woods of Falkreath to not be considered a poacher. Poaching is a serious crime in Falkreath as a town of many hunters.
As we got out of the inn, we saw a lot of snow. In the game, the snow never appeared in Falkreath, but in winter, every inch in Skyrim gets buried under snow.
Still, it is better here than the other places in the north. I can't imagine how Winterhold looks like by now.
I took both Jullanar and Nefertiti then headed to the southeast of Falkreath, the place where the wolves' abnormalities happened.
In the way, we met a lot of hungry wolves but I was not fond of killing them. Wolves are the symbol of 'Sai', a minor deity of Luck. It is a tradition in Skyrim to not kill wolves unless it is very necessary as 'Sai' always took the form of a wolf.
'Sai' was considered a benefactor to Skyrim, even though he was not part of the pantheon but it was said that because he settled in Skyrim and married there, he spread a lot of good luck around himself to the point that Skyrim managed to drive out all of the Falmer (Snow Elves) and conquer both High Rock and Morrowind because of his very existence in its land, until of course when he was forced by the other gods like 'Mara' and 'Ebonarm' to leave.
Anyway, from this story, Nords tend to not harm wolves as much as possible. That is why I also kept using my 'Aura' to frighten them away.
I kept using the 'Scan' spell to search the forest for an abnormal stag but the forest was too large to cover with 'Scan' that fast.
I tried to focus on the trails of the deer to find the biggest herd of deer around and that is how I found it.
The great beast I was after turned out to be a beautiful White Stag. It was standing proudly between a small herd of deer and making stag howls. It has some unusually big and sharp antlers that looked really deadly to clash with and were somehow really beautiful.
"Are we hunting that?" Jull asked.
"You are not, only I will do the hunting. Just make sure to follow around and watch over Nefertiti."
Nefertiti was in a good mood since the start of the day as I finally agreed to take her out with us. She was being held by Jull and was waving her tail left and right while curiously looking at everything.
Anyway, I kept watching the White Stag and tried to close on it. It was a bit hard to sneak on a herd of deer as once I get seen, the whole herd will run everywhere. Also, this stag seems to be a strong creature that likes to defend its herd.
I have already cast a 'Bound Bow' and was trying to get a clean shot on the stag. Suddenly, the wind blew behind of me.
Crap!
The deer all looked at my direction. Sure as hell the wind carried my scent and they noticed me.
I let loose of the arrow on a hurry yet the White Stag just evaded it like nothing.
Interesting!
The deer started to run everywhere and the White Stag chose a different direction than all of them.
Smart Beast!
It realized I was after itself so it chose to take me away from its herd.
I stood up from my position and started following it in the woods. Jull and Nefertiti were right after me.
The White Stag kept running nimbly between the trees which forced me to cast 'Hasten'. I had to catch up to its speed somehow.
It seems that the stag was trying to go somewhere in the south, for some reason I felt uneasy and tried to shoot it many times but it was hard to aim at a running target between all these trees.
It started to take turns at some places as it apparently was trying to hide. The stag is very intelligent but whatever it can't escape my detection magic.
It came behind some rook and suddenly stopped. I didn't know what happened so I thought it got stuck into something. Just as I was about to close on it, I saw the stag turning around and lowering its head.
I suddenly felt uneasy.
This stag was counter-attacking.
This was its plan from the start. Take me away from the herd, affect my stamina by running around for a long time, then attack me.
It sure is a nice plan. If only it was against an ordinary hunter.
"Jull, it's charging at us. Dodge!"
I shouted and jumped out from the way as the stag started his charge. I realized now that these antlers or the stag were stained by many spotted marks of blood.
This is what I call a killer deer.
The stag's charges did not stop, it would take distance and start attacking once again. It was a bit hard to hit with an arrow as the stag was a little bit too fast to give one a chance.
So it was like this!
Fine, I'll kill you with my own hands.
I dispelled the 'Bound Bow' and took out a dagger from me back then stood face to face against the stag.
It paused for a while as it seemed it is the first time it got challenged face to face.
"Haha! You are one interesting fellow! Too bad I am killing you in the name of Hircine!"
I said as I took a pose and got ready.
As if it understood me, the stag also got into his charging pose.
I could feel its fighting spirit from here. This stag would have been one hell of a mount if it got tamed.
With a strong exhale, the stag charged at me. It took me a second later to move and I started running towards it, slowly.
My plan was simple. Just as we were five meters from each other, I jumped as fast as I can and got myself on the stag.
I was now riding it and it realized that things have gone south on his part. Before it could do anything, I was already stabbing its neck with the dagger.
Blood spurted out from its neck like a fountain yet the stag never stopped moving and tried to bump into a tree. Luckily, I got myself down and rolled on the ground. The Big White Stag, however, bumped into the trunk and fell on its side.
It was squirming with its last breath and was kicking with its legs. It was already dying.
"Jon, are you alright?"
"... Yes."
"That was amazing! You looked… Jon, are you really alright? You look depressed!"
Ah! It showed on my face, huh?
"Yeah, sorry. It's just, it's just too sad to take the life of a gallant fighter like that."
Jull listened to what I said and read my mood so she remained quiet!
Yet, it was not going to get quiet at all!
{Nonetheless, it was a good hunt and pleasing to watch!}
A voice replied to my last statement.
"WOAH!!" "NYAA!!" Jull jumped from her place like a frightened cat followed by Nefertiti who was actually a frightened cat.
"Jon! GET AWAY!"
As I haven't moved, Jull tried to warn me.
I simply turned around with a natural expression on my face.
I saw a specter of the stag I just killed standing right behind me.
"Didn't I just kill you?" I asked even though I know the answer.
{Wel-met huntsman! I am the spirit of the hunt, just one glimpse of the Glorious Stalker that your kind calls 'Hircine', the one you hunt in his name.}
The specter was talking to me. It was an aspect of the Daedric Prince of the Hunt, an Aspect of Hircine.
"if 't be true so, may I ask for thy favor, O' Glorious Stalker! I seek to return the stolen ring to its lord and remove the curse from the one known as Sinding."
I said as I took out the ring and presented it to the Aspect of Hircine.
The specter looked between the ring and me then said, {I may consider it. But you must first do a service for my glory.}
"How can I be of service?"
{The one who stole is fleeing to what he thinks his sanctuary. Just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt, but only ends up trapping himself. Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me.}
So it will come to this anyway.
"I hear your command!" I said with respect.
{Fly, my hunter. There are others who vie for my favor. A bit of competition. Don't dally while the prey flees.}
As the Aspect of Hircine started to fade, it left me with those words. The strange thing is, its eyes were not focused on me. It was looking at Nefertiti.