Chapter Text
Shimmerene, Summerset
2E 582, 19th of Morning Star
Ja’Floof practically skipped down the gangplank of the Silverbreeze and into the docks of Shimmerene, her striped tail swishing behind her. She had been promised shore leave, and intended to make the most of it, especially with the Queen's decree declaring the Altmer homeland open to visitors.
“Can you imagine what we will find, Ro'sii?” she called back over her shoulder.
“Yes, I can,” her leonine escort replied. “I imagine it will be much like Auridon.”
Ja’Floof pouted. “You're no fun.”
Ro’Sii laughed. “All I'm saying is not to get your hopes up. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“It won't be a disappointment if this one is having an adventure with her best friend, Ja’Floof smiled brightly at Ro'Sii.
Ro’sii felt warmth blossom within his chest at her smile. “Well then, shall we?” He smiled back and gestured with a clawed hand to the city at large.
Shimmerene proved grand enough, with lofty marble towers and grand staircases, but Ja’Floof was more interested in what lay outside it. Cities had always felt restrictive to her; she would rather have the sanctuary of the woods or the openess of the plains. They soon found themselves wandering southward along the main road, the coastline dropping away on their left.
“Hello there, travelers!” a voice called out from up ahead. Ja’Floof quickly located the source- it was Bosmer, perched on a rocky outcrop up ahead. “Care to join me for a friendly drink?”
Ja’Floofs fur bristled. This was the oldest trick in the book- pull aside a traveler, slip something into their drink, and once they're unconscious, strip them of all their belongings. She bared sharp canines in a sardonic smile, and replied, “It’s a bit early to be day-drinking, isn't it?” gesturing at the still-starlit morning sky.
The Bosmer laughed, “Oh, but we have a really special drink for you two.”
Ro’sii raised an eyebrow. “‘We?’”
An eerie howl punctuated the bosmer's laughter, and Ja’Floof reached for her bow. Before she could draw it, more figures emerged from the shadows of the moonlit clearing- additional Bosmer, some Altmer, even a few Khajiit.
Perhaps if there had been fewer opponents, the Khajiiti pair would have stood a chance, but as things stood, they were soon bound, trussed, and gagged. Ja’Floof did manage to claw the leader’s face though. In turn, he spat in hers. “You’ll pay for that, wench!” He cupped her chin, getting a better look at her features. “And I think I’ll enjoy it,” he sneered.
Ro’Sii shouted a protest through his gag, and the rest of the group laughed. “To the Grove!” shouted the bosmer, and Ja’Floof and Ro’Sii were blindfolded and dragged, none too gently, to their destination.
Ja’Floof could feel grass underfoot, hear the laughter and taunts of her kidnappers around her, and the frantic beating of her heart, and then her back was pressed up against a flat rock. Her hands and feet were tied down to the hard surface, and her blindfold was removed.
She was within a moonlit grove, tied down to a ritual stone, as was Ro’Sii, and standing in front of her was a massive, hulking werewolf with a white pelt. Ja’Floof’s heart rate skyrocketed. She would have screamed, but her gag prevented her.
“Welcome,” said the beast, “To Archon’s Grove. You have been selected for a very special honor- the honor of joining our pack.” In the background, the other, untransformed pack members laughed and jeered, the sound setting Ja’Floof’s nerves on edge.
The Bosmer that had lured the two Khajiit off the road approached with a knife and a goblet. As Ja’Floof watched in horror, he sliced open the beast’s forearm and let the open wound bleed into the vessel. He removed Ja’Floof’s gag, held the acrid-smelling cup to her lips and proclaimed, “Hunt, or be hunted. Your choice.”
Ja’Floof’s panicked brain struggled to produce coherent thoughts. If she drank, she would be a skin-changer, no longer on the Path, cursed for life. But, she would be alive. And wasn’t that better than the alternative?
She sighed in defeat. Feeling utterly ashamed of her cowardice, she bent her head and drank.
Ja’Floof’s head began to swim as the coppery tang of blood ran down her throat, overwhelming her senses. As far as her bonds would allow, she sank almost to her knees, trying to contain the sudden sensory overload. She could smell everything - the grass, the trees, and especially the scent of Mer and Khajiiti flesh. And with those scents came an overwhelming desire to feed.
“Next!” cried the pack leader, and the goblet was presented to Ro’sii.
Ja’Floof could never quite say for sure what happened next. All she knew was that there was a sudden and violent burst of flame, incinerating Ro’sii’s gag and badly burning the Bosmer holding it. The Bosmer shrieked and dropped the goblet, and Ro’Sii shouted, “Run, Ja’Floof!”
Suddenly- Pain. Her bones snapped and cracked to keep up with elongating muscles as her entire body re-sculpted itself into a more primal, bestial shape.The ropes holding her to the ritual stone snapped as she writhed beneath them. The laughter of the pack became frenzied, infused with whoops and shouts. The moment had come. The spirit from Hircine’s Hunting Grounds had entered Ja’Floof’s body, and it was taking control.
The last feelings the predator could recall from its host's memories were ones of fear, specifically of the beings surrounding it, so it did, in fact, run- on all fours, as far and as fast as it could go. The newly born Lycan left Archon’s Grove far behind, loping out into the sunrise, as a growing hunger consumed them.
Author’s Notes:
Archon’s Grove is a delve in southern Summerset in ESO, and there is a werewolf-related quest just outside of it- The Runaway’s Tale.
2E 582 is when the events of the Summerset chapter take place. 19th of Morning Star, or the 19th of January, was when Ja’Floof joined the Red Wolf Company, my current ESO roleplay guild.