Chapter Ten

Cael

Unusual reports came in about a white alpha wolf leading a pack at first he thought it just a coincidence. But the reports got more and more frequent.

"This wolf makes more headway in taking our lands back than we ever have," Kallen amused.

"The other chieftains speak of the same thing. I will gather men from each and set out to hunt this wolf. It's about time I had a new pelt, a white wolf pelt" Cael reckoned.

Man. What fools they were. The forsworn had every right to try and reclaim their lands but to track my pack after trying to help them? I had traveled across Skyrim and collected a fine pack of misfits I was now eight strong including myself. I was no threat to the forsworn yet they follow my trail.

"Brother, Sisters, tonight we hunt" I spoke to then through my alpha bond to my wolf brethren. They only brought five Forsworn to my den. I laughed and instructed the art of battle to my pack. I would take the one in the middle while the others scattered and took down the others. With my knowledge my pack was stronger and smarter, they dodged arrows and went for killing moves. I stepped out of the shadows baring my teeth at the leader. He froze and began to weave a strange magic. I took a half of step back and broke into a snarl. He was attempting to tame me! I did not realize they had this kind of power. I charged but in that moment he was able to break through my mental barrier and see my human form, he inhaled sharply, before I tackle him to the ground. He made no move to attack me. He caressed me in my mind, touched my skin. My green wolf eyes looked into his crystal blue ones and I saw his pureness in them. My resolve shattered into a million pieces when he breathed one word.

"Beautiful," he murmured. I collapsed atop him my wolf guise faded away and I became my human form. My red hair fell around him and my naked body and I cried. Pain poured from me, it almost seemed never ending. This man, this forsworn just held me. Held me to him and soothed the raging emotions that swirled inside of me. I was unable to feel them in my wolf, wolves have no use for these types of emotions. When the last of the tears fell from my eyes he wiped the tear stains from my cheek.

"You have such lovely eyes. I can see your soul in them. A dragon spirit, fearsome and Mighty. You were sent to bring me death and now you have spared me, a crow? I am known as the Wolf of the Reach and you are the mighty Dragonborn. Ah, you are surprised that I know who you are. Did you think a great warrior, such as yourself would go unnoticed by the Forsworn? The tales of your beauty do not do you justice. I would do anything for an ally like yourself. I would give you anything you desire. I will release you from your bonds. You can be wild and free. Your spirit cannot be harnessed, nor can it be broken. You will be welcomed by my people. Perhaps there's something more, something more… intimate. " He drawled on. I didn't need clarification; I knew exactly what he asked for. Through the link he created, he could feel every emotion swirling inside me.

"You are a Phoenix. The power of your fire and the greatness of your spirit cannot be quenched by victory in battle alone. I am sure you are graceful and powerful in the art of love as well. If a lover is what you desire, Dragon Slayer, I can be that and more. I can satisfy you in more ways than you can fathom. I can show you what fire feels like, tastes like, and when it consumes us together, the burns of it will scar you, and there is no return. What will it be Phoenix? My life is in your hands," he finished, continuing to caress my cheeks a smile on his face. I was baffled why would he ask for death but smile?

"Why would someone such as yourself called Wolf of the Reach, hunt another wolf?" I questioned.

"I am known as the Wolf of the Reach, but I would prefer it if you called me 'Cael' my Phoenix. I did not hunt the white wolf, I came to tame it. I was after an alliance. I did not know that the White Alpha pack leader would be the mighty Dragonborn. Come with me and we can be together," Cael admitted. I backed away in my mind from his touch, could I be with a man again?

He reached up and his lips caressed mine, it was ever so gentle and sweet; an invitation and full of promises. I melted into its intoxicating softness, he smelled and tasted like the forest. The softness grew into a hunger, but I pulled away. I was not ready for the desire that came with those promises, and I turned back to my wolf and waited till he got to his feet.

"Lead on Cael" I spoke, to him through our new bond a pang of sorrow ran through me remembering Bishop and the bond we had. Cael kneeled down in front of me and looked in my eyes.

"I will never betray your trust my Sparrow, the bond a Forsworn shares with his companions is sacred. First, we must travel to the other villages and let them know of their dead," he explained.

My pack was to go back to the den and I would follow the Forsworn' they were not to attack a Forsworn unless attacked by one. I walked into the first village on the heels of Cael while looking around. Cael explained to the chief where he would find his dead warriors and that he was able to secure a bond with me.

"I demand retribution!" A female forsworn said pulling out a knife and I bared my teeth at her. I saw a look of shock flashed on her face before Cael stepped between us.

"She is very cunning Taillia, I believe Hircine himself sent her to us. I have struck the bargain and to demand retribution would break the bond I have created, and that is against our laws. Perhaps the Hagravens could give Petra a second chance and turn him into a Briarheart." Cael suggested. The female forsworn he called Taillia sheathed her weapon slowly, still untrusting. They either wanted to attack me or were in awe of what Cael was capable of doing. It was a bit of a ruse really. We finally made our way back to his village. I had been trying to get into this very village so that I may pray at my lady's shrine. Cael smiled and was greeted by his clan, his family. They were reserved, and I was glad that none of them tried to reach out and pet me. Cael showed me to his tent, it was set farther off from the rest of his small village. I settled down in a corner.

"My Sparrow, please take the bedroll" Cael offered.

"A kind gesture forsworn, but I am a wolf. I take the most defensible position," I spoke plainly, he chuckled.

"Perhaps you will share it with me?" He questioned as he began to remove his furs. I huff at him.

"You wish." I scoffed at him as much as a wolf could scoff.

"Oh, my Sparrow… I didn't mean... That…" he stammered and kneeled down in front of me and ran his fingers through the fur at my neck.

"You will come to me for that when you are ready, dear Sparrow. I only meant to share comfort and warmth, nothing more unless you wish it." Cael said with earnest, he had such a calm spirit. I nodded to him but stayed where I was and laid my head down and closed my eyes. I heard the shuffling of him removing the rest of his clothes and climbing into his bedroll. In my sleepy haze, I wondered what he had looked like under his armored pelt.

"You are more than welcome to come and find out Sparrow" Cael chuckle, reading my thoughts. I huffed at him, got up, and spun around again and laid with my back to him.

I woke to my wolf ears hearing footsteps approach just before they reached the tent flap, making me let out a deep growl to make them freeze in their tracks. The tension and sound I had made woke Cael. He dressed quickly and exited the tent I followed on his heels.

"Already protective of you is she?" the stranger asked, giving Cael a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"How did you know she was female?" Cael asked greeting his clan member.

"Because bitches are fiercely protective, she's a good catch Cael a great dire wolf" his friend complimented.

"That she is, more than you know my friend." he agreed, glancing down at me. The day was full of pleasant family greetings and common day things. I acted the obedient pet always on my master's heels. He paid me no attention unless someone spoke about me. It was only when we were alone that he would open up and have conversations with me. We settled into a comfortable routine; we scouted, hunted, and slept together. Well, slept in the sense that we actually rested. It had been over two months in our companionship; one night Cael and I sat in his tent, he casually lounged in a bedroll, a book in hand. He enjoyed reading, he couldn't get his hands on enough books. He poured himself into the pages. He lived each page in breathless rapture as the characters leapt out at him and the story took him away. He looked like one of the mages at the College of Winterhold. Perhaps one day, I will take him to see the great library there. I smiled in my wolf guise and chuckled.

"What is so amusing my Sparrow?" Cael asked looking up at me. He let the book fall closed. It made an exhausted sound, like a padded door shutting, by itself, at a distance: a puff of air. The sound suggested the softness of the thin oniony pages, how they would feel under the fingers... at that moment I smelled someone coming, I turned my head to the opening of his tent and growled.

"You've named your wolf after a bird, brother?" Dandii asked from the opening holding a tray. I could tell that it was filled with food, I could smell the overcooked venison.

"She has a point; why do you call a wolf a sparrow?" I ask along with Dandii my wolf head turned to one side in question.

"I… Well, a lone sparrow represents deep loneliness and sorrow, as sparrows are known to travel in clans. Sparrows are small, but mighty, and extremely vigilant in every aspect of their lives. The tiny sparrow is a reminder that good things come in small packages, and the loudest voice is not always the most powerful. That is my perception of this wolf's personality ." Cael explained with uncanny insight.

"Brother, some of the clan are worried about you. You no longer take meals with us and I have heard you having conversations with Sparrow." she worried, handing him the plate of food.

"Do not worry Dandii, Hircine himself has given me the gift to converse with this wolf on an intellectual level. We will eat together tomorrow, I promise." He responded with a smile grasping her hand to reassure her. She smiled back at him then glanced at me before leaving.

"You should spend more time with your family" I urged while settling down and turning to the opening of the tent.

"Perhaps I should, but then that would take away the time I spend wooing you out of your wolf guise. Like the stories of the Selkie or the Kitsune," he confessed setting the food aside to run his fingers through my pelt. As I closed my eyes in pleasure, he reached out with his mind to caress my human form, and a shiver ran through my body. The sensation lasted a moment before he returned to his food and I returned to staring out the tent flap. I was distracted for tonight; it was the night Masser, a new moon which would force me to become human, just like the full moon forces me to become a wolf. I had waited till I heard the soft, even sound of his breathing and I knew he had fallen asleep. I exited the tent. The small village was asleep as I slowly crept passed all the tents and bedrolls filled with Cael's family. I made my way to the far side of the village where a river coursed. I looked up to the sky at the beautiful red tint of Masser.

When I looked down I was in my human form and stepped into the stream to washed away the dust and grime of my wolf. I examined my body; it felt different, more so than before because I was a wolf for so long. How long was it? It had been three full moons and this is the fourth new moon, just over three months. I looked down at the small bulge shape of my lower abdomen. The unmistakeable sign of life growing in my womb and I placed my hand on it. I closed my eyes and a tear slipped from my eyelashes. My magic surged at my command, it searched inside of my body to find the little life that grew there. A sob escaped my lips. Normally I kept a tight watch over my menstruation cycle and can usually smell when I bear fruit that is ripe to seed. That is when I realized the two weeks I was in Ebonmere when I must have menstruated but didn't know which would put me ripe for seed when I returned. Which could only mean one thing, I was pregnant with Bishop's child.

Cael

The sound of the river masked his footsteps. He woke to the feeling of her distress and found her absent of his tent and went in search of her. The moon outlined her curves and it made him inhale sharply at the vision before him. Her red hair was wet and it fell in curls down her back reaching to her perfect pear shaped bottom. He would never tire gazing upon her, in his haste to find her he had left his tent disrobed and followed into the river behind her, and engulfed her in his arms.

She was cold, and shivered from standing in the river too long. He turns her in his arms, longing to look into her green eyes and gaze upon her beautiful face. But when she looked up at him he saw pain, fear, and uncertainty in her eyes as the tears slipped down her cheeks. He wanted to do everything in his power to change what he saw in her eyes.

"My Sparrow," he whispered, cupping her cheeks and wiping the tears from them with his thumbs. "Tell me what ails you, open yourself to me. I simply wish to make you happy, and whole. I enjoy you at my heels but I long for you at my side, as the beautiful woman I know you to be. As soon as we met I knew you were the one, the one I would spend my days thinking of. The one I would spend my nights dreaming about; the one that would laugh with me, the one I want to make love to. Allow me to care for you, my Sparrow..." Cael confessed looking deep in her eyes.

She could feel his emotions pour from him through their connection. He was so tender, he made her question every promise she ever made to herself. He helped her breathe when she didn't want to anymore, and he helped her see that it's okay to fall in love again. So she did the one thing she thought she would never do. Breanna opened herself and let him in.

Like a wind pushing at an open door, he felt the snap in her resolve, unable to wait a second more; in response, he pressed his lips to her. She tasted sweet and exotic, a sweetness he would never tire of tasting. The feel of her breast against his hard chest was enticing as he pressed her against his warm body. Her body shivered but not from the cold, this time, it quaked with need, with desire. Cael lifted her out of the river and carried her to the bank when he placed her on her feet. She had noticed his large excited member that pressed against her. She placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Cael… I'm pregnant. I didn't realize till just now and this might ruin whatever this is before it even begins…" she divulged with a shakiness to her voice. It, however, had been the most treasured thing Cael had ever heard her speak.

"You mean I will be a father? Well, that is if you want me to be?" Cael asked kneeling down and placing his hand on the small bump on her torso holding her to him he looked up at her his eyes so blue and pure, innocent. She was at a complete loss and shock at his response. He was willing to father another man's child. She ran her fingers through the edge of his hairline, brushing the strands of hair off his forehead and trailing her fingertips down the side of his face resting her palm on his cheek. She said the only thing that made any sense.

"Yes," she whispered. Cael had lifted her in his arms in joyful celebration and kissed her again. Here in the wilds, far from Bishop in the arms of this man she found solace and comfort. Cael's love was always giving, always asking how he could help. Never did he take, never did he try to possess her.

He carried her back to the privacy of his tent; placing her on the furs of his bed. Cael held her gently, cupping her face with one hand. He leaned down and softly kissed the tender area at the base of her neck. Breanna's body went rigid with surprise as trembles shook her body and the euphoric warmth blossomed within her once more. Breanna was breathless with delight as he showered her with gentle, soft kisses, each with its own flicker of warmth. She gazed up at him, as he drew back and spent a moment studying her face. She reached up and trailed her fingers on his skin. She had been with many different men before, but Cael was different. Cael gazed at her lovingly, his eyes softening with tenderness before sparkling with something else.

In the twilight, their fingers caressed each other's skin, as if afraid a heavier touch would break the heady magic. Her gentle touch not only stirred him but took over his thinking. The rest of his world became an unimportant blur that banished into the far recesses of his mind. The only thing that mattered was touching her more, kissing her mouth, her breasts, her stomach especially on the small bump between her hips. He was having a hard time being gentle; he had dreamed about having her since he first met her . He held the image of her cradled atop him her red loose curls spilling around him. She was his phoenix and she would burn brightly for him tonight.

He had found women attractive, but never felt the need to mate with one before; sure he had urges his young body gave him, but he had the self-control and discipline to reign in. This, however, was entirely different. He found Breanna incredibly attractive and had instantly proposed that he could and would be her lover if she so desired. She took a long while to come around to feeling comfortable with a man again. He still did not know what had happened to her before she showed up in the Reach, but he hoped she would trust him enough to tell him. But the best news was finding out she was creating a life in her womb, and that she had chosen him to help her raise the child.

Cael slipped between her thighs, his hard length slipped between her wet folds and he groaned at the sensation as her nails dug into his pecs.

"Show me, my Phoenix, how much desire you have for me. You will be my first, my last, and my only" Cael pledged meeting her eyes, never faulting as he slid himself inside of her like a sword going home to its saber. She made the most intoxicating sound of pleasure he had ever heard as he moved inside of her. He was honored, completely humbled that she was willing to open to him and accept a part of himself inside of her. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, tasting her sweetness, opening her mouth to his. Mindful of his weight and to not press on her, his strokes grew more fervent and her breath shallow. Her sex was soft and inviting and with each thrust, she tightened around him. He was almost past the point of no return when she called out his name and wrapped her arms around him. Cael felt her quiver under him as her body relaxed, but when he saw the look of ecstasy on her face, he lost himself, spilling his seed. With any luck, there would be many more babies after the one she already carried in her womb.