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So, here I was, walking back into the Jarl's palace in Dragonsreach for yet another time, though my perspective on the arrival was far different than my first trip. I wasn't just here to inform him about a dragon attack, but rather, that I was the one they had been looking for. News like this was difficult to digest to say the least. Just one week ago, my head was seconds away from being separated from the rest of my body.

The Jarl gave me an uncomfortable glance as I heavily walked back up the stairs. He started to speak, but then caught himself, almost as if he suddenly thought of a better thing to say. Taking one last deep breath, the man began.

"It seems the two of us are more connected than what we first thought, Khajiit. It is not mere coincidence that you come to us at the dawn of the end of time. Prophecy spoke about this, but no Nord, nor any other resident of Skyrim, could have known it would happen in his lifetime. Tell me, feline warrior, do you know who called for you?"

I stared back at him blankly, resigning myself to the knowledge that I did, in fact, know very little of what I was being thrown into. I answered with a simple "no", still too taken aback to retain the capability to formulate anything more complex.

"Those were the Greybeards and no one who is still living was alive the last time they called for your kind."

"How long ago did they last call for anyone?" I managed to croak out.

"Well over a hundred years ago, during the time that history remembered the final true dragonslayer - the Dragonborn. They would only be calling again if they believed they had found the next one and there is no doubt in my mind that they are beckoning for you. It is not an invitation one should ignore or delay on. We must get you prepared as soon as possible. By your leave, we will have a caravan ready to take you and your belongings towards Ivarstead, though we can only spare the men for two days. All the guards involved in today's fight have been given the next day off. I would feel as though I did not honor your part in this without extending the same for you."

No objection came from my throat. My bones were sore, my mind was aching and my feet complained even now as I stood stationary. I needed time to dedicate my mind to researching what seemed to be becoming my identity here in these cold lands.

"Thank you, sir. I would be honored to accept."

"I am honored to give it to you. There is a guest room here where you can stay for the night. I would advise getting as much rest as you can, climbing the seven thousand steps of High Hrothgar is no easy feat even for the strongest and most youthful cub or man.

Secondly, I am also awarding you the title of Thane of Whiterun. You have shown bravery and commitment that far outshines what I expected. Khajiits do not have a great reputation in these lands, but you again prove that we are all individuals and should be judged as such. I am sending along Lydia as your personal housecarl, as every Thane is entitled to.

She will journey along with you with the caravan and you are welcome to take her along with you further or, If you prefer to travel alone or with other company, she will come back with the rest of the caravan. The decision is yours."

I nodded to him, offering a small bow of gratitude before directing my attention to the lady nearby.

"Your accompaniment would be most welcome, Lydia."

Turning my gaze back to the Jarl, I brought up the subject that loomed most in my mind.

"Sir, about that room you spoke about. This one would very much like to go to it now."

"Of course, you are excused."

Letting out a breath of relief, I began gathering up my items. Lydia gladly helped me, and then we followed the steward to the room. I let out a gasp upon seeing the satin coverings on what had to the best bed my feline eyes had ever seen. I groaned as I took my armor off and changed into the far more comfortable clothes, every muscle aching in their sense of approval. Adrenaline had helped me ignore the impact of the dragon's tail, but now all that was left was the after affect.

I stretched out as much as I could, my muscles and tendons snapping back into place. Taking no more time, I pulled my exhausted body onto the bed, sunk into it, pulled the covers over myself and closed my eyes, drifting off into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

Pulling the last bits of my armor onto the caravan, I tugged my bag towards myself and fished out an innocuously titled book. Opening the first page, I began to pour over the words, doing all I could to learn all I could without interruption. There had been no objections when I had requested Lydia travel in the caravan with me. I brought her along with me in hopes that she could answer some of the questions I had that I found the book too confusing or riddled to figure out.

Within just the first few hours, she proved to be far more privy on the subject than I had first expected. She had spent years studying the history and culture of her people and of her homeland, much as I had of my own, but she seemed to have a greater understanding of the true significance of the events she had researched. Soon, I put the book down, finding it more than a bit trivial when I had such a bright mind to converse with instead.

We exchanged stories of our childhoods, family, culture, and history. Lydia was one of the many Nords who resented the Empire's rule over her land, choosing to continue to worship Talos even after it had been outlawed. I shared her distrust of the high elves, those who were known by the name of Thalmor. They seemed adept at always meddling with all sorts of affairs and were more than glad to use their standing to influence anyone they could.

She was genuinely happy I was a Khajiit, claiming that she found my kind to be especially intriguing. She pressed me for hours to tell her stories of not only my life, but also the lives of those I knew and also those I knew of. I mentioned to her my affection for the snow leopard back home, choosing to give her the information on my sexuality and judging her based on the response I was given back.

Again, she was nothing but polite, simply nodding and even encouraging me.

"Love is rarely an easy emotion to understand, or to follow. Not many of us are lucky enough to know who it is we want to be with. I am sure that the day will come when you can confidently express your feelings to him, and when you do, I wish only the very best for you both."

I smiled back, almost purring to myself, happy with the knowledge that there was nothing I didn't like about this Lydia. She seemed an able body, one who knew how to fight and someone I could trust. The only question remaining was whether she wanted to leave Whiterun or not.

"Leave Whiterun? There isn't much more I know of that would be more desirable than to leave that place. It is filled with so much bickering and distrust that sometimes I don't even feel safe within its walls. Yes, Selian, I find the idea of adventuring through the tundra with you far superior to staying locked within the walls of such a dysfunctional hold."

That settled it then in my eyes. I would have company now, and good company at that. The sun still shone bright in the sky marking that it was still a large number of hours before night fell and I would join in setting up camp. For now, it was important that I kept myself as well rested as possible. Nodding once more to my new companion, I laid down on the padded bench, closing my eyes once again.

"TO THE LEFT SIDE. THEY'RE ON THE LEFT SIDE!"

I practically jumped into the air, so startled was I when that loud voice boomed out across the caravan. Loud yells could be heard and then the sounds of swords clanging against each other rang out. Lydia was already awake and quickly helped me get my gear on, the leather armor fitting as nicely as before. I retrieved my sword from underneath the bench while Lydia looked out the flap.

"It's a clear exit, let's get down there."

We both jumped out and headed towards the sounds of the melee. Not surprisingly, the caravan guards were involved in battle with a decently sized group of bandits, the fur armor they wore revealing their identity easily. Not wasting any time, I broke into a sprint, arriving to the fray just in time to stop a bandit from landing a death stroke down upon one of the guards.

Flipping back up, I struck the bandit's surprised face with the hilt of my sword, sending him stumbling backwards. Not being able to pursue him, I glanced around, catching sight of another one of his comrades in close quarters, rolling under her as she swung her war hammer at where my head had been just previously. Bounding out of the roll, I turned around, slicing straight through her exposed back. There was no need to watch the show and I continued on, taking out another two bandits before the group began to run off.

Notching an arrow, I aimed at one of the fleeing robbers, letting it go and watching it sail into his hamstring. He let out a loud yowl, letting me immediately identify him as one of my kind. One woman looked back indecisively, but when she saw me pulling back the string on my bow again, she turned around and continued running down the hill.

The Khajiit bandit groaned on the ground, turning around to snarl at me as I crept closer, putting away my bow in favor of my sword. My kind was already a bit unpredictable at times and throwing in the fact that he had joined a crew of bandits meant that unpredictability was mixed with violent tendencies. One careless move by me could easily end in having a tow or limb severed.

Staying back a good five feet from his prone, hissing body, I stared down at him. Lydia was there rather quickly, looking ready to take him out as she had done so to many of the bandits so far, but before she could act, I grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait. There may be more we can get out of this than further bloodshed."

"This one does not need your sympathy, dog!" The Khajiit below spewed out, taking the time to spit at me.

I hissed back in displeasure but didn't break my stance. Lydia seemed anxious to just be rid of him, but she didn't press forward. Turning back to the prone feline, I began questioning him.

"What are you doing out here? Why aren't you back at home in Elsweyr?"

"None of your fucking business! Radulf is here because he chooses to be."

"So, Radulf, you chose to be here, lying on the ground with an arrow protruding from your thigh?"

He snarled back at me.

"Sarcasm is so easy to use when Radulf lies on the ground, is it not? Perhaps if you had an arrow in your leg, you would not find it so fun then, eh?"

"Perhaps if you weren't running around trying to rob people, you wouldn't have found yourself with the arrow in the first place."

"Perhaps if Skyrim would have let this one get a job, he would not have to steal. Maybe if when Radulf found his way to Windhelm, they hadn't yelled at him and made him leave, he wouldn't be here."

"What would you do if you had a job, Radulf?"

The black furred feline looked at himself, shaking some dust from his arms, wincing as his leg contracted.

"Not this. This one does not like this job much. It hurts lots and all the others laugh at him for not speaking like they do."

I turned towards Lydia. I figured she wouldn't be as optimistic about this as I was, but I was rather surprised when she responded before I even asked.

"Most would have killed him without a word or thought as to why he was here. If you're willing to give him a second chance, then I will stand by your decision."

"Does that mean this Khajiit has a job?" Radulf looked up with hope. It was pretty obvious to me that he had only chosen his profession as a last resort, as any Khajiit would be expected to. We were taught as cubs that to beg for anything was the biggest humiliation one could go through and that stealing what one needed was a far better option.

"Yes, though it looks like you'll need to stay off your feet for a few days at least."

Two hours and a bunch of arm twisting later, Radulf was in the caravan with Lydia and me. The two of us had removed his arrow without too much trouble, but there was definitely enough damage done that he would need to stay off that leg as much as possible for a few days. Without the bandit masquerade on, the panther seemed very interested in what I was doing and where I was going. He kept himself very removed from the accompanying Nords, including Lydia, rather instead attaching himself to me.

Lydia paid him no mind, leaving the two of us to converse with each other unheeded. Radulf was from the more desert lands of Elsweyr, a good two days travel from the southern jungles. He had always dreamed of exploring new lands and thought for sure his best opportunity would be in Skyrim. He had come here ready to start his own business of crafting tribal style weaponry, but when he arrived at Windhelm, his dreams slammed to a halt.

"Radulf just wanted to do his job, make his beautiful swords and daggers. When he, I mean I, got there, the guards told me that Khajiit like this one were not welcome in the city and that it was a place for Nords only. Refusing to believe such hurtful words, Khajiit entered anyway, sneaking past the guards and into the hold on his own. His stay did not last long.

Within days, this one became a target for mockery. Radulf was made fun of constantly because he spoke weird. He was told he would be more useful as a rug and that Skyrim did not need freaks like him. A few risings of the sun later, I was cornered in an alley and beaten badly. They took my clothes and my gold, leaving Radulf with a blanket and cup, shivering and naked on the streets, left to beg for my next meal.

This one cried for many hours, he still does for he does not understand why they were so mean. Radulf did nothing to them, yet they took everything from me- my gold, my clothes and my dignity. This one never felt so alone that night, never felt so hopeless. For a few weeks I did beg, working hard for a few bites of food or a fresh drink of water, doing all I could to survive.

One night someone came to me while I tried to sleep. The night was bitterly cold then and my shredded blanket barely covered me while my body shook. She asked me why I allowed myself to live like this, instead of doing what was necessary.

I told her of how I had been beaten and left here without anything. Going anywhere else at that point would have been suicide. She asked me who it was that had left me like this and offered to get him out of the way and me out of here on the condition that I joined her crew. Radulf chose escape over humiliation and later that night she came back with some warm fur clothes and a couple of trinkets for me.

This one thought things were going to be okay, but then a couple days later we raided our first group and killed everyone. It was frightening, but I was too scared to say anything so I went along with it. Foolish Radulf had only gone from one terrible situation to a slightly less one, but he would take anything over begging and so he accepted his new life."

"How do you feel about leaving them now?"

"It is better, if only because you are here. Radulf takes no comfort in the presence of Nords, but you are Khajiit like he is, so he knows you understand. This one would like it very much if he could go with you.

"I would prefer that you avoid getting yourself into too much more trouble Radulf, so I would like it if you did. Do understand, this is not going to be an easy trip. We have many miles to travel and an even longer list of questions to be answered."

"As long as this one does not have to beg, seeing the world with another one of his kind, that is something Radulf would enjoy."

With that, the young feline rested his head against my shoulder and closed his eyes, letting out a small purr as I pulled him closer with an arm. I wasn't sure how Lydia would respond to it, but if it came down to choosing, I would rather go with the young Khajiit. Lydia knew how to live a respectable life, so I knew that she would be fine without me. Radulf, though, had very little direction of his own and nothing good would come out of me leaving him. Nords be damned, Selian would stand by his own.

In time, the night fell and camp was set up. Radulf stayed in the caravan while I helped the rest of the crew out. Soon after, a large fire was lit and a large cache of meat was roasted on the pit. The smell of cooked meat was enough to make my mouth water. I was given a large a piece, part of the juicy hindquarters, along with some stew. Taking it back to the caravan, Radulf and I tore into it, both of us purring loudly with each wonderful bite.

After the stew was finished, I invited the panther over as I laid down, ready to enjoy one more full night of rest before the weeklong journey to Ivarstead. Things were looking up, but from the small time I had spent in Skyrim so far, good things could come to a crashing halt at any time. Therefore, I was determined to fully participate in the positive moments for as long as they were around.

Radulf did not hesitate, seemingly very welcoming of my company. Stretching out along the small bed of cushioning hay, the two of us nuzzled into each other, sharing the warmth of our bodies in a sign of companionship that we Khajiits valued to the highest degree.

The sun outside set on the caravan, leaving the cold night winds to howl against the tents and wagons. Everyone sheltered themselves within their blankets, the constant struggle of life in this cold, bitter province making itself well-known to any who dared challenge it.

Dreams poured throughout my head, the echoing current of time and life sporadically flowing through my brain. There was so much for me to cope with, so many changes and completely unexpected turns to deal with. Just earlier that day, I had been sure I would be traveling with Lydia, but she had informed me that while she held nothing against me for my decision, she was not comfortable with moving on with a former bandit. She told me she would be going back with the caravan, but did wish both me and Radulf the best of luck on our continued journey.

Flashes played in my vision, suddenly jumping to a new part of my sub consciousness; in front of me stood a snow leopard, my snow leopard. I walked towards him, but he pushed me away, simply glaring at me, no through me. Confused, I turned around and saw the silhouette of a diminutive panther holding himself close, shivering through the cold wind's howling.

I turned back to the lover in my dreams. He pointed at the miserable panther and I could hear five words echo loudly in my ears.

"You take care of him."

I simply nodded, walking towards the black feline, wrapping my arms around his nearly naked body. He slumped into my arms, pushing his head into my chest, a sobbing mess that I cradled as the world slipped into blackness yet again.