Magnificent YCH by great Amu
Original - tba

   A week had passed since M’Ria’s clash with the Forsworns. She kept moving southeast, toward the pine forests of Falkreath — simply because it was warmer there. The damp, piercing winds of the Reach had long since worn out her patience, and since she had not yet learned any spell to protect herself from cold, she had to rely only on her fur and whatever clothing she had scavenged from the dead Forsworns. Her own outfit had fallen into rags a long time ago, and the hunting knife she once carried was lost during a brief skirmish.

   However, calling it “clothing” was generous at best. The fur scraps, roughly stitched into a short top and a loincloth that revealed far more than they covered, were barely worthy of the word. What bothered her most was that there was almost no cover in the Reach — just juniper shrubs and the occasional snowberry bush that barely kept her hunger at bay. She felt constantly exposed, her distinctive fur making her stand out like a torch in the open. She skirted Forsworn camps in wide arcs, avoided caves and Nordic ruins, let alone Dwemer ones, and crept along cliffs to stay out of sight. She slept half-awake, reacting to every rustle.

   At last, M’Ria reached the border of Falkreath Hold, marked by the edge of a forest. Even the air here seemed fresher, warmer, filled with the scent of pine, resin, and mountain flowers that bloomed abundantly in Skyrim. “And I could hunt here, too!” she thought, heartened, and pressed on with renewed energy.
Her ordeal had entered its fifth week, and the end was finally near. On the forest edge, she stumbled across a small pond¹, fed by a stream that tumbled down a series of low waterfalls. She looked around cautiously. A thin veil of mist hung over the water’s surface, butterflies and dragonflies darted here and there, a faint chime of Nirnroot was heard nearby, and mossy stone pillars jutted up from the pond itself. Idyllic scene. Beneath the glassy surface, her sharp eyes caught a glint.

   “Fish!” the thought burst into her mind. Trying to fish in the icy waters of the Reach would’ve meant frostbite at best, and there were no lakes there anyway — only raging rivers and towering waterfalls. But here, she finally had a chance.

   – Hm, no one around... – M’Ria muttered, sniffing the air, her ears swiveling like little furry radars. – I haven’t had proper meat in so long, I might just jump on a raw fish the moment I catch one.

   She smirked to herself. Talking out loud had become a habit after weeks of solitude. Carefully, she crept closer to the pond and crouched on all fours over the water’s edge. The trees creaked around her, dragonflies buzzed. Her tail swayed impatiently behind her, exposing her bare rear.

   – Merrunz whiskers, this loincloth doesn’t cover anything... – she grumbled quietly, shivering as the breeze teased the tender flesh between her thighs. – I just hope no one’s spying on me... that’d be embarrassing.

   Chuckling softly to herself, the young Khajiit focused on the water. So focused was she on her prey that she didn’t notice the subtle crackling of branches nearby got louder. With one swift movement, she struck, claws flashing, and snatched a fish. “Cyrodilic Spadetail”, surfaced in her memory. Her mouth watered as she grinned, saliva gathering as she smacked the wriggling creature against the ground. But it refused to die, thrashing wildly, nearly slipping from her grasp. With no better idea, she sank her teeth into it to finish the job. The taste was... questionable. With the fish still in her mouth, M’Ria already prepared to catch another one.

   That was when the sound of cracking branches became too loud to ignore. She spun around — just in time to see the forest spirits surrounding her. Spriggans. One of them already raised its clawed, branch-like arm to strike.

   Her eyes widened in panic. She was too tired and there was no room to dodge — another Spriggan blocked her retreat. A sharp ache of despair pricked her chest. To have escaped slavery, to train so hard for months, to nearly finish her trial — only to die now, carelessly, pointlessly. The second it took for the Spriggan’s blow to fall stretched into an eternity.

   But just as death loomed inches away, something crashed into the creature, hurling it into the pond. A blazing firebolt.

   Blinking, stunned, she saw the other Spriggans consumed by searing flames.

   – Ahem... – a voice came from behind her.

   – Ayaaah! – M’Ria half-yelped, half-meowed, leaping to her feet and spinning around, the fish fell out of her mouth on the ground. – M-Maks..?

   – Yes. Were you expecting someone else? – he said flatly, as he always did, smirking slightly at the scene.

   – N-no... – she lowered her gaze, ears drooping. – I... I failed, didn’t I? That was so stupid of me... Th-thank you... for saving me. Again. So... that’s it, then? I failed the trial...
The look on her face was almost painful to see — a mixture of childish frustration, bitterness, and the sting of defeat.

   – Stand up, – Maks said curtly. – When the trial began, it was noon.

   M’Ria looked at him, puzzled, one ear flickered.

   – Right now it’s the 30th day. One hour past noon, – he explained. A second, another, and realisation hit her.

   – I... I actually made it? – she asked, barely daring to believe it.

   He only nodded.

   – I made it? I made it! – she laughed with joy, her voice trembling with relief. – I’m so happy... Wait. If the trial ended an hour ago, you were here? Why didn’t you tell me?

   – I didn’t want to interrupt you, – he shrugged.

   – Didn’t want... So you were watching! – she was usually less blunt with her Mentor, but now all the tension of the past weeks burst out at once. Her cheeks flushed beneath her short fur, and the tips of her ears and nose betrayed her embarrassment all the more. – Back then! And now!

   – I have no idea what you mean, – Maks replied as calmly as ever. – Come. I’ll make us dinner. You’ve earned it.

   M’Ria’s stomach let out a loud growl, making her blush even more. She hurried up on her feet, not forgetting the fish.

   – Thank you, I’m starving. And I need new clothes...

¹Evergreen Grove, west of Falkreath.

M'Ria ©