Oh my gosh! A chapter? No way! Yeah, I updated! Read on people!

Chapter 17: The Boredom of a Certain Khajiit Leads to Unending Madness

"Yech! You mean to beat the smithereens out of some ordinary people, then make them hate me, and then! Ugh, ruin their public images in front of people? What kind of despicable person are you?" An inhuman voice hissed.

"Well, I knew it! Aren't you supposed to be somewhere right now? Hmm… Yes! You are, Taelin. You followed me! Is Vilka-" Khazura yowled.

"Shut up, Khazura. I know I was supposed to find you, but then someone went off and hid in the orphanage with the rest…" Taelin dropped off implying.

"Wha? You… You know?

"How could I not?" Taelin stressed, clearly agitated at her surroundings."I was the Listener. I think oh no... You and I have some talking to do, little one."

"Okay. I- I have a job to do though. I need the money from them." Khazura muttered.

"Lass, is everything alright? Who's this? A friend?" Brynjolf inquired.

"Everything is fine, Byrnjolf. This is Taelin, who wants to join the guild as well." Khazura said quickly, avoiding any further questions.

"Oh? Well, lass, you have the same task as she does. Collect money from Bersi Honey-Hand, Keerava, and Haelga. They have some weaknesses, which I am sure you'll be able to figure out. The two of you together should make a good deal of money." Brynjolf mused.

"Khazura. I'll take Haelga, I have some problems with her anyways, and you take the other two." Taelin said, clearly unhappy that she was now rejoining the Thieves Guild.

"Khazura, eh? I thought your name was Istarie, lass. Let's make things clear, we are thieves; we lie, we steal, we cheat, but not from each other. I'll let it slide this time, Khazura." Brynjolf said sternly.

"Ah... alright." She squeaked, embarrassed by the lie.

"Istarie? Oops. My bad." Taelin hissed angrily.

The two of them exited the Ratway, and headed towards the Bee and Barb. Khazura was shoved down into a chair across from Taelin, and the Wood Elf hissed with her body shaking with anger.

"You are an idiot! This is exactly what happened to me! I had been sentenced to life in prison, I escaped my problem, and had to save the world! Several times! I wasn't the best hero, I was an assassin, thief, mage and a winner of the arena. You are blindly walking into the same trap that I did. Yes, you have to save the world. I'm not denying that, but you murdered. You killed! In cold blood! Yeah, I can't say anything about murder, but you don't know what you're getting into. Meddling with darker stuff. Daedra, the gods, certain death... stuff like that." Taelin ranted.

"Woah! I'll stop you before you go on a full tirade. This is my life, my chance to make mistakes. I'm turning fourteen soon. In fact, I am fourteen. A week ago. I need to learn from my mistakes. I'm young! I hear this from everyone. Yet I'm not allowed to make the same mistakes as you all are? In fact, most kids don't have to worry about anything except for what they have to eat for the day. Well, guess what? I need a type of income. If it's thieving, that's what I'll do. If it's... assassination... I guess I'll do that. I'm not a terrible person. I don't find pleasure in cold blooded murder. I understand what you're coming from, and I respect that. Everyone feels that they need to protect me since I'm small, insanely important, and for some reason you like me." Khazura interrupted.

She continued, "I am the Dragonborn. I am a puny spec in time, that can change the course of history. I need to be able to protect myself, yes, I am a dragon, but I can't always be in that form. If I don't learn the skills of an assassin, thief, or a Companion, I will die."

Seeing the newcomers, Talen-Jei walked over to them asking if they wanted drinks. Khazura politely asked him to leave, before Taelin was going to stab him in the hand with her daggers.

"You need to calm down. I get that you're pissed, and technically it's your job to be the calm one, you know." Khazura sighed, bemused with the situation.

"You are correct. I... I do need to calm down. I just have been on edge lately, I feel like something is going to happen." Taelin admitted.

"Then make something happen. Better decide for yourself instead of fate. That's what I would do. You've been pretty dutiful to fate; it's time you've changed that. I don't like conforming to others' will, and I don't think you do either. You know what? I think it's time you joined the Dark Brotherhood again. I already killed people, you have killed people, I steal stuff, you steal stuff, what's the harm? Come on... We do absolutely everything together! It's crazy..." Khazura sighed.

"That is true. We are strangely similar, you and I. It's the Divines fault, for sure, or at least Akatosh. Alright. But here's the thing you have to promise me; you won't take more than four contracts every six months in the Brotherhood. I'll do more work, I'm used to it. You however? You don't know what it'll do to you. Murder changes people, even if they think it won't." Taelin said.

Khazura nodded her head, and they drank from the cups in front of them. After a few moments, Khazura's eyes began to water, a strange filmy haze filling her vision. Taelin's face swirled in an abnormal way in front of her, and she passed out with a weak hiss.

"What happened?" A male voice growled.

"I don't know, she was drinking from her cup and then she hissed at me, and then passed out. I took her here because I thought you lot should know what to do. Figured you've dealt with unfriendly drinks before." A familiar woman said.

Khazura groggily sat up, her eyes sealed shut and her ears snapped against her skull. She could barely hear the words being said, and the only sense she could really rely on was the scents of the people, and she finally recognized Brynjolf and Taelin.

"Lie down now, lass. You've had a nasty poison through your body, and we're still waiting for it to flush outta your system. Not before long though, and you'll be able to collect our debts..." Brynjolf reminded her.

"Wha? Oh. Taelin?" Khazura muttered weakly.

"Yes?"

"Did you at least collect Keerava's debt? While we were there?"

"Ah... no. I pulled you out of the inn as quickly as possible, can't just leave the young little one to fend for herself... passed out." Taelin laughed.

"Oh. Can you do that now? I'm safe here, I think. If not, you know I can protect myself." She said with an underlying tone.

"Mhmm. Brynjolf, if I find her dead or severely injured, I'm blaming you." Taelin said unnervingly cheerful.

Taelin walked with a spring in her step, her back lined with sharp weapons, gold in her coinpurse, and she knew she could fly with the wind at any given time. For once, life was good. She walked back into the Bee and Barb, pulled out her knife and was picking her nails in front of Keerava. The Argonian barkeep was glancing over at her, and finally asked her if she needed anything.

"Well, you see, I hear you owe the Guild some money. I don't know about you but I like this inn. In fact I like you Keerava, you've always been a good innkeeper, and because I'm also a Companion, I'll make you an exception. But you see the woman over there? Sapphire? Well, she's also in the Guild, and they need to 'see' me rough you up and take your gold. I'm willing to pay your fee for you, it's only a hundred Septims, so I can afford it. So, what I need you to do is pass me that coinpurse you have underneath the bar that I know is your fee you've been hiding, and I'll slide you the equal amount at the same time. Deal? Now if you are agreeing, don't say anything, just act like this has never happened." Taelin chirped.

Keerava blinked, startled at this rapid change of events, and she instantly put on a gruff face and hissed angrily.

"Now now, Taelin. No need to get rough with me. I understand I owe the Guild, and normally under circumstances I also understand that Byrnjolf comes himself. Doesn't even bother does he? Well. I'd like you to give him a message for me; that skeever-faced whore can come back when the moon rises in the day." Keerava spat.

Taelin nodded her head, slowly passed the coins to Keerava as she took the coinpurse. Keerava crossed her arms, and watched the Wood Elf leave her inn.

Khazura sat on a small cot, her tail twitching and whipping around. Byrnjolf sat in front of her, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed.

"Well, lass, I can't let you go. You are injured, and you know it. Lass!" Brynjolf muttered, as she launched herself out of the cot.

"One thing Brynjolf; you can't make a Khajiit do anything they don't want to do. We aren't stupid you know..." Khazura said, as she sprinted outside the doors.

Standing at the bottom of Riften, Khazura sighed heavily. Sprinting away from Brynjolf had taxed much of her energy, and she squinted her eyes in the bright sunlight.

"Oh shit. I forgot that Taelin is expecting me to be in bed."

Rubbing her hands together, a devilish smirk came upon her mouth.

"I guess this task will require a great deal of sneakiness, skill, and also foolishness. Fun times!"

She scampered up the stairs to the leveled ground of the city, and glanced around warily. She pulled her cloth hood up to cover her face, until she realized that she had a tail.

"Oh come on! I hate being the only Khajiit allowed in cities. It isn't fair..."

Sighing, Khazura continued around Riften trying to locate a good building to climb. When she came across the temple of Mara, she hauled herself up onto its low roof. She scrambled around on its tiles until she figured out how to walk safely on them.

"Woo. Alright, I got that down. All I need to do now is to reach the main gates without Taelin finding me."

Flipping up onto a manor that was close by, she raced upon the roof to the next, arcing across the sunset sky.

She reached the last house, and she dropped down next to a Riften guard. The guard shrieked, and she tossed her hands up.

"D-Daedra! Get out! I want nothing from you, you fiendish daedra!"

Khazura decided to have some fun, and she hissed with an eerie screech to her voice. She imitated Dresha's angry squawks, and the guard threw the doors open to the outside of the city. Khazura scampered out screeching, and had the largest grin plastered on her face.

When she reached the wilderness outside of the city, she steadied herself, about to use her draconic form when she heard Vilkas' gruff voice behind her.

"Where's Taelin? We need to continue on our quest, and if we don't, I'll be forced to return to Jorrvaskr without her. I don't think either of us want that." Vilkas muttered.

"Oh? You want Taelin to be a Companion? That's new. Oh, she should be inside the city, I'm returning to Whiterun I think. Or maybe I'll go to Windhelm, I've got some business to conclude there." Khazura chirped.

"Windhelm? I can't let you go there alone. It's a racist city, and the Khajiiti people are definitely not accepted there. They might kill you, or torture you. I don't know." Vilkas stated.

"Oh. That's... pleasant. I think I could handle it on my own, and like you said, you and Taelin need to complete your quest. I'm gonna fly to Windhelm, so I should be safe as long as I don't run into anything too terribly dangerous. I do know I can take down a dragon in that form at least. I guess I could wait around a day or two if it would make you feel better, so you could come with." Khazura said, thinking.

"Yeah. I need to make sure your safe and all, specially being the Dragonborn. Can't have you die, or we all are dead."

"Thaaaaanks. I feel loved Vilkas. Thanks."

Vilkas nodded his head, and headed back to Riften. Khazura sighed, and whistled for her clannfear friend. Dresha must have been close by, for he rushed out of a copse of trees quickly. Blood was stained on his beakish snout, and Khazura squinted her eyes at him.

"Having dinner without me? Pah. After all we've been through. I've even taken down a mammoth for us..."

Dresha squeaked at her, clacking his beak together.

"Oh! That hurt! You say I caught it for only me? Pshhhh. Now would I do that?" Khazura laughed. "Maybe you're right."

Shooing him out of the way, she circled around the clearing she had found, and decided it was large enough to transform into. She focused hard, and called upon her blood to fill up her form. A slight pop filled the air, and she snapped into dragon form. Rustling her scales and spines around, she stretched out her wings trying to relieve herself of a few kinks. Khazura blinked a few times, readjusting her eyes to the now-darkened sky. She growled a bit, feeling the powerful rumbles shake her being, and she opened her leathery sails to launch into the sky. She let out a powerful roar to the sky, watching as she startled flocks of birds into the air, and she swooped up higher, tasting the sky.

Khazura was sitting on the side of a mountain crag, and her wings clutched at stone while her tail flicked around wildly. She was tasting the air, trying to find a good nesting spot for a day or two. She needed to stay in the area, but be far enough away from Riften so that nobody would try and hunt her down. She wasn't excited about staying in a cave that wasn't her own for awhile, so instead she decided to call on Yolvolbur.

"Yol...Volbur... Lok!" She Shouted.

Her tail twitched around as she waited, and soon enough a copper dragon flew across the wintry sky, snow swirling around as his wingbeats stirred the air.

"Ah... Malvokunkaaz! I knew this was your Thu'um I heard. Your Voice has become stronger, I am proud to say. Mal gein, hi lost naram. Zu'u los zokah." Yolvolburlok said proudly.

"Nox hi, mindovin." Khazura thanked him, her tail curling up in happiness.

"So, Malvokunkaaz, why have you called me to you? Fos los trun? I am willing to help."

"I... uh... I needed to find a cave that I could stay in for a couple days. I still do not have the skills of a true dovah, so I called upon you."

"Eh, prem, goraan gein. Heifent mindos ko hin meyar tiid." Yolvolbur said quietly.

He continued on, "It is alright, though. I musn't expect you to learn everything on your own. I thought you had your own dwelling, yes?"

"I do, Yolvolbur. Zu'u krosis, lost funt hi."

"Do not be sorry. Also, Malvokunkaaz, you have not failed me. You expect too much of yourself. In fact, the fault belongs to me; you asked for help and I did not give it. That is not what the Bonded do...Frolaaz zey nii los dii noraas." Yolvolbur explained.

"Ah. Well. I don't know what to say now..." Khazura muttered.

A deep rumbling rolled out of Yolvolbur, his amusement shaking the still air. His laugh rocked across the skies, and the silence beforehand cracked.

"Oh, Malvokunkaaz. You amuse me greatly. The dov do not have the same humor as mortals, and you are too honest. You are most definitely dovah."

Khazura laughed weakly, and her wings rustled around.

"About your cave, I would suggest to challenge another dov, or clear out a bandit cave. Otherwise, keep to the skies, and eat often." Yolvolbur said, lifting his wings off into the skies.

"Guur, Malvokunkaaz."

"Guur, Yolvolburlok. Aal hin yol kos mul, ahrk hin viing haalvut lok."

"Bleeeeeeuh! I hate bandits! They annoy me. They're like ants in this form! Swarming everywhere and shooting me with small tiny arrows!" Khazura screeched, as she hovered over a small bandit keep.

An arrow shot by a frightened bandit archer arced into the sky, twanging off of her hard scales. One other archer had a lucky strike, and gained purchase into a small chink in her hardened armor.

"Hi hinzaal joor! Zu'u los dovah, ahrk hin slen faas dii suleyk! Zu'u vis fraan hin faas." She screamed angrily, unleashing a torrent of acrid fire.

The flames encircled the two archers, and the smell of burning armor and flesh wavered in the air. Khazura wrinkled her nose, her teeth exposed. The bandit chief emerged from the inner keep, wondering what the fuss was about. He roared a challenge at her, and she snorted. She roared back at him, and he stood firm, although he was shaking in fear.

"You stupid lizard! I'll cut out your scales and fashion myself armor out of your bones! You may be mighty and strong, but you're dumber than one of those measly Khajiit!" The chief yelled.

Sliding back into a string of dragonish and common speech, Khazura roared insults at him like pouring rain.

"Joore! I hate it when mortals insult the Khajiit!"

"You cannot- wait... you speak with our tongue." The chief said, his eyes widened.

Deciding to terrify this stupid chief, she slid out of her draconic form, landing on the earth with a soft thump.

"You're a kid! And... oh by the Divines... a Khajiit!"

"That's right. And now, you'll be dead. This keep is nice, I think I'll keep it."

The last thing the chief ever remembered was the sound of his blood pouring out of his abdomen, a dagger glinting in the sunlight.

"Dresha, please go get a deer or something... Now that I'm back into my dragon form, and I'm particularly lazy as of right now..." Khazura trailed off, implying.

The clannfear squawked angrily, and curled up into an angry lump. Khazura sighed at him, but rustled her scales. She launched into the air, hoping to find some source of food. She came across a rather large stag, and she pinned it to the ground quickly. Her weight snapped its spine, and she launched back into the skies to return to her brooding clannfear. They dined together, and after she scorched the remains to ashes, she curled up around her small friend, and released herself into the darkened world of sleep.

Well. That only took like half a year. I am so sorry for the extremely late update, but life is crazy as we all know. However, I think I'll be able to update on a more regular basis, and I'll try to. No promises. Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ;)

"Mal gein, hi lost naram. Zu'u los zokah." = Little one, you have grown. I am proud.

"Nox hi." = Thank you.

"Fos los trun?" = What is the matter?

"Eh, prem, goraan gein. Hi fent mindos ko hin meyar tiid." = Ah, patience, young one. You shall learn in your own time.

"Frolaaz zey nii los dii noraas." = Forgive me, it is my blame.

"Guur." = Goodbye.

"Aal hin yol kos mul, ahrk hin viing haalvut lok." = May your fire be strong, and may your wings always touch the sky.

"Hi hinzaal joor! Zu'u los dovah, ahrk hin slen faas dii suleyk! Zu'u vis fraan hin faas." =You stupid mortal! I am dragon, and you fear my power! I can feel your fear.