All Roads Lead To You (A Skyrim Romance Mod fanfic)

Chapter Two

Karnwyr was waiting for Bishop patiently outside the inn, as if he knew his companion was on his way. The wolf fell into step beside Bishop as they headed west out of town. Absently, Bishop cast his eyes up to the Throat of the World, the towering mountain that loomed over Whiterun Hold. Ever since he and every other man, woman, child, and beast alike had heard the strange shout come from the mountain peak a month earlier, Bishop had been on edge. The sudden rise of dragons just before that hadn't helped much, and Skyrim had been rife with fear and rumor ever since. People had been saying that a Dragonborn had risen. Bishop wasn't sure what to make of that. He'd never been one for myths and legends, and didn't care much about history. He wouldn't even have believed that the dragons had returned if he hadn't seen them for himself. He didn't know much about them, either, except that they were huge, mean, and a bitch to take down. He'd never considered Skyrim a peaceful country, but compared to what it was now, it had definitely seen better days. Even so, Bishop hadn't encountered dragons often thus far, and he was more annoyed that they were competition for game than anything else. They seemed more likely to attack open towns like Morthal or Winterhold than they were to come after a lone man in the woods, especially if that man did nothing to attract their attention.

Bishop was good at not attracting attention when he so chose.

Today, however, was a good day. The morning dawned clear and cold, but somewhat warmer than the day before, and the forests were almost tranquil. Not a dragon in sight. Bishop and Karnwyr spent the day tracking elk and deer, Bishop's arrow flying true and taking down his prey neatly and quickly. By late afternoon, the two of them had made several good kills; one elk, two deer, seven rabbits, and two goats between them. Bishop made a fire and set to work skinning and cleaning game, with the exception of two rabbits, which he gave to Karnwyr to eat right away- he'd caught them, after all. Bishop carefully stripped pelts and divided cuts of meat, some to sell at the next town and some to smoke to add to their provisions and a little for that day's dinner. Finally, when he was finished, he cleaned the blood from himself as best he could with snow melted over the fire, thinking he'd wash properly in the river before entering Riverwood; the villagers there didn't care for him much, and the guards had given him grief the last time he and Karnwyr had strolled inside the gates smelling of blood. He just wanted to sell what he had and move on.

After a dinner of greasy venison and grilled leaks, Bishop sat back against a tree, gazing into the bright fire and feeling drowsy and content. Karnwyr lay close by, gnawing serenely on a bone. Bishop let his mind wander as his eyelids began to grow heavy, and he wondered if dragons were edible and, if they were, if they were half as delicious as Skyrim deer.

He was half asleep, thinking about how long it would take to skin a dragon when a bone-chilling roar shattered the calm with violent force. Bishop was on his feet before the roar ceased to echo in his ears, Karnwyr beside him, hackles raised. Bishop snatched his bow and quiver from where they waited, propped against the tree, and nocked an arrow. The roar was familiar by now, but just as it had the first time, it made Bishop's blood run cold. He waited, and the dragon roared again- above, and just north of his camp. He kicked out his fire and crept forward, keeping his bow at the ready.

"Stay with me," he muttered sternly to Karnwyr, who was snarling quietly, yellow eyes intent on the trees ahead. They moved silently through the patchy snow, keeping close to the trees and staying out of open spaces. The dragon shrieked again, closer now. It seemed to be attacking something deeper in the woods, and Bishop hoped it was just a bear or some overzealous mage, and that once the dragon killed what- or whoever was annoying it, it would move on. He wasn't that interested in trying a dragon steak, after all.