She'd never known hunger like this before.

In Blackfeather Woods, there was always something juicy to find in the caches. If she played it well enough, she could manage to snare the odd rodent here and there. Even on their journey to and from the Bypass, she'd not gone more than a day or two without a meal.

But Maegi hadn't had a proper meal in days. Instead, she drifted in and out of delirious sleep, and the morsels brought to her had either sat in her stomach like a rock, or she'd vomited it up, dizzy from the pain of the blow to her head.

The wolves of this mountain weren't keen to let her go anytime soon. . .but she was in no shape to try and escape their clutches. She was trapped.

Whimpering, she lay on her side, stomach only barely rising and falling as she drew shallow breaths. Fatigue gripped her body like a vise; she felt rooted to the earth like the trees. Her mismatched eyes stared listlessly ahead, looking for any signs of movement.

There must be a guard here somewhere; even if she did have the strength to get up and run, they'd hunt her down with alacrity.

She'd never known fear like this, either.

A black feather, beneath her paws. She'd taken it gently between her teeth, after lifting the boulder that pressed it to the ground. It was a bit weathered, but still largely intact, nearly as soft and gleaming as the day her brother had presented it to her.

"For the you, now."

"I keep for. . .forever."

She'd cradled it to her body as she slept, grief racking her body in waves the night after Cicero and her brothers had departed. Tearlessly wept, wondering when they'd return. . .and if she'd made a terrible mistake.

"Wake up."

It was Euron's voice in her ear, but the paw that slammed down next to her head was considerably larger then her brother's. His next words went unheard as she winced, skull throbbing. She cringed away, eyelids peeling open to slits as she peered up at him.

He bore a striking resemblance to Aries, and for a long second, she thought it was him, come to rescue her from this hell. But while the Svartell's eyes were cruel, this young man's were crueler still, and he held notes of brown in his pelt that her friend did not have. With a small shudder, she rolled onto her belly, sitting up as much as her aching body would allow.

"Who are you?" she murmured, voice hoarse with disuse. "What do you want from me?"

Molag Bai.

The name shivered through her mind as she stared at this demon boy, eyes almost reminiscent of Melonii indigo--but lighter, more icy--gleaming as he taunted her. Molag Bai. It had been her brother Ganondorf's other name, but she had seen nothing of that daedric prince in her russet elder sibling--but she saw Molag here, in this dark place. She had been captured, enslaved. . .and now was at his mercy.

He talked of sacrifice. And the name he gave: Skullchaser. It all was reminiscent of her own home, her own place of darkness, and her fear began to dissipate. He spoke of gruesome things, but she was a child of the darkness. She'd seen death. She'd seen the eyes of gods and demons in her dreams.

Maegi made no response to the man, blocking out his words as she began to whisper:

"Oh Mephala,
Mighty weaver of our destiny,
Receive our prayer,
Have mercy on us,
Speak to us in our dreams
Because we are your unworthy servants."

She would chant until he cut her off, her tongue not ceasing, willing the Night Mother to appear before her. It had been her very first prayer learned, and it held a special magic to her. She could only hope that that magic would spare her life on this mountain.

He seemed disconcerted by her lack of emotion, and that pleased her. A small smile curled the edges of her lips as she continued to whisper, voice pitched lower and lower until it was no more than a faint note in the chilly air. She felt Mephala's presence even here, wrapped around her with the warmth of a mother's touch, strengthening--

Maegi was knocked aside by the man's blow, tumbling over like a leaf in the breeze. So weak, she attempted to scramble to her feet but fell again with a muffled thud on the ground, whimpering in pain. His jaws were cruel and cold and so incredibly close, but it was his words that bit into her like teeth.

"I might be a child but I am not dumb," she hissed, truly insulted. "My gods can help me anywhere I go. Squeeze my throat and. . ." She narrowed her eyes at him, but her entire body shook. It was a show of bravado, her speech, but inside, she was more terrified than she'd ever been before. This was real, true danger she found herself in--and no one was here to help her.

"Sithis will come for you," Maegi growled, tail lashing in fury behind her. She rolled into a crouch, waiting for his next retort.

For the briefest of moments, she thought she had won. He seemed taken aback by her words, as if he'd truly taken them to heart. She was astonished, incredibly pleased with herself. To stop a wolf with mere words? She had power. For the first time in her young life, she truly believed she had power.

Only for that power to slip away, and all the feelings of self-satisfaction with it, as he lunged for her face.

Maegi thought he meant to make good on his promise to go for her throat and had only an instant to feel fear, the shadow of death paralyzing her body. Not even a moment to spare for a prayer before this young man ended her life, nor time to think of the ones she'd leave behind. It was fear. All fear.

But for one reason or another, he spared her from complete destruction, instead sinking his teeth into the flesh of her muzzle and ripping outwards, leaving a jagged wound from the corner of her mouth to her ear--a sinister crimson crescent just above the edge of her jaw. She stumbled backward--it had all happened so fast.

And Maegi was shocked. No one had ever tried to hurt her. Not even Potema, who hated her, who could have taken her life at any given moment, had touched her. Even the collar had felt like no great malevolence, just an inconvenience. But this--this was a wound, a real wound, and someone had done her real pain.

It took a couple of seconds before the pain set in as she sat gaping at her attacker. Then it hit like a bolt of lightning, fire across her cheek, and she let out a piercing howl, nearly tumbling backwards in her panicked agony. Her vision blurred, dimmed, and she heard nothing but the roaring of her pulse in her ears, not even the demon's parting, mocking words.

Blood slipped down her muzzle and cheek, stained her snowy chest. Pattered onto the ground like rain.

There were no words for what she felt. Every syllable was inadequate. She felt as if she stood on a precipice, the yawning darkness before her. It was her mind drifting on the edge of consciousness, but in her young mind, Maegi stood on the edge of the Void, the voices of the daedra and the deceased calling to her in one wall of sound, at once a scream and a whisper.

She swore she could hear Miraak.

Then she snapped back to herself and saw, through blurred vision, Moonshadow appear, one of the most unlikely heroes she could think of. This wasn't the situation to be choosy, though, and Maegi could only tremble as the dark woman spoke, her voice full of a confidence she hadn't held back in the Woods. Giving her enough time to feel regret.

She was not only a child, she was dumb, for thinking she could find her brothers on her own. She'd ran her mouth, gotten herself snatched up by a witch and thrust into the jaws of a sadist. She was a child, and any child in her situation might very well break down and sob, as she'd done when Cicero had taken Ramsay and Euron away. She'd have every right to do so in this hellish situation.

But Maegi knew she did not have the luxury to weep. Not here. Not now. And above all the voices that howled in her head like a brutal storm, one cried loudest: that of her own conscience.

Run.

Adrenaline coursing through her veins, and despite the slow pour of blood from her face, Maegi left Moonshadow to her battle with the fearsome man and took off at a mad pace, heedless of which direction she went.