Chapter 3 - Hypothermia

Rustlief awoke with a barely contained scream. The nightmares had grown steadily worse over the past few days, and he felt that something was mocking him. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at his wife. It appeared that she too was having trouble sleeping. She twitched in the throes of a nightmare, clutching her pregnant belly. He shook her gently on the shoulder.

Seren blinked, looking around with wild eyes. “Oh, beloved!” she cried, reaching for him. “Our baby... I dreamed that they were going to cut it out of me!”

He held her tight. “I know,” he said, regretting his decision to return to Dawnstar. “I hope someone can so something about these nightmares soon.” The wind howled outside the house, and the fire was dying. Rustlief gave Seren one final hug then crawled out of bed. There was no point in trying to sleep again, so he added some more wood to the fire and began to get dressed.

He opened the door a crack and saw the faint light of dawn beyond the howling storm. Just another day in Dawnstar, he thought to himself. He latched the door again and went back to the hearth. Breakfast for the two of them was a stew made from wolf meat and cabbage. It warmed his belly as he sat by the fire, reading a book. He had plenty of orders to fill at his forge, but he wasn't going to get much done with the storm howling outside. Better to wait for it to subside.

Seren got up and ate her breakfast beside him. There was a silence between them as the Redguard woman patiently began sweeping the floor. Life in this new land proved to be harder than she had expected, and the nightmares only added to her misery.

From outside came a thump. Rustlief looked up from his book and his eyes went to the door. The thump against their porch came again. Seren went over to the door and cautiously opened it to see what had made the noise. “There's someone out there!” she said.

Rustlief got up from his chair and grabbed his sword from the mantle as Seren lost her grip on the door. It flew open, banging the outer wall hard enough to make the whole house shudder. Rustlief peered through the snow and saw a figure crumpled on the stairs in front of their house. Cautiously he advanced, his blade drawn, and saw that it was a Khajiit.

Ice clung to the cat man's fur and he looked nearly dead. Unlike most Nords of Skyrim, Rustlief had traveled a bit in his youth, and had prior dealings with the mysterious cat people. Without hesitation, he dropped his sword and reached for the man, grabbing him under the arms and hauling him into the house.

Seren pulled the door closed as Rustlief dropped the frozen Khajiit near the fire. “What is it husband?” she asked, looking down at the strange, still form.

“A Khajiit,” he said. “From the lands of Elsweyr.” He pulled the blanket off the bed and put it over the stranger, attempting to warm him up. “I traveled with a caravan of them once, long before I met you. You could say I'm indebted to them,” he said, throwing another log on the fire.

“He looks dead,” Seren said, feeling the stranger's neck for a pulse. “Are you sure we aren't inviting trouble by helping him?”

Rustlief shook his head. “If there's one thing I know about Khajiit, it's that they are usually loyal to those who save their life.” He paused, then stoked the fire a bit more.

Seren felt a weak pulse beneath the furry skin. The cat man began to shiver as the warmth of the fire thawed his nearly frozen blood.

Ra'Kam awoke to the smell of food. He blinked a few times, unsure of his surroundings. There was a fire nearby and for a moment he thought he had passed on to Paradise. “Looks like he's finally awake,” said a woman's voice from nearby.

His entire body felt sore from the ordeal he had just endured, and the warmth of the fire was wonderful. He looked around and saw that he was in a cozy house. A dark skinned woman was sitting in a chair next to him, and she watched him with cautious eyes. “Ra'Kam is alive?” he asked her.

She nodded, then stood up and knocked on the wall of the house. A large Nord man entered shortly after, and smiled down at him. “We weren't sure you would survive,” he said.

Ra'Kam returned the smile. “Ra'Kam is grateful,” he said, trying to sit up, but all of his muscles felt stiff.

“Take it easy there,” Rustlief said. “Hypothermia takes time to recover from.”

Ra'Kam relaxed, feeling the warmth of the fire reaching the marrow of his bones. “This one is in your debt, friend,” he said, his eyes suddenly feeling very heavy. Just a bit of sleep was all he needed.

Rustlief watched the Khajiit fall back to sleep, and under his breath he said “Consider our debts paid.” He looked at his wife and said “Let him sleep for a while. Hopefully the nightmares won't affect him like they have done to us.”