Margaret
"Aye, that's because I wasn't raised by others of my kind- my folks left me in the middle of a forest in northern Cyrodiil and went off to who knows where. Would've died there if it weren't for being happened upon by Adlof. Just a humble farmer and a great man who was paying a visit to some relatives in Bruma when he found me. Rather than leave me there in the woods, he brought me back home with him, here in Skyrim."

*Rodric smiled a bit as he spoke of his adoptive father, eternally grateful for the modest soul that saved his life. He never was one to believe in the Divines, but he did believe in miracles, and the chance encounter that gave him a chance at life was nothing short of a miracle.*
Elizabeth
"Seems he did a fine job raisin you, wish my childhood was as good. I can't even read." He says with a grim smile, "How is he now? He still alive?"
Margaret
"Eh, I've always had a bit of trouble reading, but I can do it well enough. Ah, the old man's fine, just don't check on him very often. Farm work wasn't too hard, especially for me, so I can't complain. Fresh food, some family, a roof over my head- or at least until I got too tall to get through the door. It was a comfortable life for the most part, besides the infrequent bandits showing up to the door, some of those Forsworn folks, and the occasional wild animal. They were never really an issue, though."

*Rodric seemed to look ahead while he talked, recalling the comfort of a humble life. Old memories of him and his father rising to the surface, plenty of things to be thankful for. Then there came that one memory, just the one, and the smile faded from his face.*
Elizabeth
"But it's never so easy, is it. Something happened, I can tell. My senses are keen, but I can't tell what's going on *In* You." He places some cooked fish on a plate, along with some herbs and vegetables, and hands it to Rodric "Got anything to drink? I've only got what's in my gourd."
Margaret
*He gladly took the plate of fish and nodded to the Argonian as he reached behind his back, pulling out a sizable rawhide bag of some sort. But when he held it in front of him, he seemed surprised, lightly tapping the rawhide bag to find it firmer than normal, removing the cap to find that his water was partially frozen. He just shrugged, took a swig of the ice water, and sighed with relief before he started eating some of the fish. In-between chunks of cooked fish, he continued his story.*

"Well, there's a reason I'm not on that farmstead anymore. One night I encountered one of... Our kind, so to speak. Poor sod probably went feral, or lost control that night- it was a full moon after all. Attacked the farmstead while I was trying to sleep, got in some nasty blows. Must've been there struggling with it until the early hours of the morning, and I finally managed to break off its jaw."
Elizabeth
"Ah, you're a Lycan, then. Must have some strong nose if you were able to sniff out that I was, as well." He frowns, "Ah, I'm guessing your first transformation was... Not great. So you left that home behind."
Margaret
"Yes... It was rough. Tried to get some sleep after dealing with the feral, but all I was able to get was nightmares, when I could sleep at all. Woke up one night after a weird dream when it took me by surprise, and soon I... Wasn't all there. Started tearing at the house's walls, would've ripped my old man to pieces if I hadn't stopped myself. When I changed back, he just... Looked at me. And I left. It's been, hmm, nearly two decades since then."

*The memories of that night made the warmth of the fire and furs less inviting and soothing, and for a moment he felt... Cold. Not like he was freezing or bothered by the weather, but more of an emotional cold, a somewhat empty feeling Rodric had when he thought about it. It made him feel the guilt, the regret, and the general aura of self-deprecation for his actions. Lycanthropy had given him strength, and he had the benefit of being able to restrain his transformations most of the time, but considering how close he came to killing his father... He wasn't entirely sure if he was blessed, cursed, or just different.*
Elizabeth
"I suppose I was lucky, when I had my first transformation. Was inside my slave master's house when I transformed, completely trashed it. Turns out it coincided with a rescue mission of the Twin-Lamps, saved a lotta people that day." He says, "This power we have, can be used for good, if you try, I'm lucky enough to able to control my transformations, save for when the moons are full, of course."
Margaret
"Aye. The first time caught me with my guard down, but since then I've gotten much better at keeping it under control, and having my mind largely intact when it happens. Not much luck with the full moons, but there are certain benefits that have come with the condition. I'm tougher, faster, got better ears and eyes, and stronger- *Especially* Stronger."
Elizabeth
"Hah, indeed, it's nice how certain things carry over to my normal form, too. Can't get snuck up on, which is a plus. I suppose it's my turn to tell a story, huh." He says, taking a long swig from his gourd,
Margaret
*Rodric nodded in agreement, shuffling around a bit where he sat and taking another drink from the half-frozen waterskin in his hand. He was intrigued to hear about the fellow lycanthrope's tale, seeing as he had told Xal-Ei about his life before he changed.*
Elizabeth
"I grew up a slave in Morrowind. Worked for House Dres, the more recent addition to the Great Houses, who's focus is farming, but they're too good to work the farms themselves, so they have slaves do it. I was a star child for them, did everything perfectly, rarely was whipped or beaten." He stops for a second, takes another drink, "They trusted me, foolishly enough. Had me go into the swamps to harvest what they couldn't grow, and I got attacked by a Werecroc. I guess all that labor wasn't for nothin, cause I was able to fight it off, but it wasn't without injury, I got cut up, but managed to hide it from the masters, didn't want them punishing me for something that wasn't my fault. Few days later it happened, my first transformation."