Vanyari poked at the fire she had made, stoking and angering the flames into a dull roar. The winds of Skyrim howled above as she brought the cloak of bearskin around her shoulders close, thanking the Gods that for the warmth she was experiencing in a normally cold land. She stood up from the stump she sat on, holding the cloak close, and laid a second cloak down on the ground near the fire. She had already set up several snares in the surrounding forest and would check them in the morning for breakfast. She picked a piece of meat out of her teeth as she made a small pile of cloth to act as her pillow for the night. She didn't like going to sleep without somebody to watch her back, espeically in the wild but she had no choice. She needed her rest if she was to make it to Helgen the next day.<br/><br/>She laid her bow and quiver down at her side and placed her skinning knife under the pile of clothes before removing her belts and laying them neatly on top of the stump. The biting wind nipped at her face as she sought to bury herself in the warmness of her fur armor and cot. She looked up at the night sky, stretching across her vision like a cloak that had been poked with thousands of needles. The moon hung above her, a brilliant silver crescent that had lit her way before she had set up camp. She smiled as she snuggled deeper into her blanket and started to doze off, visions of tomorrow dancing in her head while a faint wolf howl flew through the forest.<br/><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>The wind was bitterly cold as it always was, driving snow through the air and pounding it against the ground and trees. Even through her cloak of bearskin, the cold was clinging to her flesh, sending goosebumps up and down her spine, legs, and arms. Her teeth chattered a bit as she picked up the pace, hoping to find a fire in Helgen's inn. She brought the cloak closer and rubbed it against her skin, trying to summon some warmth. She sighed and watched as the smoke coming from her mouth was blown away by the wind. Vanyari brought her face down, away from the wind's fury and then heard it.<br/><br/>A low, strong roar ripped it way through the air before echoing away, leaving Vanyari in a daze. What in the world was that? She had never heard quite anything like it, the closest thing being the guttural growl of a large mother bear. But that was much too strong and it sounded too wrong to be a bear. She picked up the pace, her curiosity guiding her steps as she broke out into a jog, hoping to see what kind of beast could be causing such an uproar. As a second roar, louder than the first, soared into her ears, her jog turned into a sprint, her pursed lips into a wild smile. When she rounded the bend, the smile shattered and horror sprung to her face as she watched the fort town of Helgen burn, a large reptillian mass flying through the air and spewing fire from its mouth. She stood there, shocked, awed by the terrifying grandeur of the beast while her mind churned to try to identify the monstrosity.<br/><br/>Her mind shot into the past and landed back in the forest of a time long gone, surrounded by other children as a wis, bearded old Bosmer told them the myths of Dragons. Monstrous creatures that breathed fire and frost that could swallow an elf whole and that luckily had long since gone extinct. It was obvious though that that wasn't true now. As the Dragon banked and dove once more towards the burning ruins of Helgen she unstrapped her bow from her back and ran towards the gates. Her mind screamed at her to run but this was a glorious moment. Not only would she be able to help the town defend itself, she would get the chance to actually take down a beast of myth, a dream of any good hunter. What really attracted her to the burning ruins was the chance to scavenge supplies, the dead could not use what would help keep her alive. She grabbed an arrow from the ground and notched it, took aim and fired, and watched as the arrow bounced off the roaring mass of scales and fire. The scales on the body were too thick and she did not want to use her arrows just to have the beast fly off before it could die. She picked up arrows from a fallen guard's quiver and shot them away as fast as she could trying to find a place where they may actually pierce because the eyes were too small of targets, the arrows would be burned away before they could pierce through the mouth, and the body was too thickly armored. As yet another arrow bounced off harmlessly, a thought stuck her, its wings must be vulnerable. If they were made of scales they'd be too stiff to catch wind, if anything they may be similar to a bat's wing, made of some type of membrane or skin that would be more easily pierced than the body armor.<br/><br/>She adjusted her aim and shouted out to the other guards as she let more arrows fly.<br/><br/>"<span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">AIM FOR ITS WINGS!</span>"<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>