Skyrim One-Shots (FT: My Travellers Of Tamriel)

The Red-Necked Wolf (Genocide AU)

(Tw: Descriptions of gore + violence)

Sleeping had never been easy for Erlirria.
Even as a child, she would have trouble falling asleep.
But now it was even worse.

Her insomnia had only been enhanced by her lycanthropy.
To the point where it was nearly impossible to get any sleep.
She laid in her bed restless, tossing and turning, unable to drift off.

And even if she did manage to fall asleep, her brief rest would be poisoned with nightmares.
She rolled over, turning to who she was in bed with.
Miraak.

He used to have nightmares as well.
Right after she saved him from Apocrypha, he used to wake up in a cold sweat after having vivid and terrifying nightmares.
So the two of them used to lay beside each other and talk quietly when the rest of their friends were asleep.

But now...
Miraak was able to sleep soundly, because he knew he was safe.
And Erlirria was stuck being awake on her own.

Suddenly, she felt blood running to her head and the world started spinning.
Her vision began going fuzzed around the edges, everything started fading red.
With Miraak solidly asleep, Erlirria knew she couldn't lay there uselessly any longer.

Getting up from bed, she suddenly had to catch herself from collapsing to the floor.
Her legs had become jelly and weak, she could stagger, not walk.
Using the misshapen wooden walls as hand-holds, Erlirria skirted the bedroom until she could enter the rest of the house.

The blood in her head pounded in her ears, clutching her chest, her heart thumped aggressively.
She felt like she was having a heart attack and a migraine at the same time.
She managed to get to the alchemy station and dig around in the drawer.

Pulling out a red vial, she uncorked it and downed it immediately.
She inhaled as the pain started going away and she could breathe evenly.
But her vision didn't start clearing...

She look at the empty vial in her hand, reading the label.
"Potion Of Lycanthropy"
Erlirria's eyes widened, realising the mistake she'd just made.

"That was supposed to be for combat-" she choked as she collapsed, the weight of her armour bringing her down.
The pain returned.
Tenfold.

Gasping in short breaths, Erlirria's clawed fingers tore through the wooden floor as she tried to manage the pain.
It was like fire under her skin, her vision going even more red, and the edges of her vision blurring out.
With what strength she had left, Erlirria dragged herself up and began to stagger her way to the front door.

Managing to push the heavy wooden door open, she staggered outside, the door locking behind her.
Erlirria kneeled as the pain ran along her veins, stabbing her from the inside out.
Her heavy breaths began to turn from hisses to snarls.

With her vision blurred out and turned red, she virtually turned blind as her body was encased in darkness.
Erlirria snarled as a horrific grinding of her bones alerted her that she had begun to grow.
Her transformations had been uncomfortable before.

This time though.
It was unbearable.

When finally she was the monster she hid within, Erlirria was able to stand without being in pain.
With white eyes and blood-coloured fur, the now-werewolf Erlirria snarled through her teeth.
Heartrate through the roof, the werewolf turned her attention to the horizon.

She sniffed the air, catching wind of the scent of humans.
And with no semblance of humanity left behind her eyes, the werewolf set off on the hunt.
Charging down the side of the hill from Hendraheim, Erlirria skidded down on to the road, accelerating.