“I don’t like this…†Egard said to himself as he adjusted himself in the coach seat of his cart.
He gazed around at the surrounding forest before glancing back at all the goods that he planned to sell in Solitude.
“Makes my nose twitch…†He said, tightening his grip on the reigns.
He rode on in silence, listening to the sound of birds and the rustling of the leaves. Something didn’t sit right in the pit of his stomach… He felt the need to get out of this forest as quick as possible. As he continued on his way, Egard reached a part of the road that led him between two rocky outcroppings on either side of it. He looked up at a rickety rope bridge that hung between the outcroppings as he made his way slowly through. The forest seemed silent… Something wasn’t right…
“NOW!â€
“Bandits…!†Egard said under his breath as a he whipped the reigns.
Arrows flew passed his head as his horse charged forward. Egard could only hope that his old cart would be able to withstand the speed. He flinched as an arrow pierced the seat next to him and whipped the reigns once again. As he was speeding down the road he saw a bridge up ahead. If he could get across that there was a chance he’d reach a settlement of some kind a little further down the road! He chanced a glance behind him only to be met with the sight of two bandits on their horses, galloping towards him at full speed. He gasped and whipped the reigns once more and soon reached the bridge. As he crossed the bridge at full speed, his cart gave an alarming leap into the air when one of its wheels ran over a stone. He glanced back and watched as one of his finer bear furs tumbled out of the cart but nothing else. He breathed a sigh of relief. He could hopefully replace that later but for now he’d have to outrun these bandits. He rushed on across the bridge and into the settlement of Dragon Bridge, seeking refuge.
The bear pelt sat lonely on the bridge. It was silent for a moment before it gave a light groan and proceeded to unfold itself to reveal a small Khajiit girl within it's depths. She had been sleeping peacefully before the cart suddenly began violently shuttering to and fro and soon she had succumbed to motion sickness. She was about to throw up what little food she had the previous night only to be tossed into the air and landing hard on some sort of stone surface. And there she sat on the bridge with the head of a stone dragon staring down at her, hoping the aching on her backside would stop soon. She stood up and pulled the bear pelt over her shoulders as the cold Skyrim was known for made itself apparent to her.
“Where the heck am I?†Nala murmured to herself as she looked around.
She made her way to edge of the bridge and glanced out into the surrounding area. There was a settlement on the other side of the bridge. Maybe she could find a trader there to sell the bear pelt to. She smiled at the thought of actually having coin in her possession. It had been a while since she last heard that familiar jingle in her pocket. As she pulled the bear pelt further over her she felt a hand clasp her shoulder and she gave off a surprised yelp. She swiftly turned around to find herself staring at an oaf of a man wearing fur armor. He was also holding an axe…
“Ah… hello,†She said taking a step back. “Did you want something?â€
The oaf gave her a crooked smile and shouldered his axe, which earned a flinch from the girl.
“Aye,†He said eying the pelt draped over her. “That I do, lass.â€
Nala glanced at the other side of the bridge that led straight into Dragon Bridge to see bandits making their way over to her. She turned to look at the oafish bandit in front of her only to find more bandits joining him from behind the oaf. She shifted on her feet nervously and gave the oaf a coy smile, realizing she was surrounded.
“Is that so…â€
Nala slowly removed the pelt from over her shoulders and looked up at the bandit who was staring at the pelt. What he wanted was quite obvious to the Khajiit girl and she didn't plan on giving it up so easily. She took a few steps backwards towards the ledge of the bridge and gave the oaf a quick grin before quickly jumping over it and into the water below, clinging to the bear pelt the entire way down. When she hit the water she had anticipated the cold but not the shock to her body. She heard shouts from above as she surfaced from the water and looked up to see the bandits moving about on the bridge. Nala allowed the water to take her downstream and was already shivering violently when she reached the shore. As she dragged the bear pelt onto the shore she collapsed onto her knees, panting heavily. She scanned her surroundings and realized that she was on the opposite side of the river from the settlement. She knew she needed to get out of sight as quickly as possible and that the best way to do that was entering the forest…