Chapter One: The Teeth in the Darkness
He remembered little of that night, some years ago. Just flashing, blurring images that played themselves over and over in his primitive, little brain. A warrior of steel and darkness, ambushing him as he dozed through another winter's night in the frozen north of Skyrim. It was a brief, but fierce battle. He could not remember clearly, how he had howled as the blade cut his flesh, and he could not remember with certainty the taste of his adversary's life blood on his fangs. The only thing he knew with certainty, was that he became afraid, and he fled. He abandoned his home, running like no creature ever should, from a warrior of steel and darkness.
And that memory was a pain that his simplistic mental mechanisms could not understand. Though, a more advanced creature, such as
Man, would describe it simply as hurt pride. As it happened, hurt pride was a big issue for such a beast as Skharn.
As the bear reached the the summit of the icy peak, he paused briefly to take a much needed respite. The snow was pouring down in droves, and even his thick mane was a meagre defence against the bone cutting chill. But the cold did not trouble this bear, for primitive thoughts of revenge were means enough to keep him warm.
Skharn was a name given to the bear by the Forsworn, a peoples he had stalked for many days and nights as he continued his search for the warrior of steel and darkness. In their native tongue, it simply meant "Anger" - their only true means of summing up the monster that took more of their number with each passing day. It meant little to the bear, but enough to know the word was a warning of danger.
The name Skharn had spread, as tall tails of a seven headed dragon covered in fur made its way to all four corners of Skyrim. Indeed, famed hunters had pursued the beast, but with little luck. Despite no sightings, the stories never went away, and indeed, countless dozens of deaths on the country's remote roads and city outskirts were often attributed to Skharn.
So when the bear heard he name "Skharn", it knew someone had seen him. Knew someone was afraid. Knew someone was about to try and kill him.
The dim lights of Winterhold's ruined form were of little concern to Skharn. He hadn't travelled to the frozen north, covering three hundred miles in three days, to look upon another human settlement. Nor had he come to take note of the giant man made mountain behind it. No, he was following someone.
An Altmer - the Elderborn - had happened by the bear's temporary dwelling a week previous. Though Skharn lacked the mental capacity to reason well, he understood immediately that the Elf was someone of power. Someone, who if not attacked in the correct manner, could very well kill the bear. So as Skharn, not wanting to bite off more than he could chew, went to resume his slumber, he noticed something else. He didn't know what it was, but it agitated him, spreading unrest into his mind and limbs.
A man may have romantically referred to this as the hands of fate, pulling Skharn to his destiny.
Whatever it was, Skharn felt the urge to follow the Elf. And follow he did.
For days and nights, the bear shadowed the Elf, always keeping out of sight and using his nose to follow his quarry's trail. As the ground turned to ice, the further North they went, the scent became harder to follow, and for a time, Skharn lost his target. It was only the very brief memory of a settlement nearby, and a bear's natural talent for remembering pre-travelled routes, that he was able to find Winterhold.
And now Skharn would wait, watching from the blizzard for an Elf whose importance to him made little sense.
@Vortex