A Meeting of the Dov [Vokunulov]

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

Wilhelm Bear-Heart, the Nord/Dovahkiin/Sellsword, narrowly dodged Giant's swing at him, the dirt and debris pelted him as he struck the large hominid in the leg, drawing a bit of blood. It swung a fist at him, only for him to duck and draw in a breath. "FUS, RO DAH!" he Shouted, sending the beast over the small ledge behind it. Wilhelm ran and jumped off, using his momentum and gravity to strengthen him. His battleaxe came down right into the Giant's chest, cleaving its heart. He removed the blade just as the giant biped exhaled for the last time. The Nord exhaled triumphantly as he propped his axe on his shoulder, and remembered killing another Giant in a similar manner, scaring a certain cat he knew.

[Vokunulov]

"Fus Ro Dah!"

The thundering sound of the thu'um echoed throughout the world, but only the Greybeards were able to hear. It wasn't often that the ancient dragon heard a mortal use a shout, so hearing Wilhelm's definitely caught Vokunulov's attention. While perched atop the broken word wall, the dragon looked around for the source. His bright eyes could not see the dovahkiin, but he could, in essence, heard the man's location on the ground below. By the particular power of the voice, Vokunulov knew that the one behind it was one of the three that were destined to destroy Alduin once and for all. He wasn't sure if there would ever be another chance to speak with the dovahkiin, so he decided it would be best to visit him right then and there.

Spreading his tattered wings, Vokunulov leapt off the wall and descended down the mountain. With the swift beat of his wings, the dragon flew closer and closer to the earth below. His eyes scanned the land for the dovahkiin but didn't see him at first. Then he saw the end of a fierce battle, the Nord killed the giant and it was all over. That was the mortal he was looking for, Vokunulov was most certain of that. The sound of his voice still echoed in the dragon's ears... Vokunulov slowed himself, hovering just above the ground behind the man.

"Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin. I mean you no harm."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

The Dovahkiin heard the loud booming voice behind him and turned, brandishing his battleaxe. Upon hearing that he came in peace, he sheathed the weapon. He lowered Otar's mask and removed the cowl, revealing his feature as a sign of respect to the ancient Dovah. "Well, this is a first for me. I've actually never had a dragon want to converse, y'know, instead of trying to kill me." The Nord noticed the dragon's tattered wings. It must be a bit difficult to fly on such torn wings. he thought before he spoke again. "Feel free to land, Old One, there is no need for you to expend more energy than necessary. I will do you no harm if you return the favor."

[Vokunulov]

No hostility? It was certainly a refreshing change. On the rare occasion that the Grandmaster of the Greybeards actually left the Throat of the World, he was normally met with a hail of arrows, spells of all kinds, and what ever else the mortals would throw at him. It was most unfortunate that the mortal races did not understand that not all dragons were evil beasts that wanted to eat them. In fact, many of the dov only attacked the humans, beasts, and everything in between because they feared Alduin. Vokunulov was one of the very few that stood up to the World Eater and he paid for it dearly. His last encounter with the God of Destruction nearly took his wings... and they had just barely begun to heal.

"The Dovah are greatly misunderstood creatures, but that does not excuse their thirst for joor... mortal blood." the dragon explained while he landed. The earth shook a little as Vokunulov touched down and the dragon was careful to not accidentally smash the man. Lowering himself, so they would be closer to eye level, the dragon looked Wilhelm over. "I have no intention on harming you, Dovahkiin... that is not the way of the Greybeards. I am Vokunulov, the one the Greybeards call Grandmaster."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

"That makes sense, I mean, they study the Thu'um, and well, it's kind of in your language." responded Wilhelm as he took a few steps back to accommodate the larger creature. "I am Wilhelm Bear-Heart, Sellsword." He ran a hand through his blonde hair, pushing it back. Vokunulov's landing has sent out a gust of wind that had ruffled it up. "Vokunulov?" asked Wilhelm, trying to pronounce it right. "I know that the Dovah's names are Words of Power, do you mind telling me what yours means? If not, I understand, it is a rather odd question, Old One."

[Vokunulov]

Vokunulov nodded his scaly head when Wilhelm responded, it was true that it only made sense for the most powerful and wise of the Greybeards to actually be a dragon. All of the Greybeards were well versed in the Thu'um, but only he truly understood everything the language of the dragons entailed, including their culture. When asked about what his name meant, Vokunulov was rather surprised that the Nord knew that a dragon's name was made up of three words of power. Out of all of the Dovahkiin he had met recently, which was few, Wilhelm proved to be the most knowledgeable.

"Aam? Ahhhh yes... For the few that have met a named dragon, even fewer have known of their names are actually more than they appear. Every Dovah's name contains three Word of Power. Vokun, the first word of my own name, means shadow. I have always been here, awaiting the return, in the shadows... Krosis... Ul, the next part of my name, translates to eternity. And Ov is the word Dov word for trust."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

"Nice." said Wilhelm. "So, in English your name means Shadow Eternity Trust, Vokun-ul-ov." Repeated the Nord. "I'm trying to understand your language, I guess in a way, our language, since we are both of the Dov. So far, excluding the Words you just taught me, I know fus, ro, dah, yol, toor, shul, zul, mey, gut, lok, vah, koor, joor, zah, frul, krosis, otar, dov, dovah, dovahkiin, thu'um, and su'um." He looked up at the sky, then back down as he pulled out Otar's mask, looking over its design. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask another question of you, Old One."

[Vokunulov]

Vokunulov continued to be impressed with the Nord's rather extensive knowledge of the dragon tongue. It was always refreshing to see that he was not just after the words for power, the fact that he was actually trying to understand each of the words as a whole really said a lot about Wilhelm. As the dragon listened each of the words, he repeated them in his mind. Fus, Ro, Dah, Yol, Toor, Shul, Zu, Mey, Gu, Lok, Vah, Koor, Joor, Zah, Frul, Krosis, Otar, Dov, Dovah, Dovahkiin, Thu'um, and Su'um. All were very important words, many of which were ones he used often when speaking to mortals.

"You are one of the few that have actually tried to understand the words of power for what they mean, rather than for how powerful and useful they can be. Gein... One must truly understand the full potential of a thu'um and to let it sink into your hadrim, your mind for feel its true power. Here is another word to add to your collection, Kodaav means bear, a word of your very name." Vokunulov continued on, not realizing he was rambling on more than usual, "I do not mind, fahdon. I am here to help the Dovahkiin."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

He couldn't help but feel a bit of pride build up in him as the ancient Dovah spoke. "I hope to one day to actually hold a conversation in our language with one of my blood-siblings." The word Vokunulov had said, 'Kodaav,' again filled him with pride. "Remember the greeting you gave me? 'Drem yol lok' I believe, what does it mean, Old One? Oh, and if you'd like for me to desist calling you that, feel free to let me know." His question was simple, he was sure that the elder Dovah would of imagined him to ask a much more important one.

[Vokunulov]

Vokunulov remained silent as the Nord continued to speak with him, studying the way he spoke, the way he put his sentences together. Every mortal had different mannerisms and the ancient dragon always found it fascinating to watch and listen to. The more he interacted with the dovahkiin, the more he began to understand the mortal races. While speaking with the Greybeards was enlightening, they were very biased and tried to copy his own way of speaking so they would be truer to the source of their learned language.

"I do not know if that day will ever come, some of the other Dovahkiin are only interested in the strength of the words rather than the merit. The world will not dahmaan... remember them." Wilhelm's follow up question caught him off guard a bit. The dragon didn't quite understand the concept of nicknames, but he did not mind them. "Drem yol lok literally translates to Peace Fire Sky. To those Dovah sos... dragon blood, Drem yol lok is a traditional greeting. As for your nickname for me, I do not mind. I am old and I am one."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

"Ah, then drem yol lok to you, Old One. In the Nordic culture, and usually the same in most human races, age means wisdom, and wisdom demands respect. So, calling you 'old one' is a respectful way of speaking to you, instead of being informal and just calling you by your name. Or just 'dragon' for that matter." stated the Nord. He gripped the mask in his hand. "I know I have been quite inquisitive since your arrival, Vokunulov, but I wish to ask another question. Also, as a way to repay you for the information you have so humbly given me, if you wish to know anything about myself or my people then I will have no issue in attempting to answer your questions."

[Vokunulov]

As Wilhelm explained a bit of Nordic culture, Vokunulov listened to each word with the upmost interest. It was very different to hear about Nordic culture from a Nord rather than observing it and making his own inferences. Even though he had lived thousands of years, Vokunulov still had much to learn about the mortal races. The old dov did, hwoever, remember much of the forgotten history in Tamriel, especially the history of Skyrim. He could remember the times of the Snow Elves before they were forced underground to live with the Dwemer and their ultimate betrayal. Vokunulov could remember when Tiber Septim was a mortal man and came to visit the Greybeards... How could one know so much, yet truly know so little? It was one of the mysteries Vokunulov cherished. There was always something to learn, which is what kept life so fascinating.

"Then I thank you, Wilhelm Bear-Heart, for the respect you have shown me. Few joorre seem to remember what respect means and it gives me hope for the fate of the world," Vokunulov was rather curious to know Wilhelm's position on the war, but wasn't going to ask just yet. The young man still had questions he wished to be answered so he would do that first, "I betrayed Alduin during the First Dragon War to teach the humans the Power of the Voice, so it would not be forgotten. I do not mind your questions, fahdon, for I am here to aak.... guide you. When the day comes where you meet your fate you must be ready."

Vokunulov gazed up at the sky, as if he were looking for something... or someone. "Nivahriin dovah... Dukaan faal dov. Faas faal Dovahkiin! Phalok Alduin, hin kah fen kos bonaar!"

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

"I wish to expand my knowledge of our language, and since I can not philosophize with a wise one such as yourself for the rest of my life, I have been seeking out the Word Walls. I've heard that there's a wall for a Word of a Shout called 'Aura Whisper' around here. Now, all that aside, my question is, could you point me in the direction of said Word, if it is nearby? I hope you won't find my question as an arrogant one." The Nord clenched the mask in one hand before putting it away with its cowl.

[Vokunulov]

Vokunulov's tail slowly went from side to side as he heard Wilhelm's words. The ancient dragon was rather enthralled by the Nord's enthusiasm to find the word walls and learn new shouts, few how displayed the same amount of ambition. And when Wilhelm mentioned the shout Aura Whisper, Vokunulov immediately knew what he was going to do next. Rather than send the Nord on a wild hunt for a word wall in a dangerous ruin, Vokunulov decided to teach him the word instead.

"Your question was far from arrogant, but always remember humility... Pride is a dangerous thing, it is what fuels Alduin and will consume anybody who is not careful. Always tread lightly, fahdon," Vokunulov told Wilhelm, then turned his attention to the ground. "Laas." His voice was like a whisper, yet still seemed very loud. Through his breath, Vokunulov projected the first Word of Power of Aura Whisper onto the ground before the Nord. "In your tongue, Laas mean Life. Life is everything that surrounds us, from the smallest blade of grass to the very air we breath. As you take this word into yourself, contemplate it's deeper meaning and use it wisely." And with that, a sudden bright life suddenly began to funnel off of the dragon and into Wilhelm. "I have given you my knowledge of the word laas. If you desire the next word of power... I have heard a faint whisper coming from Valthume.."

[Wilhelm Bear-Heart]

"Laas." he repeated, the Word echoed throughout his entire being, the understanding granted to him by his elder followed suit. "Laas." he Shout-whispered, it seemingly forcing his eyes closed. When he opened them, a crimson-colored aura came off of Vokunulov. He looked around, seeing the rabbits and foxes hiding in the taller grass. Before too long, the Shout wore off and the red disappeared. "Thank you, Old One. I will remember your words and try to meditate on them." He pulled the mask of Otar out once more, placing the cowl over his head and hooked the mask up to it. "Valthume you said? I've heard stories of the crypt, an ancient priest lived there. Wasn't he a part of the same dragon cult as the former owner of this mask?" His second question was augmented by him pointing to the armored mask he now wore.