The night was as cold as any other, biting at unprotected skin. Insects chirped in the bushes and a wolf howled in the distance. The rhythmic clopping of hooves against cobble broke the calm of the night as the horse and it's owners traveled down the moonlit road. On the beast's back was a girl of about nine years and an assortment of traveling supplies. The girl wore a gray dress beneath a brown, fur lined cloak. The cloak's hood was pulled over her head in an effort to keep out he cold. Fire swirled in her gloved hands, which were pulled as close to her body as she dared.

Walking beside the horse was a shadow. Two silver eyes looked out from beneath a hood of midnight. A bow nearly as dark as it's armor was slung across it's back with a specially made quiver that stood out just a little more. The quiver had a lid that covered the steel arrows within. Two steel daggers where sheathed on it's right hip.

All of this was observed from a small distance by a Dunmer clad in red and black. He didn't know what the target had done but someone wanted the shadow, who went by the name Olic, dead. The thing that surprised the assassin the most was the price they were willing to pay.

That was when the assassin noticed two things. One: the shadow was gone, Two: he had a sharp pain in his gut. Looking down, he saw the glint of a blade coming out of his chest. As his life began to fade from his body, he heard the deep, accented voice of a Nord male.

"May you find yourself in the presence of your master."

Slipping out his second blade, Olic reached around and slit the assassin's throat. With the assassin now assuredly leaving the mortal realm, Olic removed his first dagger and let the elf fall to the forest floor, his blood staining the snow beneath them. Cleaning his daggers on the assassin's clothes, he sheathed them before moving back to the still moving horse that held his little sister.

Olic had been quick to return home when the Courier had arrived carrying word of his parents' deaths at the hands of Bandits. Luckily, his sister had been away with a local mage learning the arts of the arcane when it occurred. As such, it had become Olic's duty to care for the young Nord girl. Seeing how devoted she was to learning magic, he had agreed to take her to the College of Winterhold. There, she would not only have a home, but be taught the ways of the Mage.

"Brother?" asked said girl as she looked around for Olic, twisting and turning in the saddle.

"I am here sister, no need to worry," Olic stated as he drew back his hood, revealing fair skin that appeared fairer in the moonlight. His hair was cut close to his scalp, the blonde color making him appear bald. His green eyes danced as they entered the light cast by the fire wreathed around his sister's hand.

She smiled sheepishly, "I am so-"

Olic held up a hand, "Do not apologize Anetha."

The girl nodded before turning her head back to the road. She jumped when she noticed something on the horn of her saddle. Sheer effort stopped her from releasing the Flame spell in an uncontrolled burst. The thing on the saddle horn was a black, small bird. It looked at Anetha with it's head cocked to the side, as it studying her.

"Mistress?" Olic breathed as he moved closer to the now halted horse. Upon hearing his voice, the bird turned to Olic and gave a cry before taking flight and heading into the woods. Olic grabbed the reins of the horse and made to follow.

"What was that brother?" Anetha asked, worry edging into her voice. Olic forgot that she knew very little of the pact he had made.

"That was a Nightingale bird, sister, a messenger of my Mistress," he explained.

"Nocturnal?" she asked. When she saw the surprised look Olic threw back at her, she smirked, "Magic isn't the only thing Old Man Nek taught me."

Olic didn't have a response to that and so he opted to turn back to the path presented by the Nightingale. If Nocturnal was contacting him in this way, then it must be of importance. As such, the Nord made haste through the trees, pulling the mare behind him by her reins.

It wasn't long before the small party found itself in a clearing lit by the twin moons of Nirn. The bird appeared from the night and settled itself on Olic's shoulder, cawing at the night. As if summoned by the call, the ground in the middle tore into a circle of purple light that gave view to an inky void. From the void came a woman clothed in cloth as black as the void from which she came. She had no legs, giving the appearance of a Shade. Nightingales were perched on either arm, their blue eyes focused on Olic. Her wizened face, partly shrouded by her hood, looked down at the young mortal with a soft scowl.

"Mistress!" Olic exclaimed in surprise, falling to a knee and bowing his head. The bird on his shoulder ruffled its wings to keep balance but otherwise remained firmly perched there.

"Rise, my servant," she commanded. Olic obeyed, returning to both feet and looking up at Nocturnal with his unhooded eyes.

"Mortal, I have a task for you. One that will not be told until you are ready to carry it out. Just know that you are to seek the guidance of an... acquaintance of mine. She will be the giver of this task," Nocturnal explained clearly. Still, Olic was confused.

"Where is this acquaintance, my Mistress? Why can you not give me the task yourself?" he asked, a brow raised.

Nocturnal sighed but smiled, as if explaining a new concept to a child. Given the situation, it could be assumed that this was actually what she was doing, "My acquaintance is not of Nirn, my servant. I know little of the occurrences of their home but know that it is her that is the creator of this task."

"I... don't understand Mistress," Olic replied, "If she is not of Nirn, then how may I assist her?"

Nocturnal gave another sigh, "Why, I will send you there, of course. You and present company."

The Daedric Prince looked to the sky and it's twin moons, a frown etching her face for a mere second before she returned her gaze to Olic.

"Our window is nearing close, mortal. Just know this: the bearer of your equipment will be your most useful asset. Now, prepare yourself," she stated as she brought her hands close together. Within her sleeves, Olic could see many pairs of blue eyes staring out at him. Something made him draw up his hood before a flock of Ravens burst from Nocturnal's robe and began to fly around Olic and the horse. He heard his sister scream and the horse whinny but his attention turned to the Nightingale that was resolutely perched on his shoulder.

"Walk with the Shadows."

The world faded to black as the swirling birds blocked out all light.

--------------

"...wake..."

"Olic...up."

"Olic, please wake up."

Olic opened his eyes to the sight of a single, glorious moon overhead. A single moon? he thought, shooting himself up to a sitting position. The sudden movement sent his head swimming, causing him to put a gloved hand to his head. When his vision cleared, he took stock of his surroundings. Anetha sat to his immediate right, looking scared and on the verge of tears. The Nightingale sat on a nearby branch, looking at Olic with a tilted head. Near the edge of the clearing was a pile of their equipment with the horse next to it. The brown coated horse looked different though. The looseness of the saddle showed that it had shrunk maybe a foot. The snout looked smaller and closer to it's face. The biggest thing was it's eyes, which were now huge and expressive.

"I... c-can... talk?"

Olic's jaw dropped. While it had stumbled over the sounds and held a strange accent, the horse had most definitely talked. As if equally surprised, the mare slumped to it's flank with wide eyes. It was then that Olic noticed the symbol on the horse's flank. It was a black bird with it's wings outstretched and wrapping upward to a similarly black circle over it's head. It was the emblem of the Nightingales.

"Olic?" Said Nord turned his attention to the scared girl next to him, "What's happening?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, pulling her into a hug. He turned his attention back to the horse, who was examining it's body with new eyes. The Nightingale had perched itself above the horse, "But I think Nocturnal has just called up my contract."

Olic continued to stare at the mare long after Anetha had passed into a fitful slumber, slumped against her brother. The mare had just sat there, it's eyes locked on the ground with unfocused eyes. Every now and then, the eyes would dart to something with a strange sense of focus before going back to the ground and unfocusing once more. Olic could only guess that the newly sentient being was, like it's now former owner, what had happened to it. If it wasn't for the emblem adorning the mare's flank, Olic would have sheathed his daggers in it long ago. The emblem of the Nightingales could only mean that Nocturnal meant for this creature to assist him in some way. Some way that was currently unknown to Olic.

"Master?" came the thickly accented voice. Olic exited his musings to find that the mare was looking right at him. The rays of the morning sun lit up the confusion on it's face, "How did this happen?"

It sure mastered speech quickly, Olic thought as he pondered the horse's question. It was obvious that Nocturnal had a play in it, that much was obvious by the emblem on it's flank. The real question was why it had never happened before. Why, before now, hadn't a Daedra given thinking life to a creature? Surely it'd be easier to create servants in such a way than to convert already civilized beings. Still, he knew of the main player in the horse's transformation.

"Nocturnal, my Mistress, has apparently seen the need to give you thought and voice," he replied in a neutral tone. The mare took this information and looked back at the ground, seemingly digesting it. The mare then looked back at it's flank and the emblem there.

"That is the symbol of Her servants. It appears that She wishes for you to assist me in the task She has given me," Olic explained, preempting the question that was bound to come.

"What task?" It-she-asked, looking at the Nord. Said Nord looked at the Nightingale above the mare. Sensing that his gaze was diverted, she looked behind her and spotted the bird as well.

"I don't know."

A moment of silence.

"What's my name?" asked the mare as she looked back at Olic.

Olic laughed, "You don't ask the easy questions, do you?"

The lack of a reply from the horse made Olic's hidden smile drop as he pondered the question.

"What would you like your name to be?" Olic asked, hoping to deflect the responsibility. That and he was curious to see what the horse would come up with. The mare's eyes dropped to the ground.

"I... I think I wish... my name to be... Life Whisper. My name is Life Whisper," she replied with conviction as she looked at Olic with a fire of determination in her eyes.

"Well met than, Life Whisper," Olic greeted with a nod. He then glanced toward the rising sun, "Now I believe it is time to get some rest."

"If it's alright with you Master, I'd like to stay up and..." A subtle shift of weight displayed her excitement, "explore."

"Life Whisper, I am no longer your 'Master'. That is one of the gifts of thought and voice; that no other mortal being can ever truly rule over you," Olic explained.

"I... see. I will go explore than. Enjoy your rest Ma-... Olic," Life replied before she stood and walked out of the clearing. The bird was quick to fly from the branch and land on the horse's head. Life gave a short pause before continuing, a small smile on her face visible to Olic.

"To try to understand you, Mistress, would simply lead me to insanity," the bipedal Nightingale muttered as he shook his head and smirked behind his mask. Slowly, he drifted off to a state of sleep that he had acquired where he would awaken if his body suspected a threat to be nearby. Hs last thought was whether the newly named Life Whisper would be able to find her way back or not.

------

Life Whisper was in a state of euphoria. Her every sense was trying to collect and store everything around her. It was a difficult task as there was so much to discover; like how the sunlight reflected off the slow moving stream or the music the wind made as it moved through the trees. She observed how different the feeling of dirt was beneath her hooves now that she could actually think about it.

In her flurry of thoughts, she remembered back to the reaction of... Olic's sister. She frowned as she remembered her frightened look, the tears running down her cheeks, how she tried to bury herself into Olic. Was she truly frightening to look at or was her... transformation just too much for the little female to handle? Life opted for the second as Olic himself didn't seem too frightened. However, she thought, a smile gracing her face as she did, His face was obscured by that mask of his.

Life suddenly paused as her ears became erect. There was a distinct thumping sound in the distance. It sounded like if she were to kick her hooves against a tree. It was stranger still because it came at irregular intervals. This made Life think that something sapient, like herself now, was causing the noise.

"Maybe I should head back to Olic," she mumbled to herself. As she turned around to head back, she heard a caw from the bird on her head before it took off with a flap of it's wings... and head straight toward the noise. Remembering back to before her change, she remembered seeing Olic follow it through the woods. From what the memory served, she could tell that he had also treated the bird with a respect higher than normal.

Hearing another caw, she looked up to see the bird sitting on a branch a couple yards away. It cried again before taking flight once more toward the thumping.

"Hey! Wait up!" she yelled as she took off at a gallop after the bird. If Olic had deemed it worth following, than she assumed that she could trust it as well. Dodging brush and branches, she noticed that the thumping was getting louder and louder. She also noticed that more light seemed to be seeping through the further she went. The bird seemed to be making a game of it as it weaved around trees and dived to the ground before righting itself at the last second.

Life watched as the bird disappeared behind a wall of brush. Pushing harder then before, she burst through the brush and went blind as bare sunlight assaulted her eyes. Skidding to a halt, she whinnied in discomfort as she shook her head to clear her vision. When her vision cleared, she found herself looking at a field of evenly spaced trees and a brick red stallion with a work collar that looked at her with wide eyes that barely came to her snout. She was vaguely aware of the bird retaking it's perch atop her head.

"Uh... Hi?" she asked, questioning what made her speak. Maybe it was how similar this stallion looked to herself that caused a hope that he was also sapient in this strange, colorful world.

"Howdy?" he replied with a deep accent. The two remained frozen as they stared at each, both in shock with the other. Strangely, Life realized how dirty and messed up her coat, mane, and tail were. Stranger still, she felt ashamed at the stallion seeing her in such a state. She also found herself eyeing the muscles that rippled beneath his red fur and how his orange mane blew in the small breeze.

"Big Mac? Why'd ya stop working? Ya still got your debt to pay off!" came another voice in an accent similar to the stallion's. Is Big Mac his name? He seems a little small to me, Life thought as she heard the sound of hooves against dirt. The sound grew, indicating that the owner was getting closer. Removing her eyes from Big Mac, Life looked toward the noise and felt her jaw slacken. Trotting over to them was another horse but this one had an orange coat with yellow mane and tail, a strange hat atop it's head. It was even shorter than Big Mac and it's softer features made Life identify it as a mare. She noticed that this mare had a mark of three apples on her flank. A quick peek at Big Mac's flank, causing her cheeks to heat up ever so slightly (another new experience for her), showed that he had a picture of a half apple. A glance black at her own flank showed that the bird and moon symbol was still present.

"Why did you...stop...working..." the voice of the orange mare trailed off. Life looked back at the voice to see her frozen and staring at Life with her jaw almost touching the ground. Remembering what happened with Big Mac, Life decided to take the initiative.

"Hey?" she couldn't help the inflection of her voice that turned the word into a question. It was hard to sound confident when taking to a new species that so resembled yourself.

"Uh... Howdy friend. Who, uh... Who might you be?" she asked slowly, apparently still shocked by Life's appearance. Life smiled as she was now able to tell someone else her new name.

"I'm Life Whisper!" she exclaimed in an excited voice, the reactive motion of her head causing the bird to flare it's wings to stay balanced. If her jump was anything to go by, Life had apparently startled the orange mare.

"Well," began the orange mare, seemingly recovered from the startle. A smile appeared on her face as she fixed her hat, "I'm Applejack and the big fella there is-"

"Big Mac?" Life asked. She didn't know why she felt the need to interrupt but for some reason she had wanted to feel the name through her own lips.

"Eeyup," replied the stallion with his deep, baritone voice. Life saw the smile he wore and felt her cheeks briefly heat up again as she quickly looked back at the orange mare who was now identified as Applejack.

"May I ask where ya from partner? Ya seem mighty, uh, tall to be from around here," asked the orange mare as she shot Big Mac a look that Life didn't understand.

"I-" "You mustn't speak of Nirn, mortal. Lest Olic's task may fail before it even starts." "-don't want to talk about it," Life replied with a frown that was more to the voice in her head than the mare. Was that the voice of Nocturnal she had heard?

"It's alright sugarcube. I understand that some memories are best left buried," explained Applejack as she moved closer to Life. A reassuring hoof touched upon Life's foreleg, "Come on. Lets get ya fed and cleaned up, okay?"

Life nodded softly as she began to follow the small mare through the trees. A glance back showed that Big Mac was still watching her as she walked away. He offered her a small smile, which she returned before facing forwards once more. With a flash of black, the Nightingale dropped onto Life's muzzle and, surprising her, nuzzled her face before taking off to circle overhead.

Life saw the amused look on Applejack's face before the orange mare turned forward again. Life smiled wider as she looked up at the circling bird. Nocturnal had given her thought and voice and had led her to these small horses. If that came with being one of Her servants, then Life would gladly give her life to Her. Afterall, she thought as she looked back at the emblem on her flank, Service in Her name appears to be my destiny.

"What did you say this was again?" Life asked as she shoved another of the delectable morsel into her mouth. Biting into the flaky exterior, she savored the sweet juices that resided inside. Swallowing loudly, she turned to the three horses that stood beside the table. Applejack and a little yellow filly, Applebloom is what she was introduced as, looked at her with slack jaws. An older mare, her skin sagging from her bones, looked at her with a weird smile.

"It's an Apple Pie young'n," replied the old mare with a cackle as she slid another in front of Life. Life began to make short work of the treat, using her hooves to assist in shoveling the food into her muzzle.

"Ish dericious!" she exclaimed through her mouthful of pie.

The old mare laughed again, "I'm glad ya like 'em but I don't think Applejack brought ya over just to feed ya all our pies."

Life stepped eating at that and looked sheepishly at the almost empty pan in front of her. Looking beside her showed a stack of similar pans waiting to be cleaned or discarded. Her gaze swung over to Applejack as she smiled softly.

"Sorry."

This seemed to snap Applejack out of whatever stupor she had been as she closed her jaw and smiled.

"Nothing to be sorry for sugarcube just... surprised is all. Ya ate like one of us Apples afterall," she declared with that same smile. She waved a hoof at Life, "Come on. I'll show you to the bathroom so that you can get cleaned up."

"Okay," she muttered, her cheeks burning in embarrassment as she stood from the chair and followed the orange mare. The flutter of wings, prick of talons, and added weight told her that the Nightingale had resumed it's perch atop her head. Walking through the doorway to the main room, she had to duck her head so that neither her head or the bird hit the doorway.

"She ate like... twenty pies..." Life heard Applebloom whisper as she stepped through the doorway. The large mare blushed again and ducked her head in embarrassment. Not my fault they were so delicious, she grumbled internally as she followed Applejack through the house. She had, at first, been surprised that these small horses lived in a house. However, dredging up the old memories informed her that Olic had also stayed inside a building for extended periods of time. Her newfound sense of deduction allowed her to reason that it was because it was his home, or at least a temporary one.

"Here we are."

Life came out of her thoughts to see Applejack holding open a plain wooden door. Stepping through, again ducking her head, Life came into a small room that held a tub, a pane of reflective glass, a pot of some sort with a spigot, and a towel. Life shifted her weight as an increasingly familiar feeling came to her cheeks.

"C-can you show me h-how these work?" she asked slowly. She saw the confused look on the orange mare's face. Feeling the need, she added, "I've been in the woods for a long time."

"I see..." Applejack replied, just as slowly as she moved to the tub. Reaching out, she turned a handle on the wall, causing a spigot far above the handle to spray water into the tub, "This is a shower. Ya turn it on by twisting the knob 'til the water comes out and adjust the temperature by twisting the knob left or right."

Leaving the water on, she pointed to the reflective glass, "That's the mirror. Press it to open it for the toothpaste, toothbrush, and manebrush," she pointed to the pot, "That's the sink where you can brush your teeth."

Another shifting of weight.

"You don't know how to do that either do you?"

Life shook her head, eliciting a light sigh from the orange mare.

-------

Finally, Life was standing in front of the mirror rinsing off the recently used toothbrush that Applejack had let her use. Turning off the water, she set the toothbrush aside as she looked at herself in the mirror with her blue eyes. Her light brown coat was clear of dirt and her darker brown mane was also clean and brushed straight. This caused a problem to become known, however; her mane was long enough to cover her left eye. I'll just ask Applejack to help me, she thought as she examined her cleaned teeth. As she did, the Nightingale jumped from on top of the mirror, flapped it's wings once, and landed on top of her head. She found herself smirking at the avian as it cawed happily.

"Why must you perch on my head?" she asked softly as she exited the bathroom and returned to the main room. She stopped as she saw that the entire family was gathered as if discussing something.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked, noticing how the entire family seemed to jump in shock before turning their collective gaze on her.

"Well I'll be. Ya sure do clean up nice," Applejack commented as she trotted over to Life with that easy smile on her muzzle.

"Eeyup," came the baritone voice of Big Mac, who then blushed deeply as he found the rest of his family staring at him with raised brows. The stallion made a speedy exit into the dining room with his youngest sibling hot on his heels, an evil smile on her face.

"Is he alright?" Life asked as her own blush vanished.

"He's just fine," Applejack replied as she looked back at Life. She frowned upon seeing her mane, "Do you like wearing your mane like that sugarcube?"

Life reached up and brushed the hair away from her eye, only to have it fall back in place. She frowned, "Not really. I can't see much but I like how long it is."

"I can fix that dearie, just take a seat in front of ol' Granny," stated the old green mare as she climbed into a rocking chair after grabbing a blue circle. Glancing briefly at Applejack, the mare giving a nod, Life moved to where she was in front of the old mare and then sat down on the floor. Granny frowned as she still ended up looking up at the mare.

"Lay down," commanded the old mare. Following it, Life lied down so that her head was near the chair but so she was facing away from the chair. Remembering the bird, Life thought about how to remove it from it's perch atop her head. Luckily, she didn't have to think long as the bird left her head of it's own will to perch itself on a high shelf that was in Life's line of sight. With the bird out of the way, Granny began to run her hooves through Life's mane, pulling it back gently.

"That's a mighty fine bird ya got there," AJ commented as she took a seat on the couch, "Never seen one like it before."

"Oh. She's a Nightingale," Life paused, wondering why she classified the bird as a female. Thinking about it, she couldn't find any reason it feeling 'right'.

"Well, she sure is pretty," Applejack stated.

"Mhmm," Hummed Life as she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of Granny's hooves running through her mane. She didn't think it'd take this long just to get her mane out of the way but she wasn't complaining. This, she found herself frowning softly when her mane was pulled back and held in place by something.

"There, that should keep your mane out of the way dearie."

Opening her eyes, Life saw that while Granny had removed her hooves from her mane, the hair was staying back. Seeing a mirror on the other side of the room, under the shelf that the Nightingale had perched on, Life stood and walked over to it. Standing in front of it, she turned her head side to side to examine her mane. Like it felt, it was pulled back and held back by the blue band she had seen earlier. The mane beyond the band hung freely like a tail. As she examined her new mane style, the Nightingale took the opportunity to return to her favorite perch. Smiling, both at the mane style and the bird, she looked back at Granny.

"Thanks Granny, I love it."

Granny chuckled and waved a hoof dismissively, "It was nothing dearie."

Looking past Granny, Life's smile faltered a little. She could see the setting sun outside the window behind the rocking chair. A sense of urgency rushed her; she had to get to the clearing.

"Ya alright there sugarcube?" Applejack asked, a brow quirked.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean... I gotta go," she stuttered. She gave a sharp whistle and the Nightingale on her head was up and out the cracked window in a blur. The horse made to follow, "I'll try to be back tomorrow."

Neither of the Apple clan made to stop her as she quickly exited the house and made for the woods. Confusion and shock had rooted them to their seats. As Life galloped into the forest, the Nightingale swooped down from the leaves and began to lead Life Whisper as it had that morning.

"It is indeed time to return to Olic, mortal. Tell him of what this world holds. He will know what to do."

"Of course... my Mistress."

--------

Olic stood at the edge of the clearing they had arrived in, cloaked by shadows. He had attached his Nightingale sword to his left hip, the sheath blending in with his armor. Standing with arms crossed, he waited, as he had been since the sun first touched the horizon at the end of it's journey.

He had been awoken by his sister a little after midday. After explaining everything to her, Anetha had grabbed one of her tomes and sat herself at the edge of the clearing, losing herself in words and runes. With her dealing with the situation in her own way, Olic had adventured a little away from the clearing. During his adventure, he had killed one animal and had found a cave in the side of a hill. Inside had proved nothing of interest besides a few animal droppings and bones. The rest of the day saw the siblings moving their equipment from the clearing to the cave.

With Anetha preparing the kill, Olic waited for the reappearance of Life Whisper so that he could lead her to their shelter. He frowned at the thought of treating a horse as he would his fellow thieves. She is a servant of Nocturnal; as am I, he reminded himself as the occupier of his thoughts stepped into the clearing. He noticed that the Nightingale was perched atop her head.

A sense of shock traveled through him as he took in her... cleanliness. Her fur wasn't matted with dirt and her mane and tail weren't tangled. In fact, he realized that her mane had been pulled back into a ponytail while her tail hung freely behind her lower hindlegs. She looked... he wouldn't say beautiful but presentable would be the best word to choose.

"Olic?"

Shaking his head, Olic stepped out of the shadows.

"I am here, Life."

"Where is Anetha and our gear?" she asked, glancing about the clearing before aiming a raised brow at Olic.

Olic smiled behind his mask, "Safe at our new camp. Follow me and then you can tell me where you found a tub and a brush."

The smiled faltered. Is she blushing? Sure enough, the mare was blushing as she shifted weight between her hooves.

"Okay," she finally replied, nodding. Giving an imperceptible sigh, Olic turned and began to head to the cave. He could already tell that tonight was going to be an interesting and confusing night.