Better Cities:The Scratching

Book Information The Scratching
ID	xx179342
	1		1.0
Locations
Found in the following locations: On random bookshelves
Note
This Elder Scrolls Book Club selection was written by ma'iq the liar

The Scratching

by Riley Bowden Duffy

A story about a werewolf attack

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y greatest fear, which I find horrific, is something I have tried to wipe from my mind with every ounce of my ability, but have failed miserably. This fear, the fear of the unknown, I find difficult to write down in this journal of mine, as it is wrought from one of the most terrible moments in my life, one I wish to forget with all my being.

My fear started on a bleak and grim rainy night in my countryside study, somewhere away from civilisation [sic] north of Anvil. The constant pounding of the rain rang in my ears as the dim candle on my study desk lit my bleak abode. I was young at the time, a student. I had recently been banned from the Arcane University for what that pig Traven called "necromancy".

As I sat at my desk, quill in hand, writing various alchemical formulas, a persistent sound erupted from what seemed the surrounding, dim blackness. A sound which would remain crystal clear in my mind for the rest of my life. A scratching coming from my office door.

I ignored it at first, regarding it as my faithful dog, Baldric. But when I heard the terrifying sound of yelping and howling on the other side of the door, my heart suddenly started to beat at an appalling rate. The sound diminished into silence as the sound of the torrential rain outside took over.

But then it came again! A scratching, louder than before! And accompanied by what seemed a spiteful snarling! Fear clutched my heart in an iron grip as I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out my ancient Daedric dagger, which I had found in my journeys across Cyrodiil. I got up from my seat and walked towards the door.

The next few moments were some of the purest terror I have ever encountered in my life. I reached towards the doorknob and unlocked it, opening the door.

The beast was upon me! Its shaggy fur as black as the night sky and its sinister eyes gleaming red with rage! It pounced upon me, its talons intent on ripping me to shreds! I screamed and plunged my dagger into its heart. The beast yelped and struck me, sending me head over heels into my desk, toppling it.

As my vision started to fade and turn to black, the vicious head wound taking its toll on me, I saw the werewolf shatter my study window and howl at the full moon outside, the blood of my faithful canine dripping from its razor sharp fangs. It then ran into the inky darkness of the surrounding rainy midnight. I never saw it again...

I now feel safe within my new abode, a tumbledown shack in the swampy regions on the border of the Black Marsh. That fateful night's encounter is slowly leaving my mind.

But what is this I hear? By the Nine, it's that sound! The scratching! The scratching!