Aela the Huntress ( Skyrim ) Aela the Huntress is a Nord werewolf , thief and member of The Companions . She is one of five members of The Circle . Residing in Jorrvaskr with the other Companions , Aela offers lycanthropy deep into the faction ' s questline . Additionally , she is an expert level Archery trainer , as well as a candidate for marriage and a follower after The Companions ' main questline . Background . When asked , Aela explains her reasoning behind joining The Companions : Relationships . It is rumored among the Companions that she and Skjor have a very intimate relationship with one another , Njada Stonearm ' s conversations with Aela reveals this . However , Aela hastily and vehemently denies the relationship . Other ambient dialogue between her and Skjor reveals that the two go out at night to hunt in beast form . This is forbidden among the Companions , and is the source of their secrecy as well as the rumors about them . She is extremely angry upon finding Skjor ' s dead body when the Dragonborn attacks the Silver Hand in Gallows Rock . It is never confirmed that her and Skjor were romantically involved . Interactions . It is possible to encounter Aela before knowledge of The Companions is acquired . She may be found fighting a giant at Pelagia Farm on the outskirts of Whiterun , along with Ria and Farkas . She approves or disapproves of the actions , depending on the amount of assistance given in defeating the giant ; only one successful strike is needed to gain her favor . Regardless , she suggests visiting Jorrvaskr and speaking to Kodlak Whitemane about joining The Companions . Archery training . After the Dragonborn becomes a full member of The Companions , Aela offers Archery training for a fee . She is an Expert trainer , and can train up to Archery level 75 . She will still offer training if married . Lycanthropy . In order to complete The Companions quest line , the Dragonborn must be initiated into The Circle by becoming a Werewolf . Aela willingly donates blood , which must be drunk . During the transformation , the Dragonborn has a few minutes to run around Whiterun . Both guards and civilians will be hostile , but there are no consequences for attacking anyone . After the transformation , the Dragonborn awakens outside of Whiterun , with Aela standing over them . She offers her congratulations , noting how difficult the Dragonborn was to control , and divulges information about the Circle ' s rivalry with the Silver Hand , a fierce group of Werewolf hunters . Together with Aela , a nearby Silver Hand encampment located at Gallows Rock is raided . The raid does not go as planned , however , as Skjor is slaughtered prior to the raid and found dead in the final chamber . Aela vows to slay whoever killed him . From that point , the Dragonborn can receive special assignments from Aela , who sends them on a series of quests intended to stifle the dramatically escalating feud . After the Silver Hand assassinates Kodlak Whitemane , the Companions agree that the Silver Hand must be eradicated . In an effort to cleanse Kodlak ' s spirit of the beast curse , Aela accompanies Vilkas , Farkas , and the Dragonborn to Ysgramor ' s Tomb , where she helps redeem Kodlak ' s spirit . A promotion to Harbinger is given to the Dragonborn after the completion of this quest . Returning Lycanthropy . In , Aela is able to give lycanthropy again , if the Dragonborn decides to cure it in favor of vampirism . Points expended toward the Werewolf skill tree cannot be undone or moved to other skill trees , which includes the Vampire Lord skill tree . She will only do this once , however . After destroying the Silver Hand . After destroying the Silver Hand , she becomes a follower and a candidate for marriage while wearing an Amulet of Mara in her presence . She then offers the repeatable " Animal Extermination " missions , as well as the ability to collect the mythic Totems of Hircine , but only if the player character is still a Werewolf and had not cured themselves during " Glory of the Dead " or " Purity . " Blades . After escorting Delphine and Esbern to Sky Haven Temple , Aela can be recruited into the Blades . Along with two others , she roots out and fights dragons . After becoming a Blade , Aela ' s default armor changes to Blades Armor and her residence shifts from Jorrvaskr to Sky Haven Temple . Follower . As a follower , Aela tolerates stealing and murdering innocents . When trespassing , she says that the Dragonborn " should not be in here , " but otherwise does not turn hostile . Skills . Aela is a specialist and highly skilled in Archery . Her primary skills are Light Armor and Sneak . Her secondary skills are One - Handed and Speech . It should be noted that she is not good with a shield , and will rarely use one if it is in her inventory . Equipment . Aela is equipped with the following items when she first becomes a follower : Weapons . Aela will accept and equip any melee weapon and shield that is better than her default equipment . She is most skilled with bows and one - handed weapons . Aela can use staves and may pick them up from corpses . At higher levels , she replaces her Hunting Bow with an Imperial Bow . Armor . Aela ' s default armor is Ancient Nord Armor . If married , a copy can be purchased from her shop . Aela will equip any armor better than her default set . Just like other followers , Aela will consider armor as " better " if its " base " value is higher . Also like other followers , Aela will not equip upgraded versions of her default armor , regardless of statistics or enchantments . Even though her default armor is Heavy Armor , she is unskilled in Heavy Armor usage , and receives minimal protection from it . She is highly skilled in Light Armor , and benefits significantly from Light Armor . Clothing . Aela can be forced to wear clothes , although the process must be repeated every time a new area is entered . First , armor must be forced into her shop inventory by giving her a better suit . Proceed to buy both sets of the Ancient Nord Armor , to finally replace the armor that was given to her at first by clothes . Dismissing . When Aela is dismissed as a follower , she returns to Jorrvaskr by default . If she has been asked to move into a home through marriage , she returns there instead . If she has been recruited for The Blades , she returns to Sky Haven Temple . When Aela has returned to her home , she unequips any weapon and armor she has received , keeping them in her inventory instead . Her inventory must be altered to re - equip the items .