Forsaken Flames

A World of Warcraft Fan-Fiction

The Dream

An evil presence was about me, and there was an unbearable smell. It was dark and cold with a bit of a damp feeling in the air. It was silent, aside from an occasional squeak from what I could only guess were rats somewhere on the other side of the room. I sat on my knees, unable to move as my arms were chained to the wall behind me and my legs chained to the floor, and tried to peer through the darkness. Suddenly, a deep voice uttered a strange word in a language I could not understand, causing torches that were mounted along the walls to light themselves. The darkness was instantly banished and my eyes needed a moment to adjust. I could then see that the room was circular with walls made of stone and an iron door with bars over the window. Skulls and other bones littered the filth-covered floor, and a few fresh corpses lay atop a mound of hay. All of this was taken in within a moment, after which my eyes fell upon a figure standing in the middle of the room. He wore dark green robes, torn and tattered, and held a skull engulfed in green fire in his left hand. His right hand held a large staff, which was carved and decorated at the top so that a snake head held an emerald in its mouth. As he approached me, I noticed that his flesh was rotting and peeling from his bones. He had no eyes; two small yellow fires blazed forth from his otherwise empty sockets. The sight of him in the light terrified me, and I would have run off if my wrists had not been chained to the wall behind me. He drew his face close to mine and gazed into my eyes. The smell, as I then learned, was not coming from the corpses on the hay, but from him. I tried to turn away, but found that I was magically bound to stare. He spoke, breathing foul air into my face. "Tell me, or perish."

I awoke at that point, sweating and finding it hard to breath. It was as if that skeleton of a man had tried to peer into my very soul. A chill breeze blew in from the window, which I had left cracked open. It was quite warm when I had opened it, as nights usually are in summer months, but a rain storm had come and changed that. I got up, closed the window, and stood watching the rain for a while. As I stared up at the storm clouds, I felt a big, furry creature rub up against my side. I looked down, though not far, and saw that it was my pet lion. He was a rather large animal, coming up to my chest when he was down upon all fours. His fur was completely white, and he had large front fangs like that of a saber tooth. He purred with a soft and gentle tone, which would surprise nearly anyone due to his size. I stroked his mane with my left hand and returned to staring out the window. The inn was silent aside from the sound of rain hitting the windows and an occasional roar of thunder. "I had that dream again, Kana."

The lion looked up at me with sorrowful eyes as I turned and kneeled to speak to him. He spoke within my mind, as all hunter's pets do. "Perhaps it is an omen, or a vision."

I spoke softly so as to not disturb anyone that might be in the room next to mine. "I hope not. In that situation, I'd be doomed."

"You are Shina, slayer of Horde! What challenge is too great for your might?" Kana puffed out his furry chest as he spoke.

I sighed heavily and continued. "Apparently whatever may have happened before the event in my dream."

"I'm not sure I understand." His eyes grew large as he peered into mine.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to lock gazes with the lion. "I was a prisoner in the dream, as you know, so I was either caught off guard or fell in battle."

I almost couldn't finish my sentence; I was on the verge of tears, scared for my life. What if it really was a vision of events to come? Would anyone come to rescue me? If so would they succeed? Countless thoughts of my torture and death flooded my mind. "I feel so stupid, fearing danger that isn't even guaranteed to come."

I sat down on the edge of the bed and Kana set his head down beside me. "Whatever may come, even the events in your nightmares, you shall be prepared for them and prevail as you always have." He lay down at my feet, still looking up at me. "Your wisdom shall guide you through any hindrance; In this I have faith."

He allowed his head to rest on his paws and closed his eyes. I gave his mane one last stroke, talking quietly to myself. "I hope you're right, Kana. More than I've ever hoped for anything else."

With that, I climbed back into bed and waited for sleep to return.