The Day Azeroth Leaked

***Author's Note: In this chapter, italicized text within spoken dialog represents the Orcish language being both spoken AND understood. All words initially italicized for emphasis should instead be in bold, but my word processor is not cooperating with me so if there are errors, please let me know. Enjoy!***

Chapter One

"I'll be back around six," Jesika told her mother over the phone as she pulled on a sports bra and some spandex running shorts, "and I'm taking Duke with me." The excitable Dutch Shepherd puppy bounded about the house with his leash in his mouth, eager to go on his daily run. "Alright, alright, I'm hurrying," Jes chuckled as he traded the leash for one of her shoes and dropped it at her feet. Once the laces were tied securely, she clipped on Duke's dropped leash, bid her mother good-bye, and jogged out the door.

It was a wonderful afternoon- the sun's mild heat was made even more pleasant by a cool breeze that drifted through the neighborhood, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the streets were almost empty, making for a soothingly quiet run. Jesika took great joy in her daily exercise, as it provided a chance to clear her head and relieved stress which left her feeling wonderfully euphoric. However, today seemed... different. Duke was reluctant to venture too far from the house the moment they left, and hesitated before every corner as if he expected something was going to leap from the shadows and attack them.

Suddenly, the large pup stopped dead in his tracks.

"Duke, come on buddy, just a little bit longer," Jesika encouraged, tugging at his leash, but he didn't budge. "Duke, come!" she pulled a bit harder, but the normally obedient dog whined and back pedalled. "What's wrong with you, bud? You've been getting more and more skittish... is it this street? Look, there's nothing here," the young girl strolled forward a few feet and turned in a circle. "See?" Instead of calming down like she expected, Duke growled menacingly and bounded to her side, assuming a protective stance in front of her, his teeth bared.

"What the hell has gotten into-" She was cut off as something crashed into her calves from behind and knocked her to the floor. Disoriented, it took her a moment to collect herself, but when she did and looked up to see what had attacked her, her jaw dropped. Standing before her was a strange creature that was as shockingly familiar as it was terrifying.

The beast had four oversized hooves and was covered in a leathery red skin, except for its back, which was lined with coarse black fur. If that wasn't odd enough, protruding from its furry spine, were two tentacle-like appendages and from each shoulder, a horn at least one foot in length. If she didn't know any better, Jes would've classified it as a felhound, but... that wasn't possible. She was left no time to ponder it, for Duke, being a protective dog, launched himself at the beast and clamped down on its flank.

"Duke, no!" she screamed, immediately realizing the danger, but he didn't listen. The felhound- or, whatever it was, squealed in pain and lashed out with its own razor sharp teeth. The sound of her precious pet in pain brought such a fierce anger bubbling to the surface, Jesika pushed aside her fear and bolted to his aid. She yanked Duke back by his collar and smashed her foot into the grievous bite already present on the beast's flank. It fell over with a cry, but was quickly back on its feet and absolutely livid. Jesika's heart pounded in her ears as she desperately thought of what to do while keeping the circling beast at bay and preventing her dog from attacking.

Jes glanced about her surroundings for a few seconds at a time, never taking her eyes from the creature for too long. Her gaze came across a spade someone had left out in their garden, but it was too far away to be anything less than fatally risky- then an idea hit her.

"Come on, you pathetic scrap of meat," She spat, "come and get me!" Jesika took a step forward and that was enough to provoke it. The creature lunged, but she released Duke, dove to the side, and yanked the spade from the grass. For some reason, the thing ignored her dog and went straight for her again, but this time she was ready. It landed heavily on her chest, snapping at her throat. They wrestled for a few tense moments, each looking for an opening but finding none. Duke snarled and clamped down on its tail, providing the perfect distraction. It whirled around to face the pesky dog, but Jesika lunged forward and brought the spade down on its neck. With a final squeal, the creature collapsed in a lifeless heap, blood already pooling beneath its twitching body.

Jesika sat on the curb and ran her fingers through her hair, breathing shakily. What the hell is going on? She wondered as she leaned over and wrenched the spade from the creature's neck. The young girl was absorbed in thought when Duke limped over, whining softly, and placed his head in her lap. "Come on, Bud, we have to get you back to the house and fix up your leg," she stated after inspecting the nasty bite.

They had only just gotten on their feet when a stern voice steadily and quietly demanded, "Kagh." The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and Jesika froze in her tracks- something felt off, and when she turned around, she realized why.

A man stood behind her that most definitely did not belong there; he was muscular but lean, with broad shoulders tense and ready. Lengthy blonde tresses framed his angular, almost feline-esque face, and he kept his lips pursed, faintly glowing green eyes boring into her. Jesika gulped and looked at the arrow he had aimed at her face. "Erm... hello..." she managed to force a greeting, her voice cracking. Her eyes wandered toward his long, pointed ears, then to the large cat that stood snarling at his side.

"Mak'bar abal kah'zi?" He asked firmly, eyes narrowing as he took a step closer. Duke's growls grew louder but she quickly hushed the animal.

"I don't... quite understand what you're saying... but then again, you can't be real. You don't exist. So I'm just... talking... to myself... great. I'm going to go on home and drive myself to the hospital because clearly, I need to be checked out. If you'll excuse me," the young woman said and turned, only to be stopped by the feeling of an arrow pressed into her back.

"Mak'bar. Abal. Kah'zi." he hissed sternly, "Og tah kirze, human."

The physical sensation was proof enough. "Oh, sweet Jesus, you're real... A blood elf... wow, okay..." Jesika took a few deep breaths and tried to think back to her favourite game as she turned back around. Why is there a fucking blood elf standing in front of me? What the hell is going on? She thought furiously. Okay, um, friend. What is friend... okay that was never said in-game... for the horde? Oh yes! "Friend! I, friend! Um.. burzum-ishi…?"

The blood elf looked immensely confused and at first and Jes thought it was because she said something wrong, but apparently he'd understood. "Friend?" He questioned with a tilt of his head, slightly lowering his bow.

"Yes! Lok'tar ogar, friend," She said, confident that "victory or death" was as good a greeting as any considering how orcish NPC's said it constantly; she followed her instinct and punctuated the sentence with a deep bow. The man then spoke excitedly in orcish, as if he thought she could understand, but he was sorely mistaken. "Look, I can't understand you, my dog is bleeding, and frankly, I need to sit down. So come with me, my parents shouldn't be home from work for a few hours." Jesika gathered up Duke's leash and gestured toward her house, but the blood elf refused to move. "Friend," she repeated and gently touched his hand before starting home. To her relief, he followed her instead of shooting her in the back.

The duo entered the house with their pets and Jesika immediately hurried into the bathroom, leaving her... guests... and Duke alone in the living room. "This za katil strange goro haneh," she heard the blood elf state with an almost mocking chuckle. She emerged from the bathroom with some first aid supplies and led her injured and whining dog into the tile-floored kitchen where his blood would be easily cleaned up.

"Look, it may be strange to you, but it's home and it's where you might have to stay for a while so you'd better get used to it," Jes snapped, eliciting a soft 'tut tut' from him as he ambled into the kitchen and poked around. She simply rolled her eyes and continued to clean Duke's wounds; the large hound cried and jerked his injured shoulder from her grasp. "Hush now," she crooned affectionately, "it's alright. I know it hurts but bear with me, it's okay, baby... it's okay..." she went on like this for quite some time, murmuring comforting words while gingerly cleaning and bandaging his painful, albeit minor lacerations.

Once she was finished, the man asked, in a much kinder tone than earlier, "...Mak'bar abal kah'zi?"

"You're not on Azeroth anymore, and this isn't Outlands," Jesika replied smoothly. "You're on a planet called Earth and it's home to many humans. We aren't members of the Alliance, despite our race, and to the people of this world, your people and your world are a work of fiction created by a video game company."

"...video… game?"

"Yes, video game. Think of moving pictures you can control with a machine." Jesika paused for a moment. "Wait, you can understand me?"

The blood elf furrowed his brow, lifted his hand and brought his thumb and forefinger close together. "Pak."

She assumed that meant small or little and nodded. Once Duke's leg was disinfected and bandaged, she grabbed the dog's bone from the cupboard as a reward. Duke munched happily on his treat, wound forgotten, and Jes grabbed a second bone for the elf's cat. Despite every instinct screaming at her to keep away from it's fang-lined mouth, she offered the bone by hand and, to her surprise, the animal took it as gently as possible. Her blonde-haired guest raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything and continued to amble around her house, poking and prodding her affects.

"So… why are you here, anyway?" Jes ventured as she wiped her hands clean.

The blood elf pursed his lips. "That is the question before us, isn't it?" He replied softly. Jesika's face blanched and the first-aid kit clattered to the ground, spilling its remaining contents. He looked at her quizzically as she scrambled to pick everything up. "What is it?"

Jes covered her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes wide. Before speaking, she forced herself to inhale through her nose for a count of three, and exhale through her mouth for another count of three. "Nothing," she breathed calmly, "I thought I heard my mom's car, but I was mistaken." The lie came easily enough.

"Car?" The blood elf asked as Jes strolled to the bathroom to put away the First-Aid kit. She was about to answer when he cut in, "No, nevermind that now. There are more pressing matters."

A shudder rattled her spine. Jes knew he wasn't speaking English all of a sudden, so why she could abruptly understand Orcish was beyond her, and it didn't sit right- something was very wrong. "Yes, yes there are," she murmured. Duke whimpered from the other room, snapping her back to her senses. "Let me rephrase my earlier question: how did you get here?" Jesika inquired while grabbing some cleaning supplies and making yet another trip to the kitchen.

While she cleaned her pup's blood off of the grey tile, her guest spun a fantastic tale of travel and adventure from Orgimmar to the Blasted Lands in an effort to get to Outlands and visit a friend stationed in Thrallmar. Jesika alternated between hearing English and Orcish, or rather, between understanding Orcish and not understanding.

Jesika piped up: "So, what? You took the portal to Outlands and popped out here?"

The blood elf made a face but nodded. "More or less," he answered, "but there was something that happened before I went through."

Confusion was plain on his face and Jes could almost see his head working through the events, attempting to make sense of it all. "And…? Go on," she prompted, gesturing to the couch. They settled on opposite sides and the animals wasted no time in joining them. Duke clambered gracelessly onto the cushion beside Jesika, where he laid down and settled his head in her lap with a dramatic huff. The cat was a bit more regal, choosing to retire at his master's feet, but not before requesting that Jes pat his head. She, being unendingly familiar with attention-seeking pets, clearly understood the nudge on her leg and obliged.

Her guest seemed baffled by the affectionate behavior, but made no comment and instead continued his story. "As I had said, something happened as I rode into the Dark Portal encampment- an earthquake. My hawkstrider threw me as he fell…" He muttered, clearly disturbed, "and I think something happened to the portal."

"What makes you say that?"

"It changed colour- briefly, but I swear I saw it turn red."

"Hm… that is strange," Jes commented. "You still went through when the quake ended?"

The blood elf shrugged. "I didn't see any reason not to. None of the mages or warlocks seemed concerned about the portal, so…" he paused and thought for a moment, then continued, "Actually, now that I've taken a moment to recall, I do remember everyone acting a bit… odd when I spoke to them."

"Anything in particular that stood out to you?"

"No… nothing like that. Something about them just seemed out of sorts."

"Gotcha, just a feeling something was off." They sat for a few moments in silence. Jesika's head was spinning with possibilities but after some deep, albeit quick, thinking she made a decision. "Wait here," she instructed, "I'll be right back." Without another word she hurried to the foyer and up the stairs to her room, Duke hobbling after her.

"This is crazy," she muttered to herself as she pulled a small canvas backpack from her closet. "Absolutely insane, I can't believe…" Her voice trailed off and she ran her fingers through her hair, quickly realizing her hands were shaking. A mischievous grin creeped onto her face as the excitement of the situation dawned on her- she even let out a soft giggle as she inspected the contents of her bug-out bag.

"What are you doing?"

Jes jumped, for a moment forgetting about her guest she'd left in the living room. "Getting ready," she stated plainly, returning to her task.

"Huh?"

"I said I'm getting ready. I'm coming with you back to Azeroth and we're going to find out what's going on."

The blood elf wrinkled his nose. "Absolutely not! I will not be seen walking Azeroth beside a human! An untrained and inexperienced human nonetheless! You'll get us both killed."

Jesika was taken aback by the sudden venom and whirled around, feeling heat rising to her face. "Well considering you still thought that portal was safe, hardly noticed how strange your allies were acting, and seem to have no idea I've been speaking Orcish to you, I'd say you aren't the brightest bulb in the box," she snapped, "You need the brains around so stuff it, Legolas; I'm coming."

He seemed shocked, perplexed even. Jes stood before him, arms crossed defiantly, and waited for his rebuttal, but all he said was, "Legolas?"

"It's human joke." she explained, "He's a character in a- you know what? Nevermind, we have more important things to deal with, like getting back to that portal before it closes or something." The young woman rummaged through her bag, picking out some extraneous items.

Still stiff from his wounded pride, her companion kneeled down beside the bag and poked around inside. "Why do you have that?" he pried as she swatted his hand away, "You don't seem to be much of an adventurer."

Jes flashed him a fiery glare. "It's a bug-out bag," she explained tersely. "My dad was a combat medic for quite some time before my mom got pregnant with me. He insisted that I was raised to be prepared to take care of myself in an emergency. We camped all the time, he enrolled me in some small self defense classes, and taught me as much as I could learn about how to survive in the elements- with tools, and without. Since we live close to a fault line, he made sure everyone in our family had a bug-out bag. It's basically an emergency kit designed to keep you alive for at least 72 hours. I have rations, two changes of clothes, a survival knife, a ridiculous amount of water… just a whole slew of stuff, we'd be here for a while if I tried to list it all off."

"Your father is a smart man, but if he kept you adequately prepared then why are you removing some items? Aren't they all important?"

"There aren't many portals in Azeroth in the middle of nowhere and the portal you came through has to drop us off out of an already existing portal. That being said, we'll likely get spit out in some encampment, city, or town- at least close to one- where we can purchase rations and such. Your world is a violent and dangerous one; I'm prepared to run and fight as needed but I want my pack as light as possible. It's good for hiking and trekking, not so much for running."

"Hm. Fair point."

Jesika emptied her bag of most of the food, but kept some MRE's handy just in case. Food could be hunted; her main concerns were water- which she ensured with her Lifestraw® and some purification tablets- and clothing. She attempted to pack for sweltering days and chilly nights, but kept it light with just one long sleeve shirt, a tank top, full-length pants, and some stretchy workout capris. The blood elf beside her raised his eyebrows at the small pile of underwear she accumulated. Suddenly self-conscious, Jes stuffed them in her bag. "What? I like lace, sue me," she muttered, educing a snort from her elven friend.

He let her finish packing in silence and followed quietly as she went to the bathroom to fill her thermos and canteen. Jesika glanced up at herself in the mirror, carefully wedging her toothbrush and toothpaste amongst her things. It was only then that she saw, despite the pit in her stomach, the stupidly giddy expression on her face… the excited fire alight in the emerald depths of her eyes… and it was thinking how much she would miss this mirror, her bathroom, her home as a whole, that triggered immediate homesickness though she hadn't even left. The reality of the situation smacked her in the gut like a brick and for a moment, she doubted herself. Luckily, a loud snarl from downstairs snapped her out of it.

"Where is your cat?" Jesika asked warily.

"She is downstairs. I told her to watch the door," he replied with a cock of his head. "Why do you ask?"

The colour drained from Jes' face as she heard a car door shut. "My mom is home," she gasped. "Order your cat outside, now! Have him-" Jes corrected herself: "-her wait for us below my bedroom window. Jump or climb down, I don't care which, but get out. I'll be there in just a moment."

"Wh-"

"There is no time for questions!" Jesika hissed, shoving him through the doorway, "Do as I say before my mom meets your cat and gets mauled!"

He grinded his teeth but did as she bid him. Within seconds, she heard a thud and a whistle outside.

Keys jangled.

"Fuck," she muttered, scrambling for a fistful of hair ties. Duke trailed diligently behind while she ran back to her room and scrawled a note:

Mom,

I'm sorry for leaving without talking to you,

but I know you would try and talk me out of

it and I can't have that. It would be harder to

say goodbye in person. I want you to know that I'm

safe and I love you so, so much. I'm taking Duke

with me. Please tell Dad I love him and give him, and

yourself, lots of hugs and kisses from me. I

promise I'm safe and if I can see you again, I will.

Love you and Dad always,

Jes

"Jes?" Her mom called, just as the pen hit the desk.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jesika swore under her breath and donned her pack. She scooped up Duke in her arms, swallowing nervously as she glanced out her window. The climb was familiar to her, but never had she done it while holding a 50-pound puppy. Regardless, there was no time to dawdle. Jes steeled herself, wrapped an arm around her pup and began the descent. Although only two stories, it was painful and slow when over encumbered by an animal and the strain on her fingers made her want to scream. About six feet from the bottom, her hand slipped and Duke, feeling the both of them fall, squirmed to get free. Before she toppled too far to correct herself, she twisted and pushed off from her foothold, trying to get momentum going out instead of straight to the ground. Jes pulled Duke close to her chest and rolled the second her feet touched the ground, trying her best not to crush her dog.

The blood elf rushed to her side, eyes wide. "I'm impressed with your strength, human. It's no easy feat for a woman of your stature to carry that animal as far as you did," he commented, a smidge of warmth in his voice. "Are you hurt?"

Jesika grunted, "Yeah, I'm fine. Rolling with that bag definitely tweaked my back a little, but I'll live." she patted Duke down, briefly checking his neck and legs to make sure she didn't hurt him in the fall. Once satisfied that he was uninjured, she stood and started into the light forest adjacent to her neighborhood, her companions close behind.

"Would it not be easier to travel along the road?" the blood elf piped up after jumping over a young fallen tree.

"Easier? Of course. But my mom was on her way up to my room when I left-" she cut herself off and called to her pup, "Duke, stay close!" The little rascal faithfully bounded back to her side for a short while, then began to run to-and-fro in excitement, though he never strayed more than four or five feet in any given direction. Jes watched him for a moment to make sure he listened, then continued, "As I was saying, my mom was on her way up to my room and I had left her a note. After reading it, she's probably going to jump in her car and look for me. It's less conspicuous to move through the woods. They're light and I'm following a hiking trail, but the people here hardly use it."

Her companion nodded as if he figured she would make such a decision. "Your pet listens quite well considering your class. Did you have a hunter train him?" He asked. The question itself was meant with no ill intent, but the insinuation stung.

"I trained him myself," Jes retorted dryly. "What do you mean 'considering my class'?"

"You're a rogue apprentice of some sort, are you not?"

"What? What makes you think-" She paused as the realization dawned on her, "You saw my dagger, didn't you?"

He nodded and replied with a note of humor in his voice, "Not the best, is it?"

Her ears burned with embarrassment, but she confided, "It's only 440 stainless steel… so no, it isn't the best. But I figured it might come in handy…" The elf's lips twisted into a mocking grin and her cheeks reddened. "I got it at an Irish Faire, okay?! My dad bought it for me as an early birthday gift. Stop looking at me like I'm an idiot. Even if it breaks, should I need to stick a motherfucker, it'll do the job."

His grin softened and he loosed a quiet chuckle.

"What?"

"You swear when you're nervous."

Jesika's cheeks went from rosey to a vibrant cherry red.

"And you blush."

"Shut the f-" she caught herself- "Just shut up and show me where the portal is."

He dipped his head. "As you wish," he chimed as he took the lead.

The four of them ran for another twenty minutes before Jes finally had to stop. "I think… it's safe… to walk for… a while…" she panted, gasping for breath. The elf turned around and, after seeing her state, solemnly nodded and slowed his pace.

"You are going to be a… difficult travelling companion," he commented, stopping beside her as she knelt and pulled a collapsible dog bowl from her bag.

"What makes you say so?" Jes requested stiffly.

While she poured some water for the animals, he answered, "Your endurance is lacking. My world will have you running often, usually requiring you to fight before or after and you, my dear, tire quickly."

She flicked away the hairs plastered to her forehead so she could properly glower at the elf. "I'll adapt. Don't be so quick to judge, pretty boy," Jes snarled. Once Duke had rehydrated and the cat lapped up a few tongue-fulls, she collapsed the bowl and wedged it back into place. "Alright, let's go," she commanded, setting the pace at a brisk walk. "By the way," Jes grumbled as she popped open her canteen and brought it to her lips, "I'm not your 'dear.' My name is Jes."

"Charmed. My name is Theron, and my lynx is called Mira."

The sun was dropping behind them when the portal finally came into view.

Relief was visible on Theron's face, but it morphed into confusion upon taking a closer look. He stood in silence for a while.

"I do not know where this will lead," he confessed and rested his hand on Mira's head- she was nudging him, anxious to go home. He explained, "There is a very faint picture in the vortex… but… if my eyes aren't deceiving me, I would say it's changing."

"So… we could end up in the Blasted Lands at the entrance, or we could end up in the middle of Mount Hyjal," Jes hypothesized.

Theron nodded and replied darkly, "It would seem your theory about coming out of a pre-existing major portal was incorrect."

"Not entirely," she countered. "It's definitely feasible that it's not just major portals such as the Dark Portal, but all portals from those leaving Azeroth down to a mage portal from Sen'jin to Orgrimmar."

"Be that as it may, we are in no condition to land in enemy territory."

"Do you want to get back home or not?" Jes huffed inquisitively, hands on her hips. "Because if we don't step through, you are guaranteed to be stuck here, but if we do go through, there is a small chance we end up in the middle of Stormwind, and great chance we end up in Horde territory. I don't know about you, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."

The blood elf rubbed his temples in thought, but the portal wavering seemed to force his decision. "Prepare yourself. Portal travel is difficult the first time," he warned.

Before she could ask why, Theron stepped through the now flickering portal, bow in hand with an arrow nocked. Mira cast a backward glance then, seemingly aware she could pop out in hostile territory, leapt through the portal, teeth bared.

"Let's go baby boy," Jes murmured encouragingly as she pulled Duke into her arms, "It's now or never." He licked her nose, nestled close for comfort, and through the portal they went.