Total genres: Romance, angst, drama, hurt/comfort, adventure, family, AU, suspense, spiritual
Total pairing(s): Thrall/Vol'jin, mentioned Thrall/Aggra, brief (Cairne/Vol'jin?), very brief OC/OC
Warnings: M/M, violence, a bit of gore here and there, minor character deaths, constant visits to feeladelphia, dark themes etc.

If you are uncomfortable with self-infliction, depression and other themes of distress, I advise to be cautious while reading this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft or the characters (except a few OC's) that you will read about in this work.

A/N:
This story follows the milestones of Vol'jin's life, and the events around them. Please take note of the "AU" thingidy mentioned above, because this is not going to follow the lore blindly.
This kinda serves as a prequel, sequel and a spin-off to my earlier Thrall/Vol'jin story called Once More. I will attempt to portray both Vol'jin and Thrall the same, but please do understand that it's been years since I started and finished Once More. There might be character development to the better – or worse, and that I will leave for you to judge.

Also, if you are familiar with Once More, you might notice that there might be a familiar scene or two that I will include in this story – rewritten, of course.

Also 2, the (extreme) soulmate mechanic still stands (I'm sorry okay). For those who are new to my Vol'jin/Thrall works: you will find the explanation of soulmate mechanics in the first few chapters of this story. If you want to know, like, now, you can do that by reading Once More.

EDIT 8/2/2016/:
Removed some stuff from this A/N, and added something to the second A/N in the end of the second chapter.
Cleared first three chapters from spelling mistakes and awkward/incorrect wordings as well as I could spot them. If you see something weird, feel free to tell me about it!

Path of the Shadow Hunter

When he was young, the future seemed okay enough.

He had a goal to pursue; Vol'jin, son of Sen'jin, was to follow his father's footsteps in the way of the Shadow Hunter, and claim the spiritual leadership of his tribe when the time comes.
He loved his tribe deeply, so he was happy to do whatever he can to ensure a bright future for his people. He owed everything to every single Darkspear and their present and future offspring.

His arrival in this world wasn't an easy one; his mother had been sick for a long time, and giving birth to the future Darkspear chieftain drained her from the last shreds of strength from her.

She had her healthy, strong baby on her chest and the comfort of her husband holding her hand when Bwonsamdi invited her to join him to the Other Side.

From what he'd heard, old Sen'jin had been devastated by the loss of his soulmate for an unknown amount of time, but did not abandon his only son. When Vol'jin's mother wasn't able to be there, Sen'jin had the help of the mothers in his tribe, feeding the baby and helping their spiritual leader raise him like they have raised their own.
While he was just a child, he had the tribe to feed him, comfort him, play with him and watch over him if his father was unable to do so. Therefore, at young age, he considered himself lucky to have several fathers, mothers and siblings, who were always there for him - no matter what.
When he was of age to be able to hold a weapon, he decided that he will become the leader his tribe needs: Wise like his father, fierce like a jungle panther, and enduring like a mountain that's watched the world change for thousands of years. That is the only way he could ever repay them for helping him and Sen'jin after losing a mother and a soulmate who the old man loved deeply.

Sure his childhood wasn't only about dancing in the field full of flowers and sunshine. He sure had his fair share of bumps and "sworn enemies" in his childhood; he swore eternal doom for several kids and adults when he was in the middle of growth pains as his tusks started growing and shaping. He had a few near-death experiences; with a shark attempting to attack him while he was out learning to swim with a bunch of other kids, but thankfully the adults teaching them were quick to spring to action and end the daring beast in front of their eyes.
Needless to say, Vol'jin stayed out of the water for about a year after that.

Then he almost fell through the high roof of his and Sen'jin's hut simply because he saw a fruit hanging from a tree and he really, really wanted it. After his father and a bunch of guards coaxed him to come down, his foot slipped and he crashed against a weak spot of the roof, almost falling through it head first if he wasn't quick to regain his balance and back off.
He was grounded for the rest of the week for almost causing a heart attack for old Sen'jin.

He often came back from his adventures bruised, scratched but happy. He was mostly seen with Zalazane, his best friend from since they were toddlers.

They boys were practically inseparable; they were always up to no good together, plotting mischief and spending the days playing, talking, adventuring or racing each other until the other collapses. They experienced their first fight together, too, when an older kid bullied Vol'jin with whatever he could think of. Zalazane had been quick to protect his friend, and they ended up having a fist fight with the bully. They obviously won, because they were awesome (read: they were two against one, and Vol'jin found a nice coconut to crash into the bully's head when Zalazane kept him distracted).

Vol'jin was an energetic brat all by himself, but all that energy seemed to double whenever he was with Zalazane.

The chieftain-to-be loved Zalazane almost as much as his father, which was a lot. They could talk about their weaknesses, desires, fears… everything without the other judging or picking on each other. They had each other's backs in good and bad.

They dreamed of the day when Vol'jin would become the spiritual leader of the Darkspear tribe, and he would have Zalazane as his right hand once they both were done with their training to be a shadow hunter and a witch doctor. Then they could spend the rest of their lives, growing old and grumpy together.

While he was not playing with Zalazane, he spent time training with his father. He learned to throw a knife, hunt with a bow and use different kinds of blades – mostly glaives, as he'd grown rather fond of them. He followed his father around like a curious puppy, watching him interact with tribesmen so he could learn to interact with his people like a spiritual leader.

Vol'jin's childhood was rather full of events with Zalazane, and learning the basic surviving and fighting skills from his father and a few other trolls that helped the old chieftain teach his son to be a soldier. Years passed, and the tribesmen admired what a fine young man the red-haired heir was becoming. He was only a teenager when Sen'jin had trusted him with some of the "adult" duties, such as scouting and aiding the huntsmen. The chieftain allowed him to carry his first glaive with him, too, along with a simple training bow. Even though his weapons gave him certain feel of power, he quickly learned to be humble after an angry boar started chasing him around the forests when he tripped on her piglet by accident.

Another year rolled by, and Vol'jin had found his place in managing hunting groups. He'd became a strong, agile young man with a quick wit and sense of fair judgment. He'd been training hard past year or so, because he knows he should be taking his trials in a few years. It was almost time for him to attempt to harness the powers of a shadow hunter, and he couldn't be more excited.

When he returned from another successful hunt with his fellow huntsmen, a tribesman told him his father is expecting him by the bonfire. He wondered why, but quickly shrugged it off, released a few dead rabbits hanging from his belt and strolled through the village and to the beach. His father sat by the fire, alone.

When he joined his father by the fire, he could never forget the deadly serious look his father gave him. What he heard confused him, maybe even startled him a bit, but something in the old man's eyes told him everything was going to be okay. It was comforting, but it didn't suppress the feel of distress flaring within him.

From this point on, everything changes for both better and worse. The long, rocky journey of Vol'jin, Son of Sen'jin, is about to begin.

A/N: Dramatic.

By the way, the point of view will be switched to Vol'jin in next chapter, and will stay like that.

I'm kind of sure the next chapter is coming very soon, so stay tuned!