Here's a story for a friend, she knows who she is. ;) The storyline really doesn't try to go in depth. In fact, its more of just a one shot, but if she wants to add on to it, go ahead, lol. I hope whoever reads it, enjoys it.
The burning sun blazed down on the slightly brown grass, heedless of the shouts called forth of mortals as they battled on. Steel clashed shield as a tall, two-legged beast blocked yet another blow from it's horse-like nemesis. The Centaur tried again to strike at its taller enemy, succeeding in only smashing into the turtle shell, turned shield, of its bull-like counterpart. It never got the chance to try again, as the Tauren smashed it across the face with a blow from its mace that would have crushed a smaller being.
There was no time for victory though, as more of the Centaur took their fallen comrade's place. Horde warriors clashed with each wave of Centaurs, as they tried desperately to overwhelm the Horde's guards and destroy the bunker that served as the last stronghold west of Crossroads.
Centaur and Orc alike struck each other down with viciousness, and amongst them, stood the mighty Tauren, simply known as "Whomp" who struggled on with two more of the Centaur beasts. The Centaur themselves were shocked as lightning flew from their adversary's hands, to singe their thick fur with unbridled energy. Even the earth itself heeded this lone Tauren's call, sweeping up in deadly shards that cut through one of them.
The other Centaur battered the shaman's shield in anger, but was quickly swept aside with a blow that could not be stopped by its attempt to block. More of its comrades came to take its place, swarming the lone Tauren, who's Orc allies were slowly being pushed back or falling under the tide of Centaur. Though he was tired, his pride would not allow him to run. Three of them closed like vultures on their victim, wanting nothing more then to take the Tauren's head as a trophy to their Chief.
But, Whomp was not cowed by their actions. He stood his ground, letting go a roar that shook the very earth and stopped them in their tracks. The ground itself shot up in totems that shocked the Centaur. Blasts of fire spat from one, confusing the hapless Centaur further. Once again, the shaman unleashed his fury against his race's ancient enemy. Fire, earth, and lightning swirled towards his opponents until he could no longer call it forth. His mace finished the work he'd started, striking down the one that had been left standing.
Many Centaur now advanced on him, thinking him weak. But he did not give way. With a pride born of his people, he resolved himself to death, hoping his ancestors would accept him. He let forth a cry the likes of which no Centaur had heard before, and charged into them. Mace and shield flashed, while its large body waded into the Centaur. Even the eldest amongst them could not stop the raging bull in their midst.
One, then two Centaur fell before its brute strength, and more still backed away from it in fear. They were hunters that preyed on weakness, but there was no weakness here. He would not stop, and they knew it. Fear gave way to Panic, as two more fell before his mace, until none could stand their ground. Their cloven hooves resounded upon the open plains as more and more of their brethren chose to flee away from the raging monster in their midst. Some were fast enough, others were not, swept up by the monster's momentum.
The grass itself bled, stained with the life-blood of Orc and Centaur alike, with one figure left standing, defiant of all those who had fallen. He bent on one knee, giving thanks to the Earth Mother for watching over him, before striding back to the shelter of the Horde bunker.
He knew this was not the end of the Centaur. They would never stop, that was the way of the Centaur, and Whomp knew it well. Though Orcs were his allies, the true battle lay between the Centaur and the Tauren, not the Orcs. That was why he had come to this desolate part of the Barrens. He would oppose the Centaur regardless of what it cost him.
He entered the small bunker, heedless of the orcs that tried their best to ignore his presence. Cairne and Thrall, the leaders of the Tauren and Orcs, had made a pact of protection, but many on each side did not share their feelings of comradery. Whomp himself found Orcs to be vicious warriors, but lacking in honor. They cut down the forests, and dried up the streams in the sake of progress, while Tauren tried to live in balance with nature.
Orcs saw him as a primitive being, and were not very good at hiding it. But he did not care about their opinions of him. The pride and strength of his ancestors flowed through his veins, and he would not bring shame to his clan through fear or inaction. He held his head high, scaling the stairs to the top of the bunker and walking up the leader of the Orcs at the outpost. Regthar, as the other orcs referred to him, was older then most of his warriors, but his mind was still wise. He was one of the few that welcomed the presence of a Tauren in their ranks.
"You did well." Regthar stated, while continuing to gaze out at the plains. "However, many have died today… too many. If the Centaur attack again, I fear we will be too weak to stop them. I have sent a runner to Crossroads to request help, but they cannot spare much with so many members of the Alliance in Ratchet. I fear that we are on our own now." This last statement was made with an obvious sigh.
"Well, then we will take many with us to the afterlife," Whomp stated vehemently. At this, Regthar finally turned towards his Tauren ally.
"I have no doubt you will," he stated assuredly, before once again turning to gaze out into the open plains once again.
Whomp took this as a sign to take his leave, and headed down into the bottom of the bunker. Quietly, away from the others, he laid down on a small blanket and drifted off to sleep, unknowing of what the next day would bring.
"CENTAUR!!!" sent Whomp bolting up from his spot as it wrung out across the fields of the Barrens. With weapon in hand, he sprung out the entrance to the bunker, alongside a few dozen Orc warriors, only to find a sight that, for the first time in his life, scared him. The ground itself shook with the pounding of more hooves then he'd ever seen in his lifetime. Hundreds of Centaur stretched across the Barren's fields, kicking up dust as they drew closer and closer.
From his perch, atop the bunker, Regthar started to let loose commands to his troops, and, like well trained soldiers, they immediately responded. Two units of a dozen or so warriors took defensive positions north and west of the bunker, while 6 archers made readyon the top of the bunker. On each Orc's face, Whomp could see a mix of fear and determination that impressed him. Each one probably knew the outcome of the day already, yet they chose to stay and fight rather then flee. It inspired pride in his heart, and determination in his mind.
It was a warrior's dream, to achieve a death that would resonate throughout eternity, and today he would have it. He readied his shield, and mace, before striding forward. He walked up to, and past the Orcs, determined to meet the beasts first.
The ground shook harder, a wall of Centaur flying towards him, and he welcomed it. He cried out in defiance, showing the Centaur that he would not run and smiling at the look of confusion that he could see on some of them, even at their distance.
The earth mother channeled through him, letting him feel her strength until he could not hold it back any longer. Unchecked energy flowed through his outstretched arms, crackling like lightning at the first Centaur he targeted, killing the beast outright, and tripping some of those around him. Bolts of lightning began to flash from his hands, cutting into the ranks of Centaur.
The earth itself aided him, rearing up in places to form totems of power as old as time itself. The fury of the earth spat forth from him too, igniting flames from the ground, incinerating some of the Centaur ranks.
But, they would not stop coming. Two or more replaced each one cut down until they were close enough to charge. Their heathen tongues cried out in anger as they rushed as one towards their enemies.
He readied his mace, knowing this would be his end, and relishing his final battle. He stood defiant as they ran towards him, hitting the first Centaur so hard it raised off of the ground. His shield smacked one aside, and a third, he head butted so hard, it fell to the ground in pain. He snarled as one slashed at him from his right side. The foolish Centaur caught a mace, bigger then his head, in the face for his actions. Two more cut at his thick hide, but Whomp hardly felt it, as he twirled in a flurry of death that left three more Centaur lying dead.
The clumsy Centaur bumped into one another, and got into each other's way, but Whomp only had enemies around him. He cut into them with all his strength, showing the primitive side that he usually guarded tightly. His cuts bled badly, but he had no time to remedy them. They came at him from all sides, biting, cutting, stabbing, kicking him. But his determination did not leave him. Each one that attacked him, paid with its life, yet more took their place without hesitation.
Then, he spotted the reason why. A good foot above all the rest, a Centaur with precious jewels around its neck, yelled at his comrades in their tongue. 'A Centaur Khan' Whomp thought to himself 'he must think this is truly the last battle for him to show his face' and as hard as it was for him to do it, Whomp had to admit that the Khan was probably right.
He swung at another Centaur, when he spotted the bunker itself. Regthar himself stood at its entrance, striking down the Centaur that were slowly surrounding him. Realization gave way to action, as Whomp pushed one of his adversaries aside and began to run towards the Bunker. His bulk pushed through the throng of Centaur, receiving several attacks that left him snarling in pain. But he pressed through them regardless.
He burst out of them, and past an Orc warrior, into the clearing just north of the Bunker. He could see five Centaur surrounding Regthar and he readied his mace to swing. But he never got the chance. Shocks of lightning burst off of his back, spinning him into the ground. His world swam with pain before he detected the vile stench of the Centaur. A Centaur warrior came into view, hovering over him with an axe in hand. Whomp knew, in that moment that his life had truly come to an end. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the final strike, but all he felt was a 'thump' on the ground next to him.
He chanced a look to find the Centaur gone. Then, looked to his left and saw the beast laying on its side, an arrow notched in the side of his head. He looked around, expecting to see one of the orc archers, when he spotted something he'd never expected. A seeming angel stood but four paces to his right. Her skin seemed to glow a slight blue, and her purple locks curled down her back, showing a face that seemed half determined, and half mischievous. Her smile alone was at complete odds her body, which seemed poised to strike at any moment. Even her bow already had an arrow notched on its string in preparation. Yet, the creature, he recognized as a troll, bowed slightly to him before saying "Charra Zama, at your service."
It had to be the first time in his life that Whomp actually found himself stunned. Though Tauren considered honor in important, most other races could not have cared less about such formalities. He stumbled to get up, almost tripping over his own shield in the process. 'Since when did I get so clumsy' he thought to himself. For what had to be the first time, he could feel embarrassment flushing across his cheeks. He quickly turned to snatch his gear off the ground, hiding his embarrassment, and forcing himself to calm down. Then, he turned to his savior, who had a knowing grin on her face, and regarded her fully. "I am Whomp, of the Tauren, thank you for your help" he stated as formally as he could, before returning the bow she had given him.
She smiled back and laughingly stated "anytime Hon." Again, he flushed slightly at her tone, but this time, he forced it down quickly and turned back to the battle at hand. Regthar had managed to fend off the five Centaur that had tried to enter the bunker, but dozens more were breaking through the few Horde warriors left, and closing on the bunker. He channeled the Earth Mother's power, closing his open wounds, and revitalizing some of the strength he had lost, then readied himself for combat.
Two broke off from the on-rushing Centaur, and headed towards him. But, even as he prepared himself to strike them down, a blur of red streaked past his right. The clawed terror ripped into one, tearing the creature into literal pieces. Then, it turned to the other Centaur, who was just as unprepared to deal with it as the first. The horse-man tried in vein to fend off its claws, but was quickly overwhelmed by the raptor's ferocity and killed. Whomp himself prepared to fend it off when it turned towards him, but was surprised when it just started casually walking back towards him.
The troll, Charra, walked past him, to meet the beast, merely patting it on the head and saying "good Civ." She turned to Whomp, saying, "This is Civ, in case you didn't catch that. He's my buddy." Whomp had to admit he was impressed. Not many would have the guts to tame such a volatile beast, but, then again, ever since he'd met this woman, he hadn't pinned her for the cautious type.
She giggled at his obvious look of thoughtfulness, before he caught himself and stated "hello Civ." Surprisingly the raptor looked at him when he said its name, and turned its head to the side, in what had to be its look of confusion. He almost laughed at the creature, but realized there were more important things to do. He stepped in front of the huntress and her pet, ready to rejoin the fight that raged.
Once again, lightning burst from his hands in waves that stopped the Centaur in their tracks. He did not give them a chance to think, before he rushed into them. Again, his big, bulky body shouldered its way into them, striking at any that he saw. But this time, arrows picked at them from behind, and Charra's raptor preyed on those who had turned their back on it to attack the Tauren beast. The trio cut through them with ruthless efficiency, killing one after another. But that ease would not last.
Whomp hit another Centaur, killing it outright, when he felt a presence to his left. He brought his shield up to block, but could not expect the blow that came. A two-handed club smashed into his shield, sending it flying from his hand, and him, sprawling to the ground. He regained his feet uneasily, staring at the beast before him. Up close, the Centaur Khan was bigger then even he'd expected. The monstrosity nearly met him in height, and definitely dwarved him in bulk. Its muscles seemed almost unnatural for such a beast, and in his hand, was what could be an entire tree branch, it was so big.
A duet of arrows hit the beast in the side, bringing a cry of pain from it. It looked away from Whomp, towards the troll that Whomp was sure that it was now targeting. The red raptor, Civ, again flew into action, but its claws did little against the thick hide of the Khan. It swept the raptor aside with a blow that sent it flying into a tree, and began charging towards the troll huntress. She did not give way, sending one arrow after another into the raging Khan. But it weathered the storm, charging through her barrage until it was upon her. The troll pulled out her swords, but the effort was too late. The blow from the Khan hit her in the waist and lifted her off the ground. She landed like a rag doll a few yards away.
A fury he'd never felt before burned up inside of him. Not even bothering to find his shield, he rushed off after the beast. His long legs closed the distance with the Khan, but it saw him coming and turned to charge him. Earth and fire cut and burned at the Khan, heeding Whomp's commands. But the beast could not be killed so easy. The two rushed closer and closer to each other, until they hit. Centaur and Tauren smashed into one another with a bone-jarring 'thud' that left Whomp staggering in pain. The Khan was not too much better though. It too stumbled backwards before it caught itself. Its eyes focused once more, and it came at Whomp as he staggered backwards.
He tried to block its first blow with his mace, but the sheer strength of the Khan's swing sent Whomps weapon flying. Unarmed and outmatched, he did all that he could do. He tipped his head forward and charged into the beast, his horns cut into its thick hide and his head pushed it off its front legs, leaving to sit back on its hind legs. It made him pay for it though, shoving him back and hitting him with its club. It knocked the wind out of Whomp, and sent him to one knee in pain. Its shadow loomed up over him and it raised its club high into the air, smiling a menacing grin as it did. But then, the grin faded to a frown. His eyes, which seemed so focused, rolled up into his head, and the beast wavered to one side. The ground itself shook as the beast landed with a 'thump'.
Whomp could only stare at it, noticing one, small arrow imbedded in the back of its head. His eyes met two staring right back at him from a few yards away. She lay, propped up against a nearby tree, in a sitting position, her bow still in hand from the shot she'd taken. Those eyes changed his life in that one moment. Filled with some much pain, yet so much strength. They slowly clouded over, and then rolled up into her head, as her whole body just went limp.
Whomp was up and running in seconds, his hooves taking him as fast as they possibly could. He scoped her small body up in his hands and looked her over, realizing how frighteningly close she was to the divide. He used a lifetime of training in that moment, channeling the powers that made him deadly, to, instead, give her life. It drained him of strength and focus, but her he was rewarded when those two lovely eyes reopened. He almost laughed at the confusion he saw in them. She looked around hesitantly, then met his stare. She asked him, somewhat quietly "what happened?"
He couldn't help but flush slightly at the question, before answering "I healed you". He was a little taken back when something nuzzled him on the shoulder, from behind. He spun around quickly, only to find Civ standing there, slightly confused. He didn't focus on it too much, instead staring out at the battlefield. Orcs on wolves were chasing off the remaining Centaur, who had fled after the loss of their leader, and one, in particular, was riding up to him.
He dismounted his wolf, and walked up to Whomp, taking off his helmet in the process. "I am Mor'ok, leader of the wolf riders of Crossroads," he said, leaving Whomp a little stunned, though he covered it well. "We came as soon as we heard of the Centaur attacks." He stared at the large Centaur, imbedded in the ground with praising eyes. "You have done well Tauren. The Horde is indebted to you."
Pride kindled in Whomps chest at the praise, but he returned with "I was not the one to the kill the Khan, and were I the one, I'm still just a servant to my people."
The orc chuckled slightly at this, stating, "well, either way, the Khan is dead, and you and your… companion there are the ones responsible."
It was just then that he remembered the troll nestled in his arms. She was blushing furiously and trying not to make notice of it. He silently helped her down to her feet, blushing himself as he realized that she'd been there the whole time. She must have gotten over it quicker though, because she saluted the Wolf General, and stated "thank you for your praise sir".
Mor'ok just put his helmet on and chuckled to himself as he turned back to his wolf. As he mounted it, he turned to Whomp and nodded his head, saying, "Thank you for your help here Tauren" before turning and riding away.
Whomp couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. He turned slightly and caught Charra's gaze. She just winked at him and turned to her pet, looking for anywhere Civ might have been hurt. That only served to heighten his embarrassment.
"Thanks" she said, as she petted Civ on the head, "I appreciate your helping me". The smile she gave him made him grin in response, and the two just stood there, seemingly, locked in a gaze.
But the sounds of cheers broke them apart, as the Horde warriors celebrated their victory in jubilation. Whomp couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he had not paid any attention to the rest of his allies. He turned to walk back to the bunker, a smile playing over his face when he spotted Charra doing the same alongside him. Today was a good day, and he was not afraid to admit that to himself. He couldn't help but smile as he made his way back to the bunker.
The rising sun enlightened two, lone figures as they walked casually down a dirt road, trailed by their pet as he strutted behind. The fields were quiet, and the world calm, for once in his life. He glanced at his companion and couldn't help but smile in response. Life had always been a battle for him before, but now it was an adventure. They would go where life took them now, and he would have it no other way. As the calming scent of open fields drifted by, he knew that life would never be the same.