Abandoned
Rough wood dug into her wrists and neck and a sparse rain pelted her unsheltered back and head. She felt groggy, terribly so, and her vision was blurred. She saw some vaguely humanoid blobs and could hear them speaking, though not clear enough to understand. Her ears flicked forward in an effort to catch even a single word and confusion welled up. She was never able to move her ears before…
The wooden top holding her in place was removed and gentle hands helped her to stand up. Slowly she began to realize her whole body felt wrong; too long, too warm, too firm, just too different. Fuzzy images flashed through her mind as she was lead into the town's inn. Gilneas overrun with feral worgen, a wounded citizen shifting into one and biting her while she was attempting to heal him, loosing her mind to the beast as she held off a no longer human soldier, and stalking through the forests like a common animal. Horror filled her. Had she bitten others, made them suffer as she did? How many would share her fate because of her carelessness? She stumbled, feeling sick at the thought.
They, a woman and a male worgen she could see now, sat her on a spare mattress on the floor and she curled into herself, breathing deeply so as not to lose her stomach's contents. The inn was filled with worgen and Gilneans who escaped the curse and it was obvious that it was no where near large enough to handle all the refugees. The woman left, but the male worgen sat next to her silently while she held her head in her hands. Paws. Furry and clawed, how could she call them hands anymore? Slowly her stomach stopped churning and she turned to him. His fur was a lighter gray, but they shared the same glowing pale green eyes; looking at him sparked a sense of familiarity. A corner of his mouth twitched up and he rumbled out a greeting. "Cashlen, I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you again even in this form. I suppose you wouldn't recognize me of course, but it's Edric."
Cashlen gaped at him unbecomingly. Her mouth open and closed a few times before she was capable of speech again. "Edric?! But how? You were supposed to be kept safe with all the other non-combatants!"
He gave her a sad smile as she waited expectantly for his response. "Supposed to be, yes, but when even your protectors turned on you there was no such thing as safety."
Guilt hit her again and she hesitantly asked him, "Do… do you know if I turned anyone?"
Edric placed a large hand on her shoulder and shook his head with his ears lowered. "I won't lie to you, cousin. It's likely that you did, but don't blame yourself for it. The moment the transformation occurred you were no longer yourself."
A rough voice to their left spoke up, obviously directed towards them. "Besides, I'm sure a priestess of your ability did more good before your transformation than whatever harm the beast caused afterwards. I do hope your faith is still strong enough to continue such work."
The two turned towards the raven haired man, a Gilnean in brown-gray mail armor and with a gun strapped to his back. Cashlen gestured to him that she was listening and he nodded. "I heard you've upheld the Pomfrey family reputation of Priesthood and we could certainly use that more than ever these days. The Forsaken, undead monstrosities no better than the Scourge, have taken advantage of the earthquakes and we need all the help we can get to remove their stench from our land. Will you take up your staff again, Sister? For Gilneas, be they worgen or human?"
She stood up shakily and took a good look around the inn. Most of the occupants were in a sad state; injured, weary, exhausted or all three. She would help her people of course. It was an honor and her duty as both a priestess of the Light and a noble of Gilneas, but she longed to see the rest of her family. To know that they made it out alive. Seeing her hesitation, her cousin stood next to her and murmured into her ear, "They are safe up in the Manor, don't worry," he grimaced and paused long enough for her to notice, "and we can visit them later if you wish."
Cashlen looked suspiciously at Edric, but said nothing. Instead she nodded towards the huntsman awaiting her response, receiving a relieved look in return. He held out his hand and finally introduced himself, "William Ellison, milady. We can get you some supplies at the store next door, including a new staff. I'm afraid your old one is long gone."
She let him take her hand, not blaming him when he didn't kiss the back of it, and frowned in disappointment at the loss of her staff. Thankfully she hadn't received the family heirloom yet, but her's had still been a wonderful channel for the Light. Edric handed Cashlen a pouch of gold before pulling her into a tight hug. As he let her go he simply bade her to stay safe which she wished him in return. Holding her head high again, the priestess followed William out of the inn.
Later, sporting a robe that wasn't nearly ripped apart and wielding a simple wooden staff, Cashlen stood next to the huntsman as they discussed evacuation plans with Lorna Crowley. Their intention to deal with the Forsaken had been interrupted by another large earthquake that sunk most of the lower farm lands into the waters and evacuating to safer grounds took precedence now. Cashlen looked uncertainly between them and the land beyond the apple orchard; she was unsure of how helpful she would be with this part. While the mountain horses tamed by Gilneans were of strong stock, she doubted a worg on two legs would be welcomed by them. Not enough to approach and mount one at least.
They quickly finished hashing out which area they each would cover and gathered as much rope as they could handle. There wasn't time to worry about harnesses with a mountain ettin, Koroth the Hillbreaker, strolling along their pastures and eating the horses like snacks. Cashlen prayed to the Light for all them to have the fortitude to handle such terror. Filled with warmth, she set out to the northwestern pasture at a quick pace while William went west and Lorna headed southwest.
She could smell them and hear them long before she set sight on a small herd of rich brown and red roan horses. They huddled together, skittish and throwing their heads back with each distant thump of the ettin's steps and she worried again about being able to approach them. She slowly stepped towards them with her hands curled into loose fists at her side and ears twitching back towards the ettin's direction. The herd spotted her quickly. A few snorted at her scent, a confusing mix of worg and human, and one nervously pranced in place. Cashlen was torn between gently gaining their trust and rushing to avoid an unpleasant meeting with Koroth. Each thump sounded closer and closer, but she steadied herself and slowly coaxed the terrified horses into letting her near.
She closed her eyes in relief when one of them finally let her touch it and wrap the rope loosely around it's neck. From there, the others trusted her enough to allow the same and before long she was mounted on one of the larger stallions with several ropes tied to his. A few were without, but she was confident they would follow the rest of their herd. The not so distant sound of a falling tree startled the horses and Cashlen thanked the Light she had enough riding experience to keep them from bolting. As it was, she struggled to direct the stallion, and by proxy the rest, to canter back to Duskhaven where various volunteers waited with the proper equipment for them and carriages. At one point a roar of rage echoed across the mountainous region. She sincerely hoped it wasn't directed at the other two and prayed to the Light as she calmed the horses again.
It wasn't until her feet were on the ground and the horses were in another's hands that Cashlen finally relaxed. Edric was there and pulled her out of the way to a spot where they could watch for William's return. Her ears twitched every which way; picking up random conversations, the baying of Gilnean hounds, the sound of horses being hitched to carriages, and the many creatures scurrying around outside of town. Mostly though, they perked forward to catch every noise made by Koroth the Hillbreaker and she tensed up once again at the sounds of battle. Lorna had returned before the priestess had, so William remained the only one out there. Even the small fishing village beyond the pastures had all ready set sail for Stormglen.
Several long, terrible moments passed before the sounds quieted back down into the thump thump of the ettin's footsteps and Cashlen's ears drooped in sorrow. It typically took more than a dozen men to fell an ettin, but she had hoped… She sighed heavily as Edric attempted to comfort her with a hand on her arm. The priestess took a moment to send a prayer to the man for a peaceful afterlife before turning back to the bustle of the town. The carriages and unhitched horses were ready to carry people either up to Greymane Manor or to head on to Stormglen. She would ride one of the carriages with her cousin and a handful of others up the Manor where hopefully she would see her family; it would be comforting to see them and to see for herself that they were well.
The ground continued to rumble and shake periodically as everyone gradually abandoned the town and it played havoc with their nerves. At any moment another part of their beloved land could sink and take them with it. Thankfully, it didn't happen and the two cousins had a quiet peaceful ride up to Greymane Manor. Once there Cashlen eagerly left the carriage, barely taking the time to grab Edric's hand for support as she stepped down, and side by side they walked up the steps to the large open door. A crowd was all ready gathered in the entrance hall and before them their queen and princess stood speaking softly with those closest to them. Behind them the captain of the guard walked up the large steps towards the tower on the cliff's edge.
It took only a moment for Cashlen to find her family grouped together off to the left of the two royals and she hurried towards them with relief. Her father, mother, younger sister, elder brother, sister-in-law, and niece all made it. Even her three aunts and uncles with all their children. They were all alive and fully human. The priestess paid little attention to Edric dragging his feet behind her or to the strained smile on all but her niece's face. It wasn't until her mother took a step back out of her reach and her father urged her to go into a side room for a private chat that warning bells went off in her mind. Apprehensive now, she stepped delicately into the small chamber behind her parents while her cousin stayed outside.
Cashlen's ears were flattened against her head as she looked between the cold faces of her parents. They had never directed such a look at her and she felt as if her own heart would freeze. The painful silence stretched until finally her father spoke. "I don't know how you can still wield the Light, if what I heard is even true. It does not matter though, either way we can not in good conscience accept a cursed beast such as yourself in this family. The Pomfreys are pure and shall always remain so. You are hereby disowned and disinherited; you may no longer carry our noble name nor associate yourself with any member of our family."
The priestess staggered back as if physically struck and looked at them in disbelief. They were her family. How could they reject their own daughter for something out of her control? As Cashlen's legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor, her former parents left the room without a single backwards glance. No longer feeling as if her heart would freeze, instead she felt empty and utterly lost. She stared blankly at the opposite wall while trying desperately to come to terms with what just happened. Silently Edric entered the room, closing the door against anyone nosy, and kneeled beside her. A warm hand touched her shoulder and she reacted violently, throwing herself into his arms with a great wail of agony.
For nearly half an hour they sat there as he murmured meaningless, but soothing words in her ear and she sobbed against his shoulder. Eventually, Cashlen calmed enough to speak though a cry would still occasionally escape her throat and tears continued to stream down her face. "Edric, why would they? The Light preaches love! Acceptance! Tell me, tell me cousin that they didn't do the same to you!"
He smiled grimly at her as he replied, "I'm afraid I don't understand any more than you do and they did indeed remove me from the family. I wanted to warn you, but," he sighs, "I had foolishly thought they wouldn't dare treat you the same."
The priestess took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes in a bid to stop the flow of tears. Murky thoughts swam through her head as she still tried to understand. Slowly she began to feel disgust. At herself for being cursed. At the Light for abandoning her, for it must have if her own family did. At herself for clinging to it for as long as she had. She felt humiliated and only the violent shaking of the ground stemmed the rage growing in her. Edric helped Cashlen stand up once the ground settled again and he relaxed when she seemed to be calm.
She shook her head and let herself be distracted as they walked back into the entrance hall where people were panicking. Aiding her fellow Gilneans was more important than her familial and faith issues, she would worry about them later. For now, she headed outside where the carriages waited with her cousin at her heels. She looked out in alarm, the whole town of Duskhaven was sunken with only the tops of the buildings visible. If it had taken them longer to evacuate…
The captain of the guard ran through the entrance hall shouting at everyone to get moving and once outside he started to direct citizens into the carriages. It wasn't until the next to last carriage that the priestess and Edric allowed themselves to be hustled onto the back, though both she and the captain looked annoyed when the royals except for the prince stubbornly insisted on leaving last. Prince Liam had only went ahead to ensure everyone made it through safely.
They rode through the mountains and at the bottom of the last hill they saw the prince next to a toppled carriage shooting at any ogre that dared to come within range. As they passed he saw Cashlen's white robes and he waved to them as he called out for the carriage to halt. After speaking with them, the prince moved onto his family's carriage to send them along. It seemed there were still a few Gilneans too injured from their crashes into the swamps to move on and the other healers had run out of both supplies and energy. Their own supplies were sparse, but Cashlen determinedly stretched them as best she could. Still, it wasn't quite enough and the others were starting to notice that she wasn't calling upon the Light. However, she was frighten that it wouldn't come. She hadn't had proper time to come to terms with what happened and her shaken faith. The rage she felt earlier still simmered deep down.
Swallowing painfully, she gently laid a hand on a worgen woman's broken leg after she set it and took a deep breath. Brows furrowed, she muttered a prayer to the Light and wished fervently for it to mend the bone and surrounding tissue. Cashlen's heart pounded when the Light didn't immediately come to her and when it continued to evade her for several more minutes she let out a pathetic whine. A whine, she sounded just a like a dog. Like a beast, cursed and without the Light. Her hands flew into her mane and pulled as she whined again. Large hands gripped her arms and pulled her up from her kneeling position beside the other worgen. Cashlen lowered her shaking hands and she looked wildly between everyone in sight; the injured, Prince Liam, two guards, and the others that had been in the carriage.
They knew. They knew that the Light abandoned her! That she was nothing, that she wasn't worthy of the noble blood in her veins nor the title of Gilnean. She felt sick again, her stomach rolling dangerously. Panicking, she ripped herself out of Edric's hold and fled down the small cliff side in a tumble. Not even fully back on her feet she rushed through the trees of The Blackwald in no particular direction and ignored the increasingly distant shouts that buzzed in her ears. Not even the shrieks of banshees that didn't belong there stop her or put a pause in her step. She ran until finally she crashed into something solid and furry. Another worgen. He clasped his hand around both her wrists and held her still when she tried to throw herself into another direction. She saw his mouth move, but no sound was heard.
It was clawed, but furless feminine hands wandering over places they shouldn't that finally grounded her mind and she flinched away from them into the other worgen. Sound filtered back in to hear his apology. "I'm sorry miss, but you weren't responding. Though, that's not actually what I meant for Zan to do."
He glared behind Cashlen and she turned around to see a succubus looking entirely unapologetic. A chill went down the ex-priestess's spine. A demon, which meant the man was a warlock. Her stomach rebelled again and it took everything within her not to loose it all over the other worgen's navy blue robes. Exasperated, he gestured for her to sit on a nearby rock before dismissing 'Zan.' Cashlen sat reluctantly and stared at her hands, though occasionally she eyed the warlock uneasily. Her thoughts continued to be mired in chaos and pain and she really didn't know what to think anymore. He seemed to notice for he spoke softly to her. "Had a rough transition I take it. Becoming something monstrous. Mistrusted. Hated even. Perhaps your friends turned you away or maybe even your family. It's not easy trying to stay positive. To try to hold on to that love for your fellow man to continue aiding him when he treats you like an animal. Or worse than an animal."
Cashlen closed her eyes and she tried to ignore his words. She had ignored the looks some Gilneans sent her; not all of them were like that. Plenty had accepted their worgen brethren. Her family though, they were the ones that had mattered the most and they had thrown her away. The rage that was growingly increasingly familiar started to rise again. She worked so hard, so faithfully to follow in their footsteps and make them proud. She neglected friendships and offers of courtship to devote most of her time to the Light and it's teachings. Where had that led her? What good was it now?
The warlock watched silently until her lips stretched back into a silent snarl and her claws scratched the rock. Nodding, he quietly talked. "There are some still worth it of course. A precious few no doubt. To help them though, you'll need to follow a new path. One of vengeance, of power. One that doesn't choose based on shallow conceptions and requirements. I am willing to teach you if you so desire. All you have to do is ask."
She clutched at her mane with her hands again, torn and weary. She wanted to ignore him. Wanted it so desperately, but she couldn't. He made sense, it sounded right, and the deeply hidden dark part of her leapt at his offer. He waited patiently as she thought and when she finally let out a deep sigh he smiled at her. A small nod and she took her first step on a path so far removed from her first she felt dazed.