-Stranglethorn Vale-

Elrodren was roaming through Stranglethorn vale, in the process of hunting gorillas. He needed the pelts, unless he wanted to live in the woods... again. He sighed, skinning the gorilla pelt in his lap. Hearing a yawn from his companion, Elrodren smirked at the silver colored wolf, who was in the midst of stretching. The blood elf hunter put down his skinning knife to playfully ruffle the wolf's already disarrayed fur. Said canine growled softly in response, shaking its head, disorganizing the fur even further.

"Yes, I know you're bored." the brunette chuckled with amusement, "I just have to finish this pelt, then we can go hunt, ok?" the wolf gave him a look of suspicion, then seemed to sigh in defeat before laying down for a nap on a nearby tree root.

"We need the gold." Elrodren whispered under his breath.

Sometimes he wondered if the Chase had ever been human in a previous life, rather, had ever stood on two legs. The wolf had always surprised the elf with his mannerisms, going to such lengths just short of actually standing on two feet. It was almost as if the wolf wanted to be more than Elrodren's pet. He knew Chase could understand almost anything his partner said, which is why Elrodren really didn't want the wolf to realize the very tangible possibility of them sleeping in the jungle tonight if he didn't procure enough skins to satisfy Blixrez. Not that the wolf minded sleeping outdoors, he just knew what it meant for the both of them.

The hunter kept to his work for a few moments before he finished the skinning, placing the gorilla pelt in his bag. He stood up, taking a great breath of thick jungle air before looking to his hunting companion. The wolf gave him a look from where he sat that clearly displayed his irritation if Elrodren were only stretching. Said elf laughed merrily, reaching for his pack, quiver, and twin swords; as Chase quickly scrambled to attention in anticipation of some real action.

The two travelers, the hunter and his wolf, scoured Stranglethorn Vale for the greater part of the afternoon, pausing for meal breaks accordingly. Elrodren took these alloted times to refine his skinning on the pelts they had freshly killed, skimming off some of the leftover meat for Chase to enjoy. He was about to reach over and awaken the clearly drowsy canine, when the sound of shouting reached his sensitive ears. Standing slowly with his weapons at hand, Elrodren went to investigate the noise. It sounded like a fight, and for some reason or another, didn't think of the need for his companion to be with him. Cautiously stalking through the jungle, the sight that met his eyes caused many emotions to run through the elf's mind, not the least of which was curiosity.

"Judgement of Light!" he heard the dwarven female in front of him shout at the Stranglethorn tiger. Injured, but not felled as of yet, the feline swiped at the woman angrily. She dodged, and ended the scuffle with a final Exorcism spell. The tiger landed on the grass with a muffled thump, dead as a doornail. He looked on in curiosity as she chopped off the right paw and stuffed the appendage in her own pack.

Elrodren wished he could see the look on her face from his vantage point as she had done so, most women were rather grossed out by the task, as he had done it before with... A friend.

The paladin started off away from the body, seemingly rushed. He was about to follow her, when she paused mid-step. She whipped around to face her alleged stalker, surprise quickly turning to annoyance as written on her face. He was taken aback by her quickly changing features, noting the fury now plastered on her face.

Elrodren had little time to admire her various physical qualities before she charged toward him, sword at the ready. He risked not defending himself as she managed to tackle him to the ground. He would have laughed if he wasn't busy trying to breathe in her furious choke hold. Man, did she have some serious strength! The dwarven female glared at the elf, partially confused as to why he wasn't fighting back. She loosened her grip slightly, while still making sure he was unable to escape.

Elrodren then took some time letting his eyes wander over her body. He admired her accentuated hips, taking in the curves as they defined her shape. His eyes wandered to her chest, where the lack of exposure suddenly made him hot under the collar. It was the subject of great embarassment to admit to his friends that poorly concealed cleavage was not nearly as much of a turn on as imagining it under those clothes.

Rather, the thought of uncovering something kept from other wandering eyes was extremely arousing.

Elrodren berated himself as he remembered his predicament. Becoming aroused would most likely aggravate the situation. He tried to free his arms, only to find that they were hopelessly pinned down under the female's knees. This action also resulted in his air supply becoming momentarily taken away as a warning against any sudden movements. Once he regained precious oxygen, the elf couldn't help himself as he continued checking the dwarf out.

He admired the surprisingly smooth features of her face as her glistening blue-gray eyes caught his attention. The raw emotion displayed in her simple gaze shocked him. He could see the rage clearly, while the underlying pure confidence truly surprised him. When he looked in the eyes of other women, he almost always saw the doubt, the insecurity, the fear of loneliness in their eyes. Even if it was concealed by a more prominent emotion, it was always there.

But in a rare few—being an almost non-existent trait in female blood elves—this was not the case. This dwarf female was one of that rare breed. She had certainty. Almost overwhelming with self-confidence. He could see her utmost tangible belief in herself; that even if she died by his hand, she would regret nothing. Noticing his fascination with her eyes, the paladin adopted a look of confusion and well-founded curiosity.

"Just what are ye' staring at, elf?" she hissed softly in common, as if to herself in contemplation. He smiled at her slightly, which resulted as more smirk-like than genuine. Elrodren noted her increasing curiosity and decreasing rage, deciding to put his one language talent to good use.

"You," He replied plainly in common as her eyes widened in amazement. Most blood elves had let go of that particular tongue, dubbing it as solely alliance rubbish not important enough to keep. She regained her senses as she remembered where they were, increasing her grip on his neck. He grimaced, trying to hide his discomfort. He had a feeling she would not extend any sort of mercy upon him.

"Well then. Aren't you a smart one?" she rolled her eyes. That was probably the only word besides 'die' or 'lol' that he knew in common anyway. Smart ass. "Why were ye' following me? On the prowl fer alliance tail?" All men were the same. Fighting, or women, while pursuing both if possible.

Especially Blood elves. Now those were men with no decency. Had no respect for the opposite sex, constantly looking for a score, when they weren't fighting for the 'glory of the Sin'dorei' or some such nonsense.

Elrodren smirked, amused by the dwarven accent that clearly bled into her common speech. He laughed lightly, considering the position he was in, she was being awfully friendly.

"I didn't follow you," he told her, taking in the expressive eyes that graced her face, "I followed your shouting. You have some nice lung power there." he finished, indicating her chest with his emerald eyes. Assuming that he clearly was commenting on her breasts, she slapped him with her left hand. Seeing stars, and wondering if he said something he had not intended to, Elrodren opened his mouth to correct himself. She increased her grip once again, and he found himself unable to speak. She glared at the elf below her furiously.

"Let me tell you something, Horde scum," she spat at Elrodren, the fury once again overwhelming her features, "Women don't like it when ye' treat 'em like toys. If ye' keep hunting me, I'll kick yer sorry ass back to Silvermoon after I make sure ye' can't ever face yer woman in bed."

With that, she strode away, meeting her previously hidden horse on the nearby path. Oh how he wanted to follow her, but he really didn't want to wager his manhood. Elrodren wearily made his way back to his belongings, where he found Chase sitting at attention with an accusatory stare. The brunet sighed, rubbing his neck thoughtfully where the dwarf had practically squeezed the life out of him. She really was something. Her confidence alone had made him hot under the collar, never mind the fact that they were in a steamy jungle, one on top of the other, and that she was wearing all that armor.

Sensing his obviously lecherous thoughts, Chase nipped the elf's hand. Elrodren scowled at the action, slightly annoyed that the wolf interrupted his fantasy. Then he remembered what they were both out here for, and went back to it. He only had a couple hours left to get the pelts to Booty Bay. Maybe he'd see her there. Another nip to his gloved hand brought the elf out of his thoughts, making his way on foot to the neutral port.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O:D

Well, that's the end of chapter one! I have more of the story available for posting, but I haven't finished it, so I want to spread out what I do have done :)

Expect a new chapter in about 2 months.

...April Fools from AprilRyn!

Please review, as I do appreciate helpful comments. Flames will be used to keep my cold heart warm during the winter months.