Disclaimer: All copyright belongs to Blizzard
Author's note: So, this is my first actual story on fanfiction. I know it's a little bit short, but I intend to continue writing as soon as I can. I hope you'll like it!
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Craegon stood on an outcrop of rock, gazing at the water below him. He rolled his shoulders and watched his reflection, the muscles beneath his fur moving, almost mesmerizing him. His onyx coloured eyes were as black as the night but seemed to shimmer slightly. After a moment he shook his head and leaped off the rock, across the small stream of water. He landed on his four paws and started running.
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Tilliah opened her eyes with a start, quickly scanning the area. She thought she'd heard something, although she couldn't recall where the noise came from. She slowly sat up on her bedroll, her eyes passing over last night's campfire. As she rubbed her eyes, she heard the noise again. A woman's shout, she was sure of it. She quickly put on her boots, checking the daggers inside, before she set off in the direction of the noise.
After a minute of running, she reached a clearing in the forest. A man stood protectively in front of a woman, swinging a rusty sword at two wolves, trying to scare them off. The hungry beasts had no intention of backing off, however. Tilliah analyzed the situation for a single second before she silently drew a dagger out of her left boot and flung it towards the nearest wolf. With a yelp the wounded animal sunk through his knees while the other wolf turned towards the new danger. The man used this moment to strike the wolf with his sword. With a sickening crack the sword broke the wolf's hind legs instead of cutting them off. The second wolf also slumped to the ground. Tilliah quickly ran towards the two beasts, putting them out of their misery before she regarded the man and the woman with a calculating stare.
"You're farmers." She stated, tilting her head slightly as she took in the woman's mud-stained, brown dress and the man's beige linen vest and trousers. Or were they supposed to be white? The man nodded and answered, trying to hide his accent: "We are. Our farm is west of here, in Westfall." Before Tilliah could reply to this, the woman started crying and ran towards her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, thank you!" The blubbering woman uttered between two sobs. Tilliah awkwardly patted her back, trying to soothe her as the man just stared at them. After a while, the woman became quiet and let go of Tilliah, using her sleeve to wipe away the remaining tears. "My name is Asmië and this is my husband, Cadn. We're so grateful that you came along to save us. The Light knows what would've happened if you hadn't..." She trailed off as her husband came and wrapped his arms around her.
"Please, let us repay you for what you did for us. Come with us to our farm. Stay, rest and eat. It's the least we can do." Cadn said as he looked at her. A sudden look of surprise crossed his face as he took in her feminine form, clad in the finest leather and her thick, black, curly and rather long hair. If they'd met under any other circumstances and if she'd be wearing any other attire, he would've mistaken her for a noble.
Tilliah flashed the two a bright smile and shrugged. "Honestly, it was no trouble. I guess you two were lucky your shouts woke me up. If you'll just let me get my things, I'd gladly join you and have breakfast at your farm." The man nodded, still gently holding the woman. "We'll wait here, miss."
At that, Tilliah turned on her heels and ran to her campsite. She stuffed her bedroll into her backpack, strapped her two curved short swords to her belt and slung the leather bag over her shoulder. She jogged towards the two farmers and found them at the clearing, staring at the corpses of the wolves. "Let's get going, shall we?" Tilliah said while making a gesture for the two to lead the way. While they walked, the woman constantly asked questions. Even though the trip only took half an hour, Tilliah felt as if she'd told her life story to the two farmers. It was slightly unsettling that the two farmers now regarded her with awe, but luckily she didn't have to spend too much time in their presence.
Once they reached the farm, they were greeted by a young girl, most likely their daughter. "Mother! He's awake." The two farmers shared a glance before Asmië ushered her daughter inside. Cadn then looked at Tilliah and shrugged lightly, smiling. "Don't mind them. We just have another visitor who was feeling slightly... ill." She simply nodded and walked with him to the open door, entering the small farmhouse. He gestured to a crude looking chair before he moved to, what I assumed to be, his kitchen. It was really just a cooking pot above a fire pit and a working table nearby. She was amazed that they managed to live with so little.
The man filled a bowl of soup and handed it to me together with a piece of bread. The bread tasted stale but it wasn't bad when dipped in the soup. After her third bite of soup-soaked bread, a howl pierced the silence. She blinked, looking at the man and then at the floor above them. "Did that... come from in here?" The man's visage turned remarkably pale as he mumbled: "I'll be right back," and headed upstairs.
She set her soup aside, hunger forgotten and followed the man. The first door to her left was open and when she peeked inside she was astonished by what she saw. The two farmers and their daughter were hovering over the body of a worgen. His lower body was covered by formerly white sheets which were now covered in mud, hay and other filth. By his expression it was clear that the worgen was in pain. A lot of pain. Tilliah's compassion and curiosity got the better of her and she walked into the room. "What's wrong with him?" She demanded. The man jumped and turned around, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to form an answer. After a moment, his shoulder simply slumped and he sighed. "We don't know." He said. "It's been like this since the day we found it." Tilliah frowned at the man, now particularly liking the fact that they referred to him as 'it'. For it was clear that he was a he, with his broad shoulders, muscular body and impo-...
What am I thinking? She thought as she shook her head. No time to adore men when there's someone dying. Tilliah immediately moved over to the worgen, kneeling at the bed upon which he was lying. She opened her backpack and grabbed a series of flasks and satchels. By now, Asmië and her daughter had moved aside, looking curiously at her. Tilliah uncorked a vial with a clear green fluid inside. She mixed a pinch of a grey powder from one of her satchels with the green draught. She pried the worgen's muzzle open and poured the liquid into it. She moved her hands to the worgen's head, tilting it back slightly to make it easier for him to swallow. After the beast had swallowed the entire content of the vial, its body seemed to become completely relaxed. "Thank you..." He mumbled, opening his eyes. Her light green eyes stared into the deepest onyx eyes she'd ever seen, until he let out a sigh and closed his eyes, sinking away into a deep sleep.