Valinae sighs as she sits on the snowdrift. The frigid air of Dragonblight blows past her mane, chilling her to the bone even in her insulated armor. Sparr stands to her left as she looks out across the frosty wastes to the cave where she knew she had to decide the fate of her sister. Riverplume squawks quietly, nuzzling her beak against her mistress's right hand.
"I have to do this…" She thinks to herself. "Sarissa is counting on me. That isn't her anymore. She needs to be stopped…"
Another voice in her head interrupts her mental reassurance. "No! She can still be saved! Just wait for her!"
A last voice, Sparr's voice, forces its way into her mind. "Val, stay focused. If you aren't mentally prepared, she is going to tear you to pieces. Stay focused, for everyone's sake."
"Shut it, all of ya'!" Valinae cries out, silencing the voices in her head. She braces herself, finally making up her mind and grabbing a hold of Riverplume's reins. She swings her legs over the side of the gryphon, and the snowy creature kicks off of the ground. Sparr fades into the void, returning to Dawnfall until summoned again. The cry of a proto-drake echoes across the wastes, shaking the very foundation of the sorrowful worgen's confidence. With each and every beat of the gryphon's wings brings her closer to a fate that she cannot turn away from. She tightens her grip on the reins, gritting her teeth as the cave draws ever closer, and even closer to the impending battle. A cold lump forms in her throat, and her heart sinks as the gryphon drops her of at the mouth of the cave and flies off.
Valinae detaches her rifle from her back and nestles the stock in her arm as she sees the silhouette of the black worgen standing in front of the sickly green glow of unknown origins. Sarissa stares at her sister, an evil grin upon her face. She twitches violently, her eyes swirling with chaos and insanity. The young worgen had become fully corrupted by the beast within, so much so that any trace of humanity that formerly existed had been extinguished. Her sinister voice echoed in the cave as she begins to speak.
"I didn't really think you had the guts to show up, Valinae," She bows in a highly cocky fashion, "I really didn't. I guess you really want to die this early, huh?"
"I didn't want to do this!" Valinae cries out, her desperation and regret filling her voice. "But ya' leave me with no choice…"
Sarissa smirks as she draws a long scimitar from a hidden sheath. "I'll make it quick, then. I have a family to meet, y'know!"
Valinae snarls in defiance. She would not let her get to her new family, nor harm them. Her rifle bucks in her arm as she fires off five consecutive shots in Sarissa's direction, darting in swiftly under her suppressive fire. Her sister deflected the bullets, however, sending them ricocheting off the edge of the sword. She strafes towards Val and plants a firm kick to the worgen's chest, pushing off with enough force to send her sister rolling away. Valinae flips twice in the snow that had piled in the cave over many years, losing her rifle to the edge of the cavern before planting her foot down and sliding to a stop. She can barely breathe before Sarissa is on top of her again, slicing furiously with her scimitar. Valinae parries expertly with her knife, her blade-dancing instincts flooding her mind, closely followed by adrenaline. She locks her knife with the scimitar, pushing it to the side before scoring a slice across Sarissa's left arm, biting through the metal of her gauntlet to slash at the flesh beneath. Valinae's heart races as Sarissa simply smirks, the furious blade duel paused.
"Lovely, Valinae, lovely!" She cackled maniacally. Like a snake, she arcs her body to the side, sending her right arm upwards to wrap around her sister's neck. Valinae rolls to the side however, dodging the grapple before attempting to lunge at her sister's left flank and bury the lengthy knife in her sister's torso. Sarissa growls as she bring up her hand to stop the strike. The blade is pushed through her hand, mangling the appendage beyond use. Sarissa is unaffected by the pain as the hand bleeds profusely, shaking Valinae's confidence even further.
"I can't do this…" She thinks to herself. Sarissa bends her hand with the knife lodged tight through the center, forcing Valinae to the ground as she desperately tries to pull the knife free. With Sari's other hand, she sends the scimitar across Valinae's right armpit, slicing the skin open. Her tabard is instantly drenched in blood from her sister and her own wound, and she hisses at the stinging pain as the cold wind blows across the open skin. Sarissa uses this to her advantage, kicking Valinae away again with a powerful blow from her foot.
"Clever, but predictable. Try harder." Sarissa's cold voice echoes in the cave, sneering at Valinae's futile attempts to bring her down. Valinae draws her revolver, gritting her teeth as she places all six shots precisely towards Sarissa's head. Again, she darts in under the cover of her fire, before reaching her sister and attempting to place her foot against her chest and force her to the ground. She would end it with a blade to her throat. But Sarissa's agility was terribly underestimated. She backflips through the bullet storm, and meets Valinae's foot with a swift inward punch from her mangled left hand. Sarissa grips the mechanical left arm of her sister before drawing a pistol from another hidden sheath and firing point blank into the arm. Valinae's suit's shield-tronic protection software activates automatically, protecting the arm from critical damage, but at point blank range the bullets mark a deep dent in the metal.
Realizing how futile the attempt to cripple her sister was, Sarissa produces a smoke grenade, disengaging and fleeing the cavern after throwing the explosive and blinding her sister momentarily. A proto-drake's roar filled the cavern as Valinae scrabbled in the snow for her rifle, and she watched as Sarissa flew off on the back of an armored drake, laughing mockingly. Valinae is solely focused on redeeming her sister now. The beast has fully taken her over, leaving nothing for Val to save. She was out for revenge.
Valinae whistles for Riverplume, and the snowy gryphon, camouflaged by the heavy snowfall shrieks in reply, landing beside her mistress. Valinae swings her leg over the saddle before snapping the reins. The gryphon kicks off of the ground in pursuit of the drake, flying swiftly to catch up as the beast flew over the mountain ridge above them. Valinae grips the reins tightly with her left hand as she reloads her rifle with explosive crystal rounds. She peers through the sights towards their target in the distance, the monumental spires of the Storm Peaks looming before them. Valinae fires on the target, sending the bullet spiraling out of the barrel and into the air, where it exploded and showered Sarissa's drake with crystal and metal shrapnel. Her sister growls, aiming over her shoulder at their pursuers with her own rifle and firing multiple times at Riverplume. The gryphon rolls in a helical pattern to the right, ensuring her passenger was still in the saddle before gaining a burst of speed from a sudden gust. The drake's wings were slightly tattered from the shrapnel, and it arcs through the air to the right, flying straight towards Valinae and Riverplume.
"DIVE!" Valinae cries out as the drake flies at full speed towards them. The gryphon pulls in her wings just as the beast passes overhead, flying straight down as the chilled air whips past the gryphon's feathers with its passenger firing blindly at the trained sniper and her mount. Riverplume pulls up just before they reach the snow covered floor of a valley, swinging from side to side as the drake began to fire balls of frozen air at the duo. The chase continues through a frigid canyon leading to the top of the mountains. Valinae fires another explosive round behind her blindly, and the round sails harmlessly over Sarissa's head. The shockwave from the explosion is caught by the drake's wings, sending them speeding closer to the smaller gryphon. Out of desperation, Valinae fires a round out of her revolver, aimed towards the drake's eye. It impacts heavily, and the drake roars in fury and torment. Guided by its passenger, the duo chase the gryphon and worgen through the canyon all the way to the Terrace of Makers, at the top of the mountain. Lightning crashes around them, called in by massive storm giants from Ulduar. Sarissa snarls, growing weary of the chase.
"Gore, now! Fire!" She screams out. The drake begrudgingly the drake concentrates its power into one singular powerful beam, casting it over the gryphon as it flies over the Terrace. The beam grazes her wing, coating it in a thick layer of ice. Riverplume cries out in pain before tumbling out of the air. Valinae grabs ahold of the reins, trying to guide their descent. Riverplume crashes into the center of the terrace, depositing her passenger before rolling to a stop at the edge of the runic platform.
Sarissa grins smugly, circling around the terrace before leaping from the back of her drake to safety on the forged ground. The drake lands heavily on the edge of the Terrace, whimpering slightly as its eye bleeds profusely, dripping down its chin. Scowling, Sarissa drew her pistol and fired a shot into the beast's brain, sending it toppling over the edge of the mountain with a final roar and into the deep snowdrifts below, never to be seen again.
"You were no good to me anyway, Gore…" She mutters under her breath, unphased by the murder of her comrade. Valinae struggles to her feet, reloading her revolvers swiftly. She breathes heavily, billows of steam escaping her mouth in the frigid air. Her armor is cracked and bloody, crystals of ice building up along the armored plates.
"Sarissa!" Valinae cries out, her voice strong but shaking from exertion. She had to finish this fight, and save her sister from herself. "I wish I could have done more for you. You were my sister, and I loved ya' like no one else could."
"Is this what you chased me down for?" Sarissa roars with rage, her voice crying out over the thunderous din of thunder. "Just so that you could save you weak sister?! Didn't you learn from your –OWN- curse that some people couldn't be tamed by it? Your sister ain't the same anymore! I am the host now! And this? This is where it all ends, Valinae! You'll be crying for mercy. But sadly, your sister won't be granting it to you." She draws her scimitar, her armored cracked open and bloody from numerous sharps of metal sticking out of the skin. "For Luna is in control now."
Valinae snarls in defiance, drawing her own knife and darting in with a sudden burst of renewed strength, to finish what she had started all those years ago in Gilneas. "Only one of us can rise triumphant from this fight! And I will –NOT- give up until my sister is liberated!"
She meets Sarissa's blade with a clang that echoes out over the mountains, only to be drowned out by the crash of thunder as lightning strikes the spire. Sarissa's cold stare burns into Valinae's mind. "She's mine now! SHE WAS NEVER YOURS AFTER YOU BIT HER! I have won her fair and square and I will be the one that ends your sorry existence. But not before making sure that everyone you love and care about is DEAD!" Sarissa snarled, even as her left eyed began to show tears. Like someone was trying to fight back against the monster in control.
Over and over again, the two strike each other, each one hoping to gain an advantage over the other. Valinae drifts into a trance as her knife leaps from hand to hand, shifting positions to meet her adversary's sword and block her attack. Valinae scores her blade across Sarissa's skin numerous times, but the worgen remains unphased to each new cut that marks her body. Sarissa drags the scimitar down and around, forcing Valinae's knife to the ground as she whips the tip across Val's helmet. The armor is ripped from Valinae's head and sent skittering across the ruined dais. As Sarissa smirks in defiance, a presence awakens within her. Memories wrack her mind as Valinae resumes her attack on Sarissa.
They are back in Gilneas. Sarissa holds up an apple she had found. "Big sister, C-can we sell t-this?" Valinae smiles slowly. "Love, that apple is rotten. It won't sell and ya' know it." Sarissa looks down and sighs. Valinae puckers her lips before taking the apple and grinning. "Don't worry, lil' sis. I've got an idea." Sarissa smiles, laughing as the memory shifts. Valinae and Sarissa playing patty-cake, Sarissa hugging Valinae in front of a window in the pale moonlight… Memories surge forth, consuming Luna as Sarissa fights for domination of her body. Sarissa is back in Northrend now, attempting to slow Luna's advance as she struggles to regain control.
"I...won't let you… kill…my only family member…" Sarissa said through gritted teeth as she began to surface. "I…WILL… MAKE… YOU… PAY… FOR ALL THOSE LIVES… THAT YOU TOOK… EVEN IF IT MEANS I DIE!"
Valinae is unaware of the conflict that arises within her sister's body as these words are spoken. Luna sloppily swings the scimitar in a wide arc to Val's left arm. The blade is buried in the moonsteel arm as Valinae closes for the final blow. Sarissa has left her arms wide open, leaving her chest vulnerable. As the serrated blade passes through her chest, piercing her heart, and erupting with a shower of blood on the other side, Sarissa gasps sharply, sucking in air. Her arms go limp, and she drops the scimitar. "V-Val…Valinae…" She whispers softly as she slumps against her sister's shoulder.
Valinae's eyes widen with dread as she realizes what she has done. "Sarissa! NO!" She catches her sister gently, collapsing to her knees and guiding the dying body of Sarissa into her lap. "No… No, this can't be happening… No, I can fix this… Sparr!" Valinae frantically pulls the dagger from her sister's chest as blood seeps through the gaping wound in her breast. Sparr appears beside the duo, his mind filling with sorrow as he watches an old friend and family member die.
"No…It's t-too late… for m-me, Sis…" Sarissa coughs, blood splattering her muzzle as the life ebbs away from her amber eyes. "I-I knew my time had to come one day…" She shifts her gaze to meet Valinae's ocean blue hues. "Valinae… I just wanted to say… Y-you did the right thing… I-I couldn't hold her in…S-She would've killed e after taking the lives of your… new family…" She gasps sharply, trying to draw air from the thin atmosphere. "B-but I wanted you to know before I die… You were the best sister anyone could ever have…and I hate to say this, but you're the better sister… B-because I couldn't give you any love when I matured…" She'd smile, leaning her head in to nuzzle her sister's cheek and wrap her mangled left arm around her sister's shoulder. Valinae chokes, tears streaming from her face as she watches her sister die in her arms. "I love you… I-I love you so much…" Sari's voice is barely a whisper now, affection and sorrow filling her dying breath. "I-I'll see you on the other side, aye?" She smiles softly, the light in her eyes faded as she breathed her last.
Valinae gulps, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. "Aye, we will…" But it stays there as she breaks down into sobs, her moans of sorrow filling the air. Tears streamed down her face as her body heaved with uncontrollable crying. She grips the limp body of her sister tightly, not wanting to let go. The storm around them seemed to have stopped, as the entire world slowed down in this moment. She had no one else to turn to within her family. She had never felt so cold, and alone. Before this, she had always kept going, thinking that her sister could have survived Gilneas. But now… Now it was confirmed. Valinae had killed the last member of her family. The weight of that thought pressed down on her heavily, and she cried out to the wind her sorrow and mourning.
A soft cold hand pressed itself to the crying woman's shoulder. She shrugs it off. "Go away!" She cries out, still wrapped around the bloody corpse. The hand rests on her shoulder gently, and a soothing voice calls out to her. Sarissa's voice… "Valinae."
"NO! You're not real." She cries out again. The figure lays her hand on Val's head gingerly, and a soothing light course through her, healing her injuries. Valinae blinks at this, sniffling and tying to contain herself as she looks to the figure. Before her is a ghostly apparition of her sister, still in worgen form, but more youthful. "Sarissa…" The apparition smiles, and Valinae cries out, wrapping her arms around her ghostly sister, sobbing uncontrollably.
"It's okay… It's okay, my sister." She looks into her eyes. "Don't cry… I know you're more scared than you've ever been… Remember my words, Val. Family comes before everything else. I know you think you are alone in the world now, but you're not. You are not alone, my love."
Valinae blinks slowly, her muzzle still resting on her sister's shoulder. "No… I still have Barlenn… And Marenna… And Sparr…" She sniffles, finding comfort in the fact that this was her sister's spirit. "But I only had one sister. And I killed her. Just like the rest of my family…"
Sarissa sighs softly "Valinae…" She lowers herself to her knees, holding her sister comfortingly. "Sing with me, love… like we used to. You'll feel better, I promise…" She began to sing in an angelic voice, Sparr watching the both of them as Valinae howled softly to the tune.
"With me sister; Ohh, ooooh, ooooh…" Valinae sings with her sister, their two voices coiling into the silent night as Sari begins to fade. Sarissa smiles, looking into her sister's eyes and nuzzling her forehead, resting her head there as they rocked back and forth in each other's embrace. "Just close your eyes… Come morning light… You'll be safe… and… sound… Ooohhh… Oohhh…" Sarissa faded away, leaving Valinae clutching empty air. She finishes singing alone, bringing down into tears as she howls her song to the wind.
She crawls over to the body of her sister, looking at the peaceful look on her face before gathering the corpse in her arms and standing again, crossing over to the edge of the terrace to Riverplume. The Gryphon had managed to free her wing of the ice, but most of the feathers had been stripped away. Valinae lays her sister's corpse tenderly on the saddle and beckons for Sparr. The Lizard grips the four of them and pulls them through void to Dawnfall, where they each go their separate ways. Valinae carries her sister to a small tree in the garden, setting the corpse down on the ground and grabbing a shovel. She digs, thoughts rushing through her mind of how life could have been if she had managed to save her sister. They would be sitting around the table one morning, Sarissa and Marenna squirting each other with water pistols while Barlenn watches with an amused look on his face. Linda would be helping Val make the bacon and pancakes, everyone having a good time and laughing when Val flips a pancake that lands on the floor. Tears stream down her face as she finishes digging.
She stands over the freshly buried grave, earth filled in over the body of her sister. She collapses to her knees, digging her claws into the soft earth as she breaks down into crying again, lying down on her side to sleep next to her sister one final time.