Because of certain circumstances, I am a thief.
Scratch that; that's a hell of a way to start a story. Let me try again…
"I didn't take it, I swear."
A large, very intimidating Sentinel glared down at me with her piercing, silver eyes. Like the innocent youngling I was, I folded my hands behind me, rocked back on my heels, and tilted my head whilst offering that daringly-sweet smile that has always managed to get me out of any and every sticky situation that I have unfortunately found myself caught up in. Let's just say that this just so happened to not be one of those cases. The woman, and I mean big woman, clapped her gloved hands down on my shoulders. I fretted a bit at the loud cracking sound that ensued. Elune, if she broke my new set of armor…
"Oh," Her voice was unbelievably deep, "then I assume that the red smeared across your face is merely a poor attempt at practicing make-up then?"
Cursing myself internally, I reached up to deftly wipe away all traces of the tart, berry juice from around my mouth. How could I have been so foolish as to forget about such a thing? A pale, teal-colored eyebrow lifted as the Sentinel continued to scrutinize me. Again, I gave her my best smile. Contrary-wise, that only seemed to disgust her further. So, I settled with a simple shrug of my shoulders. Her fingers tightened around the leather pads as the movement caused her hands to rise. I tentatively glanced up to look her in the eye. Steel met warm, honey-gold, a rare eye color for most Night Elves. I swallowed, attempting to fight down my growing nerves, and continue with my exaggerated façade.
"Good guess. You see, since I don't have a mom to teach me, I figured I'd give it a go. As you can see, the results are still-"
A low, annoyed growl reverberated against my eardrums, causing me to snap my jaw shut. The larger Elf bared her teeth and whirled me around. She gave a good shove to my back, sending me stumbling forward. I barely managed to keep my balance and tossed an irritated look back over my shoulder. The woman may be bigger and stronger than me, but that didn't keep me from expressing my blatant malice towards her. I made a rude gesture with my hand—I'm sure you know the one—and lifted my head high challengingly. However, the Sentinel merely huffed and stomped over to me, giving me another good push.
"I show no pity to criminals. Now, get out of my sight before I feed you to the Sabers."
I scoffed and waved a hand frivolously as I turned on my heel, walking backwards so that I could observe her as I spoke.
"Isn't letting me off the hook an act of pity in itself?"
She frowned and turned away, gesturing absently for me to leave. Oh, so it's like that? Fine. I hissed disapprovingly through my teeth and proceeded to march down the marbled, stone ramp. A couple of the nearby vendors eyed me warily as I made my exit, though I was courteous enough to stick my tongue out at them before completely disappearing behind a large pillar. My Stag-hide boots shuffled across a broken, cobblestone path and evened out into a soft rustle as the terrain quickly shifted into light, springy grass. I kicked a stray rock arbitrarily as I made my way to the bridge. People are stupid. So stupid. That idiot of a Human shouldn't have left her pie sitting out on the bench in such a tempting manner in the first place. Of course it was going to get taken. What had she been thinking? You don't make stuff like that and set it aside so carelessly without the slightest inkling that it might be whisked away. Only a fool would be so clueless. I was merely taking advantage of such. That's the way things are. The powerful mooch off of the weak and the weak mooch off of the weaker. There's no science behind it, no psychological disposition. It is what it is. I was just killing some time.
My tongue rolled in my mouth, passing over my teeth and the inside of my cheeks as I absentmindedly sought out the remnants of the blissful treat that I had snatched only an hour ago. Had it really been a whole hour? Wow, that Sentinel sure talks a lot. She had scolded me good and hard too. She had dragged me all the way to the central fortress of Lor'danel, made me stand stock-still in the middle of the main room, and humiliated me in front of a large array of people that had come in and out of the vending area. It was all because of that stupid Human woman. She had been like an annoying parrot, squawking out extravagant takes on her impression of what had happened, which, of course, were all false. She had accused me of being a thief…and I'm not a thief. I'm simply a poor, homeless girl trying to fend for myself in this harsh, vast world of cruelty and brutal quarreling. It's not fair. People are stupid. So, utterly stupid.
"Where are you going?"
I snapped to attention at the firm address and cautiously glanced around to see a stoic Night Elf woman on the back of a midnight-black panther looming menacingly to my left. Ah, it was just a Sentinel. Just a Sentinel…right? The woman's eyes narrowed as she regarded me.
"Aren't you the so-called 'pie-thief' we've been told to keep an eye out for?" She sounded hesitant and a little awkward, probably unsure as to whether or not a 'pie-thief' could actually pose as a real threat to her safety.
I licked my lips experimentally, still relishing in the distant hint of succulent, sugary berries. Her ghostly eyes followed the movement uncertainly.
"Is that what they're calling me? That's lame. Who wants to be called a 'pie thief'?"
The Sentinel opened her mouth to speak, seemingly thought better of it, closed it, then blinked and tried again.
"So, you are then?
"Are what?"
"The pie thief."
"What pie thief?"
"…the one that stole Ms. Thornbrook's pie."
"Who's Ms. Thornbrook?"
"The Human woman that made the pie."
"…What pie?"
The Night Elf looked down for a moment as if contemplating how to answer. Yet, that's all the time I needed to stealth myself and slip away. By the time she started and looked up again, I had already passed by a second Sentinel and snuck my way across a small bridge that led out of Lor'danel. That might have been a little uncalled for. Still, when are things in life ever really picture-perfect? I'm not a pessimist, don't get the wrong idea. I'm just not an optimist. Others ask if the glass is half full or half empty, and all I can think is 'what glass?'. It is what it is. That's a motto I've gone by ever since the day my parents were slaughtered in a meaningless confrontation in Elwynn Forest. Horde or Alliance…does it really matter? Good or bad, do such things exist? I do believe that there's a fine line that separates certain things, but I also believe that it's up to those who separate those things to make contrasts as bold as they are and as strong as they can be. Realistically, there's no need to fight and contest. Realistically, there's no need for two sides. Theoretically, though, people are blind to anything but greed. Greed is a burning passion that governs all. It's crazed and dangerous, and I want absolutely no part of it. That's why I'd like to view myself as a neutral party. I don't hate the Horde. Sure, they might have cost me the lives of my parents, the two dearest people in my life, but I don't hold a grudge against them. That was then, and this is now. It is what it is.
"Boo."
I jumped about a foot in the air when the small, monotone voice spoke up from somewhere in the foliage off to my right. Like always, I turned my head in the general direction of the sound and scowled irritably. One of these days I swear I'm going to stab him.
"Nar…"
The young Night Elf blinked up at me innocently as he crept out from his hiding place, which was located in a clump of azure bushes clustered around the base of a nearby tree. He was a tiny thing, only standing a finger-length above my waist. Then again, he wasn't exactly old enough to be awarded with a class yet. Though, he got a little unnerved when someone mentioned his obvious height. I've never seen him actually get mad. He's one of those people that you just can't get riled up no matter how hard you try, and believe me, I've tried plenty of times. So, of course it irked me when the lad casually approached where I stood with nothing more than a nod of his head in belated greeting. The boy nimbly reached up and splayed his fingers in order to lap at the digits in a somewhat rueful manner. I eyed him warily.
"Thanks for the slice of pie," he declared nonchalantly.
"Don't mention it."
"Got any more?"
"Nope."
"Greedy pig."
"Vertically-challenged rat."
His silver eyes flickered up to regard me for a brief moment before quickly returning to his hand. His lilac-hued palm was stained scarlet with the proof of my offense. Absentmindedly, I found myself scrutinizing him. I guess you could say we were partners in crime. After all, he was just like me. Abandoned. Homeless. Lost. Unloved. Nobody cared for us. So we cared for ourselves. Of course, in my opinion, he was at an age where it seemed piteous for him to have to adapt to the hardships of the real world. At such an early stage in his life, he shouldn't have to be scrounging for food every day. He shouldn't have to resort to stealing and misleading bribing in order to get the necessities required to keep living. That's probably why I found myself suffering in his presence on such a regular basis. I just couldn't leave the poor kid alone. He reminded me too much of myself.
"What was the damage," his quiet voice snapped me out of my musings.
"She threatened to feed me to the Sabers," I smirked and crossed my arms, "But then she realized how strong I was and let me off the hook. She probably thought I'd be too tough to handle."
Nar just looked at me blankly.
"Or she felt sorry for you."
I brought both of my fists to either side of his head and dug my knuckles into his skull, twisting them back and forth in a rough noogie. He hissed painfully and jerked back. The glare that ensued was one cold enough to freeze even a Sentinel in place. However, I was used to his unnaturally-honed malice. It was quirk I found rather humorous coming from such an indifferent person. Plus, when he was annoyed, the feeling didn't last long. I beamed at him as the young Night Elf's face gradually eased into an apathetic frown. His silver eyes bore into mine, and I could see all the intelligence and potential that dwelled within the narrowed orbs.
"I hate it when you do that."
"But you love me."
"Who would love a noisy girl like you?"
"Apparently you would."
"Keep dreaming."
"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm wide awake."
"Well, then go back to sleep."
I laughed at that. He may be a brat, but he's surely a cute one. On an impulse, I reached over in an attempt to ruffle his long, navy locks, however, he managed to duck away an instant before my fingers could so much a brush a strand on his head. A grin crossed my face nonetheless.
"So, do you have a present for me?"
It was customary between us to exchange. We exchanged lots of things: food, clothes, weapons, collectables, information, and even random stories that we had heard from one of the locals. So, it was only natural that he should pay me back for the slice of pie that I had so daringly snatched for him. A small pout, almost indiscernible, tugged at his lips. Still, he tentatively slid his small hand into the pocket of his ragged vest and pulled it back out, curling his fingers into a fist around something as he did so. I lifted a brow at his cautious movements. After a moment's hesitation, Nar turned his head away, avoiding eye contact, and held out his arm. Bemused, I allowed my hand to hover beneath his outstretched one. When nothing happened, I tapped his wrist. He released his hold, and a small object fell into the center of my expectant palm. I eyed the thing curiously. In a sense, it was beautiful. A small, cluster of blue feathers were neatly woven together with a thin but sturdy twine of some sort of vine, which was attached at the end by a tiny, metal ring. At first glance, one wouldn't be able to tell what it was. Yet, I understood almost immediately. A strange warmth blossomed in my chest at the same time a pleasurable twinkle settled itself into my searching eyes. I turned my attention to my young companion.
"An earring?"
The tips of his ears colored a shade darker than his normal skin tone. He puffed out his cheeks like the child he was.
"Only because you wouldn't stop complaining about the one you lost last week."
"You made it?"
"Well," he snickered a bit, "I didn't buy it."
Satisfied with his answer, I fell forward, affectively tackling him to the ground. He let out a startled yelp as we both collided against hard soil. Tall strands of cobalt grass tickled my arms and face as I rolled over and lifted the younger Night Elf into the air above me. He was blushing furiously, whether at being treated like an infant or because I had suddenly taken him by surprise was beyond me. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but chortle at his expression. He struggled in my grasp.
"Let me down, you insufferable, no-good, greedy, useless, giant…" He kicked his feet and swung his arms with each ground-out word.
"Thank you."
He paused. Then his body went limp as he glowered down at me.
"If you're grateful then release me."
I faked a contemplative tilt of my head.
"But you're just too adorable."
"I fuckin' hate you."
"Hey, you're too little to know such a horrible word."
"I'm not little!"
"Are too!"
"Aw, just let go!" He delivered one, final kick, deftly aiming for my knee cap. A pang shot throughout my leg. With a grunt, I released him. When he saw the opportunity to escape, he did so. In the meantime, I simply watched, still grinning as Nar stumbled, picked himself back up, and darted for the nearest tree. He skillfully leapt up, grabbing on to the lowest branch, and hoisted himself up further into the safety of the leaves. When he had finally felt that he was at a reasonable distance, he stopped and peered out angrily from an open space amidst a large collection of leaves. I sighed and rocked forward, smoothly coming to my heels and rising in one, swift motion. Honestly, he behaved like an animal more than half of the time. The earring suddenly felt heavy in my palm, so, offhandedly, I decided to put it on. I could feel uncertain eyes watching me as I slipped the metal ring through the hole in my right earlobe and fastened it. Once I was satisfied with how it fit, I nodded to myself and lifted my hand in a farewell wave, not bothering to check to see if Nar was actually paying attention. I knew he would follow. He always did. There was nowhere else for him to go.
A soft, evening breeze grazed through the forest, bringing a sudden burst of life to my surroundings. I inhaled, tasting the heavy salt of the sea as well as a sharp bitterness that I have long-since decided to label as 'adventure'. It was my dream to leave this place. I wanted to travel to places beyond Dark Shore. I wanted to see the grand city of Stormwind that everyone spoke so fondly of. I wanted to eat good food, warm bread and creamy cheese with a mug of ale on the side to wash it down. I'd never had a taste of alcohol. That didn't necessarily mean I was interested in getting drunk. I just wanted a sip, enough to say I'd tried it. More than anything, though, I wanted to find a home. I wanted a place to call my own. Nar could even stay with me if he wanted to. I'd have a nice cottage in Elwynn with a real bed and a fireplace and a stove. It would be full of my collections. I'd hang my drawings and paintings on every wall. I'd have a closet jam-packed with nice, comfortable clothes and a dresser with a great, big mirror attached. I'd have a bathroom. Oh, Elune, I'd have a bathroom…
I shook my head at that point. Fantasizing would get me nowhere. The one thing that I had learned in my short eighty-two years of being alive is that the impossible was destined to remain impossible. Imagining myself living under such nice conditions would only raise my hopes, therefore increasing the pain I'd feel after I'd realize that what I so desired would never come to fruition. I used to convince myself that all I needed was some money. I only needed enough to buy provisions and a Hippogryph ride across the sea to Darnassus. From there I'd just have to take a boat. The boat ride was free. It sounded so tempting. It sounded so easily attainable. Yet, it wasn't. I couldn't even get my hands on a copper let alone a silver. I might as well forget about owning a gold piece. My pockets were as empty as my stomach. Speaking of which…
Grrrreehh….
I placed a hand on my abdomen and made a face. Apparently, pie wasn't enough to sate my persistent stomach. I guess I'll just have to deal with it. It's too late to try and snatch something else. The citizens of Lor'danel are actually smart enough to lock their doors and windows at night. Maybe I could catch a stag or something. My eyes absently darted around, meeting nothing out of the ordinary. A long exhale escaped me. So much for wishful thinking. A second breeze blew by. This time, I shivered. It was going to be cold tonight. Lovely. My boots crunched softly against brittle grass as I made my way deeper into the forest. A second pair of footsteps echoed mine, followed by the offsetting sound of something being steadily dragged along. The corner of my lips twitched upward slightly.
It is what it is.
Sorry for putting my intro at the end guys...idk what's up with my computer today...anywho, yes :) I started a new Warcraft story. And no. That does not mean that I'm completely finished with "Lost in Forever Land". I've been reading a lot lately (all kinds of books and genres) so my head's full of ideas. Also, I haven't been on WOW in a while...so my info. may be kinda hazy. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop me from doing my best XD
I hope you guys get into this story as much as my first one ^^ It's different, yeah...but I'll try my hardest to make it just as good.
~Updates may be slower with this story than what you're used to from me~ ^^'
*I don't own Warcraft or any of the mentioned places. I only own the characters I've created~