Vanora
The ship rocked violently, rolling along the angry ocean, crashing through the rabid, foaming waters. The steel rings were leaking furiously each time the hull met a wave, drenching the already bone-soaked and freezing girls. The dark-skinned one was crying, begging for a saviour, while a small group of Gnomes were praying to the Holy Light. Vanora just leaned against the soaked wood, trying to remain calm and quiet, thinking of a means to escape, but it was futile.
A torrential down pour of rain plummeted the vessel while the wind whipped the now-tattered sails in every which direction, forcing them off course. Pelting from the Heavens, rising from the black depths, rain and waves tortured the poor, little boat. It was only a matter of time before they would be over come.
The thunder raged like wild horses, while Vanora tried to gather her thoughts. She could hear shouts and cries coming from above. The thud and thump of feet on the deck echoed throughout the small cargo hold. Lightening flashed, and for a moment, she could see the hunched, near-naked forms of the other women, shivering. Terror gripped them, enclosing them like an iron casket, holding them hostage.
It was then Vanora made up her mind not to be like them, not to give up so easily anymore. Standing calf-deep in the water, she grabbed the ring she was shackled to, and pulled. Nothing. She pulled again, and again, harder and longer each time. Vanora was about to give up when she heard it. The faint sound of splintering wood. Some of the others raised their heads, watching her with their hopeless or cynical expressions. Each thought she would fail, just get tired and settle back down to accept their fate. She refused to.
With renewed hope, Vanora pulled again, mustering more strength than she had ever before possessed. The wood splintered again, and with each successive tug, it cracked more and more. The others were still watching, but this time with great interest, especially the dark-skinned girl. More water was rushing in. What was once calf-deep was now knee deep. Vanora hurriedly tugged on the ring one last time. This time it gave way, and with it she lost her footing, sending her flying onto the flooded floor. She was free! Though her hands still carried chains, the ring that held them together was no more.
Standing shakily, Vanora looked at the hole. Water was gushing in now. Thunder still roared in the sky, and the rain was not letting up. She turned to face the others. Each woman there was staring back at her in awe or fear, dumbstruck as to what to do next.
"Come on you damned fools!" she yelled, "Get yourselves free! Stand up! Pull!" She grabbed the dark girl's ring and began pulling again. Some stood and began to pull, but many ignored her. She let go of the ring and grabbed one of the Gnomes, "Do something! Don't let them defeat you like this! Fight back!" But the Gnome just shook her head.
"What's the point? If we live, you know what will happen. If we die, well... Just let the Light take me..."
Vanora felt she was about to slap the little Gnome, when she a deathly cold hand was laid on her arm. She turned to see the dark girl, staring at her with nearly vacant, green eyes. Slowly, the girl reached up and undid a small locket around her neck. She wrapped her arms around Vanora's and fastened the chain.
"Please... I know I'm... I won't make it. I can't. Even if I could, what these men, no, what these monsters did to us... I can't face the shame. But you are so much stronger. They haven't broken you. Not yet. Don't let them..."
Vanora was about to respond when they heard screams from above them. There was a short, desperate silence before the wave crashed against the ship, nearly ripping it in two. She was pulled out by the force of the waters. But not before she could hear the agonizing cries of the women still chained. Not before she could see the look on their faces as death approached. Not before Vanora saw the dark-skinned girl smile, so sweet and soft. So sad. The smile was the last thing Vanora saw before darkness overcame her, and she fell into unconsciousness.
Den'ze
Den'ze woke with a start. Someone was yelling. Confused and slightly disoriented, he stumbled out of bed and stretched. Looking around he realized he was at his parent's home, and that it was his mother that was yelling. He chuckled to himself. His mother yelling at someone this early in the morning was not an unheard of occurrence. Pulling on some pants and lacing them up, Den'ze walked out to the kitchen, bracing himself for what ever the old woman had in store.
"Mat'a, wat in de name of Bwonsamdi is all de racket about?" He wasn't quite prepared for the powerful smack upside his head. His mother was a tiny for a troll, but did she ever pack a punch. His father always said that the lighter the blue and greener the hair, the meaner they were.
"Don'choo dare take de name of de Sacred Guardian of de Dead in vain, boy! Whachoo tinkin you be too big for ya Mat'a to still give ya a good beatin?" she wacked him on the back of his head again, "An' whachoo doin gettin up so late? Ya tink dis is some kinda resort, ya can just sit back an' relax?", another wack, "Get outta here an' go help ya Pad'a an' brudda patch de roof. Dey been up since dawn tryin ta fix it widout ya!"
"But Mat'a, I ain't even have breakfast ye-"
"Breakfast? It nearly be lunch time! Now get outta here before I smack up ya lazy ass some more, boy!"
"Yes, Mat'a." he grumbled. Stepping out onto the porch, he could hear his sister, father and brother laughing.
"So, de old lady didn't give ya nuthin to eat, eitha, my boy?" his father asked, sympathetically.
"Wat crawled up her ass dis mornin'?"
"Not wat be up her ass dat be da problem, son, wat landed on it be da better question."
"De wind from da storm made part of de roof collapse dis mornin'." Themba giggled, "Landed right on toppa her! We were surprised ya didn' hear da roar she made!"
"We thought she was gonna go Primal, mon! She woke up da neighbours, she woke up da boars, she even woke up Zolani!" Thabo said, gesturing to the purple form hiding behind some palm-trees, "Zol been scared shitless eva since!"
Den laughed at the raptor. Zolani was a strong, beautiful specimen, fighting alongside Den'ze for many years against many vicious foes, yet even she knew instinctively not to get in the way of his mother's warpath. Hearing her master's voice, the raptor sheepishly walked over, and crouched down, allowing him to pet her. He could hear her stomach growling.
"Alright, girl, no need for ya ta starve wid de rest of us. Go on, catch something." Making her odd little noises, Zolani nuzzled her master's hand before bolting off towards the beach in search of food. Turning towards the house, he picked up some rope from the porch, "Now den, I s'pose we betta get dis finished up wid before Mat'a denies us lunch, too."
Vanora
Awaking to searing agony every time the salt water would find its way into her throat and lungs, she wondered if this were purgatory. She coughed and sputtered while struggling to stay afloat. In her mind's eye, the image of the dark woman's smile was still there, forever burned into her psyche. She could still hear their cries ringing in her ears. Closing her mind against the memory, she drifted along the waves, falling off their rolling backs, being lulled again into a deeper darkness.
Den'ze
It only took Den'ze and his siblings a couple hours to finish patching the roof, under the careful super vision of their father and constant threats of their mother's back hand. But after they were done, she had warmed up considerably, cooing and kissing and fawning over them as if they were just back from war. After having a huge meal of boiled Surf Crawler, Den decided it was time to head back to his own house. He mounted up Zolani, hopped on and was off like the wind. Racing through the village and across the sandy beaches on his beautiful, fast raptor took merely maybe half an hour, where by foot it would be sun down before he got back.
As he was nearing the homestead, Den'ze noticed a small form lying on the golden sand near the tide. He pulled the reigns and steadied the raptor into a slow trot. They moved cautiously towards the figure in the sand. From a distance it looked to be a brown-haired Blood elf, but it's ears weren't right. He climbed off of Zol, and crouched beside it. It was a girl. Lightly sweeping her hair from her face, he saw that she was very pale and sickly, but despite that she was unmistakeably beautiful. Looking her over, he saw chains on her tiny wrists, her arms and legs were bruised, and she was just so small. He tucked her hair behind her ears and recoiled. She was a human! Den'ze jumped up and took a couple steps back. Swearing vehemently, he began to pace.
"A human! A Gods-be-damned human! Of course I had ta find de only fuckin' human dis side of de Barrens!" he yelled. If someone saw him with her, the implications could be catastrophic. With his mind racing, trying to figure out what to do with a human on Horde Territory, he noticed debris scatter along the beach. It was from a boat. A ship wreck, that's how she got here. He looked at her form lying on the ground again. So weak and vulnerable. His heart ached at the thought of leaving a defenceless, injured animal on its own, let alone another person. Shaking his head, he walked back to her and knelt down beside her. He could see she was breathing, but it was too shallow. He felt her face, and it was hot like a blaze. Cursing himself, and this time his morals, he gently picked her up.
"Come on, Zol, let's get going." Den'ze sighed, as he and his mount walked the rest of the way to his home.
