Chapter 4 – The Green Lands of the Earth Mother

Shagara came to.

She sighed. Her head ached, but as she lifted a hand to it, she found it bound with cloth. So she had been healed. She wondered if it had been the tall warrior stranger who had saved her life.

She shifted and tried to sit up. Two thin, but strong hands were put to her shoulders and pressed her down. "Not just yet, young one." A soft, older voice said in common.

"Am I back in Stormwind?" Shagara asked.

The hands paused at her bandage on her head. "No. You are in Garadar, Nagrand." The voice said. It was a mature orc female, but she spoke remarkably good common.

The girl winced. "So it was not a dream."

"No. Garrosh brought you with a bleeding head and unconscious. You slept most of yesterday and into today. It is nearly sundown."

The girl sat up again and stood up shaking a little. "I must go. I have caused enough trouble." She put out her hands to find her way toward the door of the building.

Geyah watched as the girl felt around the walls. "So, you are blind." She said. "How long?"

"As long as I can remember." The girl said. "Thank you for your kindness, …" She trailed off turning back to the voice of the kind older female orc.

"I am Greatmother Geyah."

"My thanks." Shagara said.

"And your name child?"

"Shagara." She said finding the door and stepping out into the warm late evening light.

Geyah stared after her. Shagara. Aggralan had called for someone of that name in her delirium after being attacked by the great Roc known as Gutripper. She was a fearsome owl who hunted by day. Aggra had been struck by a vision and unable to defend against the monstrous claws. It was only by good fortune that Altruis the Sufferer had been near and heard the commotion. Though the Demon Hunter had put out his own eyes to gain better sight of the demonic plane, he still was a worthy opponent and had driven the great bird back.

Aggra's life was in the balance as the demon hunter called to his nether drake mount, Nethrandamus, to come at once. He had flown to Garadar. Landing just beyond the guards he lifted the girl calling for help for her. Despite all that Geyah tried, Aggralan had died of her injuries that night. She had called in her fevered delirium for Thrall, Geyah's only grandson, Go'el, and Shagara.

Geyah blinked. Could this be the child that Aggra had carried and said had been stillborn? She turned to speak to the elements on the matter. They would know. Shagara was strong with them and they would know her parentage, even if she did not. Aggra had returned to the land of her people only a week after giving birth. Strange she had not brought the baby back for burial, but perhaps she had buried her with Thrall, where ever he lay. Far from those who would wish to use his body for necromancy, Geyah hoped.

Shagara for her own part found that she was standing in the middle of a strange town with no way to tell who or what was nearby. Her nose detected meat, loam, sweat, and leather. They were all smells she had encountered in Westfall and other places surrounding the great capital that she had grown up in.

The orcs here smelled different than the few emissaries that Shagara's uncle had welcomed into Stormwind. They smelled like the earth here. It was a thick scent, but clean. She walked down the path letting the sun warm her face as it rested on the horizon.

A shadow was suddenly in her way and before she could stop, she made contact and fell backward. She landed rather unceremoniously on her bottom. She hissed a little as the movement moved her head and thus her injury.

"Hey, watch where you are…my lady." She smiled a little recognizing the voice. It was her savior. This Garrosh. He was a large orc as he stood over her blocking the sun. He offered a hand. "Here let me help you."

"I can manage, thank you." She said.

He grunted and reached for her arm and bodily lifted her upright. She gasped and then sighed as she dusted herself off. "What brings you here?" He asked.

"I was just looking at the town."

"I was here for the sunset, is it not beautiful."

She took a breath. "Oh yes, beautiful with shades of purple and red." She said lifting her arm.

Garrosh's eyes narrowed. The sunset was not that spectacular, but it had at least three shades of orange and pink. Neither were colors she had mentioned. He lifted a hand and waved it before her eyes. She did not even blink. The blue eyes looked at him, or perhaps through him.

"You cannot see." He said. His voice held his disapproval and he shook his head. "Good day, my lady." He said rather stiffly. He had thought perhaps he had found someone he could think about being with. He was not getting any younger and was sensing it was time to find a mate and to produce an heir, but the mate had to be worthy of him.

"My name is Shagara." She said.

Garrosh's guards moved to follow. One pushed her out of the way a little as he moved by her.

She growled. "For someone who can see you are very rude."

"For someone who can't you are very obvious. It is a wonder you were not drowned at birth."

She reached out and caught his arm with remarkable skill for someone who could not see him. He turned. "Unhand me, whelp."

"Take it back."

Garrosh paused and turned. "Tat'lic leave her be." He said exasperated.

"She insulted me." He hissed.

"So she should answer for it." Garrosh said.

"As you will." The guard said eyeing the young girl.

The female Kro'kron guard looked at Garrosh. He lifted a hand. "Let them settle this." He said standing back to watch as the larger male guard freed himself from the girl.

He moved a ways away from her and lifted his weapon, an ax, ready to battle the smaller, unarmed girl.

The girl lifted her hands skywards softly chanting. From her hands shot lightening that blew the guard off his feet. He picked himself up. Angered he charged and this time he charged only to be hit by a burning chunk of fire. It left a burn on his arm and he snarled. A third time he charged and she lifted her arms listening to his feet on the earth. Her hands dropped and a mighty gust of wind blew him back from her.

She dropped to a defensive stance looking in his direction should he try again. The male guard moved again, but this time Garrosh took a step between them hauling the murderous guard and likely saving the girl's life.

"She bested you in a duel. Have the honor to at least know you are beaten." Garrosh hissed at him.

The guard took a breath. "Warchief." He said and stocked off for a moment to cool himself and let his normal breathing and emotions take hold.

The girl straightened in the middle of her ring of totems and cocked her head. Garrosh turned to her and she looked down. "I owe you much. Why did you not tell me that you were Garrosh Hellscream, leader of the Horde?"

"Does it truly matter?" He asked folding his arms to regard her.

"No." she said. With a wave of her hand she dismissed her totems and turned to leave. The setting sun framed her form as she walked away letting the last rays warm her face.

Garrosh watched after her. Perhaps her handicap was not really a handicap after all. She had bested one of his elite guards with her shamanism magic. Her skills were like those of another. He contemplated that. Could Thrall have made a child? It had been rumored he had, but no one had been able to find his mate Aggra. When she was found, here in Garadar, she was not pregnant and in morning for her husband whom had died. Even Garrosh, who had learned to hate his former mentor, had felt a small ping of regret at the might shaman's death. Now the elements would not be in balance until another came, and perhaps not even then.

He narrowed his eyes. He would have to learn more about this girl, this Shagara, who smelled of humans, who dressed as a human, and who spoke like a human who knew orcish. Again a soft ping of regret unexpectedly hit him. Helene, the priestess of the Light, the sister of Jamiy Ambrose, and girl he had brutally raped in his youth. It still haunted him. She would made her mate proud. He knew from his emissaries that she spoke perfect orcish, but with a human accent. This girl was much the same.

He shook his head. Perhaps he had misjudged her. He turned to leave as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the great hills to the west.

He did not see Geyah watching the interaction unfold before her. The girl's skills combined with her demeanor of calm made the Greatmother take a breath. Draka had stood up for herself once in much the same way and only Thrall had mastered all three disciplines of shamanism that fluidly. Oh yes, she was one of her clan, and Shagara could be none other than her great grandchild, daughter of Thrall and Aggralan, raised by humans to protect her. It was the only explanation. Aggra had entrusted the humans whom her mate had lived among with the child in order to keep her from harm and from being used as a weapon.

She reached out to the elements. The earth rumbled a little. Geyah chuckled. The daughter of Thrall had come home.

##

Greatmother Geyah moved at her slow pace and then froze and smiled. At the water's edge of the great lake, Skysong, the girl was sitting listening to the wind and air. "The elements call you. "She said walking closer to the form.

Shagara turned her head slightly. "Yes. They brought me here, but I struggle to understand why."

"Shagara. Do you know who your parents were?"

"Were? My parents yet live. Darion Mograine and Lady Helene are my parents." She took a breath. "My sisters are Neumu and Djenni."

"I meant your birth parents, but it is clear that the love that your family has is unique to welcome an orphan orcling and orphan Draenei into the same household. And this Djenni, of what race is she?"

"My sisters are both half human. Neumu I draenei as you have said. Djenni is Sin'dorei." She looked back across the lake. "I never knew my birth parents. I never knew them. I assumed I was left for dead somewhere."

"That is not the story the elementals tell."

She wiped her head about. "What do they say?" She asked.

Geyah realized the girl had wished to know as often orphans did where they came from. She had raised several after the red pox had killed several parents leaving the children. The pox had killed Garrosh's mother and had nearly killed him along with her. Garrosh had asked about her, but Geyah had little to say and his mixed emotions about his paternal side seemed to cause even more conflict.

"That you, Shagara of Stormwind, are the daughter of Thrall and Aggralan." She said smoothly watching the girl's face carefully for that to sink in.