Thank you MelanaAdara, and Z-Cat9612 for reviewing last chapter! I'd also like to thank Rain for reviewing on chapter 2! However, the people who also truly deserve my thanks are you readers! I had over 150 views on this story in the past three days alone! I truly am thankful for how many people are reading!
I decided, since there are so many people reading now, to update early. I just finished writing this and had time to lightly edit before posting, so forgive me if there are a few typos and errors. You guys rock! I've got a little more notes for the end of the chapter so see you there!
"I am going to die and it's going to be your bloody fault!"
Cerdic glared up at Jeanne, who was tentatively seated on the launching arm of the catapult and shot back, "Stop being such a bleeding nancy! Everything's going to be fine!"
"Says the one not currently on the bleeding catapult!"
"Just make sure you land on the ship! More worgen will be joining you! All you need to worry about is the captain and the others will clear the rest of the crew for you!"
"I swear on everything holy that if this goes wrong I will come back and murder you!"
"Love you too Joanie!"
With a wide shit-eating grin, Cerdic pulled the lever and watched as his sister flew through the air. He could clearly hear the hollow thunk of her hitting the main mast before turning to signal the other worgen to launch. He hopped back into his 'borrowed' catapult and drove it to the other ship. The warrior look a long look at the long throwing arm and sighed, setting the controls and clambering onto it.
Jeanne watched in morbid satisfaction as the last Forsaken sailor was dumped off the ship by one of her crewmates. She quickly counted heads and had to reign in a sigh; there were only roughly half the people she needed to operate the ship correctly and, judging by the way they stumbled when the ship rocked, they had little to no sailing experience.
Damn you Cerdic and your half-baked plans! You're gonna get us all killed!
"Does anyone here have any sailing experience?" One tentative hand was raised and Jeanne grit her teeth in frustration. "How much?"
"M-my Father and I are fishermen, miss."
Jeanne snapped her teeth in irritation and surveyed her rag-tag crew. "Alright. You, er…"
"M'name's James, Ma'am."
"James. You are my First Mate. Get these landlubbers ship shape so we can push off!"
"Aye, aye Captain!"
Jeanne felt a small smirk flit over her lips as her newly-appointed first mate began shouting orders and instructions to the other four crewmembers. Perhaps this could work after all…
Cerdic felt a small bubble of joy well up inside him as he watched his five crewmates work on launching the ship under the circumstances. The warrior's gaze jerked up as the hoarse yells of attacking undead sounded from the docks.
"Hostiles attacking portside!" Cerdic bellowed, drawing out the long broadsword that Gwen shoved at him earlier, "Defend the ship!"
The warrior charged the first Forsaken that jumped onto the ship and engaged in a fierce battle as more clambered up. When he was done cleaving his enemy in half he spun in the direction of the other ship.
"Jeanne! The Forsaken are on the attack! Cut and run while you still can!"
He felt a line of fire cut across his haunch and he yelped in pain before spinning around to lob off the raider's head. He strained to hear anything above the battle to indicate that his sister had heard him. After a few violent moments he heard a faint, "Aye, aye!" from that direction and he grinned. This was going to work.
"Countin' of you little sis. Don't let me down now."
"Hoist the anchors! The sooner we get this ship movin' the better!"
"Aye, aye!"
Jeanne lifted a lip at the Forsaken scurrying to get aboard before they set sail. Striding over to one of her crewmates (a hunter judging by her large mastiff), she jerked the blunderbuss out of its sling, took aim and shot the first Forsaken she saw clambering onto the ship. She smirked and handed the weapon back to its owner and shifted into a casting stance. A green ball of magic sent the next one flying off the deck right as the mastiff barreled into the one after that.
"We're set to push off Captain!"
Jeanne wheeled around and jogged up the wooden steps up to the wheel and shouted, "Very good! Let's cut and run!"
Before they could so much as move a muscle, a loud rumbling shook the earth just below them. A split second later the land started to buckle under the stress and seemingly all at once sunk below the ocean's surface. Jeanne didn't even have the time to shout a warning before a large wave hit the ship and washed a good portion of the crew overboard. She held tightly to the wheel and struggled to keep her feet as the ship rolled and bobbed in the water. What was left of the crew had no such luck as they tumbled overboard and into the frothing water. Jeanne's heart ached in sympathy for them, knowing there was very little chance they'd make it out alive.
After what seemed like an eternity, the waters calmed and Jeanne cried out in shock and horror at what she saw. The stretch of land spanning from the docks to Duskhaven was gone; disappeared like it was never there. It wasn't that the ocean rose and flooded it, but the land itself had crumbled into the ocean, taking both Gilneas's remaining defenders and their Forsaken attackers.
The druid stared at it for a moment longer before a strangled cry for help roused her from her stunned daze. She looked about wildly and spotted one of the human defenders waving frantically at her. Glancing once at the ship and grimacing, she took a deep breath and held it as she launched herself off the port side. There was no way in hell that she could operate the large ship by herself nor did she have the provisions for a rescue mission.
Jeanne whimpered involuntarily at the water's chill and effortlessly glided through the water towards the man, who had grabbed onto a piece of driftwood and was watching her approach. She didn't say a word to him, presenting her back to him and he wrapped shaking arms around her neck. The worgen then turned towards the new shore and paddled towards it, keeping an eye out for any unwanted company. They didn't encounter any when Jeanne finally padded ashore, dropping the man on the soggy ground before turning back towards the water, intent on saving more of her people.
"Jeanne!" A familiar voice called and she had to stifle the irritated growl in her throat as she turned towards the speaker.
"What, Liam? We need to hurry and save our people before they drown!"
The blonde man nodded in agreement and proceeded to strip his newly-acquired shirt off and gesture towards the water. "Ladies first."
She didn't bother to reign in a short annoyed snarl before she dove back into the water, diving under only after she heard a similar splash behind her. She and the Prince (along with other worgen volunteers) worked tirelessly to rescue what they could, fighting off the Forsaken survivors when needed, until they started bringing back lifeless bodies.
Jeanne huffed in exhaustion as she shrugged another drowned defender off her back and scanned the remaining survivors with growing concern. She had seen no sign of either of her brothers in all this and it was never a good sign. A hand on her arm startled her and she whirled around on an equally exhausted looking Liam.
"They're fine. Your blood is too damn stubborn to be taken down this easily." The Prince gave her a small reassuring smile before they both stumbled as the ground beneath them shook lightly. Liam frowned and practically growled with frustration.
"Seems the land doesn't want to settle itself… I hate to say this, but we must get everyone to higher ground before we're flooded. I don't want to lose my homeland twice in one lifetime, Joan… Tell Gwen to start the evacuation."
Jeanne squeezed Liam's shoulder briefly before dashing away to fulfill her orders. She found the woman mounted on a brown and white horse on the far side of town frantically issuing orders to worgen and humans alike. Jeanne slid to a stop in front of her, frightening the horse a bit, and bowed to the woman.
"Gwen! Liam ordered an evac—"
"Evacuation, I know! Already in motion Lady Delroy! I've already sent your brothers to evacuate Miss. Crowley and the Hayward brothers."
"What else needs doing then?"
Gwen pulled out a rolled up parchment out of her satchel and skimmed over it briefly. She nodded after a moment and rolled it back up, a slight glint of amusement in her brown eyes.
"The only one left is Grandma Wahl at her cottage. I need you to convince her to come with us."
At the sight of Jeanne's look of exasperation Gwen couldn't help but giggle helplessly.
"I'm asking you to have some patience, Jeanne. You know she's not entirely there anymore. Be nice!"
With a grumble, Jeanne dropped back down on all fours and pelted away down the path. She briefly glimpsed Ammon lassoing one of Lorna's mountain horses before the path split to go towards a small cottage with a stone fence around it. Jeanne slowed to a walk when she neared the cottage and knocked on the wooden door when she got to it. An elderly woman answered, her hazel eyes lighting up in surprise at the sight of the druid.
"A visitor! Oh, my, you should've sent word ahead that you were coming; I need to set another place at the table! Are you staying for tea, sweetie?"
Jeanne cleared her throat uncomfortably and shook her head. "Erm, no I am not, Ma'am. I need you to come with me to the evacuation point in Duskhaven. It's not safe for you here."
Grandma Wahl furrowed her grey brows, confused. "Leave? Now? Well, I suppose I will if I must…"
"Oh, good. If you'll just come with me…"
"Wait a moment, dear. I just can't leave without my favourite book! Could you go find it in the garden?"
"Now, Missus Wahl…"
Jeanne bit back an impatient snarl as the elderly woman shook her head condescendingly. "Please just retrieve the book."
The worgen spun around and stalked back outside, muttering curses all the way towards the arbor on the far end of the property.
"Bloody book…. Bloody old codger… I swear if she doesn't leave…."
Jeanne snatched the linen wrapped book from off the stone bench and turned to stalk back to the house when a hoarse yell interrupted her journey.
"Bloody hell! I DON'T NEED THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Her Forsaken attacker hesitated just the briefest seconds in the face of her anger. Before Jeanne could shift into her new cat form, the roses around her attacker grew and entrapped him in their grasp. He swore loudly and hacked at them with his sword in a desperate attempt to free himself. A vine curled its way around his neck and tightened until he dropped dead. All this took place in a span of a few seconds and Jeanne just stared as the roses, coated with blackened blood, settled back down in their beds as if nothing had happened.
"Well… That's one way to take care of things… Thanks."
You are welcome, friend of the earth
Jeanne froze in shock for a second before shaking her head and making her way back to the cottage. Everything she thought impossible was happening, so talking plants were not much of a surprise in the light of things. She bit back curses as she shoved the book at the old woman, who took it with a reprimanding click of her tongue.
"My, my, someone is impatient. Surely your mother taught you better manners than this! Please fetch my good clothes on the line outside. You can't expect me to go out in public looking like this!"
"… You've got to be joking… right?"
"Where are your manners, young lady? Don't you know how to listen to instructions?"
Jeanne felt a growl start up in her throat and spun away out the door, barely resisting the urge to slam it behind her. She stalked around to the side of the house, yanked the clothes off the line, bundled them up, and turned back to the cottage. Behind her she heard a gurgle and she turned to find more plants strangling yet another Forsaken assassin that had been hiding in the bushes. She waited long enough to ensure that he was dead before proceeding back to the cottage, where she shoved the clothes at the old woman.
"By the Light! You have the most atrocious manners I have ever seen! Were you raised by ogres?!"
"What else do you need? We don't have all night you know!"
The elderly woman huffed and shook her head in a condescending manner. "How rude! I almost have the mind to report you to your superior when we get into town!"
"Go right on ahead!"
That earned the worgen a haughty glare. "I will! I suppose you can retrieve my cat, Chance. He likes to play near the arbor on the broken cart. Bring him back alive and I will come with you on this evacuation nonsense."
"Fine by me!"
With that Jeanne stalked back out the house and down the cobbled path towards the arbor. She huffed when she spotted the orange cat sleeping on a rock and felt a little of her irritation melt away at the sight. Before she could get close enough to pick him up, the cat yowled in surprise when a rotting hand snatched him by the scruff of his neck and stuff him into a bag.
Jeanne snarled at the undead man, who chuckled darkly at her. "The cat is mine! It's the perfect bait to lure out that old bitch!"
The man's grin deepened as he slipped his sword out of its sheath and charged her, yelling, "Prepare to die, fool!"
Jeanne only had the time to duck under his wild swing before she morphed herself into her cat form without thought. She slashed at the Forsaken's legs, tripping him up as well as shredding what muscles he had left, and was about to finish him off when an unearthly howl stopped her in her tracks. She only had time to leap back before a dark grey worgen barreled into him, whacking him with a wooden rolling pin while she screeched.
"Give!" Whack! "Me!" Whack! "Back!" Whack! "My!" Whack! "Kitty!" Whack!
Jeanne gaped in awe as the elder woman, who turned out to be a worgen, single-handedly beat the Forsaken man to death with ease. The cat in question tore out of the leather bag and Jeanne barely had time to scoop him up when he tried to zoom past her. She braced herself for a terrified cat trying to squirm out of her grasp and was surprised when he seemed to settle in her arms. The druid glanced up in time to see the grandma deal the killing blow and flee back to her cottage, leaving the rolling pin sticking out of the Forsaken's neck. Jeanne stared after her for a moment before physically shaking herself out of her shock and followed her at a much slower pace.
"Bloody hell!" Jeanne came up short at the sight of an entirely human Grandma Wahl staring at her, an expectant look on her face. It morphed into one of relief at the sight of her orange tabby nestled in Jeanne's arms and she came forward to take him.
"Oh, Grandma was so worried about you! I suppose this rude girl has some use after all, don't you think so?"
"Wait!" Jeanne jerked out of her stupor and reached out to stop the elder woman, "How did you transform into a human?! Tell me please! I am begging you!"
Grandma Wahl ignored her and paused when she caught sight of her hands. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she exclaimed, "What manner of dirt found its way underneath my fingernails!"
Jeanne's heart seized as she realized that the elderly woman wasn't going to answer her questions and she sighed in frustration. She glared at her fur-covered hands for a few moments before fisting them in anger.
I will be human again, no matter what the cost.
"You are a miracle worker, Miss. Jeanne. I would never have thought you could convince Grandma Wahl to leave her home. Did she give you much trouble?" A hearty snarl was Gwen's answer and the woman giggled in response. "I suspected as much. I'm impressed that you held your temper with her."
"I'm sure you'll hear differently from her. Please tell me you have other things for me to do… I will not be responsible for my actions if I have to even get another whiff of her perfume…"
A half amused, half exasperated sigh was her answer before Gwen pulled out her parchment again, skimming it for names that may have been missed.
"I believe we have everyone accounted for, which means you need to head to safety now. Don't give me that look; I'll be okay! I've got to arrange the transportation of the few ferals we still have. Take this horse and I'll see you up at Greymane Manor."
Jeanne gave the horse beside her a wary stare before sighing and moving to mount it.
"Oh, and Jeanne?" The worgen paused to hear what the woman had to say. Gwen gave her a playful grin and wrinkled her nose slightly. "Arrange for a bath when you get there. You need it."
"Bugger off!" Jeanne snapped, yelping when Gwen have her horse's haunch a sharp slap and it burst into a gallop. The druid grumbled and held tightly to his mane as the mountain cob surged up the steep inclines like it was nothing.
Alright, before you all kill me for not continuing on the ship stealing plotline, I have reasoning behind it. I was truly going to continue it when I ran into the problem of trying to run that plot alongside the cannon plot. The series of quests ahead (most importantly the ones in the Blackwald), couldn't be done if Jeanne and Cerdic were busy captaining the ships, which means they would probably have gone feral again after Aranas's potion wore off. I also wanted to write a little more about Jeanne's backstory (next chapter, I promise) and I couldn't if there was too much action going on.
There was also the fact that the ships sunk after the land had crumbled into the ocean... so I had really no choice in the matter in returning to the cannon storyline...
Anyway, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! The feedback and the fact that there were so many views inspired me to get this out quicker! I cannot thank you guys enough! Please send me reviews, I adore hearing back from you guys, and I will see you next chapter!
-Kat
P.S. Quick question guys. Should I start making the chapter lengths longer? I kinda feel like they may be a little too short... Or are they good the way they are? Let me know! Thanks!