Of Claws and Totems

by Kechlion

When a Worgen with his humanity intact comes out of hiding to save a Draenei, he'll realize that perhaps living alone isn't so great. His story is one of constant strife: fighting for acceptance, fighting for her heart, and fighting for Azeroth. Rated M for violence, some gore, and some sexuality.

10. Chapter 10 Crashing

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 10

Crashing

In a flash Blackheart leapt across the room, his temper flaring. He grabbed a handful of Fergus' clothes, hoisted him off the floor, and slammed him into the wall. "You impudent little prick" the worgen growled angrily, his eyes starting to glow angry red. "You want to insult me? Fine. You want to call me a dog and a wild animal, even after I helped save 'YOUR' town? That's fine. You don't like me for any other reason than I exist. Fine. But insulting Kalara like that?" Blackheart let go with one of his hands, balled it into a fist and slammed it into the wall just next to Fergus' head. "That is not fine! You will NEVER insult her again. Do you understand me?" Blackheart's red eyes were fully lit now and he could feel the haze starting to take hold of him. Fergus could see nothing but death when he looked into the enraged worgen's eyes, could hear the growls coming from deep within his chest and see the sharp, snarling teeth that were inches from his face… and he quaked in fear. When he didn't answer, Blackheart shook him and slammed him into the wall again, splintering some of the paneling. More fiercely he growled, "Do you understand me!" Fergus still couldn't speak, as such was the amount of terror in him, but he did manage to nod. Leaning close to him, Blackheart growled quietly into his ear, "And if you ever… EVER say anything like that to her again, I will become the wild beast which you so fear. There will not be anywhere you can run or hide that will be far enough from me. I will find you, and I will end you." The red haze of anger he felt was slowly slipping from his control. The delicious smell of fear was almost overwhelming his senses; he knew that Fergus was scared out of his mind. It was getting harder and harder to think clearly when a large, three fingered hand steadily gripped his shoulder. He heard Miakoda softly say, "That's enough Blackheart. That's enough." Blackheart seized the opportunity to force himself to calm down. Slowly the red haze dissipated and he dropped Fergus, who landed in a heap on the floor. "Get. Out." He muttered, and Fergus was more than happy to oblige, scrambling as fast as he could towards the door.

As he reached the door, Vindicator Valina opened it and quick reflexes saved her from being trampled by the retreating draenei. She quickly surveyed the room. Blackheart was still snarling and had wildly glowing red eyes, his hackles were raised on end and the wall was damaged right next to him. And there was a tauren standing behind him, seeming to try and calm him down. Combined with the terror stricken state that Fergus was in and she thought she knew what had happened: Fergus had pushed the wrong button. If she had to guess, that button was Kalara. Deciding to take the straightforward path to figuring out what happened, she marched up to Blackheart and stood unwavering under his gaze. "What the hell just happened here? Why was Fergus scared out of his mind, why is my guard house damaged and why is there a tauren standing there? SPIT IT OUT RECRUIT!"

She stood impatiently awaiting Blackheart's answer while he worked to calm himself. When his hackles were dropped and his eyes reverted to their normal icy blue, he looked the Vindicator straight in the eyes before saying, "He said some very… inappropriate things to Kalara and I lost my temper."

"What do you mean inappropriate things?" she asked. "What did he say that would make you assault him?" With a look at Kalara, who was still trying to recover from the verbal assault, he quietly repeated all that Fergus had said. She looked long and hard at Blackheart then. After a few moments of silent deliberation she said, "Well…" she started, then sighed. Blackheart fully expected to be reprimanded for the incident. "First off you are an idiot! You may have put the fear of the light into him now, but he'll just use it against you later. He's a slimy bastard but you have just caused yourself a whole world of trouble. I don't like him any more than you do, and yes, what he said was completely out of line. But if you hurt someone you will be subject to the law just like everyone else is. I already told you that if you can't keep your temper in check then I would deal with you, didn't I? And you!" She turned to face the lone draenei guard that stood in the room. "You just let this happen?" The guard nervously replied, "Well… he deserved it." "Argh!" The Vindicator said in frustration. "I'm surrounded by vicious idiots. You can NOT assault someone for something they said. You may have been living in the woods for a long time, but here in the civilized world you can't go around beating people up or scaring the hell out of them just because they are saying mean things."

She walked up to Blackheart and poked him hard in the chest. "If you touch Fergus again without some sort of physical provocation, you're out, do you understand?" Blackheart saluted sharply, saying, "Yes ma'am." Crossing her arms she let the worgen enjoy a few more seconds of her angry glare before saying, "Well are you going to tell me why there's a tauren standing around in my guard house or are you going to wait for Greathfather Winter to come. Let's have a full mission report. Now."

It took a half hour for Blackheart to explain in detail what all had happened on their trip. From the duel with the furbolg to freeing the elements and then helping Mirakoda to put the other Tauren to rest, he tried to leave nothing out… except perhaps how Kalara had slept on him while at Stillpine Hold. Once he finished, the Vindicator sat in thought for a few moments. "Now that I've heard your side of things," she turned to the tauren, "Mirakoda right? Tell me what you learned of the Twilight's Hammer while you were with them."

The tauren was speechless for a few seconds. The draenei in front of her was acting like her superior demanding a report. The Vindicator ushered her to speak. "Well out with it now, it's already night time. I don't wanna be here till dawn, so speak up." What do you know, Blackheart had been right, she thought. "Well, to start with I was in Orgrimmar when a bunch of doomsayers started spreading the word that the world was coming to an end. One or two wouldn't be out of the ordinary in such a large city, but there were hundreds of them. You almost couldn't go anywhere in the city without hearing their prophecies of doom. It was getting so out of hand that a guard… conscripted me and another tauren from my village to try and infiltrate them. And infiltrate them we did. We joined up with them and soon found out that it was actually the Twilight's Hammer. They were planning something big involving the elements, something about using them to bring about the end of Azeroth. We were trying to get back to our superior and report on this when the group we were with was chosen to come here. Some of the mages in the group opened up portals leading to the burned forest on this island, and they spread out and subdued three elementals that were living here. We were found out though. I'm not sure how, but they discovered that I and Kuruk were not actually wanting to destroy Azeroth… but it got him killed and me stuffed into this cage. That was the last that I remember before waking up to find the camp destroyed and these two coming to my rescue."

The Vindicator was processing all of it, but came to a snag near the end. "Wait a second… they put you in that cage?" she asked, pointing to the cage the blood elf was in. "You don't fit." The tauren snorted angrily at the blood elf before saying, "I'm well aware." Valina was taken aback. "Well now, I have yet another reason to have a chat with our little heartless bastard here." The blood elf tried to stare defiantly at her, but failed miserably. It was hard to be defiant when you were bound and gagged inside a cage. "What you're saying is in line with what I've been hearing from Stormwind and Ironforge. There are the same doomsayers all over the place. Definitely not a good sign."

"What do you propose for sleeping arrangements for Miakoda?" the Vindicator asked Kalara and Blackheart. Kalara responded with, "I thought I would ask Master Tuluun if she could stay there. We're already housing a worgen, I don't see that letting Miakoda sleep there would be too much to ask." The Vindicator smirked at her then. "If you think so, then go to it. I will say this though, Miakoda. While you are here, you are not to go anywhere without an escort, and I will be posting a guard outside of Master Tuluun's house for as long as you stay there. I do not believe you would attack us, and I trust in these two's judgment, however I do not take unnecessary risks." Miakoda nodded, saying, "I completely understand. Thank you for your kindness."

The Vindicator then opened the cage that held the blood elf prisoner. "Alright, out with you and into a cell." She hauled him upright and led him further into the guard house towards a set of cells. "He's some sort of mage." Blackheart said. "Oh, a fancy magic user are we? Then we have a special accommodation for you." She took him to a cell that was slightly different from all the rest. Blackheart could smell… nothing. A distinct lack of smell came from the cage, as if everything in the cage was being sapped away. "This little cage has an anti magic field around it. No casting for you. You can just stay here until I have a chat with you in the morning." She shoved the blood elf into the cell then and swung the door shut.

When the group reached Tuluun's house, the Vindicator said, "I'll leave a guard here, and there will be one here throughout the night. If you need help, though I doubt you will, just yell and he will come in. I will take my leave of all of you. Good night." Once Valina had left, Kalara led the way into the house, opening the way for delicious cooking smells to come out. Tuluun was just finishing preparing a meal when the old broken turned to welcome them back and stopped, staring in awe at the big tauren standing behind Blackheart. The old broken's mouth worked a couple of times before he was able to ask, "Kalara, would you care to explain why there is a tauren in my house?" Kalara pointed to the arm chair close to her and said, "You better sit down, it's a long story."

For the second time that day the previous excursion was retold, this time by Kalara. She didn't, however, tell of the altercation with Fergus. She would prefer to forget what he had said. While Kalara told the story, Blackheart passed out portions of food to everyone. When she finished, Tuluun sat deep in thought for some time. Recalling what the elementals had said about dark times coming, he said, "This is most troubling. If the elements themselves are worried about the future we should be doubly worried. I also have to say that I am very proud of the way you two handled things. It sounds to me that when you learn to control your newfound power you will be a better shaman than I am." Kalara smiled at her master's praise. "And as for you Miakoda… I'm sorry for the loss of your comrade. I assume that you will need to stay here until better arrangements can be made?" The tauren nodded. "If it isn't too much trouble, then yes, I would prefer to stay near to these two."

"I'm afraid I don't have any place for you sleep aside from the floor. Blackheart sleeps lying on a pallet there, so just find a place and lay down." Bowing her head graciously, Miakoda said, "I'm sure anything will be comfortable after being in that cage." Nodding to her, he said, "Well now that it's settled, I believe this old being is going to head to bed. Kalara can you please get some spare blankets for Miakoda, and Blackheart I would like to speak with you for a minute." Kalara followed the instructions, finding the largest blanket she could for the tauren while Blackheart followed Tuluun into the broken's bedroom.

Easing himself down onto the bed, Tuluun looked to Blackheart and said in a tired voice, "Kalara left out the part about Fergus. I saw him running from the guard house like the Burning Legion was after him. Would you care to let me know what happened?" Tuluun's usual pleasant, grandfatherly face turned sour as Blackheart laid out what had happened. "I see" the broken said in a voice that was as close to angry as Blackheart had ever heard him. "I cannot approve of what you did… but I feel that Fergus definitely deserved it. To think that he could say such hurtful things… how distasteful. You will have to be careful from now on around him. I doubt he will let that go any time soon." Blackheart sighed then. "I know Master, and I apologize if it causes you any difficulty. When he said what he did about Kalara… well I just lost it. There is no excuse."

Tuluun chuckled then, and Blackheart look to the old broken, confused as to what was funny. "Perhaps there was no excuse, but there is a reason. Neither you nor Kalara probably realize what is happening between you two yet, but in just this short time I can see it." Blackheart was even more confused now. "See what?" Tuluun looked up at the worgen then saying merely, "It is something you will have to discover for yourself. There is one more thing I need to tell you about. I sent for a druid after I learned of your memory loss because of your transformation. I understand that sometimes druids lose themselves to their animal forms and must be brought back. I sent for a night elf druid that I know, and he should be here tomorrow morning sometime. Watch for him, he might be able to help you."

Bowing graciously, Blackheart said, "Thank you very much Master Tuluun. You have been more than kind to me and I appreciate your help." Tuluun dimmed the lights in the room as he prepared for sleep. "Think nothing of it, Blackheart. But now it's time for this old soul to rest." Saying goodnight, Blackheart left Tuluun's room to head back out to where he and Miakoda would be sleeping. When he entered the room he caught the tail end of a conversation. He heard Miakoda say, "You should have stuck with Fluffy for a name." The tauren was then laughing at the thought. She tried to stifle her laughter when she noticed Blackheart, but ended up snorting which sent her and Kalara into a giggling fit. "I see you two are getting along famously," Blackheart said as he sat down next to Kalara. "Did Kalara tell you how she challenged Vindicator Valina to a drinking match and got so trashed I had to carry her home and force her to drink a potion that tasted like… what did you say? It tasted like licking an elekk pen I believe." Kalara slapped his arm then, saying, "Hush you!" and Miakoda just laughed.

Standing and stretching, Blackheart said, "I believe it's time that we get some rest, there's no telling what tomorrow will bring." Kalara went to her room and Miakoda laid down on some blankets that Kalara had brought for her. Blackheart curled up on his usual pallet. After the day's events all of them found sleep easy to come by.

Upon returning from his usual inspection of the dawn, Blackheart was about to open the door to Tuluun's house when he heard a deep voice from inside that he did not recognize. When he opened the door he saw Tuluun talking to a night elf. The conversation stopped dead when the night elf noticed Blackheart. Even though the night elf knew what he was going to find there, he was still astonished to see a sane worgen walking towards him. He pulled himself together and greeted the worgen. "My name is Relarus Moonshade. I understand from Master Tuluun that you cannot recall much before you were turned."

Bowing in greeting, Blackheart replied, "That is correct. I can only recall some vague shapes and smells, though other knowledge comes to me at times. I think I must have been in some sort of army… I constantly know how to tactically analyze a situation, but I don't know how I know… what I know." The night elf cupped his chin with his hand and nodded. "I see, I think that I might be able to help with that. Please sit down and I'll explain what I'm going to try." Blackheart did as he was instructed, sitting at the small table. Kalara and Miakoda were up and about by then, coming to watch what was going on as Relarus sat down opposite of Blackheart.

"Sometimes we druids stay shape shifted for too long and start to lose a grasp on our non animal personalities. When that happens we perform a ritual that takes them, in their mind, back to the place where it happened and we can undo the damage. That is what I'm going to try for you. Please set your hands out on the table." Blackheart did as he was instructed, placing his hands outstretched in front of him on the table. Relarus placed his hands on top of the worgen's and said, "I will start now." He began to softly chant in Darnassian.

Blackheart felt nothing at first, but a few seconds into the chant he felt extremely sleepy and his vision soon dimmed until only a pinprick of light remained. For what seemed like hours, that was all that he was aware of, this pinprick of light. Eventually the light started to expand so that he could see what was around him. He was in a dark forest, and with his sight memory came rushing back to him. The small unit that he was part of, one of the infantry brigades from Theramore that had been sent to aid the night elves with the battle in Warsong Gulch, but their squad had been pulled and sent to assist in a worgen problem at the aptly named Howling Vale. They had arrived with a small force of humans and night elves to drive out the worgen… and they had been subsequently massacred. The number of worgen that were at the vale greatly outnumbered how many were supposed to be there, and now he was running for his life.

He knew that he didn't stand a chance of getting away; he was wounded in several places and leaving a trail of blood that the worgen could easily follow. The only thing keeping him on his feet was the pure adrenaline pumping through his veins and the fear of death. He saw a break in the tree line a few hundred yards ahead. He was almost there, almost out of the forest and free of the death trap that it had been. If he could just hold out a little longer, just keep on his feet he could… meet face to face with a snarling worgen. He didn't have his sword and shield anymore. He had left the sword buried in a dead worgen and had discarded his shield because his arm had been broken. He knew that this was the end; he knew that he was going to meet whatever awaited him in the afterlife.

The worgen slowly stalked up to him, in no rush and seeming to enjoy the smell of fear that must have been coming off of him. As the worgen came closer he the faces of those that he would never see again flashed before his eyes: his mother, Angie, with her long black hair and aging but kind face telling him to eat more oatmeal, his little brother Wayne who looked just like their father and his little sister Jonie who resembled their mother, pestering him for piggy back rides and to tell them of his adventures, and the face he hadn't seen in years, that of his father Derrick who had never came back from the war he fought. As the worgen leapt for his throat, his father's last words came to him. His icy blue eyes seemed to be very sad as he said, "Kaleth, I'm gonna be gone for a little while. Make sure to take care of your mom and your siblings, you understand? You're the man of the house now until I get back." Sorry dad, Kaleth thought, I guess I failed. The worgen's fangs close around Kaleth's neck and then… he was awake, flat on his back, staring into the worried face of Kalara. "What happened?" he asked.

He looked above his overturned chair and saw that Relarus was being helped to his feet by Tuluun. The night elf looked dazed, and his chair, as well as the table, were overturned. Kalara quickly asked, "Are you ok? A few minutes after he started the ritual there was some kind of force that knocked you two apart. You toppled over backwards and Relarus was thrown against the wall. What did you see?" Looking into Kalara's eyes he thought about it and realized… he had a name. "Kaleth," he said. "Kaleth?" she asked, confused. "My name was Kaleth."

Once he and Relarus had recovered, Blackheart had told them all what had happened and all that he had learned: some about who he was, what his family had looked like and their names, as well as how he had been turned. "Why were we both knocked down, Relarus?" Blackheart asked the druid. Relarus had been sitting in quiet contemplation after his recovery, and was at himself at a loss for a good answer. "I am unsure. When we do this, we watch from an outside… almost ethereal perspective on your memories. As soon as the worgen attacked you it was as if the space I usually occupy was suddenly hostile and it forcefully ejected me. I think if there were more druids to help, we could recover your memory in its entirety.

"Where are there more druids at?" the worgen asked. "I would suggest Darnassus, which would solve another problem. From Darnassus it would be easy to get Miakoda to Moonglade and then from there to her home." Nodding, Miakoda added her agreement. "That would work wonderfully." Blackheart was somewhat torn for what to do. He wanted to go to Darnassus. The chance at recovering his memories was too good to pass up. But going to Darnassus meant leaving Azure Watch, which also meant leaving... He looked to Kalara then, and she spoke up, answering his problem. "Well then let's hit up Darnassus for some druid help!" she said, putting his fears at ease. Almost as an afterthought she added, "If that's ok by you Master Tuluun."

Nodding, he said, "I believe it is time for you to get out and explore the world on your own. I don't know if there is anything that is left that I can teach you." Kalara gave a little whoop of joy and hugged Master Tuluun before hurrying to her room to start packing. Relarus stood and gathered his things. "If we leave soon, the boat I arrived here on should still be docked and accepting passengers to Auberdine." Tuluun thanked Relarus for coming and then walked over to where Blackheart was packing what few things he had. The old broken watched the worgen for a short while before whispering so that only he could hear, "I know that I don't have to tell you, but protect Kalara please. I want you both to come back in once piece. It should be an easy trip to the capital… but things are not as they should be with the elements. I have a feeling your journey will get somewhat complicated." The worgen clasped the broken's hand then, and said, "On my life, I will keep her safe, and we will return."

Just as the group left Tuluun's house, Vindicator Valina met them on the road out of Azure Watch. "And where are you off to?" she asked. "We're going to Darnassus to see if some of the druids there can help me regain some of my memory." Valina thought for a moment, then handed him a sealed envelope. "That is the information that was able to… extract from our prisoner this morning. I was meaning to send you, with it, to the Exodar but if you're going to Darnassus you can take it there instead and I'll draft another for Exodar and send it later." Blackheart put the letter in his pack while Miakoda asked, "And what of the prisoner?" Valina's face took on a look of utmost displeasure. "He must have had some kind of ward against telling us information. He was reluctant to leave his cell after we got what we did out of him, and as soon as he came out of the anti magic zone his head… well let's just say that he's a little bit shorter now." Miakoda had a grim smile on her face. "A fitting end to him, I think." The Vindicator walked them to the edge of town. "Try not to beat anyone else up while you're away, eh Blackheart? Represent us well." Blackheart saluted, and then they headed for the docks at the edge of the island.

Partway to the dock, Kalara asked Blackheart, "So Blackheart… err Kaleth. I guess we should call you by your real name now huh?" Blackheart shook his head no. "I'm not Kaleth any longer. I still don't even know what goes with that name. I've somehow been given a second chance at life, so I'll just stick with the name you gave me. I'm Blackheart from now on." Kalara smiled at that, and then asked, "So have you ever been to Darnassus?" The worgen cocked an eyebrow up and look over to her, "I can't remember, remember?" Lightly smacking her own forehead, Kalara said, "Ohhh yeah. Sorry."

When the group arrived at the dock they were relieved to see that the boat had not departed yet. All of the work on the decks stopped however when the crew noticed Relarus' company: a draenei, a worgen, and a tauren. The druid hailed the crew in Darnassian and were welcomed aboard. The captain, a slender female nightelf by the name of Solia Nightcrest welcomed them to her ship. "Well Relarus, you certainly bring an… interesting assortment of creatures with you. I knew you were going to see about a worgen… I didn't know you would be bringing it back with you.

Relarus explained to the group that it was roughly a three hour sail to Auberdine, and from there they could take hippogryphs to Darnassus. Blackheart remembered his trip from Auberdine over to here, and his recollection of being on the water wasn't pleasant. He had been a worgen and was being hunted down by night elves. Sneaking to the dock under the cover of a heavy storm he had stolen a small boat, gotten caught in the storm, and ended up washed ashore on Azuremyst Isle. Not a pleasant first boat ride. Looking at his companions, Kalara was having a great time, enjoying the surf and standing at the prow of the ship watching the waves. Miakoda on the other hand was being attended to by Relarus; she was an unnatural shade of green and was spending a lot of time at the edge of the small boat.

Three hours later, Auberdine was just coming into sight. "There it is. We should be there in a just a few minutes." Blackheart heard the captain say, when Kalara let out a cry. Blackheart looked over to see her sink to her knees clutching her head. He rushed over to her and knelt down, looking for some kind of wound. He didn't smell blood or anything else. "Kalara what's wrong, what happened?" She let out another moan of agony, drawing the attention of the crewmates. "Argh, the elements. They are all wrong! They're screaming out in pain and it's hurting me." All at once the sky darkened, as if a storm had suddenly rushed upon them. "Oh no… oh no!" the draenei yelled. "What is it?" Blackheart asked, trying to find some way to comfort her. "He's coming…" she whispered before letting out an agonized scream and collapsing unconscious. Blackheart scooped her up in his arms and was going to carry her to Relarus to see if he could help her when he heard a sound he would forever remember.

The sheer volume and malice of the roar chilled him to the bone. He remembered the fear that he had felt at facing the worgen… and this put that to shame. This was unlike anything he had heard, and every instinct in his body was screaming that death was coming. His instincts weren't far off. One of the sailors cried and pointed across the starboard side of the boat, and what he saw took the strength out of his limbs. A giant, black dragon was soaring towards Auberdine. It was the largest creature that he had ever seen, larger even than most buildings he had seen. A wall of flame was following closely behind it. It let loose another roar and Blackheart felt that this beast would actually be able to scare someone to death.

They all watched helplessly as Deathwing descended upon Auberdine, breathing a jet of fire that engulfed part of the town. Then they saw the wall of flame hit the town, ripping the docks out of the water and engulfing the rest of the town in flames. "Elune protect us." He heard one of the night elves say, but when he looked to her, she wasn't looking at the town. He turned to look the other way, the way the dragon had come from, and saw a massive tidal wave coming for them. There was no way to escape it, the wave went as far as the eye could see in both directions, and was coming straight for them. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" he heard Mirakoda yell.

"Everyone, lash yourself down to the boat now!" Captain Solia yelled above the roar of the approaching wave. Blackheart ran, carrying Kalara with him, to one of the lashing points on the boat. He took a length of rope and tied Kalara to him. When he reached for the lash to tie himself to the boat they were struck by the wave. He was pushed down to the deck as the boat quickly gained altitude, riding the wave towards the shore. The boat was continuing to turn as it was lifted, and soon he slid towards the edge of the boat and was able to gain a firm hand on a rope while he hugged Kalara's unconscious form to his own body.

He had relived his first death once today, and now he was watching his next one unfold. The boat was turned to where the deck was almost vertical. The scene before him was amazing and horrific all at once. He could see that he was over 100 paces in the air. He watched as other boats were swept up with them, and then watched as the tidal wave hit Auberdine and swept over it, dousing the flames but tearing the buildings from the ground. He knew it had to end soon though, and as he looked up he saw the rapidly approaching forest. As the trees neared and the wave carrying them started to lose its force, the boat continued towards the trees. Looking down at Kalara he said a small prayer to whatever deity might be listening and, before the boat hit the trees, he leapt, curling himself as much as he could around the small draenei in his arms. He saw the trees approaching quickly, and soon there was only blackness.