Chapter twenty-five: To safe one.

The clouds passed the moon slowly this night, spreading small amounts of night light over the fields. Hazajin took it to their advantage. As he kept to the shadows of the buildings that surrounded the small fenced part in the middle.

Sneaking in on his own had been less difficult then sneaking out would be with the elf with him. Since there was no way she could stealth he had to make sure they made it out in one piece. Denaestra being far from capable of thinking straight.

Two days at least had passed, he calculated, since he had managed to sneak out of the inn in Tarren Mill and went out looking on his own to get her back. Maria had sent out her guards, scamming the area where she had been last seen. Finding nothing to his frustration.

As he left the others unaware of his plans, he went out on his own. They would have stopped him surely.

He worried to the idea she was in an uncomfortable situation when the paladin showed him the locket. Or that she was lost to him. Maria did not seem entitled to sent out her guards just because he had a faint idea that she still had to be around the area.

It had been based on pure luck he found out eventually. They could have moved her anywhere by now. So he had hoped, guessed they had not moved her yet since there would be something noticed by the patrolling deathguards towards Arathi Highlands if there had been the movement of a prisoner from Refugee Point. He was not sure. His hopes being rewarded. After his second day.

As he had observed several passing travelers again, riding towards Refugee Point. There were dwarfs, humans, even a couple of gnomes…no paladin. And then the night elf came riding up the road…

Without knowing the night elf had been Hazajins motivation, not only because he had waited on the road for a long time, looking around nervously. He was sure he had seen the man with the paladin just before they put him out. When the man had taken an early turn and did not ride to Refugee Point Hazajin was curious, not only because the man seemed to act strange. When he sneaked up in stealth he found a whole nest of Syndicates…so lucky…

Then there was the commotion. The night elf dragging somebody out in a furious mood. Talking in a rather loud and threatening sort of tone to the person in front of him. He recognized the paladin immediately.

So he waited, observing the movement of the paladin. Eying everything he did outside, until the night fell. Hazajin taking his time to overlook the best options for a way out as he had lured in stealth. Finding out where they kept Denaestra had been easy. And then he had made his move…

Now Hazajin pushing Denaestra close to him as he kept a sharp eye out for any of the patrols that went around. For Denaestra it was like one big blurry movement when the troll pulled her by an arm to move again. They sneaked through one of the broken parts of the fence. Moonlight briefly shining on the contours of cows standing at ease.

The troll nearly collided with a cow that mooed disturbed at him when he sneaked past. He made haste to cross through to the other side. More cows mooed as they passed them at fast speed.

There were a few corpses around, Denaestra nearly tripped over them. Hazajin zigzagged her through the field and the animals before he pushed her over a fence. Denaestra feeling her legs protesting as they gave way under her. She collapsed in front of him when struggling to get off the fence.

Lying flat face down he quickly pulled her up by her arms, throwing her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. The rogue panting heavily as he tried to walk up a hill unseen. As he quickly looked back he heard shouting and he saw the flickering of lights from several sources hurling together near the stable he had come out from with the elf. The tumult increasing as somebody came running out, yelled something.

Lights were moving fast into all different directions as they apparently found several of the corpses he had left when he entered the place. He had taken out only a few, he had to.

His heart beating in his chest, drumming in his ears.

The rogue ran, as fast as his legs would carry him. Holding the girl secure over his shoulder with one hand, his two blades in the other hand. An arrow whistled aimlessly through the night. Too close. If he could make it towards Thoradin's Wall he would be able to make it to Tarren Mill from there…

A large amount of yells following into his direction as he looked around to see if they were following them or not. It seemed they were not, but they were damned close. He could visualize the dark and tall blackness that was supposed to be Thoradin's Wall as they moved closer. At some point he had to stop running, hoping they were safe enough as he had to take a deep breath. Pain shooting through his side, growling as it ebbed away finally he wanted to start running again. He had no time for this…

The shriek of a disturbed raptor in the open field gave them away…

Yells from the group as they made their way towards the noise. The shriek was answered by several more shrieks coming from more raptors. Hazajin swallowed…

The moon shining a dim light over the field for a moment. Gleaming predator eyes staring at him as he tried not to breath. He counted six raptors before a cloud moved in front of the moon again. Hazajin stood there, frozen in his actions, the yelling of the large group of people coming closer. Arrows being shot, the rogue could feel one hit the grass near his feet. The raptors also did.

Passing Hazajin on the side suddenly, the raptors took their loud and angry shrieking towards the group that came over the hill. He could hear the drumming of their hind legs. Going full speed for the attack. It vibrated through the ground. The rogue taking a few steps forward when the area was clear, feeling his strength fade slowly. He felt his blade tick against something. His heart skipping a beat…

When it did not roar nor shrieked at him, he carefully felt it was a tree. Letting the breath escape slowly through his nose he figured he may just have the luck to get out of this mess. Setting Denaestra to the ground he heard the faint screams and yells from the group of people. The rogue glad he was not the one who needed to run for his life when being attacked by a bunch of angry raptors with sharp talons.

He heard the sound scattering in different directions. It was rolling over the fields like an avalanche. There was no mistake of where they were. Hazajin only hoped there would be a mistake for calculating theirposition. They would probably continue their chase for them if they got away from the raptors, he was sure of that.

He could hear some of them too close by as they ran in fear. The shrieking raptors running all over the place. Hazajin clung to the tree for a moment, holding Denaestra up so she would not fall to the side.

"I be sorry girly…," he whispered apologetic, grabbing her shoulder. Not getting a response. Feeling her head lolling back and forwards as he tried to make her sit to lean against the tree again. He would need two hands to defend them both.

There was the faint sound of footsteps coming from behind. They became more noisy when they came closer in a rapid speed. Two of them if he listening correct. His ears trying to pick up the sounds of the quick pace he heard, to calculate from where they would emerge.

Hazajin holding on to his blades, hoping to have at least some of his regained strength to defend them as he got up. He panted heavily… pain shooting through his body, creeping up from the side to his head. This would be a tough one. He was out of breath, out of strength and most importantly…out of time as he felt his head spin when he took another deep breath.

Something snorting stopped in front of him. It oinked at him. The boar sniffing him squealed a moment later. "Good boar!" a feminine voice praised the boar softly. Relief fell over him as Jazah appeared from the dark. Hazajin had never been so happy to see his sister. Her face was one tight and angry expression when she came close enough for him to see her a little in the small amount of light the moon shed over them. She wacked him full in the face with her good hand before he could say anything else.

"Don'cha ever to dat tah me again! Next time ya tent tah leave me outta dis I will smack ya head like ya mate would if ya had one! Ya fool!" she whispered in a furious voice at him, having trouble to keep her voice down. Hazajins head was spinning again, rightfully he guessed.

"Were be da girly?" she demanded from him. The rogue led his sister to the tree behind him. Denaestra head hanging uncomfortably to the right. Jazah kneeling down, examining her for a moment. "Dis not be good Haz, we need tah move her! Ya be a fool; ya should have waited for da druid tah heal ya properly before ya took off. Ya should have waited for help," she scolded him.

"Dere was no time!" the rogue defended his actions. From up close the drumming of raptor legs stamping over the fields was heard again. "Hurry up," he heard Jazah take over the lead once again. "Dere still be humans out dere," Hazajin said firm, scanning the place. "Do I care?" Jazah said, not keeping her voice down. "If we want tah live we best move now," she said as he hesitated. "Go on! Ya take one side, I take the other," she commanded him as she supported Denaestra with her good arm. Hazajin put an arm around the small elven waist.

They walked slowly towards the passage from the main road through Thoradin's Wall. The dim lights of the street lanterns on the road in the Hillsbrad Foothills were noticeable from a distance. Boar squealed suddenly, feared by something.

Hazajin leaving the elf to Jazah for a moment, scanning the area again. There were shouts, lights coming their way. The rogue cursing under his breath as he took his blades in a defensive stance. They were about to pass underneath the archway of Thoradin's Wall when a small group appeared on the road, showed themselves in the open. Hazajin fearing for the outcome as they were outnumbered and in trouble in the state they were in against this group…

"Well well," the eerie tone of Maria's voice cooed at him from behind. "Aren't you lucky," she said in an almost sarcastic tone as she walked up to him. Hazajin looked to the side, smirking suddenly. It seemed their odds had changed.

"It seems you tent to dance yourself into a lot of trouble...rogue," Maria Hawkins smirked at him as she made sure the last word was emphasized. Hazajin smirking at her again.

"Hit it boys," she said smoothly after that, aiming her gun as her four guards moved forward with their swords in hand. Hazajin looked at her. Maria fired her gun at one of them, and then she looked at the rogue. "Good luck in Tarren Mill rogue…I heard there was an angry druid awaiting your return," she laughed darkly as she reloaded her gun. Hazajin bowed to her. The woman waving him off as she watched the two trolls support the elf.

"She best be worth going through a lot of trouble for...rogue," the undead woman called after him with a dark laughter. "Syndicate scum," he heard her yell in between a couple of gunshots she fired.

.*.*.*.

Denaestra lay sleeping in the bed across from Vim's stool. The tauren looking at the fragile pale elf. Jazah pulling her stool closer to the bed, eyeing the movement of the elf for a moment. She had not said much after seeing Denaestra in this state.

"Damned! Woman dat hurts!"

The angry cry was heard throughout the whole inn. Vim snickered as he heard his friend. Jazah looking at the door, there were no pleading cry for help this time. At least not yet.

"Hold still!"

Jazah had a wicked grin spreading across her face as she heard the answer from the druid. She could imagine the woman who healed him did not held up great regard for the rogue, let along sympathy.

"Let go of mah head woman!"

There was a sudden silence from the room for a moment. Jazah waiting in anxiety for the roar to come. She slightly snickered. Laughed out loud when the roar of pain finally came. Slapping her knee with her good arm she whipped a tear from her eye in the pleasure of her brother's agony. Vim shaking his head in slight amusement.

"Do I have to ask for assistance from the guards again? No? I thought not! Now hold still and let me finish my work!"

Vim could not help but feel a little sorry for his friend in the other room when he heard the strong female voice of the tauren druid commanding the troll around. But on the other hand, he did kind of deserved it as well. So he did not interfere. Hazajin was on his own. There were a couple of more growls and howls coming from the room before it finally became quiet.

"Is he dead?" Jazah snickered sarcastically. Vim rolling his eyes. The troll came barging in a few moments later, grumbling while rubbing the side of his ribs, looking sore. Vim chuckled as Jazah roared in laughter at her brothers expression.

"Lovely isn't she," Vim mentioned with slight irony. Hazajin grumbled something at his friend. "Lovely indeed," he muttered. Jazah grinned at him. Hazajin making a rude gesture at his sister as he walked over to them, sitting himself on the side of the bed as he looked at the sleeping elf. She looked so relaxed. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. The outgrowth of her original color showing in the locks of hair.

Jazah said nothing as she noticed something in the way Hazajin looked at Denaestra. A sly smirk spreading across her face when she looked again. She stood up, walked over to the tauren while grabbing him brutally by the arm. Vim getting up in surprise, knocking his stool over, apologizing on his way out. Jazah pushing him forwards out of the room, leaving Hazajin and Denaestra alone.