Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 29

Theramore Harbor

When Blackheart woke just before the dawn he chose to forgo his usual routine of leaving the bed to view it. After the night he had shared with Kalara he decided instead to just enjoy the feeling of lying next to his beautiful fiancé. He was pleased to see that they were still wrapped in each other's arms and Kalara's head was snuggled into his chest. He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead which caused her to smile in her sleep and hug him tighter, much to his pleasure.

In the silence of the morning, Blackheart took the time to really reflect on how he had gotten to this point in his life. His memory before his turning was still a little hazy and, he suspected, it always would be. But even with the memories of his childhood he still felt that his time spent with Kalara was the best he had ever experienced. He looked at his free hand which he flexed, still amazed that he could somehow transform into a worgen and back in an instant and that it no longer caused him pain. He realized that while at the time he was most displeased with being bitten and turned he wouldn't trade it for anything now. It gave him an edge over most other creatures and he could use that edge to protect Kalara. That, more than anything, was what he intended to spend the rest of his life doing. Protecting her and making her happy.

As if awoken by his thoughts, she murmured and her eyelids fluttered open to look up at him. "Good morning," she murmured.

He kissed her forehead again. "Good morning love. How are you feeling today?" He couldn't help but stare into the glowing orbs that made up Kalara's eyes.

Kalara smiled. "Better than I can ever remember being." her voice trailed off and she whispered so quietly that he almost couldn't hear, "My idièros."

Blackheart arched an eyebrow at her use of draenic. He'd never really heard her speak it much around him, and he quickly realized that he would like to hear more. He also wanted to learn the language that she had spoken growing up. There would be time for that later. The one specific word she had used seemed to almost have weight to it. "What does that word mean?"

Kalara smiled one of her shy smiles before giving him a lingering kiss. In a quiet voice she whispered, "In common the closest I can think of it meaning is 'my one love' but it's a lot more than that."

"More than that? How so?"

"Well… if I were to tell another draenei that you were my idièros there would be certain expectations of them, me, and you. Sort of like if you told some human I was your wife they would expect you to treat me a certain way and for me to act a certain way. The Draenic word though is much more… binding. There is more weight to it than wife or husband. If I were to do something to hurt you, and it was known that you were my idièros, I would be shunned as the worst type of oath breaker and backstabber, known to never be taken at my word again. The same would go for you, or anyone else that tried to interfere with us. It's… it's not used very often. Even between couples that have been together for a very long time, they don't want to use it for fear that one of them will slip up." She finished her explanation before resuming her quiet, clearly expectant gaze.

Blackheart nodded. It was definitely a serious claim… and one that he was completely comfortable in accepting. He returned her gaze, sensing the love that was coming from her. Out of everything he had experienced, the scent of her love for him was the most delicious smell he had ever encountered. "Well then my idièros" he stumbled slightly over the odd pronunciation, but not too terribly, "I'm glad that you feel that way."

Kalara's heart swelled once again when he returned the claim over her. She could hardly believe how lucky she felt. She kissed him fully intending on it being a quick peck but, entwined as they still were, that's not quite how it ended up… not that either of them minded.

When they were finally able to extricate themselves a few hours later they packed their things up, armed themselves, and left the inn. Blackheart had taken them in the general direction of the harbor when Kalara asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, the last time I was here there were boats that crossed the ocean from here to Menethil Harbor a few times a day. We'll go to the harbor here and see what we can find out. Hopefully we can get passage out soon."

They took their time, meandering through the streets and making their way through to the harbor. Kalara enjoyed the slow walk with her arm linked through Blackheart's, just taking in the sights and sounds that had filled his childhood. As they walked, he would occasionally point to something that caught his interest and tell her a quick story. It was a vastly different place to grow up in than her own initial childhood on the Exodar and then growing up on Azuremyst. It was much more peaceful there. While she could see the benefits of living in a larger city and having whatever amenities available that she could want, she was already missing the quiet solitude of her small town. She knew Blackheart wouldn't settle here so maybe, once they were done with all the fighting and saving people, she could convince him to settle in a small place.

Blackheart slowed down as he read the sign in front of a store and a bit of recognition came to him. The sign read, in violently bright pink letters, 'Maleah's Mixes'. He could see a listing of prices on the front glass showing the prices for healing potions, mana potions, and even love potions.

"Well this is definitely a new shop. Should we go in and see how Maleah and Thrak are doing?"

Kalara nodded eagerly. "I'd love to."

As they started up the steps towards the shop, Blackheart pulled to a stop suddenly. His sixth sense about danger was prickling at the base of his neck… and getting stronger.

"What is it?" Kalara asked. She knew the look on his face and whatever it was that Blackheart had sensed, it was bad.

"I'm not sure… something's wrong." He started to move forward again, but before he could, his danger sense flared and he saw a bright flash from within the shop. Quick as a thought he wrapped himself protectively around Kalara as the concussion from the explosion reached the front of the store and shattered the glass, sending sharp pieces out over them, followed by an acrid stench and smoke.

Blackheart stood up and shook the shards of glass off of himself while Kalara carefully checked him for injuries. Finding nothing, they both rushed into the store. It appeared as any other shops might, with wares lining the shelves and price tags below them and bins of items scattered around… with the one major exception that nearly everything was in the floor and there were more shards of broken glass around. They reached the back counter of the store a moment later to find what had caused the explosion.

At the center of a ring of charred floor sat a blackened and very dazed Maleah. The little gnome's violently pink hair had been scorched mostly black, she was missing one of her eyebrows, her face was a bright shade of red, as were her hands, and her eyes held kind of a glazed over look. In one hand she held an empty beaker, as though she had been pouring something out of it. In the other hand she held the remains of another beaker… the apparent source of the explosion.

After exchanging a quick glance, Blackheart and Kalara rushed over to the gnome. Blackheart could already sense the healing magic coalescing in Kalara's hands as they reached Maleah. Kalara's magic wouldn't regrow the hair the gnome had lost, but it fixed the burns and the cuts from the exploding glass beaker well enough. Once her face had returned to its normal color, Maleah shook her head and looked around her. She took in Blackheart and Kalara standing over her, and then looked down at the beakers. She let out a little shriek of dismay when she realized her concoction had exploded.

Blackheart heard heavy, thudding footsteps before Thrak rushed in through the front of the store. He took in the scene in an instant and rushed over to make sure his wife was ok. "What in blazes happened here?"

Maleah was still making dismayed noises about her failed experiment, so Blackheart answered. "We were on our way to the docks and saw the shop, so we thought we would stop by. Before we could get in, something inside exploded and, well, you can see what we found. Kalara has healed her so she should be alright."

Thrak nodded. "Thank you, shaman, for that. If I've told her once I've told her a thousand bloody times to not mix any potions while I'm not around. Blasted woman never listens though. That's the fifth window we've replaced this year." He sighed and proceeded to remove the beakers from the gnome's hands. She grasped at them as he took them away, like a child would at a toy. With a rueful glance at Kalara and Blackheart he balled up a fist and bonked her lightly on the head.

Blackheart growled at that, as much as a human can make a growling noise, and was about to intervene but was stopped by Kalara's hand on his arm. She gestured to the gnome, and when he looked at her she shook her head and her eyes seemed to come back to focus on what was around her. She looked up at Thrak and immediately started apologizing and let loose with a quick, massive run on sentence.

"I know you told me not to but I just had to try and mix and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow the shop up again but I just had a fantastic idea for a new potion and couldn't wait to try it out so I wrote it down and then I tried to wait but it seemed like you were gone forever and so I just had to try it and it was going so well but I must have missed something in the percolation process and it... it… " She was starting to get a little teary eyed and started to hyperventilate until Thrak sighed and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"It's alright my dear, the place isn't on fire… this time… and yer ok… this time… so it's not a big deal. Just try to be more careful, aye?" The dwarf lifted her to her feet and did his best to wipe some of the smudges from her face. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll see to the shop, ok?"

Maleah nodded and walked back behind the counter and through a door at the back of the shop. Thrak watched her go before turning to Blackheart and Kalara and shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' before he retrieved a broom and started to sweep out the small alchemy shop. At virtually the same time, the worgen and draenei grabbed the other spare brooms and set to helping him.

Once the shop had been cleaned to Thrak's satisfaction, with all of the bits of shattered glass and extra potion removed from the shop floor and all of the other stock replaced on the shelves, the dwarf addressed them, "You have my thanks for helping out with all that."

"No problem at all, I just hope Maleah will be alright." Kalara said with a frown. "She looked pretty dazed when we came in here. I don't know how she was still conscious after that blast."

Thrak started rummaging behind the counter as her smirked and said, "Gnomes seem to have a higher propensity than normal for survivin' blasts of their own makin'. I've never understood it meself, but luckily for the wife that seems to be the case, so I'll just be happy with it." He continued looking around the counter before letting out an 'Aha!' and producing two flasks of a brilliantly red solution.

Thrak walked over to Blackheart and Kalara with the flasks held out at arm's length. "As thanks for the help, take these high-powered healing flasks. Before ye even think of turning them down, don't even try. Just take em'."

Blackheart and Kalara graciously accepted the flasks before storing them away. "Is there anything else we can do to help?" The worgen asked.

"Not unless one of ye can magic up a window to fix the front of the shop. Other than that, I think ye've helped out enough."

Turning to leave, Kalara said, "Give our regards to Maleah when you can, and tell her to be more careful!"

Once they had left the shop, avoiding a few more piles of broken glass that littered the storefront, the two continued heading towards the docks. At their leisurely pace they arrived at lunch time. Walking through the growing crowd, Blackheart approached the notice board that displayed, among other things, when the chartered transport boats were to set out for the other continent.

Pointing at one of the listings, Blackheart said, "There's a boat coming in a couple of hours. How does that sound?"

Kalara nodded in agreement. "Whatever you think is best." The draenei's stomach chose that moment to grumble rather loudly. Covering her face up in embarrassment, she said, "Also, if we could get something to eat before we go, that would be great."

Smiling at her, he said, "I'm sure I could find a few places. Maybe even get you some fish and chips. It's nothing exotic, but it is a staple in port towns like this."

As the two were turning to leave, a voice filled with scorn shouted out to them. Well, more specifically to Blackheart. "So Bishop, I see you've finally decided to stop being AWOL and grace us with your presence."

After feeling the way that Blackheart immediately went rigid, she didn't even have to look at his face to know he was controlling his anger. She located the source of the voice, a human dressed in the outfit of the Theramore guards, but with extra chevrons of rank denoting him an officer. He was… well, he was rather dashing honestly. If it weren't for the fact that she could feel Blackheart's rage for the man, she might have said he was attractive. As it was though, all she saw was an enemy, though she didn't yet know what the problem was.

As the worgen was getting a grip on his anger, the officer swaggered up to them. He had been standing with a group of what looked like new recruits. They remained in their formation as they watched the man walk up to Blackheart. Once close enough she saw that he was a little taller than her, but definitely not as tall as Blackheart. His armor was shined to perfection and he rested one hand on the sword at his left hip and the other on the small crop at his right. He must have been some type of drill instructor, as those were the only people Kalara had ever remembered seeing carrying the small whip like instrument.

Maintaining the derision he had before the man said, "I can't believe my luck. Just a few days after my promotion and one of my least favorite deserters returns home. What's it been Bishop, a couple of years? I'll be glad to watch your court marital. Maybe you'll only get off with being flogged."

While Blackheart was getting his thoughts in order to speak, Kalara said, "Court martial? Deserter? What are you even talking about?"

The officer looked at Kalara for the first time, apparently just noticing her there. He eyed her up and down and, as a look of distaste crossed his features, apparently didn't like what he saw. "Not that you have any right to know our military business, draenei, but Bishop here and his squad abandoned their mission a few years ago. No one ever reported back and, as such, have all been labeled as cowards. I should have known you wouldn't be man enough to fight a few worgen."

Kalara knew what had happened on his mission… his squad had all been killed by worgen and Blackheart himself had been turned. Now it was her turn to mask her anger. Seeing as how he was an officer, striking him down with lightning would probably not be the best way to go about things. Blackheart, however, had finally collected himself enough to speak.

In a much calmer voice than she expected, Blackheart said, "You labeled us as deserters huh? I should have expected that coming from you Williams. You always were an idiot."

Williams looked shocked. The new recruits behind him were just watching the exchange, and didn't seem too bothered by someone insulting their superior. Even being new they already held a distaste for Williams.

Before Williams had a chance to speak, the worgen continued. "If anyone here is the coward, it's you. You were the one given the assignment. You were the officer that was supposed to lead us into the Howling Vale that day as I recall, but you had a 'tummy ache' and couldn't be bothered so the job fell to me. You were the one that decided that six of us would be enough to clear out a worgen infestation. And now they've promoted you again? It must be nice to have a father someone has to suck up to."

As he had been talking, his voice had been getting colder and more menacing. Williams was still trying to get a word in, but Blackheart just rushed right over him.

"And a few worgen? What is your idea of a few Williams? They must have skipped out on counting and basic intelligence gathering when they rushed you up through the ranks, because if they hadn't you might have known that there were dozens of worgen in the Vale." By now, he was almost shouting. "Six men to fight over twenty of the most vicious predators to walk Azeroth. How well do you think it went? Jameson died first. We didn't even see them coming. One moment we were marching in, the next a worgen has its fangs in his neck. Marle and Stokes went next; they were jumped just trying to get the worgen off of Jameson. In five seconds, it was down to three of us against twenty of them. Markson and Smythe went down fighting, taking several of the creatures with them. They all died that day because of YOUR idiotic decision. It's only a shame you didn't come with us so you could have shared their fate. If anything they should be labeled as heroes, for braving a fight their superior officer chickened out on."

Williams was shocked, to say the least. No one yelled at him like this. Not with him being an officer and his father being one of the generals of the Theramore army. It just didn't happen. Even if what Bishop was saying was true, what about him then? He obviously had fled the fight. "Well, that may as well be, but you're here and not dead with the rest. You escaped. If that doesn't make you a coward I'm not sure what does. And as far as that goes, I've fought worgen. If you six couldn't handle yourselves, you obviously weren't cut out to make it in the army anyway."

In a flash of darkness Blackheart stood in his worgen form. "Is THIS what you call escaping? That's not how I see it. And you've fought worgen? Don't make me laugh."

All of the recruits had taken a step back when Blackheart had shifted to his worgen form. They all knew that Williams should have dropped it then, but he was obviously too stupid to grasp that concept. They all saw him go for his sword and, if all else failed, at least they'd have something to talk about over mess tonight.

With a tremor in his voice, Williams reached for his sword and said, "This is the last I'll hear of this insubordination. I'm going to cut you down where you stand!"

Blackheart sensed him going for the weapon as well. Williams had just gotten it clear of the scabbard when the worgen lunged, easily covering the few feet between them, and lashed out, knocking the sword from his hand and likely breaking something as well. With a grunt Blackheart grabbed the edges of Williams shiny armor, his claws piercing through it in some places, and lifted him completely off the ground, "We worgen are faster, stronger, and far more vicious than you could possibly imagine." He held Williams there, face to face for a short while, before dropping him on his butt in the street. He turned to address the recruits. "If somehow this… man is ever put in charge of you, always double check the intel before going on the mission. I hope mine was the last squad he sends to their deaths."

Before turning to leave, Blackheart crouched in front of the quivering officer. "And if you even think about attempting to have me tried, think about this for a while. I'm now a citizen of Gilneas, a protector within the Earthen Ring and the Hand of Argus, and Tyrande Whisperwind owes me one. That equals a political shit storm that even your father couldn't get you out of."

With that he got up and in a flash of light returned to his human form. Taking Kalara's hand he turned and left Williams shaking in the dust. Once they had made it to the docks and near some of the restaurants, Blackheart gripped the railing overlooking the bay and let out a long breath. Kalara watched him for a while and saw him slowly relaxing from his confrontation.

Rubbing his back, she asked, "Are you alright, Furball? Do you want to talk about it?"

Leaning into her touch, Blackheart said, "Yes… I am now. I had almost forgotten about that idiot and had buried his memory in the past with the death of my squad. I don't think I'll have to worry about it anymore. I'll tell you about it later, right now I'd just like to calm down."

Kalara smiled and kissed his cheek before taking his arm and leading him down the boardwalk. "Well, if you think you can avoid any more yelling matches, maybe we could get something to eat now?"


Author's Note

I am well aware that it has been a startlingly long amount of time since I've written, and for that I apologize. I would still dearly love to finish this story. I've found, however, that I apparently write from the heart and mine hasn't been whole for a long time. I just don't have the drive to write like I used to. Once again, I apologize for not keeping the story up to date. I will attempt to write more soon, but I won't make any promises that I don't know I can keep. Thank you for reading.