Chapter thirty-six: Informative

She wondered what he wanted to know from them, since he had been "informing" and all. He had not been hiding his interest in her group, which made it curious.

The axe made a metallic sound against his two-handed sword. She wielded the weapon with her good arm, having the other loosely at the end to keep the balance of the axe a little. It showed she was skilled enough to use it, but he was as well. "Have you never made an effort to take up the sword…miss Jazah?" he laughed as he parried her axe. Jazah cocked her head, counting his paces before she took a step forwards to attack him.

"I have no need for a sword. An ya have no need for ya other eye if ya not stop calling meh miss," she told him in an aggressive tone. "Now that would be against the rules…miss Jazah," he dared her to prove she was actually going to hit him. Jazah found it a very tempting idea. "Da axe be suitable enough," she announced as the axe came down on him with brute force. He blocked her attack. The paladin stepping backwards to keep his balance. Swinging his double handed sword in a half circle, hitting against the blunt side of the axe.

"I will be happy to teach you if you would be interested," he offered her, rotated on his feet, coming closer to her as they faced each other. Her axe pushing against his sword. "Stop ya jabbering and we may have someting tah discus dere," she told him. He grinned. He had the disadvantage of his length and weight against her, and she used it…

She bumped against him with her hip when he tried to push through to make her come off balance. Stumbling on his feet he fell down, leaving his guard down as she held the axe extremely close against his neck in a crafty move.

"I yield," he said with a smirk, looking at the shimmer of the weapon near his skin. Jazah grinned. "Dat be three rounds," she announced. "Indeed, and I have won two out of those fairly," he told her proudly. "Ya ya, I be buying ya a drink," she moped slightly.

"You are a funny opponent though," he told her, impressed still. "I be wanting a rematch," she muttered. He laughed at the way she was baring her loss. "Den I will be taking up ya sword and ya can try and wield mah axe instead," she grinned at him. "Interesting theory," he admitted, she giggled. He raised his eyebrow at her when he noticed a wicked grin spread across her face. Wondering what she was thinking.

"The tauren," Adehlar started subtle as she sat next to him:"He told me something interesting I never heard before," the Blood Knight said. Jazah frowned at him. "It seems you guys run a business in catching raptors?" he asked curious. Jazah rolled her eyes for a moment. "Sure, it be normal," she said. He was not so sure about that.

"Do they not breed raptors?" he wanted to know, since for him it was not so obvious as it seemed for her. "It be very simple. Ya birds, dey be laying eggs how many times a year?" she asked. He shrugged, he had no idea. "Da girly been telling us dem birds lay eggs bout twice a year, depending on weather and if dey matched togetha. One nest will give ya about four chicks if ya be lucky," she tried calculated what Denaestra had once told her. Adehlar wondering who the girl she mentioned was.

"With raptors it be a little different. Dey not be breeding like birds. Dey be laying eggs only wen dey find da right partner. Den they need da time…tah find da time to be bothered tah lay eggs. And ya get if ya lucky bout two or three hatchlings," that should be about right she thought, from what she had seen in the village.

"Dey be a little different tah train den any of dem birds. I was told ya birds grow quicker den any raptor does. So basically ya will have more stock for ya people. So our breeder not always has a raptor, unless ya care for a hatchling. Since raptors be all over da place, we catch dem sometimes and dey be trained tah provide for the ask of mounts," she giggled, now she sounded like a damned breeder herself.

Adehlar Shadowborn had never seen wild hawkstriders. Only those that were far family of the colorful birds they used for mounts. "So if we gonna be outta raptors we be catching new ones. Sometimes da new colors make nice new additions. It be like breeding colors in ya birds. Ya want tah have da feathers and colors right ya?" she laughed, she heard Denaestra talk now.

"I see," he said, sipping from the juice she bought him, wondering where she learned it. "You seem to know enough about it," he admitted. "Nah, I just be listening tah da girly tah much," she giggled. He raised a slender eyebrow. Jazah smirking at the mention of Denaestra.

"Da girly?" he pronounced it wrong, which made her laugh even louder. "Da girly, she be da one of ya kin," Jazah said, pondering about his sudden increasing interest. "Really?" Adehlar smiled. He wondered if she knew she was actually providing him with valuable information. Jazah's prove right in front of her. "Ya, dat be wat'cha was sniffing round for right?" she asked bluntly. He nearly choked on his next sip, coughing loudly. Wrong answer, she seemed to know exactly what he was doing. The juice dripped down his chin as he gave her a strange glare, trying to clear his throat. She seemed to be very comfortable under the knowledge he was sniffing for information.

"She be arriving soon enough, ya can ask her yaself," the troll female said, cocking her head for a moment. He swallowed. "Why ya so interested in us anyway? Ya obviously looking for someting," she said bluntly. She had wondered what it was.

"Orders," he said clearing his throat. Whipping the juice from his chin, it stained his shirt. Jazah frowned. She pondered him for a moment before she grinned. "Ya could have said so, it be easier den making it obvious ya sniffing for information," she told him. He grinned sheepishly. Perhaps he needed to work on some tactics with certain people…

"Would you have given me information if I had asked properly?" he asked instead. She thought for a moment before shaking her head:"No, course not, it be too much fun tah see ya struggle for it," he got for an answer.

.*.*.*.

Their last part of the trip, going from the Sepulcher towards Brill, was going so much more smoothly than expected. The raptor did what she asked fairly well. Denaestra's sit still a bit unsure on the creature, but she managed. Hazajin grinned as he saw her improve on it.

"Ya be looking good wit'cha raptor," he said, a little proud he had convinced her to ride the animal back on her own. She had hesitated, a little nervous when she finally gave into the idea. She smiled at him. "Now ya be able tah keep up with meh," he grinned, speeding Gihm up as she gave a little cry in fear when her mount increased speed as well. "Ya best get used tah riding her. She be ya ride wen we get back. Besides, we be needing tah catch us a lot of red raptors in da Barrens soon," he laughed as she clung uncomfortable to the neck of the small orange raptor. Zjolnir and Xar'Ti could probably give her some tips on how to improve her riding skill with the raptor. The rest she had to do herself.

Grinning slyly with the thought that it was not the only thing he would make her practice with.

They traded the borders of gloomy Silverpine Forest for grim looking Tirisfall Glades, he knew they were getting closer to Brill. As the high walls of the Undercity doomed up to their right it would not be far anymore.

As the town of Brill came in sight Denaestra eyed the giant graveyard. Only read about it and heard tales from some travelers she had met over the years, it was just as they had said…huge. She had read in books in the Silvermoon library about Brill being one of the earliest towns that became inflicted by the plague once. It was no surprise the graveyard was massive if there had been a lot of casualties as the book had read. Seeing it for herself gave her an eerie feeling.

"Do you think the rest will be in Brill already?" she asked, changing her mind from the many buried people in the graveyard to a lighter subject. Hazajin nodded, they would probably be. "I told Jazah tah wait for us in Brill," he said. Hoping his sister had waited with booking passage on the zeppelin. Since she could be impatient at times. They entered the townsquare. The undead inhabitants not giving them much more than a glare upon their arrival. Hazajin lead them to the stablemaster, paying the fee for stabling their mounts.

"Do you wish to set them inside for yourself?" The undead man asked, scribbling down their names and the mount they gave in his care. Denaestra nodded. "Very well, you can place them next to other raptor," he told them. Vim's kodo and Jazah's raptor were stabled inside. Essha making clicking sounds when she noticed Gihm. The orange raptor making a strange sound back when Hazajin stabled him next to Essha. As they made sure their raptors were taken care of properly, Denaestra patted the large head of Vim's kodo before she went out.

"Let's see if we can find da rest," Hazajin said, his hand resting nonchalant around her shoulder. She leaned against his side. "Ya just da right height, I can lean mah elbow on ya head," he grinned as she gave him a long face. "Nasty man," she told him. He smirked. Hazajin was sure they would not be surprising the others. It saved them explaining. But he probably had to take the teasing and the jokes for a long time. It was something he could cope with.

"Denaestra?" the name was called before they entered the inn. "Denaestra?" the voice sounding more firm now, startled her greatly as she recognized it. Hazajin let go of her when she turned around to face the person calling for her. "Razorian?" the surprised look upon her face. Hazajins slapped his forehead, far from happy.