I just want to clarify and set the record straight, as I might've used other names in the past. But Zin'aka was a Bloodsail Buccaneer, not a Southsea Freebooter. I might've said Southsea in the past but I meant Bloodsail.
Zami propped his chin up on his hand, watching the scene far beyond the fire with amusement. Ever since they had arrived back at camp, Syrise had not let up on Mythene once, scolding her for running off alone or not telling the others about the situation. Zami chuckled, recalling many times where he'd been on the receiving end of such a lecture himself. His independent nature clashed pretty spectacularly with Syrise's need to work within a structured group. Maybe it was her time as a Farstrider or something, but she really didn't like solo work. And she was presently letting Mythene hear all about it.
Zami couldn't help but grin as he watched, and not a moment later, he heard snickering from beside him. Zami glanced over, looking down at Jazax, who was smirking up at him.
"Jeez, you just can't help yourself, huh?" Jazax chuckled, "You really do got it bad, man."
Zami rolled his eye and huffed, but offered no real verbal disagreement. At this point, how could he? After all that'd happened, denying it now just seemed stupid.
"Ugh, what's da point," He grumbled, resting his chin a little more firmly against his hand, "Maybe ya right, I dunno."
"Wait, what?" Jazax blinked, almost doing a double take, "Hey, wait, really?"
Zami just shrugged grumpily, though he wasn't exactly sure why he was grumpy about it.
"Ya know it's been weeks since I dreamed of Zin'aka? It's like I just up and forgot about her, or something."
"Who? Oh, right, that pirate. Eh, who cares?" Jazax shrugged nonchalantly, "She's dead, right?"
Zami shot a look over at the goblin, who just shrugged again.
"Look, I'm just saying, what's the use in just sittin' around and dwellin' about the past?" Jazax looked forward, watching Syrise continue to scold Mythene, "I mean, I had a wife for cryin' out loud. But you don't see me whinin' about it."
"Anymore," Zami quipped, earning him an elbow to the side.
"Look, why bother hangin' onto some dead lady? It ain't like she was some kinda catch, anyway. I mean, c'mon! She chose to become a Bloodsail!"
Zami chuckled tiredly. He knew the goblin had an innate preference for the Blackwater Raiders, having lived in Booty Bay for so long. Unlike himself, Jazax had always gotten along well with the Baron. It was probably because they were both goblins, although he always found it peculiar that the Baron seemed to hold some kind of respect for Jazax. Zami didn't have the slightest clue what Jazax, of all people, could've done to win the respect of the pirate, but then it wasn't really any of his business.
"Hey, you should probably go save her," Jazax elbowed him, "Syrise is still yammerin' at her, and we both know she won't stop talkin' unless somebody stops her."
Zami was about to make a joke in response, but froze at once when he heard rustling in the bushes outside of their camp. He held up a hand, drawing silence from Jazax. He tried to listen, but Syrise was still chiding Mythene in the background, and it was too hard to hear clearly. He was too far from her to tell to be quiet.
Luckily, Aka suddenly rose her head, her hearing far better than all of theirs. She immediately leapt up, sniffing the air momentarily before growling loudly. Syrise paused mid-sentence to look over at the raptor. The sound of a snapping twig made all of them stiffen. Zami drifted his hand to his hip, Mythene moved a hand back to reach for her staff, and Syrise took a deep breath.
Everything that happened next was too quick, too precise. Four large bears, fur in varying shades of grey and brown, their bodies decorated with feathers, leapt from the bushes. One bear leapt onto Mythene, knocking her down, towered over her. Zami couldn't see what happened next, as two bears charged him. He fell back to the ground, but used the momentum to draw his dagger. The bear that managed to pin overtop of him almost immediately slumped forward, the dagger shoved deep enough into the bear's eye that Zami knew it must've reached the brain.
He only had time to pull the bloody dagger free before the bear's corpse crushed him. He panicked momentarily, looking up at the other bear, which was now furious. But then the corpse atop him grew lighter, its body shifting into that of a night elven man with dark blue hair.
It was as he suspected then. They were druids.
The bear in front of him roared, and swiped its claws down, but Zami used the corpse as a shield. In response, the bear roared even more viciously. Zami then tried to angle the knife into the bear's eye, as he'd done before, but this other bear was having none of that. It stepped back, allowing him to miss, and then lurched forward again. Its powerful jaws clamped around his arm so tightly that Zami couldn't help dropping the knife. He hissed in pain, but that was nothing in comparison to what was coming.
The bear stepped forward, gently brushing aside the corpse with its paw, before bringing it down forcefully against Zami's chest. He coughed, the air forced from his lungs, and he could feel the bear's claws digging deep into his skin. The force against his chest made it hard to take another breath, and for a second, he thought the druid intended to suffocate him. But no, it was certainly much worse.
The paw on his chest pressed more firmly, keeping his back pinned against the ground. Then the bear's jaw around his forearm clenched a little tighter, making spurts of hot blood trickle all the way down to his shoulder. Zami ground his teeth, not wanting to give this druid the satisfaction of hearing his pain. Besides, he knew it'd regenerate.
But then the bear looked down at him with such a seething hatred that, for a moment, Zami felt a shiver of terror down his spine. Dread sunk deeply into him and it was only when his eye widened with realization that the druid acted. The bear clenched its grip on his arm, and then threw back its powerful head with such great force that there was a loud, wet snap.
Zami stared up in shock, unable to hear anything but his own rapid heartbeat. His entire body had grown numb due to a lack of breathing, and in the back of his mind, he was grateful for that. Because, had he felt it, he was pretty sure he would've lost consciousness. Clenched between the bear's teeth, hanging limply, was his own arm.
The weight suddenly was removed from his chest, as the bear stepped back. It threw the now-useless arm aside, sadistic triumph in its yellow eyes. Zami instinctively swallowed deep breaths, even though he knew what would come as a result of it. Tingling sensations returned, and soon the pain. The pain. The unbearable pain.
Zami's vision became blurry and he groaned, feeling his willpower crumble away as the pain increased. He rapidly looked around him, seeing his allies getting overwhelmed. He tried to move, tried to call out to them, but his body was quickly growing beyond his control. The pain was immobilizing.
In frustration, Zami then looked up at the bear, but it wasn't a bear anymore. It was a night elven woman with green hair. She had turned away from him, holding the corpse laid beside him.
"Bhallorn!" She called as she shook the corpse, "Surfal! Dalah'surfal!"
Zami frowned, his expression softening as he watched her slump forward and sob over the corpse, holding it close. He took a ragged breath, thinking for a moment. He was pretty sure he was delirious from the pain. It was definitely a terrible idea, but he wasn't thinking clearly at the moment.
"An...Andeā¦" He mumbled weakly, "Ande'alor?"
The night elf stiffened upon hearing him, looking back over her shoulder. Tears ran freely down her face. Before she could respond, a shadow cast over the both of them. The night elf looked up, seeing a white-haired night elf. She looked just like Mythene, Zami noted bitterly. Except for the two blood red markings on her cheeks.
