Chapter Two

***Author's note: All dialog in this chapter is spoken in Orcish- italicised dialog represents any language other than the aforementioned***

Jesika fell out the other side of the portal onto her hands and knees, coughing and gagging. Duke managed to land on all four paws, but stumbled around in a circle, dazed and confused. When she tried to go to him, she couldn't go one step before doubling over and retching quite violently. "Gods above…" she groaned, closing her eyes in hopes that the world would stop spinning.

Theron knelt beside her. "I tried to warn you," he pointed out. "Are you alright?"

Jes groped at the dirt in an attempt to ground herself. "I think so… the spinning is starting to go away," she affirmed, waiting another moment or two before crawling over to her disoriented puppy. Even Mira sauntered over and gingerly licked his face until he seemed to come around. "Thank you, Mira," Jes said with a tender smile. The lynx glanced at her then assumed her position by Theron's leg.

"Can you stand?"

The young woman nodded and got to her feet. As she surveyed the area, she couldn't tell if her nausea was left over from portal travel, or just the result of extreme excitement.

Theron stared at her with an expression of utter confusion. "What in the name of Light is wrong with you? Are you sure you are alright?" He asked, reaching out to feel her head for a fever.

"I'm here," Jes breathed as he placed his hand on her forehead. The ear-to-ear smile on her face was so absurdly giddy that her cheeks were soon aching. "I'm finally here!" she squealed with delight, "I can't believe it! Azeroth!"

"Durotar, more specifically," Theron pointed out. Satisfied she was not physically ill, he removed his hand and started to pick through one of the small bags at his waist. "If I'm not mistaken, we are fairly close to Razor Hill," he mused as he retrieved a map from his pouch and began to study it.

Jes pulled her hair into a high ponytail while she peered over his arm to get a better look at the map. "About how close do you think?" she pried through the hair tie between her teeth, using the serious conversation as a means to sober herself.

"I can hear the beach- it's faint, but there- so my best estimate of our location would be right around here." He swirled his finger in a small circle not so far from the main traveler's route. "I'd say we're about two miles or so- four at the absolute most- from the road and, depending on how accurate that calculation is, approximately a day's walk to Razor Hill."

"That's not too bad at all."

"...Then another two to three days to Orgrimmar."

"What about taking a Windrider?"

Theron scoffed, "Do you have the money for such a taxi? And even if one of us had the coin, how do you presume we explain you to the Flight Master? Or the guards for that matter? We are going to have to keep away from civilization until I gain audience with Thrall and relay to him the situation."

Jes bit her tongue. "I suppose you're right," she admitted, averting her eyes. "Besides, I don't know how well the wyverns would take to Duke. I'd have to carry him since I can't summon him to me like you can with your pets."

Her blood elf companion shook his head and said, "You fight with daggers but you are no rogue, you have a gift with animals yet you are no hunter. What are you?"

"A blank slate?" Jes suggested, slightly downtrodden by the comment. The world she chose put everyone into a strict category; did she really belong here if she could not fit into one?

Luckily, her response piqued his interest. "Perhaps..." he murmured. "You do have potential." The words brightened her spirits but unfortunately Theron did not speculate further, instead he pulled a woodsy brown cloak from one of his larger pouches.

Jesika blinked in surprise. "How..?" she trailed off, deciding it best to assume magic and leave it at that, for sanity's sake. Questions for another time, she thought.

"If we are going to travel along the main road, it is likely we will run into other members of the Horde, and I would rather not kill my allies in your defense," Theron explained as he draped the cloak over her shoulders. "I understand it is hot, but when night falls and we make camp, I will make you a cowl from the material."

Jesika dipped her head in thanks and raised the hood. "Do you maybe have something I could use to fashion a leash for Duke?" she ventured pleadingly, "He listens well but he's just a puppy… I worry something will catch his attention or he'll wander too far and be lost."

"I forget you don't possess hunter magic… yet. Allow me," he offered, kneeling beside the young animal who, insofar, had faithfully stayed by Jesika's side. Theron placed his hands on either side of Duke's head, whispering strange words far too quiet for Jes to make out. Though Theron was gentle, Duke squirmed for a spell until a faint green glow emanated from the blood elf's palms, and at that moment he seemed to be lulled to sleep. After a brief amount of time, Theron stood and dusted off his hands. "It is done," he stated plainly. "The pup will not stray."

"What did you do?" Jesika asked, dumbstruck. The whole process took less than three minutes, but something about the way Duke looked at her was… different.

Theron began walking toward the road, Jes following close behind, and confessed, "In truth? Not much; I simply strengthened his feelings for you. The link can only be performed once a profound bond has been achieved and the animal has chosen to be loyal to you. It is the second half of the taming process which, for hunters who have mastered the technique, typically only takes about a minute. I'm assuming he formed that bond with you over the course of raising and training him- he loves you very much."

Jesika cast an affectionate glance at her sprightly puppy. "That's good to hear," she replied, a question rearing its head: "If the whole process takes about a minute, why did only performing the second half take more than double the whole duration?"

"When hunters tame their pets, it leaves an… arcane brand, of sorts. However, despite his bond with you, your magical abilities have lain dormant for so long that he lacks your 'brand.' I had to delve into his mind… his emotions- hence the discomfort- and find the mark your spirit has left on him. As if that was not difficult enough a task, I then had to amplify it until it was irrevocable. In layman's terms, I strengthened his feelings of loyalty and love for you until he could not be swayed. Given a few more years, he might have done it on his own, but we do not have the luxury of waiting."

"So that's how taming works…" Jesika mumbled, "...fascinating."

"I'm glad you view it so," Theron said with a small smile.

Jesika suffered in silence as they walked, never removing her cloak despite the sweltering Durotar heat; luckily for her, she was only otherwise clad in a sports bra and running shorts, which made things slightly more bearable. However, when her head started to swim, she piped up: "Don't you have a mount or something?"

Theron stiffened. "My hawkstrider broke his leg when he fell during the earthquake and is in recovery."

"Oh… I'm sorry," she consoled with a pang of sympathy.

"He will live," Theron sniffed. "He is most certainly healed by now, but still too weak for a summons."

"Ah…"

Once again, silence fell over them. Aside from flinching at the occasional windrider overhead, Jes put most of her energy toward staying upright. Fortunately, it was only about an hour and a half before the road was in sight, though for her, it felt like years . In order to avoid passing out, she had already drained one of her canteens and started in on the second.

"You are doing well in this heat for one who has never experienced it," the blood elf commented as Duke lapped up his share of water.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'never'," Jes mumbled from beneath her hood; "I lived in Arizona for a while growing up and summers there were sometimes worse than this." She cast a concerned glance toward her dog and confessed, "I'm more worried about Duke. I know how little I can drink to stay relatively hydrated, though it's a bit hard to account for how much more I'm sweating with this cloak. But him? I can't tell how much he needs and when he needs it. There's no way for him to really tell me how he's doing."

"I had similar concerns when first traveling with Mira," Theron admonished with a nostalgic grin.

Jesika glanced up at her companion. "So, you've had her since the beginning?" she asked, amber eyes aglow.

"Yes, and what a journey it has been."

They talked briefly about Mira's early years but the conversation was cut short when they heard approaching footfalls- loud ones.

"Theron!" a deep voice rumbled, "Is that you, my friend?"

The blood elf sighed and loosened his grip on his bow. "Raider Jhash," he replied, face tightening into a forced smile, "it has been too long." Jesika turned around, careful to keep her face hidden, just in time to see not one, but two orcs atop massive wolves slow to a halt behind them.

The orc who had hailed them let out a hearty chuckle as he dismounted and clapped Theron on the back. "That it has!" he proclaimed, "Back from Outland so soon?" Before the elf could answer, Jhash took notice of Jesika and shot her a wary glance. "Who's your mysterious friend here?"

Panic flashed across Theron's face. Though the expression disappeared soon enough, his reply was still unsteady; "Jesika, a friend from Silvermoon."

The answer was apparently unsatisfactory. "It's a bit hot for that cloak, ain't it?" Jhash questioned; "She should take that off before the heat kills her." He reached out to remove her hood, but Duke emerged from behind her, lips pulled back in a snarl. In a single stride, Jhash's riding wolf stepped forward, answering the pup's threat with a rippling growl.

Jesika's hand swept her hip in preparation to fight, but felt only the seams of her shorts. She clenched her jaw; both survival knife and dagger were still packed away. Unfortunately, she didn't even have time to curse herself. The riding wolf flared its nostrils and an angry glare was all the warning she had before it lunged at her. Jesika leapt back, yanking Duke with her before he tried to fight a losing battle.

"I knew something wasn't right!" the raider boomed, "Explain yourselves!"

"Tell your lackey to stand down," Theron demanded, an arrow already trained on the younger orc. At first, Jes didn't quite understand why but, upon closer observation, noticed a faint blue glow around his hands. Mage? She wondered, Must be weak magic to be so dim…

"Not a chance!" Jhash spat, "Aedyndel was in Sen'jin not five days ago saying you were at the Dark Portal, but here you stand. It's impossible to travel such a distance in less than a week!"

"It's possible he was lying," the blood elf countered dryly.

"Even if he was, you're still travelling with Alliance! My wolf doesn't attack Horde unless commanded."

"He smells her human scent."

"I knew it!" the raider bellowed, yanking his axe from his back.

"Stay your blade!" Theron commanded, hand outstretched. "She smells of human because she was their hostage, Jhash. I was on my way to the Dark Portal when I caught wind of her distress signal and had to conduct a rescue."

The orc mulled this over. Eventually, he narrowed his beady eyes and demanded, "Is this true, girl?"

Silence.

"Speak!"

"They cut out her tongue, you oaf! She can't speak!" Theron exclaimed, draping a comforting arm around Jesika's shoulders. "Can't you see the subject is still a sore one?"

Though the muscled arm around her was distracting, she managed to catch his hint and sniffled loudly; she even pressed her head against his chest while wiping away fake tears as a finishing touch.

Jhash appeared surprisingly sympathetic. "Still," he grumbled, "how did you get here so fast?"

"Mage portal," Theron admitted. "It was supposed to drop us in Orgrimmar but we ended up out here."

Finally, both orcs nodded their understanding and the tension lifted. "Portal magic has been strange lately… ever since the quake."

Theron's eyes widened. "You felt that too?"

"All of Azeroth did if the hearsay is true."

There was a thoughtful pause before the younger orc piped up. "We best get going," he reminded Jhash.

"Yes, yes, you're expected." Raider Jhash swung back onto his wolf. "Young Grom'tak here is needed at Razor Hill to continue his training. Safe travels, Theron." Without waiting for a response, they spurred their wolves onward, leaving Theron and Jesika in a cloud of red dust.

"Well, that was eventful," Jesika commented as she waved the dust away from her face.

Theron seemed distracted. "So, it has been five days," he murmured as they resumed their journey. Luckily, they didn't run into anymore "friends" as the day wore on, but Jes still retrieved her survival knife and strapped it to her hip just in case.

The sweltering sunlight finally began to cool to more bearable temperatures as Razor Hill grew near. By the time it was in view, the day had turned to a pleasant dusk.

"Wow," Jes whispered in disbelief.

Her blood elf companion snorted softly. "'Wow'? If you think Razor Hill is anything more than a dirty hovel, the capitol will leave you speechless."

She rolled her eyes. "The architecture isn't what impressed me, it's just that… this exists… I've played the game, wished my hardest and dreamt of it, of Azeroth being real, and here I stand. It's incredible."

"Well, as nice as that is, we have more important things to think about."

They stood a ways off from the front entrance; Theron seemed to be thinking hard. Rendered uneasy by the guards' suspicious stares, Jesika patted her sides as if something had gone missing, then proceeded to crouch and "search" for the item.

"What are you doing?"

"Looks a bit suspicious that two people would suddenly stop right here, doesn't it, Theron? The guards are staring so whatever you're thinking about, make a decision quickly."

Seeming to catch on, the hunter spoke with haste; "Guards have true sight. It's a gift bestowed on them upon completion of training that means-"

"They can see through stealth, Noggenfogger Elixir, polymorphs… basically anything that alters appearance," Jes interjected, "I know."

"Yes…" Theron replied, mildly disturbed, "so they might detect you, but at this point it is too late to go around- the suspicion might get us followed."

"Then through the entrance we go," Jesika concluded as she stood, pretending to pocket her "missing" item. "Detection is a risk we have to take."

"So it would seem."

Aside from inquisitive glances, they passed the guards without incident and Theron took Jesika's canteens and swiftly ducked into the inn, signalling her to wait outside. She sat beside the entrance, sneaking the occasional glance at passerby, utterly awestruck. Unfortunately, she couldn't truly take a good look at her surroundings without exposing herself, so she sat tight and bided her time. Minutes passed and Theron emerged with his refilled waterskin, handing Jesika one for herself alongside her two canteens.

"There is food in my bags," he informed her as she fastened the waterskin to her pack and they hurried from the outpost. The duo traveled some distance into the canyon leading away from Razorhill before settling on a place to bed down for the night: a small cave in the canyon walls. However, as Jes put down her pack, she noticed Theron light something and creep further into the cavern with an arrow nocked and ready.

"Theron, where- ow!" she cried. Mira had nipped her leg in warning and Jes needed no further instruction- silence it was. Well, sort of… every so often she heard an arrow released with a shockingly soft twang. It frightened her at first, hearing the muted thumps that followed each arrow, but ultimately it made her curious. What is he shooting? ...Birds? Her realization was too little too late. By the time her hand touched the hilt of her knife, there was an ear piercing screech and a gust of wind that knocked her off her feet.

"Harpies!" Jes swore under her breath. She rolled onto her back as she unsheathed the knife, but it was all too slow; the harpy descended upon her, a shrieking, slashing mass. She managed to avoid a swipe at her throat- catching its claws on her shoulder instead- and cried out as the blow knocked her knife from her hand.

Jesika grabbed onto its forearms, baby blue skin hot beneath her fingers, and struggled to keep its deadly talons at bay whilst powerful wings battered her relentlessly. Luckily, Duke figured out what was going on and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him throw himself at the harpy with all of his might. It screamed as the 50-pound projectile sent them both toppling over into a wall of rock. They both vied for the upper hand, but after a moment of wrestling Duke managed to get a wing in his mouth and kept it locked between his teeth. With his enemy temporarily incapacitated, the dutch shepherd puppy wrenched his head from side to side, breaking the wing and buying Jesika time to respond. She snatched her knife from the floor just as the harpy bucked him off and launched herself and the feathery creature. In a single bound, she was on top of her adversary, knees pinning down its arms, and plunged her weapon into its chest until the screaming stopped.

Jes stood on shaky legs, panting and splattered with blood, and stared at Theron who had been watching calmly from a distance.

"You did well, considering," he said as he knelt beside one of his own kills.

"No thanks to you," the girl grumbled, glancing at her bleeding shoulder.

"Who do you think stopped the rest while you fought?"

"The rest?"

Theron lifted his light source, a luminescent stone around his neck, and illuminated the immediate area in a pale turquoise. "The one that saw you, that shrieked, attracted the remaining harpies," he explained as Jes stared at the corpses, counting at least a dozen of them, each one taken by arrow or claw. "You should be thankful."

Jesika's cheeks stung more than her wound. "Wouldn't have killed you to send one arrow our way," she muttered.

"I wanted to see you fight," Theron sniffed. Before she could tear into him, the blood elf added, "I'm impressed."

Jes chewed her tongue, contemplating whether or not to go ahead with her angry remarks. She settled for a dirty look and went about looting the bodies. Within minutes, she'd scavenged a few coppers hidden beneath the harpies' feathers, even plucking a handful of the feathers themselves to sell later.

Theron raised an eyebrow but made no comment; instead, he and Mira began to make camp a little closer to the mouth of the cave. It wasn't until firelight flickered into existence that Jesika realized she had been standing over her kill, staring at it blankly. Duke seemed to sense her distress and brushed against her leg. She looked down at him and smiled, shaken but whole.

"Alright," she reliquinshed upon his pleading gaze, "No more moping. Let's go."

Duke's tail wagged intensely as he bounded to the fire with his remaining stores of puppy energy and collapsed in its warm glow, utterly exhausted. Jes followed, though much slower, and sat with her back propped up against a cave wall.

"You seem to be doing well," Theron noted.

"Mmm…" She didn't look up, stead opting to lose herself in the dancing flames.

"I supposed I spoke too soon." Theron threw a pebble at her.

"Oi!" she cried as the tiny stone bit her neck, "Can't a bitch space out in peace?! Fuck!"

The elf cocked an eyebrow; "You curse quite often."

"And you raise your eyebrows a lot, but you don't see me commenting." The young woman held up his pebble. "What was that for?"

"That was your first kill, wasn't it?"

Jes wrinkled her nose. "Sort of… I used to hunt with my dad; not beig game like deer or elk, but I've had to kill bunnies and stuff." She nudged a rock with the toe of her shoe.

Theron's concern seemed to dissipate. "Then why are you bothered so?" he asked, switching his focus to stoking their crackling fire.

"Well I've never killed a person…"

"It wasn't a person, it was a harpy."

Jes glowered at him. "Still a living creature, and humanoid at that," she retorted, flexing her blood stained hands. She could still feel the harpy's flesh give way beneath her knife.

Theron seemed to take pity and stuck out his hand. "Here, hand me your cloak," he offered. She handed it over and he tore off a piece of cloth, dampened it with water, then tossed it back. "Clean yourself up," he insisted. "You'll feel better."

Jesika took the elf's advice and scrubbed herself diligently. "You know what's strange?" she asked absently as the cloth glided up her arm. Theron's ear twitched in her direction but he didn't look up from the bag he was looking through. "What's that?" he answered, pulling what appeared to be sewing supplies into his lap.

"I'm not homesick."

"It has only been one day, Jesika."

"I get that." She set down her cloth, arms and hands free of blood. "But, I mean… I'm in a completely different realm- a whole new planet not even in the same universe as my own, and yet I'm more comfortable here than I ever was back home." Jes picked up her cloth and dangled it above Duke's head, allowing him to lazily nip at it. Both were too exhausted to truly play, but the entertainment was nice nonetheless.

"I do not know," Theron mumbled through the needle and thread between his teeth. "Perhaps you were not meant to be there." He looked to be cutting a sewing pattern out of the cloak, holding it up on occasion to check his accuracy. Seemingly content with his cuts, Theron began to stitch it all together. "We will find out soon enough if Azeroth is where you belong," he admitted as he stitched.

Jesika was unsure what he meant by that, but before she could ask, his necklace began to glow softly. "Why is your-" A stern look from Theron cut her off and he murmured something under his breath.

"Yes?" The blood elf opened.

Jes stared at him, perplexed, while Duke clambered into her lap.

"I am no longer in the Blasted Lands," Theron continued. He braced his forearms against his knees and stared into the fire. "No, I am on my way to Orgrimmar-" his brow suddenly furrowed. Jes could see the anger rising on his face. "I will explain later, Aedyndel!" the elf snapped impatiently.

"Wait… Aedyndel? Isn't that the guy the orc mentioned?" she prodded. Half a second later it dawned on her and she asked incredulously, "Are you on the phone?!"

Theron shot her a tempestuous glare and shoved his finger to his lips, signally Jes to hush, but it was apparently too late. "I was just about to elaborate," he sighed. Jes could hear another voice yelling, but more proud than angry. Theron winced. "Yes, I am travelling with a woman… no! Absolutely not! She's human!"

Unsurprisingly, that news didn't seem to be taken well. The yelling- or cheering, rather, came to a halt and the young woman strained to hear what Aedyndel had to say. Theron's face darkened, rubbing his temples as he listened to whatever beratement Aedyndel felt was earned. "Will you let me elaborate?" He asked, finally getting a chance to speak. The answer must have been yes, because the blood elf launched into the events of the past day, from the earthquake at the dark portal, to meeting Jesika, all the way to their current position.

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Silence.

"Aedyndel?" Theron asked, casting a wary glance across the fire.

Inquisitive hazel eyes, wide and innocent, stared back.

Finally, Aedyndel's voice sounded in his head; "What is it that you plan on doing, exactly, Theron?"

"I'm… I'm not quite sure."

Brief, stunned silence. "That's a first," Aedyndel muttered- Theron practically saw the shock on his brother's face but was so distracted by the young woman in his company, his reply caught in his throat. She'd lost interest in the one-sided conversation and resigned to massaging her pet, who was falling asleep between her legs as a result. What was he going to do with her? Just waltz right into the capitol with a human in his company?

"She'd be slaughtered…" Theron whispered to himself. He began to stitch some more of his project, as was his nervous habit, without ever realizing he had stopped in the first place. The elf stared and stared, fel-tainted eyes travelling from Jesika's face- admittedly quite fair for a human, to her arms, all the way down to her hands, long, slender fingers easing the tension in her pet's muscles. The fact that she was human still made his skin crawl, but something about those eyes… the soft kindness with which she looked at things… it struck him, in a way.

"THERON!" Aedyndel thundered, so loud even Jesika jumped and looked up, meeting Theron's studious gaze. The blood elf felt his ears burning and quickly angled his face forward to hide them behind a blonde curtain, thankful the blush hadn't lowered to his cheeks.

"What?" Theron hissed.

Aedyndel took an audible breath. "You weren't listening to me. Why did you say 'she'd be slaughtered'?"

"If I take her straight to Orgrimmar," Theron explained in hushed tones, "They will murder her."

"Not necessarily, but when we do get her in, what then?"

"Thrall is a benevolent orc… perhaps he will accept her, given the circumstances."

"If she isn't Horde allegiant, she won't make it into the city anyway," Aedyndel pointed out. "So if the guards allow her to pass, that should be all the proof Thrall needs that her loyalties lie with him."

"The fact that she's human won't obscure their sight?"

"I guess we'll just have to find out. She isn't a human of Azeroth so hopefully her race won't be a factor."

"Hmm…"

"Look, Theron, if you're really that worried, bind her hands. If a guard stops you, just say she's a prisoner being delivered to Thrall for interrogation."

Theron mulled it over. "Yes, I suppose that would work," he agreed. "Hopefully Thrall is understanding."

"We'll just have to wait and find out. I'll see you in the capitol, Brother."

"Goodnight, Aedyndel."

The hearthstone dangling from his neck ceased its soft glow as the connection dwindled to nothing. Theron took one last look at the cowl he'd fashioned and set it down. Jesika had already fallen asleep beside the dying fire, cradling her dog in a loving embrace. To his surprise, both of their wounds had been mostly taken care of. Duke's fresh white bandage stood out against his fur, tired head and wounded leg resting comfortably his mistress' stomach. Jesika, however, had passed out with her own bandages still in hand.

Theron walked over and, without waking her, grabbed the gauze to finish the dressing for her. He was more shocked to find that she had stitched her shoulder wound by herself without so much as a peep, and there wasn't any sort of anesthetic in sight. Judging from the work, she had never done it before on anyone, let alone her own body- the pain must have been enormous. As he gingerly wrapped her wound and draped over her what was left of the cloak, he pondered who exactly was in his company…

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