Author's note: Hi, hopefully those of you who are following this story are still interested in the updates. Apologies for these strange and painfully long gaps between chapters; my depression has been having a severe effect on my motivation to write, but I'm back (again) and determined to finish this thing. If you are enjoying my story so far, please leave a review detailing what it is that you like- reading positive reviews is a huge motivator for me! These next few chapters were extremely tough to write, so I hope they're entertaining! (Side note: I understand there's some confusion about Jesika's ability to speak Orcish. Bear with me! It will be addressed very soon and yes, it was intentional!)

"Sit, Theron."

The younger brother obeyed, albeit hesitantly. "You seem oddly serious, Aedyndel."

"Because this is a serious matter, and will affect the remainder of Jesika's stay here," Aedyndel replied as he sat down on the couch opposite his sibling. "She needs to become a rogue."

Theron scoffed. "Absolutely not, brother. She and her pet will go through hunter training. They are exceptional together."

"I wouldn't call them, as a team, exceptional. Duke means well, but he'll hinder her; she cares too deeply for him."

"The pup is just that: a pup. He will learn in time. Her care for him is what makes their bond strong."

Aedyndel sighed and dragged a hand down his face as he reclined against the sofa back. "I know you see it just as clearly as I do," he accused. "She won't be able to see him hurt; it'll distract her."

"Jesika is tougher than you credit her," Theron replied stiffly. He braced his hands on his knees. "They fought a harpy together, as well as a felhound. Duke was injured and in danger for his life on both occasions."

"Theron, you need to stop playing dumb simply to protect your pride," the rogue snapped. "You know that battle is different than a one-on-one situation, and fighting other champions is far different than going up against such beasts."

"Harpies are humanoid."

"I see some of her wit has rubbed off on you." Aedyndel licked his lips. "Regardless, you saw her with my apprentices. They've been training for months and she evaded them with relative ease- she got away from me, Theron! She has good instincts."

Theron folded his arms across his chest. Mira, picking up on his agitation, stood and paced a moment before her master calmed her. "Good instincts for getting away from rogues. That is a sought after quality in a hunter, would you not think so? Her pet even knew how to stop you."

"Briefly, and late," Aedyndel mumbled, rubbing the teeth marks on his leather bracer. "She successfully hid from Drath and broke his nose. I would bet that she's predisposed to stealth magic." While Theron seemed to be mulling this over, his brother added, "And her perception, Theron. You know just as well as I that humans, at least the ones born on Azeroth, have incredible perception skills. They make formidable rogues."

"She-"

"And," Aedyndel threw in, "she seems to be even more perceptive than a normal, untrained human. She sensed Kan'zo almost as soon as he approached her- before even you, brother."

"I knew that troll was there."

"Bullshit, Theron."

Theron sat back, his face and ears bright red, fuming. "She will be a hunter."

Aedyndel rubbed his goatee and furrowed his brow. His brother was more stubborn than he remembered… they were definitely related. There was no way that Theron would ever concede to this- not now, anyway. "Fine. How about you go fetch us some dinner, eh?"

Theron blinked dumbly for a moment, apparently taken aback by the change in attitude. "It's only-" he looked at a goblin-made clock on the wall- "just after 12 p.m."

"I don't think Jesika will be awake any time soon," Aedyndel chuckled, glancing at the door to the barracks. "If you really want to get an 'in' with her, have dinner ready when she wakes up."

"I don't need to impress some human, Aedyndel," the hunter replied haughtily.

"Then I guess I'll have to cook for her. She'll be hungry."

"I suppose so."

Aedyndel smiled to himself and clapped his hands on his legs. "Well, I'm going to make sure Fredrick and Valleria are still running." He stood. "Then I'll stop by the butcher." He walked over to the door that led to the surface and opened it, pausing just long enough to see Theron get up and go toward the barracks. 'I don't need to impress some human' Aedyndel thought mockingly.

^v^v^v^

Knock-knock.

Duke huffed at the door.

Knock-knock-knock.

Jesika's eyes fluttered open. The room in which she laid was not her own, though, for the first time, that did not surprise her. She was in an underground structure- a guild house, if those hazy memories were at all accurate. Theron and… someone else whom she could not remember, had shown her around. Who was that other person? Jes rubbed her temples as a headache began to creep up on her. Everything felt so much like a dream up until today, that the memories were difficult to recall. All in due time, she was sure, but no matter; there was someone at the door.

Those first few moments were good, laying in bed; she was so warm and comfortable, that a smile tempted her lips and she was almost eager to get up and stretch her legs. However, the moment she moved to rise, all pleasantness dissipated. Jesika groaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position, acutely aware of every last bump and bruise on her body. It took some doing, but she managed to pad over to the door without jarring her injuries too badly, and swung it open.

In the doorway stood an elf who bore a semblance to Theron, only less rigid and perhaps a little older. He wore an off-white tunic beneath a burgundy tabard that had emblazoned on the front a five-headed beast, mid-roar in the center of a shield. Plain black cotton pants covered his legs- ankle length and... fitted. Jesika didn't attempt to mask the lift in her brows as her eyes traveled upward, over his chest, and returned to his face. Rich brown hair tumbled just past his shoulders to about armpit length, and he sported a well-shaped goatee that complimented his face quite well. It took her a moment to realize that he was smiling now, and his own, fel-tainted eyes, had given her a once over as well.

It took her another moment to realize that he was laughing.

Jesika tilted her head, and then it came to her; "Ah, no pants."

"Nope."

"Well, shit." She placed one hand on her cocked hip and braced her forearm on the doorframe.

"You don't look like you remember who I am."

"Not a damn clue."

"Laelani's spellwork probably messed with your memory a bit. I'm assuming it's all pretty jumbled in there?"

Jesika frowned. "How did you know about that? And… yes. The last few days are spotty."

"I have eyes and ears everywhere." The elf wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, now I remember: Aedyndel."

"Yup."

"Joy. What do you want?" Jesika yawned.

"Well," Aedyndel answered, proffering the neatly folded clothes in his hands, "I thought you might like a fresh set of clothes. Also, I'd like for you to take a walk with me."

Jesika took the clothing and ran her hands over them; there was a soft, white, cotton tunic and fawn breeches of the same fabric. "Thank you. Where's Theron?"

"He's off hunting dinner for tonight. I hope you like meat."

The young woman chuckled softly through another yawn, her eyes crinkling sweetly at the corners. "It'll have to do," she said with a wink. "Hang on just a sec."

"There's a pair of pants in there, in case you forget," Aedyndel called as she began to shut the door.

She made a face. "Ha-ha. Funny."

Jesika took her time getting dressed, allowing herself to enjoy the smell of freshly laundered clothing, and the sensation of soft cotton on her skin. Duke bounded by the door the moment he saw her shoes go on, still as excited to go outside as if they hadn't just finished a few days on the road. "One second, cool your jets." She inspected herself in the mirror on the wall. As somewhat annoying as he was, that elf had a good eye for size. The breeches hugged her legs nicely, and the shirt was surprisingly well-fitted. Both articles felt wonderfully breathable and even the long sleeves didn't fit too loosely.

As soon as Jes opened the door, Duke bolted into the hallway, nearly knocking Aedyndel on his backside in the process.

The blood-elf chuckled to himself and, hands on his hips, said, "I think Duke wants some fresh air. How about that walk?"

"Lead the way."

And lead the way he did. Aedyndel showed her through the common room and over to an exit on the left side, adjacent to the kitchen. Jesika took a quick glance around the room, enough to see that the guild had a fully functional kitchen- with an icebox in place of a fridge, as well as a comfortable looking living area that was stocked with plenty of furniture for lounging. It seemed frequently used, considering that pillows and a few throw blankets were strewn on the couches and chairs, as well as a half-finished game of checkers. It was, however, entirely empty at the moment.

Once through the exit, they came upon a ladder and Aedyndel commented, "Usually Hunters don't come through here because pets can't climb in or out." He glanced at Duke.

"He's just a bit smaller than your average Springpaw Lynx," she replied sarcastically. "I can carry him."

"Alright."

So, Aedyndel ascended the ladder and, with Duke straddling her hip like a child, Jesika followed him up and out of the hatch. She emerged atop the Orgrimmar plateau, directly beneath one of the zeppelin towers. Aedyndel led her through the supports.

"Would you like to see the wyverns?" He asked casually as he helped her over a girder.

Jesika released his hand, beaming. "Absolutely!"

They strolled along a path between the zeppelin towers, rust red dirt crunching underfoot. It was dusk, and as such there was little to no foot traffic. The beasts napped in their nests, the flightmasters set about oiling their saddles, and the merchants entertained one another with idle chit-chat while they packed their wares. Jesika strode over to the sleeping windriders. An orc flightmaster looked up from her duties. "Hey, Human! You can't-"

Aedyndel waved her off mid-sentence and focused his gaze on Jesika. She paid him little mind as she tentatively approached one of the wyverns. It lifted its head to peer at her through two large, feline eyes… acutely studying her. Jes respectfully averted her eyes and waited until the beast seemed to relax and accept her presence before moving forward to introduce herself. Within moments, she was fondly stroking the wyvern's mane and the beast rumbled contentedly as it leaned into her touch.

"You really do have a way with animals," Aedyndel commented. "They feel comfortable with you."

She placed her hands on either side of the animal's face and massaged vigorously. A small smile warmed her face as a purr rumbled in it's throat. "I suppose so. My mom always says that it's because I have a 'kind soul'- that I'm empathetic and they can sense it somehow."

The elf nodded. "That makes sense. Do you want to fight beside them?"

Jesika furrowed her brow and looked down at Duke, who waited obediently by her side. "I'm not sure if 'want' is the right word." He had a scar in the making from their bout with the felhound that served as a poignant reminder of the dangers of being a team. And still… "I definitely feel safer with him by my side."

Aedyndel strolled away from the wyverns, gesturing for her to follow. "Safer or just comfortable?"

"What are you trying to get at?"

He stopped at a ledge overlooking the Valley of Wisdom. "Theron seems convinced that your affinity for animals means you're destined to be a hunter. I disagree."

Jes sat down cross legged and scratched Duke's ears thoughtfully.

Aedyndel sat beside her and continued, "You have a knack for escaping and hiding, your perception is already keen without any formal training and," he held up a finger and brandished her dagger, "your go-to weapon is a melee weapon- a dagger, nonetheless."

"Hey!" she tried to snatch it back, but he evaded her.

"Don't leave this in your room again." His voice was far firmer all of a sudden, commanding, even. "You need to get used to carrying a weapon at all times."

Jesika nodded solemnly and took the blade. She studied it in the setting sun's orange glow, twisting it this way and that, watching the light glint off of it.

"Train with me, Jesika. Become a rogue."

"I can't leave Duke behind," she murmured. "But I also have no talent with a bow or a gun." The young woman sighed and braced her chin on her thumb, absently rubbing her temple with her remaining fingers.

Seeing her distress, Aedyndel placed a comforting hand on her back. "Look, I'm not one of those people who will tell you that you are only destined for one thing. You can learn how to be a hunter, or a rogue, or even a mage if you possess the gift of the arcane, but-"

"It's a waste of time," Jes interjected. "Why waste time learning one thing if I'm better off learning another? I'll get further in my training if I do something for which I have a natural affinity, than I would if I tried to improve on something I'm already bad at. Something's going on in Azeroth and I don't have the luxury of dabbling in different practices." She seemed distant as she spoke, mindlessly stroking Duke's head while gazing into the Valley of Wisdom.

"Hey," he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

She looked up at him to see a glimmer of admiration, and maybe even sympathy, in his eyes. Their fel-green depths held such warmth, and his soft, crooked grin was so comforting that, for a moment, her stress melted away.

"You have a good head on your shoulders." He paused thoughtfully. "Do you know why I brought you here?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing else in Orgrimmar can compare to this part of the city at sunset. Relax and enjoy while you think over this decision. You have at least a few days to choose."

"You genuinely think I"d be a good rogue?" Jes asked as Aedyndel stood and stretched, clearly displaying his lean figure as his muscles went taught with the motion. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You're not just doing this to fuck with your brother?"

A hearty chuckle rumbled forth and he rubbed his goatee. "I do relish the thought but, believe it or not, I hate wasted potential more than I enjoy messing with him." With that, Aedyndel began to walk back to the guild house.

"Is that so?" she called after him.

The rogue turned around and, walking backwards, said with a wink, "I'll have someone fetch you when dinner is ready."

Jesika watched as he sauntered away with his tom cat strut. He was dangerous, that one. The way he carried himself was confident almost to the point of arrogance, but it was effortless and playful. No doubt he knew how to use his looks and that suave charisma to his advantage… in fact, he probably knew how to use some other things as well. The young woman tittered quietly to herself at the thought, enjoyed it a moment, then resigned to mulling over his offer.

The sun continued its slow descent, bathing the Valley of Wisdom in pastel hues of orange and pink. Nearby, the pool at the base of a small waterfall glistened with those fading rays of light, projecting small, twinkling stars onto the rocks. Tauren shopkeepers collapsed their outdoor displays while parents collected their children, who reluctantly abandoned games unfinished and waved farewell to friends.

Aedyndel was right. There was a peacefulness to watching the last of these daily rituals, and the way the light seemed to soften the valley walls made everything appear more gentle… kinder, even. It all had a calm, meditative air but, as Jesika's eyes drifted upward to watch the painted sky fade and darken, she found herself craving furry company. She imagined travelling and gazing at these same, changing skies, alone. She imagined fighting off enemies and predators, alone. These prospects were heartbreaking and, before she realized what she was doing, she hugged Duke close to her chest as if to remind herself that it was not reality.

"Human."

Jes jumped, scaring Duke out of her lap, and whirled around to see the female elf from earlier, standing with arms crossed. She was drenched in sweat and bitter as hell. She also didn't wait for a response.

"Dinner," the elf snipped.

"You were the girl from earlier, right?" Jesika asked as she stood and dusted herself off.

No response.

"Look, no hard feelings, right? I'm Jesika."

"Don't dawdle, human." The elf turned crisply on her heel and headed off at a brisk walk.

"Hey!" Jesika jogged to keep up. "What the hell is your problem? I'm trying to be polite here; don't forget, you were the one who attacked me."

She spun around, furious. "I just spent the last few hours running around Orgrimmar with sand in my eyes, all because of you!" she jabbed Jes in the chest to punctuate her sentence.

"No, you ran for hours with sand in your eyes because you decided to disobey. I was fighting for my life."

"Maybe you still should be," the elven woman sneered and disappeared down the guild house hatch.

^v^v^v^

"Valleria, did you get Jes?" Aedyndel asked.

"Yeah, she did," Jes grunted as she climbed down the ladder holding Duke.

"Valleria, I asked you a question."

The blood elf looked up from her empty plate. In the light of their little dining room, Jes could see that her eyes were extremely red and irritated. "Yes," she grumbled, staring daggers at her human guest.

Aedyndel raised his eyes to Jesika and offered a dashing smile. "Glad you could join us. Theron bagged some venison." He gestured for her to take a seat.

The young woman scanned the table for empty chairs and found many faces she didn't recognize. In Aedyndel's near vicinity were the rogue apprentices from earlier, as well as an unfamiliar forsaken woman and the cocksure face of a blood elf man. Surrounding Theron was a whole slew of whispering strangers. She counted nine. Luckily, there was an available chair to Theron's left. Once she was seated, a troll came through the far exit.

"Xer'ri," Aedyndel chimed, "you're just in time."

"Let meh take a look at dis new blood Aedyn," she said gruffly, immediately locking onto Jesika with the most piercing amber eyes the girl had ever seen.

"Jesika, this is Xer'ri, she teaches the hunter apprentices. Xer'ri, this is Jesika,the human everyone has been talking about."

Jes blinked, eyes wide, and rose from her chair. "Everyone?"

Xer'ri glanced at Duke and stepped closer. To the tune of jingling chain mail, her long legs brought them face-to-face in just a few strides- well, face-to-chest, really. "Thrall be lettin' da whole Horde know, mon," the troll said dryly. "Most of da talk be less den kind."

"I expected as much."

Xer'ri unsheathed a hunting knife and used the tip to lift Jesika's chin, scouring her up and down. Jesika clenched her jaw as she met Xer'ri's penetrative gaze. They stared at one another for a few long, tense moments. The troll woman's pale blue face was unyielding, betraying nothing of her thoughts. "Ya be joinin' mah ranks, child?" She asked, finally.

"Yes, Xer'ri," Jes affirmed, gently brushing the knife aside. She heard Val snicker quietly, and a few of the hunters groaned nice and loud for her to hear. Aedyndel remained silent and stone faced.

Finally, the troll huntress grasped Jesika by the forearm, grinning broadly. "Welcome, Jesika." She looked at Aedyn. "Dis one be made of sterner stuff den da last, elf. Sorreh ta take her from ya."

A smile broke his impassive expression. "You're not sorry," he teased. "Stay for dinner, though. Eat with us."

"No, bruddah. I eat wit' mah beasts. But, I will see you," she said, pointing one of three massive fingers at Jes, "when ya recova from ya journey." Without waiting for a response, Xer'ri took her leave.

Aedyndel wasted no time and proceeded to serve everyone a helping of venison. Pretty soon, the apprentices were all eating, drinking and joking together.

"So, you hunted all of this?" Jesika asked Theron through a juicy mouthful, gesturing with her fork.

Theron puffed his chest a bit and nodded.

"Big deal," one of the apprentices groaned. It was a hunter who spoke this time- a male orc with a short, jet black mohawk and a face full of piercings. "Any one of us could have brought home a single buck."

Jes nearly choked. "This is all from one buck?!" Not only did all 18 of them get a hefty serving, but there was still a mountain of meat in the center of the table, dripping on a bed of vegetables.

The unfamiliar male elf who sat amongst the rogues burst into haughty laughter. "Of course it is! Where did you two find this one? Under a rock?"

"Watch your tongue," Theron admonished.

Jesika took a small bite of vegetables and nonchalantly replied, "You didn't seem at all surprised to see a human walk into your guild's headquarters, so I'd wager you know exactly where they found me."

He scoffed.

"So?" Val sniffed.

"So, he should stop reaching so hard for laughs before he hurts himself."

As soon as he heard the stifled snickering of his guildmates, the elf leapt from his seat and yelled a bit squeakily, "I am not the one about to get hurt!"

He didn't make it one step before Theron was on his feet, fuming. "I said, watch your tongue!"

"Then keep your bitch on a leash!"

This time it was Aedyndel who, in a low, calm voice, spoke up: "Rowlen, you're dismissed."

Rowlen gulped nervously and went to grab his plate, but his master dead-eyed him.

"That food is for Jesika's pet, Duke."

The young apprentice hung his head, likely to hide his hysterical expression of rage, and scraped his food onto Duke's dish. Duke, who was already sporting a bulging gut, couldn't resist such temptation and dug in.

Aedyndel's stern gaze fell on the remaining apprentices as Rowlen slunk to his room. "Anyone else feeling inhospitable?"

They shook their heads.

"Whether or not you agree with it, Jesika is here to stay. I've already spoken to all of you, and I will not do it again, understood?"

They nodded.

"Good." Aedyndel cut into more of his venison. "So, who thinks Rowlen deserves to be a hunter for a day?"

The room erupted into laughter and the idea sparked scattered nefarious discussions among the hunter apprentices.

^v^v^v^

Jesika started to gather empty plates as the last of the apprentices trickled out of the common room, but someone grabbed her arm. She turned and found herself quite close to Aedyndel's chest.

"Um, hi?" she greeted.

He took the plates and set them down. "Valleria and Fredrick are on dishes tonight, remember?"

"Oh, right."

He didn't budge.

"I take it you have something else to tell me?" Jesika raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, either that, or you're practicing how to be a door-" she pushed him, but to no avail- "and failing miserably."

"My goal is to fail as badly as that joke." He took a step closer, shrinking the inches between them to a mere hair's breadth, with a devilish grin on his face. "How am I doing?"

Jesika rolled her eyes. "Poorly," she quipped, brushing past him, "because that joke was comedy gold."

"Was that sarcasm again?" He trailed after her as she walked to her room.

Amused, Jesika pulled out her oversized sleep shirt from the dresser and slung it over her shoulder. "What do you want, Aedyn?"

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. "About being a hunter?"

"Why? Are you upset?" she teased.

Aedyndel rubbed his facial hair, chuckling. "A little presumptuous don't you think?"

The young woman shrugged and stepped behind the open door to change. "To answer your question-" she paused and carefully tossed her now folded breeches onto the chest at the foot of her bed. "Yes, I'm sure." Clad once more in only her baggy tee and underwear, Jesika moved out from behind the door and placed her hands on her hips. "Do you think I made the wrong choice?"

"You're not wearing pants again," he said, making no attempt to hide his wandering eyes.

"I feel like, at this point, it's been established that I don't wear pants to bed. You didn't answer my question."

"You already know the answer, Jesika." He yawned and clasped his hands behind his head. "There is a bright side to you being a hunter, however."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Since you're not my pupil, I don't have to watch my behavior." He thought for a moment. "Well, that and hunters are far easier to catch."

Eyes wide and cheeks flushed, Jesika opened her mouth to speak, but Theron walked into view before she could get a word out.

"What are you doing here, Aedyndel?" the elf asked dryly.

"Discussing the necessity, or not, of pants. What are you doing?"

Theron tilted his head. Realization dawned on him as his eyes flicked to Jesika and traveled downward. His entire face went beet red.

"Well, geez," Jes commented cocking her hip, "now I feel self-conscious."

The poor hunter averted his eyes and walked off without a word.

"I think you traumatized him."

"Hey!" she punched Aedyndel's shoulder. "My legs are damn fine if you ask me."

"Damn fine is right."

Jes pressed her lips into a thin line and gave him an empty, half-lidded stare. She exhaling slowly. "I walked into that like a screen door, didn't I?"

Aedyn grinned broadly. "You sure did."

She shook her head, not able to help the hint of a smile tugging at her mouth. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"And you're a real piece of art." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Oh!" Jesika's face scrunched as if she'd smelled something wretched. "Oh my god, out! Out!" she exclaimed, pushing him out of the doorway. "Before I fucking vomit, ugh!"

"Just remember, if you ever change your mind, we typically train indoors." He winked and walked off.