The grasses between the smoothed slabs of stone felt prickly at some parts, like silk on others. Terogin stepped wherever he wanted, because he didn't mind either of those sensations. His concern lay upon the bundle in his arms.
And the eagle sitting on his shoulder, but the eagle hadn't gone and drained her mana down to nothing and then some.
Bernadine slept helplessly in his arms, she'd tried her darndest to keep her eyes open, which had lasted for most of the trip, but it caught up to her. The swaying walk of the troll lulled her to sleep eventually.
The first thing he did stepping back into the clearing was seek out that goggled blood elf. His eyes scanned meticulously over the bodies mingling in small groups. No sign of the creeping elf from what he could see, no scent to follow up with either. Hardly faint.
Strange.
Softening a low growl, he fixed Bernadine in his arms so that her head rested up beside his shoulder, rather then her leaning against his chest. She inhaled sweetly and turned her head into his neck, giving him a shiver all up and down his back.
Honan came up from his peripheral, a low growl reminded them of the grimtotem still high up over his back.
The grimtotem was looking around as best he could, most likely plotting for an escape and a kill on the way out. Honan ignored the movements, rolling his shoulder up into the grimtotem's gut, earning a half moan half grunt.
He took careful steps into the clearing, the curious stares and raised brows that turned one by one gradually began to tinge the air with tension.
Honan passed them by like they were nothing but regular onlookers, Terogin turned Bernadine in his arms, so her head and shoulders were facing away from the ones stepping closer to get a good look at the captured tauren.
One of the female trolls came up, a vendor. She wore a look on her face as if this was something that happened every other day, someone dragging a grimtotem back after promising to be on their merry way.
"What's goin' on wit' dhis, hmm?" She asked, tilting her head in fashion to the captured tauren.
Honan answered, tired like, "Last survivor of the group that tried to attack us. You seen your Witch Doctor around?"
"Oh, Jin'Zil? Ya, he's oveh dhis way, follow me." She turned on her toes, light and agile, walking away to a formal tent made to look like a building.
Honan walked off, following the troll, but asked as he stepped, "Does everyone want to come in?"
It was a bunch of unsure grunts that replied, fairly useless backing if it ought to be noted. Terogin had gone so far as to shrug at the thought, despite the tauren facing away from him now, maybe his hearing could pick up on the finite movement of leather and cloth.
The Witch Doctor peeled back the wooden mask to gander at the lot of them, the tent's flap pulled to the side kept them all in view, easy to see.
His eyes slid over the grimtotem, acknowledging the beast, but he strayed then, only looking long enough to be considered casual. His eyes drifted off to Terogin, where in his arms Bernadine dozed completely unaware.
Terogin held a sturdy brave face under that look, tempering his growl and keeping his teeth behind clamped lips.
The witch doctor lulled a large blue finger in her direction, "Yah gettin' me curious oveh dhe female, dhere. Awful curious."
Fuck off you old git…
Terogin refixed his hold on her, but said nothing, not daring to try and lengthen the conversation. Nukourn saved him the trouble, "She ain't for handin' off, so drop it."
The Witch Doctor grinned, sharp teeth and all, "I'm jus' helpin', mon… Yah don' wan' some kinda human war band followin' in yah wake, eh? Dhey take everyt'in' dhey can get, dhe mongrels."
"Then you've nothing to worry about." Honan called all attention back to himself; he was the one standing closest to the creepily grinning troll.
Jin'Zil let him fill in the topic of conversation, turning to the tauren expectantly.
"We trekked back to give you this sorry sod, we know you've got some plans later down the road for the grimtotem." Honan unloaded the tauren off his shoulder, and made sure to swiftly get him on knees before he could get any ideas about lunging at people.
The Witch Doctor looked over the grimtotem, as if he were searching for faults and cracks with which he could dig into. Aloud, he said, "T'ank yah. I know we got some back up comin' soon. I can… watch oveh him while we wait, no?"
Honan huffed, uncaring, at the information.
"Do whatever you please, but we'd better set off." The tauren turned his massive shoulders and herded everyone further out of the tent. They bumped and prodded into a group before standing not so awkwardly outside, looking back at all the curious eyes.
Terogin frowned, taking a hand and rubbing it down Bernadine's leg to remind him that, yes, she was still here. To tamp the growing bubbles of unease he moved his finger in circles beside her knee, just distracting enough.
"Yo!"
The female troll from before called to them.
"Yah be wantin' some rest, befo'e yah go?"
Slowly, each member of the group turned to look at Honan, silently asking.
He obliges, not wanting to risk another test for sleep out in what could soon be a battleground. There was a tension among them all that settled, their shoulders feeling less tight and heavy.
Terogin subtly turned his head, gently placing his tusk atop Bernadine's temple and running it down the side of her face in tenderness.
She spooked, not expecting the sudden attendance, but opened her eyes and peered through them as if they weighed more than she did. He doubted she was processing anything, because at the sight of the clearing she only closed her eyes again and rested her head higher against his shoulder, breathing softly.
"Here." The troll gestured to a decently sized area of vacancy. "Outta dhe way, no tramplin' t'worry about." She watched them all move around her, hands rising to rest on her hips, "Make sure yah get a lotta dhe rest. Yah be lookin' like shit an' all." In a wave of farewell she tossed her hand over her shoulder as she left. "Stay till aftehnoon, or tomorruh. Ain' nobody stoppin' yah here."
The group watches her for a moment, bereft of the needed energy to judge harshly, they returned their attention to the given spot.
And to Honan. Nukourn crossed his arms, teeth grinding only at the tips before speaking, "We could always try the distance between us and The Crossroads, I doubt the grimtotem would risk another large party when light is on the horizon."
"Hmmm… But we would be down a member." Honan let his eyes fall upon Bernadine. "However long she is out for, I don't know." His gaze pointed to the troll carrying her.
Terogin inhaled a short breath, "I neveh seen 'er in a fight befo'e. I'm t'inkin' she only need a few hours… she always bouncin' back."
Honan nodded, then making sure everyone could hear him, "We shall stay here, objections?"
The unanimous shaking of all heads rested the case.
They all set their packs down together in a small heap. Shihn held up two different cloth materials to no one in particular, "We want to make the big medical tent, or just a bunch of the small ones?"
I'jopa took a deep squat next to her, his hand going for only one of cloth materials that she had in the air. Touching it between forefinger and thumb, he said, "Might be quickeh to put up the big one, but then privacy goes down, eh?"
Everyone looked at Terogin for a moment, Nukourn chuckled, "Individual tents it is then."
They build their tents in speedy fashion, everyone having brought the appropriate materials for there to be no sharing. It seemed that everyone was for lone sleeping. Except of course for Terogin, who set Bernadine down onto her feet.
She looked at the tent with vague recollection and managed her way through the flap using the minimal amount of awareness that she had.
Inside she waited blearily for Terogin to enter, her eyes hardly open, but she was not going to cast herself into rest until her troll came to her side. Thankfully his way of climbing in was a mastered one, he found every spot and space available without needing to look beforehand.
Bernadine scooted up to his side and engulfed one of his arms in a large hug, using all of her hands and arms to secure it. She turned, he turned.
They both caught sight of the ceiling and stared but only for a moment, Bernadine slumped, finally lost to unconsciousness, and Terogin followed swiftly.
Though not too swiftly, for he very much wanted to encircle her in an embrace.
They turned toward one another, in this quiet air they found quick solace in comfortable touch. Not moving his now anchored arm, Terogin moved his hand to Bernadine's back, it was heavy in his slumber, but he managed.
Bernadine, now lost in the land of almost dreams, mumbled thanks to no one in particular. She did lean forward and cast her forehead upon his chest, listening closely to all his breaths.
They went on as such, holding each other till they found time to wake.
Most of them slept through the day, and woke up when the sun was only a thought under the horizon. Dawn greyed the world, gentle in color to ease daylight upon the land. Inside their tent, Bernadine was almost out of her sleeping state, turning over onto one side, and then the other.
Terogin lay next to her, watching her mind war against waking and dreaming.
When she turned and landed half against him, she pushed up her leg onto his side and held it there. It caught him so off guard he hardly moved to try and make her more comfortable.
But as fast as she'd stunned him, she returned her leg to the ground, closing her knees together. Terogin, if he leaned just a little bit closer, might have heard the pounding of her heart. Looking at her legs, he could see them twitch every now and then, so he did move closer.
Between her legs came a strong but almost hidden scent.
Was she dreaming of them he wondered? How far had he ventured in her mind? He wanted her desires to be reality.
Slowly, he reaches out with a hand.
First, he lays one finger upon her belly, stilling her slow turns. Almost fixated, he keeps one eye on her face for reactions, the other wants to see if she would part for him even if she were under. The finger smoothly ran down her pubic bone, he gave a small circle there.
It elicited a small shiver over her body, that scent was easier to find now, her body seeming to register him next to her. Lightly he guided the finger down her leg, so as to get underneath what remained of the former dress.
He went back up her leg, feeling how her skin pebbled under the tip of his finger. He returned to her bone, another circle, and a brave sense washed over him, he slowly put his finger down, between her legs. And she moved them, they made the needed room for him to follow downward.
He caught sight of her eyes, open, watching him. Though bleary through the sleep she'd managed to have. He paused, waiting to see how she might continue, or postpone this sort of game for later.
Bernadine's sleep was superficial, the touch upon her skin roused her out of slumber. From what she could make of him, he was also watching her. Similar to what some might call a predator, but her heart skipped a beat for other reasons.
She could feel his hand.
And so, she tilted her closest leg more to him, rubbing it up against his wrist as she did so.
His eyes shone in the dull light. Excitement and eagerness building behind that look in his eyes. His hand ventured, following the finger that held itself firmly to her skin.
He was like that of a mis-sized blanket, all-encompassing despite only using a single digit of his hand. Bernadine felt him in his confidence, the way he mapped her out like he already knew her.
It sent shivers up her spine.
He stayed there, covering her between her legs, then moved against her line, pressing against everything on the way upward. He stopped upon her bone, and pressed downward once more, drawing out that eternal fire from her core.
On the downward path, this time he traveled down her leg, finding the end of the dress and letting his hand under her confines. Bernadine felt it, watching him with large eyes, fully alert now as to his movements.
He comes back up to the space between her legs, hardly moving her dress more than it needed to. Bernadine closed her eyes to the feeling of his finger brush and pushing up against the make of her undies.
She opened her eyes again, and was pleased to see his own, lying in wait. She nodded more for herself, and he slipped under the cloth between her legs.
Her skin pebbled up her thighs, he enveloped her, curling over her in the tent that just managed to fit him. Bernadine felt her own hips tilt, trying to have him caress the soft skin there while his finger was alone against her folds.
He was so warm, and massive. She wondered how he would work making room for a finger inside of her when even just one finger was the size of the average endowment for men of her people.
She'd give it a go though, her loins beat like her heart, a gentle throb here and there, her excitement easing into where his finger ground against her flesh.
On one slide up, his finger caught that bundle of nerves along the way. Her legs jerked, her breath was beginning to come out in gasps. When he leant one of his tusks up against the side of her neck she shivered throughout her body.
Bernadine clutched helplessly. Her hands grasped the arm not in motion, using it as a means to keep herself grounded.
He flicked over that bundle a number of times, she only felt her heartbeat between her legs get louder, more excited.
Terogin breathed lightly past her ear, "Berna…"
She all but swooned even more into his arms, lifting her head and turning her chin toward him, waiting for him to continue.
His voice sounded so much like silk to her ears, smooth and sultry, "May I?" he asked.
In the depths of her mind, Bernadine knew what he was wanting, what permissions would be taken if she gave him the go ahead.
Carefully preparing herself, she nodded, she rested her hands along his shoulders, finding strength there to hold onto.
Terogin purred next to her ear, sending ripples deep into her gut where they fluttered around before disappearing. Her legs quaked on either side of his arm, her thighs sometimes resting against his side before beginning their shiver once more.
All the while his hand had been taking care to never stop the attentions it was dealing.
Bernadine felt him move his hands, turning at the wrist. Anticipation warred with nervousness in her mind, the shakes in her body now were from 'The Need' crawling through her veins.
The pad of his finger was warm and silky, the softness there eased her worries whenever he returned to her line and gave it a long brush over.
Her clit he doused with affection by using his thumb, her legs fell apart and her back arched off the floor. Every part of her was vibrating, her hands kneaded his shoulders, silently begging.
"Yah ready…?" He asked her, his voice keen on seeking any sign for hesitance, fear or stress.
"... Yes…" Bernadine brought him down to her carefully, yes, she was ready. This time, she kissed him and she felt him melt under her embrace.