Vol'jin's touch was electrifying. Cenahria had been assessing his wound, when without warning, she had felt his hand brush behind her, to bring her closer to him. Staring down at this troll, heat had begun to rise in her cheeks, a heat that intensified as he raised a hand to brush away the hair from her face. Fire had coursed through her veins as she stared into those eyes.
The kiss still caught her by surprise. Days later, when confiding in Zaria about the moment, Cenahria could not tell whether minutes or hours had passed. The moment the Chieftain's lips had met hers, time itself had stopped. Nothing in Azeroth mattered, not Vol'jin's wound, not her bruises, not the fact that Thrall could come back any minute, and find them there together. All Cenahria had known, was that she did not want it to end.
The end came with Thrall barging through the front door, and Vol'jin pushing Cenahria away, whilst lying back down, all in one swift, saddening movement. The abrupt end to their kiss, and the way Vol'jin deliberately looked anywhere but at her, made Cenahria feel as though Vol'jin regretted it, as though he was ashamed of his actions. Blinking back tears, Cenahria moved to the other side of the room, to let Thrall look at Vol'jin's wound.
"I am glad you are awake, Cenahria. Help yourself to water. You were exhausted after your healing of Vol'jin last night. You must regain your strength." Cenahria nodded, and silently poured herself water. She sat down next to Thrall, and watched as he undid the bandages. A slightly puckered, blue scar slowly appeared from beneath the bandages, and Thrall gaped in disbelief. "What is it, Thrall? How bad be da wound?" "Wound? There is no wound, Vol'jin. Cenahria has healed you more completely than even I first thought. See for yourself." Thrall gestured to a small mirror, resting on the table, and Cenahria brought it over to them. Holding it so Vol'jin could see his side, she smiled slightly at the look of shock on his face. Vol'jin ran a hand over the scar. "I feel nothin'. It be like I never been wounded at all! Dis be very impressive. Thank you, Cenahria." There. That one, tiny, glance at her, and grateful smile. That was all the interaction that Vol'jin was willing to have with Cenahria for the remainder of their time in Orgrimmar.
Several days passed, and Cenahria spent them in Thrall's home, too scared to venture outside. Vol'jin had various duties to take care of, and spent most of his time outside, speaking to his people, and with the leaders of other factions within the Horde. Thrall divided his time between Vol'jin and Cenahria, for which she was very grateful. She liked Thrall, and he was more than willing to talk to her about Orgrimmar. He entertained her with stories, especially ones involving brawls Vol'jin had taken part in. Every mention of his name sent tremors down her spine, and brought memories of his warmth. Soon, it was time for her to leave. Vol'jin and Cenahria were sent off unceremoniously, with a lone Thrall standing on the rock, waving goodbye. The air in the citadel had felt tense as Cenahria had followed Vol'jin to the flight masters, and she had been glad to leave.
The flight back to the Echo Isles was quiet. No Vol'jin pointing out interesting places this time. Sighing, Cenahria settled back and ignored everything, pondering their kiss. She had been foolish to believe the kiss had meant he cared for her. She was an elf, an Alliance elf. He only protected her out of fear of Alliance retribution. The kiss had simply been a moment of weakness from a troll who had thought he was dying. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, and Cenahria wept for the remainder of the journey.
Zaria and Zanda were waiting for her when they landed in the Isles. Quickly wiping her cheeks and forcing a smile, she greeted them as warmly as she could, hugging them both. Zaria exclaimed at the sight of her bruises, but said nothing after a sharp look from Vol'jin. "Chieftain, where did ya get dat scar?" Zanda, however, had not noticed the look from Vol'jin, and balked at his reaction. "Cenahria can fill ya both in on our injuries. I have matters to be attendin' to." With that, Vol'jin stalked off to his hut, leaving a confused Zaria and Zanda behind.
Sighing, Cenahria turned to Zaria. "I'm starving, let's get something to eat, and I can fill you in on everything that happened." Nodding, Zaria followed Cenahria back to her hut, after a brief trip to the cooking fire. Zaria's eyes were permanently wide as Cenahria detailed the fight between Vol'jin and Garrosh, and she growled when the meaning behind the bruises became clear. Cenahria paused during the story, when she reached the morning after the fight. "What is it, Cenahria? Dat scar looked weeks old. Ya healing magic must be very powerful! Ya must teach us!" Cenahria smiled at her friend. "When I woke up, I tried tending to Vol'jin's wound. He had not realised how much I had healed him, and he was still a little delirious I think. He must've thought he was dying still." Cenahria was babbling, and a concerned Zaria narrowed her eyes. Swallowing, Cenahria admitted that Vol'jin had kissed her. A small squeal erupted from Zaria, who looked as though this was the best news she had ever heard.
"Ah, but Vol'jin be a fine troll to mate with, Cenahria! He be strong, and loyal, and fierce, good things to have in a mate. Ya a lucky elf! Ha, if the two of ya marry, you'll be our leader too!" Cenahria gaped at her friend. Mate with Vol'jin? Marry Vol'jin? "Zaria, I do not think you understand. Your Chieftain was delirious from the wound. He wasn't fully in control. As soon as he realised what was happening he put an end to it. He clearly regretted it. He hasn't spoken to me or even looked at me since." Her voice broke, and she allowed Zaria to cradle her in her arms as Cenahria cried herself to sleep.
Days melted into weeks, and every opportunity Cenahria had, she tried to speak to Vol'jin. All she wanted was contact with him, something to show he cared for her still. She began to fear that she had done something wrong, that maybe Thrall entering the house had not caused Vol'jin to end the kiss at all, that maybe Vol'jin had hated the kiss itself. Cenahria confided all of this in Zaria, who quickly became exasperated. "Maybe our Chieftain be feelin' awkward, Cenahria. It not be everyday dat Vol'jin is attracted to anyone, not even a female of his own race. Maybe he be feelin' embarrassed by his behaviour. Talk to him, tell him how ya feel." Cenahria beamed at her friend. This made sense! She quickly transformed into her cat form, and loped to Vol'jin's hut.
Vol'jin was seated at the back of the hut, and someone had brought his brazier out from behind the chair, so he could commune with Thrall. Cenahria entered the room quietly, and sat down in the centre of the room, patiently waiting for Vol'jin to notice her. The smoky Thrall turned several times towards her, and eventually said hello. Vol'jin continued not to notice her. Heat began to rise in Cenahria, as she became aware that he was deliberately ignoring her. She stood, and took a step forward, smiling and returning Thrall's hello. "Vol'jin, may we talk?" He waved a hand, still not turning to even look at her. That dismissiveness was the final straw.
"Vol'jin! You may be the Chieftain of the Darkspear Trolls, but that title does not give you the right to ignore me! I understand that things may be a little awkward since Orgrimmar. But you kissed me. It happened. And. And! I liked it! I liked our kiss, it made me happy." Cenahria paused for a moment, surprised by her own boldness. Vol'jin had turned to face her, his face a blank mask. Thrall was looking at them both in shock, and without looking at it, Vol'jin put out the fire. The room went dark. She waited for him to say something, anything, but all he did was stare at her. "Aren't you going to say anything, Vol'jin?" Cenahria pleaded with him. The desperation to know how he felt tugged at her heart. It was all too much. "You know what, Vol'jin? Be as arrogant as you wish. Clearly the moment meant nothing to you. I expected more from you. Not that you will care, but that was my first kiss. So, it is not my fault if it was bad in any way. I just wanted to know if you enjoyed it as much as I did, but clearly I was stupid for even trying to talk to you!" Tears choked her voice. Not wanting to cry in front of Vol'jin, Cenahria turned and fled the hut, leaving the broken pieces of her heart behind her.