Author's Note: This was coined from a Role-play that actually happened on the server I play on. Character names weren't changed, and the paladin in purple with the cane is Aurric, as his name isn't mentioned in this piece of the story. There's a second piece, from Civardi's view, and I will ask his permission before posting his.
Enjoy!
Alive
Tunaak stood to stretch his sore legs, flexing his tail behind him as his body ached all over from the day before. The plate chestpiece , greaves and pauldrons creaked around his body in a quiet defiant chorus against the movement. The head of his large, ever-trusty ax rested on the wood floor, hilt propped against the edge of the table between Tunaak and the wall. The Pig 'n' Whistle tavern in Stormwind's Old Town district wasn't too busy that night. Suitable for the large Draenei, as he wasn't in the mood to stick out in the crowd. It proved difficult to do, however, as he was only one of two Draenei in the tavern, the rest of the numerous patrons being a few Kaldorei, a handful of Gnomes, and a good number of Dwarves and Humans.
Ignoring the rest of the tavern, Tunaak settled back down on his chair, having to adjust his rump in the seat meant more for those without a writhing appendage. Finally finding his previous, albeit slightly uncomfortable position, his tail curled around his waist and over his lap. Elly the Barmaid, a decent looking Human before Tunaak's eyes, came around to refill his mug of sweet nectar. She seemed ragged, having been swiftly roving the tavern trying to keep the patrons content. A few barked to her rudely, most drunk, yelling for another drink. She passed Tunaak's table quickly, the stoic Draenei being the only occupant. The two other seats remained empty, but Tunaak took pleasure in a moment of loneliness now and then in spite of being surrounded by all the other patrons.
A distinct voice that spoke his name caught Tunaak's ears. He perked slightly, looking up as a beautiful Kaldorei Priestess spoke in her gentle and serene voice, "Hello, Tunaak."
She beamed warmly, approaching Tunaak's table. To Tunaak's curiosity, she seemed to glow a little more this day. Perhaps it was the Priestess' training that caused this, the Mother Moon Elune's gentle glow that radiated almost unnoticeably from her.
Nodding sagely, Tunaak smiled to her, "Welcome, Wynn. Will you join me?" His two chin appendages dangling from the back of his jaw splayed slightly in the motion as the two in front gently slipped over the red chestpiece.
Civardi, the Kaldorei that Tunaak considered a close brother, was a lucky man to have such a wonderful woman to wed. The Draenei would even admit to being a little jealous if he wasn't already taken.
Just as Wynn claimed one of the empty seats, Tunaak's eyes met a young human woman covered in bruises, and bruises on top of bruises. She stood near the entrance on the ground floor, at the railing and looking out at the patrons with a smug grin. Wynn eyed Tunaak briefly before craning her head to follow his gaze. She eyed the human carefully. Though it was one of the duties of a Priestess to heal and tend to the wounded, not every wound need be healed.
Before Wynn could act, Tunaak stood to his hooves, body aching and wracking defiantly to disobey. He pulled out a few coins for the drinks, placing them neatly on the table. With an apologetic look to Wynn for the abrupt departure, he hefted his ax on the hook at his back, and strode casually down the stairs. The Priestess tilted her head curiously at him, standing and following.
Stepping up to the railing, the young woman leaned on the railing, letting her cleavage show shamelessly. Bruises new and old dotted her fine, smooth skin, mostly from unrecognizable blows. Many looked painful, but with so many, they nonetheless all had to hurt.
Though not a healer, Tunaak could still wield the Light with enough ease and efficiency to mend cuts, seal wounds, and ease bruises.
Tunaak nodded politely to the human as Wynn casually lingered at the end of the stairs. Elly and a few wandering patrons passed between Wynn and Tunaak occasionally, but not so many that would disturb what would transpire.
The human smiled, still very smug. She peered at Tunaak, eyed him judgingly, and warmed her smile to the Draenei. She adjusted so that his eyes could easily slip downwards to adore the cleavage that seemed to nearly pop out of her shirt, but he didn't waver his gaze from her eyes.
"Miss, do you need healing," Tunaak offered the woman, raising a gauntleted hand over his chest as an act of genuine compassion. His face remained relaxed, letting no emotion escape his features or gently glowing cyan eyes.
Smirking and smacking her tongue against her teeth, she replied contently, "Ah, a healer are we? Sure, sugar. Though I'd prob'ly get a new beating for it anyway."
Tunaak blinked at her, trying not to show his annoyance. So that's what caused the bruises. She was beaten.
Grasping his right gauntlet in his left hand, he removed it. He took a breath, and releasing it slowly, the Light flickered and danced about on his exposed hand. The Light was a stark contrast to his dark skin. He gently laid the hand over one of hers, and concentrated the Light to heal her bruised skin. His eyes flickered golden briefly, and was finished in a moment.
The woman didn't move. She remained where she was, cleavage exposed as the smug smile returned to tug her lips, "Thanks, sugar." She eyed him briefly, "So… What is with the face tendrils, anyways? Do they stimulate you sexually?"
As she spoke she reached over and tugged one of Tunaak's chin tendrils, rolling her thumb over the slender and soft tissue. The Draenei's tail whipped up at an awkward angle and curled downwards stiffly, nearly whacking a passing patron across the back. Grimacing, Tunaak grasped the hand over his tendril and breaking the woman's unwanted contact.
Frowning, Tunaak eyed the wench sternly. "Please do not touch," he blinked as his tail slowly returned to its rhythmic bobbing behind him.
Rolling her shoulders, her sleeves inching down her shoulders, the wench never lost her smug smile as she added, "I'd even offer you a discount, sugar."
A discount? Did she just offer herself to the Draenei! Wynn's eyebrows raised and she couldn't help but snicker quietly behind a raised hand.
A flicker of agitation must have escaped Tunaak's stoic features. Two men had slowly inched their way near the two, gone unnoticed in the number of patrons that hid them. They eyed Tunaak cautiously, thinking their guild-woman's deal may make a worse turn. Each had a blade at their belt, ready to draw in the event that they need to defend their guild-mate.
Whether or not she wanted to react to the agitation, the wench didn't get the opportunity. Tunaak snorted rudely as his tail flicked behind him in annoyance. He turned away, heading for the door as Wynn blinked before elegantly trailing the dark blue, muscular figure.
Around the corner, Wynn spoke up, "Tunaak…" She hesitated, not quite sure how to appraise the noble Paladin.
Pausing, Tunaak turned to gaze at Wynn. Though still clearly agitated, Tunaak could not bring himself to lash out at Wynn in any way. She was, after all, the soon to be wife of his close brother. He regarded her as a sister, and loved her as much as a sibling could.
Tunaak sighed softly, lowering his gaze to the cobblestone street as his eyes radiated apologetically.
With a sudden start from the both of them, two figures dashed into view. The wench from the Pig tripping over herself as a large human male skidded to a halt. The wench whined as she picked herself up and dusted off her loose clothing. She turned to face Tunaak, Wynn, and the large man on the other side of them. A crossbow, a bolt with jagged edges cocked in the string, lay carelessly at her feet.
The man spoke first as he pulled out a pistol, aiming for the wench's left leg. He snickered, "You need to be taught a lesson in going around challenging others to fight, wench!"
He fired the pistol in his hand, the bullet entering the wench's leg as she cried out in pain. Tunaak cringed. If anything happened to Wynn, Civardi would have his hide as a new hat! The Draenei bolted to the other side of the duelers' line of site, turning to shield Wynn as he tried nudging her away from the fight.
The wench kneeled on her good knee, clutching and raising the crossbow in between sobs. She picked up the weapon to aim at the man. He still held his pistol, still smirking, "You got one shot there, wench. Make it worthwhile!"
Her hands trembled around the crossbow, aiming hesitantly. As Tunaak nudged Wynn away, he suddenly found the street suddenly far too narrow for his liking. It made him nauseous as he eyed the unsteady crossbow. Eyes shutting tight, the wench fired.
In the split second the bolt flew, Tunaak began to draw a breath. The bolt took an eternity to strike its unintended target.
Tunaak curled his tail as he blinked, inhaling lightly as his tail no longer nudged Wynn away from the dueling pair. As the man slowly lowered his pistol, gazing at the two, Wynn was at Tunaak's side. The wench trembled as she hit the cobble street face first. She lost a considerable amount of blood already, the crossbow clanging on the street.
Turning to face Wynn and the man, the Draenei took a step back, leaning heavily against the stone wall as he gasped. The bolt protruded from his chestpiece, blue blood leaking without hesitation. The man behind Wynn ducked out of sight towards the wench, and to where, Tunaak no longer cared. His vision blurred as Wynn grabbed his cheeks, the Draenei's hands trembling as he grasped the protruding part of the bolt.
Finding his ability to concentrate retarded from his wound, Tunaak fervently called upon the Light to mend his wound as he attempted pulling the bolt out. The razor sharp edges of the tip made it excruciatingly painful, slicing into new veins and occasionally ones that had just been sealed.
Wynn spoke, but Tunaak could only stare at her as he slowly pulled out the bolt. His shock and blood loss from the wound was messing with his hearing.
The head of the bolt finally appeared from Tunaak's chestpiece. Wincing with one more surge of pain from moving the bolt, he finally removed it, letting it clack against the street. The Draenei doubled over, gasping with relief as Wynn knelt down and rested her hands on his plated shoulders.
He should have been feeling better, but he wasn't. His dark skin paled and his breaths came in deep, quivering rasps. Tunaak winced, coughing up blood. He had missed mending something in his chest! Before he could summon the Light to aide him again, -if- he could, he was jerked from the streets by two pairs of strong arms. He was dragged over one of the canal bridges and half way through another district of the city before being deposited before the steps of the Cathedral.
Tunaak looked up to see a muscular human and a Night Elf slightly bigger than the average male of his race. Blinking, and spitting up a few more drops of blood, Tunaak rolled to his back as Wynn crouched next to his left leg. Her hands grasped at his chestpiece as a familiar voice cried his name. It wasn't Wynn who called him, and he rolled his eyes to find the source.
The muscular human dashed up the steps to the Cathedral as her face came to view. Tunaak whispered her name as the woman's hands grasped onto his cheeks. He blinked away tears – was he crying? No, it was hers, tears flowing down her cheeks and splattering over her hands, his forehead, and his nose.
The human that helped drag him there returned with another Paladin. The Paladin leaned heavily on a silver cane, favoring his right leg. With one look at the Draenei, the Paladin sprung into action. Motioning for the pair who dragged Tunaak to take off the chestpiece, Tunaak found himself breathing slightly easier without the large plate around his chest. The relief didn't last, being dashes away as he coughed up a larger amount of blood.
Wynn had been pushed aside by the Human, hesitating before surrendering her spot to stand a couple strides away. She couldn't take her eyes off Tunaak, tears welling up in her eyes.
The Paladin coughed, his purple hood covering all but his eyes. Tunaak couldn't take his eyes off the Human that held his cheeks. He whispered her name again as his tail slowly bobbed before relaxing on the street.
Getting to his knees with strained effort, the Paladin eyed the Draenei. He asked where he was wounded. Wynn started for a moment, almost lost in the horrifying thought of losing Tunaak. She found the words to tell the Paladin, and he nodded wisely in response.
Reaching for a pouch of vials under his purple cape, the Paladin pulls one out. He rips the hole in Tunaak's shirt from where the bolt entered. The skin had not been fully mended, Tunaak hadn't been able to fully close it before collapsing. A few drops from the vial dripped into the wound carefully, and the Paladin replaced it in his pouch.
The hard cobblestone underneath Tunaak felt like it melted away beneath him. As his body began to numb, he reached up with a trembling hand to touch the woman hovering above him. His eyes radiated passionately, sadness overwhelmed him as his arm dropped to the cobblestone before he could get his hand half way to touch her cheek. The comfort that the Human's warm hands offered on Tunaak's cheeks slowly melted away, ceasing with the feeling in his face.
Civardi hurtled on scene, yanking the reins on his cat to bring the riding feline to an abrupt halt. The cat growled in rebellion, but did not turn on its rider as Civardi leapt to Wynn's side. The Night Elf Rogue was in not in a good mood, eyeing his brother on the street and cursing explosively. Wynn hushed him as the Paladin gave the Rogue a "shut the hell up" glare.
Turning back to Tunaak, the Paladin explained to the party, "I'm going to heal him more properly. Don't worry, I'm experienced." He looks up at the woman over Tunaak's head, eyeing her softly, "Excuse me, miss… But this will be a little bloody."
She looked up at the Paladin as he pulled out a knife, nodding once as another sob escaped her lips. He cut into Tunaak's chest, blood seeping out profusely. With a wave of a Light glowing hand, the blood seeping out the fresh cut lessened greatly. He cut, waved his hand, cut and waved once more.
Tunaak's primary heart pounded furiously in his chest as the Paladin found what was wrong. The bolt had narrowly missed his heart, but managed to slice one of the large veins leaving the heart. A similar slice revealed before the Paladin at the top of Tunaak's lung.
Setting the knife to the side, the Paladin fills his hands with the Light. He takes a deep breath and opens his palms to Tunaak's chest. Light pulses from the Paladin's hands, radiating warmly and brightly. The slices in Tunaak's vein and lung slowly seal up as the Paladin begins concentrating on resealing his chest.
Blearily, Tunaak continues to eye the woman over him. There is no feeling in his body, and his hooves feel like they're itching. Pulling out one more vial, the Paladin hands it to the woman, explaining it will nullify the numbing potion he used. He cleans the knife he used on his cape and grabs his silver cane.
Civardi steps up next to the woman, kneeling and grasping Tunaak's shoulder. The Paladin chuckles softly, struggling to rise to his feet and hobbling a few feet away. The two men that dragged Tunaak there lingered for a moment before shrugging or rolling their shoulders and leaving. So long as the Draenei was going to live, they were content to go back to their business.
"Brother…!" Civardi chokes. He pulls off the shoulder plates, setting them with the chestpiece. Tugging on the broad shoulders, Civardi manages to sit Tunaak up at a shallow angle, the Draenei's head spikes scratching against leather bound arms.
Gently lifting up his head, the woman's fingers were carefully grasped behind Tunaak's head, careful not to scratch her hand on the sharp spikes. Wynn collapsed to her knees next to Tunaak's left leg, sniffling and eyeing Tunaak with watery eyes.
"Love, drink this…" the woman's breath quivered as she set the open end of the vial to his lips. Tunaak could not feel a thing, and was uncertain if it was even at his lips. A few small drops dripped down his throat, and he ended up coughing vehemently. Though hacked back up, the liquid had done its work, but it only barely began to start.
The second time the vial was pressed on his lips, he could feel the touch. Though feeling still felt as far off as the sun, he managed to drink a couple drops. The vial away, Tunaak winced and breathed a huge sigh of relief. His hooves still itched like hell, but that would surely go away with the remaining numbness.
The woman who had held his cheeks sobbed, overwhelmed to see him moving on his own. She wrapped her arms around his ribs, barely able to reach behind his shoulders, and nuzzled his neck affectionately. Her tears poured, wetting the collar of Tunaak's white shirt.
"Keda…" Tunaak sighed, wrapping his arms around the woman. They held each other for a long moment, Civardi and Wynn glancing warmly at each other.
Keda hiccupped once and relaxed on his chest. The sound of his hearts beating comforted her, the solid triple-thumping sound from both his hearts letting her know he was still alive.
"Tuna," Civardi sternly asked, using his brother's nickname and still him up, "Who did this to you?"
Tunaak tilted his head to eye Civardi. He looked hard into the Kaldorei's eyes, for they had grown very dark. Shadows began engulfing the brilliant amber eyes, consuming the orbs.
"Brother…?" Tunaak asked, almost gasping. He had never seen this in Civardi, and feared for him. Keda looked up, inhaling sharply as her eyes saw what Tunaak did. Wynn eyed Civardi, eyes softening. The Paladin leaning on his silver cane raised a quizzical eyebrow at Civardi, carefully observing the Kaldorei.
"Who did this to you, brother!" Civardi snarled angrily. He snapped his jaws tight, clenching a dagger at his belt with his hand that wasn't helping prop up Tunaak.
Wynn, looking in a haze, answered, "A wench from the Pig. One of the regulars, I think."
Civardi eyes Wynn for a moment. His eyes were only shadows as he bolted from his spot to his mount. Tunaak winced as he fell back against the cobblestone, yelling after his brother. The wound he had stole nearly all of his strength, and he had so little of it regained. Tunaak reached out in Civardi's direction, yelling for him to stop. His shout was only in vain as Civardi and saber bounded around a corner.
Keda lowered her gaze from Civardi's direction, placing a gentle hand on the big guy's cheek. He hesitated and turned his head to see her. Her eyes glistened, radiating passionately as she touched his nose with hers.
Tunaak's hearts swelled, raising a hand and finally being able to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
Wynn choked, her hip sitting against Tunaak's leg. The Draenei's tail flicked a few times before finding an ankle to curl over.
"Wh-…" Wynn stammered, "What happened to Civardi…?" She curled up slightly, hugging her legs to her chest. Shortly, all of their attention was diverted to a frantic yell from the direction Civardi dashed off to. The wench from the Pig clamored on the scene, sprinting at full speed to the gathered party. She gasped for air, lungs aching and heart pounding frantically.
She got within ten feet of the party at the bottom of the Cathedral's steps when Civardi bursts around the corner on foot. He gains ground quickly, a dagger poised like a scorpion tail to strike the wench!
At the Blue Recluse, Tunaak leaned on the back of his chair with his shoulder. Keda rest in his lap, curled up slightly and content in being propped up on the Draenei's chest. She seemed to glow slightly, but for what reason, Tunaak could not discern.
Arms wrapped around Keda, he squeezed her gently in a reassuring hug. She smiled affectionately, raising her nose to nuzzle his neck as Tunaak's chin appendages splayed around her head. He chuckled softly, pulling off his already half way off jacket to cover her better.
The Blue Recluse was always a lot more calm, the vast majority of drunks preferring the Pig 'n' Whistle over the slightly more uptight tavern keepers of the Blue. For that, Tunaak preferred the Blue Recluse when he was with Keda, not being inclined to risking Keda being the attention of any drunks who would mind her.
"I'm with child, Love," Keda said softly, kissing his neck.
Tunaak regarded her words for a moment, raising an eyebrow in response as he gently kissed the top of her head. When her words began to fully sink in, his tail flopped over his leg, curling around Keda's waist as far as it would reach. He was going to be a father…?
The tavern spun around him, and Tunaak slumped against the back of the chair, passed out.