Author's Note: This is from Civardi's point of view... so it's all his.
(So I was somewhat surprised when Tunaak approached me and asked to do a collaborative piece involving our characters. Needless to say I was honored and gladly said 'Hell Ya!'. and now..on to the second half...Warning..it's a bit long..but a lot happened in the rp. I hope you enjoy it))
There was yelling. Voices raised in anger and fear mixed with the sound of stomping boots and the clamor of weaponry. He guided his mount around the corner, the large feline snarling in agitation to the noise and flattening it's ears with a hiss. He could feel it's spine moving as it twitched it's tail angrily behind it and placed a gloved hand upon the beasts neck to calm it. It didn't work, but it was worth a try and reminded the cat that it still had a rider.
Civardi eyed the commotion up ahead, several people milling about with weapons drawn in front of the tavern. Most of the gathering was centered around a young woman who was on her knee's in tears, two men yelling angrily at her while others watched with tense fascination. "Seems we came at a bad time eh Sharmack?" He murmured to his mount, tapping his heels against the cats side and urging it towards the mob. He spotted the tavern's waitress standing in the doorway, her face pale and hair hanging from her ponytail in fretted strands. She looked entirely flustered as she paced the doorway, clutching her tray to her chest and tapping her fingers along the edges. She spotted Civardi and seemed to pale more, fingers releasing the tray as she stepped back in horror, not noticing as the tray fell from her grasp and bounced down the wooden steps to rattle along the street. Well that wasn't exactly the reaction I was hoping for He thought as he reigned in Sharmack and slid from the saddle. Elly nervously trotted over, eyes darting around her nervously before finally coming to rest on him. She licked her lips and placed a hand on his chest, she was shaking.
"Civardi...It's Tunaak...He's been shot by a crossbow. I don't know if he's okay but Wynn and two men took him to the cathedral.." She winced as if he was about to hit her, clenching her eyes shut and pulling her hand from his armor to hold before her in fear. Apparently she remembered the last few times something had happened to his family and the ensuing slaughter that occurred afterwards. He felt a small pang of sadness that she should feel that he would take his anger out on her. Elly blinked as nothing happened, her gaze slowly slitting open and rising from the ground back up to Civardi's eyes. She stepped back in horror as she watched the glow suddenly start to dim from his gaze, finally fading completely and leaving only darkness. His jaw clenched and he spun on his heel, Grasping the horn of his saddle and mounting Sharmack in a single fluid motion. The cat growled loudly as it sensed it's rider's anger, hackles rising along it's shoulders and neck , tail lashing behind it. With a tap of his heels the mount launched forward, charging into the group gathered outside of the tavern and blasting through, leaving several individuals sprawling on the cobblestones in confusion, the others with raised fists yelling at him to watch his path.
He raced to cathedral square, urging his mount to greater speeds then he should within the city's crowded streets and alleyways, panic and anger gripping his heart as he flew past wagons and people alike, guiding his mount around corners and carts and finally over the bridge. He should have been there for Tunaak, he should have protected him. What kind of a brother was he to let Tunaak get shot because he was late to meet him. His mount rounded the corner into Cathedral square, Civardi's gaze locking on the small gathering of people loitering around a large draenei laying upon the stone steps that ran up to the arched doorways of the church itself. His cat hurtled towards them, claws suddenly raking the pavement as he yanked back on the reigns, leaping from the mount as it brought it's haunches down to stop fully, letting out a roar of protest to the rough treatment but obeying none the less. Civardi dropped the reigns and ran over to the gathering, looking down to Tunaak's bare chest and the thick blue blood that stained the tatters of his torn shirt and surrounded the puncture wound.
He erupted into a string of expletives, each curse louder and more colorful then the last until Wynn covered his mouth with a hand, a purple clad paladin, masked and clutching a silver cane, looking up to him in agitation. He recognized Aurric from a previous encounter, but immediately let the thought slip from his mind as he dropped to Tunaaks side, kneeling beside his brother and holding him down by the shoulders as the paladin spoke his intentions and immediately got to work. He watched partially as the human fed healing light into the wound, his mind slowly sinking deeper and deeper into itself, his previous anger shifting into cold calculation. With a tap of his cane Aurric rose, chuckling softly and handing Keda a small vial, giving her instructions on what to do with it before stepping back and watching the small, eclectic family. "Brother..!" He choked slightly as he removed the rest of Tunaaks armor and hefted him up into a sitting position. He waited while Tunaak and Keda shared a tender moment, the human's tears soaking her pale cheeks and bringing a redness to her eyes. She fed the draenei the potion and leaned against him, listening to the beating of his hearts as if in fear they would suddenly stop. Civardi felt the anger rising within him again and he shut it off, dropping fully into himself. He was vaguely aware of asking Tunaak what happened, who had shot him, his voiced muffled as instincts strained to take in everything around him. He was ready to hunt. The glow vanished from his eyes and he settled a black, emotionless gaze upon the four, snapping his attention to Keda as she gasped and moved away from him. "Who did this to you!" He snarled, his hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of his dagger. An ear twitched as Wynn fearfully told him of the whore who had shot Tunaak, the woman Civardi had seen earlier huddled on the ground and crying amongst a gathering of tavern patrons. He regarded her with a shark like gaze briefly before whistling for his mount.
Without another thought or word to the four he turned and leapt onto the battle cat, thumping his heels into the beasts sides and spinning the cat around. Within a heartbeat the mount was once more charging along the cobblestones, claws gripping the grime encrusted road. He didn't need to go far apparently as his target stepped around the corner, flanked by the two men who had previously been yelling at her. Her eyes were still red with tears, but she was laughing and joking with the men jovially, clearly having forgiven them for their earlier yelling. The three stopped as Civardi reigned in Sharmack and slid from the saddle, daggers appearing in his hands and an unsettling gaze washing over them. He pointed a dagger towards the woman "You" He said softly, striding purposefully towards her, lowering his dagger slightly before suddenly charging. She shrieked, backpedaling madly and stumbling between and then past her two companions. The man on the left unsheathed his sword and stepped into Civardi's charge, their blades clashing loudly, sparking from the force of the impact. Civardi brought a leg up swiftly and kicked outwards as the two pressed their blades together, his foot connecting solidly with the mans groin. With a yelp the man's eyes rolled back in his head, blade dropping slightly as he reached down to cover himself. It was all Civardi needed. His second blade came in above the sword and slashed viciously across the exposed neck, tearing easily into the skin and opening up his throat.
The woman screamed as she saw her companion slump to his knee's, crimson spilling heavily over his chest and running down to the ground. Not wanting to stick around she charged past Civardi, nearly leaping into the canal itself in an attempt to avoid his sudden slash towards her midsection. His blade connected with the fabric of her shirt, slicing a hole but effectively doing nothing much else. With a roar the second man charged Civardi, thinking him distracted by the fleeing woman. His sword screeched from it's sheath as he slashed clumsily at the elf's midsection. Civardi twisted and stepped back, the mans blade missing his stomach by a mere few inches and swinging widely off to the side. Without even blinking Civardi stepped into the wide open arch of the mans arms, the dagger of his right hand spinning around as he aimed a heavy handed pommel punch to the human's gut. The man gasped as the air left his lungs, the pommel of civardi's dagger driving upwards into his solar plexus and compacting his lungs. The man let out a strangled gurgle as Civardi's other blade punched upwards through the bottom of his jaw, into his mouth and further into his skull.
He tore his blade from the dying man's skull and spun around, charging after the fleeing woman with a snarl of frustration. He gained ground quickly, his longer stride eating the pavement hungrily and propelling him forward. She rounded the corner into Cathedral square, screaming bloody murder and charging straight for Tunaak and the others, waving her arms for help and glancing over her shoulder. She burst into terrified tears as she saw Civardi charge into view, daggers bloodied and held before him. Her glance caused her to stumble, tossing her to her knee's with a yelp, hands and legs scrabbling to pull herself upright again and get away from the murderous elf. She stumbled forward again and fell, spinning around to her back as the sound of charging footsteps caught her ears. She brought her arms up before her face in fear as Civardi leapt onto her, both daggers slipping around her arms and driving the entire length of their blades into the sides of her neck where it met her shoulders. She quaked under him, eyes wide with shock as blood started to pour from her mouth. She let out a gurgle as she slumped back onto the pavement, eyes rolling closed in death and arms dropping limply to the cobbles. Civardi rose slowly, bending only to clean his blades on the womans torn tunic, gaze staring emotionlessly down at her. His attention snapped to the startled gasps of his family, body suddenly crouching down and daggers slipping forward defensively.
They stared at him with disbelief, mouth's agape and horror written over their features. They couldnt remove their gazes from his eyes, Keda letting out a muffled yelp and slipping behind Tunaak, remembering that death like gaze and knowing what it meant for those who approached him at this time. Tunaak choked softly as he stared at his brother, his shaking body rolling to his knee's and attempting to pull himself to his hooves. He reached out a hand towards Civardi "Brother...?" He gasped before falling to his stomach with a groan, still weakened. Keda was at his side in a heartbeat, tugging him back and away "No! Don't go near him! He's lost to his shadows!" She whispered to them in a panic, bringing her hand up to stop Aurric as he stepped forward towards Civardi. The purple clad paladin looking down to Keda in confusion "Whats wrong with him? what do you mean 'lost to his shadows'?" The man growled, eyeing the body of the woman at the base of the stairs, then looking back to Civardi as he crouched near it. He took another step forward only to have Keda grab at his tabard. Keda looked over to Wynn sadly "Wynn...see if you can snap him out of it...he listened to you once before, he may again" Wynn nodded softly, chewing her bottom lip in fear and stepping tentatively forward . She inhaled deeply and steeled herself, boldly stepping up to Civardi and shoving his blades away before wrapping him into a hug. Everyone held their breath as they watched Wynn and Civardi, bodies tense.
Civardi tensed as Wynn fearlessly walked into his arms, shoving his blades to the side boldly and wrapping him up into a hug. His stillness was shortlived as he exploded into action, a leg slipping around hers, body twisting around within her grasp. His left dagger was sheathed effortlessly, freeing his hand which grabbed at Wynn's shirt at her shoulder. He hefted her up and bucked his hip, trying to toss her off of him and only succeeding in tossing both them to the pavement as she latched her hands together and onto his armor. The two landed with a crack upon the pavement, Civardi twisting as they collided and slipping from Wynn's hold, rolling to his feet with a snarl. Aurric limped forward, stepping close to the two and ignoring Keda's pleading protests. He rapped his cane loudly upon the pavement, snagging Civardi's attention and causing the elf to crouch slightly, both blades unsheathed once more and brought before him defensively. "Enough! Whats wrong with him?" The Paladin demanded angrily, eyeing Civardi in turn and watching as the elf shifted his weight easily from foot to foot yet remained where he was. Wynn rose to her feet and once more stepped towards Civardi "Stop! Leave him alone! I can get through to him, just stop distracting him!" She cried as she once more boldly stepped into his arms, wrapping herself around him and pleading with him to come back with gentle whispers into his ear.
His dagger spun in his grasp, pommel facing Wynns stomach and suddenly punching forward and up into her solar plexus roughly, blasting the wind from her lungs and causing her to slump into him with a whimper. Yet she stubbornly refused to let go. He reared back once more, aiming for another punch to the gut when he froze, Wynn, gasping for air, started to sing softly into his ear. The darkness started to recede with her song, the glow slowly returning to his eyes as she pulled him from within himself. Aurric, only seeing Civardi punch Wynn and seeing his hand drawn back again, stepped forward and threw his hand out before him, releasing a hammer of justice down upon Civardi and blasting the elf from Wynns grasp. Civardi crashed into the pavement several feet from Wynn, landing harshly on his back and cracking the back of his head on the stone ground. His daggers flew from his hands, skittering loudly across the cobbles and sliding to a stop several feet away. The world was spinning in his head, his eyes unable to focus and pain thundering through him. He groaned loudly "Oh wow...A-anyone get the number of ...that Kodo?" He croaked as he rolled to his side, clutching his chest.
He didn't hear Aurric speaking with Keda and Tunaak, or Wynn sobbing quietly nearby. Aurric departed on other business, feeling that justice had been done with Tunaaks shooter, if perhaps a bit brutally, and under the claims that Keda and Tunaak would make sure Civardi was well in hand. His ears were ringing loudly from the paladins spell, body aching and lungs gasping for air. He felt a strong hand upon his shoulder and looked up into the painfilled and worried eyes of Tunaak, the heavy Draenei kneeling painfully beside him "Brother...are you back?" He asked tentatively, almost as if he was terrified that Civardi would lunge at him and cut his throat. He gave Tunaak a confused look and slowly sat up, shaking his head to clear his mind and vision alike. "What do you mean? Where did I go?" He rasped, his gaze roving over the draenei before looking past him to Wynn curled upon the pavement, sobbing heavily and clutching her stomach. Keda hovered over the woman, concern crossing her pale features.
"Wynn?" He yelled, suddenly feeling nothing but worry and leaping to his feet. He staggered slightly but managed to make his way over to her, dropping to his knee's at her side and looking questioningly over to Keda as he scooped Wynn up into his arms, hugging her to his chest "What happened? Who hurt her?" Keda looked sadly up at Civardi and shook her head, leaning forward to wipe the ever flowing tears from Wynn's cheeks. "You did" She whispered as she sat back once more and rose to tend to Tunaak. Civardi paled and looked down at Wynn. Her eyes were filled with pain and fear. He shook slightly as he stared down at her, not wanting to believe Keda's words but unable to deny them. He didn't remember what had happened, his memory was a haze. He vaguely remembered darkness, then Wynns song pulling him back to the light and finally pain as he was struck by Aurric. What had he done to Wynn? did he stab her? ..no there was no blood...She clutched protectively to her stomach and sobbed once more, curling into his chest and burrowing her face in his armor. He must have hit her in the stomach..and hard from the looks of it.
"Oh..Wynn...I-I'm sorry..oh gods what have I done?" He choked, holding her tightly and offering a sob of his own. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as he listened to Wynns pain filled sniffles, feeling her shaking within his arms yet refusing to let him go. "We'll get you a priest...or..someone to heal you" he murmured into her ears only to find her stiffening and sitting up with a terrified look "No!" She yelled "No I'm fine!...no Priests..not now..they cant...no I'm fine love" She stammered, clutching protectively at her abdomen once more and folding up in his lap. They three of them stared at Wynn in confusion, watching as she began to sob once more. Civardi looked up at them pleadingly, not understanding what was wrong and thinking he had hurt her worse then he had thought. She turned and regarded Keda for a moment before burrying her face back into Civardi's chest, crying uncontrollably. Keda blinked at the look, the color draining from her face as realization dawned on her. She leapt to her feet "Oh...Wynn...Gods I'll get a priest!" she gasped and dashed into the cathedral, skirts fluttering around her ankles. Civardi grew only more confused, looking to Tunaak for an explanation and receiving only a confused shrug in response.
Keda returned in a panic, the priest that had healed Civardi when he had been shot stumbling down the stairs behind her, both moving as fast as they could. The priest dropped before Wynn, motioning to Civardi to turn Wynn around on his lap to face her fully. He complied and watched as the priest placed a glowing hand upon Wynn's abdomen, closing her eyes and whispering several prayers. The light from her hand increased, forcing Civardi to avert his gaze with a hiss of pain, hiding his face in Wynns hair and praying that everything was okay. He felt Wynn shift uncomfortably, stiffing another sob as the priest worked. She leaned back and looked up to him, eyes red and puffy from crying "I didn't want to tell you this way" She croaked, tears slipping down her cheeks once more. He looked at her in utter confusion, causing her to choke out another whimper. The priest stopped her healing and looked up at the two, frowning irritably "I need you to relax and stay still or I wont be able to save it"
"It?" Civardi blinked, eyeing the priest before looking down to Wynn "It?" he asked again, watching as her features contorted once more into a sob "I'm pregnant Civardi" she stammered, cheeks glistening softly in the afternoon light. All color left his face as he realized what was truly going on. understanding why she was sobbing, the terrified look in her eyes as she held her belly protectively. "P-pregnant?" He blurted out, gasping and finding it hard to breath. He stared down at Wynn and did the only intelligent thing he could think of. He passed out.
Gentle hands caressed his cheek, the feel of a warm kiss gracing his forehead. He moaned and forced his eyes to open, blinking them closed swiftly as the light assaulted him. He covered his face with a forearm and blinked once more, his eyes adjusting to the brightness and looking blearily up into Wynns beautiful face. She smiled sweetly at him. To him she seemed to glow, like an angel. He sat up and shook his head softly, memories washing back to him in a flood and causing him to let out a strangled gasp. He choked back a sob and looked to Wynn, a hand falling to her stomach fearfully "I-is...are you okay..is it okay?" He locked gazes with her, eyes full of worry and his breath stuck in his chest. She smiled, nodding her head gently and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug "Everything is fine now...And I'm told it's a boy" She whispered lovingly into his ear. All tension fled from his body and he slumped into her arms, wrapping his own around her and pulling her into him, tears falling unhindered down his cheeks as he nuzzled his head into her neck.
"I'm so sorry" He whispered into her neck "Oh Wynn I'm so sorry" He held her tightly, scared to let her go and wanting only to feel her against him. Reassuring him still that things were going to be okay. She shushed him quietly and ran her fingers through his hair "Shh angel...It's okay...it's okay now. The priest's healing worked..though she's exhausted...The baby is fine...your going to be a dad" She chuckled, the sound like music to his ears. He held her within his arms, rolling her words around in his head and suddenly smiling proudly "I'm going to be a dad...