"T'aint the Vale, but is nah too bad mon." Drenju basked in the glow of Ashenvale forest. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, shouldering his rifle. "Smell good, Tatanga? I like it too." He ruffled the owl's feathers. "Quit messin' wit dat compass ting Penji. We come from da south, obviously we goin' north. Ya just step to da left and we goin' west. I been here before anyways."
"Brotha, your way we neva gonna know when we get to da Strand. Jus'lemme figure dis stuff out, yeah?" Penji studied his crude maps while scribbling calculations on parchment. Drenju shook his head.
"Takin' you ta that goblin town was da biggest mistake o' my life. Ya toss some of ah money ta some greedy lil' bastard and ya tink you dat Bronzebeard dwarf. Ya need more time in da open. Only way ya learn, pup." Penji continued to ignore his brother and scribbled more numbers. "Ya lissen ta ya elders Penji, put da stupid pen down."
"Ya,ya, ya, Drenju. We hurry'n we can make it der by tonight." Penji rolled up and tucked away the maps in his pack.
"What's da rush, kid? Nobody waitin' fo us. Jus relax, we go slow'n camp out tanight." Penji's body jerked at the mention of making camp. He hated sleeping outdoors. It didn't help Ashenvale was crawling with the Alliance, but his eldest brother was a nature boy. Sometimes it wasn't worth arguing with him, though that didn't stop him from trying.
"Aw c'mon brotha. You know how much I like a nice soft bed'n all dat. W'can make it ta da orc base northeast here iffya'wan. T'aint too far." Penji's voice had the slightest begging tone to it.
"Ya made me sleep in one o' dose stupid beds and me back ache f'days. We sleepin' out here mon'n dat's dat. Y'know Tatanga don' like towns eitha." Drenju gently stroked the owl's back and she gently hooted in appreciation.
"When ya gonna treat me betta' den dat lil' pet'o yours brotha?" his brother grumbled.
"When ya quit cryin' like a baby." Drenju trekked off the path to the west humming to his companion who obediently followed behind him. Penji sighed in disappointment before trudging after his brother. He loved his brother, but sometimes contemplated the use of poisons to get his way. They continued their journey at a tedious pace for the next hour; Drenju was even stopping to gather herbs, grinning widely at his brother while doing so. This only made Penji hunch over more than a troll should and glare at his brother in annoyance.
"Ya pushin' it bro. Pushin' it big time." Penji growled through clenched teeth. Drenju's grin broke into savage smile, teeth and fangs gleaming and eyes squinting as he sat down and began grinding the herbs together in a mortar. Penji wanted to smack that smile a day's hike off his face.
"Nuts to ya. I'ma headin' to da Strand me self. Haffun unda ya starry night." Penji gave his brother a quiet snarl and took off at an alarming speed. His brother laughed, making sure Penji could hear as he ran off.
"Ya nevah gonna make it 'der runnin' like dat!" he called after him. He continued grinding the herbs as he turned to Tatanga, "Such a baby, yeah? Dun'worry. He be sorry 'bout goin' off when I'ma finished wit mah mix." Drenju lightly dipped his finger into the mortar and sucked on it. His pupils slowly dilated as he giggled choppily.
"Almos'der," Tatanga's amber eyes narrowed as she hopped away from her keeper. She didn't like the mix. "Aww, c'mere girl. T'aint too bad once ya get used ta it." She hooted in response and began waddling down Penji's tracks.
"Ya leave him be Tatanga. Dat idiot kid come back when he realize he aint gonna make it." Drenju continued grinding the herbs with the pestle. Tatanga hooted once again and sped up. Drenju called after her.
"Tatanga, ya listen ta me!" Drenju put on his stern voice, halting the pestle. When she squawked and refused to come back, he quickly emptied his mix into a vial, picked up his rifle and went after her.
Mebe she don't think I should stay here, Drenju thought, or mebe she just wantin' me ta be my brotha's keeper. Tatanga always seemed to find trouble before he could.
-
The tiny amount of light in Ashenvale left with the sun as it ducked below the horizon. Penji stopped his sprint abruptly to catch his breath. Sweat beading at the tip of his chin, swaying as he inhaled the cool air before falling into the soft earth below him. His knees felt weak and he desperately needed rest. His brother was right, which only angered him more. He wasted all his energy in a stupid dash and now he wasn't going to make it the Zoram base like he planned on doing. He was a good hour away from his brother by now and probably wasn't going to sleep any easier tonight. Being such a short distance from the elf base here didn't help his discomfort. He gulped down a bottle of melon juice and collapsed on his face, relishing the feel of the cool grass on his skin.
His ear twitched. Pushing himself off the ground, he listened carefully. A scraping noise, too erratic to be beast. There was definitely someone near. Rolling over onto his back, Penji quickly concealed himself in the shadows and rose to his feet silently. Carefully sidestepping twigs and dry leaves, he crept towards the source. He was close to the edge of the forest, where the low hills rose into the steep mountains. A patch of pure white in the distance caught his eye. Thinking the sound might have been someone sharpening a weapon, Penji drew his own.
He inched closer to the small clearing, discovering that what had grabbed his attention was the hair of an elf. Judging by the body shape, it was a girl. He saw the back of her huddled over a small pile of twigs and small sparks of light. She must have been at this for a good while. He circled around her to get a better look at her project, stifling a laugh.
If there was a title you could give someone for being the least competent with flint and steel, she would've earned it. Penji watched the sad display with mild amusement for several more minutes until she straightened up and threw the flint at the tree he was spying on her from. Sighing in frustration, she plopped down on her rear and hugged her knees to her chest. Rubbing her arms, she pulled a small blanket from her packs and wrapped it around herself. Penji felt pity for her and had the urge to show her the right way to build a fire, but he hesitated.
His brother hated any kind of confrontations with the Alliance so normally they would veer off course just to avoid coming into their eyeshot. A serious demeanor often replaced Drenju's jolly mood in their presence. Penji was the youngest of his siblings and had seen little of this so-called Alliance. If he didn't know any better, he just took his brother's word. He told him to stay out of their way if he knew what was good for him.
Even knowing his brother's reaction to them, he had a hard time believing she would be of any danger to him. It was common knowledge in his family how to start a fire and also know not to start one this late unless they knew they were completely safe. If he had a reason to, he wagered he could have easily dispatched before she even knew what was going on. Lucky for her, Penji was a young and inquisitive traveler, not a cold hearted killer.
Sheathing his daggers, Penji picked up her discarded flint and cautiously moved towards her. He gently cleared his throat at a safe distance to get her attention. Spotting the troll, the stranger immediately tossed aside her blanket and brandished a staff lying next to her.
A long string of unfamiliar words flew from her mouth in a harsh tone. Penji stood his ground and raised his hands in the air, his left still holding her flint. Scowling at him, she readied her staff to strike him if necessary. She was younger than he had originally thought, also much shorter. Thinking it was a little too soon to be studying her he tried his best to avoid eye contact or stare. Putting on his most disarming smile, Penji took small steps towards her, hands still held up above his shoulders. The girl took a step back when he came within arms reach of her and another stream of angry gibberish left her lips. Penji carefully extended his hand to offer the flint back to her and was rewarded with a wild swing of her staff to his head. The sound of it cutting through the air was much more pleasant to him than the crack of it against his skull. He quickly backpedaled to create some distance and gave her an incredulous look. He began to have second thoughts of helping her with the fire.
-
Kalira was beginning to regret packing as many supplies as she did. Sure, she was well prepared but extra baggage made traveling so much more cumbersome. Stopping to wipe the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her robe, she continued hobbling her way to Astranaar leaning her weight on her staff. She had hoped to make it there the day before but she couldn't bear to discard any items she paid good money for. It looked as though she would have to make camp, again. It's not that she didn't want to keep going, but her knees were buckling and it felt like someone was pressing a searing brand to her calves every time she took a step.
Sighing in resignation, she made her way off the road to the edge of Ashenvale. She felt a pang of guilt knowing her friends would be waiting for her; then she recalled them abandoning her at Darkshore to see the Astranaar flight master and the feeling was wiped away with the next wipe of her brow. Some friends, Kalira thought rather contemptuously, though she knew there wasn't much reason to. She was always afraid to say no and got talked into buying heavy objects in town.
Figuring she had gone off the path far enough, Kalira gladly threw her staff and heavy packs aside and stretched, arching her back and grunting in satisfaction. Linking her hands she lifted her arms above her head, wafting the stink in her armpits to her nostrils, making her face twist. She desperately wanted to bathe but it was too late now. She took a quick glance around before quickly slipping out of her priestess' robes and changing into a simple white shift. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something always made her feel as if she was being watched. The leers she received outside Darkshore from random men didn't help. Her stomach growled and Kalira realized she hadn't even stopped to eat lunch today. Food occupied her thoughts now and one of the few benefits of traveling with a pack weighing a ton presented itself. She gorged on venison and nectar, enjoying the full taste of the meat and sweet taste and scent of her drink.
A chilly breeze kicked up and Kalira shivered as she finished her meal. The sweat cooling off her skin only intensified the cold. Digging through one of her packs, she pulled out the flint and steel. She frowned at the tool; since she bought the damn thing she hadn't managed to start a single fire with it. "Mother made it look so easy," she thought out loud.
She grudgingly wandered around her camp looking for firewood, though her legs screamed in protest of her actions. Figuring she had enough for a small fire, she dropped the wood in a jumble and proceeded to scrape her tools together in the next attempt. Kalira spent the next few minutes shooting sparks at a thick branch before she gave up. Her previous failures not providing any confidence to persist, she angrily flung the large chunk of flint at a nearby tree. A strong gust of wind shook the trees around her and she grumbled. Searching through her packs again and pulled out a large wool blanket. It was coarse and itchy against her bare arms but it definitely made her warmer. Slowly settling in she leaned against a large tree root, searching for a groove to nestle into. Her long day of traveling had caught up to her and she yawned, completely exhausted. Stomach full and content, she let her heavy eyelids close…
Only moments later a sound deprived her from rest she desperately needed.
Kalira's eye fluttered open wide. She gasped, finding someone standing only several feet from her. Throwing aside the blanket, she scrambled for her staff desperately needing to feel it in her hands. Standing in her battle stance, she quickly analyzed this person that had taken her completely by surprise. He stood hunched over and sported two rather large tusks. Right away she knew it was a troll, but she had never seen one this close before nor did she know much about them. For some reason the beast was holding his hands in the air, one holding the flint rock she had discarded only moments ago, and he was either smiling or snarling; it was hard to tell with those hideous tusks jutting out of his mouth. She spotted the daggers hanging at his sides and her heart raced. Narrowing her eyes, she tried her best to look intimidating and warned her intruder, "Don't come any closer or I'll be forced to attack!"
It didn't dawn on her immediately that he couldn't comprehend. Kalira panicked when he shuffled a little closer and she stepped back, swallowing hard. "I'm warning you," she threatened, struggling to keep her voice from shaking. He extended his hand towards her and out of impulse Kalira swung her staff as hard as she could at his head and nearly lost her balance when she hit nothing but air. Recovering, she thought she saw a hurt look flash across the troll's face but the current situation was a bit more pressing than his feelings. He stopped his advance and put his hands further up in the air. Slowly going down to one knee, he gently set the stone on the ground and backed away, waving slowly at her.
Now she did feel slightly guilty. It seemed that he just wanted to return the flint to her. Kalira wasn't well versed in the war and politics between the two factions. Most of her life was spent in Dolanaar and she had rarely anything but other night elves growing up. There were stories of fearsome orcs, elusive trolls, and the towering taurens that were passed around the towns but villagers of Teldrassil never really expected to see any. She tried to be rational and told herself those daggers weren't meant for her, every traveler needed a weapon and it was smart to keep them on you at all times, especially in "times like these" her friends would say.
Having calmed herself somewhat, Kalira lowered her staff and timidly waved back to him. That expression, which she now assumed was a smile, came back and he seemed to relax as well. She returned her own meek smile and let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. The wind bit at her uncovered skin and thin clothing and she shivered; remembering her discarded blanket, Kalira quickly recovered it and wrapped herself in it. The troll spoke and drew her attention to her failed campfire. His voice was deep and his words were smooth, like he might have only said one drawn out word. She didn't understand of course, but he was obviously inquiring something about her pile of branches. She cocked her head, puzzled, as if asking him to clarify. The troll rubbed his hands in an odd gesture and pointed at the wood again. Kalira bounced inside her head at the thought that he wanted to build a fire for her. She nodded vigorously hoping she guessed right and the lanky thing gave her another big grin that made her softly giggle. That smile is just awful, she thought.
She saw no reason to fear the creature at this point. He had snuck up and revealed himself first, after all. Kalira realized that she didn't even know his name and went about the simplest way to introduce herself, hoping she hadn't somehow offended him with her lack of manners. She wondered if he even had a name; stories of the Horde rarely gave them more credit than being savages. Pointing a finger at her nose, she stated her own name hoping he would get the message.
"Kay-leh-uh", the troll repeated slowly and mimicked her action, putting a finger to his rather bulbous nose that reminded her of a lumpy loaf of bread. She laughed softly at his accent and repeated her action again, emphasizing each syllable, "Kah-lee-rah". Pointing at him, she awaited a response. The troll pointed at her and quietly repeated, "Kalee-rah", then put a finger to his chest and practically roared, "Penji!" She jumped at his sudden outburst let him have his fun for startling her.
Penji waved his hand calling her over. She came and squat beside him. While he was distracted the fire, Kalira stared at the enigmatic troll. This must be a unique encounter, she thought, there weren't any stories quite like this back home. She had expected trolls to be bulky and thick, but Penji looked rather wiry and she didn't doubt the existence of lean muscles under his pale blue skin. His ivory tusks curved out ending at a dull point and there was a small but notable jewel hanging near the base of one. Long indigo hair flared from his head, unkempt and apparently unwashed as well, where ears rivaling hers in length poked out. He wore simple garments mostly made from animal hide. Where she expected to find footwear of some kind, she discovered calloused feet with two gargantuan toes on each. Kalira could hardly hold back a laugh as she found this anatomical difference odd and rather humorous. Thinking she had stared too long she focused on his project.
He moved the large pieces of wood out of the way and tested the rest. Presenting two branches before her, he snapped one in two and returned the pieces to the pile. The other bent oddly at the attempt to break it and Penji discarded it. He continued sorting through the twigs and Kalira noted that he was showing her not to use wet wood. When he had a decent pile of dry twigs and thin branches, he grabbed a pile of dried foliage, clumped it together and scraped the flint with his dagger against it. The dried vegetation caught quickly and Penji put the twigs on top of it and blew gently on the tiny fire. When the twigs caught, he put the thicker branches on top of it and before long there was a healthy fire.
Kalira was amazed of not only how easy he made it look, but also the simple things she should've known just through common sense. Feeling the warmth of the fire, she shrugged the blanket off her shoulders. Penji seemed to be proud of his creation and handed the stone back to her.
"May Elune watch over you, Penji," Kalira gave him a blessing for his assistance. The elf placed two dainty fingers on the troll's forehead as he was briefly covered in a faint, silver glow. This time she laughed at his alarm and his cheeks darkened as he shyly scratched the back of his head. Kalira wasn't sure what else she could do to show her gratitude and was hesitant to somehow ask him a question.
"Do you need a place to camp? It's late and dangerous to travel at night," she tried to ask the troll with many gestures and much pointing.
"Uhhhmm…" was all Penji could respond with. Kalira tried again. Putting her hands together as if in prayer, she rest the side of her head on the back of her hand and closed her eyes.
"Sleep," she tried to simplify the question as she pointed to the ground, "here," then pointed to herself, "with me?"
Penji looked puzzled for a moment and abruptly jumped to his feet, his cheeks even darker than before. He stammered and held his hands outward. Kalira cocked her head to the side, wondering what she had done to make him so jumpy. Then it struck her that the question might have been over simplified. Now she mirrored his actions as she stood up, blushing profusely and tried to explain, so embarrassed she couldn't help but stare at her feet.
"Oh, no! I-I didn't mean- just, you know- not together- in that sort-," Kalira trailed off as she nervously wrung hands behind her back, "Not that I wouldn't! I'm sure you're very nice- oh, dear that sounded terrible," She trailed off and was a little glad that he couldn't understand a word of what she was saying. She dared to peek up hoping he hadn't ran off. The troll was still there and seemed calm, likely because elf looked so bashful. Thinking it better not to say anything, the elf stood and waited for him to react.
Penji took a step forward and she felt optimistic of having a guest tonight. She gave him a puzzled look when he seemed to be staring behind her. The troll suddenly fell on his face and Kalira let out a sudden shriek when she saw a man dressed in dark leather armor standing over his victim. The haphazard illumination from Penji's fire only made the stranger appear more frightening.
"A rogue caught unawares. Unacceptable," the stranger stated nonchalantly and sighed.
"Wh-who are you, sir?" she asked, shaken.
"My name is not an issue. In fact, the real issue is this troll that was invading your camp," he nudged Penji's motionless form with his boot and eyed her with a mystifying smile, "he'll be out for a bit."
"Then again, I suppose the real issue is your camp itself," the human scratched his stubbled chin and began binding Penji's hands behind his back, "and the contents of the camp." He looked up and studied her face. Kalira wasn't sure what to make of this intruder, but she knew Penji was hurt and she needed to inspect his wound.
"If you would like to share the camp sir, that's fine," she had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen and tried to settle this without upsetting him, "I am Kalira, a priestess of Elune. I would be more than happy to pray with you to the moon goddess if-" dismissively waving his hand he hushed her.
"Normally I don't interrupt," he began as he studied Penji's daggers, "Under different circumstances I would've enjoyed the company and even a prayer. However, you've caught me at a bad time. I have things to do and places to be. I'll help myself to what's in those packs over there. If all goes smooth and you don't interfere, I won't take anything else." A lump formed in Kalira's throat and she struggled to keep her voice.
"I understand, but please, let me--"
"M'am," he cut her off again, "just let me do my part and I'll be out of your way. This is your last warning." Kalira's breath caught when the man drew a blade to sheep her into silence.
"Whelp, this scalp should fetch me a decent reward. Light knows I could use one," he grunted as he knelt by Penji and yanked his head up by his hair, but nothing could keep her quiet when the blade pressed against his forehead.
"No!" Kalira screamed and the weapon was ripped from the man's hand by an invisible force and sailed into the distance. His head slowly turned to face her and he sighed, eyes full of disappointment rather than the anger she was expecting.
"I was hoping this would go smoothly. I really did. Now I'm going to have to take something I didn't have to before," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully once again, "You're a fine, young woman and I'm a man with basic needs that haven't been fulfilled in quite some time. This can be enjoyable for both of us if you'll let it be." He finished his offer with a calm smile that only further disturbed Kalira.
"Sir, as a priestess it is forbidden to fulfill those needs for any reason, " Kalira responded and armed herself with her staff. She knew she didn't stand a chance against this thief, but she wasn't about to take this sitting down. The human sniffed sharply and drew his own weapon.
"Then forgive me for what I have to do Kalira," before he even finished saying her name, he was zigzagging towards her so quickly she couldn't even land a spell on him. Her weapon proved likewise useless as he landed the first hit before she could even react with it. She felt a stabbing pain shooting up her thigh and he gripped her shoulder with one hand and forced her torso to twist. His fist slammed into her lower back, slightly to the side and under the rib cage. The pain was so unbearable, her whole body convulsed and she couldn't even cry out.
Kalira's mouth simply hung open in shock as the man lowered her to the ground with surprising gentleness. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what was coming next and how helpless she was to stop it. Standing over her, he began untying his breeches.
"I'm just reclaiming a debt you owe me. I promise to make this as painless as possible for you," he assured her with that serene smile once again, his eyes holding no emotion.
"You're sick," Kalira hissed through clenched teeth and shut her eyes. As she felt him slowly entering her, her tears began to flow freely.
-
A throbbing pain in Penji's skull greeted him when he regained consciousness. He discovered himself lying prone in the dirt, something bound his wrists behind his back but his legs were free. He heard muted cries and strained his neck to look up to the source.
He found to his shock, Kalira bent over a log half naked only several feet away with a man slowly thrusting his hips into hers from behind. Neither seemed to notice him. Though the stranger was oddly gentle with her, he could see blood crusting on her leg and she was clearly in distress. Penji knew what was happening to her and felt anger rising in his chest. He flexed his wrists to test his bonds and winced when the thin, yet sturdy rope bit into his skin. He turned to check his scabbard and found both his weapons missing. If he were to break free of his bonds, he would have to fight hand to hand. He flexed his wrists once more and held back a grunt when the taut rope broke his skin, blood seeping from the thin cuts.
Penji heard the man grunt in satisfaction and turned to look as Kalira collapsed, head resting on the log. Her pupiless eyes opened half way and stared into his own, pleading for help. He wanted nothing more than to save her, but without free use of his hands he knew he stood no chance. The helpless feeling along with the aching head threatened to envelop him, but he forced himself to focus on the human.
The man ran his hands almost lovingly across her back and it infuriated Penji. His muscles quivered as he tried to break the bindings once again and could feel blood dripping down into his hand.
The rapist leaned over her and whispered something in her ear. Lifting and turning her limp form to face him, he kissed her. Penji could no longer hold back. Roaring like a feral beast as the ropes snapped, he charged the man and gored him with his tusks. Caught by surprise, the man only had time to push Kalira aside and twist his body so the dull tusk sunk deep into his shoulder rather than his chest. Recovering quickly, he thrust his foot into Penji's stomach growling in pain as the curved tusk was yanked from the wound where blood now gushed copiously. The enraged troll hit the ground for a split second before lunging for the human again, but the thief was ready this time. A white haze filled Penji's vision and he cried in agony as stinging pain bit into his eyes. Blinking furiously, he swings his bloody fists about blindly trying to find his target, but only manages to trip over a tree root. The human uses the precious time to draw his weapon in one hand while the other puts pressure on his gaping wound. Lifting the machete high above his head, he prepares to bring down the dull blade on the troll's neck when sharp talons rake across his face.
-
Tatanga swooped in silently and attacked man dressed in black armor just in time to save Penji's life. Taking aim, Drenju fired a shot at his brother's assailant. The click of the flint was quickly followed by the powder exploding in the barrel and the slug found its mark square in his target's spine. The human dropped to his knees and the blade fell from his grip. Drenju walked slowly into the clearing, loading another shot into his gun. The man wheezed in obvious pain, but made no sound otherwise.
"Nobody evah hurt my family n' getway with it,'" Drenju gravely informed the man, sticking the barrel of his gun against the man's forehead. The dying human struggled to lift his head to stare back at the troll and smile grimly.
"Well, I almost did" he replied, to Drenju's surprise, in Troll. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled the trigger killing the human instantly. He turned to face Penji, still struggling to stand, and sighed in relief.
"Good ting I found ya just den," he whispered to his brother, helping him to his feet. Tatanga swooped down from the trees and obediently returned to Drenju.
"I can't see bro. Evrythin white," Penji leaned against his brother. His older brother held him up by his shoulders and checked him over. His face was covered in drying blood, eyes red and full of tears, and wrists lacerated.
"It be fadeleaf powder. You be okay less den a day. I need ta get ya hands fixed up." Drenju diagnosed him as he rummaged through his pack for bandages.
"Where Kalira? She need help," the worried troll barely went two steps before tripping again. Drenju found the elf girl lying still on the ground several feet away.
"Sit still Penji, she just ova there but not movin'," Drenju began wrapping one of his brother's wrists," so dat's the girls name eh?"
"Don't worry'bout me n'go take care'a her man."
"Don't worry'bout her. Ya know it always family first. Besides kid, she an elf. Not really on our side," he said calmly as he finished one wrist.
"I don't care 'bout sides Drenju!" he spat back, his heart racing again. Penji shoved his brother's hands away and crawled around the clearing calling out her name. Drenju stared at him in a mix of amazement and disdain but said nothing. Kalira whimpered his name and Penji frantically scrambled towards her voice. He grasped her cold hand in his and began to sob.
Drenju observed the pair silently with his gun shouldered and Tatanga equally quiet at his side.