Drenju recovered from his shock and firmly gripped his brother's shoulder, guiding him away from her. "Let go, Penji. I'll take care of her," he quietly assured him. Reluctantly, the weeping troll made room for his brother to help her but refused to release her hand. Drenju checked her over and found only one serious wound on her thigh. He cleaned it as best as possible with his current supplies. Her body trembled and she passed in and out of consciousness. Drenju looked through his vials for an anesthetic; finding one, he unscrewed the stopper and poured the contents carefully into her mouth. Kalira cringed from the acrid taste and she turned over to vomit only moments after taking it in. The elder troll averted his gaze from the mess, lightly patting her back. He gave her a skin of water to drink, but she couldn't even keep that down for more than a few seconds. Letting out a troubled breath, Drenju cleaned her face with a damp cloth.

"What's wrong wit her?" Penji asked, worried out of his mind.

"She breakin' down. Dat blood isn't just from her leg. She nevah been wit a man I don't tink and dat not easy f' women to deal with," he gave his best guess and wrapped her tightly in her blanket, "she need time ta cool down. Hold her close Penji, she needs comfort." Drenju stood and began to pace back and forth. Penji hesitated, but did as he was told and pulled her closer. He wasn't completely blind anymore but the effects of the fadeleaf were far from gone. Kalira's head rested on his shoulder and she began to sob.

-

She wished she were in her father's loving arms, where she was safe and secure.

She wanted to hear her mother's soothing voice to comfort her troubled mind.

But neither were there.

"Kaylee-rah!"

She recognized the voice, but her mind was swimming.

"Kahlee-rah!"

The accent… she tried to get a hold of her own thoughts.

"Penji," she whimpered his name. A warm, comforting hand grasped hers just before her mind faded to black.

-

Ashera looked out from the second floor of the Astranaar inn to the western road, her eyes piercing the darkness. "What do you think is taking her so long Falion?" she asked her older brother, hoping he had some kind of answer, "what if something happened?"

"I'm sure she's fine Ashera. Probably just got stopped by more merchants," he laughed, but in the back of his mind he, too, thought something might have happened, "If she isn't here by morning, we'll go looking for her." He adjusted his pillow and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep.

"I'm going out to look now. She's already a day late and we promised her father we would look after her. You stay here in case she does come," Ashera finished as she began putting her boots back on. Falion nearly jumped out of his bed.

"You're not going anywhere without me," he stated with a bit of an edge in his voice, "You're not experienced enough to."

"Don't you dare talk down on me just because you're a year older," she glowered at her brother as she slung her packs over her shoulder and began walking out. Falion knew how to deal with his sister when she got stubborn, though it would require some force. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to leave.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll go together. That's final," he stated coolly, but Ashera was pulling away from him and trying to pry his fingers off her. He threw her on to her bed and turned back to his.

"We may not have parents Falion, but that doesn't make me your child!" she screamed at him, and Falion spun to slap her harshly across her face, though definitely not as hard as he could have. He pulled his hand back instinctively and regretted his action as his sister's violet cheek turned nearly black. Instead of apologizing like he knew he should, he could only whisper something stupid.

"Be quiet, you'll wake the other guests." He loathed himself. Unable to say anything more, he laid down on his bed once again facing away from his sister. He had a rather sleepless night, listening to his sister cry softly.

-

Ranoss wiped the blood off his dagger and put down his cowl, sweat dripping down his face. Taking a camp of three, no matter how inexperienced the victims, was never an easy task. He was starting his second day and this score definitely put him up closer to his quota. Many members of the Horde traveled north into Ashenvale from the Crossroads and it was much easier to do his work in the dense forest than in the opens of the Barrens.

"Ninety-six, not bad Mr. Ranoss. Not bad at all," he congratulated himself with a smile as he added the contents of the dead men's packs to his. His head snapped up as he heard something approaching and quickly concealed himself in the shadows. He waited patiently as the sound became more apparent. A mount. A felsteed rode into the clearing with its owner, a fancily-dressed, young woman, atop. Its hooves scorched the earth it tread. She quickly scanned the area and looked to the three corpses scattered around a dead fire.

"Rats. No soulstones," she noted angrily, snapping her fingers. Dismounting, she drew her weapons, a bejeweled sword and a runed wand, and allowed her felsteed to consume itself in flames. Ranoss considered his options. The mount was an obvious mark of status and her equipment would lead most to believe she was wealthy. However, she was part of the Alliance and Grant always said that brought on more heat from the other guilds than what was pleasant. She was also well trained, but Ranoss never even had thoughts of dying to one of his victims. He then noted that she was standing by three dead orcs and decided he could cover this up to make it look like it wasn't his work. The woman was crouched over the packs that he hadn't finished pilfering. He worked his way closer from behind and pressed the dagger point against her throat.

"What's mine is mine, madam," he quipped nonchalantly as he felt the woman under him tense, then relax. "Hands forward and stand," he ordered. The woman stood slowly with the dagger still jabbing into her neck.

"You can call me Alexis," the woman spoke in a coy manner.

"Alright. Would you discard your weapons Alexis?" Ranoss more commanded than asked.

"Certainly." The warlock raised her arms to her side and slowly uncurled her fingers from the sword handle and wand letting them fall to the dirt. "And you are?" she asked, turning slightly to face him. In response, Ranoss applied a little more pressure.

"Eyes forward and no small talk. We'll get through this quick and you can be on your way. Your coin purse if you please."

"Get it yourself," she replied with a smile that Ranoss could see without even looking at her face and began grinding her body against his. A flowery scent from her auburn hair toyed with his mind, but he shook himself of it and pushed her off with his free hand. He knew these warlock women could be just as seductive as their succubi.

"Getting robbed is no reason to degrade yourself."

"No reason to degrade yourself by robbing."

"Better a thief than a whore."

"Not by enough to matter," she laughed mockingly but the rogue kept his cool.

"Your biting wit amuses me Alexis," he complimented with a bit more sincerity than he wished, "now about that coin purse?" His hand began searching her robes and belt pouches.

"Getting a good feel for me?" she asked obviously feigning innocence.

"Not nearly as much as I'd like to, but women can wait. Unfortunately deadlines don't, ambiguous as they may be," he replied somewhat absently as he dumped the contents of her pouches on the ground. The warlock tried again by tugging him closer by his belt.

"Typical women can wait, I won't," she replied in a sultry tone and pressed against him again. This time the heat from her body and her fragrance momentarily mesmerized Ranoss long enough for Alexis to bat his dagger away from her neck, spin around, and force him into a kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and jamming her tongue into his slack mouth. He resisted for a split second and pulled himself free.

"…Fuck it." He returned the kiss with equal force and ran his hands along her sides and lovely hips. Alexis swayed and pushed him to the ground by leaning against him. She straddled his waist and continued the kiss while stealthily reaching for her sword. Gripping the handle, she broke the kiss and pressed the sword against his throat with a bright smile.

"A rogue at the mercy of a warlock's sword. Isn't that a little ironic?" she asked rhetorically, "Still, I suppose you deserve some credit. Most rogues can't sneak up even when they're trying to kill me." She rolled her eyes recalling several pathetic attempts on her life.

"I wouldn't think of it," he smiled back, not the least bit worried and continued let his hands roam her body. She scoffed and grabbed one of his hands trying to peel it off her.

"Didn't anyone teach you to keep your hands to yourself?" Ranoss' response was to bring her hand to his lips and gently plant a kiss on her knuckle. "You are just dangerously charming aren't you, and I must say, a little crazy."

"More than a little," he added as he folded his arms behind his head. He stared into her emerald eyes and sighed in content. Tossing her sword aside, she resumed where they had left off.