Disclaimer: Still don't own Warcraft. Think about how bad it would be if I ran it. There would be all kinds of peace and stuff. A happy game, but a boring one… Bill has got the right idea.
A/N: Wow, a real big cliffhanger there. Sorry about that. And people NO SHOOTING YOURSELVES! I always update. Anyhow, more comments from the peanut gallery. Some of you have been talking about a novel from me. Well, the truth is there already is, though its not published yet. For two years now I've been working on a novel entitled Ravendown. It is medieval fiction, with my own original characters, story line, and world. If you people ask I'll put and excerpt from it on the next chapter.
Also, I do know that Bloodhoof Village was not named after the battle that I wrote took place. I decided to spice up the story and make what seems to be my own Warcraft fable or folklore. Good of you to notice though, anonymous reviewer! Active reading, yay!
As for the comment on Kat and Var'Jun, Secret, kudos. Sometimes it feels odd to write their reactions to each other, though like you I approve very much. Sometimes I have to pause and think about the differences between the two and how the humans differ from trolls. Not easy, I assure you. But anyhow, the two have such different personalities that I love writing arguments between them. Their personalities fit together so nicely that it's little wonder they have this type of bond. Funny how both are very denying!
Also, crimson Reaper, it's sort of nice to you actually reread chapters. Yah, In the End does go with that chapter. Perceptive! And it would be really cool to see your drawings. If you ever get a scanner or find one it's be cool to see anyone's work. Just send them to me through my e-mail on my lookup.
And Youkai no Miko, there you go, saving me again. It never occurred to me that the group had different languages, probably because I have never ran across it in the Warcraft game or books. I know it's there, but not from experience. I don't know exactly how I'm going to solve this yet. You'll have to wait and see. Oop, wait, I have something now so you'll have to wait until I reveal it. I don't know about which way Var'Jun's hair will stay, going to have to think about that as well.
And after that long winded review, here's an actual chapter!
Chapter Seven: Depart
The priestess pulled herself up, blushing a bit and laughing almost nervously. She stood slowly, offering a delicate hand to the fallen paladin. Kat seemed to liven at the resurface of the knight and as Malchior took her hand she beamed.
"I thought you had died in the fire," Kat mumbled softly and suddenly finding her feet very interesting, "No one was left in town. I never would have left if I knew you, or anyone for that matter, had survived."
Malchior shoved this comment aside, looking over her shoulder as if suddenly noticing Yawna and her companions. Her grabbed Gwyneth's arm without a word and pushed the elf and human behind him, spreading his arms wide as if defending them from the tauren and troll.
"Get behind me, lasses." He roared, barely able to balance with his leg wound, "I'll defend you to my last breath from these foul Horde demons." With a struggle the paladin hefted his heavy sword and brandished it with a shaking arm.
"Sure you will," Var'Jun chuckled dryly, pushing the sword aside and glancing over the knights shoulder. Malchior was considerably shorter than the lanky troll and Var'Jun did this with ease. "You two alright or should Yawna and I attack you to make the paladin feel better?"
"Don't be stupid!" Kat snarled and Yawna chuckled lightly as she felt a burst of annoyance wash over Kat's feelings that were placid just a moment before. The priestess stood on her tip toes to try and aim a slap the warrior's way but the troll dodged with his usual ease.
"I'll save you from these kidnappers, Katherine." Malchior piped up again, his courage returning, "Don't you worry either, fair elven lass, I'll defend you as well." Malchior braced himself as Yawna stepped forwards. But instead of the blow that the knight thought was sure to follow she offered him her hand, smiling with a friendly air.
"I'm Yawna." she said, her cool voice calming the paladin almost immediately, "Var'Jun and I have been traveling with Gwyn and Kat for some time now. We haven't kidnapped them, they're here on their own will."
"Have you threatened them?" Malchior demanded, causing Kat to bite her lip and hold back a laugh. Gwyn did laugh though, a soft giggle that sounded like ringing bells on winter air. Malchior looked puzzled, obviously not finding anything about that funny.
"Kat's threatened me quite descriptively a few times, but we haven't threatened them." Var'Jun shrugged, turning back to camp without another word. Once again Yawna felt the intense jealousy but the tauren only smiled to herself. Something brewed below the surface of that jealousy, the same feeling as when Yawna had looked at Bolo and when Kat and Var'Jun had danced.
"Not very friendly, is he? Just like his entire species. Why are you 'traveling' with him again, Katherine dear?" Malchior began to chatter away along these same roots. He made comments of all the bloodthirsty tauren he had slain, but Yawna blatantly ignored him. The calm tauren was unruffled by the knights gruesome descriptions of battles with trolls, orcs, tauren, and undead.
They began to trudge back to camp, Kat and Malchior limping behind by themselves while nimble Gwyn caught up with Yawna. She matched her pace, looking at the tauren's controlled countenance with a look of surprise.
"I'm surprised you can take that without jumping down his throat." Gwyn shook her head, looking up at the troll ahead, "But even if you're under control I can't see Var'Jun holding out for that long. I'm sensing… tension between him and Malchior already. And that's coming from the oracle point of view and not just my intuition."
"It's a good warning," Yawna replied evenly and her face did not change at all as she said softly, "And from my point of view it ends in bloodshed either way. It's a warning that won't be heeded though."
A little while later the group had gathered around a fire. Dusk settled in around the plains, the night sky lit with little pin pricks of stars and the moon a glowing eye in the expanse of blue. The plains were alive with the sounds of crickets and howling wolves that Weary Traveler raised his ears to. But otherwise the area was silent, the travelers lost in their own thoughts.
Malchior was the first to break this silence. They had al finished a dinner of vegetable soup, thin broth filling, but not to the paladin's standards. "That's funny," He remarked pointedly, "No meat in that stew, really. Not very filling, wouldn't you say Kat?"
The priestess yawned widely before shrugging. She gave Yawna a quick look, for their dinner had been edited for the tired tauren's benefit. Instead she blew it off, her eyes averting the paladins as she spoke.
"We just didn't have the energy today to hunt or even travel. Maybe tomorrow we'll bring down a plainstrider or something." She sighed softly, watching the fire twinkle, " But we'll still have to travel. Always moving…" The woman trailed off as if lost in her thoughts.
"But still," Malchior snorted, "It's not like they feel anything anyhow." Here Yawna winced, her Awareness inching away from the dogged stubbornness of Malchior's mind.
"Besides, nothing but good Alliance members really feel any mental pain anyhow." The paladin looked pointedly at Var'Jun, his eyes glinting with a fiery dislike. "Take trolls for instance. Those creatures have no feeling whatsoever but their desire to kill. And the recent fires, those barbarians."
"You know what-" Var'Jun growled loudly, standing quickly and drawing his impossible broad sword from its sheath on his back. The troll bared his teeth in anger, his breath bated as if he were trying to hold something in.
"Control your anger troll, you wouldn't want me to slip and push a sword through you, would you?" The knight sighed as if in resignation from his sitting point on the ground. He turned to Kat, remarking with a lacing of point to his words, "No control, Horde members."
"Okay, well." Gwyneth said quickly as Yawna pulled the troll back into his seat. "Maybe we should all get some rest. There's travel ahead again, and tomorrow is a long day. I say two sentries at a time, who's first shift?"
"Who died and made you queen, Gwyn?" Var'Jun demanded jokingly. He seemed to have calmed down though the anger was still glittering in his eyes. The troll still had his sword drawn though, running a small whetting stone over the edge to make the blade sharper.
"Thank you for volunteering Var'Jun," Gwyn replied evenly, her smile making the troll roll his eyes, "And don't call me Gwyn. Gwyneth please, though I don't mean this in disrespect. Anyhow, I'll take first shift with Happy here. I'll wake You and Kat for second, okay Yawna?"
The tauren huntress cut off another attempt at speech from the troll with a curt nod. She silenced the warrior with a warning look, her eyes twitching to Malchior and Kat for a moment before looking back pointedly at the night elf.
With a small amount of grumbling from the troll and a whisper of soft sighs the company settled down. Only Gwyn and Var'Jun were left awake, though Weary Traveler was wide-eyes as well. When the druid was sure Malchior and Kat had fallen into sleep she spoke to the troll.
"You're not warming up to Malchior very much." the night elf commented dryly. She wasn't smiling, just clutching onto her bow and staring straight ahead of her into the night plains. The wind howled and Weary Traveler followed the elf's gave without finding anything.
"You wouldn't either if you were a troll. Or any Horde member for that matter. Yawna is the one exception, I don't know how she stands it. That tauren puts us all to shame." Var'Jun spit off to the side, his teeth clenched.
"That's not exactly what I meant," The druid turned to look at him now, her eyes glowing eerily in the night air. She narrowed the spectral orbs, studying the troll intently as if seeing right through him. "Even in the short time I've known you I've realized how… close you were to Kat. And I know it bothers you that she and Malchior are rather, I don't know, warm with each other."
The troll jumped as if someone had pricked him. Weary Traveler made a wheezing noise that sounded somewhat like a laugh and the troll silenced the ash-hued wolf with a dirty look. When the warrior turned back to the elf she was still staring at him, her eyes haunting.
"Of course not. Kat and I are nothing but pains to each other. You know all we do is fight." The troll turned away, closing his eyes and sticking his nose into the air. After a long pause where silence ruled supreme he opened his eyes again, string down the blade of his sword and sighing softly.
"Besides, she is happy. That's really all one could ask for."
"Deal with your grief your own way, Var'Jun." Gwyn replied, yawning slightly before facing her back to the stubborn warrior and calling over her shoulder, "You are doing each other no good by staying in your silence."
The next day's light spilled over Yawna's muzzle. Even though she and Kat had spent a perpetually silent guard together half the night the tauren still felt well rested and alert. She smiled as her companions began to stir, each rising to their own sun. Only Weary Traveler was the one without worry though. The rest had at least one thing on their minds each.
"G'morning Katherine dear." Malchior's long drawl made the priestess awaken from her drowsiness. "I'm glad to see you alive this morning, guarding me last night with that horrid tauren and all. I was sure that you were okay though. I thought maybe today we could get some time to ourselves, maybe?" The paladin smiled as Kat blushed prettily and busied herself with ladling out cold soup into the crude wooden bowls.
Var'Jun stiffened, his muscles freezing over a sleeping roll he was stuffing into its bag. The troll snorted shortly, turning his back on the two and immediately finding other things to busy himself over. Gwyn shook her head.
Breakfast was silent, only breached by Yawna's gentle reminder that supplies were running low. The group had not had time to buy vitals from the caravan and more than ever their food supply was dwindling.
"I'll have to go hunting today as we walk." Var'Jun said softly, his tone apologizing as he watched Yawna, "But we have enough of the vegetable stuff left for one person for a while if the rest of us only eat what I could catch."
"I will hunt too." Malchior called brazenly, "For my strength has now returned and I will bring far more than a troll could get. Maybe you will come too Katherine, just in case I ever run into trouble out in the dangerous plains of Mulgore."
"Or if a plainstrider pops your inflated ego." Var'Jun hissed into his soup. The comment was only heard by Gwyn, however, and she gave him a pointed look before finishing her soup and going back to cleaning their soon-to-be-abandoned campsite.
It was not long after that Malchior and Kat headed north, away from the traveling company. They were to meet a few miles up ahead with all their gains and travel until sundown. The two were seen chatting amiably as they disappeared over Mulgore's rolling landscape.
"I'm off," Var'Jun grunted a small while later. He ground his teeth, smiling though at Yawna and Gwyn before heading Northwest over another hill. "You broads take care now." He called back, his sword already drawn with anticipation, "I'll try to go far away so you can't feel anything Yawna."
As the troll too disappeared Gwyn scoffed softly, "he headed in the almost exact direction Malchior and Kat went. I have a funny feeling there will be a rather brutal meeting, though that's only a feeling. Oracle's work is never solid."
Yawna nodded sadly, "I will miss him." The elf looked over at her companion in question, her eyes holding puzzlement.
"Why would you say that?" She demanded, her voice laced with suspicion, "He won't be gone long." The druid felt her spine shiver as Yawna's knowing eyes turned upon her.
"It's just a funny feeling."
"But Malchior, I trust them." I've been at my very worst many, many times around Var'Jun and Yawna and neither of them have ever hurt me. They are not going to just attack out of the blue, Malchior." Kat sighed softly as she followed the paladin over another hill. Instead of hunting the knight had taken to questioning her.
"Well I don't, not so much the tauren as the troll. He's murderous, Katherine dear, vile and evil. His only intentions are to harm you, I'm sure of it." The paladin jabbed his sword into the air as fighting off imaginary foes.
"He's saved my life once!" Kat reached her end, yelling this statement across the plains and staring down at Malchior from the top of a hill where she had stopped. "How can you judge them by what race they are? Yawna and Var'Jun and Gwyn have always been there for me, and that's more than you ever have!"
Malchior stopped attacking the air, his sword falling and resting it's point in the dirt. The knight began to laugh softly, a slow chuckle that crept higher until he was almost in hysterics. Kat grimaced as the knight leaned heavily on his sword and doubled over in his laughter.
"What's so funny?" She demanded, her lip curling as she watched the paladin try to regain himself. The human knight seemed to be fighting for his control, giggling every so often before finally being able to speak.
"You compared me to a Horde member, Katherine dear. How can you possibly say that. Gwyneth is one thing, but Yawna and Var'Jun don't have feelings or emotions. I'm surprised they even have names, dear. Don't compare me to them."
When Kat did not say anything he stepped a bit closer to her, his face coming very close to hers. He was almost baring his teeth, all humor sliding from his voice and hitting the plains with an abandoned air.
"Don't," He growled at the stricken priestess, "Compare me to those monsters. I will not stand for a belted knight to be put against a filthy troll murderer."
At that moment a harsh scream echoed across the plains. The hills seemed to shiver and the two humans stopped, looking around and trying to pinpoint the source of the cry. The paladin caught it first, his mouth almost open as if tasting anticipation on the air.
"A battle," He hisses softly to himself, "Finally." The knight had seen a troll, her lanky limbs stretching to gallop over the hills. She was being hotly pursued by a few Alliance members on fast mounts.
"No," Kat tugged at his arm, "Don't." She was suddenly reminded of Var'Jun, the good-natured, roguish troll springing into her head. The approaching troll had the same facial expressions he did, a look of pure horror the same as when the fire broke loose in the caravan. The terrible, frightened look where Var'Jun hadn't thought, just grabbed her arm from where she had tripped over a loose chair and dragged her to safety.
"Don't," Kat repeated, tugging at the knight's arm and shaking it as if trying to loosen his grasp on his sword. But Malchior was strong and sturdy and instead of letting the sword drop he only grasped it further and gave the priestess a silencing look.
The mounted riders spied Malchior, for he had started to wave his arms and call out. They turned around, their mounts fleeing back over the hills as the unsuspecting troll kept running straight towards the two humans.
When the female troll came close Malchior began to pound down the hill. His heavy armor gave him momentum and soon he was barreling along at a fair pace. Kat ran behind him, still trying desperately to stop him.
Kat was lighter. She caught up with Malchior, stepping in front of him. It was here that the troll finally looked up, finally noticed the two humans. She shrieked out, crying utter nonsense and lashing out at the fist human she came by. Kat was in front of Malchior.
The trolls small dirk sliced through Kat's arm, a long wound opening up and beginning to drop blood onto the plain grass. Kat screamed, staggering aside and allowing Malchior to push through her and get to the troll.
It was over in a matter of seconds, the young troll was inexperienced and panicked and the knight was full of battle lust. He smiled as she crumpled, kicking the body viciously. Completely ignoring the fact that the troll was still dead he drove his sword in time and time again.
"For my village!" The paladin cried. He stopped, breathing hard and not looking over to where Kat had dropped to her knees on the plains. His ragged breath wasn't the only sound amongst the hills. There were loud footsteps, the sound of someone dragging something, and Var'Jun's wracked voice on the warm air.
"Kat," he called out, dropping the heavy bodies of two young plainstriders and running to the priestess's side. He leaned down, putting a delicate hand on her arm and trying to dig gauze from one of the pockets on his leather vest.
Something quick and threatening passed its shadow across the two. The deceased troll's dirk came whistling down, though this time it was held by Malchior. The blade caught Var'Jun in the face, sending him flicking backwards and moving a hand under his eye where a thin, shallow cut had begun to ooze blood.
"She's hurt, what the hell are you doing?" the troll demanded, his sword drawn already. He looked from Kat, whose tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth and words eluding her. Then his eyes traveled to the body of the dead troll, her legs curled under her crumpled and slashed body. It was not pretty, the body, for Malchior had hacked it to pieces.
"It is you who is a murderer Malchior," the troll fumed, his eyes burning into the paladin with a brand new dislike, "You, who talks so much about how trolls are murderers and thieves. You now kill my brethren. Is that fair Malchior?"
"What can you tell me about fair, Var'Jun, for it was your kind and those like them that set fire to my village. That slew my neighbors, friends, and family. That separated me from Katherine so long and tore me asunder." The paladin smiled as Var'Jun wiped blood from his fresh wound and spit at the knight's feet.
"Maybe you don't have trolls wrong, paladin, why don't I murder you and prove your point?" The warrior took a step forwards, his heavy sword hefted into the air with the practiced ease of the blade's user.
"Stop!" Kat stepped swiftly in front of the paladin, her chest heaving as she fought to stifle the blood pouring from her arm. She stood in the trolls path, her calm green eyes boring into the yellow eyes of the troll.
Var'Jun lowered his sword slowly. He stopped, glancing from the smug paladin to the tired priestess. He sighed softly, shoving the sword into the sheath on his back. He smiled sadly, watching the priestess with a sort of depressed look on his face.
"I should have left sooner," the troll told her sullenly, "There's so much I have to do. I think it best." He smiled wider, turning on his heels and walking away from the pair off towards the meeting place that had been set.
"What did he mean?" Kat demanded, watching the receding figure. She was too weak to walk now, her legs felt like jelly and they crumpled underneath her.
Yawna yawned, her mouth stretching wide, though not as wide as Weary Traveler's. The wolf curled up at his mistress's hooves, his tail wrapping around his delicate padded paws. They had traveled long that day, but the troll and humans were late. Yawna stared impatiently as a bug crept over a blade of grass.
"They should have been here by now." Gwyn says. She was playing with her bowstring, pulling at it and letting it go with a rhythmic vibrating sound. The elf was losing her patience as well, staring off at the hill in the south for a while. "Should we go find them?"
"No," Yawna stands, smiling to herself thoughtfully, "Here comes Var'Jun over that hill and I think that's Malchior and Kat on the one a bit to the west. Is it me of is Malchior carrying Kat more than she's walking?"
"Believe you're right," Gwyn said. She waited in silence with her tauren friend while the two parties drew closer. Var'Jun was the first to arrive, his face bleeding slightly and the rest of the wound under his eyes scabbed over with dried blood.
"I'm leaving." Var'Jun announced shortly as soon as he was within earshot. She strode past the two females, stopping to shove some of the meat he had gained into his pack. He dumped the rest of the plainstriders at Gwyn's feet.
"I can make it on my own for a while on this. You all keep the rest." He smiled almost warmly, holding out a hand so that the elf would take it. "Nice to meet you Gwyneth. Have fun traveling with all these happy people." He flashed her a smile before moving on to Yawna.
"Where will you go?" Gwyn demanded, one of her long eyebrows raised. She crossed her arms as the tauren and troll clasped hands. "You can't travel alone and you sure as hell aren't going to just stay here."
"I'll go south, alone though. Don't worry, there are things there I have to find out before I can leave. I realize that now." The troll smiled at Yawna. "I hope you find what you're looking for Yawna. You have a lot to lift onto your shoulders."
"I trust your decision Var'Jun. Be careful out there, you won't have us to watch your back." the tauren smiled sadly, shaking her head as Gwyn continued to chide him.
"So you're just going to leave. Head south like they do in stories, eh?" Gwyneth shook her head, pointing to Malchior and Kat. They were drawing close now. "And what of Kat? Are you just going to leave her with-"
"Please," Var'Jun said loudly, then softer, "Please. She'll be better off without me, all of you will." He shook his head, turning his face to the south and heading that direction. As the troll strode off he met up with Malchior and Kat in his path.
He stopped, smiling despondently and looking down at the priestess. For once Malchior stayed blessedly silent a few feet away from the two. Var'Jun chuckled softly and pulled the priestess into a warm embrace.
As Kat stiffened he paused as if contemplating something. Then with another light chuckle the troll pressed a troll of bandages into her hand. "Take care Kat." He smiled as he walked past a stricken Malchior.
"Take good care of her, you, otherwise I'll haunt you from the grave." The troll growled as he passed the paladin. When Malchior said nothing he flashed a toothy grin and headed off to the south until his was a tiny receding shadow on the road.
"But I need you all." Kat whispered to the gauze softly.
Late that night the priestess stayed awake. Her dreams were haunted and she couldn't help but feel something was wrong. For a moment she looked about the silent plains before she saw Weary Traveler's flashing green eyes in the dark. He began to growl, soft and low, before standing jaggedly.
"Surrender your arms." A loud voice cut across the dark and Kat felt a dagger press to the back of her throat. "If you're lucky you'll all make it through this."
A/N: Wow, that's a huge cliffhanger. 'VAR'JUN NO!' right? Well I ain't gonna tell you what's happening until the next chapter. Anyhow, sorry this one took so long to write. I was having writers block in the middle, plus I was also playing Kingdom hearts and that is an addictive game folks! And I was making an AMV (anime music video). Another hint, I always thought Var'Jun's sword looked a bit like Cloud's from Final Fantasy Seven. Anyhow, waiting for next installment you must!