The days passed surprisingly easily, or so it seemed to Jacob. Despite his lingering misgivings about the nature of his rescuer, the warrior continued to warm up to the tauren. Although perhaps that is born more out of necessity than anything else, the human thought as he sat on the furs that'd been his bed for four days now. At the moment, he was waiting for Tohopekaliga to return from her latest foray into the wilderness, looking for another game animal to restock the provisions. He glanced down to his arm, which if the huntress' prediction held true, would be healed within the hour. I can't wait to have these metal rods taken off so I can move around like normal again.

The human sighed and looked up and around the camp, noting how much it had changed recently; Toho had been packing up her supplies, loading them on the kodo and some on her raptor mount, though the latter she was keeping lightly burdened until they were to leave so as to avoid wearing it out. I guess it's something of a high performance mount, Jacob mused, wondering exactly where she had gotten the beast. She has been rather secretive about her own history, while asking a lot of questions about mine… Of course, it's not like I've been forthcoming with a lot of details, either. Despite the level of trust the two had built up, they were still from two different peoples, on opposite sides of a cold war that seemingly inched closer to boiling over as time went on. As a result, they spent a lot of time talking about minor, unimportant things, when they talked at all; a large part of any given day was spent in relative silence, letting both man and tauren time to think.

Jacob's reverie we broken by the sound of incoming movement, and he tensed up only briefly before he recognized the distinctive strides of Toho's raptor mount and that of her wolf companion. Another reason I'll be glad to be mobile again: I can defend myself, or at least run.

The tauren huntress pulled her mount around the low rise behind which she had approached the camp, and coaxed the large, mottled, green-skinned raptor to a stop next to where the kodo remained tied up. As she went about dismounting and tying up the animal, Jacob looked at the large bundle that was sitting on the beast of burden's back, and was surprised to see that not only had Toho already butchered the animal and only returned with the meat, but also she had brought back a large, dusty looking bag as well. Curious, Jacob nevertheless held his tongue until the huntress had finished putting away the various implements she used – a long rifle, ammunition pouch, and a huge two-handed sword, just for starters – and the stores of meat she had gone out to gather. She then pulled the large bundle off the back of her mount and carried the bulky, heavy-looking package near to Jacob, whereupon she laid it on the ground and then turned her attention to the human. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Pretty good, actually," Jacob replied, his voice a bit distracted as he eyed the package suspiciously. Toho noted his divided attention, and chuckled slightly. "I'll explain that thing in a moment. Right now, let me check your arm."

Jacob frowned slightly, but he nodded his acquiescence, and remained silent and still as the tauren moved over to his left side and once again kneeled to probe and test his arm. To his satisfaction and relief, there was little discomfort beyond that which someone would normally experience as a result of being prodded, and Jacob reported this.

"Excellent," Tohopekaliga replied, and then began to work on the bindings over Jacob's arm. "Sounds like these can come off now."

"Thank the Light for that," Jake said, and then smiled sheepishly when the Tauren shot him a smirk. "And you, of course."

"Of course," Toho replied with a smile as she returned to her task, and soon enough Jacob felt the bars' weight release from his arm, and very slowly, he moved it up and drew it close to him, where he felt it himself with his right hand. "This is simply astounding," he said quietly.

"I guess you've not been out much, eh?" The huntress asked, prompting the human to look up. "When you're out in the world, doing missions and exploring, you generally get hurt, and potions are oftentimes an adventurer's best friend."

"I see," Jacob replied, nodding a bit. "Well, no, as I told you while we've been talking, I haven't exactly been gone from home very long."

"Yes, I remember," Toho acknowledged, and then stood up and offered her hand to the human. Jacob, however, simply stood up by himself in an attempt to retain some pride and self-confidence. He gave her an appreciative nod, though, which she returned. "Well, aside from the lack of clothes or gear, I feel a lot better," Jake said in a slightly sardonic tone.

Tohopekaliga smiled a bit at that. "Well, I might have something that can help with that," she said, and then walked around the human to where she had left the mysterious bundle. "I took some time from my hunt this morning and looked for a site where an old Orc supply caravan was ambushed by Centaur some time ago and got you some things," she explained, kneeling again to reach down and open the pack. Before Jacob could speak, she unrolled the bundle, revealing a set of chainmail armor, a sword, and a shield.

Jacob's eyes widened a bit. "You got those for me?" He asked in surprise, not expecting his hostess to arm him as well. A nod from the tauren's head confirmed her earlier words. "The Barrens is a tough place, as you have learned. Without even this paltry equipment, you would be a liability. At least now, you can hold your own should a fight come about."

The warrior glanced to the tauren, and for a moment was stricken by the oddness of the fact that, even though she kneeled, he could look her in the eyes quite easily. Man, she is tall, he thought briefly, before shaking his head a bit to get his mind back on track. "Well, no matter what condition it's in, I appreciate it," he said, and then moved over to kneel himself next to the equipment.

The various pieces of armor – torso covering shirt, long pants, boots, and bulky gloves, all made of mail – were in a fairly poor condition, but Jacob had experience with second-rate equipment from his training in Kul Tiras, and he soon determined that, while the armor might give out sooner than newer sets, it would still hold up decently well in a fight. And considerably better than my bare skin and cloth, Jake thought as he turned to examine the other equipment: a sword and shield. Both were, like the mail, of Horde design, looking rather unrefined and questionable. However, Jacob revised his assessment when he picked up both items and hefted them, feeling their considerable weight. "They're a lot bigger than I'm used to," he mentioned almost casually.

"They were made for Orcs, after all," Toho replied evenly. "Still, I've seen Alliance soldiers carrying captured Horde weapons before, and much larger than these besides; I think you will be able to handle them."

"Oh, of course I can," Jacob said almost teasingly, glancing up to the tauren on his left. "Just it might take a bit of getting used to, since it's made for someone bigger than myself. Speaking of which, about the armor…?"

"I'm sure it will fit well enough," Toho replied, standing up fully. "Most armor made by the Horde or Alliance these days can be adjusted so it can be worn by a variety of peoples, given how varied all the races are."

"Hmm," Jacob replied, and then set the shield down so he could concentrate on the sword. Standing, he hefted it in his right arm and gave a couple of test swings. The jagged blade was indeed a bit heavier than he was used to, though after a second's thought the human decided this wasn't entirely bad. I won't be able to finesse as much, but the added weight will make my hacks and slashes more powerful, he mused, and then turned his attention to the shield. It was a simple design, round, made of heavy hardwood backed by cloth to prevent splinters from spalling off and into the wielder's face should a sufficient force strike it. An orc would have found it on the small side, something useful for those who preferred maneuver, but for Jacob the weight and size of the buckler made it almost a proper mid-sized shield. "Yes, these will do nicely," he finally pronounced.

"I am glad to hear it," Toho interjected, and then moved over to the bundle and toed it lightly with her left hoof. "Underneath the armor are some clothes, leather and cloth, to help make the mail more comfortable to wear."

The human warrior gave the tauren a smile and a nod. "I'm glad you remembered that; you'd be surprised how many people think the armor itself is all warriors wear."

"Goodness, no," Toho replied, chuckling. "You think I wear nothing under this armor? The metal links would rip out my fur and bite my skin if I didn't."

"Indeed," Jacob said, and then laid the weapon and shield down. "Well then, I suppose there's no need to dally further; shall I help you pack the last of your stuff?"

Toho smiled and nodded politely. "I would appreciate it. However, let us both eat lunch first to gather strength."

"Sounds good."

Jacob hopped down from the kodo carefully, pausing upon reaching solid ground. "By the Light, I needed that," he said after a long and luxurious stretch of his back and legs and even his arms.

A soft chuckle from nearby turned his attention to Tohopekaliga as she climbed off of her raptor mount. "I would heartily agree," she said, as she too began to stretch her body out in the sinewy ways women of all races possessed. "Even with all the travel I've seen, long hours in the saddle never get any easier to endure."

"Almost makes me glad I walked out here, then," Jacob replied lightheartedly, eliciting another chuckle from the tauren. The human felt a brief pang of sorrow for his dead companions, but he managed to push it aside, having used his convalescence and the last two days of riding to think long and hard about the past. I can't punish myself for living, Jacob thought as he turned and went to unload a few bags from the creature he'd been riding. It won't help anyone, and it certainly would be harmful to me and even to Toho, given that kind of self-pitying makes one too distracted to be of use in the wilderness.

Speaking of which… Jacob roused himself from his introspection and took a long, hard look around the tree-shaded area the pair of travelers had stopped at for a rest during the hottest part of the day. Like much of the Barrens, it was principally dry savanna with more than enough rocky ravines and hills to break up the monotony, but those same features also made ambushes possible. And there are worse things than quillboar out here.

He saw nothing he could identify as a threat, however, and a glance over to the tauren revealed her unconcerned. Toho seems to know her way out here, and she doesn't look worried, so I guess I should relax a bit, Jacob told himself as he set a small supply bag down on the ground. He then pushed his worries out of his mind as the two travelers worked to lay out a pair of bedrolls to sit on and unlimbered their weapons, placing them carefully nearby in case they needed to be rapidly drawn. "It's one thing not to needlessly worry," a memory from training spoke in the human's mind. "It's an entirely other thing to be careless."

Jacob smirked to himself slightly as he sat down and rummaged in his pack for a canteen and some jerky, and he gave a silent prayer of thanks that it was actually his pack; Toho had salvaged some equipment from the scene of the quillboar fight and so had managed to recover a couple of bags and, fortunately, Jacob's identification papers and coin purse. I don't think she even opened the strings on the latter, the human thought as he took a long pull of warm water from the canteen. There are lots of people back home who'd take advantage of that, and we're supposed to be on the same side. Once again the unassuming nobility of the tauren struck him, and he marveled at the situation he found himself in.

Time passed slowly as the heat of the day began to climb from uncomfortable to oppressive, and Jacob found himself wishing he could toss off his armor. Prudence checked him, as did pride; Tohopekaliga kept her heavy mail armor on as well. This observation sparked a question, though, and Jacob felt it was a good as time as any to voice it. "If I may ask," he began, eyeing the tauren warily as she turned her head to match his gaze. "How can you stand this heat? You've got that fur all over you, isn't that like wearing a coat?"

Toho chuckled slightly at that. "Not really, it's a thin coat," she said, and then held up an arm and ran her other hand against the exposed portion, showing by example. "Besides, my people have lived on this land for countless generations; we are used to it," she added.

Jacob frowned slightly. "I thought the tauren lived in Mulgore?" He asked, thinking back to the various tidbits of information he had received on his way to Kalimdor.

"Now we do, yes," Toho said, leaning back against the trunk of the tree they took refuge under. "But for many years Mulgore belonged to the centaur, our hated enemies. It was only after the orcs arrived from the east and helped us that we finally claimed the golden plains as our own."

Jacob's face darkened a bit at the mention of his homeland's hated enemy. "I'm surprised they didn't just keep it for themselves," he muttered.

Toho frowned back at the human, and then shook her head. "I know you humans have a long history with the orcs and their old Horde, but I assure you, they are not like that anymore," she said, and then sighed. "Which brings up something I have been meaning to speak to you about."

The sudden change of topic made Jacob wary, and he had to fight his instinct to tense up. "Oh?" He asked, cautiously. "And what is that?"

"If the rest of today's ride will go as planned, then by night we will be near the farm of a friend of mine," Toho replied, and then nodded as Jacob's face lit up in understanding. "Yes, he is an orc. An old one, too: he has told tales of fighting the Alliance during the First and Second wars. Nevertheless, he is an honorable person, and I had hoped we would spend the night in his house before making the final run towards Northwatch."

The human sat still, his face contorted in disbelief as his mind struggled to absorb the concept of staying the night at the home of a sworn enemy. But aren't the tauren supposed to be a sworn enemy? A voice inside him asked. Yet this one helps you in ways many humans wouldn't.

Yes, but she's not an orc for Light's sake, he answered back. Those disgusting apes killed so many humans that it took the Alliance decades to recover. "I'm not sure I can do that," Jacob said, temporizing as he struggled with conflicting thoughts. "You don't know how many they killed, how a whole generation grew up without fathers or brothers, living in fear that the orcs would come to slaughter us all, as they did to thousands when they razed Stormwind to the ground." He paused then, to reign in the anger in his voice and shake his head. "To ask me to share space with one without intending to kill it is like asking you to do the same with a centaur."

Silence fell across the pair as Jacob finished speaking, and it grew uncomfortable for the human as Toho just seemed to stare at him. Finally, she closed her eyes and sighed, reaching up with her hand to rub the top of her muzzle. "It would almost be funny, you know, if it weren't so sad," she said.

"What?" Jacob asked, baffled at her words. "What do you mean?"

Toho opened her eyes and looked sadly at him. "How much your two races are alike, really. Both of you have fought each other, one on one in the First war, with allies in the Second. You both won a war against the other, first the Horde, then the Alliance, and you both are so obsessed with the losses, obsessed with your sorrow that you cannot see how those wars hurt you both equally. Humanity lost one of their greatest kingdoms and was nearly wiped out. The orcs were cut down like blades of grass and held captive, or as slaves, for decades after their loss.

"Your two peoples have been so egregiously violent and intolerable to one another that you don't realize how similar you are, in spirit and determination, and how tragic it is that you are not allies. Such a pairing would be nearly unstoppable, yet your history of belligerence prevents you from recognizing that there is no real reason to fight one another at all."

Jacob leaned back, mentally reeling from Toho's impassioned words. "Of course we have to fight!" He retorted, falling back on childhood prejudices. "They invaded us, they attacked us without provocation."

"While under the influence and control of the demons of the Burning Legion," Toho countered evenly. "Even the Alliance has heard of this by now, I know. The orcs were manipulated, controlled, and warped with vile magic from peaceful villagers to savage warriors, and then aimed straight at humanity by Sargeras."

Jacob glowered at that, but remained undaunted. "I have heard the story, though I am not sure I believe it," he said, shaking his head. "Even if it is true, they still did terrible things to my people."

"As yours did to them when the tables were turned," Toho countered.

"You weren't there," Jacob snapped. "Your people never saw them as the killing machines they were."

Toho waited a moment, and then sighed. "No, we weren't," she admitted, and then tilted her head a bit. "But perhaps that is why we can stand back, and look at what happened with eyes unclouded by hate. My people saw that the orcs were desperately trying to shed the sins of their past and build a new future free from the taint of demons. We also see that you humans can be just as cruel as any orc, but also have within you an indomitable stubbornness that reminds us of the orcs, as well as ourselves." Toho paused then to let her words sink in, before she continued. "As I said, it is a tragedy that the Horde and Alliance are not friends, for together our peoples did what no other world has ever done: held off and defeated the Burning Legion.

"Yet here you are, still hating, still pining for a chance to kill more orcs," she added, and then shook your head. "How is that any different than how they acted when they invaded Azeroth?"

Jacob opened his mouth, but his mind came up blank as he tried to formulate a response. He just sat there quietly as a growing feeling of emptiness seemed to well up within him. Finally, he just shook his head briefly and then looked away.

"That's what I thought," Toho said, and then turned to reach into her pack for her canteen. "We'll be staying overnight at the home of my friend Gratan. If you wish to argue with him, I only ask that you try to keep from directly insulting him or his people; I get very cranky when I am thrown out of a warm place to sleep."

The remainder of the ride was spent in a silence more profound than any the two had shared in their brief time together. Jacob had fumed at first, but then found himself moving deeper and deeper into introspective thought. Is she right? He asked himself for the thousandth time as the sun lowered towards the western horizon. Toho's words had struck a chord deep in his soul, and Jacob had begun to uncomfortably find similarities between orcs and humans. And, most disturbingly, between modern humanity's hatred of orcs and the orcs' original burning desire to destroy humanity. Are we treading down such a path that would leave us so wretched?

So deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice the pair had arrived at their destination until the kodo, following Toho's ravasaur, slowed to a stop. Jacob blinked his eyes, realizing that it had gotten quite dark. His sight then alighted on a round hovel in front of him, at the door of which stood a large, menacing figure that made a chill run down the human's spine. Tohopekaliga, though, simply climbed off of her mount and casually walked up to the orc. Easy enough for her to do when she's even taller than he is, Jacob noted.

The two conversed in Orcish for a bit, at first greeting each other warmly, before the Orc turned his look at the human and began to seemingly question the tauren in a harsh tone. Toho answered him back evenly, using the same voice she has used with Jacob earlier, being equally patient as the conversation wore on. Jacob shifted uneasily in the kodo's saddle every time the orc looked at him, as the disgust in the Hordesman's gaze could almost be physically felt. Finally, Gratan threw up his arms and gave a few quick utterances before turning and storming back into his hut.

Jacob worried for a moment, wondering how Toho and himself would find a decent campsite in the rapidly falling dark. But the tauren simply turned around and walked over to him. "I managed to talk him into it. He is a crusty old orc, but he knows honor," she said, as she began to take bags off of the kodo's harness. "Just stay in a corner or something and try not to speak. He knows enough Common to understand if you're talking about him."

"Duly noted," Jacob replied dryly as he hopped off of the flat-footed reptile and began to assist the tauren with unloading the beast of burden, before helping to carry the various belongings into the small hovel, though for the latter Jacob wisely waited until Toho headed in that direction and followed close behind her before entering the stone hut.

The inside, he saw, was simply furnished, having only a single short table, a small fireplace/cooking stove in the middle of the single-room building, and a bed made out of a stone slab. The latter made Jacob do a double take, which garnered a scoff from the old orc watching from the opposite side of the room where he and Toho were laying their gear down. Jacob blushed slightly at the verbal gesture, but he remembered Toho's words and kept his peace.

It took several trips and some work from both travelers, but they quickly had the animals unloaded and furs and bedrolls laid out to sleep on, as well as stripped off their armor and weapons for comfort. Gratan had cooked a simple dinner of stew for the three of them, though he was visibly irritated at having to hand a bowl and spoon to the human. For his part Jacob kept silent and tried not to stare at the orc the whole time he had been in the hovel, hoping that he could avoid any unnecessary interactions an thus any prospect of a confrontation.

After dinner, however, his luck ran out as Toho stood, spoke with Gratan in Orcish, and then turned to Jacob. "I need to take care of some things outside, but I will be back soon."

Jacob shifted uncomfortably, feeling the lack of armor acutely now. "About how long are we talking about?" He asked, glancing over to Gratan.

Toho didn't miss the look. "He won't hurt you," she said, and then paused to smirk. "At least, not much," she added, turning to leave the hovel. Jacob watched her go with some trepidation and this only grew as the heavy wooden door closed.

The room became deathly silent then, save for the crackling of the fire in its place and the breathing of two beings. A snort from the other side of the hut sounded, and Jacob steeled himself before turning to look at the orc sitting across the fire from him.

Gratan gave the human a long, hard look, one that Jacob swore drove down to his bones. "To think, we lost to you," the orc grunted out in heavily accented Common. "Look at you, sitting, cowed when your protector leaves."

Despite the situation, Jacob felt his hackles rise, and his visage hardened. "Where I come from, it is usually respectful to avoid arguing with a host," he said, measuring his voice carefully. "I am inclined to follow that tradition, even here."

"A weak excuse from a weak speck," the orc countered, grunting disdainfully. "She said you were a warrior, but warriors stand. You just sit there like child, afraid to say something or its mother will take away sweets."

Jacob's face burned at that, and despite himself, he stood. The orc stood as well, and the foot he had over the human bade Jacob to pause for a moment, but he soon pressed on. "Now you listen here, greenskin," he snapped out. "For what it's worth I don't like you anymore than you like me, and frankly, if you want a fight, I would normally be happy to give you one. But I made a promise, gave my word to Toho that I would avoid such a fight with you. If you take that as a sign of weakness, then maybe you should reevaluate your concept of honor."

Gratan's face darkened as he blushed profusely, and his fists clenched in rage. Yet, a moment later, something seemed to click in his mind, and he regained a sense of control. "Honor, yes," he said, and then gave the human another appraising look. "At least you understand that much."

Jacob gave the orc what some would call the 'skunk eye', but held his peace and sat down. Gratan did as well, but he continued to speak. "So you know the form of honor," he said, spitting the human with a harsh stare. "But do you know the spirit of it?"

Jacob was taken aback at the unexpected question. "I do not know what you mean by that," he said cautiously, returning the orc's hard look.

"You have the words of honor, but do you know what it is to feel it, to know it so well that words are not necessary?" Gratan asked, his voice condescending, yet beneath it Jacob could make out a slight note of genuine curiosity. The orc narrowed his eyes a bit before continuing. "Have you had honor tested on the field of battle?"

The human frowned a bit before he replied. "I've fought quillboar and some bandits before," he began, but Gratan just shook his head. "No. Not what I mean," he said, and then surprisingly to Jacob, sighed. "Toho is good friend. You might be good enough in fight, or you might not be. I would fight you to see, but she made me promise too not to do so," the old orc explained, standing up and moving over to the fur-covered, stone bed. "Don't get her killed. Else I come for you. Understand, yes?" He asked, sitting down and again giving Jacob a hard stare.

For a moment, Jacob was surprised at the sudden concern in the other being's voice. Soon enough, however, he returned the stare, and then nodded. "I owe her my life. If she dies, it will only be after I have already fallen."

Gratan thought on that for a moment, and then grunted and lay back on his bed. "Good enough, for now." He said, and then seemed to fall promptly asleep.

Jacob blinked a few times as he tried to wrap his mind around the events of the last few minutes. What just happened here? He asked himself, wondering how the conversation had not ended up as a knockdown, drag-out brawl. Was he… Was he actually concerned for Toho? Jacob thought, bewildered. I've never heard of an orc considering anyone but themselves. The stories from the first two wars always told of their backstabbing and careless disdain of their own wounded. He glanced over at the sleeping orc, and a thought sprung up in his mind: Is Toho right? Are they truly different now?

He pondered this question for some time, breaking from his reverie only when the door to the hovel started to open. Scarcely had it begun to move before Jacob was up in a kneeling position, his sword already picked up from the equipment pile nearest to his bedding. Across the room, too, Gratan had awakened and had somehow produced a massive two-handed axe seemingly from nowhere, holding it at the ready.

Both beings relaxed quickly enough, though, as the door finished opening and Toho moved in, turning to close and bar the thick wooden barrier. She turned in time to see the two males putting their weapons away, and her characteristic smirk crossed her muzzle. "Glad to see both of you are on your guard," she said, walking over to her bedding. "I can sleep easier tonight knowing I have to paranoid warriors ready to stab the first digrat that comes under the door."

Gratan scoffed as he laid his axe in the small, hidden shelf behind his bed and promptly lay back down to sleep. Jacob just took in a long, deep breath to calm himself, and he gave the tauren woman a look. "You were gone for a bit," he said. "Any touble?"

"None," Toho said, laying down herself. "Just saying some prayers."

"To your ancestors?" Jacob asked, knowing that aspect of shamanistic religions, at least.

"Something like that," she replied, and then yawned. "Now get some sleep. We can make it close to Northwatch Hold tomorrow if we start early and ride hard. You'll need your rest to walk the last bit in."

Jacob nodded for a bit, having already agreed beforehand that it was best for the tauren not to be seen by the alliance soldiery at the keep. "Alright, then," he said, laying down. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."