Chapter Four
Larraine remained on her hands and knees for a long time once she finally reached the ground below the Skyfire, her eyes closed. She trembled as she tried to catch her breath and ease the rapid beating of her heart and she blindly grasped at the grass under her hands, digging her nails slightly into the earth below in order to remind herself that she was once more on solid ground.
"I'm sorry, Larraine," Bixby apologized, patting one of her shoulders. "I didn't realize you're afraid of heights."
"It's not heights that bother me, it's falling from them that I don't like," Larraine clarified for her, taking one last deep breath before sitting up and looking to the airship above them. "Why did Gardenia go back up to the ship?"
"She's dropping off her flying machine, and then she's going to take a parachute down to join us."
Larraine nodded and stood up, then held out her hand to Fang. He came over and nuzzled her palm, then she laid her hand on top of his head and ruffed his fur. After he was sure she was okay he sat down next to her and patiently waited while she removed the pack her parachute had been in and then readjusted her gear so that the strap of her quiver crossed over her chest and freed up one shoulder for her pack and the other for her bow.
"Here she comes!" Bixby announced, pointing up into the sky. Larraine looked up and saw Gardenia calmly floating down to the ground, maneuvering her parachute with ease as she directed her fall to land next to where they were waiting for her. Once her feet made contact with the ground, she jogged a few steps before coming to a stop, then unfastened the pack from her chest and raised her goggles from her eyes.
"Did you guys see what's going on over there?" she asked them, pointing in the direction of the Horde landing where Rell and the others had gone.
"No," Larraine replied, shaking her head.
"It's a mess," Gardenia said, letting out a weary sigh. "Looks like the Horde already brought some siege equipment to the shore before we had a chance to take their ships down. I'm guessing they were planning to attack the village Rell asked us to check out."
"We should warn them!" Bixby suggested. "Before those stinky orcs get a chance to hurt anybody!"
"What is it with you and stinky orcs?" Larraine asked, curious about that particular phrase the tiny rogue kept spouting.
"Have you ever fought an orc?" Bixby asked her, scrunching up her nose. "They smell bad! I don't think any of them even knows what a bath is. Except maybe Thrall, but he's the one exception. I imagine he probably smells like incense. Or maybe flowers. Still, I doubt he'd smell as nice as the king."
"How would you know what the king smells like?" Larraine asked, causing Bixby to blush.
"I... I don't. I just use my imagination."
"Right," Larraine drawled in disbelief. Knowing Bixby, she'd probably snatched a shirt from Varian's laundry during one of her little scavenging adventures at the Keep.
"Come on," Gardenia prompted as she set off in the direction of the nearest path. "Let's go make nice with the locals."
Larraine followed the two gnomes along the path, heading away from the site of the Horde encampment. As they walked, she looked around and took in the surrounding environment. Everything was an incredible shade of green, and unfamiliar trees dotting the sides of the pathway rained down soft pink petals upon them as they passed underneath. A warm breeze blew through the trees, sending even more of the petals down on them, and with those petals came a delicately floral scent. Larraine closed her eyes and felt a sense of calm start to fill her in spite of the direness of the situation they were in.
"Halt!"
Larraine stopped in her tracks and opened her eyes to find a rotund bear dressed in in armor standing upright on its hind legs before them. She looked around for whoever had ordered them to stop but, to her surprise, it was the bear who spoke.
"What business do you have with us, strangers?" the bear demanded, and she blinked in curiosity.
"Holy crap, it's a talking bear!" Bixby exclaimed, putting Larraine's thoughts into words. Gardenia sharply jabbed her elbow into her sister's side and stepped in front of her to address the apparent guard of the town.
"Greetings," she said, giving the large bear-man a curtsy. "I am Gardenia Tinkerfoot, Ambassador of the Alliance. My friends and I have come to your land on an important mission. We mean you no harm."
The bear-man looked the three of them over, stroking his chin thoughtfully with one hand. After a moment, he smiled and chuckled a bit, waving them along.
"Welcome to Paw'don Village, little ones," he told them. "You will find Mayor Khang in the town center, near the fountain. Please, do not draw your weapons as our previous guests did."
"Thank you, good sir," Gardenia told the guard, offering him another polite curtsy. The bear-man bowed in reply and then the three of them made their way into the village proper.
The first thing Larraine noticed – aside from the numerous other bear-people walking around the village – was the architecture. The buildings were mostly small but sported ornate, decorative borders around the windows and doors as well as upon the roofs. Nearly all of them had their front doors wide open, likely to indicate that whatever services the businesses within provided were currently available, but at least a couple of them buildings appeared to be private homes rather than businesses, with children playing on the steps. Foreign yet mouthwatering smells emanated from the dwellings, and Larraine suddenly realized it had been quite a while since the last time she ate anything. Perhaps, once they had introduced themselves to the town's mayor, they could see about maybe purchasing a meal from the local inn – assuming they had one.
"Hello, friends!" they were greeted by yet another bear-man wearing grey robes and an unusual straw hat upon his head. "Welcome to Paw'don Village. I am Mayor Khang."
"Greetings, Mayor Khang. I am Gardenia Tinkerfoot," Gardenia introduced herself before turning to the others. "This is my sister, Bixby, and our friend, Larraine McAlister. We have come to your land in the name of the Alliance of Stormwind on a most important mission. Might we and our people be able to stay in your village for a few days?"
"A mission?" the mayor mused, crossing his arms in a manner that his hands were fully enveloped by the large sleeves of his robe. "Might I inquire as to what sort of mission this is you are on?"
"We're here to rescue a prince!" Bixby blurted out before Gardenia had a chance to reply, causing her sister to give her a dirty look.
"A prince, you say?"
"Yes," Larraine said without thinking. "His name is Anduin. He's my age and about as tall as me with blonde hair and blue eyes."
"He was traveling by ship and wrecked somewhere along your shores," Gardenia continued before Larraine could start rambling any more than she already had. "By chance, did he or any of the crew members of the vessel he was on come here looking for aid?"
"Hm," the bear-man hummed thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head solemnly. "No, I cannot say that they did. I am sure I would have remembered if someone such as yourselves came here, particularly if they were seeking aid. We pandaren are a helpful sort, you see, and so we would not have turned away someone in need."
"Pandaren? Is that what you bear-people call yourselves?" Bixby wondered, causing the mayor to let out a deep, hearty chuckle.
"Yes, my new little friend."
It was at that very moment that Larraine's stomach decided to audibly protest the lack of food within it, and she blushed as the mayor let out another mirthful laugh.
"We pandaren are also known for our hospitality," he told them, gesturing for them to follow him. "Come. We shall share a meal and you can tell me more of your people and this prince you seek."
The three of them followed the mayor the one of the few buildings in the village which had a second story, and they found several other pandaren sitting around low tables outside, eating from bowls with thin sticks. Khang went inside to an empty table and sat, then waited for the three of them to take seats around the same table before beckoning to a female pandaren with a long braid. She soon approached the table with a tray sporting four nearly-stacked cups and a teapot, and gracefully placed a cup before each of them and filled each one with fresh, hot tea.
"Jiayi, please bring us some of your finest green curry fish, as well as some frybread and red bean buns."
"Yes, Master Khang," the young female replied, bowing respectfully to the mayor before leaving them to go make the food he had ordered.
"So, tell me more of this prince you seek," Khang requested, sipping his tea in an oddly dainty manner for someone his size. The two gnomes both looked to Larraine, knowing that of the three of them she knew the prince best.
"Well, as I said before... his name is Anduin – Anduin Wrynn. He's the crown prince of Stormwind, and he was on a ship headed for your land as part of a diplomatic mission."
"And I take it his idea of diplomacy is far removed from that of the so-called 'Horde' who came by here a few days ago, yes? I certainly would hope so, seeing as you three are here seeking him out."
"There Horde was here?" Bixby asked, her voice squeaking a bit in apprehension.
"Yes, but fear not little one. We pandaren might prefer to live a calm and simple life, but we are not opposed to fighting when our homes are threatened. We drove them out and back to the shores, though some of them traveled a bit farther inland and took up refuge in Twinspire Keep."
"I can go get rid of those stinky orcs for you!" Bixby offered, prompting Khang to laugh.
"That will not be necessary. As long as they do not threaten the village, we are content to let them be."
"With all due respect, Mayor Khang," Gardenia said, bowing slightly over the table, "the Horde are the sworn enemies of our people and they are not to be trusted. They may have agreed to leave your village alone, but I don't doubt that they're holed up in that keep right now, plotting their eventual attack."
"Perhaps you are right," Khang conceded with a sigh. "I had a feeling I could not trust them when they agreed to make a retreat, but I suppose so many years of isolation has made us far too trusting of outsiders."
"You're not going to kick us out, too, are you?" Bixby wondered, pouting.
"No, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. After all, you did not come barging into our village brandishing weapons and demanding that we submit to your will. However, should you or your people pose a threat to my villagers I will have no choice but to oust you like I did the Horde who came here."
Larraine had only been partially listening to the conversation from the point where she heard the Horde had started moving inland. Rell and the others had assumed they were all confined to the settlement on the shore, but it seemed they already had a head start on conquering the land with their forces. She was glad that Khang and his people had fought back and forced the Horde out, but she had doubts that all of the pandaren would be so lucky. Perhaps some would even be swayed by the promises of power that the Horde often offered to their military recruits.
"Pardon me," the female pandaren said as she approached their table with another tray. This time, she placed dishes of thick green soup before them, each one with a whole cooked fish in it – along with a fifth bowl which she placed on the floor next to Larraine for her wolf. She also placed out a small basket full of pieces of flat bread which had the appearance of having been grilled and glossy, golden-brown rolls. Once the food had been served, she offered a pair of thin sticks to each of the diners at the table, and then she bowed and retreated back to her post behind the nearby counter.
"Um... How do these work?" Bixby asked as she attempted to stab the fish in her bowl with the end of one of the sticks.
"Here, let me show you," Khang told them with a wide grin, and he demonstrated the proper technique of using the sticks as eating utensils. Gardenia immediately caught on, and Larraine soon figured it out as well. Bixby, however, struggled with mastering the technique and so Khang took the sticks from her and tied them together at one end with a piece of string, then folded a leaf and stuck it in between them near the string. She still wasn't quite as good as the others, but the alterations to the implements seemed to help and she was finally able to eat along with the rest of them.
Larraine ate quietly with the others, occasionally petting Fang as he ate his own bowl of soup, but the intensity of her hunger caused her to eat faster than her companions and she accidentally slurped some of the soup from her bowl. She looked across the table to the mayor of the village, covering her mouth with one hand and blushing at her unintentional rudeness. To her surprise, however, the mayor merely smiled at her and picked up his bowl with both hands, then proceeded to loudly slurp down the rest of the broth within it before winking at her.
"Do not worry," he assured her. "Here, it is a great compliment when someone eats with enough gusto to cause noises such as the one you just made."
"What's the rule when it comes to licking the bowl clean?" Bixby wondered, staring at the last remnants of her own meal.
"Feel free to do so," Khang told her with a chuckle. "But, if I might make a suggestion, I prefer to use some of the frybread to sop up the last of the broth."
"Oooh! Good idea!" Bixby exclaimed, standing up slightly to reach across the table and pluck a piece of the slightly-charred flat bread from its basket.
Larraine reached for one of the rolls in the other basket and took a bite of it, then blinked in surprise when she found it was filled with a thick, sweet paste. She chewed slowly before taking another bite, then another, her eyes growing wide in wonder.
"I take it you like the buns," Khang remarked, and she nodded as she continued to eat the confection. "Please, take some with you."
He held out the basket to her and Larraine quietly thanked him and took a few of the buns to place in her pack for later. She then grabbed one more and handed it to Fang, who took it carefully from her hand and tentatively gnawed on it for a bit before swallowing the rest of the nearly-whole bun.
"If it is war you mean to bring to our shores, the very land itself will respond to your passions and your violence!"
Their peaceful meal was interrupted by the sound of shouting outside, and Khang rose from his seat to go investigate. Larraine exchanged looks with Bixby and Gardenia, and then the three of them followed the mayor outside. Rell was standing with another pandaren dressed in some sort of strange uniform, and judging by the look on the night elf's face they were not having a very friendly conversation.
"We're here on a rescue mission," Rell told the uniformed pandaren, his glowing eyes narrowed in anger.
"Oh, really?" the pandaren replied in disbelief. "I have witnessed, first-hand, this conflict you have with those calling themselves the Horde. It is little more than a race war. Do you mean to tell me this will not drive your people and their actions during this so-called 'rescue mission' of yours?"
Rell remained silent, and at first Larraine thought he was holding his tongue to prevent himself from having an angry outburst which would surely cause them to be forcibly removed from the town. As she studied his expression, though, she noticed something else written on his face: shame. Rell wasn't as adamant about exterminating the Horde as people like Admiral Rogers, but he'd never been one to stand down from fighting them in the name of the Alliance when it was necessary.
"What do you think happened at that encampment?" Bixby whispered, and Larraine wondered if she had noticed the look on Rell's face as well.
"If you insist on pursuing this conflict you have with the Horde, I do not know what the ultimate consequences will be – no one does," the pandaren said sternly, and Rell bowed his head in resignation.
"Taran Zhu, what brings you here?" Khang greeted the other pandaren, and he turned to the mayor and greeted him with a respectful bow.
"Mayor Khang, I see you have already decided to extend your hospitality to these outsiders," Taran Zhu remarked, gesturing toward Larraine and her companions.
"Yes, they came here searching for a young prince whose ship wrecked somewhere upon our shores."
Taran Zhu let out a grunt of disapproval. "I see. You may give these soldiers quarters at your discretion, but I must warn you that we will not be taking sides should their race war come to bear down upon your people. Their hatreds would engulf this land – and we will have no part in it."
"Very well," Khang agreed with a nod, and the two pandaren continued to stare silently at each other from under the brims of their large hats a moment longer before Taran Zhu gave the mayor another slight bow and made his way out of the village.
"What was all that about?" Larraine asked Rell as she approached him, reaching up to give his arm a slight squeeze.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Rell told her tersely, prompting her to pull her hand away. A moment later he let out a heavy sigh and turned his glowing eyes to her face.
"Any word on the prince?"
"No," she informed him, shaking her head. "Mayor Khang here said no one has come to the village seeking aid in the last few days."
"Yeah, but they did get visited by some mean, stinky orcs!" Bixby chimed in.
"The Horde were here?" Rell asked, turning his attention to the pink-haired rogue.
"Yep! But don't worry, the mayor and his people here drove them off."
"He did mention some of them might be at a nearby keep, however," Gardenia added, stepping forward. "It would probably be a good idea to check it out and make sure they're not planning another attack on the village."
"Good idea," Rell agreed. "Maybe I'll find that warlock so I can settle the score with him."
"What warlock?" Gardenia asked, her face hardening at the obvious disgust in Rell's voice when he spoke about the very skills she possessed.
"There was an orc warlock at the encampment," Rell told her. "He made some threats, said that the Horde would take over this land for themselves. Unfortunately, he ported away before we could capture him for questioning."
Gardenia nodded, though she still didn't seem quite satisfied with what he'd said, and Larraine decided to step in before the two of them could get into an argument.
"Rell, it's getting late. Why don't you and the others come in for a meal and we'll all get rested up and then tomorrow we'll figure out what we need to do."
"I suppose you're right," Rell agreed. "I doubt any of us slept well – if at all – on the airship. Rogers was finishing in clearing out the rest of the encampment with her men, but Sully and Amber should be along shortly with Nodd and Mishka and those who were wounded during the fighting. I just hope Mishka will be able to handle healing them all on her own."
"Do not worry," Khang told him. "We have healers here in the village who can assist in mending your wounded."
"Thank you," Rell said, giving the mayor an appreciative nod.
"If Prince Anduin was here, he'd be able to help, too!" Bixby pointed out.
"But he's not here," Larraine blurted out. "He's still out there... somewhere."
"We'll find him," Rell said to her. "I promise. But like you said, we're all hungry and tired. None of us will be any good right now out in the field. So we'll take a night to rest and then regroup in the morning and go looking for leads. Okay?"
"Okay," Larraine quietly agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry I got upset."
"We're all tired," Gardenia said, and Bixby nodded in agreement as she stifled a nod. "And you're frustrated. It's okay."
"Well, then," Khang said, clapping his hands together. "Now that you have all decided to spend the night here, I will speak to Jiayi about preparing some rooms for your people to rest in."
He turned and began to head back toward the inn, but paused as he passed by Larraine and reached up to pat her shoulder, giving her a knowing smile. A moment later he continued on his way, and she found herself staring after the elderly pandaren and wondering exactly what that had been about.