There were at least seven harpies swooping down at him from the top of the canyon, and another four more in front of him, springing up from behind discarded crates and wagons which littered the sides of the road. Maulbane wasn't caught by surprise , And since he had his gun ready, he was instantly ready to hold his ground. The harpies flying down at him were still about twenty meters away, so he aimed his gun at the closest of them, aimed quickly, and fired. In such a narrow area, there was a huge bang, followed by the echo. One or two of the harpies yelped from having their eardrums damaged, but the rest kept going. All except the one was now motionless on the ground, a bullet inside its forehead. Maulbane reloaded his gun, loading another pullet and placing more powder in it, and fired again.

The bullet went straight into the harpy's chin, shattering and crushing bone and rendering the foe helpless. A third shot reverberated through the canyon, and killed another Harpy. The survivors were only ten meters away now, descending faster than ever. The ones on the ground were also about fifteen meters away, leaving Maulbane wanting for a better defensive spot. As he let his fourth shot go, killing another harpy as efficiently as the last shots, The harpies who were charging along the ground were met with an equally angry Goretusk. He had jumped out of his basket quite a while ago, and was now running full-speed towards the group of charging harpies. As Goretusk collided with the harpies, Maulbane let a fifth (and final) shot go, ripping apart the left arm of one of the harpies. As Goretusk leaped and tore at the first throat he could find, Maulbane had pulled out his battle-worn and trusted Axe, the Ravager. It was a monster by many standards, just as tall as the already high Maulbane, with a sinister pattern of red and black, contrasting the owner of it, that played across the entire surface of the killing tool.

It had seen almost as many battles as Maulbane had seen the stars, having been taken from person to person, and now it was in his hands. It wasn't some kind of ancient artefact, or magic Axe of destruction, but it was very powerful in the right hands, as are all weapons. It was then pulled out of its humble leather scabbard, raised to full height, and slashed through the air, cutting a harpy straight through the chest, slicing the creature into two. As the separated halves of the recently deceased harpy fell with a sound akin to, well, falling dead meat, a second harpy was struck with the weapon, this time in a unsettlingly neat diagonal line, going straight across its right shoulder, to its left hip. The owner of this nasty wound began writhing in pain on the red sand, while Maulbane was already thrusting his axe into a third victim, leaving only the three ones who were assaulting by ground alive, for one unfortunate attacker had had most of its throat lying strewn across the canyon floor, a piece of Goretusk's handiwork.

The mentioned Goretusk was now sinking his jagged and uneven teeth into one of the last harpy's legs, but the harpy slashed the animal brutally across the back. But even after that, Goretusk still held on. Maulbane put his axe away and then trained his gun on the last harpy, who was about to sneak up on the occupied Goretusk. She never got to her objective, being knocked to the ground by the force of the first shot, which hit her in the shoulder which was facing Maulbane, and then a second shot got her in between the eyes. There was only the last harpy left, but it had plans which didn't involve being lobotomised. As Maulbane aimed his gun, the harpy shook Goretusk off in a final desperate move, then swooped up a great speed, dodging Maulbane's shot with ease. Then, it did something new: Electricity began to crackle around her wrists, gathering into balls of pure, crackling energy, building up into a ball while she was dodging all of Maulbane's shots, which were growing more and more desperate and inaccurate, until the twenty second process was complete. The ball of pure electricity discharged from the hands of the Harpy, speeding through the air, while Maulbane jumped out of the way... And Failed. Two hundred and twenty volts of electricity shot through his skin, sending excruciating pain through every one of his nerves and sending him flying backwards, and just as he closed his eyes he saw the Harpy being torn apart by an angry Gladestomp, into halves, quarters, fifths, tenths ...

Chapter Seven:

Wake up, Maulbane.

"Maulbane" Cairne Bloodhoof was addressing the fourteen-year-old hunter.

"Yes, my Chieftan?"

"I have a test for you."

"Anything you wish."

"It is time for you to tame your pet – Your companion, who will walk in your footsteps, who will accompany you in every single one of your endeavors. Its spirit shall be tied directly to yours, and I now send you out of Mulgore, to find a creature that has that link with you. You will only need a few provisions, I expect you to be ready in four hours."

"But... Where do i begin? What do I do?"

"Use your instincts, hunter. You're supposed to be renowned for them."

"Of course, sorry."

"It is time for you to leave, may the ancestors smile upon you."

"And you, Chieftan" both the Taurens saluted.

As he left the tent, he didn't feel excitement, only despair. What should he do? Where to go? He thought he would get some kind of inspiration, and know straight where to go. But this wasn't some kind of child's storybook, where a light bulb pings above his head, and all is well. He knew now that it was up to him to find his companion, the animal that would walk the same path as him, whether to wealth or lack, fame or ruin. It was supposed to be one of the most meaningful things he would experience, but it didn't seem that epic, or meaningful. All he had to do was tame some beast and return home. Maybe Cairne overestimated the importance of this task? Maybe... Maybe Maulbane was wrong, but he wouldn't know until he got back. He borrowed a kodo from a friend in Thunder Bluff, packed his things and left his home with the sun behind him, making it look as if his shadow was trying to convince him to go back. He continued going though, even though he didn't know where ...

"Wake up, Maulbane!" A swollen eye opened.

"Wake up!" A second eye opened.

"Thank god you're okay... What on earth happened? We just found you lying unconscious with dead harpies EVERYWHERE. If that was you, Maul, you haven't lost your touch..." The figure chuckled, and Maulbane was beginning to recognize the voice, and as his eyes adjusted, the face.

"Commander... Kaltunk?" He winced at the pain when he tried to move his jaw, but he spoke anyway. Kaltunk was an old friend, he had fought alongside him for a while and they had helped each other out whenever they needed help. When they were killing harpies and Scorpids together, When he was living in Razor Hill, Goretusk was only a young piglet.

"The very"

"How ... Did I ..."

"Survive? Get here? Simple, actually. A band of scouts came in a day ago with you on a makeshift stretcher, and i knew from the moment i saw you that it was Maulbane. Those harpies really have it in for you, don't they?"

Maulbane tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. He felt helpless, and he didn't like it. Though his injuries would heal fast, all he wanted to do was ride to Mulgore without stopping. Thanks to a pack of harpy hunters, that wasn't going to happen.

"Euuuuuurgh"

"If you're wondering, it will only take a few days for you to recover, and your kodo is in the stable eating right now. But would like you to stay for a while, relive the past?

"we'll see, old friend, but I don't think I can"

"Shame..." The commander sighed, then said:

"Well, how about you have a piece of cactus apple surprise?"

"Couldn't hurt" Maulbane grinned, although it hurt to say it. Then, another orc came in with a plate of cactus apple surprise, and urged Maulbane to eat. It was a good treat, made out of the cactus apples that grow in Durotar. Maulbane ate it gladly, but he really wanted to begin leaving, he was probably late, and he was feeling fine now.

"Kaltunk, I'm sorry, but i really have to leave now. I must be late as it is, and if-" He winced at the pain in his jaw here "-If i stay any longer, I'll definitely be late"

"I thought you just got back from Stranglethorn, what could you possibly be doing?"

"I've made plans"

"I'll never understand you hunters, always on the move... Oh well. If you're sure about it, Gladestomp is waiting for you in the stable. Also, we've given you some extra food for the rest of your journey"

"Thank you for your hospitality, Kaltunk"

"No problem"

Maulbane rose from his bed, walked out of the room, and out into the red land outside ...