He was in a typical orc base, almost exact to Grom'Gol, except it had many more buildings, including the Inn, a large barracks (which dominated most of the town), and a fortified bunker (orcish style, with two levels) with a few guards looking out of it. He already knew where the stable was, because he had been here before, and he had already collected his things from his bedside, so he was ready to go already. He felt bad leaving this abruptly, but he was very homesick, and he had to work on their crazy plan. So he mounted Gladestomp, undid the leash holding him at the stable, scooped up Goretusk from the ground and placed him in the basket, and began to leave. He was leaving when Kaltunk shouted after him "Are you sure you don't want an escort?"
Maulbane thought about the encounter with the harpies, and said: "That would be excellent" He still had quite a few bruises and injuries, on top of feeling weak, and wouldn't do well in a fight on his own. Kaltunk called out two armored riders, named Jhash and Kerr (they were both orcs, riding wolves). They went single-file behind Maulbane, and they left, waving back to the town.
They were closer to the Durotar-Barrens border now, it being just on the horizon. Kerr, the larger of the two riders, tried striking up a conversation, but it died down quite fast, since they had nothing substantial to talk about. Goretusk was enjoying himself without the need for conversation, amusing himself by trying to eat flies as they passed by. Maulbane had his eyes on the small river which divided the red sand of Durotar from the yellow Savannah of the Barrens. They had grown closer to it quite fast, and Maulbane could see it properly in the distance. At this point, they were entering th e Quilboar Grounds (not very pretty beasts, who had bodies roughly as wide as orcs, though slightly shorter than your average orc by maybe a centimeter or two, but with the face and fur of a boar, with spines going down their backs.
In short, the name 'Quilboar' did not leave much to the imagination when you wondered what they looked like). The grounds themselves were obvious, on account of the huge vines (four meters long) that twisted through the sand and rock in the area. Also, their homes (crude wooden things, attached high up on the rocks). a Razormane (Like many of the wild creatures of Azeroth such as harpies, they have their own different styles and tribes) Quilboar who was too close to the road tried charging the trio with a crude Axe, clenching it tightly in its three fingers, but ended up screaming on the ground with an arrow in its right cheek, not anywhere close to its target.
The rider who had fired the arrow (Jhash) shook his head and kept moving. Maulbane didn't have fun killing, and neither did the two riders, but he had to admire their efficiency. Jhash hadn't even dismounted from his wolf. They kept moving, passing many Quilboars and their settlements, Occasionally being forced to kill them, though only a few because they usually don't live near the roads. and the bridge which went across the dividing river (named the Southfury, it cuts its way through four different regions, those being Azshara, Ashenvale, Durotar and the Barrens, before reaching the sea) getting closer and closer, until they were finally out of the Quilboar grounds (to the relief of the nervous Maulbane), and barely a quarter of a kilometer away from the bridge. It wasn't showy, but it worked well. It looked different from the average bridges that the other races liked to use, being shaped like a ramp, rising above the water and back to normal level in a smooth arc, with a makeshift ceiling above it.
It was wide enough to fit a kodo, which usually was the widest thing that went across. Anything wider would have to use the much larger bridge at Orgrimmar. They closed to distance fast, and soon the sounds of their mounts' feet were thumping on sturdy wood. Many people enjoy painting pictures at this spot, because of the amazing sight, because there is no gradual change from Durotar to the Barrens, for as you cross the bridge, you see it instantly changes from red to yellow (or vice-versa). Maulbane liked sights, but he almost never managed to stop and see them. This time he decided he would, though. On the other bank of the Southfury river he pulled on Gladestomp's reins and jumped off, rummaging through his bags for what he wanted, which he found; a sandwich made of banana bread, with some other tasty ingredients including pickle and a slice of plainstrider meat. Very fresh, being one of the things that the very hospitable orcs from Razor Hill had given him. For Goretusk, he put a big slice of crocilisk meat down for him (a treat which he managed to haggle off a goblin while he was on the zeppelin (still good)), and Goretusk began gobbling it up as voraciously as ever, making some unappealing slurping sounds as he ate. Jhash and Kerr also had their lunch, eating what looked like a ham.
Luckily Goretusk didn't see, he was too busy eating his own food. Gladestomp indignantly ate the clumps of grass along the bank, though it probably didn't taste very good. As they finished their lunch, they threw the scraps into the river, as as they had anticipated, a swarm of crocilisks was soon upon it. They left quickly after that, finally in the barrens. In front of them was the dirt road, and just on the side of it was an orc bunker, probably a warning post for the crossroads. There were a few orc grunts milling around outside it, but none of them looked very interested, as they had probably got up hours before dawn for their shifts. Most of them probably lived in either Razor Hill or the Crossroads, and both of those towns were far away. The land itself seemed more alert, with gazelle skittering around, lions prowling through the long grass and Barrens kodos wandering, among many more animals, and they were all close to the road. Maulbane also spotted a Raptor or two roaming the long grass. It was a sunny day and not a cloud above, so Maulbane enjoyed the sights. There wasn't much traffic along the wide road, apart from the occasional soldier or goblin trader from Ratchet (a goblin port town). Apart from just the Savannah, in the barrens there are many pools and oasis's, created by a night elf Mage who tried tapping into the power of the wailing caverns to bring life to the Barrens. It is said he has been sleeping deep within the cave system for years, under a strange curse. Not only that, it was said his actions unleashed a mutated race of creatures, named the deviates.
But Maulbane didn't deal in rumors. Jhash and Kerr looked content enough with their escort mission, and Goretusk was taking a power nap. He could see the crossroads in the distance, but he had all the time in the world. Taking in the sights, he slowly meandered towards the town, but he had enough sense not to stop. The Kolkar Centaur hide in many unexpected places, and their ambushes are devastating. Some of their people have an extreme knowledge of lightning magics, much more powerful than the harpys'. They passed close to one of the three oases, filled with bright green plants, palm trees and many tropical plants. It was about a kilometer large. They took a nice, slow walk along the road, staying slow to enjoy the sight of the oasis. It didn't last forever, though. When a group of five Kolkar came out of the oasis, Maulbane was pretty sure their looks alone could kill. After that, they didn't have any time to spare on trivialities such as the view. They increased speed to a brisk trot, and accelerated into a gallop. With the wind against his face, Maulbane could just about see the Crossroads. The trio ran past a boar farm and couldn't help having a guilty laugh at a small orcish child running away from a swarm of angry bees.
It was dark when Maulbane, Jhash and Kerr arrived at the crossroads. The town looked like Razor Hill, except it had a lot of Tauren architecture as well. Many of the houses and stalls were made in Tauren style, as was the wall surrounding the town. But the inn and the guard towers were orcish, making a messy, multicultural style. There were two alert guards outside, and bones all around the surrounding land. The two orcs were already very kind by helping Maulbane, and when they said they had to return to Razor Hill, he didn't waste any of their time. The two riders left at night, their wolves' bodies illuminated by flickering roadside lights.