Well, my apologies for the delay of this chapter. Seems an age, yes? Well, since I go to University, all work for that must take presidence. So there, and I have been busy.

Bladzesword – Thank you, haha and yes but things may not turn out how one may expect.

Michaelnator – I do not care for what you may personally feel that you are capable of. Alliance and Horde can be as bad and as good as each other. If you wish to continue those remarks, then do not post them in a review. Conflict will come in as soon as I see fit or as the story requires. And I believe I had already mentioned that Battleground glitch regarding Hunters and their pets in previous chapters.

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It is to be noted here that this will include the events of Cataclysm but in retrospect to my cruel intention that will noticeably go against what is already written in lore, this is an alternate universe. Many things will relate and many things will not.

They had decided to remain in the excuse for a shelter the jutting rocks provided for a little longer, one reason alone to let Jaina get some of her strength back and another, to wait for a passing sand storm. Zol'jin knew how much his raptor was detesting the human company and he was having a hard time in persuading the reptile to help provide cover from the scratchy winds. It took a lot of cursing and jabs from the Troll to get the large blue raptor anywhere near where Zol'jin wanted him knowing the bipedal idiot could withstand the wind on his thick hide better than Leyo or the two humanoids.

Leyo was sharing Baba's sentiments but seemed to be more amiable to at least stand near the human if out of a need to protect his master. Jaina accepted the cat's wished and made no attempts to move. She wasn't blind, she knew she wasn't going to be readily accepted by Zol'jin's pets. Hunter's pets were loyal till death o they part and Raptors had varying temperaments. She wasn't sure she liked this one but as she often said to herself, it was only the first day. A lot could happen between here in the unmerciless sands of Tanaris to the sun beaten red rocks of Durotar.

She gazed up at the troll seeming to realise she was staring. She watched him frown slightly, as if caught in indecision but he eventually reached into his mount's saddlebags and pulled out a few blankets. They weren't anything fancy, just simple woollen blanket meant for warmth than décor. He handed her a couple before he began on a fire. It took him a long time of arguing against the wind but perseverance won out and soon a small but sturdy flame burst from the small pile of dried wood Zol'jin carried with him. Most were just dried up deadwood from the coast before he had gone inland. Though, that hadn't been without its hindrances. Pirates swarmed the coastlines for a good stretch and Leyo had proved his worth that day.

He was aware of the human watching him and it made him uneasy. He didn't like being stared at. He could see why but never appreciated it. Finally, his bitterness won out, "What?" he stated shortly in his heavy accent. He was tired and he really needed to sleep soon but he had to keep stoking the fire a fair bit to make sure it would keep for a few hours.

"Sorry... I know it's a hard decision... agreeing to take me to Thrall..." she said softly, slowly but none too slowly and Zol'jin recognised or rather could hear the diplomat in her. His ear twitched and one eye peered at her, his face torn in a unreadable expression. Jaina had always found that somewhat amusing, since troll men had thicker and longer tusks than their female counterparts, they could pull the weirdest faces and yet it still looked completely natural... depending which way you looked at it.

All she got was a grunt or a scoff, one of the two and she nodded slightly before laying down, "Thank you, Zol'jin," she said before dozing off. The troll remained tending to the fire, thinking about what he was doing... he wasn't even sure why he was doing it in the first place. After a few more moments, he told Leyo to sleep knowing that damn raptor wouldn't go to sleep now what with a stranger in their midst.

Zol'jin fell into an uneasy slumber, turning occasionally in his sleep and earned a disgruntled growl from Leyo, the large giant lift his grand head with a sour expression as Zol'jin bumped his unshod feet into him.

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The sun rose and an unhappy Raptor rose to its feet in one graceful move and shook itself happily spreading more sand over the sleeping pair. Jaina did not wake to the sand being tossed on her but the Troll's cries of protest did wake her and she stretched completely oblivious to the sand. She was covered in it anyway.

She watched with curiosity as Zol'jin spoke in rapid-fire Zandali at the raptor knowing she would not be able to understand the language though she could read his body language well enough from the times she had watched Vol'jin in the past. Zul'jin seemed younger, more readily animated and quick to raise emotion whereas Vol'jin was tempered by experience and wisdom. She rose to her feet and shook the woollen blankets one by one to loosen the sand from the folds. She heard the yawn of a contented cat and smiled as she folded the blankets and held them out to Zol'jin who took them with one hand and stuffed them back where they came from.

"We should get goin'," Zol'jin said, eyeing the sky for a moment before nudging his sleepy feline. The black lion growled but rose with obedience. Zol'jin busied himself with making sure nothing was wrong with Baba's tack and looked at Jaina, "I'm not sure Baba will let you ride 'im," he said uncertainly. Baba had a temperament and he was choosy. He had already let his feeling about Jaina be known and Zol'jin didn't trust him to not knock them both out the saddle.

"I'll be all right to walk... I'm not overly keen on riding him either," she gave an apologetic smile. Zol'jin nodded, taking Baba by the reins but made no show to actually mount the irritable creature.

"C'mon den or the hyena's will come," he said, wanting to start in time to reach Gadgetzan by the late afternoon at the earliest. She nodded and joined him and they started forth to Gadgetzan both in silence.

For one thing, Zol'jin had no idea what to talk about, what they could talk about that was. She was human and he was a Troll. Silence stayed for a long time before Jaina gave a frightened shout of alarm. Cursing himself for letting himself lose track of his surroundings, he peered up and his eyes narrowed at the death knight sitting on his Archerus Death-Charger standing in their path. The Troll bared his upper lip coming to a halt. Whilst he had heard that some of the Lich King's death knights had been freed from captive control, he couldn't find them a pleasing lot. In tune with their calling, Zol'jin could smell death about the undead creature and his lip remained bared in open challenge. Zol'jin had no doubt he would not be able to stand up to the man in a duel since they used pets, albeit undead ones, as well.

Leyo's haunches rose, snarling but kept to his spot clearly mimicking his master's actions. The scent was horrid and Zol'jin was acutely aware of how the lion wanted nothing more than to beat a retreat but its instinct to stand its ground won out.

"What choo want, mon?" Zol'jin finally said, eyeing the creature with disdain. Even Baba was displaying sign of bitter hatred and uneasiness, and more than twice did the reins the troll was holding grew taught.

The death knight was that of a Blood Elf but bore none of the usual well-kept and maintained look that many Blood Elf men had. Blood Elves were well known to be vain about their appearance but this one did not seem to follow the trait. His head of long hair was lank and greasy, of what skin that showed through his heavy plate was pale and his glowing eyes bore into the troll with a total lack of emotion. This was the very reason why death-knights differed greatly from Forsaken. Forsaken were willing to keep emotion very much in play and didn't always or weren't always willing to remember their past life. Death-knights however had no such luck, they bore very little emotion if none at all on the outside from a lifetime's experience of not letting an enemy see it. Where a normal Forsaken forgot in their time of service, death knights kept everything and often watched in horror as they were powerless to prevent themselves from doing what the Lich King commanded, his voice was like a very intoxicating and desirable drug in one's mind.

The Blood Elf leaned forward in the saddle staring into Zol'jin before they appeared to redirect to the human standing a little behind Zol'jin. He eventually leaned back and dismounted. The disgruntled death-charger moved away before standing almost like stone.

"Curious to find a troll with a human. I wonder why," he finally said unsheathing his two-handed rune blade and the tip dug into the sand as he lean on it slightly.

"She asked fer help, death knight. I don't kill without reason to," Zol'jin replied warily, unsure of the death knight's intention. He didn't like how the undead creature behaved.

"Sure she did but then she is Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore is she not?" he replied with the same bland, slightly curious, echoed baritone he had used before.

"Of whom I ask help from isn't of your concern," Jaina said politely, she had known the death knight's master personally and from a young age too. She had watched Arthas become the man he was today and she was sad all the more for it. She had been powerless to change the man back to the way of light and hope, just as Uther had been.

The name had hit Zol'jin in the face and the troll couldn't prevent himself from peering in the girl's direction. But then it struck him with curiosity, what relation did she have with Thrall.

The death knight finally frowned breaking the stoic facade he had been maintaining so well till now, "Bit risky asking a troll for help. You aware of their..."

"The Darkspear turned away from that course when we joined da Horde! We be loyal to Thrall!" Zol'jin interrupted, angry with the Blood Elf and Leyo roared his protest of his master's slander by the death knight who merely chuckled, the sound gruesome in all its echoed detail.

The black lion, large as he was, took a few steps forward as if to challenge the death knight but the undead creature stood his ground.

"You are taking her to Thrall?" he asked a little more softly as if to calm Zol'jin's angry nerves. It was always amusing to test a troll's responses to such things such as their preferred diet.

"What business be it of yours?" Zol'jin spat, baring his lip once more.

"It is a dangerous time to be travelling. Didn't you hear, danger is on the rise and unspeakable one at that. Thrall may going to it personally what with all the Cults near to Orgrmmar right now," The death knight sheathed his rune blade and clicked his tonge. His death-charger walked over and stood by its master's side.

"What is your name, Knight of the Ebon Blade?" Jaina asked him, earning an annoyed look from Zol'jin.

"They call me Helcinos..."

"No, your name from your life,"

For the first time since he had forced his way into their path the Blood Elf shifted uncomfortably, "Sothale Dawnstar"

"You should use it more often, Sothale Dawnstar. Are you offering your services?" Jaina asked, seeming to know how to diffuse a situation and the hunter grunted, clicking his tongue and Leyo growled but turned and sat by his side.

"You will have need of it, I think. You don't have to like me, Hunter,"

"Zol'Jin," the Troll spat irritably.

"Zol'jin.' Sothale repeated and continued, 'But we can work for a common cause. I too, need to see the Warchief. It makes sense to offer my services along the way there. The odds would improve, yes?"

Zol'jin shifted before nodding slightly and Sothale smiled slightly, nodding and he brought his death-charger over to Jaina, "For you, milady."

"Thank you Sothale, but I shall walk to Gadgetzan," she said softly.

"Very well," Sothale mounted the dead horse, "Whenever you are ready, Zol'jin,"

Zol'jin growled slightly between his short tusks and started forth muttering something to his lion who purred softly before loping on ahead making sure the coast was clear as the trio walked after him.

"He is a beautiful creature," Sothale said suddenly after an hour of silence. "I bet he took you a while to tame"

"That be da ting with big cats, mon. They are never truly tame till you win der respect. He be from Scholozar Basin," the Troll replied, smiling for the first time in a long while. He was proud of his achievement even if it did take him ages to win the cat's loyalty. "He still carries his wild side," one that Zol'jin was content for Leyo to keep. Lions were kings after all.

"You trust him to scout for you then?"

"Yea, you have a problem with dat?"

"No, hunter's can be very useful. Often see what we don't," Sothale replied, his voice absent as Jaina listened to the men speak. Zol'jin nodded in return but speaking loudly, checking in on Leyo. The black feline returned a soft growl which indicated the coast was still clear.

After a time, Gadgetzan rolled into their view and Jaina was happy. Here they could replenish supplies and barter for a mount for her. They looked at the mounts tied up outside the fortification's walls. A surly olive-skinned Goblin soon came over, eyeing the three with certain suspicion and curiosity. Zol'jin looked at him once Jaina found a mount she was happy in riding, a black horse, a very human mount indeed.

"How much ya want for da 'orse, mon?" Zol'jin asked

"Horse? Heh, why...?

"She be ours to take to da Warchief."

"Ah ha! So why not fly to Orgrimmar?" The goblin replied, eyeing Jaina before the sound of a sword being unsheathed from its scabbard caught his attention to look at the death knight. The Goblin blinked and his footing shifted with evident discomfort.

"You will sell us the horse for a reasonable price or I will show you the meaning of pain. Are we understood?" Sothale echoed in his monotone that held promise in his words, and the Goblin didn't doubt it. He scratched his chin before looking at the black stallion and then spoke.

"Of course... two hundred gold. He's a fine animal, worth at least twice,"

"One hundred, mon," Troll stated, knowing Goblins had a tendency to exaggerate their prices in their undying lust to make profit.

"He was a hard sale Sir. One-seventy,"

"One-thirty or I will let 'im loose," Zol'jin spat and gestured to the imposing Blood Elf with a surly look of his own. Leyo growled, eyeing the Goblin hungrily which seemed to clinch the Goblin in a standstill before the small man held out his hand for the gold.

"Deal, if you call back your cat,"

The Troll chuckled and the death knight dismounted to free the horse Jaina had chosen and held it still whilst she got on, the tack already bound to the equine who whinnied, disliking the smell of death on Sothale. Zol'jin then gave the Goblin the money he wanted and the Goblin took it, carefully counted every coin before he nodded and turned away.

"Stay with him, mon. I get us supplies," Zol'jin muttered as Sothale mounted his charger once more and the Troll handed the reins of Baba over to him. "Careful, she bites," he warned before he turned for the Goblin fortification with Leyo following, growling at anyone who got too close.

"Well, this should be interesting," Jaina said softly and Sothale only grunted his agreement.

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